January 2018

Genealogy Gems:

News from the Allen County Public Library at Fort Wayne No. 167, January 31, 2018

In this issue:

Doing New . . . and Getting Different . . . in the New Year

Missing Persons Websites

Free Digital Newspaper Collections Technology

Tip of the Month--Old photographs: Carte de Visite aka CDV

Quick-Tip of the Month for Preservation--The Old Family Photos Project

PERSI Gems

History Tidbits: Super Bowl History

Library Catalog Insider

DNA Interest Group

Last Chance for WinterTech!

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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Doing New . . . and Getting Different . . . in the New Year by Curt B. Witcher

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Along with the New Year comes a number of new opportunities for learning and growth. I am pleased to announce one such new opportunity for learning in this ezine. At the suggestion of one of our catalogers, Kasia Young, we are starting a new feature called, “Library Catalog Insider.” Most libraries, including the Allen County Public Library, invest a significant amount of resources (time and treasure!) developing this discovery tool. Yet, our experience continues to be that so many individuals either don’t use the online catalog at all, or under-utilize it because they don’t get the answers they are expecting or their searches don’t yield the desired results. This new feature will provide practical tips on how best to search to obtain results that are most meaningful to you. To complement this new feature, another cataloging colleague, Aaron Smith, is presenting a March program titled, “Striking It Rich! Making the Most of The Genealogy Center’s Catalog.” See details further in this ezine. Though we finished the holidays just last month, and likely you think you really don’t want to hear about it or think about it yet, I just have to ask: How are your end of 2018 holiday plans coming along? I am sure I am getting a lot of “What?!” thoughts and responses to that question. But think about it. How many of us will start thinking about some remarkable, out of the ordinary family history related gifts we can give to family members around ten months from now? And that is too late to engage in some neat projects that will produce gifts all will remember and cherish. During this past holiday season, I heard a few individuals talk about compiling small books on branches of their families to give to their children and grandchildren. It takes more effort than one might initially think to do a good job at putting together such a compilation. Organizing information in a logical, readable manner; crafting the writing so that it is clear and engaging; and finding pictures to properly illustrate the text (and yes, to the most robust extent possible, pictures are a must) all take a good deal of time. Now truly is not too soon to start. At family gatherings of all types, many enjoy watching home movies and videos taken years ago. A great project for an end of the year holiday gift might be to take those movies and videos, and create a digital life story for a particular relative or specific family. At the end of April, in our preservation series of presentations, one of my colleagues, Sara Allen, will be introducing interested participants to our library’s “Maker Lab” where one can digitize and edit all kinds of media. Do something truly new for this year’s final celebrations. The benefits may be way more than you can imagine right now. While thinking of doing new things to get different, and we hope better, results, have you thought about “mixing it up” a little bit when it comes to your actual research? Many have heard the expression, “If you always do what you’ve always done, you’ll always get what you’ve always got.” Getting what you’ve always got—how is that working for you? Though not in all instances, but often enough, our research efforts tend to encourage us to get into a resource rut. We look for the same record types, and explore for generally the same kind of data in those record types. Sometimes taking a step back and exploring different types of records as well as the same record in new ways can be quite beneficial. Appropriately we often hunt for obituaries of our relatives. Do we take any time to read other earlier issues of the newspaper from the town where our ancestor passed? In all the newspapers we use, do we at least glance at the social columns, the farm and manufacturing reports, the highlights of what was making news in that area? When we use enumerations of any type, do we analyze all the data, not just the names and potential relationships? Value of personal property, real estate, boarders, ability to read and write, occupation, neighbors—all can provide great context and possibly a number of consequential research leads. We’ve heard before that “doing the history eliminates the mystery.” That would suggest we consider doing something a little different—trying a new approach. Something new might be to research in depth the company or regiment for every ancestor who served in the military. Where did they enlist and where were they discharged? In which battles were they engaged? Who wrote and who received letters to and from the home front? Who kept a diary? Another something new might be to thoroughly research the town histories of each our ancestors’ places of residence and work, and where applicable, research the church histories of the places where our ancestors worshipped. The number of books online for free viewing at FamilySearch.org and the Internet Archive is truly staggering. The number of newspapers for free viewing at the Library of Congress’ “Chronicling America” website as well as on state memory project websites and nearly innumerable library, historical society, and archive websites is beyond amazing. The free online resources linked through the Digital Public Library of America (DPLA) can be a wonderland for one interested in enriching research by doing a little different—doing something new. And speaking of new opportunities, there are many excellent educational opportunities this year, filled with many new presentations and ideas. Plug into RootsTech which starts at the very end of February and continues through the first days of March. Whether you are fortunate enough to attend in person or you’re attending through the many online opportunities, there is much to explore and learn at the intersection of technology and family history.

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Missing Persons Websites by Delia Cothrun Bourne

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Some family history researchers are not as interested in tracing distant ancestors as they are in finding what happened to a specific missing relative in more recent times. Here are two websites that may provide some assistance in these situations. “The National Institute of Justice's National Missing and Unidentified Persons System (NamUs)” https://namus.gov/ is a centralized resource center for missing persons and unidentified decedent records. NamUs is a free online system that can be searched by medical examiners, coroners, law enforcement officers, and the general public in hope of resolving these cases. One can register to input queries, but one can also search the databases without registering. When a new missing person or unidentified decedent case is entered into NamUs, the system automatically performs crossmatching comparisons between the databases, searching for matches or similarities between cases. NamUs consists of three databases. The Missing Persons Database contains information that can be entered by anyone who has registered, although the information must be verified before it appears on NamUs. This database can be searched by first or last name, gender, and state or U.S. Territory. Results will provide a photo, height and weight, and the age that the person would be now. Added notes could detail sightings or will note if a person has been found. The Unidentified Persons Database, which has information entered by medical examiners and coroners, includes the unidentified deceased who have not been identified. This database supplies characteristics such as gender, race, distinct body features and even dental information. It is searchable by gender, race, ethnicity, as well as date, age, and state last known alive. The results of a search in this database will also note who has been ruled out as a possibility. The UnClaimed Persons Database contains information about identified deceased people for whom no next of kin or family member are known. Although only medical examiners and coroners may enter cases in this database, it is searchable by anyone who is registered. Most of the records in NamUs are from the late 20th and early 21st centuries, so searching for long lost friends or relatives may not be possible, but this is nevertheless a wonderful website for those seeking those more recently lost. A similar website is the “Charley Project” http://charleyproject.org/, named for Charles Brewster Ross, who was abducted from his home in Germantown, Pennsylvania, on July 1, 1874, when he was just four years old. The Charley Project is a database that profiles almost 10,000 persons that have been missing for more than a year in the United States, its territories, or military bases. It includes runaways and children abducted by family members, but it does not include adoption searches. Cases are posted by the administrator only, although searching is available to all. Most cases date from the mid- 20th century and later, but there are a few from the early 1900s. It may be searched alphabetically, by date, or by geographic location. Each case provides a photo, physical description, and details concerning the disappearance. Updates appear when the administrator has time to input them, and when a case is solved, information appears in a section titled Resolved Cases. The site itself does not have contact with the families of those missing, nor does it participate in the search. Both of these websites could be useful to anyone searching for missing friends, relatives, and loved ones.

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Free Digital Newspaper Collections by Melissa Tennant

