December 2004

Genealogy Gems:

News from the Fort Wayne Library No. 10, December 31, 2004

In this issue:

Planning for the Positive

Ships of Our Ancestors

Confederate Pension Application Sources, Part 3

Hotel of the Month

Area Calendar of Events

ACPL Librarians on Tour

Driving Directions to the Library

Parking at the Library

Queries for the Department

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Planning for the Positive Curt Witcher

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Another year is in the books. Don’t they seem to roll around faster and faster? I trust it was a fruitful one for you in your family history endeavors. This is the time of year when thoughts turn to New Year’s resolutions. I think I am going to finally give up on New Year’s resolutions this year. While they are a great concept, I believe the basic procedure that I have used (and, I am guessing many others use) is flawed. I spend a bit of time making a list. It can be long or short--it really doesn’t matter. But I spend no time really planning to do anything on the list. This year, I think I’ll just plan a little--and I would encourage you to do the same. Plan to be a little more active in a genealogical society or organized group that helps you with your genealogy. If that means joining, then write the check between now and January 15th. If that means attending one of their meetings, go to their website in the next forty-eight hours, find their list of meetings for the next six months to one year, pick one, and put it on your calendar now. If that means finishing the abstract, article, or project you’ve promised a society, get out your 2005 calendar and put a big red “X” on Thursday, March 31st. Then place green “Xs” on March 1st and February 2nd (Groundhog Day!) to remind you that by the time the red “X” arrives, your article or abstract needs to be in the society’s hands. Plan to do one positive, proactive undertaking that may lead to a genealogical breakthrough on a problem line. If that one thing is to attend a family reunion, find out the details of the event before mid-January, mark the dates on your calendar, and complete your travel itinerary before it’s time to start on your federal income tax return. (Sorry for bringing up the “taxing” subject!) If your one proactive undertaking is to attend a conference, look at your wide range of options and choose one before February dawns. There are great events at the local, state, and national levels all over the country. National conference events include: New England Regional Genealogical Conference, Portland, ME, March 31st to April 3rd; National Genealogical Society Conference, Nashville, TN, June 1st through 4th; Midwestern Roots Genealogy Conference, Indianapolis, IN, August 19th & 20th; and the Federation of Genealogical Societies Conference, Salt Lake City, UT, September 7th to 10th. Plan a trip to a major research facility that has records complementing what you have found on the web and what you already have in your files from previous research trips. While online genealogy sites, with their indices and digitized documents, are tremendous treasure troves of information, tips, and research leads, there remains a mountain of copyrighted, published material and many millions of manuscript pages not on the web. The Historical Genealogy Department of the Allen County Public Library is an outstanding complement to what you can access on the Internet. Pick a date to visit our vast collection and benefit from the expertise of our staff, and then finalize your travel plans before all your holiday decorations have been packed away for another year. Whatever you decide to do, join me in giving up New Year’s resolution list-making and actually do some concrete planning that will make a difference. Best wishes for a most prosperous and genealogically fulfilling New Year!

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Ships of Our Ancestors Steven W. Myers

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More than 35 million immigrants came to the New World between the sixteenth and mid-twentieth centuries. Their journey across the dangerous Atlantic Ocean was made on sail and steam-powered vessels of all shapes and sizes. Published accounts of some of the voyages, made in different eras, paint vivid pictures of the hardships and tragedies of the shipboard life endured by these pioneers. Still, many researchers want to know more about the specific trip made by their own immigrant ancestor. One basic question that springs to mind is: what did the ship look like? Fortunately, there are a number of resources available to help answer that question. Michael Anuta’s Ships of Our Ancestors is a standard reference known to many genealogists, and provides pictures of about 1000 ships that crossed the Atlantic from the 1850s through the 1950s. Many other publications provide pictures of ships as well as details on their construction and history. One of these is the six-volume set Great Passenger Ships of the World by Arnold Kludas, which covers all passenger liners of more than 10,000 gross tons built between 1858 and 1986. Some works, such as the Picture History of the Cunard Line 1840-1990, feature the ships of one particular company. The history of the Norddeutscher Lloyd line of Bremen, Germany proudly claims that one-quarter of the immigrants arriving at Ellis Island traveled on one of their ships. The line’s two-volume history is full of historical details, and is wonderfully illustrated with ship photographs and facsimile documents. Images of vessels that carried immigrants to these shores before the Civil War are a bit more difficult to locate. A published catalog of The Marine Paintings and Drawings in the Peabody Museum helps by providing illustrations of many sailing vessels in the period before widespread photography. Other books, such as Clipper Ships of America and Great Britain 1833-1869, are short on illustrations, but do provide fascinating historical information on numerous sailing vessels of the period. When an image of a particular ship is unavailable, this kind of background information may help identify a nearly identical sister ship for which pictures do exist. William Filby’s “Passenger Lists” bibliography, available in the department, provides call number references for these and other sources of pictures or historical data on the ships of our ancestors.

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Confederate Pension Application Sources Available in the Reynolds Historical Genealogy Collection, Part 3 Delia Cothrun Bourne

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Although the state of Mississippi granted a few pensions in the 1890s, the applications for these pensions contained very little information. The applications specified by the Code of 1906 included information similar to that required by other states. These applications are available at the Mississippi Department of Archives in Jackson. Betty C. Wilshire’s Mississippi Confederate Pension Applications (GC 973.74 M68WI, volumes 1- 3) indexes these applications and includes name, regiment, county of residence, and date of application. The first Confederate pensions in Missouri were given in 1913. More than 4,000 applications exist on file at the Missouri State Archives in Jefferson City. These applications are grouped together by letter, but are not in strict alphabetical order. An alphabetical list of the applications is contained in Peggy Barnes Fox’s Missouri Confederate Pensions and Confederate Home Applications Index (GC 977.8 F83M). This index lists only the veteran’s name and county of residence. North Carolina began granting pensions to Confederate veterans with a service related disability in 1867. In 1885, the State began granting pensions to all disabled or indigent Confederate veterans or widows. Both the pension applications and an index are available at the North Carolina Division of Archives and History in Raleigh, but are not currently available elsewhere. The first provision for Confederate veterans in Oklahoma occurred in 1915. In the first year, approximately two-thirds of the applications were rejected. Causes for these rejections included the inability to prove eligibility and the state’s lack of funds. The Historical Genealogy Department owns a copy of these applications on 21 rolls of microfilm, the last two reels being supplemental applications. The Department also owns the index to this material. Index to Applications for Pensions from the State of Oklahoma Submitted by Confederate Soldiers, Sailors and Their Widows (973.74 OK4i) was published by the Oklahoma Genealogical Society. Strictly a name index, it supplies application and reel numbers. There is also a copy of this index available online at http://www.odl.state.ok.us/oar/docs/pension.pdf. In this version, references to the supplemental applications are included with the others to form a single index. Although state law allowed Confederate veterans and widows to apply for pensions in South Carolina starting in 1887, few applications survive from the 1888-1918 era. Beginning in 1889, the State Comptroller began publishing lists of such veterans receiving pensions in his Annual Report. To obtain a copy of an application from the 1888-1918 era, the researcher needs to know the exact year in which the veteran or widow applied for a pension. From 1919 to 1925, South Carolina granted pensions to Confederate veterans and widows regardless of financial need. These files are arranged alphabetically, and are available only at the South Carolina Department of Archives and History. An index is available at the South Carolina Department of Archives website at http://www.archivesindex.sc.gov/search/default.asp There is a volume of abstracts of South Carolina’s African American Confederate Pensioners 1923-25, by Alexia Jones Helsley (975.7 H36SO). This volume also includes a listing of some of these African American applicants on the 1920 census. To be continued.

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HOTEL OF THE MONTH

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Each issue we will feature a local hotel, for visitors from out-of-town. Hallmark Inn 3730 East Washington Boulevard, Fort Wayne 46803 Telephone 260-424-1980 Formerly the Days Inn, the Hallmark is located two miles east of downtown. It is a simple and easy drive to the library. The newly renovated Hallmark has 60 rooms, an outdoor pool, two lounges with live entertainment, a full service restaurant, and a guest laundry. There are oversize parking spaces, which can be helpful for those with trucks or campers. The rooms are equipped with hair dryers, cable television, and irons and ironing boards. Small pets are welcome. Rooms under $40 are available.

