TMG-L Archives

Archiver > TMG > 1999-12 > 0944107842


From: "Mills" <>
Subject: Re: TMG-L: Sourcing unpublished papers
Date: Wed, 1 Dec 1999 22:10:42 -0600


Michelle wrote:
<I have 5 short papers, all under 10 pages, written by my grandfather after
he retired, and all entitled with family names, such as "The McDermott
Family." He did date them, but none were published, and what I have are
photocopies. . . . Should these papers be sourced as compiled books,
showing my grandfather as the compiler and his address. Or as manuscripts
somehow inserting him as author?>

Byron wrote:
<Technically typescripts like these are not what most would think of as
"books" so when I use the "BOOK" template I include words "typesecript"
where you usually put the publisher, letting the reader know these are not
published but in the possession of me (or whomever), with my address so if
anyone ever wants more information they can contact me. Just a thought --
does anyone else have a suggestion?>

Michelle and Byron:
You are both on the right track. An unpublished manuscript is not a book. If
the book template is used with most genealogy programs, the title will be
rendered in *italics.* However, when italics are applied to a source it
instantly shouts *Published!* -- so that doesn't fit a manuscript. The
convention for handling the titles of unpublished compilations is to place
the title in quotation marks. Repository data is usually provided in
parentheses, where publication data would be for a book. Citing privately
held, unpublished manuscripts are a bit more complicated, but you should be
able to record all the necessary information and have it print properly by
using the Evidence! models for "dissertation," "research report" or
"thesis" -- or the Henry James Young typescript model under "marriage
record." All of these allow for name of author, title in quotation marks,
and varying amounts of location data.

And thanks, Michelle, for (indirectly <g>) calling this to my attention.
When Evidence! is revised, it should have an example of that type of
compilation. Not including that in the first edition was a mighty dumb
oversight!

Elizabeth Shown Mills, CG, CGL, FASG
Editor, National Genealogical Society Quarterly


- ---------------------------------------------------------------------------
TMG-L The Internet Mailing List for The Master Genealogist
To unsubscribe: Send an e-mail to with 'UNSUBSCRIBE TMG-L'
or... if you get the digest version: 'UNSUBSCRIBE TMG-L-DIGEST'
- ---------------------------------------------------------------------------

This thread: