March 2022

Genealogy Gems:

News from the Allen County Public Library at Fort Wayne No. 217, March 31, 2022

In this issue:

1950 is Here!

South Carolina Land Grant Records

Michigan History (Magazine)

Technology Tip of the Month: Adobe Elements, Version 2019, The Color Picker

PERSI Gems: Enumerator Encounters

History Tidbits: Child Labor Laws in the United States

Genealogy Center’s April 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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1950 is Here! by Curt B. Witcher

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Within hours family historians will be receiving a very significant gift--and this is no April Fool’s joke either! Just after midnight on April 1, 2022 the National Archives and Records Administration (NARA) will be releasing the 1950 census for general use by any interested person. This is the first census that will be released to the general public totally online at “moment one,” along with an every name index! Leading edge handwriting recognition software, machine learning, and artificial intelligence applications make this grand entrance for the 1950 census possible. NARA will make this indexed 1950 census available from their website at no charge. Currently this NARA website-- www.archives.gov/research/census/1950 --offers one detail about the census that will be useful as you explore this new source of data for your family stories. Some topics linked from this page include questions asked on the 1950 census, FAQs about the 1950 census, linked finding aids, and enumerators’ instructions, Ancestry is also going to download the 1950 census starting at midnight on April 1st. They are going to create an additional every name index using their own handwriting recognition software, machine learning, and artificial intelligence programs. We know from our BC (before computers!) days that the more print indices we could consult, the better our chances of finding those hard-to-locate ancestors. The same is true with online indices--the more the merrier. But that’s not all. FamilySearch will be joining the ranks of other information providers in the genealogy space that will be downloading the 1950 census and applying their best crowdsourcing technologies to enhance the index created by Ancestry for even better discovery. Instead of creating an index from scratch, FamilySearch volunteers helping with the 1950 census indexing will be invited to review the automated index and make modifications to ensure that every name is included and indexed correctly. A human review will refine the index and help ensure that everyone included in the census can be found. In a very real sense, we are all invited to a crowd-sourcing party to make the initial discovery tool even better. MyHeritage plans to download the 1950 census as well, and make a substantial investment in deploying their sophisticated search algorithms such that one can find not only names but nicknames, and search according to multiple factors at once through their search features. Once their indexing project is complete, it will be made available to the general public for free. It’s not too late to prepare yourself for this treasure trove of information. There are a number of useful resources one can use. Amy Johnson Crow’s video on preparing for the release of the 1950 census provides numerous detailed suggestions on how one can prepare. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=J4P7ol0vTW8 Allison DePrey Singleton’s “The 1940 Census and Preparing for the 1950 Census,” YouTube: www.youtube.com/watch?v=vl-uniEeseA&list=PL8AE558B5D8661B31&index=52&t=49s Happy hunting in this new, amazing resource!

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South Carolina Land Grant Records by John D. Beatty, CG

