May 2022

Genealogy Gems:

News from the Allen County Public Library at Fort Wayne No. 219, May 31, 2022

In this issue:

Making Memories . . . and Preserving Existing Ones

North Carolina Land Grant Records

Research Like a Pro

Technology Tip of the Month: Adobe Elements 2019--Exploring the Text Tool

PERSI Gems: Our First Monetary Transactions

History Tidbits: Pediatric Hospitals

Genealogy Center’s June 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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Making Memories . . . and Preserving Existing Ones

by Curt B. Witcher

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With yesterday being Memorial Day, I truly hope you took the opportunity to both make new memories and to give some thought, and maybe even a few actions, to preserving existing memories. Memorial Day weekend traditionally marks the unofficial start of summer. I trust your family gatherings and holiday celebrations were filled with many new memories with family, friends, and neighbors. It is also my sincerest aspiration that, especially yesterday, you took more than a few moments to think about the reason for the holiday--remembering those who died in active military service. Memorial Day should be a holiday that bridges the present and the past. Without too much effort, nearly everyone can find an ancestor who served in the military. Have we specially honored those in our family over the generations who gave the ultimate sacrifice in service? What do we continue to do in the present to keep that service, that sacrifice, those memories alive and available for our great grandchildren’s great grandchildren whom we will never meet? That truly is our duty. The Genealogy Center’s last three virtual programs (the two last week and the one today) provided some practical steps for preserving our stories. I want to recap a small bit of the information shared in each of those presentations. First, we learned about how to preserve our families’ physical artifacts; then we learned about preserving our stories and living memory through writing and recording; and finally, today we learned about how to preserve our family history through scanning. Reviewing the “Basics of Preserving Our Physical Artifacts” presentation, we agreed how important it is to properly store and access both our two-dimensional and three-dimensional items. All contain parts of our families’ stories, all contain information that helps us understand their lives more fully, and all, when carefully studied, can provide more evidence about the places and times in which our ancestors lived. A number of lists were detailed in the presentation--a couple of them are shared below. Some preservation basics:

Never execute a process that cannot be reversed.

Do not store materials you want to preserve near a heat source or in an area susceptible to the dramatic temperature and humidity changes.

Consistent temperature and humidity are the keys.

Cleaning documents and artifacts is typically the first step in the preservation process.

Not all torn or “separated” documents need to be repaired or re-attached. There are instances when keeping the pieces together and well cared-for is preferred, and actually helps retain the value of the entity.

Containers or enclosures for every type of document or artifact should be acid-free/pH neutral, lignin-free, and buffered. Recall though, that some container is better than no container.

Deacidification processes should be completely left to professionals. A complementary list can be found below. Quick preservation tips:

Ensure items are clean and are able to remain clean.

It is good to breathe--documents and artifacts should.

Water is typically not your friend.

Ensure that everything touching an item is pH neutral.

Do no harm! Don’t engage in a process that cannot be undone.

Simplest is usually best.

Digitization is a fine option for disseminating data and preserving originals. We know that our families’ stories are not only contained in physical artifacts. They also are contained in the actual stories that have been passed down from person to person, from generation to generation. For so many of us, our families’ stories are relegated to living memory--the memories of those who are still alive and able to share. We need to use any special occasion, and especially holidays, to continue preserving and sharing living memory. A few vital keys to writing well:

Read Constantly.

Write Daily.

Write where you’re comfortable; write in different places and at different times of the day.

Engage all of your senses as memory triggers: sight, sound, smell, touch, & taste.

Write-up each of your most frequent forms of communication: email, telephone, & letters. Put the communiqué in context.

Write up your research!

Listen!

Work toward “contexting” all your communiqués.

Write about your feelings and your perception of others’ feelings.

Your unique words, concisely, about your unique experiences. There are so many writing tips and prompts—it’s amazing!

