* Where is Ancestral Sources

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FoxFam
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Where is Ancestral Sources

Post by FoxFam »

I'm trying to get started with the Ancestral Sources plugin, and I'm following the tutorials. I've downloaded the plugin, clicked on the plugin file to install it, and reset the first project to the original settings. I've closed and reopened. But how is the ancestral plugin accessed? Is it a menu item, a button, or what? Thanks.
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FoxFam
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Re: Where is Ancestral Sources

Post by FoxFam »

I think I see the problem. I can't run the plugin with the trial version.
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BillH
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Re: Where is Ancestral Sources

Post by BillH »

Are you aware that you can run the Ancestral Sources program without the plugin? I use the program all the time, but do not use the plugin.
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FoxFam
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Re: Where is Ancestral Sources

Post by FoxFam »

No, I didn't realize it was installed on my PC as a separate program. When I clicked on the downloaded plugin file, it just oped Family Historian. I would like to try it before I decide to buy. How do I open it?
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BillH
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Re: Where is Ancestral Sources

Post by BillH »

If all you did was try to install the plugin, then that didn't install the Ancestral Sources program. Ancestral Sources is a stand alone program written by another Family Historian user. You can read about it and download the program from this web page in the knowledge base here on the FHUG web site:

ancestralsources:index|> Ancestral Sources

If you have any questions about installing or using the program, post them in the Ancestral Sources forum.

viewforum.php?f=34

It is a great program. I use it for entering all the source types that it supports. It makes for easy and consistent entering of data. Be sure to read about it and set the options to meet your needs prior to using it on your real database so that you get the results you want.

Some people like to use the plugin as it opens Ancestral Sources with the currently selected person in Family Historian. That isn't how I work so I just use it stand alone.
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FoxFam
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Re: Where is Ancestral Sources

Post by FoxFam »

Okay, that explains why the videos I stumbled upon seemed to show the person toggling between FH and Ancestral Sources, as if they were separate. I'll take a look at it. By reviewing this stand alone program, will I have a good idea of what the plugin can do? Or do they differ a lot?
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BillH
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Re: Where is Ancestral Sources

Post by BillH »

Really the plugin doesn't do much. All it does is launch the Ancestral Sources program with the person currently selected in Family Historian being selected in Ancestral Sources. Some users find this to be a shortcut to getting the correct person selected in Ancestral Sources. I find that it is just as easy to select the person manually in Ancestral Sources.

This is not at all a requirement to using the program.

All data entry and the creation of the citations in Family Historian is done by the Ancestral Sources program, none of it is done by the plugin.

As I say, be sure to read up on the program in the knowledge base and read the help in Ancestral Sources thoroughly before trying to use it. I would test it using the sample project before using it on your actual data. After setting the options enter some info and see if the citations are getting created the way you would like them to get created.

Pay particular attention to what Ancestral Sources calls method 1 and method 2 sources and citations. Many use method 1 which I think is the suggested method. This is where every document has it's own source. You can read up on the differences and check the forums for postings about the two methods. Some users use method 1 and some use method 2 and some use both. I fall into the last group, but I use method 1 for all of the citations I create using Ancestral Sources.
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FoxFam
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Re: Where is Ancestral Sources

Post by FoxFam »

Okay, I will take a look at it. Thanks a lot for the suggestions.
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Re: Where is Ancestral Sources

Post by tatewise »

Although, you have posted several questions, we have overlooked advising you as a newcomer to study the how_to:key_features_for_newcomers|> Key Features for Newcomers, which has many links into our [kb]|[/kb] topics. Those include much Documentation & Tutorials, and particularly relevant to this thread Sources Methods 1 & 2 and Ancestral Sources.

It is not uncommon for new users to confuse the Ancestral Source program, and the Ancestral Sources Data Entry Plugin.
Theoretically, the AS program will work with any GEDCOM file, and not just FH.
The ASDE Plugin launches the AS program directly from FH and ensures the AS program is working with the correct FH Project, with a chosen Individual preselected, and the data entry mode preselected. It also notifies you when a new version of the AS program is available and identifies certain AS installation issues. But as Bill says, the Plugin is not essential to run the AS program.
Mike Tate ~ researching the Tate and Scott family history ~ tatewise ancestry
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FoxFam
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Re: Where is Ancestral Sources

Post by FoxFam »

Thanks Mike for those suggestions, as well. I have been reading through the Knowledge Base and watching the Ancestral Sources tutorials. I've been playing around with data too. One question I have is whether it is possible to create other facts and attributes for other details from the record. For example, own or rent home, value of home, veteran, served in war, etc. These seem like good nuggets to glean. I know that I can create custom attributes and facts, if one is not available. What I'd lke to know is whether ancestral sources can automatically detect and associate them.
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Re: Where is Ancestral Sources

Post by jbtapscott »

AS is primarily for capture of Census data plus Births, Marriages, Deaths and Burials. Depending on which options you set in the AS configuration (and, in some instances, the answers you give to prompts when data is being saved), some additional Facts can optionally be created in FH - e.g. related Birth Fact for a Death record, Family record for the parents on a Birth record, Occupation Fact and Residence Fact for a Census record, etc.
Brent Tapscott ~ researching the Tapscott and Wallace family history
Tapscott & Wallace family tree
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tatewise
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Re: Where is Ancestral Sources

Post by tatewise »

Brent is correct that AS will create a variety of Facts gleaned from each of the types of Source document it supports. BUT AS only ever uses standard GEDCOM Facts (except in its Associated Individuals feature, which does not apply in this context).

