February 2005

Genealogy Gems:

News from the Fort Wayne Library No. 12, February 28, 2005

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In this issue:

Things are Growing!

Ask a Librarian

North of the Border: the St. Albans Lists

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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Things are Growing! By Curt B. Witcher

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With the advent of March, and eventually spring with its warmer weather, I wanted to give you an update on some “growth” activities. First, we are all pleased that another local entrepreneur has decided to re-open the library’s coffee and snack shop of the first floor of our current facility. Called, “Coffee and Cream,” this new business offers a very nice selection of hot and cold beverages, several great sandwiches, and a number of other delightful snacks. The “Coffee and Cream” offerings include a daily special, with everything being very reasonably priced. So the next time you’re planning a research trip to Fort Wayne (and we hope it will be soon . . . and often!), remember that you don’t even have to leave the building to get a bite to eat or a little refreshment! The hours for “Coffee and Cream” are Monday through Thursday, 9A to 6:30P, Friday & Saturday 9A to 5P, and Sundays 1P to 4P. Recently, the microtext staff finished processing more than four thousand new rolls of city directory microfilm. These city directories cover more than two hundred cities from the 1936 time-period to 1960. For those who are searching new lines in the midtwentieth century and for those who are going back to pick-up collateral lines, these resources can be a boon. It is good to remember that besides looking up individuals’ names, city directories can be useful in determining what churches, businesses, schools, and cultural organizations existed in a particular area during a specific time period. Knowledge of such entities can lead one to look for their records and evidence of an ancestor or two. Six more computers, configured to be “catalog only” terminals, have been added to the department’s complement of technology available for researchers. During times when the department is very busy, it used to be next to impossible to look-up a family name, geographic location, or even the title of a book or journal in the online catalog. Now six computers are devoted just to that function. While the book stacks are open and one can browse through sections of interest, it is often a great idea to also check the online catalog to ensure one has found everything. Many family histories contain important information on a number of families, not just the one the book is cataloged under. One will only “extra” families by looking in the catalog. In a similar manner, some important works about veterans serving from a particular state will be found in the various military sections by war (Revolutionary War, War of 1812, etc.) rather than under that state number. Word to wise--browse and use the catalog! I am pleased to announce that during the month of February, the 1841 through 1900 Fort Wayne area obituaries were added to the FriendsOfAllenCounty.org website. Now one can search through one hundred and sixty-three years of Fort Wayne and Allen County obituaries in one place on the Internet. The rest of the site, already valuable for anyone doing Allen County, Indiana research, continues to grow--both in Allen County materials, cemetery records from Maryland and Virginia, and in military diaries and memoirs. Make sure you stop back at least once a month and see what has been added.

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Ask a Librarian By Ryan Taylor

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ACPL has begun a new program which invites you to ask reference questions via e-mail. Electronic reference service has become the new wave in library work. While you can ask us questions on any topic, this service will be of special interest to genealogists. Write to us at genealogy@acpl.info, or go to our website (www.acpl.lib.in.us) and click on ‘Ask a Librarian’ where you will find a form to use. You will receive a reply within 48 hours. It may simply be an acknowledgement, with the message that we’re working on it, but you’ll know we have your question. What sort of questions are suitable? Bibliographic or other short-answer questions, questions which begin ‘what is a...’ or ‘how to I find....’ We cannot do your research for you--if we had time to do research, we’d probably be working on our own families! But if you’d like help determining what to do next, or where to find a resource that will help you, then Ask a Librarian is the place to go. We may find an answer here, or we may very well refer you to resources at another library or archives, where they have records which will help you better. The ACPL genealogy collection is large, but no library is complete. With electronic access, library resources across the country are open to you. When the questions reach us, they are passed to one of our specialist reference librarians. Among them, the ACPL genealogical reference librarians have more than a century of experience answering your queries. Each has an area of particular interest and expertise. They are also familiar with the quieter corners of ACPL’s collection— books or microfilm which you may never have heard of, but the librarians make a point of knowing. Information about your ancestors may be lurking in one of these obscure resources. This service will help residents of Allen County who would like to ask a question without coming into the library, but it is available to genealogists everywhere. If your own local public library has difficulty answering specialized questions, perhaps the Historical Genealogy Dept. can become your ‘local public library’, at least for family history questions. We’ll be glad to help, whether you live in Indiana, Spokane or Beaufort County. If you want, you can ask ACPL non-genealogical questions, too. Just go to the website and use the general form or write to ask@acpl.info. Our staff are waiting to hear from you!