“5 Photos Genealogists Should be Taking Now” as published on LegacyFamilyTree.com and read on 16May2022. Taking and Writing about Now! https://news.legacyfamilytree.com/legacy_news/2022/05/5-photos-genealogists-should-be-takingnow.html

“18 Writing Tips for 2018: How to Tell Personal and Family Stories with Confidence” as published on FamilySearch.org and read on 25May2022.

www.familysearch.org/en/blog/18-writing-tips-for-2018-how-to-tell-personal-and-family-storieswith-confidence

“#52Stories Printables” are writing prompts published on FamilySearch.org and read 25May2022. www.familysearch.org/en/blog/52stories-printables

“9 Tips for Getting Started on Writing Your Family History” as published on FamilyTreeMagazine.com and read on 25May2022. https://familytreemagazine.com/storytelling/tips-getting-started-writing-family-history

Ancestors, Season 2: “Writing a Family History” as read on FamilySearch 25 May 2022. www.byutv.org/player/172a35b3-3e43-4f9c-b90e-79e593d26360/ancestors-writing-a-familyhistory?listid=4fe0fee5-0d3c-4a29-b725- e4948627f472&listindex=2&q=%22family%20history%22

Kimberly Powell’s “10 Steps to Writing Your Family History” as published on About.com and updated on ThoughtCo, Aug. 27, 2020, thoughtco.com/steps-to-writing-your-family-history1422877.

Family History Writing Prompts (Over 40!) by Family Tree Editors www.familytreemagazine.com/storytelling/writing/family-history-writing-prompts/

Amy Johnson Crow's “The Fallacy of Writing Your Family History” www.amyjohnsoncrow.com/the-fallacy-of-writing-your-family-history/

“20 Reasons Why You Should Write Your Family History” as published on the New York Public Library’s website and read on 25May2022. www.nypl.org/blog/2015/02/09/reasons-to-write-yourfamily-history Living memory is so valuable; and when we are gone, it’s gone. Writing is the very best way to preserve living memory, and further, to share those memories with descendants we will never meet about our life experiences as well as all the stories we have discovered about our ancestors. Provide living and future family members with the enticement they need to continue sharing our stories in the form of our words, and maybe a few of their own words they choose to add. Today’s virtual presentation on preserving our family history through scanning provided good advice and many suggestions for how to best digitize our families’ records. File formats and scanner accessories were discussed so we could ponder how best to digitize, scan and describe our many family artifacts. We have never had so many tools, so much good advice, and so many opportunities to preserve our existing memories. Make a commitment to preserve some of your existing memories every day. In closing, let’s wrap back around to the holiday we just celebrated--Memorial Day 2022. Let’s use this holiday, and all military holidays, to commit to discovering the full stories of our military ancestors, particularly those who gave their lives fighting for our country. A truly wonderful discovery was made in some donated family documents just days before this Memorial Day. It was a letter written June 5, 1945 by Lt. George W. Bryan to the grieving mother of Houston Arnold Wilcox. In the five-page letter the lieutenant recounts the very honorable and noble service Houston gave, from his landing at Iwo Jima and his many service accomplishments to his final acts. The letter ends, in part, with the words, “Mrs. Wilcox, I know that nothing will replace your son. We all miss him greatly . . . I feel a very personal loss and I know I can speak for the entire battalion when I say we have lost one of the finest men in the outfit. May God be with you in your great sorrow.” May we ensure all our memories, and those of our military ancestors, continue to be enhanced, and forever live.