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Local newspapers are a rich historical resource that document the social, political, and economic influences that surrounded our ancestors in their local and regional communities. Researchers can search newspapers for birth, marriage, and death announcements, but if we dig deeper, stories about specific people, families, and communities begin to emerge. One can discover revealing items about their family dynamics, such as quarrels, scandals, court appearances, as well as such activities as family trips, visits from other family members, birthday parties, and social gatherings. Nothing was off-limits for many local newspapers, where graphic details of ailments, accidents, and deaths were regularly divulged. A wide range of newspapers from varying time periods and locales are currently being digitized, providing researchers with quicker and easier access to these collections. Below are some great examples of state-based organizations that provide free access to local newspapers. The Indiana State Library offers free digital access to more than 270 newspaper titles at the “Hoosier State Chronicles” website . The full-text images and transcriptions can be searched or browsed. To determine which newspaper titles and date ranges are covered, view the alphabetical list under the “Titles” tab or by the location under the “Counties” tab. The Clarke Historical Library at Central Michigan University’s “Digital Michigan Newspaper Portal”  is a directory of digitized newspapers available online at free and pay websites. The Portal is organized alphabetically by county and then by newspaper title. Each title has a note indicating whether the digital newspaper is free or behind a pay wall and links directly to the digital collection. The Clarke Historical Library also offers “Digital Michigan Newspapers” , where approximately 50 newspaper titles can be searched or browsed. The Ohio History Connection also provides a catalog of “Ohio’s Digitized Newspapers” at . The title list can be searched alphabetically by title, city, county, or region, as well as by time period and by type of paper, such as African American, Republican, Democratic, Independent, etc. Hyperlinked titles are linked directly to the newspaper collection, which can be searched or browsed. Titles listed in the directory that are not yet hyperlinked will be so in the future. Anyone interested in discovering their family’s role in the larger historical narrative of their community should search digital newspaper collections for their state and find those family stories.

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Technology Tip of the Month--Old photographs: Carte de Visite aka CDV by Kay Spears

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Cartes de visite are one of my favorite styles of photographs. For those of us who manage to mutilate the French language, they are also called CDVs. These photographs are easy to identify on account of their size. Introduced in the United States around 1859, they started to become popular around 1861, peaked between 1863 and 1874, and then waned. Here’s how you can spot one: they are paper thin photographs that have been mounted or glued to a card stock or Bristol board. Usually that size is 2½ by 4-4¼. Notice that I said “usually.” When the CDV first became popular, photographers cut the card stock by hand, so the early CDVs can vary just a little in size. Sometime in 1862, pre-cut cards began to be manufactured and sold to photographers. You will notice in this article and others that there are a lot of dates when things happened in photographic history. These are important to researchers, because they can help you date a photograph or the person in that photograph. It’s always important to remember to look at the entire artifact, not just the person or thing in the photograph. Let your mind wander. Ask such questions as: I wonder when they started using that type of paper or when they started drawing two lines instead of one on card stock. You may go down some manufacturing roads you never dreamed of to help with your research. And, if you like to research, then taking an unexpected path can be exciting. What does a carte de visite look like? Well, besides the size, it will have, for the most part, a brown/sepia tint. Later ones may have a gray or black tint. Most CDVs are albumen prints, made by applying egg whites to paper and then sensitizing the paper with silver nitrate. As with tintypes, daguerreotypes, and ambrotypes, CDVs could also be tinted with color. One of the things I find remarkable about CDVs is that, for the most part, the images are very clear. Oh sure, occasionally you will see one where there were obvious problems with the development, the image is fading, or someone has scribbled on the surface. But, when compared to other earlier types of photographs, CDVs hold up very well. Next article: More Carte de Visite clues.

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Quick-Tip of the Month for Preservation--The Old Family Photos Project

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Mentioned in a recent edition of a terrific blog, ResearchBuzz, one will find the article entitled, “The Old Family Photos Project: Lessons in Creating Family Photos that People Want to Keep," a very good and informative read. https://medium.com/@estherschindler/the-old-family-photos-project-lessons-in-creating-familyphotos-that-people-want-to-keep-ea3909129943

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PERSI Gems by Adam Barrone and Michael Hudson

