Saturday Sourcing Sprint! (11 August 2018)

Question

Hi WikiTreers! 

Join in on this week's 24-hour Saturday Sourcing Sprint!

It's basically a casual mini Source-a-Thon.

When it's Saturday where you are, get sourcing! 
(And quit when it's Sunday)

Anytime you want to compete for the Weekly Winners badge, click answer at the bottom of this post, We use the Challenge Tracker to record the profiles we sources. 

Tell us about your successes, discrepancies, stories that tug at your heart strings, and new amazing sources. We have a Google Hangout if you'd like to join us. It will be as busy or quiet as we make it.

• All profiles improved must come from the Unsourced categories or be already present on WikiTree and only have links to other profiles, links to search results from another genealogy website, or the words "Ancestry tree," "Geni.com," "Pedigree Resource Files" from FamilySearch, and the like. Do not delete these items as they can provide clues for other researchers.

• If you cannot find any sources, create a Research Notes section, list where you tried to find records, and add four tildes to the end of your note as a date stamp (you won't see it until you save). Do not remove the Unsourced Template and do not use the tracker or count in your tally. Example:
  • "Looked for John in the US Census records for 1900-1940 and couldn't find him on FamilySearch or Ancestry"

• Sources citations need to provide a way for anyone to find the source. We strive for the Evidence Explained format to tell where, what, who, and when, as well as where the was source was found. Do not delete existing items in the Sources area as they can provide clues for other researchers. 
  • Examples of citations can be found in the Tip of the Week first comment in each post and in the Citation Example page where the Weekly Tips will be archived.

• If you add a source which names other family members, check to see if their profiles exist. 
  • If not, add  [[Category:Needs Profiles Created]] to the first line of the edit box
  • If so and there are no sources, add the source. Use the tracker to count that profile too

See the Sprint Help Page for full details. 

When you save the profile, a green bar for the Challenge Tracker will appear at the top. Due to the security changes for the implementation of GDPR regulations, unlisted profiles are not eligible for challenge tracking. 

For all others, click the Challenge Tracker button, add or verify your WikiTreeID, select a pre-defined comment or add your own to indicate which type(s) of source(s) you added, put a check mark in the "Saturday Sourcing Sprint" box, and click "Add Action." If you participate in the Monthly Sourcerers' Challenge you can click both boxes. For visual learners, this YouTube video starting at about the 4.30 minute mark will explain how to use the tracker (earlier parts of the video explain how to find sources and add the citations to profiles).

You can track your progress on the Challenge Tracker report.

Don't forget to removed the Unsourced template if you are able to add a source!

[edited to add the Connectors tag. The sample obituary is real and contains names of parent and a brother.]

Comments

Citation Tip of the Week

This is not an endorsement of any one source or citation style. A great place to find sources for profiles with death dates since 2000 (and sometimes earlier) is Funeral Home websites. They often include information about parents, siblings, children, and others. 

To avoid copyright issues, those obituaries should not be copy/pasted in to the biography. Instead, a citation to the obituary should be used. Key information can be abstracted in to a citation that looks like this:

• Funeral Home Name, (Location), "[URL of obituary Name (publication or death date)]," (funeral home URL : accessed Date). {{Blue|[abstracted info]}}

When filled in, it would look something like this obituary found on a local funeral homes website:

• ''Page Theus Funeral Home'', (Leesburg, Florida, USA), "[https://www.pagetheusfuneralhome.com/obituaries/Jerry-Wilson-Smith-3194/#!/Obituary Jerry Wilson Smith] (22 December 2009)," (https://www.pagetheusfuneralhome.com/obituaries : accessed 10 August 2018). {{Blue|[Jerry W. Smith, died 22 December 2009, age 66, born 1 April 1913 in Blackford County, IN [Indiana, USA], parents "late William and Mary Smith," US Navy, moved to Leesburg 1951 with brother Gerald, survivors one son, one grandson, and six grandchildren as well as a long term care giver, died before him: parents, wife Louise, grandson Monty Smith. Page-Theus Funeral Home, burial in Hillcrest Memorial Gardens [Leesburg, Florida, USA]}}

When the bio is previewed or saved, that citation will look like:

• Page Theus Funeral Home, (Leesburg, Florida, USA), "Jerry Wilson Smith(22 December 2009)," (https://www.pagetheusfuneralhome.com/obituaries : accessed 10 August 2018). [Jerry W. Smith, died 22 December 2009, age 66, born 1 April 1913 in Blackford County, IN [Indiana, USA], parents "late William and Mary Smith," US Navy, moved to Leesburg 1951 with brother Gerald, survivors one son, one grandson, and six grandchildren as well as a long term care giver, died before him: parents, wife Louise, grandson Monty Smith. Page-Theus Funeral Home, burial in Hillcrest Memorial Gardens [Leesburg, Florida, USA.]

