June 2023

Genealogy Gems:

News from the Allen County Public Library at Fort Wayne No. 232, June 30, 2023

In this issue:

Fun and Family on the Fourth!

Mastering Spanish Handwriting and Documents, 1520-1820

Cherokee Valuation Records 1835-1839

Technology Tip of the Month: The Case of the Mysterious Line

PERSI Gems: Detailing Your Ancestors’ Lives

History Tidbits: The Fourth of July

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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Fun and Family on the Fourth! by Curt B. Witcher

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Fun, food, fireworks and family make the Fourth of July holiday and the days surrounding it a great time for gathering family stories. Whether one is connecting with family over freshly grilled mid-summer culinary delights, on social media, or through virtual platforms like Zoom, make some time this holiday weekend and throughout the summer to talk with relatives about their memories and their stories. We know how important it is, and we think we’re going to do it. Alas, most keep putting off these wonderful conversations until it is too late. It’s easier than we think, and oftentimes much more fun than we can imagine, to talk with family members about their early lives as well as their memories of individuals we have only heard about but have never met. I believe there are a few what I call “created” obstacles for many of us in getting started talking with relatives. I fear many think we have to do the interview “right,” have the conversation “correctly.” In almost every other context, we’d think it was silly to struggle over having a correct or right conversation. We’d simply be respectful, commit to actually listening, and be excited about hearing new things. We make the wrong kind of “big deal” over something that should be enjoyable. One can go on any number of websites and find super academic, studied and intricate approaches to “interviewing.” Are those really appropriate for family members? Typically those are way too intimidating and excessively complex. Oh, there’s a place for that kind of interview. It just doesn’t belong around a backyard grill or around a family reunion picnic table. Instead, let’s just do this! Amy Johnson Crow’s “5 Easy Tips for Gathering Family Stories” is a very worthwhile read and listen. www.amyjohnsoncrow.com/5-tips-for-gathering-family-stories/ Amy begins by confirming how important it is to find our families’ stories by talking with relatives and knowledgeable others. And her five tips are amazingly straightforward and simple to do. And oh my goodness, you’ll be amazed at the results. Numerous times in the past I have mentioned one of my favorite TED talks--Celeste Headlee’s presentation on “10 Ways to Have a Better Conversation.” www.dailygood.org/story/1268/10-waysto-have-a-better-conversation-ted-com/ While a bit dated, I find all Celeste’s advice quite relevant today. Having good conversations center around good listening skills, and learning about our ancestors’ stories from relatives also involves sharp listening skills. Find the eleven minutes and twenty seconds to listen/listen again to some very sage advice that will make you more successful in gathering family stories from talking with relatives (and others). Having a challenging time coming up with a question or two to start a remember-when conversation? StoryCorps has amazing lists of questions that are very good discussion starters. https://storycorps.org/participate/great-questions/ Keep in mind that the questions don’t always have to have a direct genealogical tie. Answers to general life questions may lead to conversations that eventually mention individuals and associated life events that you previously did not know. The question “Can you describe the moment when you saw your child for the first time?” may lead to comparisons of feelings or recollections of descriptions from identified ancestors you can ask more direct questions about later. Start the conversations. You’ll be glad you did. And enjoy some good food besides!

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Mastering Spanish Handwriting and Documents, 1520-1820 by John D. Beatty, CG

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One of the most important new books that the Genealogy Center has received this year is “Mastering Spanish Handwriting and Documents, 1520-1820,” by the writing team of George and Peggy Ryskamp and H. Leandro Soria (Baltimore: Genealogical Publishing Co., 2023), (GC 411.7 R99ma). The book fills a gap in the genealogy field by providing detailed information about genealogical documents from Spain and Spanish America that have received little formal study and few guidebooks in the past several decades. George Ryskamp, who died in 2022, was a Latter-day Saint scholar known for his expertise on tracing Hispanic ancestry and Spanish colonial military records. His knowledge, as well as that of his wife Peggy and fellow scholar Soria are evident in this well-crafted new volume, completed just before his death. The book devotes considerable space to understanding the forms and types of Spanish Catholic Church records and provides numerous examples in Spanish with English translations. Genealogists familiar with church records in other countries will find the forms surprisingly detailed and vastly different from those records found, say, in Germany or England. Marriage records receive their own chapter because of their complexity and include both dispensations and contracts. The book also contains chapters on notarial records (deeds, contracts, court records, and inventories), and the “art of dying a good death,” as seen in the process recorded in both church registers and notarial records (wills). The authors provide facsimiles of original documents together with transcriptions and translations. Buttressing these chapters are informative chapters with discussions and numerous illustrations of the various styles of Spanish handwriting in use over the last thousand years. The authors offer examples of the many ways various letters and phrases could be written, the use of interchangeable letters such as i and y, b and v, b and g, and the combination of j, x, and z, among others. Handwriting styles in Spanish documents evolved from the Carolingian style, developed at the time of Charlemagne, to Humanistic handwriting, which flourished at the time of the Renaissance. This form later gave way to the Cortesana, Procesal, and Italica styles, together with transitional styles that contain multiple elements. The path was not always toward greater legibility. Perhaps the most helpful chapter is the first on Approaches and Attitudes, where the authors provide useful advice to both genealogists and novice historians who are researching Spanish records for the first time. They advise analyzing new handwriting styles carefully, beginning with translating familiar portions of the records first before venturing into the unfamiliar portions. They should use the surrounding text as a guide, compare unknown letters to those on a chart, remember that a great deal of variety in handwriting can be found in a single document, and not to spend too much time on a particularly difficult letter or name. Gazetteers and maps can help with unfamiliar place names. The book provides a helpful guide to making professional-quality transcriptions, which will be appreciated, no doubt, by those who wish to publish or transcribe Spanish records in a genealogy or historical work. This is a ground-breaking book, one that will have lasting importance to the study of Spanish language genealogical records. It belongs on the bookshelf of every researcher doing genealogical research in these types of documents.