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Studying land grant records can be an important means of identifying early settlers in South Carolina and proving relationships when other records may be scarce. Various sets of land grant volumes have been published over the years. The Lords Proprietor of the colony issued the first grants between 1671 and 1675. While many of these records are lost, some surviving records can be found in Alexander Salley’s book, “Records of the Secretary of the Province and the Register of the Province of South Carolina, 1671-1675,” Gc 975.7 So8s. Additional grants are found in Salley’s “Warrants for Land in South Carolina, 1672-1711,” (three volumes) Gc 975.7 So82w. South Carolina then became a royal colony between 1719 to 1775, and some of the grants in this period can be found in Katie-Prince Ward Esker’s “South Carolina Memorials, 1731-1776,” Gc 975.7 Es4s. After the Revolution, when South Carolina became a state, the Surveyor General issued land grants to individual settlers. Many, but not all, of these grants can be found online on the website of the South Carolina Department of Archives and History http://www.archivesindex.sc.gov/. As great as this site is for displaying images of original grants, not every grant is listed, and readers may want to turn to an additional source for early land records. Albert Bruce Pruitt’s book, “Abstracts of South Carolina Plats,” is a multi-volume work covering the Surveyor General plat books, from volumes 1 through 43 and spanning from 1784 to 1860, GC 975.7 P95ac. A second series of so-called “Second Books” dates from 1796 to 1825, GC 975.7 P95ac. Considered together, these volumes represent a treasure trove of names of both settlers and land speculators, many of whom appear only briefly in other records and are not found on the Archives website. Each entry has nine components. Pruitt begins by assigning a consecutive number that does not appear in the original plat. Next, he cites the date that the survey was certified in the Surveyor General’s office. Third is the name of the person for whom the survey was made, followed, fourth, by the number of acres granted, and fifth, by the name of the district or county. The sixth part of the entry contains other useful information, including the names of neighbors and of creeks, rivers, branches, and roads. Seventh, Pruitt lists the size of the plat, usually denoted in surveyor chains, since the land was surveyed using a “metes and bounds” system measured by chain links. Eighth is the name of the deputy surveyor who signed the grant, and ninth, is the book and page number of the original plat. Each volume contains a separate index of names and geographic features with references to the grant numbers, not the page numbers, which allows readers to easily find the indexed grant. The General Assembly, South Carolina’s legislature, authorized all grants in the state during this period. A prospective buyer would enter lands not yet surveyed, find the desired tract, and then apply for a survey. The commissioner then appointed a surveyor to record the plat and send in a survey of the desired land within two months. When it was officially platted, the Surveyor General then sent the survey to the Secretary of State, who affixed the state seal. If the buyer did not pay the required fee within three months, the grant was declared void, though the Auditor General gave buyers extensions of six months if they presented a certificate of “accounts unsettled.” No grant could be larger than 640 acres unless it fell under special circumstances with the survey. Additional restrictions involved cultivation. The buyer could not sell the land for two years and was required to cultivate it within that time, though the state made an exception for land devised by will. The genealogist will find a lot of value here, not only in the grants, but in the names of neighbors who lived in the vicinity of those grants. For example, on 4 September 1799, James Trimble received 30 acres in Ninety-six District, Abbeville County, near the waters of Rocky River and the Savannah River. The survey was conducted on 17 August 1799, and Pruitt tells us that the land was located on both sides of a road leading to a mill, adjoining the lands of Samuel Wimbish, Faithy Vicks, and Alexander Vicks. A researcher has multiple avenues of research here. He can search for other grants made to Trimble, study the county deed books, or explore the possible grants of the neighbors, always looking for patterns and connections. In a state where early wills and probate records can be scarce, the study of neighbors can be important for making connections. These volumes by A.B. Pruitt are not given the attention in South Carolina guides that they deserve. They represent a useful and indispensable tool for researching early South Carolina.

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Michigan History (Magazine) by Cynthia Theusch

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My first experience with “Michigan History” (Magazine) came when a friend of mine mentioned that she had wanted to learn about German prisoners of war who were held in Michigan. She went on to explain that her grandfather had done some work on a farm during the day and went back to an encampment at night. Within a few days after that conversation I was at a state library browsing the shelves. I ran across Michigan History [977.4 M58675C] and noticed that it had indexes. I browsed them and found “German prisoners.” Did you know that more than 400,000 German prisoners of war were interned in the U.S.? Also, there were more than 500 camps in the U.S. between 1942 and 1946. Michigan History magazine has published great articles about various events and activities that happened in Michigan or involved people who made their home in Michigan. Most of these articles are from two to five pages long. Just this month, I ran across an article about the railroad ferries that sailed across Lake Michigan to Wisconsin. This caught my interest because my husband’s second great uncle, Stephen Pikulik, worked as a lookout on the Ann Arbor No. 2 railroad ferry ship. This article will enlighten me on the various duties and activities involved with the ship. For example, the Volume 73, no. 3 (May/June 1989) issue contained articles with the following titles: A French Blacksmith on the River Raisin, An Eye on an Early Michigan Blacksmith, Oceana County Goes to War, Michigan Legal Milestones, Indian Art in the USSR, and The Magnetic Mineral Springs of St. Louis, Michigan. Another issue has Ann Woodward highlighting her childhood on High Island. You may also find articles about the legislative history that created the counties of Michigan. An article several issues later gives an overview of the history of the 83 counties, including timber and logging camps, shipwrecks, industrial plants, battlefield experiences, and other historical items that involve Michigan’s inhabitants, state businesses, and their involvement in other United States events. If you don’t have family from Michigan, search our catalog for the historical magazines of other states where your family or ancestors lived. Articles from these magazines will give you an insight of your ancestors’ occupation and what they may have experienced.

