Are Footnotes Necessary?
In Genealogy, footnotes cite the source of information contained in a narrative. They also often contain commentary that didn't fit into the narrative.
Think of genealogy as a science experiment. Other family historians need to look at your research and come to the same conclusion. As with a science experiment, they need to know the materials you used, what you observed, and your conclusions. Sources are the materials.
The First Level
Evidence Explained is the go-to instruction book for writing professional-level footnotes. I highly recommend checking it out from the library and reading the introductory chapters if you’re really serious about footnotes. But it all boils down to the five Ws - who, what, where, possibly what again, when, sometimes why, and where again. The goal is to share what the source is and where your fellow researchers can find it.
Who - Who created the source? Since the goal is to locate the source, the clerk’s name on a death certificate is not helpful. Who created the death certificate in the United States would be a town or a state.
What - What is this source? A deed? A will? A letter?
Where - Where in the source can I find the information? Volume number, page number, etc.
What - What specifically, in the source are we looking at? In the example below, we’re looking at Pennsylvania death certificates, specifically the death certificate for Tony Brasile.
When - When did the event take place, or when was it recorded, or when was it created? Choose what you feel will best help your fellow researcher understand your source. In the example below, Tony Brasile’s death date would clarify which Tony Brasile I’m discussing, as opposed to any other Tony Brasile who might be on the same page. If you don’t use the obvious date, you might want to label it “created,” “recorded,” “probated,” or another appropriate label.
Pennsylvaniawho Death Certificateswhat, 1919, section 4001-4150, certificate stamped 6355where in, Tony Brasilewhat again, 18 January 1917when
Why - sometimes you have to add some explanation about the record. Your comments should be in square brackets so your fellow researchers know what is the source and what is you commenting.
Acerra, Naples, Campania, Italy, Registro degli Atti di Nati, 1865, record 516, Giacomo Romano, 18 November 1865, [a note written by the town clerk corrected his surname to Romanelli, which was recorded in 1896 with the court located in Santa Maria Capua Vetere]
The Second Level
The second part of the source citation is separated by a semicolon and describes where your fellow researcher can find the record. Evidence Explained goes into great detail in the footnote, which you can do, but if that is intimidating, the goal is for your fellow researcher to find the record. Write what you think is necessary. Here’s an abbreviated version I’m using on Substack.
Pennsylvania Death Certificates, 1919, section 4001-4150, certificate stamped 6355, Tony Brasile, 18 January 1917; Ancestry.
The URL of the document is linked to the name of the website. Click and you’re there. Using the Evidence Explained method, I’d include the date I visited the site. This would allow a fellow researcher to use Wayback Machine (if they’re lucky) to locate the source if the link no longer works. Since my Substack post is dated, assume that is the date I accessed the source.
You’re done.
What if your source isn’t available online?
Christopher Duggan, The Force of Destiny: A History of Italy Since 1796 (Boston: Houghton Mifflin Company, 2008), 194–195 & 231–232.
Originally, I took out the publisher information. I’ve never used the publisher information to locate a book. But
(who accepted my request to edit this post) says the publisher information is part of the copyright and should be part of the footnote, so I put it back in. Most physical books are available for purchase or are in libraries, so ordinarily there is no need to cite where the copy you used is located.Here are some more examples:
Petition of Jared Spencer to Governor Benning Wentworth dated 24 February 1861; digital copy provided by Office of the New Hampshire Secretary of State, Division of Archives & Records Management, Concord.
Town of Nassau, Rensselaer, New York, "Record of Marriages," 1936 section, no volume listed, no. 227, marriage of George Richard Bentley and Ethel Minnie Ramsey; photocopied page supplied by Kara Pearson, Town Clerk, Nassau, New York, 21 March 2022, in possession of the author.
What if your source isn’t available to other researchers?
“George Bentley Sr. Reminiscing Part 1,” video interview conducted by Barbara Dunwoody, 28 August 1992; copy in possession of the author.
My aunt didn’t want me to put the video on YouTube or FamilySearch for all the world to see. Fellow researchers are going to have to trust me when I report on what he said. However, the footnote gives information that fellow researchers will use to evaluate the credibility. In this case, George was talking about his life and his relationship with his nuclear and extended family.
What we know from the narrative and the source: George was talking about experiences he had firsthand knowledge of. George was about 77 years old when the interview took place.
Here’s another example:
George Richard Bentley Jr, “Uncle Charlie,” undated document found on George’s hard drive after he died, Personal History > History Uncle Charlie; in possession of the author.
Footnotes and Substack
Footnotes couldn’t be easier using Substack. I have a footnote at the end of the paragraph to list all the sources I used. I found that a footnote after each sentence made my writing look cluttered and resulted in a lot of repetition. You can choose something different, such as a list of all your sources at the end of your Post. You’re the boss of your publication, you make the rules.
At the end of the paragraph, I click on the More pull-down menu and choose Footnote. A little superscript number appears, and my cursor jumps down to the footnote area where I add the source/sources. Clicking on the little number here jumps my cursor back into the narrative. If I decide to add a footnote, I insert it where I want it, and any following footnotes I’ve already written automatically renumber.
Be careful when deleting footnotes. As I’m working on consolidating my footnotes in old posts to one footnote per paragraph, I copy and paste the previous footnotes into the one I’m keeping. When you delete a footnote in the narrative or the footnote area, it is deleted in both places, and the remaining footnotes automatically renumber. I’ve had to use the undo feature a couple of times when I deleted before I copied and pasted.
Acerra, Naples, Campania, Italy, Registro degli Atti di Nati, 1882, record 623, Giovanna Brasile, 25 November 1882, with information about her 23 December 1958 death written in the margin; FamilySearch. Also, Acerra, Naples, Campania, Italy, Registro degli Atti di Matrimoni, 1908, record 22, Giovanni Levita and Giovanna Brasile, 2 February 1908; FamilySearch. And, Chiesa Cattolica, Parrocchia di Acerra, Naples, Campania, Italy, "Baptizatorum Liber 1866–1871," folio 190 back, entry 38, Giovanni Levita, 29 April 1885; FamilySearch.
Conclusion
Evidence Explained is almost 700 pages of different types of sources and how to footnote them, such as newspaper articles, newspaper articles you found in a scrapbook and have no idea where they came from, ship passenger lists, census records, and on and on and on. You now know the basics and can write source citations that will lead fellow researchers to the records. That’s the goal, not writing the perfect footnote.
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Great post Deborah and I am going to be a bit controversial here and suggest that the inclusion of footnotes depends on your audience. I am waiting for the big gasp from everyone, but hear me out. If I am writing about an ancestor that will only be read by another family member then I don't think that my Aunt is necessarily interested in all the extra citations, in her eyes they will only clutter the page - having said that the citations and notes are added to my copy as a reference of course. However if I was doing some research for a 3rd party, then of course, footnotes and citations are essential in the document produced. If that makes sense
One of the criticisms levelled at genealogists by academic historians is the lack of references and sources. Some go on from there to make assertions and even conclusions. Really we should use footnotes/references even when the evidence is partial, circumstantial, or inconclusive. The average reader can skip over them but for your integrity and future researchers they are invaluable.