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Cherokee Valuation Records 1835-1839 by Logan Knight

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Between 1830 and 1850, roughly sixty thousand people were removed from their ancestral homeland in what is now the American South to Indian Territory (Oklahoma). Along the way, many thousands of them died from hunger, disease, exposure, and the abominable cruelty of their fellow man. These people belonged to the Cherokee, Muscogee (Creek), Chickasaw, Choctaw, and Seminole tribes. The forced removal generated records that can prove useful for genealogists, no matter how distasteful they are to look at today. Here we are specifically looking at Cherokee Valuation Records 1835- 1839, a bound set of five transcribed books taken from the Georgia State Archives. For a variety of historical reasons, American Indian records are often difficult to locate until relatively late in modern history. This often means that we have to rely on documents from European or American sources, which brings with them a host of issues from deliberate bias to a lack of cultural understanding. It should be noted that the Cherokee were one of the first native groups to develop a written language thanks to a tribal member named Sequoyah (aka George Grist). His dictionary was completed by 1821, and the first Cherokee Language newspaper was published in 1828. These Cherokee valuation records come from federal commissioners, who were assigned to establish the valuation of Cherokee real property (land, buildings, ferries, improvements, agriculture, orchards, etc.) in what is now mainly northern Georgia, northeastern Alabama, and southeastern Tennessee. The valuation was done in accordance with the 1835 Treaty of New Echota, Article Nine. This treaty, signed by a non-governmental faction of the Cherokee, saw the elimination of Cherokee landholdings east of the Mississippi and led directly to the Cherokee Trail of Tears. The federal government enforced this treaty despite the protests of the duly elected Cherokee government and a petition to Congress signed by almost every member of that nation. It contained one important proviso that the commissioners would determine payment for this property if the owners had been despoiled of it by either force or fraud. These records are useful for locating Cherokee ancestors at that time, and they often list spouses and children. The property records can give an idea of the wealth possessed by tribal members before their expulsion. There are also statements regarding the entry’s ethnicity that should probably be taken cautiously. The last of the books contains rejected applications and the reason for their rejection. These records can also provide a good source of genealogical information. Finally, the remarks listed at the bottom can fill in crucial information about where the person in question lived as well as revealing details about their life pre-removal. For example, the entry for one William Holmes lists him living in Lookout Valley, the 18th District in Walker County, Georgia. It goes on to enumerate his property, including a cabin, a corn crib, and twelve acres of land along a river bottom complete with eight rail fences worth roughly $142. The remarks at the end reveal that a certain Joseph Tate was now occupying the place, since Holmes had been displaced either by threats or the laws of Georgia. The commissioners allotted him $36 for being driven from his property. In summation, these records can be quite useful when tracing Native American ancestors and give that rare look into personal details that often go unmentioned throughout history. Finally, they offer a poignant look at one of the darkest chapters in American history.

