About the data: Difference between revisions

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== How information on this site is compiled ==

Nothing on this wiki comes from a single authoritative database. Pages are built by combining several kinds of material, then edited in the open like any wiki. The ~~main~~ layers ~~are:~~

Nothing on this wiki comes from a single authoritative database. Pages are built by combining several kinds of material, then edited in the open like any wiki. The subsections below follow '''roughly the order those layers were added to this wiki''' (seed data first; later enrichments afterward). Ongoing channels such as family tips and open editing continue throughout.

=== Dan Gross research files ===

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Dan's original Excel timeline/roster file was the general starting point for this project, but it '''was not and is not uploaded to this site'''. Its information was combined with other research and records; it was never treated as the sole authority. That work is invaluable but was never a formal archival finding aid; typos, duplicate names, and uncertain matches were part of the working process. Later additions under Research notes may come from OCR, family contributions, or other cited research and should be judged by their own source.

~~=== WAC roster (Dan Gross and Beverley Driver Eddy) ===~~

[[Ritchie WACs|WAC profiles]] and the [[Ritchie WACs]] roster also draw on a separate working spreadsheet of Women's Army Corps members associated with Camp Ritchie. '''Dan Gross''' compiled the base list; '''Beverley Driver Eddy''' expanded it (2021 additions). It is '''not''' a complete list of the roughly 2,000 WACs who trained at Ritchie, and it is '''not''' the same file as the Camp Ritchie Museum Classes 1–31 roster.

Fields on that spreadsheet (nativity, religion, personnel-card type, ASN, vitals, rank, assignment, notes, and service / Military Intelligence Training Center / release dates) were used to create or enrich public profiles where a clear name or ASN match existed. Card codes are explained on profiles as research notes: '''A''' = 3-by-5 personnel card, '''C''' = regular card, '''N''' = no card. Incomplete cells stay blank rather than guessed. Alternate or married names that share one ASN may redirect to a single canonical page.

The spreadsheet itself is private research and is '''not uploaded''' to this wiki. When its information appears on a page, the '''Sources''' section credits both researchers descriptively (for example: Dan Gross and Beverley Driver Eddy, ''WACs at Camp Ritchie'' roster research spreadsheet). Treat those notes and incomplete rows the same way as other Research notes: leads to check, not verified biography.

=== Camp Ritchie Museum class data ===

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That roster is separate from Dan Gross's research files and is not data created by this wiki's maintainers or by Dan Gross. On the original theritchieboys.com site, this was a '''standalone searchable class roster database'''; on this wiki those fields appear inside soldier infoboxes and class pages alongside biography, research notes, and other material. See the [[#Class roster disclaimer|Class roster disclaimer]] above.

~~=== Dan Gross timeline documents ===~~

Dan Gross also created more than 1,100 Word-document timelines about individual Ritchie Boys. These documents may combine National Archives and NARA records, Camp Ritchie personnel cards, newspapers, family research, personal notes, and working hypotheses. They are valuable research leads, but they are not treated as automatically verified biographies.

For a clear identity match, the site treats coherent, non-private statements in Dan's research as trusted secondary research unless they create a major identity, chronology, or ASN conflict. Inferences, speculation, ambiguous matches, and material conflicts remain unpublished or in the private review queue. Private information—such as email addresses, phone numbers, street addresses, personal correspondence, or living-person contact details—is not published.

The original timeline documents remain private and are '''not uploaded to this wiki'''. When approved information is incorporated into a soldier page, the Sources section may cite the document descriptively, for example: <cite>Dan Gross, “Timeline of [soldier name] for Camp Ritchie” (private research document)</cite>. The citation identifies the research source without exposing the original file or its private contents.

Timeline enrichment is additive: existing biographical prose and profile data are retained, while clear new events are added to the appropriate opening summary, biography, infobox, awards or service fields, and the detailed Timeline section. A biography should not be replaced wholesale merely to incorporate timeline research.

=== National Archives and census records ===

Soldier infobox fields also draw on WWII Army enlistment records, the 1940 census, and related public government data merged into the project file. NARA data itself can contain transcription errors, missing men, or fields that do not align cleanly with later research. Each page's collapsed technical section shows some of the codes used in the merge; it is not a full NARA record dump.

Soldier infobox fields also draw on WWII Army enlistment records, the 1940 census, and related public government data merged into the project file at the initial roster import. NARA data itself can contain transcription errors, missing men, or fields that do not align cleanly with later research. Each page's collapsed technical section shows some of the codes used in the merge; it is not a full NARA record dump.

