April 2008

Genealogy Gems:

News from the Fort Wayne Library No. 50, April 30, 2008

In this issue:

Mountains of Research Opportunities

Ontario Place Name Research: Administrative Divisions, Part One

Registers of Lighthouse Keepers, 1845-1912

Preservation Tip of the Month

Genealogy Center Launches New Workshop Series

Tree Talks--A Family History Lecture Series

Military Symposium

Librarians On Parade

Area Calendar of Events

Driving Directions to the Library

Parking at the Library

Queries for the Department

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Mountains of Research Opportunities by Curt B. Witcher

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Flying into Salt Lake City on Monday of this week to participate in the 2008 Utah Library Association Conference and meet with some colleagues in the Genealogical Society of Utah’s Family History Department, I was impressed again (I think at least for the one hundredth time!) with the size and majesty of the Rocky Mountains. This native Hoosier can often forget just how flat Indiana is. That juxtaposition between majestic mountains and fertile plains reminds me of the research offerings of the Genealogy Center. The core collection of print materials, microtext, and online databases is certainly fertile ground for one’s research. Hundreds of new books are added each month--both newly published monographs and gems from yesteryear found in antiquarian book catalogs and on society websites. The collection of licensed genealogical databases is truly second to none. Physically and virtually, it is an immense collection. Perhaps the majesty comes in when you consider the many decades of research experience the reference professionals have to assist you in using the Center’s resources. Their expertise is given at our ASK desks, in one-on-one consultations, and through our many program offerings. Between the Center’s offerings and those of the Allen County Genealogical Society, not a month goes by without there being some opportunity to learn more and become a better researcher. The program offerings below are especially worthy of notice. ++Tree Talks programs presented the fourth Saturdays of the warmer months ++Two-day mini courses scheduled for July and October NEW ++The Military Symposium in September When you put it all together, you certainly have “mountains of research opportunities” in the Genealogy Center! Make plans to take advantage of those opportunities throughout this coming summer and fall.

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Ontario Place Name Research: Administrative Divisions, Part One by Don Litzer

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Changes in names and administrative structures can complicate place identification in Canada’s most populous province, Ontario. Genealogy Center resources can help you sort out this complexity. Townships were established in present-day southern Ontario, then part of Quebec, with the arrival of Loyalist settlers, many of whom are noted in Taylor and Parnall’s “Mini Atlas of Early Settlers in the District of Niagara, 1782-1876” (971.3 T21mia). In 1788, districts were created establishing local government in the territory that, in 1791, became Upper Canada, and from 1841 to 1867 was known as Canada West. In 1867, this territory, as Ontario, became one of independent Canada’s four original provinces. Upper Canada was split into several administrative districts. While counties, townships and local governments existed within these districts, their autonomy was limited until 1849, when districts were abolished and counties became the key administrative unit. A definitive and detailed source for the pre-1849 period is Frederick H. Armstrong’s “Handbook of Upper Canadian Chronology” (971.3 Ar5ha), which identifies and defines the scope of districts, counties, and townships at that time, and lists government officials that served in those jurisdictions. Eric Jonasson’s “The Districts and Counties of Southern Ontario, 1777-1979, Two Centuries of Evolution,” published with detailed charts and county outline maps in the Ontario Genealogical Society’s journal “Families” (971.3 F21, v. 20, no. 2), is a valuable overview of county consolidations, boundary revisions, and other changes into the 1970s. A useful collection of Ontario county maps on the Web at  displays plates from a mid20th century atlas depicting counties, townships, and other places. Other than municipal consolidation in metropolitan Toronto and Ottawa in the early 1950s, the boundaries on these maps were largely intact from 1882 until 1968, when a six-year process of consolidating all or some of 14 counties into 10 regional municipalities began. Administrative divisions represented by these maps, from the common (county, township, etc.) to obscure (borough, united county, police village, etc.) are defined by Alan Rayburn in the “Administrative Terminology” chapter of “Place Names of Ontario” (971.3 R21p). When Rayburn’s book was written in the mid-1990s, a major municipal restructuring was on the horizon. Because of that restructuring, the Canadian place where your ancestor lived may still physically exist, but it may no longer exist as a governmental entity. Municipal restructuring has reduced the number of Ontario municipalities from 815 in 1996 to 445 in 2004. Townships, cities, villages, and counties have vanished from the map, either absorbed into or combined with others.

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Registers of Lighthouse Keepers, 1845-1912 by Delia Cothrun Bourne

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The image of a lighthouse may invoke a sense of strength and safety set in beautiful, wild nature. The thought of the men or women who staffed a lighthouse may elicit notions of weathered independents or lonely misfits who just wandered into the position. But manning a lighthouse was just another government job, so naturally, records of employment exist, and the Genealogy Center owns the film. These records consist of nineteen “Registers of Lighthouse Keepers, 1845-1912” (NARA M1373) that have been transferred onto six rolls of microfilm, organized geographically by facility, for New England, New York through Virginia, North Carolina through Texas, two rolls for the Great Lakes divided by date, and one roll for Alaska, Hawaii and the West Coast. Although administrative control of the lighthouses passed through various Federal government agencies, the registers are continuous, and can, depending on the time period, include, by facility, lighthouse keepers’ and assistants’ pay rate, dates of appointment and vacation (leaving the facility through death, resignation, transfer or retirement), birthplace, and military notes, if any. Each roll includes indexes and maps. The index lists facility and personnel names, providing page numbers. This was a single index, but different pages of this index appear in each section on the film. It is possible that the identified page could be on another roll, so attention must be paid to the geographic area. The reference maps are at the beginning of each roll and show lighthouse districts for each region, and facilities’ locations and names. The earliest maps are dated 1889. Many Keepers and Assistants were born in states in which lighthouses are located, but natives of Kentucky and other states, as well as natives of Portugal, Norway, Ireland, Germany and other foreign countries staffed the facilities, too. Some Keepers or Assistants remained only a few weeks, others for decades. Robbins Reef Lighthouse in New Jersey became a family affair, as Lighthouse Keeper John Walker died in July of 1886, and, after two other Keepers, John’s wife, Kate, became Keeper, and later her son Jacob became Assistant Keeper. One can also combine the Register with other sources to study family or facility dynamics. In 1870, New York native Willis Warner was a 34 year old sailor living with his wife and two sons in St. Clair County, Michigan. By 1880, he was Keeper of South Fox Island Light, having been appointed in 1876, with only his fisherman son, William living with him. Willis remained there until 1882, and earned $560 per quarter. So if an ancestor seems to be missing at some point, especially if he lived in states with coastlines, take a few minutes to check these fascinating registers.

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Preservation Tip of the Month by Becky Schipper

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The Regional Alliance for Preservation (RAP) is a nationwide cooperative offering preservation resources. As a network of non-profit organizations, it is predominantly for the professional but also has a number of services available to the public. Their web address is:   Questions are best answered when directed to member organizations in a particular geographic area. Member organizations can be found under the “Contact and Locations” link on RAP’s homepage. Members are divided into four geographic areas: Eastern Seaboard, Gulf Coast/Southern U.S., Midwest, and West Coast. Members offer a wide range of services including but not limited to book conservation, paper conservation, photograph conservation, photo duplication, digital imaging, textile conservation, microfilming, and matting & framing.

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Genealogy Center Launches New Workshop Series by Steven Myers

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This summer, the Genealogy Center will launch an exciting new series of educational workshops featuring an invigorating combination of expert lectures, individual consultations and assisted research in the vast resources available at the Allen County Public Library. These compact, two day mini-courses will be offered quarterly, and cover a variety of subject areas of interest to the family historian. Margery Graham, CG and Steve Myers, MLS are presenting the inaugural mini-course “Family History 101” on Friday and Saturday, July 18th and 19th, 2008. Each day will feature three lectures and time to research and consult with Marge, Steve and the Genealogy Center staff. The inaugural workshop is an excellent way for the beginner to get started, or for newer researchers to review important concepts and sources. Of course, attendees are free to bypass any individual session to take advantage of additional research and consultation time. Lectures for “Family History 101” will cover the following topics: Session 1: Getting Started on Your Family History Start your family history adventure off on the right foot. Learn about important first steps, home sources, interviewing, organizing what you collect, standard forms, using computer catalogs, and more! Session 2: Basic Research Methods Learn how to plan a successful search, gather evidence, and record and document what you find. Session 3: Census Records – A Cornerstone Source Learn how federal population schedules, state census records, as well as auxiliary schedules and census substitutes can all help advance your research. Session 4: Vital Records – Birth, Marriage & Death Learn how to use published and online sources for vital records, how to contact record offices, and how newspaper and cemetery records can fill in the gaps. Session 5: Published Local History & Family History Sources Learn about the wealth of information available in local history publications, how to track down obscure sources, and how to find out what others have already done on your families. Session 6: Directories, Maps & Gazetteers Learn about the many features of directories, maps and place name dictionaries that can help you pin down exactly where your ancestors lived and what they were doing there. The registration fee for the “Family History 101” mini-course is $50. Checks should be made payable to “ACPL Foundation” and mailed to: Genealogy Center, Allen County Public Library, P.O. Box 2270, Fort Wayne, IN 46801-2270. Mini-course attendance will be limited, so register early to avoid disappointment. Additional information and a workshop schedule will be posted soon on our Web site at http://www.acpl.lib.in.us/genealogy/programs.html Researchers interested in future two day mini-courses will find details in upcoming issues of “Genealogy Gems.” Margery Graham and Steve Myers are already scheduled to offer “Family History: Beyond the Basics,” covering more advanced sources and problem solving, on Friday and Saturday, October 24th and 25th, 2008. An “Irish and Scots-Irish Genealogical Research” minicourse is also tentatively planned for March, 2009. Future workshops will feature advanced research topics, English research and German research.

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Tree Talks--A Family History Lecture Series by Delia Bourne and Melissa Shimkus

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Continuing our fourth-Saturday educational opportunities for researchers is Don Litzer presenting “Networking Genealogically on the Internet” on Saturday May 24, 2008, at 10 a.m., in Meeting Room A of the Main Library. Don will discuss how e-mail, web published family histories, genealogy blogs, and genealogical social networking sites can aid a researcher to locate others with similar surname or locale interests, providing more sources, new clues for your research, and how to fully utilize Internet in your family history quest. Mark your calendars now for other upcoming Tree Talks lectures include “Del.icio.us Genealogy” presented by Sara Patalita on Saturday, June 28, and “An Introduction to Medieval English Genealogy” presented by Steven W. Myers on Saturday July 26, 2008, both at 10 a.m. in Meeting Room A.

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Military Symposium by Delia Bourne and Melissa Shimkus ***************************************

Don’t forget the Military Symposium presented by Marie Varrelman Melchiori, CG, CGL, on Friday and Saturday, September 26 & 27, 2008. Ms. Melchiori will discuss National Archive records for the Civil war, and research sources for Confederate and Federal soldiers. Curt Witcher will highlight the Our Military Heritage website at Friday evening’s dinner. And Saturday afternoon will provide opportunities for individual consultations on your research challenges. Click on http://www.acpl.lib.in.us/genealogy/Military%20Symposium.pdf for program and information on registration. Registration (including Friday evening dinner) is $50 payable to the Allen County Public Library. You can simply send a check for $50 with your name, postal address and email address to: Military Symposium 2008, Allen County Public Library Genealogy Center, P.O. Box 2270, Fort Wayne, IN 46801-2270. If you have any questions, please feel free to contact us at 260-421-1225 or Genealogy@ACPL.Info ***************************************

Librarians on Parade

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Curt Witcher May 27, 2008 at 6:30 p.m., Bluffton-Wells County Public Library, 200 W. Washington St., Bluffton, IN. Topic: “Historical Research Methodology” May 28, 2008 at 7 p.m., Theater, Allen County Public Library, 900 Library Plaza, Fort Wayne, IN. Topic: “Capturing & Preserving Family Memories” June 10, 2008 at 6:30 p.m., Bluffton-Wells County Public Library, 200 W. Washington St., Bluffton, IN. Topic: “More than Surname Surfing: Effective Use of the Internet for Genealogy” June 29, 2008 at 10:30 a.m., American Library Association Annual Meeting, Anaheim Convention Center, Anaheim, CA. Panel Presentation: “What Can Genealogy Do For Your Library?” Don Litzer May 12, 2008, DeKalb County Genealogical Society, Willennar Genealogy Center, 603 S. Jackson St., Auburn, IN. Topic: "What's in a German Place Name?" May 24, 2008, Allen County Public Library, Tree Talks Series. Topic: "Networking Genealogically on the Internet"

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Area Calendar of Events

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Allen County Genealogical Society of Indiana (ACGSI) May 14, 2008 at 6:30 p.m. at the Allen County Public Library’s Main Library, 900 Library Plaza. ACGSI member Marge Graham will present “How to Retrieve Information from Other Sites.” June 18, 2008, Annual Meeting and Dinner, Don Halls Guesthouse. Social starts at 6 p.m. with dinner at 6:30 p.m. Daughters of the American Revolution (DAR) "First Wednesday" program of lineage assistance is Wednesday, May 7, 2008, 9 am – 7 pm at the Allen County Public Library’s Main Library, 900 Library Plaza, in the Genealogy Center. Expert help from members of the DAR on becoming a member of that organization. Allen County-Fort Wayne Historical Society, 302 East Berry, Ft. Wayne, IN May 4, 2008, 2 p.m., Donn Werling presents “Down on the Farm” (Following the lecture, History Center members will be invited to visit the historic Werling farm which dates back to 1856.) June 1, 2008, 2 p.m., Jim Sack presents “A Most German Town: How Germans Came to Dominate Fort Wayne”

