No, it is not necessarily a matter of semantics. It is a matter of writing a source citation that is specific enough that you (and hopefully others) know where you got the information AND can evaluate the quality of the evidence.
Technically, the tombstone itself is an original source; a photograph of the tombstone is a derivative source, but if the inscription is completely readable in the photograph (they often are not), the photograph can be considered equivalent to the original for the purpose of evidence evaluation. I would cite a tombstone as the source only if I've been to the cemetery and seen the tombstone myself. For example: Anna A. Walton tombstone, Cedar Hill Cemetery, Harrison County, Missouri, viewed by Connie Sheets on 19 June 2004. Otherwise, I most frequently cite someone else's transcription of the tombstone (e.g. a cemetery book or an entry at Find-A-Grave). Particularly for sites like Find-A-Grave, I note in my citation whether a readable photograph of the tombstone is included. For example: "Find A Grave Memorial," database and image, Findagrave.com (www.findagrave.com : accessed 2 Apr 2010), for Frances Flowers (sic) Allen, Memorial 19217825; a photograph of what appears to be the top of a broken tombstone is provided. Only "Frances F. wife of James Allen" is visible; the source for the dates of birth and death is not recorded. If someone sends me a photograph of a tombstone that I've never seen, my citation would look something like this: Photograph of Anna A. Walton tombstone, Cedar Hill Cemetery, Harrison Co., Missouri, taken by John Doe 12 Dec 2009 and e-mailed to Connie Sheets on 1 Feb 2011. In all cases, my citation is attached to the event/fact or piece of information I can derive from the tombstone, e.g. location of burial, date of birth, or date of death. Connie --- On Fri, 2/25/11, Perk Bingham <[email protected]> wrote: My "two cents worth" probably isn't worth that amount these days but isn't this all just a matter of semantics? Although they have certainly been known to have errors, isn't tombstone the source? The photo, to me, is only a means of recording that source, so that I have a record of what's actually shown there. Perk (:>) Legacy User Group guidelines: http://www.LegacyFamilyTree.com/Etiquette.asp Archived messages after Nov. 21 2009: http://www.mail-archive.com/[email protected]/ Archived messages from old mail server - before Nov. 21 2009: http://www.mail-archive.com/[email protected]/ Online technical support: http://www.LegacyFamilyTree.com/Help.asp To unsubscribe: http://www.LegacyFamilyTree.com/LegacyLists.asp