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

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In the March issue of Gems, we showcased how to find the land grant records of South Carolina and discussed their importance for identifying the names of family members and neighbors. This month, we will focus on North Carolina’s land grant records. Since there are few vital records for the eighteenth century, these records that include the names of neighbors and family members can prove equally valuable as South Carolina’s in untangling complex families with names that may not appear in probate records. Regrettably, these records are more complex than South Carolina’s in many respects and will require you to search a variety of book sets. To begin with, the State Archives of North Carolina offers an online database of selected grants with images. https://nclandgrants.com/ However, searching it for specific names that are known to be found in the published books will bring you up short, which is why users will need to use both the website and the books to conduct a comprehensive search. It is best to find the set of volumes that cover the time period your ancestor would have obtained a land grant in North Carolina. The earliest grants, made between 1663 and 1729, are known as Provincial or Proprietary grants. They were issued when King Charles II granted the charter of the colony to eight men, known as the Lords Proprietors. One of the best sources for searching these grants is Margaret M. Hofmann’s “Province of North Carolina, 1663-1729, Abstracts of Land Patents” (1979), Gc 975.6 H673p. Hofmann references the original patent book number and indexes the grantee, their neighbors, and the location of the grant, including the water courses. Between 1729 and 1775, all but one of the original proprietors sold their shares back to the crown with their former land located mostly in the southern half of the state. The exception was Lord Granville, who retained his shares and continued to issue grants. Hofmann abstracted and indexed these so-called Granville Grants in a five-volume set titled “The Granville District of North Carolina, 1748-1763,” Gc 975.6 H673g. A continuing series of slightly later colonial grants can be found in her two-volume “Colony of North Carolina Abstracts of Land Patents,” 1735-1764 (volume 1) and 1748-1763 (volume 2) Gc 975.6 H673c. She derives these abstracts from the original crown patent books. A final series is her “North Carolina Abstracts of State Grants,” Gc 975.6 H673no, published in five volumes and covering the period of the 1770s to about 1780. Additional grants can be in other archival sources beyond the patent books. Albert Bruce Pruitt has published “Colonial Land Entries in Carolina,” Gc 975.9P95c, appearing in four volumes and spanning from 1735 to 1775. Unlike the Hofmann series, Pruitt’s is drawn from land entries and warrants and includes many names not found in either Hofmann or the State Archives website. These volumes include the name of the grantee, the date of the warrant, the number of acres, the county where it was located, the water course, the names of neighbors, and any additional notes. Two additional books cover additional grant records outside these works. They include grants in Dobbs County between 1741 and 1757, abstracted by William L. Murphy, Gc 975.601 D65mb, and grants in Bladen County, abstracted by Miles Philbeck, Gc 975.6 P53b. To make matters even more complicated, additional categories of eighteenth-century land records fall outside all the above sets. In some situations, the granted land remained in dispute and resulted in petitioners writing to the governor to request the grants be suspended until a trial could be held to determine the rightful owner. These records are included in Pruitt’s “Petitions for Land Grant Suspensions in North Carolina, 1776-1836,” Gc 975.6 P95s. He provides detailed abstracts of these petitions that are often rich with names and other details. During the colonial era, some land was resurveyed and regranted, and these surveys can be found in Pruitt’s “Colonial Petitions for Land Resurveys, Some Land Warrants 1753-1774, Caveats of Land Warrants, 1767-1773 in North Carolina,” Gc 975.6 P95p. Later, during the Revolutionary War, the state government seized the land belonging to loyalists and resold it to those who supported the war. These records, transcribed in Pruitt’s “Abstracts of Sales of Confiscated Loyalists Land and Property in North Carolina,” Gc 975.6 P95a, list not only the new grantee, but also the name of the loyalist and the water course where the land was located. Finally, some grantees discovered errors in the original grants that required North Carolina to make corrections, and these mostly later grants are covered in Pruitt’s “Corrections or Alterations to Land Grants in North Carolina (1714-1873) and Tennessee (1778- 1796), Gc 975.6 P95g. The complexity of these different record sets should not deter researchers from using them. If you are tracing a North Carolina family in the eighteenth century, you will find them indispensable sources for neighbors, chain carriers, and potential family members. They are essential sources for the reconstruction of families who lived in this period.