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Technology Tip of the Month: The Case of the Mysterious Line by Kay Spears

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A line is a line is a line, right? Well, that all depends on what program you are using. So, the answer is nope, a line isn't always a line. Just recently, Hercule was using Microsoft Word and noticed that there was a line drawn on the page. He tried to delete it, but it wouldn’t budge. I asked him, “How did it get there, Hercule?” He said he put it there. Ah, that explains it. But let’s explore this puzzle just a tad bit more. After a few more questions, I found out he put the line there by using the keyboard shortcut of “3 hyphens and enter.” Lightbulb moment! What Hercule did was create not just any line, but a Paragraph Border. Yes, I know it looks like a line, but there are a couple of different kinds of lines in Microsoft Word…and they do different things. Let’s take a look at them. Drawing Lines. You can “insert” a Drawing Line by going to the Insert tab>Shapes>Lines. Choose the line without the arrow on it, and then go where you want to insert it on your page (your cursor will change to a cross). Now, hold your Ctrl key down and drag across the page. Holding the Ctrl key down allows you to have a straight line across the page; without the Ctrl key, you can angle the line if you want. Also, the Ctrl key is a Windows command. I believe Mac uses the Command key. Now, let go of the Ctrl key, and there you have it. You may change the thickness and color of the line. You may move it all over the page if you want. You can also click on it and delete it if you want. You have the option of attaching it to a paragraph and moving it with your typing if you want. If for some reason you have inserted your line in a header or footer, you will have to be in that header or footer to adjust the line. Paragraph Borders. This line feature is the line that Hercule used, and was not able to delete. He typed in hyphen, hyphen, hyphen and then enter. A line magically appeared because he had his AutoFormat turned on. This line is attached to the paragraph it was originally typed in. The way you would delete this line is to select the affected paragraph and either press Ctrl+Q or choose “No Border” from the Borders Menu. The Borders Menu is located in different areas depending on which version of Word you have on your computer. Later versions have it located in the Paragraph section. Because this type of line is tied to the paragraph, it could cause some headaches when trying to remove it. Next article: More Line Mysteries

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PERSI Gems: Detailing Your Ancestors’ Lives by Adam Barrone and Mike Hudson

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PERSI is an enormous treasure trove of genealogical and historical information. Much of this information is of the sort that provides the bedrock for any family history research project: tax lists, parish records, jury lists, military pensions. But a lot of the information in PERSI can provide interesting, sometimes bizarre details about our ancestors’ past. Take that first example below, B. Haist and his haircutting mishap. Haist is a rather uncommon name, but in addition to the amusing haircutting incident, PERSI also has this record indexed: Guerard-Haist Bible, 1775-1926 (Georgia Genealogical Magazine, 34:1-2, Winter 1994). Although not as colorful as the Haist Haircut, this Bible record is another example of the range of records to be found in PERSI. Mr. Haist’s haircut and a few other colorful examples from the PERSI database are listed below. While cutting your own hair is up to you, please note PERSI does not recommend smoking around kegs of gunpowder or cleaning chimneys with dynamite: B. Haist tried to cut own hair, injured ear, Oregon City Enterprise excerpt, Dec. 20, 1895, OR (Clackamas Legacy (OR), v.27:n.1, Jan. 2014) George A. Newton divorce, Mabel Newton says he knew horses, did not know women, 1916 (Detroit Society for Genealogical Research Magazine, v.81:n.1, Fall 2016) Byrd Turner injured, fell from truck, boy scared her with toad, Jackson Times excerpt, Apr. 12, 1929 (Record, Breathitt County Historical Genealogical Society, Winter 2014) Nelse Candler fat as a possum, saucy as ever, unmarried, Hazel Green Herald, 1886, Quicksand, KY (Record, Breathitt County Historical Genealogical Society, Fall 2015) Joe Hogland freed from jail for bigamy, free to captivate susceptible dames, New Era excerpt, 1881 (Noble News, Noble County Genealogical Society (IN), v.36:n.1, Spring 2015 Foley's Honey and Tar ad, for men and women catching cold at dances, 1907 (Blackford County Historical Society News (IN), Feb. 2016) Farmers complain about advertising trash found in buggies, 1907 (Blackford County Historical Society News (IN), Feb. 2016) Oliver McFerren burned, used gun powder to clean chimney at Walter Ayres home, 1910 (Blackford County Historical Society News (IN), May 2015) Meat retailers bought a car that looked like a hearse, housewives faint, 1931 (Whitley Branches, Whitley County History and Genealogical Society (KY), v.43 Oct. 2007) Professor Taylor of Williamsburg Institute set upon by students, mustache cut off, 1913 (Whitley Branches, Whitley County History and Genealogical Society (KY), v.61, Apr., 2012) Albert Smith sat and smoked on keg of gunpowder in a mine, seriously injured, 1911, Whitley Co., KY (Whitley Branches, Whitley County History and Genealogical Society (KY), v.61 Apr., 2012)

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History Tidbits: The Fourth of July by Logan Knight

