Archival records & sundry transcription projects

Image of an 18th century library: a visual cue for this section for archival records and sundry projects. — *An eighteenth century library, where archival records might have been kept.* Adapted by Alison Kilpatrick (2020): title changed from “Library” to “Transcripts.”

Introduction
Quick links to records sub-sections
Outline of types of records, with brief descriptions
Ethical use of transcripts or extracts
- Is it a transcript? an excerpt? or an extract?
- Assertion of copyright over edited and/or annotated material
- Public domain and ethical use
- Contact if you have questions about the application of this section.
End notes

Introduction :

This section of Arborealis features a collection of transcripts from archival records and sundry transcription projects. As with the family and local history sections, most of the sub-sections, listed below, flow from Alison Kilpatrick’s family lines and local history research interests . However, the project to transcribe selected ranges of historical newspapers is broader in scope. Much of this work falls under the public domain, while copyright is asserted over edited material. Please see the assertion of copyright and public domain & ethical use paragraphs, below, for further information about which is which, and how to proceed with either.

Outline of types of records :

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 focus on family history interests such as the Burke families of the parish of Kilcolman (Clanmorris) in county Mayo, the Jones family of Derryanvil in north Armagh, &c.
Historical newspapers: — Again, a fair proportion of these transcripts pertain to my family history interests, while other spans are broader in scope. Examples of the latter group include transcripts selected for selected ranges of years for local history studies, regimental histories (see also the sub-heading, Military service records, below), and local newspapers within the Province of Ulster (the nine counties).
Irish deeds (memorials): — 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. For the most part, the scope of these transcripts and extracts will be confined to my family history interests. Occasionally, an unusual memorial will sneak in, whether for its curious character or for local history interest.
Land records: — primarily Irish in focus, ranging from church lands, tithe applotments, Griffith’s Valuation and Valuation Revision Books, 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:
- 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.

Illuminated image dated 1407, depicting Christine de Pizan inscribing or writing into her book. — de Pisan, Christine. *Collected Works* (1407), BL, MS Harley 4431. Digital image online at Wikimedia Commons *commons.wikimedia.org*. Edited by Alison Kilpatrick, 2023.

Ethical use of transcripts or extracts of archival records :

Is it a transcript? an excerpt? or an 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 or quotation from a paragraph, page, chapter, or larger work, transcribed verbatim as for a transcript. An excerpt is a short transcript.

An extract is either an abbreviated outline of a larger work or a fragment or series of fragments extracted from the original work. As an example of the first, an extract might take the form of a summary of a selected work. 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, submissions to prospective publishers, and academic précis.
Alternatively, an extract might consist of fragments of a passage, a paragraph, chapter, or larger body, even volumes, of work. The fragmentary form consists of data which have been parsed and then ordered in a particular array. A dictionary entry, a telephone book, and a timeline are all examples of fragments organized into precisely ordered parts. For example, a dictionary entry usually takes the form of spelling, phonetics, verb or noun, definition, etymology, sample sentences, &c. The purpose of a set or series of fragmentary extracts is to facilitate ease of use for the reader by sorting and classifying a lot of information and providing finding aids which organize data by various schema for general or specialist use.

Assertion of copyright over edited and/or Annotated material:

On Arborealis, transcripts are often enhanced, resulting in derivative works of the original text. Derivative works include Public Domain text which has been supplemented by the addition of editing marks to improve legibility, annotations, cross-references, footnotes, and similar additions that add value to the original text. Derivative works are copyright to the transcriber.
Extracts are abbreviated or short-form versions of selected public domain text. Extracts, executive summaries, and précis are examples of material that 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 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, also requiring experienced judgement, knowledge of the subject, and familiarity with contemporary idioms, in order to create useful finding aids for readers, analysts, and researchers. A timeline is a chronological form of index. Indexes are copyright to the compiler or indexer.
Unless stated otherwise in the end notes of a particular page, assume that the transcript, extract, or index is copyright to Alison Kilpatrick. Please contact the editor to request clarification with respect to a particular work appearing on Arborealis.

Public domain and ethical use :

Public Domain is indicated by the licence, CC0 1.0 DEED creativecommons.org, or CC0 1.0 Universal. Only the person who surrendered the rights or copyright to the work worldwide may release intellectual property into the Public Domain. Though we take care to provide information about Creative Commons licences for others’ work, the reader is responsible for corroborating the Creative Commons licence and copyright status associated with an image, words, or other intellectual property, and associated rights (freedoms) and restrictions pertaining to re-use.

Alison Kilpatrick reserves all rights in her intellectual property, including the right to assign a particular Creative Commons licence or to release her work into the Public Domain. See also the Copyright Notice , which includes a Caveat and our Appeal to Common Courtesy.

When in doubt, use the contact form to ask the editor for clarification about appropriate use for transcripts of archival and other records presented on Arborealis.

End notes :

Source citation for this page: Kilpatrick, Alison. “Archival records and sundry transcription projects (index page).” Published to Arborealis, online at arborealis.ca/records/, accessed [insert date].

Updated 29th Oct. 2023, edited 31st Dec. 2023.