Here is what learned AFTER importing most of my Gedcom while doing my experiments. File under things I wish I known...now when I work on my Ancestry Tree, I pay more attention : )
When you are adding things to your Ancestry tree, make sure you have the EDIT field open, and the little "cite source" box is checked. This is usually checked by default, but you need to keep an eye on it. If it is NOT a source you want cited, uncheck the box. I never add things without checking and possibly editing anyway.
All the fields in an Ancestry Source can be edited. Read that again. When you open an Ancestry Source listed on person on your tree, there is a menu on the left that includes Citation Details, Associated Facts, and Media.
You can change all of the fields in these tabs. Read that again. If you have a Find a Grave Source, you can Add the web link to the Citation. You can even put a Family Search link in there, for a census. You can put a corrected Ancestry link in there! You can cut down the size. You can change the Repository. You can add notes and comments!
If you change the Associated Facts, you change how the import looks when it comes over to wiki. Don't want 100 little sources with your names? Then remove Name fact from all the census items. Sources with No associated Facts Wont be Imported, so remove facts from Trees and Directories, and make sure the things you want brought over have Facts. Items will be referenced only to the facts they are associated with. So make sure you have at least one item per fact, but not a lot of redundant items per fact.
If you have an item listed under sources with NO citation, you aren't going to get one when you bring it over.
If you add your own source, make sure you can connect it to a fact, or it won't come over.
And here is Ellen Smith's wonderful post about how to fix Ancestry URLs.
You can use these fixed URL's when you edit your Source Citations!!!
We all seem to have different styles, but here's my approach.
1. Here's the ugly Ancestry.com search result URL: http://search.ancestry.com/cgi-bin/sse.dll?_phsrc=TqS160&_phstart=successSource&usePUBJs=true&gss=angs-c&new=1&rank=1&gsfn=Alanson&gsfn_x=0&gsln=Van%20auken&gsln_x=0&msbpn__ftp=Albany%20County,%20New%20York,%20USA&msbpn=128&msbpn_PInfo=7-%7C0%7C1652393%7C0%7C2%7C0%7C35%7C0%7C128%7C0%7C0%7C0%7C&cp=0&MSAV=1&uidh=qz7&pcat=35&h=1366055237&db=NYStateCen1875&indiv=1&ml_rpos=6
That points to the index page for a New York state census record, complete with an erroneous transcription of the family name.
2. Here's the complete URL for the image of the census sheet: http://interactive.ancestry.com/7250/004857932_00130?pid=1366055237&backurl=//search.ancestry.com//cgi-bin/sse.dll?_phsrc%3DTqS160%26_phstart%3DsuccessSource%26usePUBJs%3Dtrue%26gss%3Dangs-c%26new%3D1%26rank%3D1%26gsfn%3DAlanson%26gsfn_x%3D0%26gsln%3DVan%2520auken%26gsln_x%3D0%26msbpn__ftp%3DAlbany%2520County,%2520New%2520York,%2520USA%26msbpn%3D128%26msbpn_PInfo%3D7-%257C0%257C1652393%257C0%257C2%257C0%257C35%257C0%257C128%257C0%257C0%257C0%257C%26cp%3D0%26MSAV%3D1%26uidh%3Dqz7%26pcat%3D35%26h%3D1366055237%26db%3DNYStateCen1875%26indiv%3D1%26ml_rpos%3D6&treeid=&personid=&hintid=&usePUB=true&_phsrc=TqS160&_phstart=successSource&usePUBJs=true
3. I trim that URL by eliminating the part that starts &backurl=
The result is http://interactive.ancestry.com/7250/004857932_00130?pid=1366055237
That's all that's needed to get back to that same census sheet.
4. Next, I package that shorter URL in a descriptive citation, using source details I can find on Ancestry:
* New York State Census, 1875. [http://interactive.ancestry.com/7250/004857932_00130?pid=1366055237 Enumeration sheet for New Scotland, District E·D· 03, Albany County]. Microfilm. New York State Archives, Albany, New York. Accessed at Ancestry.com.
That will display as:
* New York State Census, 1875. Enumeration sheet for New Scotland, District E·D· 03, Albany County. Microfilm. New York State Archives, Albany, New York. Accessed at Ancestry.com.
