November 2010

Genealogy Gems:

News from the Fort Wayne Library No. 81, November 30, 2010

In this issue:

Giving Thanks . . . Giving Thankfully

Civil War Reports of the State Adjutant Generals

New York State DAR Records

Technology Tip of the Month--Inserting Images into Shapes Using Microsoft Word

Preservation Tip of the Month--Saving Holiday Greetings

WinterTech 2010-2011 Continues

March Madness--Genealogy Style

Irish & Scots-Irish Genealogy: Part One--A Two-Day Mini-Course

Librarians on Parade

Area Calendar of Events

Driving Directions to the Library

Parking at the Library

Queries for The Genealogy Center

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Giving Thanks . . . Giving Thankfully by Curt B. Witcher

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We barely finish our Thanksgiving Day gatherings before being challenged to go from giving thanks to simply giving. I encourage you to keep the spirit of the season by doing what I am going to call giving thankfully. And there are many ways we can give thankfully. First, in being thankful for the rich heritage and history each of us has received from our ancestors, why not think of giving gifts that have a personal, genealogical touch? Juliana Smith, who has been a terrific writer and editor for Ancestry.com for many years, penned a great piece in the recent “Ancestry.com Weekly Discovery” entitled, “Five Ways to Share Family History During the Holidays.” A couple of her suggestions are particularly appealing to me. One is to write mini-biographies to send with holiday greeting cards, catching the family up on your latest genealogical discoveries relative to common ancestors. Who knows--you might even enlist some assistance with a particular road-block or challenge. It‛s a unique twist on the holiday letters that usually contain only current events and news of the recent past. Family history data would be a neat complement to a getting-caught-up-on-the-family-happenings letter. Another of Juliana‛s suggestions is to create heirloom ornaments. There are all kinds of ornaments that allow for artistic modifications. Why not use historic photographs of ancestors and ancestral home-places to complete those ornaments? Giving those as gifts can be doubly special. Relatives typically really appreciate getting gifts that have a special, personal touch, and you‛ll be sharing a part of your common heritage with them besides. If ornaments aren‛t your forte, you can photoshop some of your more interesting documents, print them on parchment-like paper, and make a family heritage scrapbook as a gift. I am sure you can think of other creative ways to share evidence of your heritage in the form of a holiday gift. For those December holiday gatherings, consider preparing an ethnic dish. It is yet another unique way to be thankful for your heritage and may just entice some of your family members to take an interest in the family‛s history. Ethnic holiday songs and blessings, and old traditional family carols and hymns, also can be shared at these festive gatherings. You can truly make this a time for bringing the family‛s history to life. Yet another way to give thankfully is to give in thanks of the many individuals and organizations that have helped us succeed in our genealogical endeavors this year. Most institutions and organizations that preserve and make historical records available for research are really struggling in these very challenging economic times. Their ability to provide services will increasingly depend on our gifts of time, talent, and treasure. It is certainly true for The Genealogy Center here in Fort Wayne. Remembering the Center in your end-of-the-year giving plans means a tremendous amount. Indeed, the ability of your Genealogy Center to continue its tradition of excellence will increasingly depend on the generosity of those who have benefited from our collections and services. Consider making a tax deductible gift. Best wishes for a safe, and thankful, holiday season.

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Civil War Reports of the State Adjutant Generals by Steven W. Myers

