Pension File digital image received from NARA

By Anonymous on Fri, 02/05/2016 - 11:13

Forums

As in the CMSR record I recently ordered and received, I just received a Civil War pension file from NARA. Again there is NO citation information. Wihtout it, it's more difficult to create a citation than with the CMSR. I cannot find the record group # on the NARA web site. Am still looking. Would I treat it like the CMSR file we discussed a few weeks ago?

Submitted byEEon Sat, 02/06/2016 - 09:13

Yes, Annie. You would treat it the same way. EE 11.40 has examples for Civil War pensions that demonstrate the format and identify the series and record group that you would need to cite.

Ann, thanks for updating us. This is disappointing. No archive should send a record to a researcher without adequately identifying it. For want of that, you might follow the examples at 11.40 but then add a note that NARA provided no citation and you have constructed your citation from generic catalog information about that record set.

Submitted by2clnortonon Sat, 01/21/2017 - 20:40

I have been scanning CW pensions, CMSR's and Carded Medical Records as a volunteer (not official yet) in the HUB at the National Archives, Washington, D.C.  I am in the process of creating a spreadsheet to help me with citing the sources for each soldier that I have scanned.  Since I scanned the original documents, I could cite the source as such; however I am interested in pointing future researchers to these records online.  I am wondering if the following citation would be accurate for a specific document found on Archives.gov: 

"OPA-Online Public Access," database, The National Archives (https://www.archives.gov/research/catalog : accessed 21 Jan 2017), Pensioner Questionnaire, Form "3-389," 1915,  for William H. Tyner (Capt., Co. H, 137th Ind. Inf. Reg., Civil War), pension no. S.C. 523,741, Case Files of Approved Pension Applications …, 1861-1934; Civil War and Later Pension Files; Record Group 15: Records of the Department of Veterans Affairs; National Archives, Washington D.C.

This is my citation to the original file that I scanned:

 

William H. Tyner (Capt., Co. H, 137th Ind. Inf., Civil War), pension no. S.C. 523,741,

Case Files of Approved Pension Applications …, 1861-1934; Civil War and Later

Pension Files; Record Group 15: Records of the Department of Veterans Affairs;

National Archives, Washington D.C.

 

I created the name Pensioner Questionnaire Form “3-389.”  I am particularly interested in pointing others to this particular document because it has a lot of genealogical information.  I am VERY weak in citing sources and would like to learn.  Please let me know if I have missed anything.  Thanks for your help!

 

Cindy

Submitted by2clnortonon Sat, 01/21/2017 - 23:35

I was studying EE QuickCheck Model on p. 555.  Are the following citations more accurate for the Civil War pension file I scanned in the HUB (which is currently online), at the National Archives, in Washington D.C.?  I want to steer researchers to the online records.

Source List Entry

“OPA-Online Public Access.” Database with images. The National Archives. http://www.archives.gov/research/catalog : 2017.

 

First (Full) Reference Note

"OPA-Online Public Access," database with images, The National Archives (http://www.archives.gov/research/catalog : accessed 21 January 2017), Pensioner Questionnaire Form "3-389,” 1915, for William H. Tyner (Capt., Co. H, 37th Ind. Inf. Reg., Civil War), pension no. S.C. 523,741, Case Files of Approved Pension Applications …,1861-1934; Civil War and Later Pension Files, NA Identifier 26333283; citing Record Group 15: Records of the Department of Veterans Affairs, 1773–2007.

 

OR

"OPA-Online Public Access," database with images, The National Archives (http://www.archives.gov/research/catalog : accessed 21 January 2017), Pensioner Questionnaire Form "3-389,” 1915, for William H. Tyner (Capt., Co. H, 37th Ind. Inf. Reg., Civil War), pension no. S.C. 523,741, NA Identifier 26333283; citing Record Group 15: Records of the Department of Veterans Affairs, 1773–2007.

 

Subsequent (Short) Note

“OPA-Online Public Access,” digital image, The National Archives, pensioner questionnaire form “3-389” of Capt. William H. Tyner, 1915.

P.S.  The NA Identifier was new to me, so--I decided to search the catalog with it.  Pretty awesome! Thanks for all the work you do for the genealogical community and me in particular!

Ah, Cindy. We do love the fact that NARA is now making these files available on line—with the help of wonderful volunteers like you. However, NARA also keep making changes that require us to change our citations also.  Several tweaks are thus in order. On the citations below

  • the changes in red result from name changes and URL changes that NARA has made to its online database since the publication of EE's 3d edition in mid-2015.
  • the parts in blue address a couple of omissions (the exact date of the document; an image number needed to locate the exact image in a big file, and the ID of the archives).
  • the parts in green result from a need to apply EE’s Velcro Principle (Don’t separate what ought to stick together!).

