May 2004

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Genealogy Gems: News from the Fort Wayne Library No. 3, May 31, 2004 ***********************************************

In this issue: New site added to Department’s Online Resources Microtext Source: New Orleans slave manifests 1807-1860 Printed Source: Atlas of historical county boundaries And you think you love genealogy Hotel of the month Area calendar of events Librarians on Tour Driving directions to the library & parking

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New Site Added to Department’s Online Resources Curt Witcher, Manager ************************************************

Advancing technologies continue to impact how genealogists and family historians identify important information sources and conduct research. Even a decade ago, few would have imagined that such significant quantities of data would be readily available on the Internet. The opportunities for networking and collaboration are truly remarkable. For researchers who visit the Allen County Public Library, three major subscription databases are available for use. Ancestry.com certainly represents the largest data file on the web for genealogists. This site contains many large sets of data including the U. S. census indices and images, a significant U. K. collection, historical newspapers, and the Social Security Death Index. Clicking on “list all databases” can be quite a pleasant and eye-opening experience! HeritageQuestOnline.com provides researchers with a growing collection of fulltext family and local histories. More than twenty-five thousand titles are available to scan and download appropriate sections. In addition to its virtual library of genealogies and histories, HeritageQuest also provides U. S. census indices and images, and the most current version of the “Periodical Source Index.” It is truly like a library within our department. In 2004, we started an institutional subscription to NewEnglandAncestors.org. This is the web site of the New England Historic Genealogical Society, the oldest genealogical society in the country. For those researching New England ancestors, this is an amazing site to explore. There are hundreds of data files organized into roughly two dozen subject categories. An overall “Master Search” is also available for searching across all their databases. It’s a must-look if you are doing New England research. To these licensed data files, we have added our own affiliate website, http://www.FriendsOfAllenCounty.org, which makes available data from Fort Wayne and Allen County, Indiana, as well as from other regions, in a searchable format. At present, all the databases on the site are searchable from anywhere. Currently, the modest collection of Allen County data files includes indices to late 20th century burial permits, 20th century servicemen and servicewomen, the first fifty years of county death records, and late 19th century annual reports for the city of Fort Wayne. Look for the number of data files to steadily grow. A link will be added from our department’s main web page in the near future. In the meantime, feel free to stop by “FriendsOfAllenCounty” and take a look around. To complement our deep and rich collection of books and microtext, look for the department to sport a growing collection of searchable files. ************************************************

United States Customs Service Records, Port of New Orleans, Louisiana Inward (to New Orleans) slave manifests; Rolls 1 – 12 Date Range 1807 – 1860 Outward (departing Port of New Orleans) slave manifests; Rolls 1 – 12 Date Range 1812 - 1860 Roberta Ridley ************************************************

The Inward/Outward Slave Manifests for the Port of New Orleans, Louisiana is an unassuming and informative source that may help to track movement of slaves, as well as the slave owners. The domestic slave trade transplanted approximately one million slaves during the period of 1808 through 1865 (prior to the end of Civil War). The relocation was from Kentucky, Tennessee, Virginia, Maryland, District of Columbia, and North Carolina, to Alabama, Mississippi, Western Georgia, Louisiana, Texas, and Arkansas. In 1808 the United States abolished the importation of slaves and from that time through 1865, there was an aggressive migration and settlement of the southern frontier. Slaves were transported overland and by coastal waterways. Coastal transportation was from as far north as Boston along the Eastern Seaboard, all the way to New Orleans. Many Africans and African Americans were sold south or transplanted south with their owners. The manifest documentation provides the following kinds of ownership that could have existed for any one of the slaves being shipped to New Orleans: A) Owner is a planter moving via sea his whole plantation (slave, equipment, etc.) to the Port of New Orleans. Occasionally the place of relocation is provided. B) Owner is a slave trader who has bona fide papers showing that he is the owner and that he is consigning a lot of slaves to either his agent or his slave trading house in New Orleans C) An agent or consignee is shipping slaves to be sold in the New Orleans market individually or as a group. The list provides the owner/shipper name, consignee and agent, ship name, embarkation port, and of course the port of arrival. If a slave’s speech, mannerism, or description was suspect, they could be held back upon arrival for investigation, and the manifest so noted. The manifest contains the name, age, description of the slave, and sometimes a female slave will have her children's names listed with her entry. Currently we do not have a complete index for this collection, but the records are well organized by ports and dates. Though some effort is required, they can be easily searched. This record source is greatly underutilized for both African American genealogy and slave owner migration research in the Old Southwest. We invite you to discover this source!

