January 2007

Genealogy Gems:

News from the Fort Wayne Library No. 35, January 31, 2007

In this issue:

What a Grand Opening!

Genealogical and Biographical Directory to Persons in New Netherland from 1613 to 1674

Kentucky Vital Records

Countdown to Conference 2007

February Program--Flickr Presentation

Preservation Tip of the Month

Area Calendar of Events

Driving Directions to the Library

Parking at the Library

Queries for the Department

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What a Grand Opening! by Curt B. Witcher

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In case you may not have heard, The Genealogy Center and the rest of the Allen County Public Library opened in our new facility this past Saturday! And what a Grand Opening it was! More than two thousand people came through the Genealogy Center in the first five hours we were open. Library director, Jeff Krull emceed the Grand Opening event, beginning the ceremony with eloquent words about what it took to bring the library and the community to this wonderful new era early in 2007. Library Board President, Jerry Hoemig, reflected on the importance of this twenty-first century library facility for the downtown Fort Wayne area as well as all of Allen County. He recognized various community leaders and officials for their support. Library benefactor, Ted Sloane, spoke about the importance of libraries to education and life-long learning. The keynote speaker was the Chief Justice of the Indiana Supreme Court, Randall T. Shepard. With his congratulations to the library and the Allen County community, the Chief Justice commented on the great importance of libraries to vibrant communities--communities where education, the arts, and cultural appreciation thrive. He contrasted the visionary thinking of those in this institution with the appalling cuts many libraries on the east coast are facing where books that are not among the “hot picks” for a given time period are purged from collections. Then the ribbons to all the departments were severed and the amazement began. The new Allen County Public Library is really something to see! Indeed, it is a must see for anyone interested in libraries and family history. From the new cafe to the expanded computer labs, from the building-wide wireless connectivity to the amazing amounts of printed materials on browsing shelves, the entire library is warm and inviting. The new Genealogy Center complements the library-wide wireless access with thirty-nine Internet terminals and seven additional “catalog only” computers. An HP Digital Sender 9200C provides genealogists with the opportunity to email scanned page images to their personal accounts--or to other researchers with whom they are collaborating. An array of new ST200 Digital Imaging Systems provide users of the Center’s vast microtext collection with the ability to print images they have selected, save those images to a jump-drive or memory stick, or burn the images to a CD-ROM. And of course, all genealogy and local history materials are on open, browsing shelves for ready access by researchers. Many more genealogy and family history programs will be offered in our new facility. The state-of-the-art meeting rooms, computer labs, and fixed-seat theater beg to be used for seminars, workshops, institutes, and programs of all kinds. Watch for forthcoming issues of “Genealogy Gems” to learn of these exciting and worthwhile activities. Indeed, there is a February program announcement further on in this newsletter. You really have to come and experience the facility--both now and in August, when we will be hosting that fantastic Federation of Genealogical Societies conference. More news about that is also in this publication. The Allen County Public Library’s Genealogy Center--even more than ever the place to go to discover where you’re from!

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Genealogical and Biographical Directory to Persons in New Netherland from 1613 to 1674 by John D. Beatty

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“New Netherland” is a term used to describe the territory of indistinct boundaries, including parts of New York and New Jersey, held by the Dutch West India Company during the first three quarters of the seventeenth century. Settled principally but not exclusively by Dutch nationals, the area also attracted English, Germans, and Swedes, and remained under the administrative control of the company until the Netherlands ceded it by treaty to England in 1674. An important tool for researching this heterogeneous group of seventeenth century settlers is David M. Riker’s four-volume “Genealogical and Biographical Directory to Persons in New Netherland from 1613 to 1674” (GC 974.7 R449ge). With a purpose similar to that of Robert Charles Anderson’s “Great Migration” series for New England, Riker seeks to document every person who settled in New Netherland during this time period, supplying a genealogical summary of husbands and wives, with lists of children and sometimes grandchildren reconstructed from probate and baptismal sources, and significantly, also including the places of origin in Europe when known. He defines the geographical scope of his study as Manhattan and Staten islands, the Hudson River Valley to Albany and Schenectady, the present Bronx and Westchester County, New York, Bergen County, New Jersey, and the western end of Long Island. Unlike Anderson’s work, however, Riker’s text consists predominantly of typed family group charts instead of narratives, and he considers his directory to be a work in progress rather than a final, definitive study. In addition, Riker directs readers to information gleaned exclusively from published works that he admits may not always be reliable, rather than also including manuscript sources, which may yield additional and more accurate information. Sources are abbreviated in the text with a key in the introduction. Arrangement is by surname with additional comment at the beginning about the idiosyncrasies of Dutch naming patterns and the widespread use of patronymic surnames that changed with each generation. Because of the complexity of this region, its sources and customs, this printed set is a useful place for beginning research, but it should not be considered a final, authoritative study.