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Research Like a Pro by Sara Allen

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The new book “Research Like A Pro With DNA” by Diana Elder, Nicole Dyer, and Robin Wirthlin, is a welcome addition to guides to DNA testing for genealogists. This book is full of practical examples, with the introductory chapters suitable for beginners, while other later chapters are suited for more intermediate users. Chapter titles include: “Take a DNA Test,” “Assess Your DNA Matches and Analyze Your Pedigree,” “Organize Your DNA Matches Visually with Diagrams and Family Trees,” “Create a Research Objective,” “Write Source Citations for DNA and Documentary Sources,” “Analyze Your Sources and Evaluate Your DNA Matches,” “Locality Research and Ethnicity,” “DNA Tools and Methodology,” “Research Planning with DNA,” “Research Logs and Writing As You Go,” “Correlating Findings and Finishing the Research Report,” and “What’s Next? Publishing, Productivity, and Further Education.” I especially liked the chapter entitled “Create a Research Objective,” which gives practical application ideas and suggestions for using your DNA results to solve research questions (i.e. ancestral brick walls). Many people need help formulating how to tie their DNA results to their documentary genealogical research, and this book provides a lot of guidance on this topic. The three case studies in Appendix C are useful and showcase in practical terms how the authors used genealogical research and DNA testing to resolve genealogical problems. Since the authors perform genealogical and DNA research for clients, a number of their chapters seem more applicable to readers who also perform work for clients. These chapters may not be as interesting to home users who are merely analyzing their own DNA results. Sometimes the authors go into quite a bit of detail about specifics of each chapter subject, which may confuse the beginner. There is less information in the book about Y-DNA or mitochondrial DNA testing, which is a short-coming, in my opinion. Blaine Bettinger’s book “The Family Tree Guide to DNA Testing and Genetic Genealogy” is still my best recommendation for beginners to learn about genetic genealogy, but this book is enthusiastically recommended for intermediate users and especially those seeking tips on breaking down brick walls with DNA and those working with clients.

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Technology Tip of the Month: Adobe Elements 2019--Exploring the Text Tool by Kay Spears

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Let’s talk about the Text Tool in Adobe Photoshop Elements. First of all, for preservation or restoration of a photograph, there is no need to use the Text Tool. But if you want to design a poster, flier, sign, or a header for something online, etc., then you may have a need to use it. Remember this when using the Text Tool in Adobe Photoshop: photoshop is a Raster platform, and usually a text should be Vector-ish. Here’s my rule of thumb: if I am designing a graphic that will be printed, I usually create my text in a Vector program like Illustrator or InDesign. If I am designing something that will be online, I create the text part in Photoshop because occasionally, text designed in a Raster platform will appear fuzzy or jagged. You can cut down on that effect by making sure your Anti-aliasing is on, but that doesn’t always do the trick. So, this is just a little something to remember when designing graphics with text. Before we get started I would suggest you change your “preview” font size. Doing so prevents eye strain for those of us who use magnifying glasses to see. To change the viewing size, go to: Edit>Preferences>Type>Font Preview Size>Huge. This only affects the “viewing” part on the dropdown font option. Time to experiment with text. For the first few experimental times, I suggest you use a blank white canvas. So, create a New blank file. Find the icon on the Tool Option Box that looks like a giant “You’re your tool options” will be: Horizontal Type Tool, Vertical Type Tool, Horizontal Type Mask, Vertical Type Mask, Text on Selection Tool, Text on Shape Tool, and Text on Custom Path. There is a drop-down box with a list of all the Fonts you have on your computer, a drop-down box with font weight, size, leading, and tracking. And there is also Color and Alignment. Some of these options are a little more advanced, so we are only looking at the Horizontal Type Tool. Click on the Horizontal Type Tool. Pick your Font Style and Color. Bring your cursor over to the white art board. When you do this, your cursor will turn into a “caret” aka “i-cursor” aka “I-beam.” You can activate it in two different ways. The first way is to just click on the white board. If you do this method, you will see a horizontal blinking line. Start typing. The second method is to bring the cursor over and drag it. This will give you a selection box with a “I-bean” inside it. Start typing. When you are in Elements, you need to click the Green Arrow when you are finished. With both of these methods, you will have a Text Layer in the Layer Palette. You will still be able to do things to the text: change the color, rotate, stretch, distort, move, etc. When I work with text, I usually have numerous separate text layers. I do this because I like to do things with one layer that I don’t do to the other. So, that’s a basic text. But play with all of the options available to you, and check out some of the tutorials on YouTube to see what other fun things you can do with text. And, enjoy. Next article: Adobe Elements 2019: The Pencil Tool

