WikiTree Sourcer
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Surnames/tags: WikiTree_Sourcer Extension Citation
WikiTree Sourcer is a free Browser Extension developed by Rob Pavey that helps the user to search for sources and cite them, thus saving a lot of time and manual typing.
It focuses on three goals:
- From a WikiTree profile page it provides the ability to search other genealogy websites for relevant records.
- From one of these genealogy websites' records page it can extract data and build a citation.
- Also from one of these genealogy websites records page it can search other genealogy websites for similar records. For example on an Ancestry page it can help find free versions of the same original source.
The extension is still in active development as features and supported sites are added.
NEW: Watch the Intro Video here. NOTE: The video was made with a slightly older version of the extension. There is no longer an "Insert ..." menu item - you just use paste now.
Contents |
How to install
The extension is free to install and use. It works in many different browsers.
- For Chrome, Opera, Brave, Edge, Vivaldi and other Chromium based browsers , install it from the Chrome Web Store.
- For Firefox install it from the Firefox Add-ons page.
- It is not currently released on Safari but a version is in beta test.
After installing if you already have pages open for WikiTree, Ancestry etc then you will have to do a reload on those pages before the extension will work on them.
For efficient use of the extension you will want to "pin" the extension (under the jigsaw-piece icon in Chrome) so that the "[1]" always shows up in the toolbar.
Before using too much check out the options page ("Options..." on the menu). There are different options for formatting and you can select which countries your subscriptions for Ancestry and FMP are in.
Current status
Currently the Ancestry, FindMyPast, FamilySearch, GRO and FreeBMD sites are supported so you can search those from a WikiTree profile and build citations from those sites and search from one to another.
I have auto generation of the free Ancestry sharing links working when you build an Ancestry citation.
User Guide
Everything in WikiTree Sourcer is done via the popup menu which is accessed via the [1] icon in the toolbar of the browser.
When on a WikiTree profile (in read or edit mode) the menu allows you to search other sites for sources for this profile.
When on an Ancestry, FindMyPast or FamilySearch record page, or a GRO search page or a FreeBMD "Entry Information" page the menu allows you to create a citation or search other sites for information on the person.
There are three options for creating a citation:
- Build Inline Citation - creates a inline citation
- Build Narrative with Citation - creates some narrative text followed by an inline citation
- Build Source Citation - creates a citation suitable for pasting after the == Sources == line.
The citation is put into the paste buffer (clipboard) so you can use Ctrl+V/Cmd+V or whatever your platform/browser uses for paste to insert into the WikiTree biography.
GRO
If your search finds more than one record then click the radio button next to the one that you want and then bring up the popup menu to build the citation. By default it will use the first match.
With default options a GRO birth citation will look like this:
Birth Registration:
"England & Wales General Register Office"
GRO Online Indexes - Birth (accessed 6 August 2021)
Pavey, Mary Eliza (Mother's maiden name: Ellacott).
GRO Reference: 1844 Jul-Aug-Sep in East Stonehouse Volume 09 Page 338.
Ancestry
With default options an Ancestry citation will look something like this:
1861 Census:
"1861 England Census"
Class: RG 9; Piece: 122; Folio: 40; Page: 11; GSU roll: 542577
Ancestry Sharing Link
Ancestry Record 8767 #5010161 (accessed 2 September 2021)
Harry A Pavey (8) son, in household of William H Pavey (54) in Pancras registration district. Born in Plymouth, Devon, England.
FAQ
When I search Ancestry it takes me to the wrong site (and asks me to sign up)
By default WikiTree Sourcer uses the ancestry.com site. But there is an option to tell it where your subscription is:
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| WTS Options page: Ancestry Subscription |
Technical Support
To report a bug please add a comment on this Free Space Page with a link to the page you were on when you saw the bug.
We have a community of members discussing the extension, reporting issues and making suggestions on a "Rob Pavey Apps" Discord Server. If you would like to join please send a PM to me (Rob Pavey).
Wish List
Here is a list of enhancements that I have planned or that have been requested by users (this will probably move to another page).
