Help with sources

[cfears0826 0]

I love my Master Genealogist software and I've entered about 800 names but I've been holding off on entering my sources. I have all the info but I've never been sure exactly how to enter them. I'm one of those people that's all about the details and that's why I'm holding off. I want to do it right the first time. I've read all the help topics, the user guide and gone to some of the websites and I'm still confused. I tried to create a source tonight and I end up with a bunch of unknowns and I don't know why they are unknown because I don't know what's missing.

 

I understand what a source is and what a repository is but I want to know exactly what to put in each field for each type of source. For example on a Death Registration what does record type mean? What is a file date? Is every death certificate I have it's own source or do I somehow lump them all together as one? And lastly is a Death Registration the same as a Death Certificate? I know there are books out there and I'd buy one in a heartbeat but I don't know if they will actually give me the detail I'm looking for. Does anyone have any books or websites that might help me before I convince myself to put off entering my sources again.

[LornaHenderson 0]

Does anyone have any books or websites that might help me before I convince myself to put off entering my sources again. 

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

Please please DON'T put off entering sources, you will regret it later.

 

Try

http://tmg.reigelridge.com/index.htm

 

The "unknown"s appearing are because your templates have some data or other missing and the output template hasn't got conditional markers < ... > around the elements concerned.

 

Read Terry's tips above, and come back to the TMG list (see

http://lists.rootsweb.com/index/other/Software/TMG.html

on how to subscribe)

with any questions. Lots of helpful people out there.

[nrbsr 0]

"Evidence!" by Elizabeth Shown Mills is what you are looking for. Wholly Genes has it available at http://store.whollygenes.com/Detail.bok?no=103

[Terry Reigel 0]

I understand what a source is and what a repository is but I want to know exactly what to put in each field for each type of source.  For example on a Death Registration what does record type mean?  What is a file date?  Is every death certificate I have it's own source or do I somehow lump them all together as one?  And lastly is a Death Registration the same as a Death Certificate?  I know there are books out there and I'd buy one in a heartbeat but I don't know if they will actually give me the detail I'm looking for.  Does anyone have any books or websites that might help me before I convince myself to put off entering my sources again.

Lorna has already suggested my website - in particular I'd recommend the Source Tutorial. But it looks to me that you've got the basics down, but now are confused about details. I'd second Lorna's suggestion to subscribe to TMG-L - there are lots of friendly folks there happy to offer suggestions on "how best to" type questions.

 

I'd also agree with Norb's suggestion to buy Evidence! - but would point out that the best use of it in your situation is to compare the examples in the book with the Output Templates in the TMG source type you want to use. You can see what Ms. Mills intended for each spot in the note, and look in the TMG template to see what Source Element appears in that spot.

 

For example, doing so reveals that in the place where the TMG template puts [RECORD TYPE] Ms. Mills has "death certificate". Where TMG has [FILE DATE] she has a year - presumably the year when the death was recorded.

 

As to whether each death certificate should be entered as it's own source - you are now in the classic "splitters" vs "lumpers" debate. The standard TMG Source Types are designed with the intention that each certificate would be entered in a separate source. Many users favor that approach. Others like fewer sources, and would make one source for all death certificates, or perhaps one for all those recorded in a single county or state.

 

If you do that, you need to move the more specific information from the Source Definition and record it in the Citation Detail. You would modify the Output Templates to removed those elements that you are going to record in the CD, to get rid of the "Unknown name" type output.

 

If you put the details in the CD, you have two choices:

1) Just put all the details together, with the result that the notes will not read in the same order as in the Mills examples, but the information is all there.

2) Use "split CDs" - which allow you to put the information in the CD, but still have the information appear in various places in the note, rather than all together. This is more complicated to do, but results in "prettier" notes. There are articles on my site about split CDs that explain this and give some examples.

[Jim M. 0]

As a follow on -

 

Is TMG's Source Categories/Custom a hybrid of Mills, a hybrid of Lackey, or a hybrid of Mills+Lackey?

 

Is it better, in your view, to use Custom vs. the two published standards?

 

I presume that "Evidence!" by Elizabeth Shown Mills is a Mills-fest, so to speak, but is there a good text based on the Custom source definitions? Or should I care?

 

A quote from "The Matrix" comes to mind: "You take the red pill - you stay in Wonderland and I show you how deep the rabbit-hole goes."

 

Jim

[Terry Reigel 0]

There are three source Categories available in TMG - those based on Lackey, those based on Mills, and Custom. The significant difference is that if you choose the Lackey or Mills categories, you cannot add any custom source types. If you use Custom you can.

 

By default, the Custom category is used in new projects, and poplulated with the Mills source types. You can chose to initialize it instead with the Lackey source types, although most users seem to prefer the Mills types.

 

In my view, you should always use the default Custom. This gives you the same starting point as Mills (or Lackey, if you initialize to that), but leaves you free to add custom source types in the future should you ever choose to do so.

 

Since the default Custom source category is populated with the Mills source types, Ms. Mills' book Evidence! is a great reference, and highly recommended as an aid to understanding and applying the source types it contains.