June 2021

Genealogy Gems:

News from the Allen County Public Library at Fort Wayne No. 208, June 30, 2021

In this issue:

Celebrating an Anniversary

Registers of Lighthouse Keepers

Immigrant Ancestor Project

Technology Tip of the Month: Adobe Elements 2018, Enhance Tools: Smart Brush Tool

PERSI Gems: More Scottish

Library Catalog Insider: Finding Publications Issued by Hereditary and Lineage Organizations

History Tidbits: Harvey Houses

Genealogy Center’s July 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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Celebrating an Anniversary by Curt B. Witcher

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Anniversaries, in the broadest sense, have always seemed like amazing opportunities to remember, share, and record. They are opportunities to discover different parts of our own stories as well as those stories of our families, friends, neighbors, and colleagues. In just a few days, we will be celebrating the anniversary of our country’s independence--the Fourth of July. For generations, families in the United States have enjoyed celebrating this mid-year anniversary. The anniversary celebrations have families gathering for cookouts, sporting events, fireworks shows, and sometimes even parades. These anniversaries are wonderful times for storytelling about previous Fourth of July celebrations, happenings in our families since the beginning of the year celebrations, and memories of those family members not with us at our current festivities. These storytelling opportunities almost beg us to be more deliberate in preserving these special memories by more permanently recording them as well as more intentionally sharing them. Some claim that a story really isn’t a story until you write it down. Let’s embrace that idea and take time during the anniversary celebrations this year to write or record our Fourth of July happenings, and then place those writings and recordings in places where other interested individuals have access to these special memories and unique information. Fourth of July celebrations remind many of those in their families who have offered military service to protect and preserve our freedoms. Record those memories both to enjoy a fuller understanding of service rendered and to be able to share them at future celebrations where others may not be familiar with these individuals. Many of our families celebrate the Fourth of July with picnics and barbecues. Write about those friendly backyard games of footbag/hacky-sack, horseshoe, jarts, or cornhole where the competition may have gotten a bit more intense than anticipated. Recall in your written stories the unexpected winners of those spur-of-the-moment bowling games and romps with beach volleyball. All these festive anniversary memories are a part of your family history. And as a part of your family’s stories, they may not live long if they aren’t written and shared. Among your celebrations this Fourth include preserving and passing along these special memories.

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Registers of Lighthouse Keepers by Cynthia Theusch

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When you drive along a coastline, have you ever wondered if an ancestor or a family member ever worked or lived in a lighthouse? In the library’s microfilm collection are the “Registers of Lighthouse Keepers,” a six-roll set that contains a total of 19 volumes listing light keepers and the stations to which they were assigned. It is divided into five geographic areas: New England, New York through Virginia, North Carolina through Texas, Great Lakes (also Ontario), and the West Coast, which includes Alaska and Hawaii. These registers were compiled chronologically for each geographic region and include information about the superintendents, the lighthouse station, the lighthouse keeper’s name, their beginning year, and annual salary. Each register contains an alphabetical index of lighthouses and keepers. The information contained in the registers varied over time. The 1840s records included the name of the superintendent, the station, location, keeper, salary, and date of appointment. The 1850- 1870 era added the names of assistant keepers, dates of vacating the post, how vacated, where the keeper was born, and where appointed. The 1880s and 1890s registers included a notation of whether the keeper had served in the Army or Navy. In the 1900s, the place of birth was removed, and the register added the date of the keeper’s oath, remarks, and a record of payments. One of the entries for the lighthouse at Michigan City, Indiana, was Harriet C. Turner, who was appointed on 21 March 1844. Her annual salary was $350, and she resigned sometime before 3 May 1853, when John M. Clarkston was appointed; his salary was also $350. Yes, women received appointments as keepers. The book titled “Women Who Kept the Lights,” by Mary Louise Clifford and J. Candance Clifford (GC 929.11 C612wo) contains brief histories of some of the women keepers. The appendix contains a complete list of women keepers. At the National Archives in Washington, D.C., among the most frequently-used records are Records of the U.S. Coast Guard. Associated collections include the U.S. Lighthouse Board Scrapbook, 1899- 1919; the Lighthouse Supply Inventory, 1840-41; and the Lighthouse Service Record of Repairs, 1879-86. The Archives also has a list of logbooks on its website https://www.archives.gov/research/military/logbooks/lighthouse-logbooks.html. After you have identified a lighthouse keeper in your family, be sure to peruse the various records, logs, and journals highlighting their life at the lighthouse in your family history. Newspaper articles may also tell you of their heroic efforts and days as a lighthouse keeper.