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Given names that strike the modern researcher as unusual can be found throughout PERSI. These names reflect changing naming patterns, cultural and religious customs, or family traditions. Our Puritan ancestors often bestowed given names with a religious or moral purpose. Typically these names can be found in England and New England from the 16th-18th centuries, but they turn up elsewhere as well. PERSI can be a good way to find some of these names. http://search.findmypast.com/search/periodical-source-index Such names can provide evidence for our ancestors’ religious beliefs. Here are a few examples from England and Ireland: Zealous and Thankful Foote baptism notices, 1607, Arlington, England "Cleveland Family History Journal," Vol. 4, No. 12, Oct., 1991 God's Blessing Bell baptism notice, 1607, Arlington, England "Cleveland Family History Journal," Vol. 4, No. 12, Oct., 1991 No-Merit Vinall baptism notice, 1607, Arlington, England "Cleveland Family History Journal," Vol. 4, No. 12, Oct., 1991 Morefruit Stone baptism notice, 1607, Arlington, England "Cleveland Family History Journal," Vol. 4, No. 12, Oct., 1991 Righteous Rothwell burial notice, age 3 days, d. 1805, Tottington, England "Lancashire Family History Society Journal," Vol. 4, No. 4, Nov. 1983 Freegift Witham burial notice, d. 1631-1632, Mistley, England "Essex Family Historian," No. 133, Sep. 2009 Faithful Teate, Cromwellian poet, bio. and career, c. 1626-1700 "Breifne (Co. Cavan, Ireland)," Vol. 11, No. 43, 2007) Repentaunce Lingard baptism, 1595, Canterbury, England "Kent Family History Journal," Vol. 1, No. 3, June, 1975 Comfort Poor burial register affidavit note, 1701, Selling, England "Kent Family History Journal," Vol, 1, No. 21, Dec., 1979

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History Tidbits: Super Bowl History by Allison DePrey Singleton

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American Football has existed in the United States for well over a century. Its origins can be traced to multiple types of sports and many different “Fathers of Football.” The sport is kind of a “mutt,” similar to the United States itself. We are made up of people from many different countries, and football is made from many different sports. Football grew up with the country. Men were playing the game at the collegiate level and as an intermural type sport for years before anyone was ever paid to play the game. Once money became part of the equation, the National Football League (NFL) was created in 1920. The NFL helped the sport to grow in popularity and in monetary value over the years while fighting off competing leagues. In 1960, the American Football League (AFL) was created and became the first true competitor to the NFL. The NFL created the need for this additional league by suppressing the expansion of the NFL league with additional teams. Those persons pushing to expand the NFL decided that since they could not start their own teams within the NFL, they would create an entire league. By the middle of the decade, the leagues were pulling players, fans, and profit from each other. Merger talks began in earnest with NFL Commissioner Pete Rozelle and the owner of the AFL’s Kansas City Chiefs, Lamar Hunt. The NFL and AFL reached a merger agreement prior to the 1966 season, which took effect at the start of the 1970 season. Until the date of the official merger, the leagues agreed to begin playing a championship game for professional football. The NFL and AFL owners chose the name “AFL-NFL Championship Game” for the championship game. While discussing the game, Hunt referred to it as the “Super Bowl” and it stuck. While the owners thought there was a better name out there and even gave the game another name, Super Bowl was the name used by the press. Eventually, there were other names used for events and people surrounding the game, “Super Week,” “Super Sunday,” “Super Teams,” “Super Players,” and more. There was no escaping the name of Super Bowl. Hunt had said that the word “Super” must have been in his head, since his children were playing with a “Super Ball.” The use of the word bowl refers to a post-season college football game, which grew out of the Rose Bowl Game, the first post-season college football game played in 1902 as a part of the Pasadena Tournament of Roses. The game was initially called the “Tournament EastWest football game,” but morphed into the Rose Bowl Game when it began being played in the newlybuilt Rose Bowl Stadium in 1923. The stadium was called a “bowl” due to the bowl-shape design and being a part of the Tournament of Roses. By 1967, the term was used commonly to describe a major football game. The “Super Bowl” has grown larger and larger nearly every year. Roman numerals were added to the end of “Super Bowl” to designate the different games. Cities apply and compete to host the game years in advance. Football fans dream of seeing their teams make it to the Super Bowl. A win at the Super Bowl for one’s favorite team is cause for celebration, often accompanied by the purchase and display of memorabilia commemorating the win. The Super Bowl has grown from a merger championship game into a multimillion dollar extravaganza. While no one knows what the outcome on February 4th will be, we do know that people from across the country will be watching the Philadelphia Eagles and the New England Patriots with high hopes.

