Citation Issues

Hi Elizabeth,

I am working on probate citations for original documents, imaged online, and accessed through Ancestry. I understand there are three parts to cite:

• The original document*
• The database and/or website that delivered the document*
• The archival location of the original, as identified by our provider.

I do have your book and have viewed other entries on the forum, especially this one.

My son recently wrote a beautiful obituary for his grandfather, my father-in-law.  It was not published in a newspaper, the family did not want that expense.  It was "published," if you will on the funeral home's website.

Some time ago, I filled out the NARA form to obtain an Official Military Personnel File (OMPF) for an individual who served in WWI. Yesterday, I received a reply -- a joyous day! Alas, the individual's OMPF probably burned up in the 1973, but there was a Final Pay Roll bearing this individual's name. I received an image of the roster (uncertified) along with a handy file on how to interpret the information in the document. Fabulous! -- I now know what unit with which he served and his enlistment and demobilization dates, and as a bonus, have a copy of his signature.

In a previous post, I noted that the following was given as an example of a First Footnote for a typical French Departmental Archive.

First Reference Note:

I am struggling with the digital image of a California State Death Certificate on FamilySearch at this link 

https://www.familysearch.org/ark:/61903/3:1:3QS7-89SJ-B1X5?i=1305&cc=2001287&cat=1131994

Normally I would cite this as follows:

Bibliography
California. Department of Public Health. Death Records. Los Angeles County Recorders Office. Norwalk. Digital images. FamilySearch. https:/familysearch.org : 2021-2023.

On page EE 458, "9.33 County-level Certificates" there are four example sources, two from Alabama and one each from Florida and Montana. The example reference notes for the Florida and Montana place the year in parentheses. The example reference notes for Perry County, Alabama specify the year "1908", but the year is not placed in parentheses. The example reference notes for Bibb County, Alabama don't mention a year at all.

Dear Editor,

Dear E. E.,

I am citing an abstract of colonial vital records for Rhode Island.  It was published over a span of about 20 years and includes 21 volumes of the entries/details from the vital record of various towns in Rhode Island from 1639 to 1850.  The compiler is noted as James Newell Arnold and there is no editor listed.

Good day EE editor,

I am continuing on my quest to gain a better understanding of the basics, at least that is where I think I am at right now. That is the problem with self learning I never really know where I am at.