Help locating census record on FamilySearch

Question

UPDATE: I found the information here:https://www.familysearch.org/ark:/61903/3:1:S3HT-6QVW-FDS?i=125&cc=1401638

But it is not indexed at all! The only family indexed on the page is "Beck". How do I cite this? For now, I guess I will just use the Ancestry citation - and link back to that page, additionally. 

I am familiar with searching FamilySearch, however, I am having great difficulty locating a particular census record. I cannot find anyone on the page in the FamilySearch database. 

I would greatly appreciate anyone seeing if they could find it. 

I am looking for Charity Brackins - and her family (father Mathias and mother Delilia) Here is the link to it on Ancestry
https://www.ancestry.com/interactive/8054/4187293-00652?pid=17987415&backurl=https://search.ancestry.com/cgi-bin/sse.dll?indiv%3D1%26dbid%3D8054%26h%3D17987415%26ssrc%3Dpt%26tid%3D115944883%26pid%3D310152165210%26usePUB%3Dtrue&ssrc=pt&treeid=115944883&personid=310152165210&hintid=&usePUB=true&usePUBJs=true&_ga=2.39727267.1658897149.1562020440-1316333308.1539638770

On the 1850 US Census for Coffee, Alabama Year: 1850; Census Place: Coffee, Alabama; Roll: M432_3; Page: 328A;Image: 652

Name:	Charity Brackins
Age:	1
Birth Year:	abt 1849
Birthplace:	Alabama
Home in 1850:	Coffee, Alabama, USA
Gender:	Female
Family Number:	875
Household Members:	Name Age Mathias Brackins 25 Delilia Brackins 23 Lydia Brackins 4 James Brackins 3 Charity Brackins 1

Answer 1

For "how do I cite this", I'd make your own citation. It can take a lot of time to write a good one from scratch.  Easier, and maybe better, is to borrow a template from Mills's Evidence Explained.

For 1850 U.S. census accessed from on online database, citing the image itself, Mills suggests something like:

"1850 United States Federal Census," Coffee County, Alabama, population schedule, p.328 (stamped), dwelling 675, family 675, Charity Brackins; image, Family Search (http://www.familysearch.com : accessed 3 July 2019); citing National Archives microfilm publication M432, roll 3.

Because it is not indexed on Family Search, I would also make a note saying such and instead provide the link to the image directly that you gave in your post to make it easier for people to find what you saw on Family Search.

Comments

Thank you. Also, is there a way to attach an unindexed document to a family tree on FamilySearch? It doesn't appear to allow that.

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I don't work on the Family Search global tree, so I'm not the best person to ask.  But I have seen people provide links to documents on Ancestry and other websites, so there's definitely a way to attach a source with an external link.  You could then just point that link at the URL for the image on FamilySearch.

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Unfortunately, because there is _some_ stuff indexed from the image, FS grays out the "Attach to Family Tree" button for the whole thing. I can think of two workarounds: either attach it as an "agnostic" source using the URL, or use the Source Box button on the image to create a citation.

Answer 2

IMO, indexing of names is unimportant, for purposes of providing a source.  

Indexing is critically important for finding the source.  But genealogists always like to look at the original image (a primary source) rather than rely on an index that somebody made after the fact (a secondary source).

Comments

Yes! The index is not a source, just a search tool. The source is the census page itself and must be examined since there are lots of errors in the indexing -- like not being indexed at all. I find those with greater frequency than I like.

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I agree, but I need a way to link to it, so I just linked to the page since it wasn't possible to link it otherwise. Usually, on FamilySource, you get a nice, neat little package with the references like this: 

• "United States Census, 1900," database with images, FamilySearch (https://familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:M9ZT-VQW : accessed 3 July 2019), Opelia Carpenter in household of Jiles Carpenter, Precincts 3, 19 Oaky Streak, Lumber Mills, Butler, Alabama, United States; citing enumeration district (ED) 12, sheet 10A, family 163, NARA microfilm publication T623 (Washington, D.C.: National Archives and Records Administration, 1972.); FHL microfilm 1,240,004.

But there was no option for that on this listing. It links to the listing, but the image is there for those of us that want to examine it. I always examine the document to ensure it lines up with the index - and mention in the profile if there is a discrepancy.  

The original problem was, I couldn't find it at all because it hadn't been indexed - until I went through it looking at the house numbers instead of the names. The document itself is almost illegible on FamilySearch, but completely readable on Ancestry. 

So, since the document is there, I linked to it. Since it's illegible, I also linked to the cleaned-up version on Ancestry. Unfortunately, those without a subscription to Ancestry probably won't be able to make heads or tails out of that document. 

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If you want to allow non-Ancestry members to view the cleaned-up version from Ancestry, you can create a free-to-view image using the method described in https://www.wikitree.com/g2g/792811/creating-a-free-to-view-image-link-from-ancestry-com

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Alicia, you can use the URL to the page with the image of the census record, and just make your own description.