Editorial Brackets in title of volume

By agonzaleswithans on Sat, 06/26/2021 - 22:05

Forums

In crafting a citation, I am trying to decide whether it is appropriate to use editorial brackets for the title, or go ahead and put what is the implied name of the register.  And which implied name should I use?

When I go to the first page filmed for this volume, which FamilySearch states is "Marriage Records", I find on the cover of the book only the volume "E".  When I am looking at the record I am citing, it it is pre-printed at the bottom of the record "Filed and Recorded in Book E of the County Records of Marriage Licenses...".

To add to the delimma, on image #4 of the series, the title on the cover of volume D is "Marriage Records"

I was inclined when crafting the source

Cameron County, Texas, [Marriage Records] “E” 1876-1880, p555, Sabas Longoria y Farias-Pomposa Lopez y Cisneros, 1880, license and return;

for my first layer since I do not find "Marriage Licenses" anywhere on a title page or cover.

The links to the start of the FamilySearch filming of this volume and title page

https://www.familysearch.org/ark:/61903/3:1:939Z-YF9J-4Q?

and and the record I am using

https://www.familysearch.org/ark:/61903/3:1:939Z-YF9X-VS?

 

I'd appreciate you input please.  I will be using this record series for number of records and will probably see this inconsistency a lot.

 

 

Submitted byEEon Sun, 06/27/2021 - 08:47

agonzaleswithans, your puzzlement is shared by many. Local courthouse books are often erratically labeled, even within the same series. Some labels are very detailed, others lack critical details—as in this case when the label on the cover provides no clue to the type of records contained therein. With many volumes that are imaged (again, the case at hand), we find that the target added by the filmer is significantly different from the wording that is on the cover of the volume.

Thoughtful researchers do just what you have done: examine the series for the general pattern and try to devise a citation that will identify the specific volume as clearly as possible. If using numerous records from a series, many would identify the series simply and consistently in this way:

Marriage Records A: 230, Parties, year or date, type of marriage record;

Marriage Records D: 459, Parties, year or date, type of marriage record;

Marriage Records E: 555, Sabas Longoria y Farias-Pomposa Lopez y Cisneros, 1880, license and return;

If this pattern is chosen, then it would not be necessary to put square editorial brackets around the series name. Editorial brackets are typically added when we cite a title exactly, in quotes or italics, and need to add or or alter something within the title.

If,  however, you choose to copy the exact wording off the title of a specific volume, you would put the quoted words in quotation marks. With the case at hand, the results would be something like this:

1. Cameron County, Texas, Marriage Book “E: Sept. 2nd 1876 to October 6th 1880,” p. 555, Sabas Longoria y Farias-Pomposa Lopez y Cisneros, 1880), license and return …

Sometimes, as in this case (I think) the results of quoting exactly can be more confusing than a generic citation to the series. If I were using these records, my own citation would likely be either

1. Cameron County, Texas, Marriage Book E: 555, Sabas Longoria y Farias-Pomposa Lopez y Cisneros, 1880), license and return …

Or, more specifically,

1. Cameron County, Texas, Marriage Book E (“Sept. 2nd 1876 to October 6th 1880”): 555, Sabas Longoria y Farias-Pomposa Lopez y Cisneros, 1880), license and return ...

I'd use the latter if, say,

  • there were multiple similarly titled volumes in the courthouse that might be confused,
  • for some other reason I'm concerned that users of my citation might not find the correct volume, or
  • noting the exact dates covered by each volume in the series was important to my research or analysis.

 

Submitted byagonzaleswithanson Sun, 06/27/2021 - 23:04

Thank you very much for your response. I tend to feel the 2nd option you gave (that you would use) suits me best.  There are numerous records in the series, and quite frankly, the FS catalog seems just as confusing as the name of the volumes.  The added emphasis on date details can best discern the different volumes.