General
- Safari browser support
- Allow Build Citation on FamilySearch image page (sometimes there is no transcription)
- Census narratives could include occupation and household details
- Change the Options page to have two dimensional tabs - for site and feature
- Add the ability to search for a WikiTree profile from records (or person pages) on other sites.
- Automatically create named references if the same citation is used in more than one place on the profile.
- Improve visibility of extension icon in toolbar. Possibly switch icons when browser is in light or dark mode. Possibly grey out icon for pages that the extension does not support.
- Option put put date in bold in narrative
- Option to put the person's name in bold in the data string or table in a citation.
New sites to support
- Find a Grave
- FreeREG
- FreeCEN
- Scotland's People
- England OPCs (Particularly Cornwall and perhaps Lancashire)
- probatesearch.service.gov.uk
- www.forces-war-records.co.uk
- JSTOR
- UK National Archives Discovery
- Google Books
- Dutch sites: openarch and wiewaswie
Release Notes
Release notes are on a separate free space page
- Login to request to the join the Trusted List so that you can edit and add images.
- Private Messages: Send a private message to the Profile Manager. (Best when privacy is an issue.)
- Public Comments: Login to post. (Best for messages specifically directed to those editing this profile. Limit 20 per day.)
- Public Q&A: These will appear above and in the Genealogist-to-Genealogist (G2G) Forum. (Best for anything directed to the wider genealogy community.)
Hope it is just slow internet. First time this has been an issue. John Kessler
edited by John Kessler Jr.
Is this happening on all Ancestry pages for you or just specific ones? Could you share a link to a page where it fails? Which browser and platforms are you using? (e.g. Chrome on Mac). Usually if the text "Building citation..." stays up for more than a second or two it means there was an exception (an unexpected error that causes the Javascript code to fail completely). I am currently working on some changes that will catch such an error and provide more information. Cheers, Rob
As one of the more "mature" (OAP) users of WT, I find this wonderful. I do, however, have a problem, but I feel sure it must be something I am doing or not doing. As far as I can see, it only searches on the married name of a married woman on FS. Rootsearch is a bit tiresome in that its default search is the maiden name, but manually entering the married name instead completes the picture. I was on Steele-2315 and her married name of Pearson was the only data suggested. I got her christening off Rootsearch. Is it me?
Nick Kennedy
Thanks for your feedback. There are several choices on how to search FS from a WikiTree profile using the extension. Using Steele-2315 as an example:
1. The "default search". This is when you click on the "Search FamilySearch" text (and not the little > to the right of it)
In this case it uses the maiden name (Steele) as the primary name and the married name (s) (Pearson) as alternate name. Due to the mysteries of the FS search algorithm all the 20 search results on the first page are using the name Pearson. Her christening under the name "Steele" is the 25th match on the 2nd page.
2. Search with Parameters. In the Sourcer menu click the ">" to the right of "Search FamilySearch".
This gives you a sub-menu. Click "Search with specified parameters". This gives you some choices about what to include in the search. So if you are looking for her baptism you can:
This finds her christening as the first search result. Not all of those selections are required in this case. Just unchecking Pearson would do the job.
I hope that helps, Rob
edited by Rob Pavey
The Sourcer cannot currently create a full citation from an Ancestry.com image page. The indexed information was not on the image page (edit: it was at the bottom) as best I remember, but that seems to have changed. When an image page is open, select the ->| icon. The Detail tab says, "To select a record, please open the Index". If you do that, now the Detail tab fills with the exact same info as the indexed record. The Source tab also contains the same source info as the indexed record. An example: https://www.ancestry.com/imageviewer/collections/1222/images/KYVR_7016193-0864 (unselected), https://www.ancestry.com/imageviewer/collections/1222/images/KYVR_7016193-0864?pId=1716004 (name selected), https://www.ancestry.com/discoveryui-content/view/1716004:1222 (indexed record).