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Library Catalog Insider by Kasia Young

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Have you made a New Year’s resolution to start working on your family history? With so many options for genealogy research available to us these days, it is easy to forget the humble library catalog. In this new segment, we would like to get you excited about using our catalog by sharing with you the best tips for a successful catalog search. What you want to remember when searching a library catalog is that you have to think like a librarian, or a cataloger to be more specific. The cataloging librarians use a set of rules created by the Library of Congress when adding entries to library catalogs. One of the most relevant rules for you to recognize is the controlled vocabulary, which catalogers use to create the catalog record. Controlled vocabulary is a set of selected words and phrases catalogers use to reduce ambiguity and preserve consistency. Knowing what search terms to use when searching the library catalog is the first step to successful discovery. Today, we will focus on family names. This is what most of us know, and it is usually the first step in our research. Let’s get started. On the right side of the genealogycenter.org main page (at eye level) there is a section titled: Begin your Discovery. This is where you want to start. You will notice two search boxes. You want to use the second one, marked: Search the ACPL Catalog. When searching for family names, it is crucial that you type [family name] + family in the search box. Here’s why: the search term Young yields 3455 results (matched on the word “Young”), which displays every instance the word “Young” that appears in the catalog. You definitely do not want to look through all those pages of titles. Here is what to do instead: Search term: Young family = 1449 results (matched on “Young” and “family”). And here is how to do it more efficiently: Search term: “Young family” = 1084 results (matched on “Young family”). By simply adding the quotation marks to your search term, you are focusing your search to find the most relevant results. A little bonus tip for February: if you know the state that your ancestors might have been associated with, type it in with your original search term. This method narrows the amount of hits (i.e. results) quite significantly, so make sure you use it in tandem with the broader name search for the best outcome. The search term “Young family” “Indiana” = 57 results (matched on “Young family” and “Indiana”). Go ahead and have fun with it. The catalog is not a scary abyss. It is a meaningful tool that was designed to help you make your discoveries. It just takes a little time and practice to tame the beast. Next month, we will cover the geographical names. 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, February 1, 2018. Come in and share!

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Last Chance for WinterTech!

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The WinterTech series concludes with Melissa Tennant presenting "On the Record: African American Newspapers" on Wednesday, February 14, 2018, at 2:30 p.m. in the Discovery Center. Since the “Freedom’s Journal” was first published in 1827, local and regional African American newspapers have been documenting the lives, experiences, and histories of African Americans. In this session, we will explore the “African American Historical Newspapers” and “Accessible Archives African American Newspapers” digital databases and discover additional resources for locating these informative records. For more information, see the WinterTech brochure at http://www.genealogycenter.org/docs/winterTech20172018. To register for this free event, call 260-421-1225 or email Genealogy@ACPL.Info. And remember, WinterTech is offered in the afternoons of the Allen County Genealogical Society of Indiana’s monthly meeting, so stay to hear Jill Downs present “Deciphering the History of Your House,” in Meeting Room A at 7:00 p.m.

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

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Before you start planning your bracket, make buffalo wings, and hunker down in front of the television to watch the basketball play-offs, take a week to kick start your family history by taking advantage of the sessions we are offering March 4 through March 10, 2018! Score with 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/MarchMadness2017. 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, ACPL 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 February 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. Jill Downs will present: “Deciphering the History of Your House.” Mary Penrose Wayne DAR Chapter Library Help Day for Prospective Members February 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. The George R. Mather Lecture Series February 4, 2018 – The History Center, 302 East Berry Street, Fort Wayne, Indiana, 2 p.m. Dr. Alfred Brothers, Jr. presents "The Fort Wayne Colored Giants."

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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