July 2022

Genealogy Gems:

News from the Allen County Public Library at Fort Wayne No. 221, July 31, 2022

In this issue:

Treasure Awaits: The Genealogy Center’s Digital Collections

Black Cemetery Network

The Newly Released Virtual Record Treasury of Ireland

Technology Tip of the Month: The Modify Tools

PERSI Gems: Tattoos

History Tidbits: The Yearbook

Genealogy Center’s August 2022 Programs

Staying Informed about Genealogy Center Programming

Genealogy Center Social Media

Driving Directions to the Library

Parking at the Library

Genealogy Center Queries

Publishing Note

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Treasure Awaits: The Genealogy Center’s Digital Collections by Curt B. Witcher

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Let’s take a quick look at the amazing collection of digital offerings from the Genealogy Center. www.GenealogyCenter.org When embarking on such a look, the first digital offering or collection to look at might surprise one at first. It's the library catalog! The online catalog is a collection of bibliographic records for the more than one million items in the Genealogy Center collection. Bibliographic records are records that describe the Center’s holdings of books, periodicals, microtext, and databases. Most library catalogs present a bit of a challenge for today’s users. Most of us are used to online search experiences that are truly more discovery-based, more like Amazon or Google. Most of us have grown used to search engines returning relevant results as well as such facets as “Did you mean . . .” or “You might also like . . .” No matter the library, most library catalogs don’t offer these user enhancements and frankly are not that intuitive to use. Nonetheless these catalog databases are vital tools we need to be using to determine what materials might benefit our research in a particular library. My persistent advice for those using library catalogs is to take time to play. The catalogs are all so different; they are all clumsy in their functionality and often in their layout; and yet they all hold the keys to unlocking family and local history resources their respective institutions contain. Try different search terms, even nonsensical ones, just to see what search results you get. Explore all facets and click on various links in the bibliographic records just to see how the feature may benefit your discovery. Indeed, explore for various features and facets that might both narrow and expand your searches. The Allen County Public Library catalog that contains the holdings for the Genealogy Center is relatively new, and still in need of a tremendous amount of development and refinement. When using it, focus on searching for surnames plus the word “family” as well as geographic locations like cities, towns, and counties. Searching for an ethnic group of interest may also net meaningful results, particularly when marrying an ethnic group with a geographic location, e.g. Indiana Germans or Texas Swedes. Genealogy Center staff have put tens of thousands of links in our library catalog to free online resources. Any public domain materials in our collection that we have digitized through our partners have links to those digitized copies right in our catalog. For those items, the catalog tells you we have the compilation in question and it also provides you with a link to read the work online. Further, if we have five years of a yearbook digitized and cataloged, and we find twenty additional years online and available for free, we put those twenty links into our catalog as well. Truly you will be amazed at what you might find links to in our catalog. So the library catalog is a digital collection of bibliographic records that lets one know what can be explored while in the Genealogy Center as well as links to free resources available to explore online. When in the Genealogy Center using items described in our catalog, one then has access to another amazing digital collection--all of our licensed, on-site databases. There are twenty-three of these on-site databases including all the large database sites you have likely heard about and/or used in various venues. The major ones include Ancestry.com, America's GenealogyBank, AmericanAncestors.org, FindMyPast, and MyHeritage. Also in the Ancestry.com family of databases, Fold3, a largely military collection of records and images, and Newspapers.com are available for use. Another large newspaper database available for use in the Center is NewspaperArchive.com. It features newspapers covering all fifty states in the U.S. and forty-seven other countries from the 1600s to current. There are a substantial number of African American databases as well as Native American and Jewish data files. A third very large digital collection of the Genealogy Center are all of our freely accessible databases. Top among these is our “Periodical Source Index,” or PERSI. More than three million subject entries are searchable for free 24-7. These subject entries can lead one to unique materials and information found in tens of thousands of newsletters and journals. Other free databases include collections of family histories and manuscripts as well as copies of family Bibles; local history databases and resources for Allen County, Indiana, and the rest of the United States; and special gateways for those researching African American and Native American ancestors. There are another four million records and images in this section of our free databases to complement the more than three million PERSI entries. Truly treasures abound in the digital collections of the Genealogy Center. Come experience and explore these resources available to help you find your families’ stories.

