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mtnbluedatab

Source Definition for Family Book

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I have a nice family history book that a cousin compiled and sold at a reunion. It is good information gleaned from many townsfolk, pictures, etc. It was not compiled according to any genealogy standards, nor has any source information.

 

For me to record this book as a Source in my records, I could simply indicate who compiled the book, etc, and where I store it. However, I believe that I can do better, and determine sources for some of the information inside this book.

 

The Source Types in TMG does not appear to have one that fits this scenario. (Nested Sources)

 

Perhaps I could create Sources for any information within book that I can, and refer to the book (as a compilation) within each of those Sources. The book would essentially be like a Repository.

 

Just looking to see if there are suggestions on this.

Edited by mtnbluedatab

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mtnbluedatab,

 

In my view, the book is your source. Period. If it doesn't say what it's sources are there is no basis for you to assert what they were.

 

But you are able to find some of them, I think you should then cite them directly - they really have nothing to do with the book and there is no reason to make any cross-reference to it. Then, since you believe the book is based on that source and the citation is in effect redundant, you should no longer cite the book, but instead right-click on that citation and "Exclude" it so it will no longer appear in the footnotes, but will be visible to you so you can see your original source.

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Thanks again for the insightful reply. It makes sense.

 

I will not spend more time than the following before digging in on my own, as I am very likely to find unexpected scenarios that I cannot predict.

 

Here is a possible scenario:

 

The author creates a story of an ancestor. It is generated from a number of informal sources, such as recollections of stories from parents, grandparents, and more current discussions with older siblings. Since the author has spent time and effort composing the story, she does require credit and is a source herself. (if not, I would be plagiarizing her). However, given that I am also a member of this family (cousin branch), I also know some of these stories. I believe that some parts if not all of these stories have circulated for decades, and could have taken on a 'romantic' tone.

 

I expect to provide a source for the whole story - the author herself. Then,technically, I am looking for a way to take apart the story and apply some semblance of sources to the parts. I guess perhaps a method would be to cite paragraphs or sentences within the story. Or, I could re-state the story but in pieces with source citations of my own, and possibly annotations of my thinking on the validity of the story.

 

Possibly the above is too speculative, so I will dig in and see what happens:).

Edited by mtnbluedatab

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Stan,

 

There is nothing wrong with citing multiple sources if each contributes information to the tag, whether that information agrees, disagrees, or overlaps with different parts coming from different sources.

 

Depending on the nature of the story, I've composited a narrative from different sources, or quoted a story then adding comments that conflict in whole or in part from other sources. Family stories have a way of getting "amplified" over the generations. There is often a kernel of truth in them, but details often get "improved" with time. I'm more likely to directly quote an old story if the language itself is interesting, otherwise I generally paraphrase it. In the latter case, if it seems mostly correct, I generally interweave details from other sources. If there seem to be substantial questions about some or all of it, I more likely quote or paraphrase it, then offer the conflicting information.

 

For an example of this last you might look at the section "West Point and Medical School" in my page on Dr. Joshua Cobb on my website.

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