Source List Entry

“The National Archives Catalog.” Database with images. The National Archives. https://catalog.archives.gov : 2017.

First (Full) Reference Note

"The National Archives Catalog," database with images, The National Archives (https://catalog.archives.gov/id/26333283 : accessed 21 January 2017), NA Identifier 26333283, image 3 of 83, being Pensioner Questionnaire Form 3-389, undated, received 14 April 1915, for William H. Tyner (Capt., Co. H, 37th Ind. Inf. Reg., Civil War), pension no. S.C. 523,741; citing Case Files of Approved Pension Applications  … (“Civil War and Later Survivors’ Certificates”) 1861–1934, NA Identifier 26333283; citing Record Group 15: Records of the Department of Veterans Affairs, 1773–2007, National Archives, Washington, D.C.

Regarding that Velcro principle, the NA identifier and the image number are elements of the database. Those details should be attached to our citation to the database. They should not be attached to the details for the original file, collection, and record group.

Re the “citing …” part of the citation (the layer in which we report what information our source gives us about its own source): All those details for the identity of the collection (starting with "Case files …") appear in a sidebar on the screen.  The images themselves do not reveal to us that the file is in the collection and subgroup called “Case Files of Approved Pension Applications … .”  We know that—and we know that the collection and subgroup are part of RG 15—only because NARA’s database adds a sidebar that cites those details. Therefore, all that information we get from the sidebar goes in the “citing …” layer of the citation.

Thanks for the kind words!

Thank you Elizabeth!  This is AWESOME!!!  I promise that I will change my negligent ways!  I will cite my sources.  Also, I noticed the comments of researchers who have received scanned records from the Archives without citations included.  I will definitely send the citations to the two pro bono clients that I have already scanned documents for!

Thank you again!!!  I would be happy to help you with any scanning projects you desire.  I am limited to Pensions, CMSR's, Carded Medical, and Bounty Land records in the HUB; however, others have gotten permission to do different projects.  I can always ask.  I would be able to scan the files and then send you a CD that NARA provides or just download the files to Google Drive and you could access it from that.  

Years ago I was a BYU intern at the Archives and just love being back!!!  Scanning these pensions for FREE is a dream come true.  Too often I am in the HUB by myself.  I hope other researchers will join me as I am sure that this great opportunity may fade away if more people do not participate.

Submitted byEEon Mon, 01/23/2017 - 08:19

Cindy, no need to chastise yourself. Almost all those adjustments are due to NARA's website alterations. As for the HUB and its value, would you like to explain that to our readers?

Submitted by2clnortonon Sun, 03/12/2017 - 20:18

Hi Elizabeth-

Just saw the above message - sorry I did not respond sooner about one of my FAVORITE subjects!

The Innovation HUB is an AWESOME place to do research AND help with records preservation!  The HUB is located at the National Archives in Washington, D.C.  It has been open since July 2015 (for more information see https://www.archives.gov/innovation-hub).

The National Archives provides the HUB for researchers to scan Pensions, Compiled Military Service Records (CMSR), Carded Medical Records and Bounty Land Records for FREE!  You can even request to scan other record groups.  The scanned images are saved as jpegs.  The price you pay for these FREE scans is commiting to scan EVERY page of the file - front and back.

Depending on the record, you will be able to do about 50 scans in an hour (i.e. pension).  CMSR and Carded Medical Records go faster because the size of the documents are uniform - no need to adjust the size of the scan quite as frequently as a pension.  

One of the benefits of scanning these records are that they are in COLOR, unlike other records that have been microfilmed and/or scanned in black and white.  A color scan makes it easier to determine what comments have been added to a record by the various agencies, i.e. a stamp by the Pension Office or comments by the local Postmaster on the reliabiltiy of the person providing an affadvit.  

Another benefit is that you get a copy of the file(s) you scan on a CD provided FREE by the National Archives.  I prefer to bring an external hard drive or thumb drive to add the files I scan to.

Still another advantage of scanning is that these records, will be uploaded to the National Archives website in about 6 weeks.  Once it is online, you or other people can transcribe or tag those records.  It is a GREAT way to help yourself and others to find relatives in other people's records (the FAN principle).

If you would like to see some of the documents I have scanned go to:

·        www.archives.gov

·        click on Search Our Records

·        Under Research in the National Archives, click on Search the Catalog

·        In the text box type Cindy L Norton

I cannot tell you how many times I have been in the HUB by myself - there is a guard and two technicians there just for me!  I wonder how long they will commit these resources to so few patrons. 

PLEASE join me in the HUB.  Together we could do a lot more work than I can do by myself.  Can't wait to see you!!!

Take care.  Cindy

P.S.  If you cannot come to the HUB, you are free to send me a request to scan a record for you.  Love to help!