AS focusses on simplifying the capture of the six most common Source document types (Census, Birth, Baptism, Marriage, Death, Burial), and cannot be customised to do much more than that.

In my experience, the example Facts you quoted, don't appear on any of those six document types, so presumably you are thinking of some other types of Source document? Could you give some more concrete examples where you think AS might help?

Usually the sort of Facts you quoted would be added directly in FH.
Mike Tate ~ researching the Tate and Scott family history ~ tatewise ancestry
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LornaCraig
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Re: Where is Ancestral Sources

Post by LornaCraig »

@Mike,
Foxfam is located in USA. Some USA and Canadian censuses contain more details than UK censuses. e.g. value of home, and whether owned or rented. Also year of immigration, country of birth of parents, etc. No doubt the BMD records also contain slightly different information from UK records.

@ Foxfam,
It is possible to create extra templates for AS to record (in the Text From Source field) all the information in the source. There are a few templates for specific USA and Canadian censuses available for download here: fhugdownloads:ancestralsources|> Downloads and Links ~ Ancestral Sources
But AS cannot create the associated facts for every one of these items, even when they are standard gedcom (such as country of birth of a person's parents, as recorded in a USA census). You can however create the facts in FH afterwards and cite the source record which has been created by AS.
Lorna
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jmurphy
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Re: Where is Ancestral Sources

Post by jmurphy »

FoxFam wrote:Thanks Mike for those suggestions, as well. I have been reading through the Knowledge Base and watching the Ancestral Sources tutorials. I've been playing around with data too. One question I have is whether it is possible to create other facts and attributes for other details from the record. For example, own or rent home, value of home, veteran, served in war, etc. These seem like good nuggets to glean. I know that I can create custom attributes and facts, if one is not available. What I'd lke to know is whether ancestral sources can automatically detect and associate them.
What I usually do is to use AS for the basic census facts that are similar to the England and Wales census that AS was designed for. Once I am finished, I go into Family Historian, select the Census, turn on Auto-Source Citation, and finish the rest of the data entry from there. That's the most straightforward way to get the data in.

I would love to have a source-based database of all the material I've collected where I could run a query on all the people in the YYYY Census who are flagged as civil war veterans, but unfortunately the GEDCOM designers didn't create the standard for people like me.

Just for reference, I'll drop in some essential links for US Census research here:

https://www.archives.gov/research/census/1790-1840.html
https://www.archives.gov/research/census/1850-1930.html
https://usa.ipums.org/usa/voliii/tEnumInstr.shtml

Another option is to use something like Census Tools to keep a transcription of all the answers outside of Family Historian. https://www.censustools.com/
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tatewise
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Re: Where is Ancestral Sources

Post by tatewise »

@jmurphy ~ Post a question in the FH General Usage Forum about Queries to find "people in the YYYY Census who are flagged as civil war veterans", etc. It should be perfectly feasible assuming you are creating Custom Facts that cite the Census Source.
Mike Tate ~ researching the Tate and Scott family history ~ tatewise ancestry
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jmurphy
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Re: Where is Ancestral Sources

Post by jmurphy »

Mike -- I'll be happy to do so, once I have my data in order and can post intelligently about what I want to do.
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FoxFam
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Re: Where is Ancestral Sources

Post by FoxFam »

LornaCraig wrote:@Mike,
@ Foxfam,
It is possible to create extra templates for AS to record (in the Text From Source field) all the information in the source. There are a few templates for specific USA and Canadian censuses available for download here: fhugdownloads:ancestralsources|> Downloads and Links ~ Ancestral Sources
But AS cannot create the associated facts for every one of these items, even when they are standard gedcom (such as country of birth of a person's parents, as recorded in a USA census). You can however create the facts in FH afterwards and cite the source record which has been created by AS.
Thank you Lorna. That's what I thought, but I just wanted to make sure.
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FoxFam
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Re: Where is Ancestral Sources

Post by FoxFam »

jmurphy wrote:What I usually do is to use AS for the basic census facts that are similar to the England and Wales census that AS was designed for. Once I am finished, I go into Family Historian, select the Census, turn on Auto-Source Citation, and finish the rest of the data entry from there. That's the most straightforward way to get the data in.
This sounds about as simple as one can hope for, I suppose. Of course, If I choose to be a lumper, rather than a splitter, this advice won't work for me.

Am I right, Mike @TateWise?
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tatewise
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Re: Where is Ancestral Sources

Post by tatewise »

You can't use Auto-Source Citation, but can use the Copy Citation and Paste Citation buttons in the yellow Sources For pane, which allows you to duplicate all the Census Source Citation fields against any new Facts. That works regardless of whether the Source Citation is 'lumped' or 'split', and is almost as efficient.

BTW: You say "If I choose to be a lumper, rather than a splitter", but a user is rarely exclusively a 'lumper' or exclusively a 'splitter'.
It has been said repeatedly in these Forums over the years that the decision to 'lump' or 'split' should be made separately on each Source Citation using the criteria given in how_to:index#recording_facts_and_sources|> Recording Facts and Sources for glossary:method_1_source_splitters_mode|> Method 1 'source splitters' mode and glossary:method_2_source_lumpers_mode|> Method 2 'source lumpers' mode.
The recommendation for Census Source Citations is to use Method 1 'source splitters' mode assuming you plan to record Text From Source and the Census Media Image.
Mike Tate ~ researching the Tate and Scott family history ~ tatewise ancestry
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