June 2006

Genealogy Gems:

News from the Fort Wayne Library No. 28, June 30, 2006 In this issue:

Travel the World with “WorldCat”

Name Dictionaries

Pennsylvania Negro and Mulatto Records

In Memory of

Preservation Tip of the Month

Hotel of the Month Area Calendar of Events

ACPL Librarians on Tour

Driving directions to the Library

Parking at the Library

Queries for the Department

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Travel the World with “WorldCat” by Curt B. Witcher

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Among the many challenges facing genealogical researchers is the challenge of trying to identify, and then locate, all the relevant data about a particular ancestor or potential ancestor. The explosion of indices and digitized data on the Internet has certainly aided millions of researchers in this quest for data. Typically, though, it is the databases with the greatest “star-power” that are frequented most often, almost to the exclusion of other very useful sites. One of the databases that may be frequently overlooked by genealogists is “WorldCat.” “WorldCat” is the largest bibliographic database of both published works, and a growing number of manuscript and archival collections, in the world. If you’re attempting to pull together the largest pool of relevant data for your genealogical endeavors, it is a must-use data file. “WorldCat” can be (and should be!) searched not only by surname of interest but also by geographic location (city, county, state, country), ethnic group (Germans, Finns, Irish, Swedes, African Americans, etc.), religion, and occupation. Tens of millions of records from library and archive catalogs around the world are included in this database. Searching on all five of the factors listed above can bring a significant amount of information to light. Besides indicating to you what publications may exist for the family name, ethnic group or geographic area you are researching, “WorldCat” also indicates which member institutions own the item. And increasingly, for items found in “WorldCat” there are links directly from “WorldCat” into the owning institutions’ online catalogs where additional, more specific information often can be gleaned. There are a number of other features that can be explored when using “WorldCat” including the ability to email yourself the bibliographic records of the materials you are interested in exploring further--a super way to create a complement to your research plan and compile the beginnings of a great research log. You can also browse various indices to assist in executing better searches, export data, or initiate an interlibrary for those materials that can be borrowed between libraries. “WorldCat” can be found in many public and academic libraries around the country and certainly here at the Allen County Public Library--the Main Library and the thirteen branches. In our library system, look under “E-Resources” on the right-hand side of the library’s homepage  and click on “FirstSearch.” “WorldCat” is one of the databases available through “FirstSearch.” It is certainly worth your time. Keep an eye peeled for new data on the FriendsOfAllenCounty.org website. The 2005 Allen County, Indiana burial permit index was added this month. And there will be an exciting file or two appearing in July. Also, please share this e-zine with family and friends who are interested in being among the first to learn about the grand opening in our new facilities early in 2007. Some of the first news broadcasts about that celebratory event will be through this e-zine.

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Name Dictionaries by Elaine M. Kuhn

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What genealogist hasn’t at one time or another asked the questions, “What part of the world did my name come from? What is the meaning of my name?” The Historical Genealogy Department owns a wide variety of given (first) name and surname (last name) dictionaries to assist researchers in understanding the origins of their names. A great starting point for researching surnames is the “Dictionary of American Family Names” (929.4 Sm5da) by Patrick Hanks. This three-volume set details the origin of some 70,000 names found in the United States. Try also the “Encyclopedia of American Family Names” (929.4 R53e). For a sampling of names from earlier times, take a look at books such as “Middle English Surnames of Occupation 1100-1350” (929.4 F85m) and “Scottish Surnames of Colonial America” (929.4 D656sc). Surname dictionaries for particular nationalities and ethnic groups range from “Chinese American Names” (929.4 L929c) and “Japanese Names and How to Read Them” (929.4 K84j) to “Dictionary of German-Jewish Surnames” (929.102 J55MzL) and “Noms de Famille Normands” (929.4 M72n). Patrick Hanks also co-edited with Flavia Hodges a very useful given name publication titled “Dictionary of First Names” (929.4 H19df). Other helpful books include “Baptismal Names,”4th ed. (929.4 W42), “Dictionary of Given Names” (929.4 L92d) and “Names and Name-Days” (929.4 At88n). Given name dictionaries of certain nationalities and ethnicities include “Dictionary of Ashkenazic Given Names” (929.4 B393da), “Irish Names” (929.4 Oc5i), “Handbook of African Names” (929.4 M25h), and “First Names of the Polish Commonwealth” (929.4 H675f). Researchers will also find dictionaries of nicknames to peruse such as “Nicknames Past and Present,” 4th ed. (929.4 R698nb) and “Pseudonyms and Nicknames Dictionary,” 3rd ed. (929.4 P949). Another avenue for name researching is the Periodical Source Index (PERSI), a part of HeritageQuest Online and accessible to researchers in the Historical Genealogy Department (Note: You must be using one of the Allen County Public Library’s computers to access the library’s subscription to HeritageQuest Online. Otherwise, check with your local library to see about access in your area). From the library’s home page select “EResources”. Scroll down the alphabetical list until you see and then select “HeritageQuest Online”. After clicking on “Search PERSI” from the HeritageQuest Online home page, select the “How-To’s” section of the database. Enter the term “name*” or “surname*” in the keyword box to get a feel for the many name-related articles one will find in historical and genealogical periodicals available in the Department. Among the periodicals covered by PERSI is the quarterly publication from the American Name Society titled “Names” (how fitting, right?). Bound volumes of “Names” can be found at 929.4 Am25n. To do your own searching in the library’s catalog for name dictionaries, go to the library’s home page at  and click on “Search Catalog”. Once the search screen comes up, enter the terms “names personal” for a very broad search, or to limit your search use terms such as “names personal Jewish”, “names personal Italian” or “names personal Lancashire”.

