Do you use MyHeritage or Findmypast in your research? Have you wondered how to create a layered source citation from one of these websites? In this final article of this series, I’ll once again give you examples of using the basic citation elements of who, what, when, where, and wherein to create citations that reflect both the digital and physical source information. Links to the first two articles about creating citations for FamilySearch and Ancestry sources are included at the end.

Citation for MyHeritage

My 2nd great-grandfather, William Henry Kelsey, Sr., lived in the southeast corner of England from the time of his birth in 1830 to his emigration to the United States in the autumn of 1861. His household should have been enumerated on the night of 7 April 1861 as part of the third census for England & Wales. MyHeritage hosts this collection courtesy of The National Archives in London, England, and in searching I found the indexed record shown in the screenshot below. I identified this as my ancestor based on his wife, Harriet, and children.

 

Clicking into the record on MyHeritage I discovered excellent information for the physical layer of a source citation, shown in the screenshot below. The series and piece are given as well as the specific page, family, and line number. The England & Wales census listed several locations and jurisdictions: parish, village, county, country, and districts. Including each of these could make the citation cumbersome, so which localities would help to relocate the census and give the best information?

The first step to creating a good citation is to understand the source and that would include understanding the locality and the jurisdictions. Generally we list places going from smallest to largest, such as town, county, state, country. But in a census record, starting with the largest jurisdiction, then drilling down to more specific makes sense: England, Surrey [county], Peckham [village],  Camberwell [parish] 1 Royal Place [address taken from image]. Verifying the indexed information with the record image ensures that the citation includes correct information and helps us understand the names and numbers.

When viewing the image, MyHeritage provides some basic information in the heading which can be used for the citation (shown in the screenshot below). This tells us the original source of the image is The National Archives, London, England, and provides the image number. Using this information with the additional details from the actual census we have everything we need to create a layered citation that is clear and informative.

Elements in the Citation

Let’s identify each element of a citation for the physical and the digital layer, then put them together for our complete citation.

Who created the source?

Physical Layer – The National Archives

Digital Layer  –  MyHeritage

What is the source?

Physical Layer – 1861 England & Wales Census  and William H Kelsey

Digital Layer – same as the physical layer, not repeated

When is the source?

Physical Layer – 1861 [part of the what, not repeated]

Digital Layer – accessed 8 June 2020

Where is the source?

Physical Layer – England, Surrey, Peckham, Camberwell, 1 Royal Place [location of the record] and  London, England [location of the repository]

Digital Layer – https://www.myheritage.com

Wherein is the source?

Physical Layer – p. 123, family 110, line 8 [specifics to locate the exact item] and Series RG09 Piece 382 [location in the repository collection]

Digital Layer – image 20

In the completed citation below, the physical information is cited first, then a semi-colon separating the digital information, and finally another semi-colon with the final layer of the physical repository. The bold text serves to clearly identify the sections for illustration purposes only. Because the heading clearly states images were reproduced by The National Archives, I included the image number last as part of the repository information.

1861 England & Wales Census, England, Surrey, Peckham, Camberwell, 1 Royal Place, p. 123, family 110, line 8, William H Kelsey; digital image, MyHeritage (https://www.myheritage.com : accessed 8 June 2020); The National Archives, London, England, Series RG09 piece 382, image 20.

 

Citation for Findmypast

Findmypast provides some information for a source citation on the record transcription page, but it is up to us as researchers to discover additional details by viewing the image. For example, on 2 August 1854, Patrick Savage was named as a defendant in a court case that took place in the Tralee Court of County Kerry, Ireland. Findmypast hosts the image of the court record provided by Family Search from original records at the National Archives of Ireland Petty Sessions records. The screenshot below details the record.

To better understand the source, after scanning the transcription, read the section titled “Learn about the records” that Findmypast provides. For this example, I discovered that the Petty Sessions handled minor court cases – both of a criminal and civil nature. The Order Books provide a summary of the court proceedings for each day.

After learning about the record, view the image to see if there is additional information to add to the source citation. I identified other details from the image: Petty Sessions Order Books CSPS 1/9609, Order Book of County Kerry, 8 February, No. 24

Elements in the Citation

Who created the source?

Physical Layer –  County Court, Ireland, Kerry, Tralee [arranged from largest to smallest jurisdiction]

Digital Layer  –  Findmypast

What is the source?

Physical Layer –  Petty Sessions Order Books [located above the digitized image] and  entry for Patrick Savage

Digital Layer – “Ireland, Petty Sessions Court Registers”

When is the source?

Physical Layer – 8 February 1854

Digital Layer – (accessed 10 June 2020)

Where is the source?

Physical Layer – National Archives of Ireland

Digital Layer – https://www.findmypast.com

Wherein is the source?

Physical Layer – CSPS 1/9609

Digital Layer – https://search.findmypast.com

For the finished citation, I led with the digital information, then the physical information derived from both the image and the transcription.

“Ireland, Petty Sessions Court Registers” entry for Patrick Savage, 8 February 1854, digital image, Findmypast (https://www.findmypast.com : accessed 10 June 2020); County Court, Ireland, Kerry, Tralee, Petty Sessions Order Books, National Archives of Ireland, Dublin, CSPS 1/9609.

 

Template for Creating Layered Source Citations for any Website

This series illustrates source citations for the four major family history websites: FamilySearch, Ancestry, MyHeritage, and Findmypast. Using the same principles and formula, you can create clear, informative citations for any website you use. I recommend creating a cheat sheet template with the following steps.

Step 1 Understand the source

View all information provided by the website: the image, transcription, about the source, etc.

Step 2 Determine each citation element

What is the source?

Physical Layer –

Digital Layer –

When is the source?

Physical Layer –

Digital Layer –

Where is the source?

Physical Layer –

Digital Layer –

Wherein is the source?

Physical Layer –

Digital Layer –

Step 3 Assemble the citation

Depending on the source, you can lead with either the physical or digital information. Remember to keep the physical parts together and the digital parts together, separating each with a semicolon. Remember the key principle to create a citation that is clear and will enable yourself or another researcher to relocate the record!

Peeling Back the Layers: Online Source Citations Part 1

Peeling Back the Layers: Online Source Citations Part 2

Best of luck in all your genealogical endeavors!