=== Facebook posts and community pages ===

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=== Family members and other contributors ===

Relatives, historians, and readers send corrections, photographs, obituaries, and memories by email, contact forms, and wiki edits. We welcome ~~this~~ and rely on it, but '''information from families is not automatically verified'''. Memories conflict, documents are misread, and names are confused between relatives. Treat contributor prose as a lead until a primary source confirms it.

Relatives, historians, and readers send corrections, photographs, obituaries, and memories by email, contact forms, and wiki edits. This channel has been open since the wiki launched and continues alongside every other layer. We welcome it and rely on it, but '''information from families is not automatically verified'''. Memories conflict, documents are misread, and names are confused between relatives. Treat contributor prose as a lead until a primary source confirms it.

=== Automated and AI-assisted work ===

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=== Document OCR (contributor uploads) ===

Logged-in users may upload document scans from a soldier page or [[Contribute documents]]. Optical character recognition proposes facts (dates, ASN, class, and similar). '''Proposed facts are never written to a profile automatically'''—a human must review and click Apply (the <code>ocr-reviewer</code> group or an administrator). OCR misreads names and numbers; treat suggestions as leads until confirmed against the image.

=== Dan Gross timeline documents ===

Dan Gross also created more than 1,100 Word-document timelines about individual Ritchie Boys. These documents may combine National Archives and NARA records, Camp Ritchie personnel cards, newspapers, family research, personal notes, and working hypotheses. They are valuable research leads, but they are not treated as automatically verified biographies.

For a clear identity match, the site treats coherent, non-private statements in Dan's research as trusted secondary research unless they create a major identity, chronology, or ASN conflict. Inferences, speculation, ambiguous matches, and material conflicts remain unpublished or in the private review queue. Private information—such as email addresses, phone numbers, street addresses, personal correspondence, or living-person contact details—is not published.

The original timeline documents remain private and are '''not uploaded to this wiki'''. When approved information is incorporated into a soldier page, the Sources section may cite the document descriptively, for example: <cite>Dan Gross, “Timeline of [soldier name] for Camp Ritchie” (private research document)</cite>. The citation identifies the research source without exposing the original file or its private contents.

Timeline enrichment is additive: existing biographical prose and profile data are retained, while clear new events are added to the appropriate opening summary, biography, infobox, awards or service fields, and the detailed Timeline section. A biography should not be replaced wholesale merely to incorporate timeline research.

=== WAC roster (Dan Gross and Beverley Driver Eddy) ===

[[Ritchie WACs|WAC profiles]] and the [[Ritchie WACs]] roster also draw on a separate working spreadsheet of Women's Army Corps members associated with Camp Ritchie. '''Dan Gross''' compiled the base list; '''Beverley Driver Eddy''' expanded it (2021 additions). It is '''not''' a complete list of the roughly 2,000 WACs who trained at Ritchie, and it is '''not''' the same file as the Camp Ritchie Museum Classes 1–31 roster.

Fields on that spreadsheet (nativity, religion, personnel-card type, ASN, vitals, rank, assignment, notes, and service / Military Intelligence Training Center / release dates) were used to create or enrich public profiles where a clear name or ASN match existed. Card codes are explained on profiles as research notes: '''A''' = 3-by-5 personnel card, '''C''' = regular card, '''N''' = no card. Incomplete cells stay blank rather than guessed. Alternate or married names that share one ASN may redirect to a single canonical page.

The spreadsheet itself is private research and is '''not uploaded''' to this wiki. When its information appears on a page, the '''Sources''' section credits both researchers descriptively (for example: Dan Gross and Beverley Driver Eddy, ''WACs at Camp Ritchie'' roster research spreadsheet). Treat those notes and incomplete rows the same way as other Research notes: leads to check, not verified biography.

== Accuracy and open editing ==

Line 81:

* The raw NARA enlistment dump string

* Dan Gross's original Excel timeline/roster file was not uploaded. Its data was used as a general starting point and combined with other research and records.

* The private Word-document timelines were not uploaded. Selected clear findings from them may be incorporated into public profiles with descriptive citations, but the original documents remain private.

* The Gross–Eddy WAC roster spreadsheet was not uploaded. Selected fields were published on WAC profiles with credit to both researchers; the original file remains private.

* The private Word-document timelines were not uploaded. Selected clear findings from them may be incorporated into public profiles with descriptive citations, but the original documents remain private.

