February 2018

Genealogy Gems:

News from the Allen County Public Library at Fort Wayne No. 168, February 28, 2018

In this issue:

Putting Faces in the Places by Using Directories and Biographical Compilations

Substitutes for the Lost 1790 Delaware Census

United States Incoming Passenger Lists from 1820 to 1957

Technology Tip of the Month--Old Photographs: More Carte de Visite Clues

Quick-Tip of the Month for Preservation--How to Preserve Your Family Memories, Letters and Trinkets

PERSI Gems

History Tidbits: For Love of the Game, Basketball

Library Catalog Insider

DNA Interest Group

March Madness – Genealogy Style: Getting to Know You, Learn about The Genealogy Center

Holocaust Remembrance Event

Interested in Jewish Genealogy?

Preservation Week 2018 – Saving Your Family Legacy

Staying Informed about Genealogy Center Programming

Area Calendar of Events

Driving Directions to the Library

Parking at the Library

Genealogy Center Queries

Publishing Note

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Putting Faces in the Places by Using Directories and Biographical Compilations by Curt B. Witcher

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It’s always a good time to review some favorite resources. Whether you enjoy those resources online or in print, directories and biographical compilations can provide us with us with a significant number of resource and research leads. Getting too comfortable with a favorite genealogy information aggregator (Ancestry, Find My Past, etc.) can tempt us to be less intentional in seeking out sources that lead to ancestors rather than provide ancestors. When the term “directory” is mentioned, many may almost exclusively think of city directories. A few more might think of school yearbooks as well, and that’s about it. However, there are so many different types of directories--we should inquire to gain access to them all. Some of them are listed below.

Geographically based directories can be neighborhood, city/town, county, or regional directories as well as telephone books. They may be found as separate publications or as part of city/town, county and regional histories. Ethnic directories lists individuals of the same ancestral origins. Institutional or organizational directories include school yearbooks, alumni directories, special club directories, church yearbooks, and the like. Professional or occupational directories can include physicians’ directories, lists of lawyers, etc. One may often find these directories as well as other directory compilations further organized by geographic location. Directories can also masquerade under titles such as gazetteers, manuals, and almanacs--words we typically don’t think of when we’re looking for and considering directories. Biographical compilations are extremely prevalent. However, they are not consistently sought. Examine nearly any town or county history and one is likely to find a section of biographical sketches. For some geographically based histories that section is nearly half of the compilation. Not surprisingly, the general types of biographical compilations closely mirror those of directories.

Geographically based publications may be stand-alone works such as the “eminent & self-made men” series and works describing pioneer men and women in particular places; or the compilations may be chapters and sections of larger publications such as town and county histories. Ethnic compilations highlight the lives of a specific ethnic group and may also be contexted by geography, religion, and occupation or common economic status. Religious compilations tend to highlight individuals of a particular faith or church, though there are works that organize religious biographies by geographic location and time period. There are many and varied occupational works organized around a job or trade. Organizational publications are very similar to occupational works in their organization, and tend to highlight individuals who belong to clubs, associations, Greek organizations, or work-related clubs.

Event based works highlight individuals associated with an activity or event, typically something of consequence and community impact. Examples include first responders to a tragedy, organizers of & participants in a celebration, and the like. Consulting WorldCat and the catalogs of large libraries, state libraries, and public libraries are among the ways of locating directories and biographical compilations. Take some time to put your ancestors’ faces in the places by exploring these two important groups of resources.

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Substitutes for the Lost 1790 Delaware Census by John D. Beatty CG