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Immigrant Ancestor Project by Allison DePrey Singleton

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Searching for immigrant ancestors can be difficult. Names can be changed, handwriting can be hard to read, transcriptions in databases can be wrong, and so much more. One tool to help with researching those immigrant ancestors is the Immigrant Ancestor Project, compiled by Brigham Young University's Center for Family History and Genealogy: http://immigrants.byu.edu. The Immigrant Ancestor Project consists of data mined by student interns in European repositories and brought back to Brigham Young University. There is a list of the repositories on the website. The data is then verified by student researchers before being added to the database. As with all databases, there are limits, including the locations where data was mined. The languages included in this database could also present a roadblock to finding your ancestors. They include English, Italian, Spanish, French, Dutch, German, and Portuguese. If you are looking for an ancestor who lived in a country with a different predominant language, this database will not be helpful for your research. As a researcher, you can search for it in one of these languages. You are also able to search by repository, which can be especially helpful if you already know where in the country of origin your ancestors originated. Your ancestors could have lived in one location and departed the country from another that had records. The basic search form on the homepage asks just for the name. When you click on the Search option tab at the top of the page, you get additional options for searching, including adding dates, locations, and other pieces of information. At the bottom, there is an option to add even more information through an Advanced Search Option. You are then able to search by name, gender, events (that you get to specify), places, and attributes, or other pieces of identifying information. Next time you are researching an immigrant ancestor, make sure to check the Immigrant Ancestor Project to see if he or she is included. The project is a work in progress, so you may not find your immigrant ancestor, but every search option is beneficial when conducting research. You never know what you can find until you do the search.

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Technology Tip of the Month: Adobe Elements 2018, Enhance Tools: Smart Brush Tool by Kay Spears

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It’s play time! I must confess, I had a lot of fun using this tool. This tool is one I don’t use, but after experimenting with it, I had to ask myself, “Why haven’t I ever used this?” This is a tool you really need to play with because there are so many options. Open a photograph. If you really want to see the full effects of this tool, open a color photograph. In the Enhance section of the tool bar is the Smart Brush Tool. The tool icon looks like a little paint brush. When the brush icon is selected, the tool options will open at the bottom. You should have the Smart Brush and the Detail Smart Brush. Beside those brushes is a dropdown box that has numerous Preset Effects. Beside the effects is the New Selection, Add to Selection, and Subtract from Selection. Beside the Selection Tools are the options you should use to change the brush size, and settings. The Smart Brush tool operates similarly to the Quick Selection Tool. The Detail Smart Brush resembles any paint brush, except instead of paint being added to your photograph, you will be adding an effect. I opened a photograph which has a blue sky and a building. I want to change only the sky portion of the photograph. In the effects drop down, I have selected the Blue Skies option (default). Position the cursor where you want to begin and drag. The sky in my photo has magically transformed into something quite a bit brighter. When you do this, you should notice that the New, Add, and Subtract options are available on the image. You can adjust if you want. My suggestion is to play with both the Smart Brush and Detailed Smart Brush. Don’t be too worried about your photograph, because this tool appears to automatically create a layer for each effect that you use. You just need to remember which layer you are working on, and you can also delete the layers that you don’t like. Of course, you will not be working with an original photograph. So, play with the Smart Brush. I think you may have a lot of fun with it. Next article: Continuing Adobe Elements 2018: Enhance Tools: Blur Group and Sponge Group.

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PERSI Gems: More Scottish by Adam Barrone and Mike Hudson ***************************************

