Citation Issues

I recently ordered a copy of an SS-5 (Application for Social Security Number) for my brother who died as an infant. I received a letter advising that there is no SS-5 on file because the SSN was assigned through the "Enumeration at Birth" program. Instead, they provided a certified copy of a computer printout. It's very basic, just has his social security number, date and place of birth, and the date the SSN was established. They refer to this document in the cover letter as a "Numident printout," although it doesn't look like the Numidents I've obtained in the past.

I have a (deceased) relative's birth certificate that appears to me to be solely decorative. It  has the hospital's name, and on the back the baby's footprints. Since it's not an official record (at least I don't think it is), I'm not quite sure of the correct way to cite it. My best guess is: 

Marysville, California, Rideout Hospital, birth certificate (decorative), <name withheld>, 11 July 1955; privately held by Todd Wells, Seattle, Washington, 2025.

Any additional guidance is appreciated.

 

Hi, EE.  I am trying to figure out how to cite a court summons published in a newspaper for 6 consecutive weeks.  This one concerns the summons for the child of a woman who is petitioning for dower, and the child is married and has moved out of state.  The summons by the Superior Court of Burke County, North Carolina was published in a newspaper in Salisbury, Rowan County, North Carolina 6 times from 24 December 1869 to 4 February 1870.  Online images are supplied by the DigitalNC website.  The first publication in 1869 can be seen at 

Does the 4th edition cover citing multiple years for City Directories?  I am trying to establish residency for someone for an 8 year period and the city directory is my best source. I see a blog post from 2013 that references EE 12.56 but I don’t have that edition.

Thanks! 

Does the 4th edition address citing something accessed through a library subscription site?  I am specifically trying to cite an obituary obtained through NewsBank's HeritageHub.  The URL is incredibly long and, presumably, only accessible to those with the same access.  The only post I saw on this topic was from 2018 and it didn't give a clear answer. Thanks!

I'm not clear how to cite this Ancestry database.

I think Template 10 is appropriate, and this is what I got:

Greetings,

I am attempting to cite to a photocopy of the “Certificate of Incorporation” for a defunct business entity. Unfortunately, there was no copy on file with the County Clerk, which is where I usually obtain such records from. Thus, I had to request a copy via mail from the State of New Jersey’s Department of the Treasury’s Division of Revenue and Enterprise Services.

I’m having difficulty formulating a citation for a document hosted on the New York Heritage Digital Collections website. Various organizations post their archival documents on this platform: https://nyheritage.contentdm.oclc.org/digital/collection/p16373coll130/id/1669/rec/1.

Their suggested format for a CMOS citation is the following:
Digital Collection, Holding Institution. “Title.” New York Heritage Digital Collections. Accessed Month Day, Year. URL

In EE 4th edition, page 511, it says “Researchers who obtain file copies from NPRC commonly face one problem: they are provided photocopies without the requisite details to cite the source.”

How does one find those details? On page 512 of EE, there’s an example of a source list entry for a World War I era file that includes a date range for the files: “1885-1951.” How would one go about finding the appropriate date range for World War II era or more recent files? Are there other source details one should find to properly cite such files?

Before the NGS Family History Conference, I visited the Indiana State Archives for the first time. I dutifully photographed the label on the box, the label on the folder, and the item within. After re-reading Chapter 4 of EE4, I thought I knew what elements go in each layer. But the label and its online index for the item have me stymied. There may be more items on the label that I don't need, or perhaps I'm not understanding the items.