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PERSI Gems: Our First Monetary Transactions by Adam Barrone and Mike Hudson

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Our first monetary transactions were often conducted, with assistance, before we could reach the cashier’s counter or a coin slot. For a much smaller version of me, the amusement of operating a parking meter or soda machine rivaled the joy of being lifted to push an elevator button. Hollow piggies, bank passbooks, and investment accounts helped us learn to save. Juke boxes, arcade games, store clerks, car salesmen, and Realtors helped us to spend. Fountains, offering plates, red kettles, society fundraising events, and online donation buttons helped us to give. Do you remember your first wallet or coin purse? What was the source of the money it contained? Where did you spend a dollar? What did you receive in return? How long did it last? To what causes did you give? Questions like these help us reflect on our own upbringing and values. They might also be used to coax childhood stories and insights from the memories of our loved ones. The Periodical Source Index (PERSI) offers some clues to the value of a dollar in years past. Try a search here: https://www.genealogycenter.info/persi/ Amanda Barnett vs. Charles L. Brown breach of promise lawsuit, fellow not worth a dollar, 1896 Whitley Branches (Whitley Co. Hist. & Gen. Soc., KY), Vol. 71 (Oct 2014) Battle Creek one-dollar miracles (patent medicine) Heritage Battle Creek (MI), Vol. 6 (Spr 1994) Bob Gunthorp recalls buying a Ford woodie station wagon for a dollar, 1959 History Matters (Coronado Hist. Assn., CA), Vol. 5, Issue 1 (Sep 2011) Ed Richardson recalls buying his first guitar, blackberries one dollar per gallon, c. 1950s+ Kentucky Explorer, Vol. 33, Issue 4 (Sep 2018) Harry Trotter recalls wages for a week's work, John S. Windell paid him a 1799 silver dollar, 1890 Iroquois Stalker (Iroquois Co. Gen. Soc., IL), Vol. 41, Issue 1 (2011) Ingersoll Watch Company dollar watch notes, early 1900s Heard and Scene (Heard Co. Gen. Soc., GA), Vol. 11, Issue 4 (Oct 2004) Is a dollar still worth a Taler Der Blumenbaum (Sacramento German Gen. Soc., CA), Vol. 19, Issue 1 (Jul 2001) One dollar fire department cabin, 1950s+ Summit (CO) Historical Society Voices (Sum 2008) Sultan of Muscat silver dollar sets auction record, history, 1804, 1834+ American History (Cowles History Group, VA), Vol. 34, Issue 6 (Feb 2000) Summit Street photo and note on Dollar Hat Store, 1890s Bend of the River (Maumee, OH), Vol. 40, Issue 10 (Nov 2012) Thomas Carroll re the value of a dollar in Calvert County, 1954-2004 Calvert Historian (Calvert Co. Hist. Soc., MD), Vol. 31 (2004) Too many dollar stores on southeast side of Fort Wayne, editorial, 2018 FWIS: Fort Wayne (IN) Ink Spot, Vol. 1, Issue 11 (Jul 2018) ***************************************

