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H. Robertson. The text explains how to decide what belongs in Master Source versus Source Details by choosing a “lumper” or “splitter” approach, and shows how to map Ancestry-provided fields into RootsMagic. It compares outcomes for Footnote, Short Footnote, and Bibliography, including why original data may be placed in Bibliography rather than Footnote for readability and export behavior.",{"@graph":63,"@context":119},[64,80,102],{"@type":65,"itemListElement":66},"BreadcrumbList",[67,71,74,77],{"item":68,"name":69,"@type":70,"position":9},"https://docshare.wps.com","Home","ListItem",{"item":72,"name":10,"@type":70,"position":73},"https://docshare.wps.com/template/",2,{"item":75,"name":36,"@type":70,"position":76},"https://docshare.wps.com/template/forms/",3,{"item":78,"name":59,"@type":70,"position":79},"https://docshare.wps.com/template/examples-using-myfreeform3-a-better-free-form-source-template/307357/",4,{"url":78,"name":59,"@type":81,"image":82,"author":87,"headline":59,"publisher":90,"fileFormat":93,"inLanguage":57,"description":61,"dateModified":94,"datePublished":95,"encodingFormat":93,"isAccessibleForFree":96,"interactionStatistic":97},"DigitalDocument",{"url":83,"@type":84,"width":85,"height":86},"https://docshare.wps.com/thumbnails/examples-using-myfreeform3-a-better-free-form-source-template/307357.png","ImageObject",442,249,{"name":88,"@type":89},"Terk","Person",{"url":68,"name":91,"@type":92},"DocShare","Organization","application/pdf","2026-10-25","2026-09-19",true,{"@type":98,"interactionType":99,"userInteractionCount":101},"InteractionCounter",{"@type":100},"ViewAction",7,{"@type":103,"mainEntity":104},"FAQPage",[105,111,115],{"name":106,"@type":107,"acceptedAnswer":108},"What is the purpose of the !MyFreeForm3 free form source template example?","Question",{"text":109,"@type":110},"It demonstrates how to build a complete source citation using a minimal-field free form template, organizing information so it can be exported and displayed correctly in citation outputs.","Answer",{"name":112,"@type":107,"acceptedAnswer":113},"How does the “lumper” vs “splitter” decision affect the Master Source fields?",{"text":114,"@type":110},"If you are a lumper, the Master Source is set to the broader item (the 1930 US Census). If you are a splitter, the Master Source can include more specific location breakdowns, such as New Jersey and Sussex County.",{"name":116,"@type":107,"acceptedAnswer":117},"Why put “Original data” in the Bibliography instead of the Footnote field?",{"text":118,"@type":110},"The document states this makes the printed footnote less wordy and that Bibliography does not export to a standard GEDCOM, so less-known sources may be better kept in Footnote for compatibility.","https://schema.org",{"og:url":78,"og:type":121,"og:title":59,"og:site_name":91,"og:description":61},"article",{"robots":123,"canonical":78},"index,follow",{"doc_id":125,"site_id":56},307357,1791289786,{"code":4,"msg":5,"data":128},{"doc_id":125,"user_id":129,"nickname":88,"user_avatar":130,"doc_module":9,"category_id":35,"category_name":36,"doc_title":59,"doc_description":61,"doc_content":131,"file_id":132,"file_url":133,"file_type":134,"file_size":135,"view_count":101,"is_deleted":4,"is_public":9,"is_downloadable":9,"audit_status":9,"page_count":73,"language":136,"language_code":57,"site_id":56,"html_lang":57,"table_of_contents":137,"faqs":138,"seo_title":139,"seo_description":61,"update_tm":140,"read_time":9},1099525198933,"https://ap-avatar.wpscdn.com/davatar_155a257f0dc6eb9ab79c44ca47cae57d","Examples Using !MyFreeForm3 – A Better Free Form Source Template  \n1930 US Census  \nSuppose we found our source for J. H. Robertson [on Ancestry.com. Here](on Ancestry.com. Here) is what the website suggests as information for the citation:  \nSource Information  \nRecord URL: [http://search.ancestry.com/cgi](http://search.ancestry.com/cgi)  \nbin/sse.dll?h=5323321&db=1930usfedcen&indiv=try  \nSource Citation: Year: 1930; Census Place: Franklin, Sussex, New Jersey; Roll: 1384;  \nPage: 1B; Enumeration District: 9; Image: 732.0.  \nSource Information:  \n[Ancestry.com.](Ancestry.com. 1930 United States Federal Census)[ 1930 United States Federal Census](Ancestry.com. 1930 United States Federal Census) [database on-line]. Provo, UT, USA: [Ancestry.com](Ancestry.com) Operations Inc, 2002.  \nOriginal data: United States of America, Bureau of the Census. Fifteenth Census of the United States, 1930. Washington, D.C.: National Archives and Records Administration, 1930. T626, 2,667 rolls.  \nNow I think that is pretty comprehensive and, by and large, complies with the principles of Evidence Explained for content, even though it is not necessarily in a pattern corresponding to any one of the built-in source templates. The nice thing about a free form template (i.e., one with few fields) is that we don’t have to juggle many different pieces and the order is comparatively flexible.  \nWe do have to make a decision on what information goes into the Master Source and what goes into Source Details-are you a “lumper” or a “splitter”? If a lumper, you are likely wanting the Master Source to be the 1930 US Census; if a splitter, maybe you want it to be 1930 US Census, New Jersey, Sussex County. That will determine which pieces go into the Master Source fields. In this example, I chose to bea lumper and that nicely corresponds with [how Ancestry.com](how Ancestry.com) divides the information. Their Source Information will go into RM’s Master Source while their Source Citation fits into Source Details.  \nHere is how I parsed the Ancestry information into my citation, adding the date it was accessed and the item of interest:  \n\n| Master Source | Cens: [1930 US-Ancestry.com](1930 US-Ancestry.com) (mff3) |\n| --- | --- |\n| Footnote | [Ancestry.com. 1930 United](Ancestry.com. 1930 United) States Federal Census [database on-line] . Provo, UT, USA: [Ancestry.com](Ancestry.com) Operations Inc, 2002 |\n| Punctuation |  |\n| Short Footnote | 1930 US Census |\n| Bibliography | [Ancestry.com. 1930 United](Ancestry.com. 1930 United) States Federal Census [database on-line] . Provo, UT, USA: [Ancestry.com](Ancestry.com) Operations Inc, 2002. Original data: United States of America, Bureau of the Census. Fifteenth Census of the United States, 1930. Washington, D.C.:\u003Cbr>National Archives and Records Administration, 1930. T626, 2,667 rolls. |\n| Source Details |  |\n| Details | [http://search.ancestry.com/cgi](http://search.ancestry.com/cgi)\u003Cbr>bin/sse.dll?db=1930usfedcen&h=5323321&ti=0&indiv=try&gss=pt, accessed 17 Oct 2011; Year: 1930; Census Place: Franklin, Sussex, New Jersey; Roll 1384; Page: 1B; Enumeration District: 9; Image: 732.0 |\n| Key | household of J. H. Robertson. |\n\nI chose to put the information about the Original data in the Bibliography, rather than in the Footnote field because it makes the printed footnote very wordy and can be considered common knowledge. For other lesser known data sources, it would be advisable to keep it in the Footnote field because Bibliography does not export to a standard GEDCOM.  \nHere are the results in RootsMagic:  \nFootnote:  \n[Ancestry.com. 1930](Ancestry.com. 1930) United States Federal Census [database on-line]. Provo, UT, USA: Ancestry.com Operations Inc, 2002, [http://search.ancestry.com/cgi-bin/sse.dll?db=1930usfedcen&h=5323321&ti=0&indiv=try&gss=pt](http://search.ancestry.com/cgi-bin/sse.dll?db=1930usfedcen&h=5323321&ti=0&indiv=try&gss=pt), accessed 17 Oct 2011; Year: 1930; Census Place: Franklin, Sussex, New Jersey; Rol","cbCaiqyVBfJDwx8H","https://ap.wps.com/l/cbCaiqyVBfJDwx8H","pdf",489843,"English","# Source citation structure\n## Master Source vs Source Details (lumper/splitter)\n## Mapping Ancestry data to RootsMagic fields","[{\"question\":\"What is the purpose of the !MyFreeForm3 free form source template example?\",\"answer\":\"It demonstrates how to build a complete source citation using a minimal-field free form template, organizing information so it can be exported and displayed correctly in citation outputs.\"},{\"question\":\"How does the “lumper” vs “splitter” decision affect the Master Source fields?\",\"answer\":\"If you are a lumper, the Master Source is set to the broader item (the 1930 US Census). If you are a splitter, the Master Source can include more specific location breakdowns, such as New Jersey and Sussex County.\"},{\"question\":\"Why put “Original data” in the Bibliography instead of the Footnote field?\",\"answer\":\"The document states this makes the printed footnote less wordy and that Bibliography does not export to a standard GEDCOM, so less-known sources may be better kept in Footnote for compatibility.\"}]","Examples Using !MyFreeForm3 - A Better Free Form Source Template | PDF",1789848354]