July 2004

Genealogy Gems:

News from the Fort Wayne Library No. 5, July 31, 2004

In this issue:

IMPORTANT ANNOUNCEMENT

Your Family’s History

Nonpopulation Census Schedules

Don’t Forget the Microfilmed Soundex For Hard-to-Find Names

Hotel of the month

Area calendar of events

Librarians on Tour

Driving directions to the library & parking

Genealogy Department Queries/Publishing Note

**************************************

IMPORTANT ANNOUNCEMENT

**************************************

Friday, August 20, 2004, the entire Allen County Public Library System will be closed for a staff in-service. Please make a note of this on your calendar as we would hate for you to make a genealogical research trip to Fort Wayne only to find our facilities closed. We will be open Monday through Thursday of that week from 9A to 9P (regular hours) and again on Saturday, August 21, 2004 from 9A to 6P. Repeating, we will be closed on Friday, August 20, 2004.

**************************************

Your Family’s History Curt Witcher

**************************************

If you’re like me, the end of July is a strong indicator that summer is waning. Though there are certainly a number of summer days left, most of us have taken the bulk of our summer vacations. The back-to-school ads are invading our newspapers. Many of us have been to a family reunion or, if we’re lucky, two. A few of us may have even gotten to research in a courthouse or archive that long had been on our list of places we most wanted to visit. I hope the summer days that have passed have provided you with some genealogical successes, and that the remaining warm days ahead give hope for a few more discoveries. With a little more than one half of 2004 in the books, I want to take this opportunity to remind you of a long-standing service of the Allen County Public Library. For many decades, individuals who have not had a desire to officially publish their genealogical work have sent an unbound “master copy” to the Historical Genealogy Department. In exchange for the privilege of allowing us to make one photocopy for our collection, we provide the compiler of the work with one complementary, bound photocopy for his or her collection in addition to returning the original master. It is a great way to make sure your work is preserved and available for future generations of researchers. In addition, having a copy at our library ensures your work is secure from any disaster that might, heaven forbid, befall your personal library. What to do with the extra copy? How about a “draft” book to pass around at the next family reunion for others to comment upon and update? Or a little surprise gift for the relative or family friend who really helped you out? If you are interested in taking advantage of this service, just mail your unbound “master copy” to Steve Myers, Assistant Manager, Historical Genealogy Department, P. O. Box 2270, Fort Wayne, IN 46801-2270. Include a note that simply reads, “Photocopy Exchange Program.” You’ll be glad you did--and we will certainly be glad you did! A final note: If you have Allen County, Indiana roots, be sure to continually check the “Friends of Allen County” website at . There is always something new happening there! Just this month we added a searchable index to Fort Wayne and Allen County, Indiana obituaries from 1900 through May 2004. Along with more than one century’s worth of obituaries, a searchable surname file and a list of the department’s periodical titles are two more new data files. And there will be a number of exciting searchable indices added in August.

**************************************

Nonpopulation Census Schedules Timothy Dougherty **************************************

The Genealogy Department recently acquired Nonpopulation Census Schedules for select states. These schedules include information compiled in addition to the regular census at the time of census taking. They cover 1850 through 1880 and include Agricultural, Manufacturing and Mortality Schedules, Social Statistics, and Defective, Dependent and Delinquent classes. An examination of these schedules may help paint a more complete picture of an ancestor’s life and community. Agricultural Schedules list statistical information regarding the inhabitant’s farm. They help establish a clearer understanding of an ancestor’s role in the community. These schedules name the farmer, show the amount of acreage, cash values, and breakdown of labor, livestock, produce and products. Farms of less than 100 dollars in produce value were excluded. As with the Population Schedules, information becomes more detailed with the taking of each new census. Manufacturing Schedules contain information on people engaged in the following industries: agricultural implements, paper mills, boots and shoes, leather and tanning, flourmills and gristmills, dairy, slaughtering, salt, lumber mills and sawmills, brickyards and tile works, coal mines, and quarries. They record details concerning materials used, costs of labor, and capital invested and made. A person appearing on the Agricultural Census may also appear on the Manufacturing Census. For example, an ancestor may have been both a farmer and saw miller, or a farmer and cheese-maker. Manufacturing operations producing less than 500 dollars were not included. Mortality Schedules list deaths occurring in the year immediately before the census was taken. If the census was taken on June 1, 1850, the Mortality Schedule will record deaths from June 1, 1849 through May 31, 1850. As with any other census record, some recording protocol was interpreted loosely by the census-taker, so deaths occurring elsewhere in the year may sometimes appear. These schedules reveal items such as age, occupation, state or country of birth, marital status, and cause of death. Given the paucity of death records for this time period, a researcher may find death details that are not to be found anywhere else. The Social Statistics Schedules cover 1850 through 1870 and include data on wealth, debt, taxes, churches, schools, libraries, newspapers, crimes and wages. These schedules contain no personal information; they list just statistical data. They are still valuable to the researcher, however, for clues they may yield. For example, knowing there was only one school in a community in 1870 might lead a researcher to seek a record for that school, or knowing the names of community churches may be particularly helpful. The DDD Schedules, that is, “Defective, Dependent, and Delinquent Classes,” cover 1880. They archive information on “Insane Inhabitants, Idiots, Deaf-Mutes, Blind, Homeless Children, Habitants in Prison, and Paupers and Indigent Persons.” Unlike the Social Statistics, the DDD Schedules list personal data, and it is often very detailed. A researcher may discover the nature of a disability or the reason for incarceration, information that may not appear elsewhere. This information may be especially important in monitoring diseases and creating family health trees. ***************************************