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North of the Border: The St. Albans Lists By Timothy Dougherty

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The St. Albans lists are a valuable source for those with immigrant ancestors who traversed the Canadian/U.S. border between 1895 and 1954. Two National Archives publications contain the Manifests of Passengers Arriving in the St. Albans, VT District through Canadian Pacific and Atlantic Ports, 1895-1954 (M1464), and Manifests of Passengers Arriving in the St. Albans, VT District through Canadian Pacific Ports, 1929- 1949 (M1465). The titles are something of a misnomer, as immigrant crossings all along the international border are included. Before October 1, 1906, the records include only immigrants born outside Canada. Two separate Soundex indexes for these lists cover 1895-1924 (M1461) and 1924-1952 (M1463) respectively. After June 1917, the index usually excludes passage west of the North Dakota/Montana border, and after July 1, 1927 the index generally excludes arrivals west of Lake Ontario. Therefore, the index is only complete between 1895 and June 1917. The index cards are informative, but a researcher should, of course, consult the actual manifest. The manifests are arranged by year, then month, then alphabetically by port of entry. They resemble ship passenger manifests and include age, place of birth, ethnicity, and brief physical descriptions, such as height and hair color. They list occupation, last permanent address and final destination, whether or not the person had previously been in the U.S., and for how long. When applicable, the seaport of landing in Canada is noted, along with other useful information. In working from index to manifest, there are caveats to note. Dates in the index will not match the date on the manifest. Index dates are date of admission to U.S. The manifests reflect the dates the lists were compiled. If an index entry lists a date late in the month, the immigrant will likely appear on the next month’s manifest. Secondly, if an indexed name does not appear with the rest of the family, it may appear in the lower margin of the manifest, as names were frequently recorded there. I knew that my own grandmother, a native of North Dakota, had resided in Alberta for a time, and that her father had been born in Canada, but not much more. Using the St. Albans lists, I discovered that my great-grandfather traveled from Vegreville, Alberta to Duluth, Minnesota in December of 1919, and that the remainder of the family followed two months later. The family had been in Canada over eleven years. I learned that my great-grandfather was born in Uxbridge, Ontario, and my great-grandmother in Perham, Minnesota. These previously unknown details helped me clear stumbling blocks in my research. Perhaps the St. Albans lists can do the same for you.

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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. Best Inns of America Inc 3017 W Coliseum Blvd Fort Wayne, IN 46808 (260) 483-0091 This large hotel (105 rooms) offers deluxe continental breakfast and free coffee in the lobby at all times, HBO, Seniors First discount, fax and late checkout (1 p.m.). They are located at Coliseum and Goshen Road (from I-69 south at exit 109A). For those with allergies, they feature Evergreen Rooms, which have filtered air and water for guaranteed health. Rates hover around $40.

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AREA CALENDAR OF EVENTS

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Allen County Public Library 3rd floor atrium display area Passages: Immigration Department print and microtext resources Allen County Genealogical Society of Indiana (ACGSI) http://www.ipfw.edu/ipfwhist/historgs/acgsi.htm March 9, 2005 6:30 P.M. Refreshments 7:00 P.M. Program Aboite Branch of the Allen County Public Library, 5630 Coventry Lane. Program: John Martin Smith. "Black Legs, Regulators and the Hanging of Gregory McDougall: was your ancestor a regulator or a black leg?" Computer Users Group Wednesday, March 16, 2004 at 7 pm. Aboite Library, 5630 Coventry Lane, Fort Wayne, IN 260-421-1310 DeKalb County Indiana Genealogical Society Monday, March 14, 2005 at 6:00-8:00 p.m. Location: Willennar Genealogy Center, 603 S. Jackson Street, Auburn, IN Research night: time will be spent helping others or doing research on your own. Please note change in time and venue. 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

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ACPL LIBRARIANS ON TOUR

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Curt Witcher March 19 Bluffton, IN : Bluffton-Wells County Public Library for the Blackford Wells Genealogy Society April 30 Kalamazoo, MI: Kalamazoo Valley Genealogical Society May 1 Celina, OH: Mercer County Chapter, OGS, 25th Anniversary Luncheon Elaine Kuhn March 2 Huntington, IN: Huntington Genealogical Society April 16 Akron, OH: Ohio Genealogical Society Annual Conference May 28 Windsor, ON: Ontario Genealogical Society Seminar Steve Myers March 19 Indianapolis, IN: Indiana Historical Society, Irish Research Seminar Ryan Taylor March 19 South Bend, IN: South Bend Area Genealogical Society April 13 Fort Wayne, IN: Allen County Genealogical Society of Indiana May 26 Windsor, ON: A British Day (Ontario Genealogical Society preconference) May 26 Windsor, ON: Ontario Chapter, Association of Professional Genealogists (Ontario Genealogical Society pre-conference) May 26 Windsor, ON: Ontario Library Association (Ontario Genealogical Society pre-conference) May 27-29 Windsor, ON: Ontario Genealogical Society Seminar

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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 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: CWitcher@ACPL.Lib.in.us. For general genealogical queries, email genealogy@acpl.info. 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 you do not want to receive this e-zine, please send an email to kspears@acpl.lib.in.us with "unsubscribe e-zine" in the subject line. Ryan Taylor, editor