Since the same info is available on the image page as the indexed record, perhaps you'd consider adding the option for creating citations from the image page? My reason for requesting this is that as far as I know, there is not a way to get from the image page to the indexed record directly. The only way I've ever been able to do is to go to the repository search page from the top of the image page and search for the indexed name. You're a wizard at this Rob, so perhaps you know the secret. If there is a way to go directly from the image page to the indexed page then my request may be superfluous.
Thanks again for a great resource.
edited by Kerry Larson
It is odd that on Ancestry does not provide a link to get from that index on the image back to the record page. One reason that I never use Ancestry Image links in WikiTree Sourcer is that (as you say)) you can get from the record to the image but not vice-versa. I'm curious what the reason would be to support creating citations from the image page? How have you got to the image page without going via the record. I assume that it is because someone manually created a citation with only the image link? As you demonstrate above it is fairly simple to create the URL for the record page once you have an indexed person selected on the image page (since all the required info is in the URL). It just requires a bit of copy/pasting in the URL. So it would probably be simple to add something to WikiTree Sourcer to go from the image page (once the user has selected someone in the index) back to the record page.
"How have you got to the image page without going via the record." It's fairly common that I will browse the images one at a time. This is usually happens because the indexing is very inaccurate such as in non-English records, not just names, but also locations and dates. They can be so bad that the record isn't found in a search even when the details are known.
I didn't mention it in my initial message, but another reason, possibly a better one, would be those huge number of images that don't have an index at all. In this case, you could only create a citation from the basic source info since the records are not-indexed. But that would still give the user a big head start over manually creating all of the citation elements. Example: https://www.ancestry.com/imageviewer/collections/9064/images/007593442_00286
You can create citations on Ancestry image pages. There is also a menu item to go to the Record Page if you have a person selected in the index.
One quirky thing about Wikitree's external link template for image pages is that it just shows "Image" and doesn't say Ancestry anywhere. You may want to add that. Another think I like to do is to add the image #, for example "494 of 1048" or 494/1048.
More fantastic work Rob. Thank you!
Edit: Woops! Looked like you've added the Ancestry Sharing template as well, so "Ancestry" does now appear in the citation.
edited by Kerry Larson
I have published a new version (1.0.4) with a few fixes for image citations. It fixes the "undefined" issue and adds "image n of N" to the Ancestry citations.
From a grateful technology troglodyte.
Ta Martin
Just two things I might suggest.
1) On Ancestry, the utility copies the Social Security number on records in the Social Security Death Index file into the citation. We're not supposed to include them on Profile for Privacy reasons. I'm deleting them, but others might not notice it was included. Can you parse that out? There are a few other records on Ancestry where this number is included as well, but I can't think of them right now.
2) My sight isn't what it used to be and when viewing a finished citation where there is a link to the record and a link to the image, these sort of run together to me. Could you insert a bullet • (U+2022) between them to break them up? EX: Records of the Office of the Quartermaster General. Ancestry Sharing Link • Ancestry Record 2375 #1623136 (accessed 8 October 2021). Please don't use < br/ > here. These have a tendency to make the citation larger when viewed in real mode and it seems this is disliked by a lot of folks on WikiTree.
Keep up the good work, I owe you a pint or two. wink, wink, nudge, nudge
edited by LJ Russell
Amazing time saver and great piece of kit. Thank you
I saw your sourer add on and decided to give it a go. I followed the video exactly and in all instances with the sites you link to I need to sign up or be be signed in to access anything. I do have a family search account but I NEVER leave myself logged into any site when I'm not using them.
Is this helpful aid only for MEMBERS of the source sites you have listed?
You have put a lot of work into this I just want to make sure I have done everything right so far.
Thanks Robert
GRO and FamilySearch are free but require a login. Ancestry and FindMyPast require a paid subscription but are the sites with the most records (for England at least).
If you are not already logged in then of course a search via the extension will take you to the login screen. For FMP, FS and Ancestry once you login it will then proceed to the search results in my experience. For GRO, once you login, redo the search from the extension and it will take you to the populated search page.