Don’t Forget the Microfilmed Soundex For Hard-to-Find Names John D. Beatty

***************************************

Online censuses are the current rage in genealogical research. Between the schedules available on Ancestry Incorporated , those on Heritage Quest , and the every-name 1880 census index free through the Genealogical Society of Utah ), genealogists now have access to all federal schedules from 1790 to 1930, with the exception of the lost 1890 enumeration. ACPL patrons can freely access both subscription databases. With comparative ease, one can enter a surname into a search template, and through these sites, unlock the door to millions of names. The convenience of these new tools does not render microfilm search obsolete. Indeed, researchers may still want to examine microfilm to get a clearer view of some images that did not scan or print well from the digital image. The Soundex indexes for 1900 and 1910 can also help reveal misspelled surnames. (Ancestry offers a Soundex search feature for 1920 and 1930; Heritage Quest does not for 1900 or 1910.) Both companies created their digitized censuses using National Archives microfilm. Users may not know, however, that in rare instances through camera operator error, some pages were never filmed, and these omissions have been perpetuated in the digitized versions. A local researcher in Fort Wayne recently discovered a missing page in the 1850 schedule for Allen County, Indiana. Believing the omission to be a filming error, he examined the original in Washington D.C. and found the missing page. The names recorded there have been “lost” to genealogists using the microfilm. The destruction of the original schedules from 1900 to 1930 renders it impossible to use them when filming errors are discovered. Researchers should turn instead to the microfilmed Soundex indexes, which were created from the original schedules, not the microfilm. A lost name may well be lurking there. So for example, John Cahlan and his wife Charlotte, who were enumerated in the 1900 schedule of Lassen County, California, Enumeration District 49, page 5B, appear only in the Soundex. The census film skips from page 4B to page 6A within E.D. 49, thereby omitting their names from the Heritage Quest database. As every genealogist knows, some families will continue to elude our best efforts to find them. But knowing that filming errors may account for some lost names offers the hope that they can be restored. Only a careful reexamination of the original schedules and Soundexes by NARS, Ancestry, and Heritage Quest staffs will ever restore these lost pages to our use, and this writer knows of no current plans to do so. ***************************************

HOTEL OF THE MONTH

***************************************

Each issue we will feature a local hotel, for visitors from out-of-town. Best Value Inn 1401 W Washington Center Road, Fort Wayne, Indiana 46825 260 489 3588; toll free reservations at 1 800 359 7366 This 45-room motel has park-at-door convenience and a location near many restaurants and shopping. Rooms have microwaves, refrigerators, computer dataport telephone, free HBO and local calls. Rooms with sofas and jacuzzis available. Free continental breakfast and newspaper every day. This hotel was brought to our attention by Joe Druse, a genealogical visitor from Michigan, who said, “It is friendly and clean, and very cheap.” He stays there regularly. Best Value is near the corner of Washington Center and Lima Road, within sight of IHOP, KFC, Cracker Barrel and a Chinese restaurant. ACPL is an easy drive, about ten minutes. The rates stay at AAA and AARP levels all the time; for a king-size bed, one person, the rate is $35.95 plus tax. A real bargain.

