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I am getting my degree in Family History. In one of my classes we are writing our family history and I have to give citations for things that I have personal knowledge of, such as my cousin's birthdays. I don't have birth certificates for them but I know their birthdays. How do I cite this in my history?
April, there's a hidden issue
April, there's a hidden issue in your question. You actually don't know their birthdate from personal knowledge, unless you were personally there at their birth and were old enough at the time to be cognizant of how time and the calendar works. What you know from personal knowledge is that the family celebrated this-or-that person's birth on such-and-such a day.
That said, citing "personal knowledge" for information you know from firsthand experience is simple. You just say "Personal knowledge of ...," cite your connection to the person, and state what personal experience you've had that gives you that knowledge. For example:
"Personal knowledge of April History Major, George's first cousin, who has celebrated his birthday with him every year from her earliest recollection."
Exactly, I do not have
Exactly, I do not have personal knowledge. So let me rephrase it. I don't have any documents for my cousin's birth dates, but I know their dates. Also, my brother and sister's birth and marriage dates, how do I cite them?
April, my first response
April, my first response gives an example. Also, if you'll look up "personal knowledge" in the index or query for the term if you have the Kindle edition, you'll find multiple discussions of this from various standpoints--with a number of other examples. Past queries in this forum and various QuickTips and QuickLessons here at this website also cover the topic in a variety of other ways; all these are accessible through the query box at the top right of any of our web pages.