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Many genealogists begin searching for a Civil War soldier armed with the bare essentials of that person‛s name, military unit and state of service. These scant details often can be obtained easily from a tombstone or one of the online indexes to those who served in the conflict. Researchers can submit NATF Form 86 to the National Archives for a complete copy of a soldier‛s service record, but at $25 each, the cost may be an obstacle for those who have many soldiers in the family or who are unsure which soldier, of several with the same name, is theirs. The printed report of the relevant state adjutant general can help in both situations. The eight volume “Report of the Adjutant General of the State of Indiana” (973.74 In2ad), one of many available in The Genealogy Center, will serve as an example. The first volume reproduces official documents and statistics of general interest including lists of officers who were killed, dismissed or resigned, and of Union soldiers buried in Indiana. Volumes two and three provide, for each regiment, a list of the commissioned officers and a short history of its actions and engagements. Volume eight contains additions and corrections, as well as extensive lists of deaths and deserters The bulk of the report prints extensive rosters of enlisted men who served from the state and provides information that constitutes a brief service record. Details are listed in order by regiment and company and include name, rank, residence, date of muster into service, and remarks. Remarks may provide just a date the soldier mustered out, but also can indicate whether the soldier was transferred to another unit, discharged for disability, captured, hospitalized, deserted, died of disease or wounds, or was killed in action. Date and place of the event are often noted. Reports for some other states provide the age of the soldier instead of his residence, but either of these details, in the absence of useful information from the remarks column, can help the researcher trying to identify the correct soldier among many with the same name who served from the same state. The record of Joseph McDonald, in volume four, indicates that he was a private in Company K, 14th Regiment and a resident of Monroe County when he mustered into service on June 7, 1861. Remarks note that he was a veteran and was killed in an “affray” near Stevensburg, Virginia. The “Roll of Honor,” in volume eight, adds the date of death as December 20, 1863, and gives the cause of death as “accident.” For those researching Civil War soldiers, these reports are certainly worth a look. Many are available free online by using the “Internet Archive” or “Google Book Search,” but be wary of databases at Ancestry.com that are far from complete.

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New York State DAR Records by John D. Beatty

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New York is a challenging state for genealogical research. Public vital records were not kept regularly until the late nineteenth century and the availability of other records online remains limited, so most researchers need to consider alternatives. A useful source, available in The Genealogy Center, is the “New York State D.A.R. Records,” a set of microfilmed typescript volumes compiled over many decades by chapters of the Daughters of the American Revolution. Beginning early in the twentieth century, the D.A.R.‛s Genealogical Records Committee spearheaded the transcription of historical records of significance across the United States. The reports of New York State‛s chapters were particularly fruitful, offering transcriptions of Bible records, church registers, wills, muster rolls, and cemetery inscriptions – all sources not otherwise readily accessible. Bible records and cemetery inscriptions comprise the bulk of the collection. Researchers can best access the microfilms by using two printed guides. The “Master Index, New York State DAR Genealogical Records,” compiled in 1972 (974.7 D26ge), is a subject and name index providing references to a volume and page. Each volume citation is preceded by either a “B,” indicating a Bible record, or a “V,” designating some local record. This guide is a key access tool to the D.A.R. film series filed under New York State, which carries these letter designations. There is also a complementary “Master Index Supplement 1972-1978” at 974.7 D26ge suppl. A more recent guide, published in 1998 under the title “Revised Master Index to the New York State Daughters of the American Revolution Genealogical Records Volumes” (974.7 D26gea), provides a corrected and more comprehensive index to the reports. The two-volume set contains four separate indexes: Bible records; cemetery, church, and town records; family histories; and Revolutionary War soldier graves. The B and V notations were replaced with references to specific volumes and page numbers corresponding to a second series of microfilm, which is filed in Special Collections as part of a larger set of D.A.R. Genealogical Records Committee Reports for other states. Users of this guide can search by surname for Bibles, family histories, and soldier graves, and also by county, and then under that heading, by town, for references to specific local records. For example, a search under “Chautauqua County” identifies dozens of transcribed cemeteries, as well as indexes to newspapers, state census indexes, and the records of several churches. The national “Online GRC Index” available at www.dar.org/library is an every-name index to the reports and contains 368,000 entries for New York. Unfortunately, researchers will have difficulty using these references with the microfilms because filming was completed before final volume numbers were assigned. This difficulty aside, the “New York State D.A.R. Records” are worth exploring because some of the family Bibles are undoubtedly no longer extant, and many of the transcribed gravestones have become unreadable. Researchers should consider using the collection, especially for upstate areas outside New York City.

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Technology Tip of the Month--Inserting Images into Shapes Using Microsoft Word by Kay Spears

