When analysing family history sources, consider the context of a source. Where you find a source and what has happened to it since it was created affects the information in the source and therefore the evidence that you collect from it. Knowledge of context will help you interpret sources.
What is a family history source?
To understand the context of a source, you need to revisit the question – What is a family history source?
The short answer is that a source is anything that you extract information from. For a more comprehensive answer, read on.
A book
Some sources are easy to define. A book is an object that contains information. It has a beginning and an end, with a cover to define its boundary. Yes, it does get a little complicated if the book is published more than one time, as each version may be a little different. Each version is a different source even though it may have the same title.
To learn about the context of a book, examine the publishing information, the foreword and biographical information. You can also look at other books on the same topic or other books by the same author.
A journal
For a journal article, defining the source is more complicated. The article would usually be regarded as the source, but it would be more accurate to describe the journal itself as the source.
A journal is a collection of articles. The original source was the article written by the author, but once it is placed in a journal it becomes a derivative version of the original article.
A journal might be a physical magazine or an online version, or parts of the journal might be printed or reproduced on a website (just to name a few source variations). Each version may be slightly different, and all may differ from the original due to editing.
The journal as a whole is relevant to the use of an article. The journal may contain other articles on the same topic, a review or commentary, or other information that helps you understand and interpret the article. Similarly, other journals on the same topic may provide useful context.
A parish register
Now that you are thinking along those lines, think about a parish register of births deaths and marriages.
When it was first created, it was probably a book in a church, so the entries only related to that church. The key questions at this point are:
- Were the births deaths and marriages included in a single book or were they in separate books?
- What period of time does each book cover?
- Is it the original book or a handwritten contemporary copy?
Microfilms
The next step in the life of the register may be microfilming. When registers are microfilmed, multiple registers are often combined on a single microfilm. Now the source is not just a single book, but a collection of books. Perhaps from that same church, or perhaps from a few churches in the same region.
The source is no longer the single register, just as a journal article is no longer the source once it becomes part of a journal. The microfilm is the context of the register, just like the journal was the context of the article. Both parts need to included in the source citations to make it clear that the source has changed.
The process of microfilming is also relevant to the reliability of the information within the source. When microfilming takes place, changes may be made to the source.
Changes can be negative, such as when pages are missed or the order of the pages change and confuse the reader. Changes can also be positive, such as when extra explanatory pages are added or when the records of churches within a locality are gathered together making it easier to find the one you are looking for.
Digitising microfilms
The next step may be digitising. A bunch of microfilms are copied and placed online. In doing so, a new source is created. This is usually referred to as a database or collection. But the original source, the register, still exists within that database.
Microfilm databases
Microfilms may be grouped differently each time they are combined in a database. One database might cover a wider geographic area than another, or it might cover a wider period of time. Some databases may have the added value of indexing or explanatory information. That is why a database of parish registers differs between repositories such as Ancestry and FamilySearch. The source is no longer the parish register, it is the collection within which the copy of the register now sits.
Derivative sources
In Australia, at least, most of the sources you have access to are derivative sources. Understanding how these derivative sources were created provides you with information that needs to be included in a source citation, so that you and other researchers know where the information came from and can track down either source you used or another version of it.
But that context is also important in your analysis. At each step in the life of a source, changes can occur, both positive and negative. Knowledge of the source helps you understand the source better and evaluate how reliable the information may be. It helps you notice information that has changed or been omitted demonstrates why looking at more than one version of a source can be useful. The context of a source can also provide you with additional information and tell you where you might go for more information.
Read my article: Analysing derivative sources.
Think about these things next time you just look at an extract of a source and perhaps it will encourage you to examine the context.
More information
For more articles about analysing sources, go to the Analyse page. In particular, there are articles about using specific types of sources.
For my articles on improving your search techniques, go to the Research page.
Post last updated 14 June 2024