***************************************

AREA CALENDAR OF EVENTS

***************************************

Allen County Public Library 3rd floor atrium display area Passages: Immigration Allen County Genealogical Society of Indiana (ACGSI) http://www.ipfw.edu/ipfwhist/historgs/acgsi.htm No meeting until September 8, 2004. The meeting will be held at the Dupont Library. Computer Users Group No meeting until September 15, 2004. The meeting will be held at the Aboite Library. Daughters of the American Revolution (DAR) First Wednesday of each month in the Genealogy Department 9am – 3pm. Expert help from members of the DAR in becoming a member of that organization Federation of Genealogical Societies www.fgs.org September 8 – 11, 2004 Austin, Texas / Austin Convention Center “Legends Live Forever: Researching the Past for Future Generations” http://www.fgs.org/2004conf/FGS-2004.htm ***************************************

ACPL LIBRARIANS ON TOUR

***************************************

Sue Kaufman September 8-11Austin, TX: Federation of Genealogical Societies www.fgs.org Steve Myers August 27-28 Minneapolis, MN: Irish Genealogical Society International http://www.rootsweb.com/~irish/ October 24-30 Research Academy in Salt Lake City: Irish Research www.genealogicalstudies.com/SLC.htm Ryan Taylor September 25 Waterloo, ON: Waterloo Region Branch OGS workshop September 26 Brampton, ON: Halton-Peel Branch OGS branch meeting October 2 Barrie, ON: Simcoe County Branch OGS workshop October 24-30 National Institute for Genealogical Studies Research Academy in Salt Lake City: English Research www.genealogicalstudies.com/SLC.htm Curt Witcher August 27-28 St. Louis, MO: St. Louis Public Library Genealogy Seminar September 8-11Austin, TX: Federation of Genealogical Societies www.fgs.org September 18 Farmington Hills, MI: Farmington Genealogical Society Program October 9 Lancaster, OH: Fairfield County Genealogical Society Seminar October 23 Elkhart, IN: Elkhart County Genealogical Society Fall Seminar November 13 Cincinnati, OH: Hamilton County Genealogical Society Program

***************************************

DRIVING DIRECTIONS TO THE LIBRARY

***************************************

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

***************************************

PARKING AT THE LIBRARY

***************************************

Lot in front of the library, east side Available for short-term library parking. Limited to one hour. Tippman Parking Garage Clinton and Wayne Streets. Across from the library, however the skybridge is NOT accessible. Hourly parking, $1.25 per hour up to a maximum of $5.00 per day. Park Place Lot Covered parking on Barr Street at Main Street. This lot is one block away from the library. Hourly parking Monday through Friday, 9am to 6pm. Street (metered) parking on Wayne Street and Berry Street. On the street you plug the meters 8am – 5pm, weekdays only. It is free to park on the street after 5pm and on the weekends. Visitor center/Grand Wayne center Covered parking at Washington and Clinton Streets. This is the Hilton Hotel parking lot that also serves as a day parking garage. For hourly parking, 7am – 11 pm, charges are .50 for the first 45 minutes, then $1.00 per hour. There is a flat $2.00 fee between 5pm and 11pm.

***************************************

Genealogy Department Queries

***************************************

The Historical Genealogy Department hopes you find this newsletter interesting. Thank you for subscribing. We cannot, however, answer personal research emails written to the e-zine address. The department houses a Research Center that makes photocopies and conducts research for a fee. If you have a general question about our collection, or are interested in the Research Center, please telephone the library and speak to a librarian who will be glad to answer your general questions or send you a research center form. Our telephone number is 260-421-1225. If you’d like to email a general information question about the department, please email: CWitcher@ACPL.Lib.in.us. Look for a general genealogy query email address coming soon.

***************************************

Publishing Note

***************************************

This electronic newsletter is published by the Allen County Public Library's Historical Genealogy Department, and is intended to enlighten readers about genealogical research methods, as well as inform them about the vast resources of the Allen County Public Library. We welcome the wide distribution of this newsletter and encourage readers to forward it to their friends and societies. All precautions have been taken to avoid errors. However, the publisher does not assume any liability to any party for any loss or damage caused by errors or omissions, no matter the cause. If you do not want to receive this e-zine, please send an email to kspears@acpl.lib.in.us with "unsubscribe e-zine" in the subject line. Sue Kaufman, Editor