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Coding for Source Citations

Replies: 10

Re: Coding for Source Citations

Posted: 29 Jul 2014 12:00PM GMT
Classification: Query
When I say “coding” I mean the text representation coded in the GEDCOM file just as you’ve described. I am very familiar with the GEDCOM standard and have referenced it many, many times. The standard is anything but specific.

The context for my use is to read the GEDCOM file produced by Legacy Family Tree and enter the data in a SQL database on my desktop computer. I wrote another program that uses the SQL database to produce HTML coding for web pages for the family website I created. I’ve found that formatting source citations from Legacy’s coding almost comes down to a separate subroutine for each source. Ancestry is better but still not ideal. The purpose of my question is to gain insight so that I can refine the format of my citations on the website to a more proper form.

Let’s look at one citation and contrast the coding from Legacy with the coding in the file produced by Ancestry.com. Both are of the linked variety. Both describe a birth from the Ancestry database, California Birth Index, 1905-1995. I believe a proper reference is described on the Progenealogists website’s Citation Guide.

Database developer or compiler, "Title of Database in quotes," Title of Website in italics (Online: Internet publisher, Internet published date) [Original data publisher, original published date if applicable], URL of database, web page access date.

The source citation might look like:

Ancestry.com Operations, Inc., “California Birth Index, 1905-1995,” Ancestry.com (The Generations Network, Inc., 2005) [Original published Sacramento, CA, State of California Department of Health Services], URL-Ancestry.com, accessed 01/21/2011.

Legacy produces the following statements for the 0 @S@ SOUR section:

0 @S69@ SOUR
1 ABBR California Birth Index, 1905-1995
1 TITL "California Birth Index, 1905-1995," database, The Generati
2 CONC ons Network, Inc., \i Ancestry.com\i0
1 AUTH State of California Department of Health Services
1 PUBL (URL-Ancestry.com : 2005)

Ancestry produces:

0 @S-2059594242@ SOUR
1 REPO @R-2139264844@
1 TITL California Birth Index, 1905-1995
1 AUTH Ancestry.com
1 PUBL Online publication - Provo, UT, USA: Ancestry.com Operations Inc, 2005.Original data - State of California. California Birth Index, 1905-1995. Sacramento, CA, USA: State of California Department of He
2 CONC alth Services, Center for Health Statistics.Original dat

Legacy produces the following in the EVEN.SOUR section:

1 BIRT
2 DATE 23 Nov 1922
2 PLAC Sacramento, Sacramento, CA
2 SOUR @S69@
3 PAGE accessed 01/21/2011), Fritze.
3 QUAY 3

Ancestry produces:

1 BIRT
2 DATE 23 Nov 1922
2 PLAC Sacramento, Sacramento, California
2 SOUR @S-2059594242@
3 PAGE Birthdate: 23 Nov 1922; Birth County: Sacramento.
3 NOTE URL-trees.ancestry.com/rd?f=sse&db=cabirth1905&h=944471&ti=0&indiv=try&gss=pt
3 NOTE
3 DATA
4 TEXT Birth date: 23 Nov 1922 Birth place: Sacramento, California

Notice the difference in the content of the SOUR.PUBL statement between the two systems in the Source Description and the difference in the content of the BIRT.SOUR.PAGE statements. It’s like there are two different standards in use. In fairness, Ancestry claims to be using GEDCOM version 5.5 while Legacy is using 5.5.1. Both standards describe the contents of the SOUR.PUBL statement as “When and where the record was created. For published works, this includes information such as the city of publication, name of the publisher, and year of publication.” I’m at a loss as to why the coding is so different.
SubjectAuthorDate Posted
Donald Fritze 27 Jul 2014 8:39PM GMT 
kj_norway 27 Jul 2014 10:16PM GMT 
kj_norway 27 Jul 2014 10:39PM GMT 
Donald Fritze 29 Jul 2014 6:00PM GMT 
kj_norway 29 Jul 2014 7:43PM GMT 
DavidNewton31 29 Jul 2014 9:39PM GMT 
kj_norway 29 Jul 2014 10:37PM GMT 
Donald Fritze 30 Jul 2014 12:57PM GMT 
kj_norway 30 Jul 2014 2:44PM GMT 
Donald Fritze 7 Aug 2014 12:13AM GMT 
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