If you worry that the obituary link will no longer work at some point in the future, you can try adding it to the Wayback Machine at Archive.org using the "Save Page Now" feature. Sometimes that will work, sometimes it won't. It all depends on how the Funeral Home has their website designed. 

If it does work, a copy as of the date you save it, will always be available if the funeral home link goes down. If it doesn't, the key things found in the obituary have been preserved at WikiTree for others to use in reconstructing one branch of the Smith family tree.

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I will be adding sources today and using the tracker.  Already been working on the monthly challenge, and sometimes adding sources while working on the data error weekly challenges also.

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Glad to have you join us, Carolyn. Good luck!

Answer 1

I have some free time on Saturday. I will help.

Comments

Thanks, Beth!  Let us know if you have any questions.

Answer 2

Hi,

I will do some

cheers

T

Comments

Great. Thanks, T!

Answer 3

I will participate as I find them. I am mostly commenting to ask that you update your citation example page for Find A Grave.  it is my belief that we should be using the format of {{FindAGrave|xxxxxxx}} for these now. I stumbled on this this while exploring how to improve my census citations.

Comments

Hi Gurney. The FindAGrave help page “Using In a Source Citation” section shows that the preferred method is to use the coding within the full citation, not by itself. Using the code by itself is not preferred for several reasons. 

• Memorial pages are sometimes merged or deleted. If that happens, the link provides no information. 
• Full citations should contain the name, date, and location
• Memorial pages are sometimes used as evidence on the WikiTree profiles of other people

Answer 4

Count me in even if I only do a couple

Comments

Thanks, Hilary. Every one makes a difference!

Answer 5

I will probably have time to do some.

Comments

Great, Peter! Thanks

Answer 6

I'll try to get a few done.

Comments

Thanks, Michelle! Good luck

Answer 7

Its too hot and smokey outside, so I’ll work on it this Saturday.

Comments

Welcome to the Sprint, John. Let us know if you have any questions.

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I have added a bunch of sources and checked the tracker boxes, but don’t seem to get counted.  Any suggestions.

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The tracker is working for you for the Sourcerers' Challenge, so that's not it. You said "tracker boxes", so I am going to assume that you are putting a check mark in both the Sourcerers Challenge and Saturday Spring check boxes. I'll see if Aleš has any ideas on the back end.

Either way, I can tell that you have been sourcing today. Thank You! I'll make sure that you get counted, even if I have to do your tally by hand.

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Debi, now I found the Saturdat Sprint checkbox and the tracker works.  No need to worry about the total, it is all just some fun.  I’m glad to see profiles fixed.

Enjoy a great Saturday!

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Excellent news! Thanks for letting me know. It'll be a really good Saturday if I meet my goal of sourcing one profile LOL

Answer 8

I'll do a few with the tracker

Comments

Good luck, Kyla. Thanks!

Answer 9

I am going to do the Saturday Sourcing on August 11 as well the month of August Sourcing challenge.  Thank you for this opportunity Deb.  So many are in need of sources.  Every little bit helps! Also every find a grave source I have done what the data doctor suggests how to do.

Example {{FindAGrave|152526690}} on the ones from Family Search.

Comments

Glad to have you join us again, Andrea.

I took a look at some that you had sourced with FindAGrave index records from FamilySearch. The citation does not follow the format I like but it is has all the necessary elements (What, Who, When, Where, and Where Found), so well done.

The only thing I noted was that you left the Unsourced template on a profile (I'm guessing because there was not a gravestone picture) but used the tracker to count it for the Sprint. It should only be counted when you can remove the Unsourced template.

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Thank you Debbie:  I think I remember that one. I do my profiles differently by going to the gravesite and adding all the information, dates, where buried and the memorial.  People don't realize that WV didn't become a state until June 20 1862.  I have to take the west off and place United States as to which mostly all the ones I have done do not have United States or the State spelled out.  I try to make the profiles presentable while I am at it as well. I guess you would call it house cleaning.....lol!!!

Answer 10

I'll do a few.

Comments

Great. Thanks Joan!

Answer 11

I'm in for an hour or so.

Comments

We're always glad for anyone to join us. Don't forget to sign in if you want the tracker to work properly.

Answer 12

I'm in!  I'll use the tracker; Massachusetts 600

I won't have much time until later today; Saturday errands come first.

Grins, Janine

Comments

Good luck, Janine. I understand the Saturday errands. I'm finally settling and hope to be able to add sources to at least one profile.

Answer 13

Uh oh, I started and I don't think I answered that I would be trying a few again! Over the last month I've been working more on the surname "West" in Georgia and North Carolina. However when I run into a problem I will pick someone else so I can go back with a fresh mind.

Comments

No worries, Louise. I love knowing who is working but you're work will get tallied in the Sprints even if you don't add an answer. The only time an answer is required is when you want a chance at the Weekly Winner badge.

I use the Sprints to learn about different resources and to give my mind a break from a problem I am working on. Things always seem to fall in to place when I return after a Sprint break.