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Black Cemetery Network by Melissa Tennant

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For many researchers, it is difficult to learn that our ancestors are buried in cemeteries that are not maintained, have become overgrown, possibly destroyed, or worse. For African Americans, this search for burial grounds can become even more complex. Historically segregated by race and with the expansion and growth caused by urban development, many Black cemeteries have become lost to history. Unfortunately, the number of African American cemeteries that have disappeared is unknown. The Black Cemetery Network  is a project created by the University of South Florida to bring the stories of these neglected African American cemeteries and those buried within from obscurity by collaborating with other individuals and organizations, researching the cemeteries or locations, and advocating to preserve historical Black burial sites. The Black Cemetery Network is a national network where individuals and groups working to preserve the history of a lost African American cemetery can contribute to the network. As of the end of July 2022, there are sixty African American burial grounds registered across nineteen states, including Arkansas, North Carolina, and Michigan. To search for a cemetery, select the “Explore” tab at the top of the site and choose “The Archive” from the drop-down menu. One can search by a specific state, county, or town to learn the history of these lost graves and the work being done to preserve the stories of those buried at these locations. When the project began, one of the initial locations researched was Zion Cemetery, the first African American cemetery established in Tampa, Florida, in 1901. Images show the apartments, warehouses, and other structures that were built over the cemetery. Using ground penetrating radar, more than 300 graves were located, and by researching death records, the group discovered 382 individuals were buried in Zion Cemetery between 1913 and 1920. Other entries include the Nantucket Historic Coloured Cemetery in Nantucket, Massachusetts, which has burials starting potentially in 1805. Information provided includes maps of the cemetery sections along with names and dates for those buried. The Quarter Place Cemetery in Brookneal, Virginia, was once a plantation cemetery, where 147 burials have been discovered, some dating back to 1794. And finally, the Woodland Cemetery in Clemson, South Carolina, is where 667 unmarked graves were located using ground penetrating radar. The details and information provided in each entry differ dramatically yet they each tell a story; a story of a lost cemetery, a community, the deceased individuals, and those hoping to preserve or document these cemeteries. The Black Cemetery Network  is a great place to connect with and learn about African American cemeteries once lost and gratefully rediscovered.

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The Newly Released Virtual Record Treasury of Ireland by Elizabeth Hodges

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On June 30, 1922, the Public Records Office of Ireland, which was located in the Four Courts building in Dublin, was destroyed after a two-day bombardment leading to a fire followed by a massive explosion. The Battle of Dublin marked the beginning of the Irish Civil War, which was a bloody, 10-month long conflict that resulted in thousands of both military and civilian deaths. For those researching their Irish family, regardless if they lived through this event or not, the destruction of 700 years of Ireland’s archival history continues to be a wound that will not fully heal. With the newly released Virtual Record Treasury of Ireland, researchers might be able to put a makeshift bandage on that loss. The Public Records Office of Ireland was one of the world’s first purpose-built archival repositories and one of Europe’s largest continuous State Record Collections. This archive housed incredible genealogical treasures including (but not limited to) 19th century census returns, original wills dating back to the 16th century, and over a thousand Church of Ireland parish registers. Five years ago, the Irish government partnered with Trinity College Dublin to begin a massive project called Beyond 2022 that aimed to reconstruct as much of what was lost in the 1922 fire. They partnered with over 70 institutions worldwide to create the Virtual Record Treasury which contains 150,000 records containing 50 million words of searchable text and over 6,000 maps. When the Virtual Record Treasury was released at the end of June 2022, we were finally able to see how this collection would function for researchers. Admittedly, the organization of the replacement and salvaged records is incredibly difficult to use, and the search feature has limitations. However, there are gems in the Virtual Record Treasury if you are willing to dig for them by browsing the PROI catalog (https://www.virtualtreasury.ie/browse?directory=proi). The record hierarchy scheme used for the catalog is confusing because it mirrors the 1919 “Guide to records deposited in the Public Records Office of Ireland '' which by 2022 standards is archaic. The specific record sets that genealogists will benefit from the most are the “Parish Registers and Parochial Returns,” which is located under “Ecclesiastical and Testamentary Collections'' (see link below) and “Miscellaneous Documents.” Under Miscellaneous Documents, you can find some really interesting collections such as guild records, private manuscripts, Huguenot records, and population and census returns. If you are interested in how this new resource could potentially help your research, register for our program on August 30th that will include a live demo and a discussion about other resources that can help researchers with their Irish genealogy woes. Click here to register: https://acpl.libnet.info/event/6972108 Parish Registers and Parochial Returns: https://www.virtualtreasury.ie/item?isadgReferenceCode=PROI%20ETC%204%2F1)

