Documentation

Unfortunately, many family historians have made it a practice to publish or otherwise disseminate research results with incomplete or even without citations of the sources from which their information was derived. As Patricia Law Hatcher states in a chapter titled "How Do You Know?" in Producing a Quality Family History (Salt Lake City: Ancestry, 1996) ". . . for every statement of fact, a date, a place, a name, or a relationship, you must provide a citation. A citation states where you found that piece of information."

The specific footnote style is up to the author. The Source uses the widely accepted Chicago Manual of Style, 14th ed. (Chicago: University of Chicago Press, 1993), supplemented on genealogical points by Lackey, Cite Your Sources: A Manual for Documenting Family Histories and Genealogical Records (cited above). The important point is to indicate sources in an economical yet comprehensive format so that other researchers can judge the quality of the proof and know where to find the cited sources. If the source is "Personal interview, 12 Feb. 1978, with Mable Ann (Alton) Jones, Upper Fairfax, Pierce Co., Wash.," say so. If the information is from a will not seen but given in a published abstract of probates, indicate so: "Halifax Co., N.C., wills 3:377, Edward Montford, 3 Nov. 1801, proved Aug. ct. 1802, as cited in Margaret M. Hofmann, Genealogical Abstracts of Wills 1758 through 1824, Halifax County, North Carolina (Weldon, N.C.: Roanoke News Co., 1970), p. 121." Unless you are meeting the requirements of a publisher, it is far more important to be consistent, complete, and efficient than it is to use any given style.