Census Citations, TMG, and Evidence Explained

It seems that questions relative to census entries in TMG arise at almost every meeting. Our September meeting was no exception. Some of those questions, combined with the recent appearance of Elizabeth Shown Mills' eagerly awaited Evidence Explained, provided the impetus for me to revisit the census citation source templates I use in TMG. Some of the basic concepts mentioned here will be explored in more detail in an upcoming article for the Roots Tracer. This page is relatively long. Use these shortcuts to skip from topic to topic.

The Federal Census: A Brief History of a Derivative Source

Once upon a time, our federal census came in only two varieties: the original census taker's copy and something Mills calls a duplicate original, one of the "fair copies" mandated by law in some census years. The original was usually kept locally, and a duplicate original was sent to the Bureau of the Census. A second duplicate original, if mandated, was sent to the state government.

The advent of microfilm created both a means of preserving valuable original manuscripts and a way to spread copies of these manuscripts around the country. Both the National Archives and the researchers could benefit. Note that I used the word copies. The microfilm version of a census record is a derivative document.

The computer was the next technological advance important to genealogists' use of census records. The ability to digitize an image created another way to disseminate copies of a census. Because the census is a public domain record, commercial ventures were created to digitize and enhance a census to increase its legibility. The results could be placed on a CD-ROM and sold to individual researchers for a fraction of the cost of a microfilm roll, not to mention a fraction of the storage space. The federal microfilm copy was used to create the digitized images, yielding a second (or third) generation derivative.

The Internet provided another outlet for digitized images and another possibility for commercial ventures: genealogy subscription sites. Currently, Ancestry.com and HeritageQuest Online are the major purveyors of census images. FamilySearch Labs has a growing collection of their own census images, and Footnote provides 1860 and 1930 census images. All four created their images from the federal census microfilm, but each company appears to have used different means of digitizing and enhancing. The images are not identical!

Master Source List 1900 Ancestry.com Image 1900 HeritageQuest Online Image

Question One: Is it necessary to specify in your citation which "original" you viewed? Question Two: Since a microfilm copy is essentially a photograph of the original record, do we really need to specify that we used the microfilm? Question Three: Since most of these CD-ROMS contain the same images as a roll of microfilm, is it really necessary to create a separate citation format for them? Question Four: Is it really necessary to create a new template just to deal with online census images? If you take a look at the segment of my TMG Master Source List illustrated on the left, you'll see that my answer to these questions is "Yes!" Compare the two census page images, one from Ancestry.com and one from HeritageQuest Online. This should erase any doubt that all these images are different sources, and they can't be cited as if they're identical.

The Online Subscription Census Image Template

This is the derivative census source we use most often in our research today, so this is the template I'll discuss first. Creating this template is discussed in more detail on the page entitled Creating a Source Template.

TMG online subscription census image citation output (compare to Evidence Explained, p. 240):
• Full footnote: 1860 U.S. census, Tioga County, Pennsylvania, population schedule, Middlebury twp., Wellsboro p.o., p. 482 (stamped), dw. 658, fa. 659, Reuben T. Palmer; digital image, Ancestry.com (http://www.ancestry.com/ : accessed 5 December 2005); citing NARA microfilm publication M653, roll 1187.
• Short footnote: 1860 U.S. census, Tioga Co., Pa., pop. sch., Middlebury twp., Wellsboro p.o., p. 482 (stamped), dw. 658, fa. 659, Reuben T. Palmer.
• Source list (Bibliography): Pennsylvania. Tioga County. 1860 U.S. census, population schedule. Digital images. Ancestry.com. http://www.ancestry.com/ : 2004.

New source elements for this template
• [STATE] equivalent to [LOCATION]
• [COUNTY] equivalent to [SECOND LOCATION]
• [WEBSITE] equivalent to [SUBTITLE]

Alternative Template

Consider this alternative template. Online sites such as Ancestry, Footnote, or FamilySearch Labs include many large databases. In effect, they resemble a virtual library, and I treat them as if they were repositories. Because all my online census images come from these large sites, I use [REPOSITORY] and [REPOSITORY ADDRESS] instead of [WEBSITE] and [URL] in my personal template.