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Here in the United States, July is largely associated with Independence Day. Now of course this day is important to Americans, but why should people in other countries take notice? Well, truth is stranger than fiction. Oddly enough, the United States is not the only country to celebrate American independence on July 4th. Denmark actually has the Fourth of July as an official state holiday. The biggest festival in the country is held at Rebild National Park (Rebild Bakker) just outside the town of Aalborg. The grounds were purchased and presented to the national government, thanks to the efforts of wealthy Danish immigrants, in particular one Max Henius, a Danish immigrant who became a very successful biochemist in America. A yearly event since 1912, the celebration in the park includes a pioneer-style log cabin dedicated to Abraham Lincoln. One of the conditions of the gift was that it would always be open for Danish-Americans to celebrate American holidays. Over the years, the park has come to represent the ties between Danish-Americans and the mother country. Celebrations include renditions of the national anthems of both the United States and Denmark, patriotic speeches, usually by politicians (Richard Nixon), pop stars (Walt Disney, Dionne Warwick) and even Danish royalty, and a large picnic style luncheon. In 2022, the festivities even included a Danish actor performing as John F. Kennedy, reciting some of his most famous speeches. Other countries with strong ties to America also get in on the act. Sydney, Australia, hosts the largest Fourth of July party in the Southern Hemisphere next to its famous harbor. Games include American classics such as cornhole and beer pong. American whiskey tastings are also quite popular. London, England, seems an odd place to celebrate America’s freedom, but there is at least one place that honors our special day. Benjamin Franklin lived in London for almost two decades (1757-1775). His home is still standing, and every year the museum there celebrates the Fourth of July. Lillestrøm, Norway, celebrates by having a classic American car parade through the center of town, which attracts thousands of spectators. The capital of Oslo hosts other stereotypically American themed events such as watermelon eating contests, line dancing and cheerleaders performing. In New Ross, Ireland, you can even see a re-enactment of the Boston Tea Party. The day is also honored by large amounts of barbecue, jazz, and blues music, and fireworks displays. Killarney celebrates by hosting a parade of people dressed as cowboys and Hollywood actors. In short, while Independence Day obviously has a special meaning for Americans, we are not alone in observing this great holiday. America’s influence extends around the world so when you are enjoying some barbecue or shooting off a firework, spare a thought for those celebrating overseas with us.

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Genealogy Center’s July Programs

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Join us for another month of free, virtual programs. July 6, 2023, 6:30 p.m. EST “Unlocking Your Paternal Ancestry through Y-DNA” with Jim Brewster - https://acpl.libnet.info/event/8714741 July 11, 2023. 2:30 p.m. EST “Hopping the Pond: Researching in Germany: What You Need toKnow and Websites to Help - Part 1” with Carol Carman - https://acpl.libnet.info/event/8689678 July 13, 2023, 6:30 p.m. EST “Chicago Genealogy Research” with Jaymie Middendorf - https://acpl.libnet.info/event/8689679 July 18, 2023, 2:30 p.m. EST “Hopping the Pond: Researching in Germany: What You Need toKnow and Websites to Help - Part 2” with Carol Carman - https://acpl.libnet.info/event/8689680 July 20, 2023, 6:30 p.m. EST “The New California Pioneer Certificate Program Honoring Early Settlers of the State” with Colin Whitney - https://acpl.libnet.info/event/8689681 July 25. 2023, 2:30 p.m. EST “Researching Genealogy at the Midwest Genealogy Center” with Kim Alberg - https://acpl.libnet.info/event/8689685 July 27, 2023, 6:30 p.m. EST “Casting a Wide Net: Researching Your Ancestors in the Eastern Canadian Provinces” with Pamela Vittorio - https://acpl.libnet.info/event/8714778 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 into downtown. Library Plaza will be on the right.

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Parking at the Library

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At the Library, underground parking can be accessed from Wayne Street. Other library parking lots are at Washington and Webster, and Wayne and Webster. Hourly parking is $1 per hour with a $7 maximum. ACPL library card holders may use their cards to validate the parking ticket at the west end of the Great Hall of the Library. Out of county residents may purchase a subscription card with proof of identification and residence. The current fee for an Individual Subscription Card is $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

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

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Publishing Note

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This electronic newsletter is published by the Allen County Public Library's Genealogy Center, and is intended to enlighten readers about genealogical research methods as well as inform them about the vast resources of the Allen County Public Library. We welcome the wide distribution of this newsletter and encourage readers to forward it to their friends and societies. All precautions have been made to avoid errors. However, the publisher does not assume any liability to any party for any loss or damage caused by errors or omissions, no matter the cause. To subscribe to “Genealogy Gems,” simply use your browser to go to the website: www.GenealogyCenter.org. Scroll to the bottom, click on E-zine, and fill out the form. You will be notified with a confirmation email. If you do not want to receive this e-zine, please follow the link at the very bottom of the issue of Genealogy Gems you just received or send an email to kspears@acpl.lib.in.us with "unsubscribe e-zine" in the subject line. Curt B. Witcher and John D. Beatty, CG, co-editors