This section of Arborealis features a collection of transcripts from archival records and sundry projects. As with the family and local history sections, most of the sub-sections listed below flow from Alison Kilpatrick’s research interests. However, the projects to transcribe selected ranges of Irish deeds and historical newspapers are broader in scope. Much of this work falls under the public domain, while copyright is asserted over edited material. Please see the copyright and public domain paragraphs, below, for further information about which is which, and how to proceed with either.
Included in the mix are:
- ARCHIVAL DOCUMENTS: — primarily Irish in origin; filed in a public archive, but not registered as deeds.
- CHURCH RECORDS: — selected transcripts for my family history research interests; includes baptisms, marriages, and burials, some church history, vestry minutes, and religious censuses.
- CIVIL REGISTRATIONS: — For the most part, the civil births, marriages, and deaths (BMDs) appear as source citations in biographical sketches in the family history section. Specific pages for transcripts of civil BMDs are limited to focused projects such as the Burke families of the parish of Kilcolman (Clanmorris) in county Mayo, and the Jones family of Derryanvil in north Armagh.
- MEMORIALS OF IRISH DEEDS: — as filed in, or registered with, the Registry of Deeds in Dublin. A memorial was the term used in the 17th–18th century to describe a transcript or true copy of an original document. The deeds granted legal authority to a wide range of transactions such as marriage settlements, leases, sales of leaseholds and freeholds, mortgages, a limited number of last wills and testaments, &c. Included with the transcripts are definitions of 17th – 19th century legal terms, an overview of the legislation which authorized the creation of the Registry of Deeds in 1708, the minimum information requirements to be published in a deed, annotated or interpretive notes, and an index of memorials sorted by number.
- HISTORICAL NEWSPAPERS: — Again, a fair proportion of these transcripts pertain to my family history, while other spans are broader in scope. Examples of the latter group include transcripts selected for selected ranges of years for regimental histories (see also the sub-heading, Military service records, below) and for local newspapers within the Province of Ulster (the nine counties).
- LAND RECORDS: — primarily Irish in focus, ranging from church lands, tithe applotments, Griffith’s Valuation, exchequer bills, the Encumbered Estates court, and the Land Purchase Commission.
- MILITARY SERVICE RECORDS: — includes transcripts of British Army Service, Canadian Expeditionary Force, and the Royal Navy service records, and also:
- Selected regimental timelines: — for the 39th, 45th, 54th, and Saint Helena Regiments, to trace the military career of John Joseph Huggins (1816–1876) of Caledon, county Tyrone.
- “We will remember them” sketches: — for identified ancestors and relatives who died in any conflict, though greater emphasis is placed on the Great War (1914–1918).
- PROBATE: — includes administrations, inventories, and wills. Where only probate calendar index entries are available, these have been included as source references to biographical sketches in the family history section.
Please note that reconstruction of these sub-sections is in progress.
Ethical use of transcripts or extracts of archival records:
Transcript vs. excerpt vs. extract:
What is the difference? A transcript is a faithful and true copy of an original document, created verbatim, without embellishments or omissions. Neither spelling nor punctuation errors are corrected, and editorial judgement is not exercised to modify, reword, or reformat any part. An excerpt is a short passage from a paragraph, page, chapter, or larger work, transcribed verbatim as for a transcript. An extract is either:
- a summary of a selected work or a part thereof:—The summary form of extract requires judgement and skill to create a concise overview, while touching on all the main points. Examples include executive summaries and academic précis.
- an excerpt:—For our purposes, we have assigned excerpts as a sub-class of a transcript.
- fragments from a passage, a paragraph, chapter, or larger body of work:—The fragmentary form consists of data which have been parsed and are then ordered in a particular array. A dictionary entry is an example of fragments organized into precisely ordered parts—for example, spelling, phonetics, definition, sample sentences, verb or noun forms, etc.—for ease of use by the reader.
Assertion of copyright over edited material:
- Transcripts, or rather, enhanced transcripts, are derivative works of the original text. Public domain text which has been enhanced substantially by the addition of editing marks to improve legibility; includes annotated remarks which provide explanations, cross-references, footnotes, and similar additions that add value to the original text; include indexes created by the transcriber to serve as finding aids with hyperlinks; to name a few. Derivative works are copyright to the transcriber.
- Extracts are abbreviated or short-form versions of selected public domain text. Extracts are copyright to the extractor because experienced judgement is exercised as to which extracts to make from a broader collection, what data to include in each extract, and how to organize that that data both within the extract and in tandem with other extracts, and/or the provision of enhancements as described in the paragraph above. Indexes are a specialized form of extract.
- Unless stated otherwise, assume that the transcript, extract, or index is copyright to Alison Kilpatrick.
Public domain and ethical use:
Public domain material will be marked clearly with a sticker obtained from the Creative Commons. See also the Caveat and Appeal to Common Courtesy.
When in doubt, use the contact form to ask for clarification about appropriate use for transcripts of archival and other records presented on Arborealis.
Source citation for this page: — Kilpatrick, Alison. “Archival records and sundry transcription projects (index page).” Online at Arborealis, arborealis.ca/records/, accessed [insert date of access].
Image credit: — An 18th century library. Adapted by Alison Kilpatrick (2020), to change the title in the image from “Library” to “Transcripts.”