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As we have discussed previously in this publication, the federal census schedules of 1790 are lost for several states, including Delaware. No online version exists at present to serve as an effective substitute, leaving researchers with no easy way to locate ancestors on a statewide level. Several books have been published, however, containing tax lists and family studies, and taken together, they represent effective tools that genealogists should use to fill in the gap. In 1994, a group of researchers led by Ralph D. Nelson Jr. compiled “Delaware – 1782 Tax Assessment and Census List” (Wilmington: Delaware Genealogical Society, 1994), GC 975.1 D37t. Using the extant 1782 (and in some cases 1783) tax returns for all of the hundreds (townships) of each of Delaware’s three counties, the compilers assembled a complete listing of household heads for this period. This work supersedes an earlier work, “Reconstructed Delaware State Census of 1782,” compiled by Harold Bell Hancock, since the authors discovered new lists for inclusion and made a number of corrections. An every-name index in the back of the book keys to names listed in original order by county and hundred. Thus, for example, we find both William Wells and Richard Wells listed together in Murderkill Hundred, Kent County, but because the names were somewhat alphabetized in the original, we can’t know for sure whether William and Richard lived next door. Leon DeValinger’s earlier compilation, “Reconstructed 1790 Census of Delaware,” was a special publication of the National Genealogical Society and appeared in 1954 (GC 975.1 D49r). DeValinger used tax lists from 1790, except when one was not available, in which case he selected the “extant list for the year closest to that date.” Regrettably, the book does not state which tax list date was used for which hundred, and while the names are strictly alphabetized, it does not preserve original order. There are also differences in the names listed in this work from those in the previous due to the later time period. In the case of William and Richard Wells, neither man was listed as living in Murderkill Hundred in the latter work. One must therefore assume that they had either moved or died. Thus, a useful approach for genealogists is to use both books in tandem to search for names in this period. Finally, one would be remiss in not mentioning “Delaware Families, 1787-1800,” compiled by the Delaware Genealogical Society in 2013 (GC 975.1 D37dd). This book contains a series of genealogical sketches of selected Delaware families in this period contributed by descendants. All of the sketches are fully documented and expertly edited, drawing sources from wills, deeds, and probate records. By no means is this a comprehensive listing. Rather, it falls within a growing category of published books (including Maine, New Hampshire, Vermont, and Western Massachusetts) that contain professionally-prepared genealogical studies of families. Collectively, they attempt to bridge the difficult record era spanning from the end of the Revolutionary War to 1810, when many families became uprooted and official records often became sparse. “Delaware Families” is a solid work of scholarship, and one regrets that the Delaware Genealogical Society has not continued the series. Published books remain an integral part of doing genealogical research as exemplified by these sources. A well-grounded genealogist cannot rely solely upon the Internet. Books such as these can help us engage the digital sources better if we incorporate them together in our research plan.

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United States Incoming Passenger Lists from 1820 to 1957 by Sara Allen

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One of the most common questions we receive here at The Genealogy Center is “How can I find information about my immigrant ancestor?” Often the customer wants to begin with finding an ancestor’s name on a passenger manifest on a ship bound for a United States port. For those whose ancestors arrived in this country after 1819, there is a good chance of finding such a record, since that is when the United States began requiring shipping lines to register passenger lists with the federal government. Accessing post-1819 passenger list records There are three different strategies you can use to find your ancestor on a post-1819 United States passenger arrival list. First and easiest: check the indexes to passenger lists found on online genealogical databases such as Ancestry (free at this library and many other public libraries) and FamilySearch.org (free). If your ancestor is found in the index, click through the link to view the scanned image of the original passenger list. Second, try microfilmed passenger lists available at some large libraries, including here at The Genealogy Center, and print indexes. Major print indexes that The Genealogy Center has in its collection for this time period include: Germans to America [1840-1897]; The Famine Immigrants: Lists of Irish Immigrants Arriving at the Port of New York, 1846-1851; Migration from the Russian Empire: Lists of Passengers Arriving at the Port of New York [1882-1891]; and Migration from the United Kingdom to America: Lists of Passengers Arriving at U.S. Ports [1870-1880], all edited by Ira Glazier. Once a name is found in the print index, the actual original passenger list can be viewed on microfilm or in the online databases listed above. Third and finally, check other sources for passenger lists include: the Statue of Liberty/Ellis Island Foundation website at: https://libertyellisfoundation.org/passenger which provides indexes and images of New York City Passenger Lists from 1892 to 1957, and the Steve Morse One-Step Webpages at https://stevemorse.org/ which provide another way to search the passenger lists at the various online sites using name variations and wildcards. Depending on where the immigrant embarked, there may also be a separate outgoing passenger list for the family getting on the ship at the foreign port. Examples of these types of records include: United Kingdom Outward Passenger Lists, 1890-1960; Hamburg, Germany Outgoing Passenger Lists, 1850-1934 [in German]; and Gothenburg, Sweden Outgoing Passenger Lists, 1869-1951 [in Swedish], all of which are available on the Ancestry database. If your ancestor came from England, Germany or Sweden, or may have passed through ports in those cities, you will want to be sure to check these indexes for family members. What if your ancestor cannot be found in the passenger list indexes? Some researchers locate their family member’s names quickly on passenger manifests after minimal searching, but there are numerous potential reasons why some ancestors’ passenger lists are not easily found, even though they emigrated during the time period when passenger lists were recorded. The original passenger list may have been damaged, torn, or stained, the handwriting may have been poor or the ink faded rendering it unreadable; or (in rare cases) the passenger list may have been lost, missing or otherwise not recorded. Before you jump to the conclusion that your ancestor’s passenger list must be missing, do take into consideration that most of the time when an ancestor’s passenger list cannot be located, it is because the person is listed under a different name or name variant in the index and/or on the original passenger list image. Human indexers who transcribed and indexed the original passenger list records for the online database companies could have misread your ancestor’s name and entered the wrong name into the index or made a typo when entering the data. So your ancestor could be right there on the passenger list in plain sight, but you are hindered from finding him due to a typo or mistake in indexing. Another stumbling block is that your ancestor will most likely be using their “European” name on the passenger list. This would be the version of their personal name used back in the home country, and could include a differently spelled first and last name than the one used here in America. For instance, a recent immigrant going by the name John Smith here in the United States would have been known as Johann Schmidt in his native Germany and listed as such on the passenger list. If you and the family did not know this piece of information, you will likely encounter difficulties in finding him on a passenger list because you will be searching under his American name. In a future issue of GEMs, we will discuss strategies for discovering your ancestor’s European name and locating difficult-to-find ancestors on passenger lists.

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Technology Tip of the Month--Old Photographs: More Carte de Visite Clues by Kay Spears

*************************************** Before I started to really study old photographs, I would base a lot of my effort of determining a date on the clothing and type of photograph I was examining. But some types of photographic processes have a lot of other clues that should be mingled into the overall solution. Let’s take a look at some of the other clues that may be hidden in a Carte de Visite aka CDV. Remember to consider, when gathering clues, that photographers could always use the old card stock they had laying around in the back room. So, just because a particular type of card was introduced in 1865 doesn’t mean it wasn’t used in 1885. CDV clues. One clue that may help in determining a time period of a photo is the thickness of the card. The early CDVs were on pretty thin card stock, but as time passed, the cards became thicker. I know that most of us don’t have a caliper laying around the house, but you should be able to tell when one card is thicker than another. Size; the standard size of a CDV was 2.5 x 4. However, that could be a little off for some cards. The early cards were usually hand-cut, and if anyone has ever tried to cut a mat board with a mat knife, you will know that the term “precise” doesn’t always apply. Eventually CDVs became precut, so the size could be regulated. Revenue Stamps. If you have a revenue stamp on the back of your photo, you can really zero in on a date. During the Civil War, the U.S. government issued tax revenue stamps. Lucky for people trying to date photographs, the revenue stamps for photos existed for a very short time between August 1864 and August 1866. They come in a variety of colors: red, orange, green, and blue. The photographer was supposed to cancel the stamp with his initials and date. As you can imagine, not every photographer followed the rules. None of the revenue stamps I’ve seen have been dated. If you wanted to fill in your spare time, you could also take on a new hobby, such as collecting stamps. Borders. The early CDV cards usually don’t have borders, so if you have a CDV on thin card stock with no border you probably have a card from the early 1860s. Next came two thin lines, followed by one thick, one thin. There was also a short time in the 1870s when there weren’t any borders on the cards. This is when one really has to pay attention to what else is going on in the photograph. Look at the hair-styles and clothing. If a woman is wearing a giant Gone with the Wind dress and the card doesn’t have a border, it’s probably from the 1860s. If she is wearing a bustle and the card doesn’t have a border, we have probably jumped to the 1870s. So, take everything into consideration. Edges. If the card has a gilt edge, it is later – probably closer to the 1880s when the CDV was starting to lose its popularity. And, the reason this charming little photograph was not so fashionable anymore – the Cabinet Card. Next month: Old photographs: Bigger is better –the Cabinet Card.

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Quick-Tip of the Month for Preservation--How to Preserve Your Family Memories, Letters and Trinkets

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Both ResearchBuzz and Eastman’s Online Genealogy Newsletter have recently pointed to this worthwhile article in the New York Times, “How to Preserve Your Family Memories, Letters and Trinkets.” https://www.nytimes.com/2018/02/08/smarter-living/how-to-preserve-your-family-memories-letters-and-trinkets.html The practical advice and very doable tips make this article a very worthwhile read.

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PERSI Gems by Adam Barrone and Michael Hudson

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Items of apparel are often discarded or donated when no longer needed, but a lucky few pieces are kept and treasured by families. Mother’s wedding dress, baby’s christening gown, grandfather’s V.F.W. jacket, great-great-grandfather’s uniform are examples. Hand-made children’s clothes can be enjoyed for two or more generations. Quilts are made from favorite t-shirts, comforters are sewn together from blocks cut from old corduroy pants, and rugs are braided from denim strips cut from worn-out jeans. As you consider the role of clothing in your own family’s history, we invite you to search PERSI to learn about historical fashion, textiles, and some apparel-related stories: http://search.findmypast.com/search/periodical-source-index This month, we bring you citations about pants: Bruce Danielson wore fork in shirt pocket to distract from his flood pants, 1950s-1960s, USA Reminisce Extra, v.24n.6, Nov. 2016 Cora Barnes arrested for wearing pants, Constable Feller refused to give them back, 1890 Gleanings (Beaver Falls Gen. Soc., PA), v.34n.2, Spr. 2010 Elmay Domangue Whitney re recycling denim pants components, 1920s, LA Terrebonne (LA) Life Lines, v.24n.3, Fal. 2005 Fleming Johns has his pants torn when struck by lightning, 1930, GA Armadillo Tracks (Brantley Co. Hist. & Preservation Soc., GA), n.6, Sep. 2008 John W. Moore, Sr., accounts of forgetting pants and growing corn, 1902, Lawrence Co., MO Lawrence County (MO) Historical Society Bulletin, n.172, Jan. 2005 Lines Pangburn suffered rat crawling up his pants, 1896, Ripley, OH Our Heritage (Adams Co. Gen. Soc., OH), v.28n.3, Fal. 2006 Man puts on wife's lover's pants by accident, finds a lot of money, 1775 Journal of One-Name Studies (Eng.), v.7n.9, Jan. 2002 Seneca Cooledge shot by tramp stealing his pants, 1880 Ionia Co. (MI) Gen. Soc. Newsletter, v.16n.1, Jan. 2011 Warsaw High School senior cords, painted cream-colored corduroy pants, 1962 Thaddeus (Kosciusko Co. Hist. Soc., IN), v.84n.3, Aut. 2012

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History Tidbits: For Love of the Game, Basketball by Allison DePrey Singleton

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As winter is winding down, the sports world begins to look forward to March Madness. March Madness is a lively tournament for collegiate basketball teams across the United States. It is highly anticipated by basketball enthusiasts and college students who hope to root their teams to victory. Basketball is a decidedly American sport and has been highly venerated by Midwesterners in particular for generations. This article will explore the origins of the sport. There is very good reason that basketball is considered a truly American sport; the game was founded in Springfield, Massachusetts, in the late nineteenth century. Dr. James Naismith was teaching physical education at the International YMCA Training School, which later became Springfield College. In December 1891, he sought to create a new game to fill the void created by the winter off-seasons of many other sports. The goal was to make a safe, athletic, and confined game that would entertain his classes. He focused on safety by using a soccer ball, which was softer and less likely cause injury. He avoided physical contact by having the players throw the ball into a peach basket over their heads in order to score; the baskets were nailed to the lower railings of the gymnasium at a height of ten feet. Passing was the only way to move the ball down the court. With these rules, basketball was born. From its inception the game proved wildly popular. Students enjoyed it so much that they began to play it with their friends in other locations away from Dr. Naismith’s tutelage. The rules were published multiple times, and the game grew to state-wide popularity in Massachusetts, expanding quickly to the rest of the United States. Colleges and high schools introduced the sport to their athletic departments, and eventually the interest blossomed into a professional sport. Over time, the nation’s love for the game, its teams, and its star players of all ages, resulted high-spirited contests such as March Madness. The first thirteen rules of “Basket Ball,” as published by James Naismith in “The Triangle” of January 1892, are as follows: 1. The ball may be thrown in any direction with one or both hands. 2. The ball may be batted in any direction with one or both hands (never with the fist). 3. A player cannot run with the ball. The player must throw it from the spot on which he catches it, allowance to be made for a man who catches the ball when running at good speed if he tries to stop. 4. The ball must be held in or between the hands, the arms or body must not be used for holding it. 5. No shouldering, holding, pushing, tripping or striking in any way the person of an opponent shall be allowed; the first infringement of this rule by any person shall count as a foul, the second shall disqualify him until the next goal is made, or if there was evident intent to injure the person, for the whole of the game, no substitute allowed. 6. A foul is striking the ball with the fist, violation of rules 3 and 4, and such as described in rule 5. 7. If either side makes three consecutive fouls it shall count a goal for opponents (consecutive means without the opponents in the mean time making a foul). 8. A goal shall be made when the ball is thrown or batted from grounds into the basket and stays there, providing those defending the goal do not touch or disturb the goal. If the ball rests on the edges, and the opponent moves the basket, it shall count as a goal. 9. When the ball goes out of bounds, it shall be thrown into the field of play by the person first touching it. In case of a dispute, the umpire shall throw it straight into the field. The thrower in is allowed five seconds, if he holds it longer, it shall go to the opponent. If any side persists in delaying the game, the umpire shall call a foul on them. 10. The umpire shall be judge of the men and shall note the fouls and notify the referee when three consecutive fouls have been made. He shall have power to disqualify men according to Rule 5. 11. The referee shall be the judge of the ball and shall decide when the ball is in play, in bounds, to which side it belongs, and shall keep the time. He shall decide when a goal has been made, and keep account of the goals with any other duties that are usually performed by a referee. 12. The time shall be fifteen-minutes, halves, with five minutes’ rests between. 13. The side making the most goals in that time shall be declared the winner. In the case of a draw, the game may, by agreement of the captains, be continued until another goal is made. The Triangle, January, 1892. (n.d.). Retrieved February 17, 2018, from https://cdm16122.contentdm.oclc.org/digital/collection/p15370coll3/id/469/rec/1

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Library Catalog Insider by Kasia Young

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Welcome back! We hope you got a chance to look for your family name in our catalog, and that you were successful in your search. This month, we will show you how to navigate the library catalog to look for geographical names. Remember the Library of Congress and the controlled vocabulary? The Library of Congress has a set of rules (known as authorized headings) that determine how geographical names are formulated, which is important to know since it affects your search results. Let’s get started. Continents are easy: Africa, Antarctica, Asia, Australia, Europe, North America and South America. Very rarely will you be using locations this vague in your research. Most country names are pretty straightforward, like the United States and Canada. For countries like Myanmar (formerly known as Burma), or the Russian Federation (also known as Russia and the Soviet Union), it is helpful to know the history of the location that you are researching to get the best catalog search results. For the names of states in the U.S., the Library of Congress follows the regular naming pattern, except the state of New York, which is: New York (State). The names of counties in the U.S. can be a little tricky, because the Library of Congress uses the traditional abbreviations for states. For example Indiana becomes Ind., so if you are looking for Allen County, Indiana, your search would look like this: Allen County (Ind.). But of course there are exceptions. Some states do not have abbreviations, like Ohio. Your search for Defiance County, Ohio should look like this: Defiance County (Ohio). This is something that will come to you more naturally after you familiarize yourself with the Library of Congress abbreviations. Here is the list of abbreviations that appear in our library catalog: Alabama-----Ala. Alaska-----Alaska Arizona-----Ariz. Arkansas-----Ark. California-----Calif. Colorado-----Colo. Connecticut-----Conn. Delaware-----Del. District of Columbia-----D.C. Florida-----Fla. Georgia-----Ga. Hawaii-----Hawaii Idaho-----Idaho Illinois-----Ill. Indiana-----Ind. Iowa-----Iowa Kansas-----Kan. Kentucky-----Ky. Louisiana-----La. Maine-----Me. Maryland-----Md. Massachusetts-----Mass. Michigan-----Mich. Minnesota-----Minn. Mississippi-----Miss. Missouri-----Mo. Montana-----Mont. Nebraska-----Neb. Nevada-----Nev. New Hampshire-----N.V. New Jersey-----N.J. New Mexico-----N.Y. New York-----N.Y. North Carolina-----N.C. North Dakota-----N.D. Ohio-----Ohio Oklahoma-----Okla. Oregon-----Ore. Pennsylvania-----Pa. Rhode Island-----R.I. South Carolina-----S.C. South Dakota-----S.D. Tennessee-----Tenn. Texas-----Tex. Utah-----Utah Vermont-----Vt. Virginia-----Va. Washington-----Wash. West Virginia-----W.Va. Wisconsin-----Wis. Wyoming-----Wyo. Townships in the U.S. are a whole other story. An authorized heading for a township can look like this: Aboite (Ind.: Township), Allen Township (Miami County, Ind.), or Jackson (Allen County, Ind. : Township). Here are some examples of what results you will get by searching a combination of these search terms: “Jackson Township Allen County Ind." yields 10 results, “Jackson Ind. Township” yields 11 results, “Jackson (Allen County, Ind. : Township)” yields 13 results, "Jackson Township Ind." yields 14 results. As always, we advise you to use a combination of searches for best results. Most U.S. cities’ headings are self-explanatory. For example, the heading for Fort Wayne, Indiana is: Fort Wayne (Ind.). Names of cities that start with St. (Saint) are spelled out in most cases; that is: Saint Joseph (Mich.) and not St. Joseph (Mich.). Also, there are a handful of headings for smaller localities that are irregular, for example: Seelyville (Ind. : Town). However, those will not affect your searches. A little bonus tip for March: if a city or town has a population of less than 500 residents, the Genealogy Center catalogers assign headings and call numbers for a larger unit, normally a county. If you are researching a location that falls into this category, an authorized heading might not exist, and therefore it would not show up in your search results. In these cases, we suggest searching under the county. Next month, we will show you how to search for specific types of records. Stay tuned!

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DNA and Genealogy Interest Group

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Have you done a DNA test for genealogical purposes? Do you completely understand the results you received? Do you need advice in interpreting your results? Are you interested and wonder what the best test is for you? Come to the DNA & Genealogy Interest Group Meeting on the 1st Thursday of the month from 6:30 p.m. - 7:30 p.m. to share and learn from each other! The next meeting is Thursday, March 1, 2018. Come in and share!

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March Madness – Genealogy Style: Getting to Know You, Learn about The Genealogy Center

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It’s almost time for that Indiana basketball insanity known as March Madness. But before that, we offer our own genealogy version of March Madness on March 4 through March 10, 2018! Don’t let the clock run out on these talks that will provide clues on how to best utilize The Genealogy Center for your research needs! Events will be held in the Discovery Center. For more information, see the brochure at http://genealogycenter.org/docs/MarchMadness2018. Sunday, March 4, 2018, 2:00 p.m. – The Genealogy Center VIP Tour of The Genealogy Center – Aaron Smith This tour of The Genealogy Center will get you up-close and personal with all areas of the collection, the technology available for use, and a look at some of the behind the scenes operations. You’ll be much more comfortable using the Center after this VIP Tour. Come prepared to walk and have a good time. Monday, March 5, 2018, 6:30 p.m. – Discovery Center Finding Your Path: Using the Pathfinder Tab and Microtext Catalog - Delia Cothrun Bourne You’ve rolled your mouse over that Pathfinder tab at the top of The Genealogy Center’s webpage. What are those Guides and Snapshots? And how do you make sense of the Microtext Catalog? This session will answer those questions and more. It will open-up the vast amounts of information you can obtain using The Genealogy Center’s website and collections! Tuesday, March 6, 2018, 6:30 p.m. – Discovery Center American Ancestors: An Amazing Digital Resource for New England and New York - John D. Beatty, CG This class will examine the “American Ancestors” website of the New England Historic Genealogical Society, the oldest genealogical organization in the United States. We will look at the myriad of databases, the scholarship, and a few images from this digital resource. We will demonstrate why it is an indispensable and preeminent tool for researching ancestors in the northeastern part of the country. Wednesday, March 7, 2018, 6:30 p.m. – Discovery Center Unlock the Power of Periodicals with PERSI - Adam Barrone Countless authors have preserved family and local history by submitting their articles to newsletters, magazines, and journals. Learn to use the Periodical Source Index (PERSI) online to find articles of interest to you. Thursday, March 8, 2018, 6:30 p.m. – Discovery Center Ancestry DNA: Understanding Your Results - Sara Allen Have you taken Ancestry.com's DNA test? Are you wondering how to use Ancestry’s website to view and understand your DNA results? This program will present introductory information about the Ancestry DNA website and DNA results as well as more advanced information for those experienced with DNA. Friday, March 9, 2018, 2:30 p.m. – Discovery Center Getting to Know Our Free Databases - Allison DePrey Singleton Were you aware of the Free Databases on The GenealogyCenter.org website? Did you know that you can access them from home? This presentation will take you through all eleven categories of the Free Databases listed and how you can make them work for your family history research. Saturday, March 10, 2018, 10:00 a.m. – Discovery Center Striking It Rich! Making the Most of The Genealogy Center’s Catalog - Aaron Smith Of the million+ items available in The Genealogy Center, how can we possibly find the right resource for our needs? This presentation will guide you through the possibilities available for searching and locating exactly what can help you the most, using the unique enhancements our catalogers apply to every record.

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Holocaust Remembrance Event

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A Holocaust Remembrance Event is being held at the Rifkin Campus, 5200 Old Mill Road, Fort Wayne, Indiana 7 p.m. on April 16, 2018. The Jewish Federation of Fort Wayne has invited Martin Goldsmith to speak. He traced the lives of his grandfather, grandmother, uncle and great aunt, who were all victims of the Nazi persecution and the Holocaust. His two books present that research to the public in a personal way: “The Inextinguishable Symphony: A True Story of Music and Love in Nazi Germany” and “Alex's Wake: The Tragic Voyage of the St. Louis to Flee Nazi Germany and a Grandson’s Journey of Love and Remembrance.” He is known in this community primarily as an NPR music announcer and as a satellite radio announcer of classical music. Before the event there will be music played by members of the Fort Wayne Philharmonic's Youth Orchestra. Following the remembrance ceremony there will be refreshments and a chance to browse story boards depicting people's lives affected by the Holocaust. These story boards were created by students at New Tech High School here in Fort Wayne. Mark your calendars for this April event.

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Interested in Jewish Genealogy?

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Work is underway to establish a local chapter of the International Association of Jewish Genealogical Societies to serve Northeast Indiana. Activities would include exchanging ideas, working on projects of interest, and connecting to the broader Jewish genealogical community. If you are interested in becoming a member, please send an email confirming your interest to the Allen County Public Library' Genealogy Center at Genealogy@ACPL.info.