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Technology Tip of the Month: The Modify Tools by Kay Spears

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Now it is time to move on to the next group of tools on our tool bar, the Modify Tools. There are four tools in this group: Crop Tool, Recompose Tool, Content Aware Move Tool, and Straighten Tool. We will be starting with the Crop Tool. I can hear your voices out there. Crop Tool, why is she talking about that! You crop stuff with it! Oh, my dear people, let us not forget who we are dealing with here. We are dealing with Adobe, and Adobe loves to add gadgets to even the simplest of things. In fact, they are supposed to add something new every year…but I digress. Let’s proceed with the Crop Tool. Depending on which version of Adobe Elements you have, there will be different options. Somewhere between Version 9 and Version 13 Adobe changed their grouping. They took the Cookie Cutter Tool and Perspective Crop Tool and made them options in the Crop Group. If you look in your Modify portion of the Toolbar, you should see something that looks like two intersecting right angles…that is the Crop Tool Icon. Incidentally, that icon is pretty generic for most software programs, even Microsoft uses it. Open an image, and click on the Crop Tool. You should see three options in your option panel: Crop, Cookie Cutter, and Perspective. Click on the crop. Guess what! More options! There is a drop-down box which defaults to No Restrictions. That drop down has image size selections if you want to use them. I usually leave it at No Restrictions. Next to that are some thumbnail images (Crop Suggestions) that Adobe has selected for you to use if you like the way they look. There is also a box to change the resolution of the cropped image if you want, and a Grid Overlay. Of all those options, for me, the only one I would use would be the Grid Overlay. The Grid Overlay might come in handy if you need to straighten an image. So, drag your cursor over the area you want to crop. While you do this, notice that a black box appears. This black box lets you know the dimensions of the crop you are doing. Release the cursor, and you should see the Green check mark and red “don’t do it” icon. If you have it where you want it, click on the green check mark, or double click over the image. And, there you go. Your image is cropped. Time for the Cookie Cutter Tool. Let’s say you want to be creative, and put Aunt Matilda’s face inside a butterfly, or a snowflake, or a sunburst. Well everyone, here’s your chance! And, it’s relatively easy. Your crop tools should still be open, so click on the Cookie Cutter Tool. Here’s a hint – the icon looks like a cookie cutter. Your options for the cookie cutter are: a drop-down box with a bunch of cut-outs, a drop-down box with Unconstrained and other settings pertaining to the size of the cut-out. And, last there is a feather image (feathering softens the edges of the image). There is also the word Crop with a check-box, I will talk about that in a moment. I am choosing a snowflake for my creativity. When I pick the cut-out I want, my cursor changes to a cross-hair. I then can drag it over the portion of the image I want. If I don’t like where I’ve put it, before I release my cursor I can hold my shift key down and move it over. When I release it, I have a snowflake with an image inside of it. You should see a checkerboard background. That means you are now working with a transparency. What Adobe has actually done is create a mask layer for you. By the way, now that you have a transparency, you can add other images/layers behind this one. You should see more options: Rotate, Scale, Skew. More things you can do with your snowflake. Remember that little Crop checkbox? Well, you can do one of two things. If you leave the box unchecked, when you release your cursor, Adobe will make a Mask layer for you. If you check the box, Adobe crops the image for you, no mask. It’s your choice, depending on how comfortable you are working with layers. I prefer the Mask myself. We will talk about Layers another day. Last, we have the Perspective Crop. This one may come in handy if you have something that is crooked or distorted in some way. I found it interesting to experiment with, and I didn’t always get the look I was going for. To see what this tool actually does, I would suggest you open an image that has a building in it. Then click on the icon, and drag your cursor. The default grid is on. There are little handles around the selecting, the ones on the corners skewer things. The handles in the middle change the size. You can also rotate, when your cursor has a two-headed arrow on it that curves. Your cursor arrow should be white to skewer, and resize the sides. It should be a small black arrow to rotate. The perspective tool is one which should be experimented with a lot. One of the big issues I had with this tool was not being able to see what I was doing until after I finished. If you use this tool, really experiment with it. As always, don’t be afraid to play with the tools Adobe provides for you. Next article: Adobe Elements, the Modify Group continues the Recompose Tool.