* Internal merge logs and ambiguous-review queues (those stay with the research project)

@@ Line 7: / Line 7: @@
 == How information on this site is compiled ==
-Nothing on this wiki comes from a single authoritative database. Pages are built by combining several kinds of material, then edited in the open like any wiki. The main layers are:
+Nothing on this wiki comes from a single authoritative database. Pages are built by combining several kinds of material, then edited in the open like any wiki. The subsections below follow '''roughly the order those layers were added to this wiki''' (seed data first; later enrichments afterward). Ongoing channels such as family tips and open editing continue throughout.
 === Dan Gross research files ===
@@ Line 13: / Line 13: @@
 Dan's original Excel timeline/roster file was the general starting point for this project, but it '''was not and is not uploaded to this site'''. Its information was combined with other research and records; it was never treated as the sole authority. That work is invaluable but was never a formal archival finding aid; typos, duplicate names, and uncertain matches were part of the working process. Later additions under Research notes may come from OCR, family contributions, or other cited research and should be judged by their own source.
-=== WAC roster (Dan Gross and Beverley Driver Eddy) ===
-[[Ritchie WACs|WAC profiles]] and the [[Ritchie WACs]] roster also draw on a separate working spreadsheet of Women's Army Corps members associated with Camp Ritchie. '''Dan Gross''' compiled the base list; '''Beverley Driver Eddy''' expanded it (2021 additions). It is '''not''' a complete list of the roughly 2,000 WACs who trained at Ritchie, and it is '''not''' the same file as the Camp Ritchie Museum Classes 1–31 roster.
-Fields on that spreadsheet (nativity, religion, personnel-card type, ASN, vitals, rank, assignment, notes, and service / Military Intelligence Training Center / release dates) were used to create or enrich public profiles where a clear name or ASN match existed. Card codes are explained on profiles as research notes: '''A''' = 3-by-5 personnel card, '''C''' = regular card, '''N''' = no card. Incomplete cells stay blank rather than guessed. Alternate or married names that share one ASN may redirect to a single canonical page.
-The spreadsheet itself is private research and is '''not uploaded''' to this wiki. When its information appears on a page, the '''Sources''' section credits both researchers descriptively (for example: Dan Gross and Beverley Driver Eddy, ''WACs at Camp Ritchie'' roster research spreadsheet). Treat those notes and incomplete rows the same way as other Research notes: leads to check, not verified biography.
 === Camp Ritchie Museum class data ===
@@ Line 25: / Line 18: @@
 That roster is separate from Dan Gross's research files and is not data created by this wiki's maintainers or by Dan Gross. On the original theritchieboys.com site, this was a '''standalone searchable class roster database'''; on this wiki those fields appear inside soldier infoboxes and class pages alongside biography, research notes, and other material. See the [[#Class roster disclaimer|Class roster disclaimer]] above.
-=== Dan Gross timeline documents ===
-Dan Gross also created more than 1,100 Word-document timelines about individual Ritchie Boys. These documents may combine National Archives and NARA records, Camp Ritchie personnel cards, newspapers, family research, personal notes, and working hypotheses. They are valuable research leads, but they are not treated as automatically verified biographies.
-For a clear identity match, the site treats coherent, non-private statements in Dan's research as trusted secondary research unless they create a major identity, chronology, or ASN conflict. Inferences, speculation, ambiguous matches, and material conflicts remain unpublished or in the private review queue. Private information—such as email addresses, phone numbers, street addresses, personal correspondence, or living-person contact details—is not published.
-The original timeline documents remain private and are '''not uploaded to this wiki'''. When approved information is incorporated into a soldier page, the Sources section may cite the document descriptively, for example: <cite>Dan Gross, “Timeline of [soldier name] for Camp Ritchie” (private research document)</cite>. The citation identifies the research source without exposing the original file or its private contents.
-Timeline enrichment is additive: existing biographical prose and profile data are retained, while clear new events are added to the appropriate opening summary, biography, infobox, awards or service fields, and the detailed Timeline section. A biography should not be replaced wholesale merely to incorporate timeline research.
 === National Archives and census records ===
-Soldier infobox fields also draw on WWII Army enlistment records, the 1940 census, and related public government data merged into the project file. NARA data itself can contain transcription errors, missing men, or fields that do not align cleanly with later research. Each page's collapsed technical section shows some of the codes used in the merge; it is not a full NARA record dump.
+Soldier infobox fields also draw on WWII Army enlistment records, the 1940 census, and related public government data merged into the project file at the initial roster import. NARA data itself can contain transcription errors, missing men, or fields that do not align cleanly with later research. Each page's collapsed technical section shows some of the codes used in the merge; it is not a full NARA record dump.