History Tidbits: Pediatric Hospitals By Allison DePrey Singleton

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In a world where medicine is grouped into specialties, it is sometimes difficult to remember that was not always the case. One doctor was called to treat every ailment for any age. Even when doctors began specializing in different forms of medicine, the hospitals and other places of treatment were still one size fits all. The change to having specialty hospitals was not sudden but a gradual change. Let’s explore a bit of the history of children’s hospitals. The first hospital created specifically for children was the Necker Hospital Enfants Malades in 1802 in Paris, France. It served children of both sexes under the age of 15 and was the first pediatric hospital in the world. Over time, many discoveries and much research has been done through this pediatric hospital to further the specialty. Today, it is still a renowned pediatric hospital with children coming from all over Europe and even abroad. The Hospital for Sick Children (now known as Great Ormond Street Hospital) in London, England, is considered the second pediatric hospital to open in 1852. Its humble origins began in a townhouse with only 10 beds. It has since grown to become a renowned pediatric hospital pioneering new treatments and breakthroughs in research. Today, it assists around 600 children daily. The United States saw its first children’s hospital in 1869 when Dr. Francis Henry Brown founded the Boston Children's Hospital. Dr. Brown had seen the benefits of having a specialty hospital for pediatric care while traveling in Europe after the Civil War. This hospital, too, had humble origins, beginning in a townhouse with 20 beds. Eventually, the hospital became affiliated with Harvard Medical School. Today, Boston’s Children’s Hospital has over 400 beds and is renowned for being one of the largest children’s hospitals in the United States. It is noteworthy that all these hospitals are still in existence today. The need for a separate hospital for children is something our ancestors saw and worked towards over time. There are more than 250 Children’s Hospitals in the United States. As medicine changes, improves, and more breakthroughs happen, expect more evolution in our pediatric medical world. Sources and further reading: Boston Children's hospital history. BCRP. (2018, May 21). Retrieved May 24, 2022, from https://bcrp.childrenshospital.org/history/boston-childrens-hospital/ Casimir, G. (1AD, January 1). Why children's hospitals are unique and so essential. Frontiers in Pediatrics. Retrieved May 24, 2022, from https://www.frontiersin.org/articles/10.3389/fped.2019.00305/full#:~:text=Children's%20hospit als%20were%20created%20in,of%20children%20were%20catered%20for. Introducing the Necker-Enfants Malades Hospital. Hôpital Necker-Enfants malades. (2015, September 25). Retrieved May 24, 2022, from https://hopital-necker.aphp.fr/introducing-neckerenfants-malades-hospital Our history. GOSH Charity. (n.d.). Retrieved May 24, 2022, from https://www.gosh.org/aboutus/ourhistory/#:~:text=Great%20Ormond%20Street%20Hospital%20(then,of%20specialists%20under% 20one%20roof.

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Genealogy Center’s June 2022 Programs

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Join us for another month of free, virtual programs! June 2, 2022, 6:30 p.m. EDT “Working with Autosomal DNA Matches Part 2” with Sara Allen - https://acpl.libnet.info/event/6727820 June 7, 2022, 2:30 p.m. EDT “Tips for Searching Newspapers.com” with Melissa Tennant - https://acpl.libnet.info/event/6729027 June 9, 2022, 6:30 p.m. EDT “Journey to the West of the West: Genealogical Treasures at the Sutro Library” with Dvorah Lewis - https://acpl.libnet.info/event/6710338 June 14, 2022, 2:30 p.m. EDT “Research with the Clayton Library Center for Genealogical Research” with Irene B. Walters - https://acpl.libnet.info/event/6710376 June 16, 2022, 6:30 p.m. EDT “Let's Talk: Juneteenth” with Genealogy Center Staff and the Indiana Historical Society - https://acpl.libnet.info/event/6728062 June 21, 2022, 2:30 p.m. EDT “Finding the Unknown Parents of Your Ancestor” with Sara Allen - https://acpl.libnet.info/event/6730803 June 23, 2022, 6:30 p.m. EDT “Who are All These People? - How you CAN figure out identities of people in your photos” with Tina LaFreniere - https://acpl.libnet.info/event/6728150 June 28, 2022, 2:30 p.m. EDT “Using Tax Records in Genealogical Research” with John Beatty - https://acpl.libnet.info/event/6730806 June 30, 2022, 6:30 p.m. EDT “How to Maximize Your Search Using Fold3” with Elizabeth Hodges - https://acpl.libnet.info/event/6710840 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 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 ezine" in the subject line. Curt B. Witcher and John D. Beatty, CG, co-editors