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Preservation Week 2018 – Saving Your Family Legacy

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An important part of family history is preservation: preservation of family and community history, preservation of family and community documents and heirlooms, preservation of stories and oral history. The Genealogy Center will celebrate Preservation Week April 23 to April 27, 2018, with information on the care and preservation of your family’s, and your community’s, legacy. Sessions will be held in the Discovery Center during the last week of April. For information about the events, see the brochure at http://genealogycenter.org/docs/PreservationWeek2018. Monday April 23, 2018, 6:30 p.m., Discovery Center Save Me! Recreating Professional Archivist Strategies at Home - Emily Rapoza When looking at old documents or photographs, the first questions asked are often: “What do I do with this?” or “How do I save this?” Learn the initial steps to help keep documents safe and preserved at home, including encapsulation and digitization. Emily will include some demonstrations! Tuesday April 24, 2018, 6:30 p.m., Discovery Center Your Home Archives: Organizing and Preserving the Heirloom Paper in Your Life - John Beatty This session will offer guidance on how to preserve and arrange those precious documents so that they can be kept safe for today and passed down to the future. Wednesday April 25, 2018, 6:30 p.m., Discovery Center I Have My Family “Stuff” (Photos, Papers, Diaries, etc.): What’s Next? - Melissa Tennant, Kay Spears, Emily Rapoza Do you have a box of stuff? Do you have photographs, letters, diaries, cards and scraps of paper that you don’t know what to do with? How does one preserve a photograph, a journal, a diary, etc.? How does one go about scanning? What are the recommended ways of preserving family memories? What tools are available on Apple or Windows computers which may be used for preserving family images, etc.? How do you label photos, letters and journals? How do you organize, number, label and store items? This is the time to ask your questions! Our panelists are ready to answer these questions and more! Thursday, April 26, 2018, 6:30 p.m., Discover Center A Need to Remember: Preserving Memories - Allison DePrey Singleton Trying to keep someone’s memory alive can be difficult as the years go by. Realizing your children and grandchildren will have questions for you after you are gone can raise awareness of a need. Losing a dear friend or family member can trigger a need. The desire to preserve our history or a loved one’s history can pop up at any time. This presentation will explore different options for preserving stories, photographs, and memories. Friday, April 27, 2018, 2:30 p.m., Discovery Center & Maker Lab, Allen County Public Library Using the Maker Lab to Preserve Family History - Sara Allen Learn how ACPL’s Maker Lab can be used to preserve your family history. Join us as we tour the Maker Lab and learn how to convert family wedding videos to DVD; convert family vacation slides to digital files; make 3-D replicas of family memorabilia, sports logos, company logos, and more.

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Staying Informed about Genealogy Center Programming

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Do you want to know what we’ve got planned? Are you interested in one of our events, but forget? We are now offering email updates for The Genealogy Center’s programming schedule. Don’t miss out! Sign up at http://goo.gl/forms/THcV0wAabB.

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Area Calendar of Events

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Allen County Genealogical Society of Indiana, Inc. (ACGSI) Monthly Program March 14, 2018 - Allen County Public Library, 900 Library Plaza, Fort Wayne, Indiana, refreshments & networking begins at 6:30 p.m., program at 7 p.m. Melissa Tennant will present: “Using FamilySearch for Your Family History.” Mary Penrose Wayne DAR Chapter Library Help Day for Prospective Members March 7, 2018 – The Genealogy Center, Allen County Public Library, 900 Library Plaza, Fort Wayne, Indiana, 10 - 4 p.m. Members of the Mary Penrose Wayne Chapter of the Daughters of the American Revolution will provide help to those interested in joining the D.A.R. who would like advice and assistance in their research. No appointment is necessary. Mary Penrose Wayne DAR Chapter Meeting March 10, 2018 - Allen County Public Library, 900 Library Plaza, Fort Wayne, Indiana, 1 p.m. Program: Master Gardener - Native Plants & Attracting Pollinators The George R. Mather Lecture Series March 4, 2018 – The History Center, 302 East Berry Street, Fort Wayne, Indiana, 2 p.m. Cynthia Thies presents: "Lesser-Known First Ladies - 1865 to 1892: From the Farms to the Factories, The Age of Invention and Industry."

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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 302. 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 312. 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.org. Scroll to the bottom, click on E-zine, and fill out the form. 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 Genealogy Gems you just received or send an email to kspears@acpl.lib.in.us with "unsubscribe e-zine" in the subject line. Curt B. Witcher and John D. Beatty, CG, co-editors