 === Facebook posts and community pages ===
@@ Line 42: / Line 26: @@
 === Family members and other contributors ===
-Relatives, historians, and readers send corrections, photographs, obituaries, and memories by email, contact forms, and wiki edits. We welcome this and rely on it, but '''information from families is not automatically verified'''. Memories conflict, documents are misread, and names are confused between relatives. Treat contributor prose as a lead until a primary source confirms it.
+Relatives, historians, and readers send corrections, photographs, obituaries, and memories by email, contact forms, and wiki edits. This channel has been open since the wiki launched and continues alongside every other layer. We welcome it and rely on it, but '''information from families is not automatically verified'''. Memories conflict, documents are misread, and names are confused between relatives. Treat contributor prose as a lead until a primary source confirms it.
 === Automated and AI-assisted work ===
@@ Line 49: / Line 33: @@
 === Document OCR (contributor uploads) ===
 Logged-in users may upload document scans from a soldier page or [[Contribute documents]]. Optical character recognition proposes facts (dates, ASN, class, and similar). '''Proposed facts are never written to a profile automatically'''—a human must review and click Apply (the <code>ocr-reviewer</code> group or an administrator). OCR misreads names and numbers; treat suggestions as leads until confirmed against the image.
+=== Dan Gross timeline documents ===
+Dan Gross also created more than 1,100 Word-document timelines about individual Ritchie Boys. These documents may combine National Archives and NARA records, Camp Ritchie personnel cards, newspapers, family research, personal notes, and working hypotheses. They are valuable research leads, but they are not treated as automatically verified biographies.
+For a clear identity match, the site treats coherent, non-private statements in Dan's research as trusted secondary research unless they create a major identity, chronology, or ASN conflict. Inferences, speculation, ambiguous matches, and material conflicts remain unpublished or in the private review queue. Private information—such as email addresses, phone numbers, street addresses, personal correspondence, or living-person contact details—is not published.
+The original timeline documents remain private and are '''not uploaded to this wiki'''. When approved information is incorporated into a soldier page, the Sources section may cite the document descriptively, for example: <cite>Dan Gross, “Timeline of [soldier name] for Camp Ritchie” (private research document)</cite>. The citation identifies the research source without exposing the original file or its private contents.
+Timeline enrichment is additive: existing biographical prose and profile data are retained, while clear new events are added to the appropriate opening summary, biography, infobox, awards or service fields, and the detailed Timeline section. A biography should not be replaced wholesale merely to incorporate timeline research.
+=== WAC roster (Dan Gross and Beverley Driver Eddy) ===
+[[Ritchie WACs|WAC profiles]] and the [[Ritchie WACs]] roster also draw on a separate working spreadsheet of Women's Army Corps members associated with Camp Ritchie. '''Dan Gross''' compiled the base list; '''Beverley Driver Eddy''' expanded it (2021 additions). It is '''not''' a complete list of the roughly 2,000 WACs who trained at Ritchie, and it is '''not''' the same file as the Camp Ritchie Museum Classes 1–31 roster.
+Fields on that spreadsheet (nativity, religion, personnel-card type, ASN, vitals, rank, assignment, notes, and service / Military Intelligence Training Center / release dates) were used to create or enrich public profiles where a clear name or ASN match existed. Card codes are explained on profiles as research notes: '''A''' = 3-by-5 personnel card, '''C''' = regular card, '''N''' = no card. Incomplete cells stay blank rather than guessed. Alternate or married names that share one ASN may redirect to a single canonical page.
+The spreadsheet itself is private research and is '''not uploaded''' to this wiki. When its information appears on a page, the '''Sources''' section credits both researchers descriptively (for example: Dan Gross and Beverley Driver Eddy, ''WACs at Camp Ritchie'' roster research spreadsheet). Treat those notes and incomplete rows the same way as other Research notes: leads to check, not verified biography.
 == Accuracy and open editing ==
@@ Line 81: / Line 81: @@
 * The raw NARA enlistment dump string
 * Dan Gross's original Excel timeline/roster file was not uploaded. Its data was used as a general starting point and combined with other research and records.
+* The private Word-document timelines were not uploaded. Selected clear findings from them may be incorporated into public profiles with descriptive citations, but the original documents remain private.
 * The Gross–Eddy WAC roster spreadsheet was not uploaded. Selected fields were published on WAC profiles with credit to both researchers; the original file remains private.
-* The private Word-document timelines were not uploaded. Selected clear findings from them may be incorporated into public profiles with descriptive citations, but the original documents remain private.
 * Internal merge logs and ambiguous-review queues (those stay with the research project)