Last month, PERSI Gems started off with a Scottish reference. “The Highlands: The Magazine of Scottish Heritage” (2003), carried an article by Ian Rose, “The Scottish Lament, telling the history of The Flowers of the Forreste, a 17th-Century air for bagpipes.” This stirring melody was later paired with sets of lyrics reflecting on tragedy, sorrow, and thousands of casualties at the 1513 Battle of Flodden, the largest battle fought between Scotland and England. (PERSI Gems, May 2021). Recently, one of the PERSI staff discovered via a commercial DNA test that he was 37% Scottish, which was a big surprise. As it so happens, PERSI is a treasure trove of Scottish information, family, history, research and resource tips, church, military, court and vital records. PERSI is also a great place to find specific surnames as well. Picking a Scottish surname at random, there are 141 McDougall hits in PERSI and 66 McDougal, with several other variations of this name as well. Here are a few: McDougall Cottage history, John McDougall family, 1802+, Scotland (Waterloo Historical Society, Canada, Sep. 2012). John McDougall-Margaret Peggy Stockton family, 1777+, Scotland; OH (Ohio Genealogical Society Quarterly, v.54: n.1 Stephens High School best dancers Wayne McDougall and Sandra Gallant photo and note, 1962 (Paper Talks: Western Maine Edition, Rumford, Maine, 2014) Bonnie MacDougal Kistler, Downingtown High School Hall of Fame inductee notes, 1971+ (Downingtown Area Historical Society Hist-O-Gram, Pennsylvania, v.5: n.12, March 2014) Walter McCormick and Frank MacDougal trip planned, May 1923, Asia; Maple Valley, WA (The Maple Valley Messenger, v.3: n.4, May 4, 1923) Metropolitan Police Sgt. Neil MacDougall accidentally shot by Sgt. Pawley, inquest, age 36, d. 1901 (Woolwich District Family History Society Journal, England, n.121, April 2012) Colonel Clinton MacDougall, 111th NY and the Battle of Gettysburg, 1863 (Cayuga Gazette, New York, June 2008). Thomas Brisbane MacDougall, second Scottish governor of Australia, 1773-1860 (Scots North America, n.53, Autumn 2011) Clan MacDougall at New York Tartan Day Parade, photo and note, 2017 (The Highlands: The Magazine of Scottish Heritage, v.55: n.4, July 2017) As can be seen from the sample above, the Scots emigrated, so Scottish families can be found all over the world, particularly North America. Scottish name or Scottish ancestry? PERSI is a great place to start or to broaden your existing research.

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Library Catalog Insider: Finding Publications Issued by Hereditary and Lineage Organizations

by Kasia Young

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Happy Fourth of July! For this year’s Independence Day celebration, let’s take a look at how to find publications issued by notable hereditary and lineage organizations that relate to the times of the American Revolution and United States Declaration of Independence. Begin by accessing The Genealogy Center’s website at https://acpl.lib.in.us/genealogy and type the name of the organization in the search box. For better results, it is recommended that you use the official Library of Congress subject headings. For your convenience, here is the list of authorized headings of the most common groups: Daughters of the American Revolution, Descendants of the Signers of the Declaration of Independence, National Society of the Children of the American Revolution, Society of the Cincinnati, Sons of the American Revolution (earlier heading: Society of the Sons of the American Revolution), Sons of the Revolution (earlier heading: General Society, Sons of the Revolution), and United Empire Loyalists’ Association of Canada (earlier heading: United Empire Loyalist Association of Ontario). For example: To search for publications by the Daughters of the American Revolution, type Daughters of the American Revolution into the search box and click the purple FIND button. Next, select BRANCH facet as GENEALOGY. From here you will get a list of all materials issued and/or authored by DAR. For local chapters, simply add the name of the state, either spelled out, or, the traditional abbreviation. For example: Daughters of the American Revolution Indiana yields 558 results, and Daughters of the American Revolution Ind. yields 500 results. If you are looking for a specific periodical title, for example “American Spirit” (DAR) type the title into the search box along with the name of the organization. To see which issues are currently available, either click on the green REFERENCE WHERE? button, or the title (in large blue font). Make sure to jot down the LOCATION (for example: Unbound periodicals 973.3406 D2AYD Nr: 2017-2018). Also, feel free to ask one of our genealogy librarians for assistance in locating the item/s. Wishing you many fruitful catalog searches!

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History Tidbits: Harvey Houses By Allison DePrey Singleton