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Technology Tip of the Month: Adobe Elements, Version 2019, The Color Picker by Kay Spears

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And the journey continues. Now on to one of those little tools that have a place in Adobe Elements 2019, the Color Picker Tool, aka the Eyedropper Tool. Call it what you want. Depending on what you are doing, this little tool can do many things. But, let’s talk about how it fits into the color of Elements. In version 2018 and version 2019, the Color Picker Tool was located with the Draw Tools on the tool bar. I’m not sure when it was added to that group, but in my old version 9, it’s located close to the top of the Tool Bar. But, regardless of where it’s located, you want to look for an icon which looks like an eyedropper…surprise! Let’s take a look at this basic little tool. Open an image. Click on the Color Picker/Eyedropper Tool. There are not that many settings for this tool. You can set the size of the tool at one pixel, 3x5, and 5x5. I usually have mine set at the lowest. The lowest will only pick one itsy-bitsy pixel from your whole image. So, maneuver your cursor/eyedropper over the image and click on a spot on the image. When you do this look at your Color Palette little tiny squares to the left. Notice that the Foreground color changed to whatever the color was of the area you clicked on. You may open the Foreground dialog up and see a color palette. There is a slider and a square color palette. You may change your color here if you want. Also found in the dialog box are the percentages of each color in the selection you have made. RGB is Red, Green, Blue, and HSB is Hue, Saturation, Brightness. Having these numbers available can be very helpful if you are trying to coordinate your color with other images. I use the Color Picker tool a lot when I’m putting Text onto an image, and I want to match something in my photo image. You can use your Color Picker on any image that you may have open in Elements. You may also see the Color Picker in other software programs, for instance, Adobe Illustrator and Adobe InDesign. These programs also have color percentages for CMYK, Cyan, Magenta, Yellow, Black. CMYK is for printing. In the past, when I have been working on certain projects, I write all of these numbers down so I can make things go easier for me. You may use the Color Picker/Eyedropper Tool for Text, Strokes, Fill, Level, Background, Foreground, Shapes and more. Just remember, this is a basic tool, but it does a lot. And, once again experiment. Next Article: Adobe Elements 2019 continues with Shapes.

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PERSI Gems: Enumerator Encounters by Adam Barrone and Mike Hudson

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A 2005 issue of Trail Breakers from the Clark County Genealogical Society at Vancouver, Washington, includes “ramblings” of a journal contributor who lunched with Joanne Metcalfe. Ms. Metcalfe, age 90, served as an enumerator for the 1950 Federal Census and shared her memories. Despite receiving police assistance with some tough guys, interrogating a gal in charge of a house of prostitution, being required to invoke her federal authority to get answers, and being bitten by a dog, she described her job as “fun.” Try a search in the Periodical Source Index (PERSI) for census tales and records off the beaten track. You may find local, state, and special schedules to supplement the large census databases online: https://www.genealogycenter.info/persi/ In honor of the 1950 census release, we bring you citations of articles highlighting census enumerators, their encounters, and adventures: Boyd Carter, farm census enumerator, recovering from snow blindness, 1935, WA Eastern Washington Genealogical Society Bulletin, v.45n.4, Dec. 2008 Census enumerator and rolling house for railroad section hands, cover photo, c. 1940 NGS Newsmagazine, v.38n.2, Apr. 2012 Census enumerator David Johns in trouble for failing to find Italian translator, 1890 Gleanings (Beaver Co. Gen. Soc., PA), v.35n.2, Spr. 2011 Census enumerator finds family with 24 children, Scottsbluff Star-Herald Item, Jan. 28, 1920 Nebraska Ancestree, v.34n.1, Jun. 2011 Census takers, 1910, twelve quit after first day Cedar Tree Branches (Northeast Iowa Gen. Soc.), v.2n.2, Sum. 1994 Census takers have hard time getting women's ages, 1880, note Craighead Co. (AR) Hist. Soc. Quarterly, v.45n.3, Jul. 2007 Confessions of 1790 census taker, Morgan District North Carolina Genealogical Society Journal, v.4n.3, Aug. 1978 Economics of the census, All Hallows, barking enumerator complaint, 1851 Root and Branch (West Surrey Fam. Hist. Soc., Eng.), v.4n.1, Aut. 1977 GPS and the census-taker in East Timor, Virginia Graham experiences, 2005 New Zealand Genealogist, v.36n.294, Jul. 2005 Joanne Metcalf re enumerating for the 1950 census, age 90, 2006 Trail Breakers (Clark Co. Gen. Soc., WA), v.31n.2, Win. 2005 Registrar at Chippenham marginal notes describing census enumerator as an idiot, 1891 Journal of One-Name Studies (Eng.), v.7n.8, Oct. 2001 Ten persons under shed at Netherwitton Coal Pit, census enumerator note, 1851 Northumberland & Durham (Eng.) Family History Society Journal, v.12n.2, Sum. 1987 Woman bites census taker, 1990, Alton Fox Tales (Fox Valley Gen. Soc., IL), v.6n.3, May 1990

