Sequencing record group, sub group, and individual record

By jandorek on Fri, 11/29/2019 - 12:16

Forums

I have a question when creating a citation for a record from a deed book that is part of a larger record group from FamilySearch then from courthouse records. I am critiquing a citations for my ProGen class and wanted a clearer understanding of how to list a record from a larger group to a subgroup to the specific item. I was rereading your book on pages 557-558. I think I been doing it backwards.

 

The citation I am critiquing is below. I used to think of it as the stacking doll concept. Smallest to Largest but reading page 557-558 and I am questioning myself, I am dyslexic, so I am trying to get this clear in my head

 

This is my classmates citation:

Schenectady County, New York, Records of Wills Volume M-N, 1894-1900: 42-4, Will of John E. Myers, 1893 (admitted to probate 1895); in "New York Probate Records, 1629-1971," images, FamilySearch (https://www.familysearch.org/search/collection/1920234 : accessed 4 November 2019), Schenectady > Wills 1887-1990 vol M-N > images 404-5; citing county courthouse, Schenectady, New York. 

 

This is my interpretation:

Schenectady County, New York, "New York Probate Records, 1629-1971," New York, Records of Wills Volume M-N, 1894-1900: image 404-5, p. 42-4, Will of John E. Myers, 1893 (admitted to probate 1895); images, FamilySearch (https://www.familysearch.org/search/collection/1920234 : accessed 4 November 2019) ; citing county courthouse, Schenectady, New York. 

 

I appreciate your help.

 

Elizabeth Jandorek

 

 

Submitted byEEon Fri, 11/29/2019 - 16:53

Elizabeth,

EE cannot directly address a class problem on which you are working.  What we can do is to comment generally upon the issues you have raised.

First, the term “record group” is a term that has a specific meaning in the formalized organizational schemes used in the archival world.  It’s never or rarely applied to courthouse documents; there, records are not arranged in the same formal fashion. Among the many sections of EE that discuss record groups, see particularly EE 3.1, 8.37, and 11.1.  

The latter (11.1) is the pp. 557-58 that you say you have already studied. As you will note, chapter 11 deals with records in national-level archives, not the courthouse records that you are working with in class. Chapter 10 “Local & State Records: Property & Probates” is the chapter that discusses the organization and citation of probate materials in "whatever" format.

Best wishes!