Comments and Reminders

• Don't be stingy when filling out the Reminder section of your Source Types templates. Include:
  • The Evidence Explained reference from which you designed the template;
  • Where and why you deviated from EE;
  • Examples or definitions for each source element;
    • [DOCUMENT] example: 1860 U.S. census
    • [RECORD TYPE] example: population schedule
    • [PUBLISHER] example: NARA (Consider converting this to a word constant)
  • Notations on punctuation and capitalization;
  • Notations on proper abbreviations;
  • Thorough explanations of content and format for each [CD] element.
• Note the word constants in the output form. The use of word constants simplifies editing. It's much easier to change words in a template rather than each individual citation. Consider replacing fields with word constants any time you're reasonably certain that those fields really represent constants, not variables.
• Ancestry.com usually includes the FHL microfilm number, as well as the NARA microfilm number, in its source description. The question arose as to whether our template should include both, also. Elizabeth Shown Mills answers this question: "Most federal censuses have been published by the U.S. National Archives and Records Administration. If you use them elsewhere, such as the Family History Library at Salt Lake City, you do not cite the roll number assigned by that library. The microfilm is a NARA publication, and it should be cited to NARA's publication number. . .." [Evidence Explained, p. 263]
• It looks like standard practice will now drop the word "household" from this source citation, but only if the household of interest is the usual family residence and the person of interest is the head of household. I still include it in my personal data entry, e.g. "B. S. Gifford household." The choice is yours.
• Traditional citation practice places the person of interest at the beginning of the citation. Mills states that "in many data-management programs, data entry is more streamlined if the identities of the individual . . . are placed at the end of the citation." [Evidence Explained, p. 257.] I still prefer the traditional practice, so my own template places [CD1] at the beginning of the Full Footnote.
• Most census pages have multiple page numbers. In Mills' earlier Evidence!, all those page numbers were included in the citation. Current practice now suggests that you use only one of those numbers, but specify in parentheses which number you're citing. I still include all numbers in my personal citations.
• I include original microfilm publication information in my personal source list entry. They're omitted from this template, but you may wish to add them to your personal template.
• Note that this template retains the civil jurisdiction in the Short Footnote. Mills states, "If page numbers are consecutive throughout the entire enumeration of that county or province, and if dwelling/family numbers are consecutive throughout the county, your short form might safely omit the smaller civil divisions." [Evidence Explained, p. 264] I'd rather retain the civil division than worry about whether or not I need it in specific instances.
• The only major difference between the template presented here and Mills' Evidence Explained is the variation in abbreviations used in the Full Footnote and Short Footnote.

The Microfilm Census Template

Although most of us now do our census research through one of the commercial subscription sites, microfilm copies of the federal census are widespread. We must turn to the microfilm when problems with online images arise.

TMG microfilm census citation output (compare to Evidence Explained, p. 248):
• Full footnote: 1860 U.S. census, Tioga County, Pennsylvania, population schedule, Union twp., p. 720 (stamped), dw. 237, fa. 228, Nathan Parmer; NARA microfilm publication M653, roll 1187.
• Short footnote: 1860 U.S. census, Tioga Co., Pa., pop. sch., Union twp., p. 720 (stamped), dw. 237, fa. 228, Nathan Parmer.
• Source list (Bibliography): Pennsylvania. Tioga County. 1860 U.S. census, population schedule. NARA microfilm publication M653, roll 1187. Washington, D.C.: National Archives.and Records Administration, n.d.

New source elements for this template
• [SHORT PUBLISHER] equivalent to [AUTHOR] (or another element you consider appropriate)
• [STATE] and [COUNTY], if not already created (above)

Comments and Reminders

• Regardless of the location in which you viewed the federal microfilm census copy, the [REPOSITORY] is the National Archives and Records Administration.
• Alternative: Use [PUBLISHER] and [PUBLISHER LOCATION] in place of [REPOSITORY] and [REPOSITORY ADDRESS].
• It's likely that you will make a copy of the relevant households, either photocopy or transcription. I include a non-printing field to record where that copy is filed. I use the [FILE REFERENCE] source element for this bit of information.
• Use the "Citation Memo" field ([CM]) for information from the source relative to the specific event it's documenting. For example, the 1850 census may specify "age 56". This information is place in the citation memo when this census is cited as a source for the subject's date of birth.
• Mills accounts for the possibility that the date of microfilm publication may be found ([DATE] in this template). If the date is not known, she notes the fact as n.d. I haven't included this in my personal citations.

The CD-ROM Census Image Template

I suspect many people have forgotten that CD-ROM census image publications exist, but many libraries do have copies.

TMG CD-ROM census citation output (compare to Evidence Explained, p. 239):
• Full footnote: 1860 U.S. census, Bradford County, Pennsylvania, population schedule, Armenia twp., Troy p.o., p. 11 (stamped), dw. 360, fa. 346, E. R. Covert; Family Quest Archives, Digital Microfilm, M653-1080, 1860, Pennsylvania, CD-ROM, digital image (Salt Lake City, Utah: Heritage Quest, 2000); citing National Archives microfilm publication M653, roll 1081.
• Short footnote: 1860 U.S. census, Bradford Co., Pa., pop. sch., Armenia twp., Troy p.o., p. 11 (stamped), dw. 360, fa. 346, E. R. Covert.
• Source list (Bibliography): Pennsylvania. Bradford County. 1860 U.S. census, population schedule. Family Quest Archives, Digital Microfilm, M653-1080, 1860, Pennsylvania. CD-ROM, digital images. Salt Lake City, Utah: Heritage Quest, 2000.