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Atlas of Historical County Boundaries Elaine M. Kuhn ******************************************

Identifying the locations where one’s ancestors resided can often prove challenging to researchers; this task becomes even more daunting when the place changes county affiliations. Further, since counties are often the entities responsible for collecting and maintaining records ranging from taxes to wills, knowing which county was responsible for an area can save much time and frustration. To aid fellow researchers in their quest for information, Editor John Long and his staff began in 1993 the multi-volume series, Atlas of Historical County Boundaries, detailing the creation and boundary changes of every county in the United States. The series finds its origins in the five-volume set, Historical Atlas and Chronology of County Boundaries, 1788-1980, also edited by John Long (ACPL call no. 973 H615), but is broader in scope and documents county formations from colonial times through 1990. Volumes covering twenty-four states and the District of Columbia are published so far (to identify which states’ volumes ACPL owns, search the ACPL catalog for the words, “Atlas of Historical County Boundaries”). Each volume begins with a table of county creation dates, source citations and, where applicable, a listing of counties that had made it through the preliminary steps of creation, but for a variety of reasons never became full-fledged counties. An individual chronology of each county’s evolution follows along with an illustration of the county within its state, a map of the county as it was during a specific time period superimposed onto a map of its current form, and a brief description of the event that caused the change in boundaries. Maps are based on those created by the U.S. Geological Survey, showing much more detail than what is provided in William Thorndale’s excellent Map Guide to the U.S. Federal Censuses, 1790-1920 (call no. 973.003 T39MA). Readers will also find outline maps for all of a state’s censuses – be they territorial, federal, or state – and descriptions of the information available for each census. Every volume contains a bibliography of sources for further research and most of the volumes include modern-day indexes of places. Some volumes also provide a chronology and set of maps showing the state during territorial organization. Genealogists, historians, and even those with a passing interest in geography will find a wealth of information within this series of books.

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And you think you love genealogy!

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Working at ACPL, we get many, many visitors from all corners of the country, and even some from foreign lands. Most visit for a couple of days or a week. The lucky ones have family that live in Fort Wayne, and can then camp on the couch for an extended visit. Not many pick up and move to Fort Wayne for their love of genealogy. Well, meet Helen. Helen is a South Dakota native who has MOVED to Fort Wayne to work on her genealogy. A mother of 3 adults, she put her belongings in storage in South Dakota, found an apartment on the Internet near the library, took a bus to Fort Wayne, signed a year lease, and made a beeline for the library. “Living in South Dakota, it’s hard to get genealogical materials. Of course we have the LDS Family History Center, but I had to send for everything. I talked to the kids, told them I was moving here. They were excited for me. I just love it here, all the resources right at my fingertips! I might stay another year!” She adds “The staff here is very customer service oriented. From the pages to the librarians, they are friendly, helpful and make researching a great experience” Now I call that a hardcore genealogist! ******************************************

Hotel of the Month

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Each issue we will feature a local hotel, for visitors from out-of-town. Lee’s Inn 5707 Challenger Parkway, Fort Wayne 46818 Phone: 260-489-8888 or reserve toll free at 1-800-733-5337 The Lee’s Inn comes recommended by some recent genealogy department visitors. They come for a week at a time, and have a list of requirements for their hotel. Lee’s Inn passed the test. It has 73 rooms, including a hot breakfast, free local calls and newspaper. Internet access is possible through the telephone plug. Whirpool rooms are available. There are both indoor and outdoor pools. It is conveniently visible from I-69, in a circle of other hotels. There is a Cracker Barrel Restaurant next door. It is located at exit 111B (Lima Road) on I-69. Getting to the library from Lee’s Inn is an easy fifteen-minute drive. Rate for genealogists: $59.

