Hello Jack,
Do you have access to a copy of Elizabeth Shown Mills' "Evidence Explained:
Citing History Source from Artifacts to Cyberspace"? From Chapter "MILITARY
& PENSION RECORDS:
11.32 Military: Compiled Service Records:
"...
Reference Notes
When citing military records at the federal level, you typically need to
identify the soldier by rank, unit, and war or time frame (as applicable),
as well as by personal name. ..."
11.39 Military: Navy & Other Branches":
"Military records created by the U.S. Navy and other military branches
can be cited by the same models used for Army records under 11.32-11.38.
Several of the databases covered there include personnel from all the
services. Manuscript materials follow the Basic Format for National Archives
manuscripts (11.7), as illustrated with this example:
Source List Entry
Naval Apprentices, 1838-40, Bureau of Naval Personnel, Record Group 24.
National Archives, Washington, D.C.
First Reference Note
1. George H. Duren Apprenticeship, parental certificate of consent,
3 September 1838; Naval Apprentices, 1838-40; Bureau of Naval Personnel,
Record Group 24; National Archives, Washington D.C.
Subsequent Note
11. George H. Duren apprenticeship, parental certificate, 1838,
Naval Apprentices, RG 24, NA-Washington"
and this may be more appropriate for you file:
11.40 Pension Files
"The essential details for pension files are much the same as those for
bounty land records (11.28). When you cite a pension file's number, you
should include the letters that preface the number (S.C., W.C., Inv.,
etc.). These designate the type of file --Soldiers' Certificate, Widows'
Certificate, Invalid (i.e., disabled), etc.
When citing a pension for a 'widow' or the 'eligible children' of a
deceased veteran, your citation to their file must also fully identify the
'veteran' by service name and unit. Even though the files carry separate
numbers and are bundled in separate envelopes, they share a common jacket
that carries the veteran's identity. When the veteran or the widow submit
multiple applications --say, first under one act and then under
another --you will again have multiple, but still separate, files and file
numbers within a common jacket. The key exception to the rule that all
files are jacketed with the veteran is the case of eligible children of
veterans whose mothers have remarried a man who is also a pensioner; in
those cases, the children's file may be jacketed with the stepfather. ..."
I would cite your uncles file as follows:
For the master source list entry:
Merchant Mariner's Service Records, date range. Records of the Adjutant
General's Office ( or wherever you wrote to or received the records from),
date range, RG (record group) number. National Archives, Washington, D.C.
First Reference Note
1. Uncle Joe, Applications for Ratings, date of application, city,
state, (description of application, ie. rating, file number, page number
etc.); Merchant Mariner's Service Records, date range; Records of the
Adjutant General's Office ( or wherever), date range, Record Group #;
National Archives, Washington, D.C.
Subsequent Note
11. Uncle Joe, Applications for Ratings, date of app, place of app, File
No. 2 (113); Merchant Mariner's Service Records, date range; RG#,
NA-Washington.
another item from the record:
First Reference Note
1. Uncle Joe, Letter of Inquiry of Whereabouts of Uncle Joe from Uncle
Joe's Mother (her name if known) to (addressee), date of letter, place of
letter's origin, a file number or any other numbers pertaining to this
letter; Merchant Mariner's Service Records, date range; Records of the
Adjutant General's Office (or wherever), date range, Record Group #;
National Archives, Washington, D.C.
Subsequent Note
11. Uncle Joe, Letter of Inquiry of Whereabouts of Uncle Joe from
mother's name, date, place, file number; Merchant Mariner's Service Records,
date range; RG#, NA-Washington.
If you don't have access to her book and would like me to show more examples
on the citations then let me know.
Hope this helps,
Russell Strong
-----Original Message-----
From: [email protected]
Sent: Sunday, April 03, 2011 10:29 AM
To: [email protected]
Subject: [LegacyUG] Merchant Mariner's Service Record
My Uncle Joe has been missing since before I was born. All I knew about
him was where he was in the birth order and that he was a merchant
seaman. I didn't even know his middle name. On a hunch, I contacted the
Coast Guard and just yesterday I received his 50+ page Merchant
Mariner's Service Record. It is a cornucopia of information containing
his various applications for ratings, letters from family members
searching for his whereabouts and information on his next of kin, my
grandmother, whom I had never met.
Now, my question for you guys is how would you cite to this using
source writer? It doesn't seem to fit "Compiled Service Records," nor
does it seem to fit the generic military record. Since it includes a
cover letter and was sent in response to my letter it could be cited as
a letter. Any thoughts before I plow through this packet would be
appreciated.
-Jack
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