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Contrary to what some might think, working with Microsoft Word can be fun. For example, I often want inserted images and graphics to be more than just rectangles. While Microsoft Word is made primarily for text and is rather limited in its graphics capabilities, there are some simple things that can be done to tweak an image. Graphics may be inserted into AutoShapes and WordArt. There are several AutoShapes to choose from: oval, octagon, star, banner, etc. These shapes can be found in the Drawing Toolbar, which I always have opened. To try out your first option, go to AutoShapes>Basic Shapes and choose the oval. As soon as you click on the oval symbol, a box appears that says “create your drawing here.” I never use that box because I usually want my text to wrap around the shape. Tap the Escape key on your keyboard and that box disappears. Your cursor will be in the shape of a cross. Hold down the left click button on your mouse and drag your cursor until you have an oval shape in your document. There are several ways to insert an image into the oval: by right clicking and choosing “format AutoShape,” by using “Format” on the main menu bar, or by using the paint bucket tool. The paint bucket tool is located on the Drawing Toolbar. Make sure the oval shape is selected. There should be white dots around it and one green dot at the top of the shape. Go to the paint bucket tool, click on the arrow, choose fill effects>picture tab>select picture. This opens up a dialog box that will allow you to select your image file. Find the folder with your image in it, click on it, then click on “insert.” Your image will appear in the dialog box. Before you click on “OK,” check the box that says “lock picture aspect ratio.” This prevents the graphic from distorting when it is inserted into your selected shape. You cannot adjust the placement of the image in the shape, so you may have to do some tweaking of the image outside of Word. You can also have some fun inserting graphics inside of text by using the WordArt tool located on the WordArt toolbar. The WordArt tool is the large capital A on the far left of the tool bar – click on it. A WordArt Gallery opens providing a number of selections, all of which you may edit later. Choose any option and type a word, then click “ok.” That word will now be in your Word document as an inline object. Change it to a floating object by picking a text wrap option. Now, go through the same steps that you did to insert a photograph into the shape object. Once the graphics are inserted into AutoShapes or WordArt, you can add shadows and lines or twist/warp and rotate them. All of these options are located on the Drawing and WordArt toolbars, which have dropdown arrows that allow access to even more tools. The green dot I mentioned earlier is your rotate tool. I suggest you experiment with these tools until you get the result you want. Let your imagination run wild and have some fun! Next article: Adding Footnotes in Microsoft Word

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Preservation Tip of the Month--Saving Holiday Greetings by Curt B. Witcher

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Tis the season when many will be receiving Christmas cards and other holiday greetings. If you‛re like me, every year I receive a few cards that are really special and other greetings that are wonderfully personalized. I like to save these items. How to do that successfully is a matter of personal taste, but there are some basics to keep in mind. Remember that the vast majority of holiday greetings are printed or written on paper that contains acid; indeed, some are very acidic. So saving them will mean segregating them from photographs and other valuable keepsakes and heirlooms. If you like scrapbooking, you can glue an acid-free envelope on a scrapbook page with acid-free adhesive. Use that envelope as a pocket for your cards. If you‛re more of an “archiver” or filer, you can use the same acid-free envelope for storing the cards and then place the envelope in an acid-free folder. Of course, digitizing the cards and greetings is a great way to save holiday mementos. Remember to scan at a dpi of at least 300 and save as tiff images. Be sure to integrate these new 2010 holiday images into your back-up and media refreshment schedule.

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WinterTech 2010-2011 Continues

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Heat up your genealogical technology skills at The Genealogy Center during the cold winter months by attending our WinterTech lectures. Schedule yourself for a full day of genealogy fun on the second Wednesday in December, January, and February. Do some research in the morning, attend the WinterTech class at 2:30 in the afternoon, and stay for the Allen County Genealogy Society of Indiana's monthly meeting at 7:00 in the evening. On December 8, Delia Bourne will present "Net Treats," a program highlighting a number of Internet websites which just may open new avenues for your research. Future WinterTech classes will feature Melissa Shimkus on "Becoming Expert at Using Ancestry" in January, and Dawne Slater-Putt "Exploring the Ever Expanding FamilySearch" in February. Call 260-421-1225 to register, or send us an email at Genealogy@ACPL.Info .

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March Madness--Genealogy Style