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AREA CALENDAR OF EVENTS

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Allen County Public Library 3rd floor atrium display area Documents from resources highlighted in earlier issues of Genealogy Gems. Allen County Genealogical Society of Indiana (ACGSI) http://www.ipfw.edu/ipfwhist/historgs/acgsi.htm Wednesday, January 12, 2005 Dupont Branch of the ACPL, 536 E. Dupont Road, Fort Wayne, IN 260-421-1315 6:30 pm refreshments, 7:00 pm program Maureen and Alan Gaff: “Historical Civil War Research”. ACGSI Computer Interest Group Wednesday, January 19, 2005 at 6:45pm. Aboite Library, 5630 Coventry Lane, Fort Wayne, IN 260-421-1310 Daughters of the American Revolution (DAR) First Wednesday of each month in the Genealogy Department 9am–3pm. Expert help from members of the DAR in becoming a member of that organization DeKalb County Indiana Genealogy Society Meetings: Monday, January 10, 2005 at 6:30 p.m., refreshments & social time at 6:00 p.m. Location: Eckhart Public Library, 603 S. Jackson Street, Auburn, IN Program: Neil Strock will speak on the Butler Company of Butler, IN Monday, February 14, 2005 at 6:30 p.m., refreshments & social time at 6:00 p.m. Location: Eckhart Public Library, 603 S. Jackson Street, Auburn, IN Program: Craig Berndt will speak on Interurban Transportation in DeKalb County and Northeast Indiana

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ACPL LIBRARIANS ON TOUR

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Curt Witcher January 8, 2005: Bloomfield Hills, MI: Detroit Society for Genealogical Research February 19, 2005: Madison, FL: Florida Genealogical Society April 30, 2005: Kalamazoo, MI: Kalamazoo Valley Genealogical Society

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DRIVING DIRECTIONS TO THE LIBRARY

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Wondering how to get to the library? Our exciting transition location is 200 E. Berry, Fort Wayne, Indiana. We will be at this location until late 2006. We would enjoy having you visit the Genealogy Department. To get directions from your exact location to 200 E. Berry, Fort Wayne, Indiana, visit this link at MapQuest: http://www.mapquest.com/maps/map.adp?country=US&countryid=250&addtohistory=&s earchtab=address&searchtype=address&address=200+E+Berry+St&city=Fort+Wayne& state=IN&zipcode=46802-2706&search=++Search++&finditform=1 From the South Exit Interstate 69 at exit 102. Drive east on Jefferson Blvd. into downtown. Turn left on Barr Street to Berry Street. The library is located on the corner of Berry and Barr Streets. From the North Exit Interstate 69 at exit 112. Drive south on Coldwater Road, which merges into Clinton Street. Continue south on Clinton, the library will be on your left when you cross Berry Street. From the West Using US 30: Drive into town on US 30. US 30 turns into Goshen Road. Coming up to an angled street (State Street.) make an angled left turn. Turn right on Wells Street. Go south on Wells to Wayne Street. Left on Wayne Street. When you cross Clinton, the library will be on your left on Wayne Street. Using US 24: After crossing under Interstate 69, follow the same directions as from the South. From the East Follow US 30 into and through New Haven, under an overpass into downtown Fort Wayne. You will be on Washington Blvd. when you get into downtown. Turn right on Barr Street. Turn left on Berry Street. The library is on your left on Berry Street.

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PARKING AT THE LIBRARY

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Lot in front of the library, east side Available for short-term library parking. Limited to one hour. Tippman Parking Garage Clinton and Wayne Streets. Across from the library, however the skybridge is NOT accessible. Hourly parking, $1.25 per hour up to a maximum of $5.00 per day. Park Place Lot Covered parking on Barr Street at Main Street. This lot is one block away from the library. Hourly parking Monday through Friday, 9am to 6pm. Street (metered) parking on Wayne Street and Berry Street. 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 Covered parking 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 DEPARTMENT QUERIES

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The Historical Genealogy Department 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. We will be glad to answer your 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: cwitcher@acpl.lib.in.us. Publishing Note: This electronic newsletter is published by the Allen County Public Library's Historical Genealogy Department, 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. If this issue of "Genealogy Gems" has been forwarded to you and you would like to receive your own copy in the future, visit www.FriendsOfAllenCounty.org and fill out the subscription form at the bottom of the page. Another way to subscribe is to send an email to genealogygems-subscribe@friendsofallencounty.org. Ryan Taylor, editor