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PERSI Gems: Tattoos by Adam Barrone and Mike Hudson

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In our work to document the lives of our family members, we are accustomed to the usual media upon which our history is recorded. We find details and images written on paper, captured on film, carved in stone, or stored in digital files. Phonograph records, magnetic tape, and optical discs carry voices from the past. Consider, too, that names, initials, and important dates were etched upon watches, rings, plaques and trophies. Textiles like samplers, quilts, pillows, and garments bear embroidered marks of our ancestors. Human skin is, perhaps, the most personal media upon which marks might be recorded. I once cited a record of a father's tattoo as genealogical evidence in a research report. His body bore, in ink, the names and birth dates of his daughters. Upon his incarceration, a state department of correction published a description of this identifying information in an online database. Tattoos applied voluntarily serve as a means of self-expression conveying personality, demonstrating affiliation, or professing love. Tattoos applied by force documented the darkest atrocities in history. The Periodical Source Index (PERSI) offers a few clues about tattoos and the individuals who carried them. Try a search here: https://www.genealogycenter.info/persi/ Auschwitz concentration camp tattoo numbers photography project note, 1940s and 2009 Mishpacha (Jewish Genealogical Society, Wash. DC), Vol. 28, Issue 4 (Fal 2009) John F. Cote recalls smiling crying cherub tattoo on Catucci, jewelry, USS Argonaut, 1940-1941 Polaris (U.S. Submarine Veterans of WWII), Vol. 43, Issue 6 (Dec 1999) Jon Gnarr, mayor of Reykjavik gets municipal arms tattoo, it becomes infected, c. 2010 Gonfanon (Heraldry Society of Canada), Vol. 21, Issue 4 (Win 2010) Leeanna Torres re Tia Franny's tattoo Herencia (La Herencia Del Norte Gran Via, Inc, NM), Vol. 46 (Sum 2005) Lyn Risling's art show and the one-eleven tattoo, 1980-2005, CA News From Native California, Vol. 18, Issue 4 (Sum 2005) Olive Oatman Fairchild, white slave of the Yavapai and Navajo, her tattoo, 1858-1903 Generation Connection (Lake Havasu Genealogical Society, AZ), Vol. 26, Issue 1 (Mar 2014) Sara K. Lewis tattoo of Janet de Coux's William Penn statue, Greg Lodato artist, 2014 Pennsylvania Heritage, Vol. 41, Issue 3 (Sum 2015) Tattoo fad, Dawson Daily News account, Jan. 4, 1904 Taproot (Fairbanks Genealogical Society, AK), Feb 2013

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History Tidbits: The Yearbook By Allison DePrey Singleton

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As students prepare to enter another school year, let’s turn our historical focus to the venerable yearbook. The yearbook is a quintessential American school tradition that may evoke strong memories for many readers. Let’s explore a bit of the history of yearbooks. The first yearbook was created by Yale in 1841 and known as The Banner. In 1908, The Banner was combined with another publication, the Pot Pourri. Since 1841, Yale has continuously published a yearbook under the name The Banner or The Banner and Pot Pourri. According to an article published about the fifty-fifth publication of The Banner in the New York Times in 1895, “The first volume of The Banner was issued in 1841, and was a single broadside, consisting of the society list and the catalogue, with one or two other interesting matters. It continued along the same line for a number of years.” Initially, yearbooks were summaries of the students’ time in school, including faculty names, student names, illustrations, school activities, and advertisements. It was not until the advent of inexpensive photography equipment that photographs began to be included in yearbooks. As early as 1868, books created from photos and autographs were mentioned in the newspaper. The first Kodak camera was not released until 1888, which means that most schools did not have photographic yearbooks until later. By the early 1900s, most schools included some form of photography, whether composite, group, or scenery photos. As time passed, it became a tradition to have a picture day at school to have your photograph taken for the yearbook. The clothes, hair, and accessories were of the utmost importance for these photos. We can now use these photographs to study fashion and how styles have changed over the years. When was the last time you took out your yearbook? Perhaps it is time to take a trip back in time. Citations and Further Reading: The Banner. The Yale banner - Quicksearch - Yale Library. (n.d.). Retrieved July 28, 2022, from https://search.library.yale.edu/catalog/3503125?counter=3 A century of portraits: A visual historical ... - EECS at UC Berkeley. (n.d.). Retrieved July 28, 2022, from https://people.eecs.berkeley.edu/~shiry/publications/Ginosar15_Yearbooks.pdf Cutsinger, J., Herron, M., & Saracino, M. (1996). History worth repeating: A chronology of school yearbooks. Jostens, Inc. Full text of "the Yale banner and pot-pourri: The annual yearbook of the students of Yale University". (1926). Retrieved July 28, 2022, from https://archive.org/stream/yalebannerandpo00univgoog/yalebannerandpo00univgoog_djvu.txt The New York Times. (n.d.). Wednesday January 8, 1896. The New York Times. Retrieved July 28, 2022, from https://timesmachine.nytimes.com/timesmachine/1896/01/08/issue.html Philibert-Ortega, G. (n.d.). Genealogy 101: School Yearbooks. GenealogyBank Blog. Retrieved July 28, 2022, from https://blog.genealogybank.com/genealogy-101-school-yearbooks.html

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Genealogy Center’s August 2022 Programs

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Join us for another month of free, virtual programs!

August 2, 2022, 2:30 p.m. EDT “Genealogy Starts With a Question: Beginning Family History Research” with Allison DePrey Singleton - https://acpl.libnet.info/event/6971986

August 4, 2022, 6:30 p.m. EDT “Y Chromosome (Y-DNA) Testing Basics” with Sara Allen - https://acpl.libnet.info/event/6989238

August 9, 2022, 2:30 p.m. EDT “Why They Left: A Conversation About the Irish Diaspora” with Elizabeth Hodges - https://acpl.libnet.info/event/6971999

August 11, 2022, 6:30 p.m. EDT “Expanding your family tree with DNA: Telling the story of your family with Charting Companion & Family Tree Maker” with Pierre Clouthier - https://acpl.libnet.info/event/6972039

August 16, 2022, 2:30 p.m. EDT “Where They Lived: Immigrant Neighborhoods in US Cities” with Elizabeth Hodges - https://acpl.libnet.info/event/6972045

August 18, 2022, 6:30 p.m. EDT “Ask the Experts: PERSI” with Allison DePrey Singleton & Elizabeth Hodges - https://acpl.libnet.info/event/6972091

August 23,2022, 2:30 p.m. EDT “Death Heads and Clasped Hands: Cemetery Symbolism and Iconology for Genealogists” with John Beatty - https://acpl.libnet.info/event/6972101 August 25, 2022, 6:30 p.m. EDT “Finding Your Ancestral Homeland” with Sara Allen - https://acpl.libnet.info/event/6993289

August 30, 2022, 2:30 p.m. EDT “Discover Your Irish Family History in Beyond 2022’s Virtual Record Treasury” with Elizabeth Hodges - https://acpl.libnet.info/event/6972108

Please register in advance for these engaging programs.

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Staying Informed about Genealogy Center Programming

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Do you want to know what we have planned? Are you interested in one of our events, but forget? We offer 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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Genealogy Center Social Media

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Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/GenealogyCenter/

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/genealogycenter/

Twitter: https://twitter.com/ACPLGenealogy

Blog: http://www.genealogycenter.org/Community/Blog.aspx

YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/user/askacpl

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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 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 $85. 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. The meters take credit cards and charge at a rate of $1/hour. Street parking is free after 5 p.m. 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 5 p.m. and 11 p.m.

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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 ezine" in the subject line. Curt B. Witcher and John D. Beatty, CG, co-editors