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"On the Atchison, Topeka and the Santa Fe" What a thrill (what a great big wonderful thrill) With the wheels singing "westward ho" Right from the day I heard them start 'Cross the Kansas plains from New Mexico I guess I've got a little gypsy in my heart The above song was made famous by the 1946 musical “The Harvey Girls,” starring Judy Garland, Angela Lansbury, John Hodiak, and Ray Bolger. The musical followed a group of young women, Harvey Girls, who worked at a Harvey House on the railroad line. Was this just a fanciful story or were Harvey Houses real? Let’s explore. Harvey Houses were very real places along the Atchison, Topeka, and Santa Fe (AT&SF) Railroad line. They were created by Fred Harvey, who had an idea for a series of restaurants on a railroad line with good food, quality service, and dependability from location to location. Harvey’s first venture was with the lunchroom in Topeka, Kansas, in 1876. In 1878, he opened the first restaurant and hotel on the AT&SF in Florence, Kansas. Harvey is credited with creating the first restaurant chain with his Harvey Houses and ended up having 54 restaurants, 23 hotels, and 11 newsstands in his name. Two things that Fred Harvey insisted on were consistency and high quality for each Harvey House. These restaurants were stops along the railroad where customers could get a good meal and still make it back to the train before departure. He used china and fine linens on the tables. Signals were developed for the waitstaff to know exactly what each customer wanted so that they could get them out in time to meet their departing trains. The waitresses, or Harvey Girls as they came to be known, were hired as respectable, young, white women, who were usually looking for a bit of adventure. The young women had to meet high standards to maintain their employment and receive their paychecks. Since this was the time of the “Wild West,” the stops along the AT&SF were usually in new towns that had more men than women. The Harvey Girls became perfect marriage material for the men in these towns. Many say that the Harvey Girls helped to civilize the West or Southwest. Fred Harvey not only created restaurants along the AT&SF line, he also got the contract to create the dining cars for the railroad. Eventually, he created experiences at his Harvey Houses for tourists to explore the areas in which they were staying and learn about Native Americans. He was a visionary and one always looking for the next idea. Today, many of the Harvey Houses have been demolished. Some have become museums, and others have been restored to their original greatness. Next time you travel near the AT&SF line, make sure to see if there is a Harvey House museum, restaurant, or hotel nearby. You might get to experience a bit of the magic seen in the movie “The Harvey Girls.” Further Reading and Sources: Bryant, K. L. (1974). History of the Atchison, Topeka and Santa Fe. Macmillan Pub. Co., Inc. Fried, S. (2011). Appetite for America: how visionary businessman Fred Harvey built a railroad hospitality empire that civilized the Wild West. Bantam Books Trade Paperbacks. Harvey House Restaurants. Kansas Historical Society. (n.d.). https://www.kshs.org/kansapedia/harvey-house-restaurants/16712. Henderson, J. D. (1969). Meals by Fred Harvey: a phenomenon of the American West. Texas Christian University Press. Home: Belén Harvey House Museum. website. (n.d.). https://www.harveyhousemuseum.org/. pls4e. (2019, September 24). Harvey House Railroad Depot. SAH ARCHIPEDIA. https://sah-archipedia.org/buildings/CA-01-071- 0118. Poling-Kempes, L. (1994). The Harvey girls: women who opened the West. Da Capo Press. Weigle, M. (1989). “From Desert to Disney World: The Santa Fe Railway and the Fred Harvey Company Display the Indian Southwest.” Journal of Anthropological Research, 45(1), 115–137. https://doi.org/10.1086/jar.45.1.3630174

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Genealogy Center’s July Programs

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The Genealogy Center continues its offerings of virtual programs throughout the month of July with Tuesday 2:30 p.m. EDT and Thursday 6:30 p.m. EDT offerings every week. July 1, 2021, 6:30P, “Basics of Auto Clustering your Autosomal DNA Matches" with Sara Allen - https://acpl.libnet.info/event/5313580 July 6, 2021, 2:30P, "Organizing Your Research with OneNote" with Sherri Camp - https://acpl.libnet.info/event/5310360 July 8, 2021, 6:30P, “Learning to Use The Genealogy Center Catalog” with Allison DePrey Singleton - https://acpl.libnet.info/event/5310491 July 13, 2021, 2:30P, “Using Facebook for Genealogy” with Rhonda Stoffer - https://acpl.libnet.info/event/5324621 July 15, 2021, 6:30P, “Become the Family Historian, Before You Become Family History!” with Ken Burgener - https://acpl.libnet.info/event/5324600 July 20, 2021, 2:30P, “Sharing: Non-Traditional Family History Books" with Betsy Thal Gephart - https://acpl.libnet.info/event/5322024 July 22, 2021, 6:30P, “Finding Your Ancestor’s Five Senses: Using Manuscript Collections to Build Context” with Maire Gurevitz - https://acpl.libnet.info/event/5323530 July 27, 2021, 2:30P, “Using Maps for Genealogy Research" with Philip Sutton-https://acpl.libnet.info/event/5312286 July 29, 2021, 6:30P, “The 21st Century Bookshelf: Books, Manuscripts, & Documents in the World of Bytes” with Curt Witcher - https://acpl.libnet.info/event/5322266 Please register in advance for each program.

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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 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. 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

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