It seems to work effectively and efficiently. Well done! I will use it extensively I'm sure. However, it does appear to make some assumptions. I did a search from this Profile: https://www.wikitree.com/index.php?title=Lumb-302 searching on ancestry.com.au using specific parameters Category: Birth, Marriage & Death Sub-Category: Death, Burial, Cemetery & Obituaries Unless I'm much mistaken this record is for a Burial (or possibly death): https://www.ancestry.com.au/discoveryui-content/view/604340115:2256 The Sourcer narrative citation reads: <ref> Child Baptism: "West Yorkshire, England, Church of England Baptisms, Marriages and Burials, 1512-1812"
West Yorkshire Archive Service; Wakefield, Yorkshire, England; Yorkshire Parish Records; New Reference Number: WDP32/4
Ancestry Sharing Link Ancestry au Record 2256 #604340115 (accessed 7 October 2021)
Miles Lumb baptism. </ref> The inline citation is very similar. It hasn't picked up that this is a burial. Should this be a citation for the burial of Michl (sic) (Michael) Lumb on 14 Feb 1794? The heading at the top of the image page reads Nomina Sepultor. Obviously use the Sourcer critically, it doesn't replace good old common sense! Hope a fix can be worked out! And again thank you: what a fantastic tool Neil
Thanks for reporting that. It is a tricky one since that record page doesn't say anywhere on it that it is a burial. It is actually the record for the father of the person being buried. If you click on the child link and make a citation on that page it will correctly identify it as a burial. I could automatically fetch the child page to figure it out (I don't do ever do that currently), or I could put more safety guards in the string matching of the collection title and call it "Unclassified". Cheers, Rob
Yes indeed, drilling down to the person (in this case Michl Lumb) gives the correct citation. Impressive... it provides all that is needed in the citation. Again a great initiative. The WikiTree community is indebted to you. Cheers, Neil
Ever since joining WikiTree I have struggled in formatting sources and being consistent and for some reason not fully comprehending the documentation, your plugin helps me understand the docs by real examples. I just updated the profile on McGuiness-216 using your add on via firefox, looks so much better than what I had there yesterday.
I do have one issue, at present I am using ancestrylibrary.com.au whilst I have limited time access. Your extension caters for ancestrylibrary.com not ancestrylibrary.com.au Do you have any ideas?
Again THANK YOU A Coffee or two coming your way soon. NG Hill
Note: I noticed I used the words "plug in", "extension" and "add on" all meaning the same thing, I would get confused if I read it wondering if the terms meant differing things - sorry readers.
edited by NG Hill
edited by Rob Pavey
edited by Elizabeth (McKibbon) Godon
When you do use the popup menu it will read information from the current tab to determine what kind of genealogy page it is. It only does this if it is one of the pages it has permission to access (you can see this list in the Chrome/Mozilla store). It will then extract the info needed to build a citation or perform a search.
It does not change anything on any web site. It is up to you to paste the citation of table where you want it.
Have you tried the option Citation / Ancestry : "Include record data at end of citation as:"? Try setting it to list or table. This will include all the data extracted from the record rather than a summary sentence. If works for Ancestry and FMP at present. Currently I reuse the citation on the FamilySearch page but I have it on my list to provide this option for FS at some point. Rob
https://www.wikitree.com/wiki/Poitevin-8 and i got the error: "This web page is not supported by WikiTree Sourcer. It looks like a WikiTree page but not a person profile."
What am I doing wrong"
I tried that profile and it works for me.
Do you have any other extensions installed that might be changing the layout of the page?
If that turns out to be the case I can try to reproduce the problem and see if WikiTree Sourcer can handle that case.
Cheers, Rob
edited by Rob Pavey
I am running google translate in chrome and that is a french/English profile. I tried it on a English only profile it worked. I also tried the orginal profile in firefox and that worked. Again Great! program
I normally use Safari but will switch to Firefox when using Wikitree just for the Citation feature this extension offers.
If you are asking how to submit a correction to Ancestry you can't do that through the sharing link - you need to use the record link. Cheers, Rob
I have sent you an invite to the Discord server.
