Funeral Service

By Julia on Thu, 08/25/2022 - 23:59

Forums

I recently attended the funeral service of a great-uncle. There were a number of speakers at the funeral who shared different memories. At the conclusion of the service, I made my own notes regarding the stories that were shared about my great-uncle. I am now unsure how to go about citing this information. I thought perhaps it could be considered personal knowledge, but I am not entirely sure of this. The notes consist of a number of eulogies from friends and family of the deceased (unfortunately, I do not have the names of all who contributed their story).

Submitted byEEon Fri, 08/26/2022 - 08:21

Julia, you are right to be doubtful about "personal knowledge." It is not that at all. Odds are, you have absolutely no personal knowledge of anything those speakers said--which is why, post-funeral, you took the trouble to make those notes.

EE 3.45 captures all the elements of your situation: Ruth Randall's example of "notes" she made from stories other family members recalled.

Thank you for your reply … somehow I missed EE 3.45 when looking for guidance.

I have put together a citation which I would be most grateful for you to take a look at. Just by way of a disclaimer, I am very new to citations, so my attempt may look a little rough! Note: I have changed any identifying information in the citation for the privacy of the family:

Brown family traditions regarding life story of John Brown (born 1 January 1920), Julia Smith, compiler (notes from funeral service, 1 August 2022; privately held by Smith, 123 Any Street, Christchurch, New Zealand), as reported by multiple speakers, John’s immediate family and friends, 2022. The eulogies shared relied on each speaker’s memories of John Brown, however, there is no supporting evidence available for many of the stories that were told.

Thank you.