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History Tidbits: Child Labor Laws in the United States By Allison DePrey Singleton

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Our ancestors’ lives were very different from ours in many ways. They obtained food differently and practiced differing hygienic standards. Many did not place the same emphasis on education as today. For many people, life’s focus was about finding a way to survive. Children were expected to help their families in any way possible. For those who lived on farms, that meant spending time feeding animals, working in the fields and gardens, and helping to provide for the family. For children living in cities, that may have meant working in a factory or some other place of business. Studying the historical contexts of those times helps us improve our understanding of our ancestors. Let’s explore the first laws that were created to prevent child labor. Child labor had been part of America’s story since the settling of the country, but federal child labor laws regulating that labor did not appear until the dawn of the twentieth century. In the early 1900s, some 1.75 million children were working. In 1906, Progressive Era reformers failed to pass the first proposed legislation to restrict child labor. Not until 1916 was the first child labor law enacted, and it took the lobbying of two national organizations, the National Child Labor Committee (NCLC) and the National Consumers League, to win its passage. The Keating–Owen Child Labor Act of 1916, also known as Wick's Bill, worked to restrict child labor by prohibiting interstate commerce on products made by children. However, the Supreme Court struck down the law in 1918. On June 2, 1924, Congress approved a constitutional amendment that would give them the authority to regulate "labor of persons under eighteen years of age.” The amendment was slow to gain state support and was never enacted. Only five states ratified it in the 1920s, and by 1937, only 28 states had done so, falling short of the required number for an amendment’s passage. Instead, in 1938, Congress enacted a major federal law, the Fair Labor Standards Act, to prevent child labor. The law restricted the employment of children under 14 years of age while exempting agricultural work and that of some family businesses. As time has passed, society has come to place greater emphasis on education and keeping children in school. Laws have been created to regulate not only the ages at which children can work but also how many hours they can do so legally. As with every law, some employers have found loopholes, such as paying children with cash so it cannot be tracked as easily or regulated. Many organizations at the local, state, and national level work to prevent child labor and assist children in every way possible. Every person’s experience is different, and the laboring history surrounding our ancestors, including child labor, can help to write the story of their lives.

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Genealogy Center’s April 2022 Programs

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Join us for another month of free, virtual programs!

April 5, 2022, 2:30 p.m. EDT “Exploring Patterns in Your Family History Research” with Melissa Tennant - https://acpl.libnet.info/event/6421742

April 7, 2022, 6:30 p.m. EDT “DNA Chat with Sara: Ethnicity Results” with Sara Allen - https://acpl.libnet.info/event/6430342

April 12, 2022, 2:30 p.m. EDT “1950 Census: How do I search for my family?” with Allison Singleton - https://acpl.libnet.info/event/6440543

April 14, 2022, 6:30 p.m. EDT “All That Other “Stuff:” Other Census Records Beyond the Federal Population Schedules” with Curt Witcher - https://acpl.libnet.info/event/6430651

April 19, 2022, 2:30 p.m. EDT “Genealogy Begins with Questions” with Cynthia Theusch - https://acpl.libnet.info/event/6421746

April 21, 2022, 6:30 p.m. EDT “Origin: How Ancient DNA Informs Modern Genealogy” with Dr. Jennifer Raff - https://acpl.libnet.info/event/6300521

April 26, 2022, 2:30 p.m. EDT “Naming Practices in Genealogy” with John Beatty - https://acpl.libnet.info/event/6421747

April 28, 2022, 6:30 p.m. EDT “"A Nation Talking to Itself": Intro to Newspaper Research” with Elizabeth Hodges - https://acpl.libnet.info/event/6431250 Please register in advance for these engaging programs.

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Staying Informed about Genealogy Center Programming ***************************************

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

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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