Thank you for making it. I suppose, it will be a great help to my ancestry search. I have familytrees on WikiTree, on Familysearch, on Geni.com and on Ancestry.com. Ulrike Leo
I have collected all of my family particulars on the free Family Search website as I find their presentation easy to use for someone like me with a logical mind but limited computer abilities (an age thing - I am 81 next month) - this includes all documentary evidence such as BMD's, census records plus valuation records for Scottish relatives. The information has been mainly collected from the Scotland's people website and by periodically dropping in on other websites such as Ancestry, My Heritage etc to check for any data that I have not managed to trace. Would your system allow me to easily transfer my records data to the Wikitree website?. I ask this as I find it long winded to record individual OPR and statutory records into the format required by Wikitree. In most cases for my own and my wife's families I have managed to trace back 5 generations plus with in many cases involving large families with up to 12 or more record items confirming my data. Just looking for an easy way to transfer my data if this is possible. I have almost completed a detailed dissertation on my own family name - McCaskie - tracing back with full records to Ireland in about 1760 that extends to about 40 pages of text. Additionally, I have written an initial detailed account of my mother's family - Smail - from my 2x great grandfather to the present day and I hope to complete this section of my family history to include the records back to my 7x great grandfather born in 1645. Additional names stemming from my grand mothers are Ford's of Coldstream and the Hope's of Jedburgh and from my great grandmother's the names Kerse from Coldstream and Eccles plus Muldoon from in and around Jedburgh (Bowden and the like). Regards James
edited by James McCaskie
WikiTree Sourcer will help you in adding the sources that you are using on FamilySearch to WikiTree. It does not currently have a feature to take all of the sources on a FamilySearch profile and copy them in a WikiTree format. Rob
I'd like to sign up as a beta tester please and get an invite to your Discord server. I was on a UAT team at BT (now DB) when I worked there for 10 years.
I'm active on WikiTree and regularly source 100+ profiles a month.
Thank you, Judi Stutz-25
It sounds like it would be possible to get it working on Safari on Mac (but not iPad or iPhone). Safari 14 apparently added support for Chrome-like extensions at the start of 2021. ( https://sixcolors.com/post/2021/01/safari-14-added-webextensions-support-so-where-are-the-extensions/ )
But it would require some work (developing a Mac App) to make it work and would be extra work each time I release an update. So it is unlikely to happen unless they make it easier. Apple is making noises about allowing these extensions on iPad. If they did that it would make it more of a win. Though if they allowed it in Chrome running on iPad there still might not be a big incentive to port to Safari.
Perhaps once the extension is more mature and I am not releasing updates several times a week I will revisit this.
I have done some programming in my younger days, so I appreciate what is involved. Thanks for all your hard work.
I'd like to request consideration of adding myheritage.com and myheritagelibraryedition.com. Search parameters are passed via URL and appear to be the same format for both. I'd be happy to be a beta tester, at least for the library edition.
Another Ancestry.com variant to consider is Heritage Quest. It has a subset of Ancestry.com records that are available from home for many U.S. library card holders. The search syntax is the same as Ancestry.com. The site is https://www.ancestryheritagequest.com. I'd be happy to help beta test.
Strange that Ancestry has the heritage quest AND the library edition!
And thanks for the coffee!
edited by Rob Pavey
The MyHeritage Library Edition is available from home even during non-Covid times, so it's something I've routinely checked. I can only comment about the U.S. version; I don't know about its availability in Europe. MyHeritage does provide fairly complete citation info with each of its records.
edited by David Mortimer
I'd like to join your beta testers if I may. I used to be a testing analyst for Barclays back in the day. I'd like to request a couple of features too if I may.
Thanks
Paul
I'm currently working on OT2 with Ann and she mentioned this app. Do you still need testers? Does it work on FMP? or is that still in the pipeline.
Best wishes and thanks for all your great work - I use AGC a lot.
Maureen (Fearn) Wilkins
I am working on FMP support right now so it should be available within a week. Rob
I’m currently working through unsourced profile lists so should have plenty of opportunity to test it out. Helen.
Steve