Legacy - Setting Source information

Why use sources?

Like many other genealogy beginners, my early research was scribbled down on pieces of paper and notebooks. Having majored in history at Uni, I was aware I needed to record the source of my information and had a basic understanding that this should include title (if any) of document, place and time of publication,author, page reference etc, and in the main, I was reasonably careful about doing so.

However, this did not prepare me for what the Legacy software offered in documentation. I have been attempting to standardise my sourcing ever since, with frequent references to the in-built tutorials on the subject.

I cannot claim I have 'got it right'. What suits one person will not always be what someone else is hoping to achieve. However, I believe there are a couple of things any form of sourcing should aim for.

• It should allow you to find the origin of your material again in case of need.

• It should be easy for other researchers to locate your sources to check your findings.

What are sources?

They may cover a range of types:

• Books, newspapers, vital records (BDMs), census documents, interviews, letters/emails, military papers..the list is endless.

Attributing a source in Legacy

• With 'Family View' open,choose individual (husband or wife) and click on the Sources icon (looks like a set of books, 2nd from the right just below the birth & death details.

• The 'Assigned Sources' screen appears. The list at the top shows each event along with whatever source citations have been assigned.

• Highlight the line you want to connect a source to by clicking on it.

• Click 'Cite a Master Source' to specify a source that you have used before, or 'Add a NEW Source' to create a new source entry.

• If you are citing a source that is already in the Master Source List, select the appropriate source.

• If you are adding a new source entry, fill in the source information.

• Enter the detail information. This is usually a page number or microfilm item number. I use this as a place to put my census RG nos, folio, sched. etc or BDM vol. and page numbers... I choose to do it here because it will print out with the rest of my source info.

• You can continue to add as many sources as you have. Each event can have zero or more source citations.

• You can also display the Assigned Sources screen from the Pedigree View by clicking the Sources icon on the Siblings / Information screen.

• The Marriage Information, Events, Alternate Names, and LDS Ordinance screens also have a Sources icon for entering citations for the information.

• The Source clipboard may also be quickly accessed from the 'Individual's Information' screen, by clicking on the small blue arrow at the top left. This is often more accessible when you have reduced the size of the screen, than the 'book' icon.

• The blue symbol below this arrow... - is then clicked when you have chosen your source and placed your cursor in the field you wish to give a citation.

It will also act as a 'repeat button', allowing you to repeat the source citation currently on the clipboard,for other events,and other individuals, providing you use it before you place other sources on the clipboard

• The blue three-bar symbol below yet again, allows you to cite the same source for all events (birth, christening, death, burial) simultaneously.

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