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I have in my possession several photocopies of family vital records, the originals of which are in possession of another family member. I am unable to view those originals myself nor am I able to obtain them because of state restrictions. Am I correct in using the format for Private Holdings: Artifacts? I am struggling with how much detail from the copy I need to include in the citation. Should I cite where the original was created? In my attempt below, the location is the location of birth.
John Doe birth certifcate, Poughkeepsie, New York, citing birth on 5 Mar 1937; privately held by Hiztorybuff [address private]. This document is a photocopy of a certificate held by John Doe and passed to his daughter, Hiztorybuff.
Hiztorybuff,
Hiztorybuff,
An American birth certificate is usually a one-page document issued on a standardized form, with an identification of the office where the birth is registered. When we have a photocopy, the citation can usually be crafted from the details on the face of that document. But, as you will note from EE 9.30-9.44, those certificates might be issued at the town, county, or state level. (That's an essential detail missing from your suggestion above, as is the registration number.) Do one of those standard formats not fit your case? You can add the provenance of the certificate to the citation, if you wish.
This document was signed by a
This document was signed by a registrar in the town of Poughkeepsie and filed with the State of New York. There is a district number and a registered number on the document. By your comment above, it sounds like even a photocopy should be cited as a vital record and not as an artifact. So in adding the office where the birth is registered, as well as the certificate number, I've come up with the following citation:
Poughkeepsie, New York, birth certificate no. 62 (1937), John Doe; Office of City Chamberlain/Vital Statistics, Poughkeepsie, New York; privately held by Hiztorybuff (address private). This document is a photocopy of a certificate held by John Doe, given to his daughter, Hiztorybuff.
I'm not clear on how to cite the repository or the district number. Is citing the local vital statistic office appropriate or should I cite the State Department of Health where one might obtain the record today? And where do I put the district number?
I have several photocopies of
I have several photocopies of recent birth registration certificates that do not have a certificate number. I am unable to obtain a "true" copy from the vital records office due to restrictions. Should I cite these certificates the same but note that there is no certificate number? If the year of issue is different that the year of birth, would that be a notation after the citation?
Finally, would you please discuss what a short-form certificate is as opposed to other certificates? I'm wondering if what I have are unnumbered short-form certificates.
Hiztorybuff, you are doing an
Hiztorybuff, you are doing an excellent job of thinking through the issues involved. It seems to EE that you have already answered most of your own questions.
Regarding "what a short-form certificate is as opposed to other certificates," those points are discussed in EE 9.30 and 9.40 (U.S. certificates) and 9.45–9.58 (11 other countries internationally). It is not possible to give a more-specific description that would hold true for all certificates regardless of place, level of government, or time frame.
You might also try using one of the Internet search engines to query for images of short-form and long-form certificates from various locales, as samples for study. In doing so, you'll probably find that all registered certificates carry a number or a number that has been redacted. If your certificates do not carry a registration number, then the odds are good that you have a photocopy of the personal copy given to the family prior to registration. (EE, of course, is not issuing here an official opinion, here, for a sight-unseen document. EE is simply stating the general pattern, so that you can consider that along with the other elements you are evaluating.)
Yes, I do think I probably
Yes, I do think I probably have photocopies of the personal copy of the registered certificate. Thank you very much for this forum. I'm beginning to understand the "...art, not a science" concept now.