Schuler, John death certificate, the importance of citations

 

"Oh, my, where did that come from?" As the family historian, have you either thought or said this? A complete source citation shows the what, when, where and who of our genealogy records. Citations tell the reader where to obtain that important birth certificate or other document. Was a story passed down from generation to generation? Who shared this story? When did they first hear this story? Where did the story take place? With this information, the genealogist will attempt to validate a story or document.

My example is simple. Two State of Illinois Certificate of Death standard forms for John Schuler Jr. (1840-1916) provide the same death information. But, without complete citations the reader may wonder if two different documents exist and provide conflicting or collaborating data. The State Archives photo copy was obtained from microfilm in Springfield, Illinois. The certified copy was obtained from the Will County Clerk's office in Joliet, Illinois. Both documents are legible. Both copies present the same data in the same format. The difference between the two pieces of paper is the number, one is stamped the other is hand written. Which would be considered the certificate number? Depends on the agency.

Look Again! Look closer! What is his address? The certified copy reads "Eighth & Hamilton." The microfilm copy reads "8th & Madison." Walk east from Eighth and Hamilton three blocks to arrive at Eight and Madison. Where did John die? Do you read a different answer to question 9. BIRTHPLACE? The form asks for "State or country." On the certified copy, "Illinois" is the written answer. On the microfilm copy, "Lockport, Illinois" is the written answer. On the microfilm image, an attempt to erase "Germany" was replaced by "Lockport." For a genealogist, this will make a big difference by narrowing the hunt for birth information.

Family historians, this article explains by the example of John Schuler's death certificate the importance of citations. Genealogists need to provide complete and accurate citations for ALL details. See the scanned documents with this article for my citations. In future articles, the "how to" of citations will be studied. Comments or questions, Selma Blackmon.