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Okay--we know it‛s not even winter yet. We understand that Christmas and other end-of-the-year holiday celebrations are still in front of us. But let‛s face it, we all need something to look forward to. Why not make that something genealogical activities? Plan on celebrating the end of winter by attending The Genealogy Center's version of March Madness, Sunday March 13 through Saturday March 19, 2011. Plan to attend: Why Do I Want to Look at a Revolutionary War Pension? Sunday, March 13, 1:00pm-2:00pm, Meeting Room A Searching the Internet for Your Genealogy (Using Google and Other Search Engines). Monday, March 14, 2:00pm-3:00pm, Meeting Room A Writing Personal History: Doing for Our Descendants What We Wish Great-Grandma Had Done for Us. Tuesday, March 15, 10:00am-11:00am , Meeting Room C ACGSI Computer Interest Group. Wednesday, March 16, 7:00pm-9:00pm, Meeting Room B Beginning Virginia Genealogical Research. Thursday, March 17, 2:00pm-3:00 pm, Meeting Room A Irish & Scots-Irish Genealogy: Part 1 - A Two-Day Mini-Course. Friday & Saturday, March 18-19, 9:00am-4:00pm, Meeting Rooms B&C. NOTE: Registration and a $50 fee are required for this program. Check our website http://www.genealogycenter.org/Events.aspx for more information. Call 260- 421-1225 to register, or send us an email at Genealogy@ACPL.Info .

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Irish & Scots-Irish Genealogy: Part One--A Two-Day Mini-Course

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After you've celebrated St. Patrick's Day, take time to expand your research skills by attending Irish and Scots-Irish Genealogy, Part 1 on Friday & Saturday, March 18-19, 9:00 a.m.-4:00 p.m., in Meeting Rooms B&C. This two-day mini-course, taught by Steve Myers, is an excellent way for researchers with little or no experience in Irish records to receive a thorough grounding in the sources and techniques that lead to success. Classes include: “Doing Your Homework in North American Sources;” “Getting the Lay of the Land: Irish Place-names, Maps & Gazetteers;” “Griffith's Valuation and the Tithe Applotment Books;” “Church Records and Heritage Centres;” “Civil Registration & Other Vital Records Sources;” and “Censuses & Census Substitutes.” A complementary Part 2 mini-course, tentatively scheduled for March, 2012, will cover additional topics such as using Irish manuscript collections and local history publications. Cost for both days is $50. Program details and registration information are included in the brochure at http://www.genealogycenter.org/Libraries/2010/Irish_Part_1_brochure_2011Reduced.sflb.ashx. Attendance is limited, so register early to avoid disappointment. For more information, call 260- 421-1225 or email Genealogy@ACPL.Info.

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Librarians on Parade in December 2010 & January 2011

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Curt Witcher December 8, 2010--Allen County Public Library, 900 Library Plaza, Fort Wayne, Indiana. 6:30 p.m. refreshments, 7 p.m. program. Program: “Revolutionary War and War of 1812 Research.” January 7, 2011--RUSA/ALA pre-conference program, Valencia Park/Malcolm X Branch of the San Diego Library, 5148 Market Street, San Diego. Program: “Marching On: Online Sites for 19th Century U. S. Military Veterans.” Delia Bourne December 8, 2010--Allen County Public Library, 900 Library Plaza, Fort Wayne, Indiana, Meeting Room C, 2:30 p.m., “‛Net Treats.” Steve Myers January 8, 2011--Detroit Society for Genealogical Research & Oakland County Genealogy Society joint meeting, Christ Church Cranbrook, 470 Church Street, Bloomfield Hills, Michigan. 1:30 p.m. refreshments, 2-3 p.m. program. Program: "An Introduction to Medieval English Genealogy." Melissa Shimkus January 12, 2011--Allen County Public Library, 900 Library Plaza, Fort Wayne, Indiana, Meeting Room C, 2:30 p.m., “Becoming Expert at Using Ancestry.”

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Area Calendar of Events

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Allen County Genealogical Society of Indiana (ACGSI) December 8, 2010--Allen County Public Library, 900 Library Plaza, Fort Wayne, Indiana. 6:30 p.m. refreshments, 7 p.m. program. Curt Witcher will present, “Revolutionary War and War of 1812 Research.” January 12, 2011--Allen County Public Library, 900 Library Plaza, Fort Wayne, Indiana. 6:30 p.m. refreshments, 7 p.m. program. Jon Leyse will present, “Video Recording Your Family History.” Allen County-Fort Wayne Historical Society, 302 East Berry, Ft. Wayne, IN No December lecture. January 2, 2011, 2 p.m.—Craig Berndt will present “Fort Wayne‛s Interurbans.”

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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 102. 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 112. 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 $70. Public lots are located at the corner of Ewing and Wayne Streets ($1 each for the first two half-hours, $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. It is free to park on the street after 5pm 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 5pm and 11pm.

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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. Steve Myers & Curt Witcher, co-editors