Same source for multiple events - How to handle?

[adamdiament]

I was wondering how people handled using the same source for multiple fields of a single individual. For example, a census will list how old a person is and how long that person has been married. Do you use that same source and put it in the birth field, and the marriage field?

Another example is a tombstone that lists a birth date, death date, and often their spouse. Do you put that source in the event fields for birth, death, and marriage? Currently I put my source for every field that's even remotely relevant, so for the birth field, there might be 10 sources (6 censuses that list how old a person is so you can deduce their birth year, a birth certificate, a death certificate that lists the birthdate, a tombstone, and a marriage license). Is that what people are doing or do you just limit the birth source to the birth certificate because that's really about the birth and the rest maybe are just in the misc notes?

Adam

[kmgenealogy]

Re: Same source for multiple events - How to handle?

I was wondering how people handled using the same source for multiple fields of a single individual. For example, a census will list how old a person is and how long that person has been married. Do you use that same source and put it in the birth field, and the marriage field?

Another example is a tombstone that lists a birth date, death date, and often their spouse. Do you put that source in the event fields for birth, death, and marriage? Currently I put my source for every field that's even remotely relevant, so for the birth field, there might be 10 sources (6 censuses that list how old a person is so you can deduce their birth year, a birth certificate, a death certificate that lists the birthdate, a tombstone, and a marriage license). Is that what people are doing or do you just limit the birth source to the birth certificate because that's really about the birth and the rest maybe are just in the misc notes?

Adam

Adam,

I basically do the same thing. First, as you show, a source can have multiple information in it. Second, the more sources that have information, say of a birth date, the more you can either prove it or realize that you need to research it more. Even birth certificates can be wrong.

I will even use that source on someone else's page i.e. a spouse or child or parent.

I think you are doing the right thing. You can see samples of some of my sources at #7 on http://www.reuniontalk.com/showthread.php?t=10275

Kaye