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Kentucky Vital Records by Delia Cothrun Bourne

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The Commonwealth of Kentucky ordered that the recording of vital records commence in 1852, but by 1861, compliance with that mandate had dwindled among the counties. Through the following 50 years, some counties started and stopped keeping records at various times, and even though additional legislation precipitated another start in 1874, by 1879, most counties had stopped keeping records yet again. In 1911, the Commonwealth again began requiring birth and death records. The Genealogy Center has microfilm copies of the early, pre-1911 records, as well as indexes covering 1911 through 1954. Optimistically entitled “1852-1910 Kentucky Birth, Marriage and Death Records,” this unindexed collection is contained on 31 rolls of microfilm. The material is arranged by county, the record type (birth, marriage, or death), then roughly chronologically within a specific year. Although a few counties have produced indexes in various formats, if a researcher knows the year and county, a search will not take long. In the 1850s, birth records include date, name of child, whether it was born alive or dead, place, father’s or owner’s name, mother’s name, color of child, and residence. Besides the date and place of the event, marriage records give groom’s name, residence, age, indication of the number of the marriage, occupation, and birthplace of him and his parents, with the same information, with the exception of occupation, given for the bride. Later marriage records indicate whether the principals were single or widowed, and record remarks, such as guardian consents. The death records supply date, name, age, gender, marital status, occupation, place of birth, parents or owner, place of death, and residence. Birthplaces of parents and cause of death were added in the 1870s. The listings of places of birth of parents may indicate just the state, but usually a specific county is cited if that state is Kentucky. Also, the place of death is not always the county of record, as in the case of farmer Thomas Taylor, who, according to the Ohio County, Kentucky death records, died in New York City. If the year of an event in your ancestor’s life is not covered by surviving records, remember to seek information on siblings. “The Index to Kentucky Birth and Death Records 1911-1938,” on 42 rolls of microfilm, is an annual index of both births and deaths, in which the deaths are in bold print. Provided are name, county, date, volume and certificate number, and mother’s maiden name for births. On 39 rolls of microfilm, “The Kentucky Birth and Death Records 1939-1954” separate births from deaths, and, by year, supply name, date, county, mother’s maiden name, and volume and certificate number for births, and the name, date, age, county of event, a county of residence code, and volume and certificate number for deaths.

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Countdown to Conference 2007! by Elaine M. Kuhn

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The FGS/ACPL 2007 Conference now has its own website! If you plan to attend the conference, to be held in Fort Wayne, Indiana on August 15th-18th, you’ll want to take a look at all the website provides. Visitors to the site can view important information regarding registration, exhibits, special events, lodging, and meetings. Check it out at FGSConference.org. While you’re inspecting the new conference website, remember to take a look at some of the other area websites that might make your conference trip to and visit in Fort Wayne all the more enjoyable. For basic “getting to know us” information, see the Fort Wayne / Allen County Convention & Visitors Bureau website at www.visitfortwayne.com . The Fort Wayne International Airport’s website not only provides flight and airline information, it contains ground transportation and hotel shuttle information as well. See their website at www.fwairport.com. And, of course, stay tuned to the Allen County Public Library’s website at www.ACPL.Info and check your monthly issues of “Genealogy Gems” for more Genealogy Center news. With the opening of our renovated building at 900 Library Plaza, there will be many, many events taking place that will be of great interest to genealogists and historians, including the FGS/ACPL Conference in August. Exciting things are happening in the Fort in 2007. Hope you can be a part of them!

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February Program--Flickr Presentation

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Sharing photos and scanned documents has never been easier, thanks to several new online software programs. One of the most popular of these programs is Flickr, and on Tuesday, February 27th at 2 p.m. at the Main Library in Meeting Room A on the first floor, ACPL Librarian Sara Patalita will present, "Using Flickr to Document Your Genealogy." Sara will discuss the ins and outs of Flickr for storing and documenting your historic photographs. There is no charge to attend the presentation, but registration is required. Contact the Genealogy Center at (260) 421-1225 or send an email to Genealogy@ACPL.Info to sign up.

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Preservation Tip of the Month

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Check out this link at the National Archives on “Caring for Your Family Archives.” There is a lot to explore and discover there. www.archives.gov/preservation/family-archives/index.html

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Area Calendar of Events

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Allen County Genealogical Society of Indiana (ACGSI) Refreshments at 6:30, meeting at 7:00. Questions: contact Katie Bloom kathrynabloom@verizon.net Wednesday, February 14, 2007, Main Library at 900 Library Plaza: John B. Kalb will speak about early postal correspondence and stampless folded letters. Computer Users Group--Third Wednesday of each month. Questions? Contact Marge Graham, gramar57@aol.com or 672-2585. Daughters of the American Revolution (DAR) "First Wednesday" program is suspended for January of 2007 during the Genealogy Center's major move to its newly expanded location at 900 Library Plaza. Look for them on February 7, 2007 in the new department from 9A – 7pm. Expert help from members of the DAR in becoming a member of that organization

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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, on the block bordered on the south by Washington Boulevard, the west by Ewing Street, the north by Webster Street, and the east by the Library Plaza, formerly Webster Street. We would enjoy having you visit the Genealogy Department. 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% 20Webster%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 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. 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 off of 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. ALPC card holders may use their cards validate the parking ticket in 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 $65. Public lots are located at the corner of Ewing and Wayne Streets ($1 each for the first two half-hours, $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 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: 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 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. To subscribe to Genealogy Gems, simply use your browser to go to the website: www.FriendsOfAllenCounty.org. 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 e-zine" in the subject line. Curt Witcher, editor pro-tem