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Driving Directions to the Library

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Wondering how to get to the library? Our location is 900 Library Plaza, Fort Wayne, Indiana, in the block bordered on the south by Washington Boulevard, the west by Ewing Street, the north by Wayne Street, and the east by the Library Plaza, formerly Webster Street. We would enjoy having you visit the Genealogy Center. To get directions from your exact location to 900 Library Plaza, Fort Wayne, Indiana, visit this link at MapQuest: http://www.mapquest.com/maps/map.adp?formtype=address&addtohistory=&address=900%20Web ster%20St&city=Fort%20Wayne&state=IN&zipcode=46802%2d3602&country=US&geodiff=1 >From the South Exit Interstate 69 at exit 102. Drive east on Jefferson Boulevard into downtown. Turn left on Ewing Street. The Library is one block north, at Ewing Street and Washington Boulevard. Using US 27: US 27 turns into Lafayette Street. Drive north into downtown. Turn left at Washington Boulevard and go five blocks. The Library will be on the right. >From the North Exit Interstate 69 at exit 112. Drive south on Coldwater Road, which merges into Clinton Street. Continue south on Clinton to Washington Boulevard. Turn right on Washington and go three blocks. The Library will be on the right. >From the West Using US 30: Drive into town on US 30. US 30 turns into Goshen Ave. which dead-ends at West State Blvd. Make an angled left turn onto West State Blvd. Turn right on Wells Street. Go south on Wells to Wayne Street. Turn left on Wayne Street. The Library will be in the second block on the right. Using US 24: After crossing under Interstate 69, follow the same directions as from the South. >From the East Follow US 30/then 930 into and through New Haven, under an overpass into downtown Fort Wayne. You will be on Washington Blvd. when you get into downtown. Library Plaza will be on the right.

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Parking at the Library

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At the Library, underground parking can be accessed from Wayne Street. Other library parking lots are at Washington and Webster, and Wayne and Webster. Hourly parking is $1 per hour with a $7 maximum. ACPL library card holders may use their cards to validate the parking ticket at the west end of the Great Hall of the Library. Out of county residents may purchase a subscription card with proof of identification and residence. The current fee for an Individual Subscription Card is $70. Public lots are located at the corner of Ewing and Wayne Streets ($1 each for the first two halfhours, $1 per hour after, with a $4 per day maximum) and the corner of Jefferson Boulevard and Harrison Street ($3 per day). Street (metered) parking on Ewing and Wayne Streets. On the street you plug the meters 8am – 5pm, weekdays only. It is free to park on the street after 5pm and on the weekends. Visitor center/Grand Wayne Center garage at Washington and Clinton Streets. This is the Hilton Hotel parking lot that also serves as a day parking garage. For hourly parking, 7am – 11 pm, charges are .50 for the first 45 minutes, then $1.00 per hour. There is a flat $2.00 fee between 5pm and 11pm.

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Genealogy Center Queries

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The Genealogy Center hopes you find this newsletter interesting. Thank you for subscribing. We cannot, however, answer personal research emails written to the e-zine address. The department houses a Research Center that makes photocopies and conducts research for a fee. If you have a general question about our collection, or are interested in the Research Center, please telephone the library and speak to a librarian who will be glad to answer your general questions or send you a research center form. Our telephone number is 260-421-1225. If you’d like to email a general information question about the department, please email: Genealogy@ACPL.Info.

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Publishing Note:

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This electronic newsletter is published by the Allen County Public Library's Genealogy Center, and is intended to enlighten readers about genealogical research methods as well as inform them about the vast resources of the Allen County Public Library. We welcome the wide distribution of this newsletter and encourage readers to forward it to their friends and societies. All precautions have been made to avoid errors. However, the publisher does not assume any liability to any party for any loss or damage caused by errors or omissions, no matter the cause. To subscribe to “Genealogy Gems,” simply use your browser to go to the website: www.GenealogyCenter.Info. Scroll down toward the bottom of the first screen where it says, "Enter Your Email Address to Subscribe to "Genealogy Gems." Enter your email address in the yellow box and click on "Subscribe." You will be notified with a confirmation email. If you do not want to receive this e-zine, please follow the link at the very bottom of the issue of GenealogyGems you just received or send an email to kspears@acpl.lib.in.us with "unsubscribe ezine" in the subject line. Curt Witcher, editor pro-tem