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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) http://www.ipfw.edu/ipfwhist/historgs/acgsi.htm Annual Dinner June 9th, 2004 330 Entrance Drive American Legion, New Haven, IN 6:00pm reservations required contact Judy Bunn 747-7019 Computer Users Group No meetings until September 2004 Daughters of the American Revolution (DAR) First Wednesday of each month in the Genealogy Department. June 2, 2004 9am – 3pm Expert help from members of the DAR in becoming a member of that organization Federation of Genealogical Societies www.fgs.org September 8 – 11, 2004 Austin, Texas / Austin Convention Center “Legends Live Forever: Researching the Past for Future Generations” http://www.fgs.org/2004conf/FGS-2004.htm ***************************************

ACPL Librarians on Tour

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Sue Kaufman September 8 – 11 Austin, TX: Federation of Genealogical Societies www.fgs.org Steve Myers August 27-28 Minneapolis, MN: Irish Genealogical Society International http://www.rootsweb.com/~irish/ October 24-30 Research Academy in Salt Lake City: Irish Research www.genealogicalstudies.com/SLC.htm Ryan Taylor September 25 Waterloo, ON: Waterloo Region Branch OGS workshop September 26 Brampton, ON: Halton-Peel Branch OGS branch meeting September 27 Toronto, ON: Toronto Branch OGS branch meeting October 2 Barrie, ON: Simcoe County Branch OGS workshop October 24-30 National Institute for Genealogical Studies Research Academy in Salt Lake City: English Research www.genealogicalstudies.com/SLC.htm Curt Witcher June 11 Plainfield, IN: School of Library & Information Science Presentation June 22-23 Mansfield, OH: Ohio Genealogical Society Summer Camp July 12 Indianapolis, IN: Church & Synagogue Library Association Conference August 27-28 St. Louis, MO: St. Louis Public Library Genealogy Seminar September 18 Farmington Hills, MI: Farmington Genealogical Society Program October 9 Lancaster, OH: Fairfield County Genealogical Society Seminar October 30 Elkhart, IN: Elkhart County Genealogical Society Fall Seminar November 13 Cincinnati, OH: Hamilton County Genealogical Society Program September 8 – 11 Austin, TX: Federation of Genealogical Societies www.fgs.org

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Driving Directions to the Library

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Wondering how to get to the library? Our exciting temporary 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=&se archtab=address&searchtype=address&address=200+E+Berry+St&city=Fort+Wayne&sta te=IN&zipcode=46802-2706&search=++Search++&finditform=1 From the South Exit Interstate 69 at exit 102. Come east on Jefferson Blvd. into downtown. Turn left on Barr St. to Berry St. The library is located on the corner of Berry and Barr streets. From the North Exit Interstate 69 at exit 112, coming south on Coldwater Rd. Follow this south, taking a left turn onto Clinton St. Continue south on Clinton, the library will be on your left when you cross Berry St. From the West Using US 30: Drive into town on US 30. US 30 turns into Goshen Rd. Coming up to an angled street (State St.) make an angled left turn. Turn right on Wells St. Go south on Wells to Wayne St. Left on Wayne. When you cross Clinton, the library will be on your left on Wayne St. Using US 24: After crossing under Interstate 69, follow the same directions as from the South. From the East Follow US 30 into and through New Haven, under an overpass into downtown Fort Wayne. You will be on Washington St. when you get into downtown. Turn right on Barr St. Turn left on Berry St. The library is on your left on Berry St.

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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 St. at Main St., this lot is one block away from the library. Hourly parking Monday through Friday, 9am to 6pm. Street (metered) parking on Wayne St. and Berry St. 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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Publishing Note: 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 taken 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. If you do not want to receive this e-zine, please send an email to kspears@acpl.lib.in.us with "unsubscribe e-zine" in the subject line. Sue Kaufman, editor