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Pennsylvania Negro and Mulatto Records by Roberta Ridley

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On March 1, 1780 the Act for the Gradual Abolition of Slavery was passed in the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania by a vote of 34 to 21. Acknowledging and commemorating the State’s own delivery from submission to British tyranny, the state pursued justice for Negroes and Mulattoes with the abolition of slavery and life servitude. All Negro and Mulatto slave children born within the state, after the passing of the law, could be bound to serve their master until twenty-eight years of age. Therefore, an owner of a slave or a servant for life (or till age thirty-one years) currently residing in the state, was required to register these persons with the county Clerk of the court. Any slave not registered by the deadline of November 1, 1780 was to be immediately emancipated. The registration distinguished these slaves from all other persons. The chronological and partially indexed registration records contain amazing genealogical information: the owner’s name, occupation, and residence; the names of the slaves and servants together with their ages, gender and birth dates for the children born in 1780 and later. Entries often give the slave child’s mother’s name and her previous owner, and previous location. The data provides names that supplement census records during a period when the head of household’s name is the only name recorded in the federal census. An example is the 1790 Cumberland County, Pennsylvania census showing that Samuel Rippey owned two slaves and William Rippey owned five slaves. In the Cumberland County 1791 “Returns for Negro & Mulatto Slaves,” we find a related listing on September 13, 1791. William Rippey is registering a slave child named Hannah (female), born April 26, 1790, who is the child of a slave woman named Rachel (former property of Samuel Rippey, deceased, and William’s father). The ACPL Historical Genealogy Department microfilm collection includes these Pennsylvania records for Adams, Bedford, Bucks, Centre, Cumberland, Fayette, Lancaster, and Washington Counties. The films contain Registers of Negro & Mulatto Slaves, Birth Returns & Returns for Negro & Mulatto Slaves, Slave Children Born after the Year 1780, Mayor’s Registry of Colored Persons, Inventories of Estates, Deeds, Record of Marks, Receipts, and Certificates of Freedom. The records range in date from 1776 to 1849 and will vary by county. These Pennsylvania County collections provide information on more than one culture line and could lead to more.

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The Historical Genealogy Department notes with regret the death in January of Rodney Hartwell of Daggett, California, founder of the Augustan Society and editor of many periodicals indexed in PERSI.

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Preservation Tip of the Month by Becky Schipper

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To store oversized documents such as certificates, blueprints, maps, and charts, interleaf them with pH-balanced, buffered tissue paper and store in flat file boxes.

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HOTEL OF THE MONTH

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Each issue we will feature a local hotel, for visitors from out-of-town. The Residence Inn Fort Wayne 4919 Lima Road Fort Wayne, IN 46808 Phone: 260-484-4700 Fax: 260-484-9772 Residence Inn Fort Wayne Reservations 1-260-484-4700 This luxury all-suites hotel provides a home-from-home for genealogists spending several days at the library. Its website says, “Our 80 suites offer separate living and sleeping areas, plenty of space for relaxing, entertaining or meeting with colleagues and a fully equipped kitchen with refrigerator, microwave and coffee maker.” There is also a complimentary breakfast and a weekly barbecue for guests. If you don’t have time to fill your refrigerator with groceries, the hotel staff will do it for you, and add it to your bill. The hotel is an easy five-mile drive to the library, straight down Lima Road (Clinton). For a 3-D image of the suites’ layout, go to www.residenceinnfortwayne.com/. Suites start at $94.

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AREA CALENDAR OF EVENTS

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Allen County Public Library 3rd floor atrium display area Passages: Immigration Allen County Genealogical Society of Indiana (ACGSI) Refreshments at 6:30, meeting at 7:00. Questions: contact Marge Graham, 260 672-2585 or gramar57@aol.com No meetings during the summer; they resume in September. Computer Users Group The computer group does not meeting during the summer. Join them again in September! Daughters of the American Revolution (DAR) First Wednesday of each month in the Genealogy Department 9am – 7pm. Expert help from members of the DAR in becoming a member of that organization.

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ACPL LIBRARIANS ON TOUR

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Curt Witcher 20 July: Columbia City, IN, Genealogical Society of Whitley County, “The New Historical Genealogy Department of the Allen County Public Library” 22 July: Lansing, MI: Library of Michigan--"Explore Your Roots, Discover Your History” 9:30A: “The Future of the Past: Realities and Responsibilities” 1:15P: “Treasures and Timelines: The Genealogical Resources & Future Plans of the Allen County Public Library Elaine Kuhn 17 August: Columbia City, IN, , Genealogical Society of Whitley County,, “PERSI”

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DRIVING DIRECTIONS TO THE LIBRARY

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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=&sear chtab=address&searchtype=address&address=200+E+Berry+St&city=Fort+Wayne&state=I N&zipcode=46802-2706&search=++Search++&finditform=1 From the South Exit Interstate 69 at exit 102. Drive 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. Drive south on Coldwater Road, which merges into 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/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. Turn right on Barr Street. Turn left on Berry Street. The library is on your left on Berry Street.

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PARKING AT THE LIBRARY

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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.

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GENEALOGY DEPARTMENT 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. Ryan Taylor, editor