Comments and Reminders

• CD-ROMS are considered publications, just like books. As such, they have an italicized title. Information on publisher and place and date of publication must also be included.
• Technically, these publications are reprints of the earlier NARA microfilm publication. Since TMG source types allow only one publisher in a template, I use [REPOSITORY] to record this information. Note that Mills uses the phrase "National Archives" here, as opposed to the phrase "NARA" used in the citation format for online census images. To allow for future variations in citation styles, consider moving this into a word constant.

The "Original" Census Template

The most readily availabe "duplicate original" census is housed in Archives I in Washington, D.C. Researchers use this copy only when the microfilm copy is illegible. Given the fact that the digital images at Ancestry.com and HeritageQuest Online are also available at Archives I, access to these census volumes may be even more limited now. I've used these volumes only once.

TMG original federal census citation output (compare to Evidence Explained, p. 238):
• Full footnote: Unis Gifford household, p. 548, dw. 639, fa. 639, Richmond twp., Tioga County, Pennsylvania; Eighth Census of the United States, 1860, vol. 69, Pennsylvania: Tioga County; Manuscript Schedules of Decennial Population Censuses, 1790-1870; Records of the Bureau of the Census, Record Group 29; National Archives, Washington, D.C..
• Short footnote: Unis Gifford household, p. 548, dw. 639, fa. 639, Richmond twp., Tioga Co., Pa.; Eighth Census of U.S., 1860; Manuscript Schedules, RG 29, NA--Washington.
• Source list (Bibliography): Pennsylvania. Tioga County. Eighth Census of the United States, 1860. Manuscript Schedules of Decennial Population Censuses, 1790-1870. Records of the Bureau of the Census, Record Group 29. National Archives, Washington, D.C.

New source elements for this template
• [RG NUMBER] equivalent to [RECORD NUMBER]
• [SUBSERIES] equivalent to [SUBTITLE]
• [STATE], [COUNTY], and [SHORT PUBLISHER], if not already created (above)

Comments and Reminders

• Because this source is an unpublished manuscript, citation contents and format follow the National Archives recommendations. This differs radically from the format used for derivative census sources!
• The NARA record group is "Records of the Bureau of the Census, Record Group 29".
• The NARA subgroup is "Manuscript Schedules of Decennial Population Censuses, 1790-1870". There is no TMG Source Element called "subgroup". A subgroup is actually higher than a series, but I've still used the source element "subseries" for this field. You could define a new source element.
• The NARA series for the 1860 census is: "Eighth Census of the United States, 1860".
• It's likely you'll never need this template. Consider simply entering the Full Footnote, Short Footnote, and Bibliography exactly as you want it to appear, rather than bothering with a template.

Summary

• Standard citation practice states that a researcher cite the source in full and identify the format in which that source was viewed: microfilm, CD-ROM, online image. In the case of the federal census, the initial manifestation of the source is usually the NARA microfilm publication.
• Standard citation practice cites the person of interest first. Although Mills acknowledges this, her present citation model for a census, with the exception of an original census manuscript, places the person of interest last.
• Source lists, or bibliographies, are usually organized either geographically or chronologically. The geographic organization allows a researcher to quickly verify what sources have been searched and which ones haven't.
• The citation format for the original manuscript census is radically different! As Mills suggests, I've varied her source list format to place an original census in the list according to its geography.
• Don't use the FHL film number in your federal census source citation.
• Use dwelling and family numbers, not line numbers, for 1850 censuses and later. Using both is redundant.
• Many census pages have both a written page number and a stamped page number. Formerly, all page numbers were included in the citation. Mills now recommends using only one page number, but specifying which number you're citing. A few examples: p. 39 (penned), p. 414 (stamped), p. 326B (stamped), p. 424 (back), p. 133 (penned at bottom left).
• Always cite the person of interest's name as it is spelled in the census, not as you think it should be spelled. Your interpretation, if added, belongs in square brackets.
• Always cite the jurisdiction by its name at the time the census was taken.
• Use the standard state abbreviations in the short forms, not the USPS abbreviations. If you're not sure what the standard abbreviation is, check out this site: "State Abbreviations".
• Take advantage of TMG's source templates! When citation formats change, it's much easier to change one template than it is to change 5,000 sources.

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This page copyright September 2007 by Susan Goss Johnston; revised April 2009.
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