November 2018

Genealogy Gems:

News from the Allen County Public Library at Fort Wayne No. 177, November 30, 2018 In this issue:

A Family History Holiday Challenge

Were Your Ancestors Alcoholics?

The Family Tree Historical Newspapers Guide”

Technology Tip of the Month: Dating Photographs with Cars

PERSI Gems--Pie Secrets

History Tidbits: Who is Santa Claus?

Library Catalog Insider--Cookbooks and Family Recipes

DNA Interest Group

Northeast Indiana Jewish Genealogy Society Seminars

WinterTech 2018-2019 Continues in December

Staying Informed about Genealogy Center Programming

Area Calendar of Events

Genealogy Center Social Media

Driving Directions to the Library

Parking at the Library

Genealogy Center Queries

Publishing Note

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A Family History Holiday Challenge by Curt B. Witcher

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The seasonal lights; the traditional songs, parties, and good cheer; the decorated evergreens; the non-stop sales, bargains, and enticements to buy, Buy, BUY--yes, it all must mean that the end of the year holiday season is in full swing. As we gather for all kinds of reasons with family, close and distant, let’s remember what great opportunities for family history and family stories this season brings. To assist in getting all into the “family history spirit,” The Genealogy Center is offering a “Family History Holiday Challenge” this year. This “Family History Holiday Challenge” began the day before Thanksgiving and ends on January 3, 2019. This challenge contains twelve things for you to do and submit to us during the holidays. The challenge is an attempt to get as many people as possible, regardless of where they live, to speak with their families, and maybe even do family history activities, during the holidays. The list of the twelve challenges is below. It is also linked at: www.acpl.info/holidaychallenge

1. Letter A letter written to or from you or a family member ***Example: A letter to your grandmother from her mother.

2. Story Record a family story. ***Example: Your uncle telling about the first sled they owned.

3. Photo Share a meaningful photograph.

Example: A photograph of your grandparents celebrating the holidays.

4. Snapshot of Life Write down a few facts about a period of your life.

*Example: Make a list of the facts surrounding your birth that you were told such as the hospital, the weather, day of the week, etc.

5. Recipe Fill out a recipe card with your favorite family recipe. ***Example: Aunt Jo’s Fried Chicken Recipe

6. Ancestor Chart Complete a family tree chart to the best of your ability.

7. School Memory Record a memory from your school days. ***Example: Telling about your favorite teacher and why.

8. Holiday Heirloom Photograph your favorite Holiday Heirloom ***Example: Antique holiday décor passed down from your great-grandmother.

9. Family Tradition Record a family tradition ***Example: Your family always plays touch football on Thanksgiving after eating.

10. Item from a Hope Chest Photograph something of importance from your Hope Chest. ***Example: Your baby clothes

11. Wrapped or Unwrapped Gift Photograph a wrapped or unwrapped gift ***Example: A beautiful gift wrapped with all the bells and whistles.

12. Dressed up for the Holidays Photograph of you or a loved one dressed up for the Holidays ***Example: A photograph of your great-grandparents dressed up for a holiday party. (Include costume events) All the submissions are done online through a form. That form is linked from the challenge list webpage and is also linked here: www.acpl.info/contest Everyone submitting will be entered into a drawing for a prize package. At this point, we do not know everything that will be included in the prize package, but we do know that a MyHeritage DNA kit will be one of the items. There is no minimum number of challenges you need to complete for the chance to win. It is our aspiration that this will be fun and light-hearted. We will be posting about this challenge on our Facebook page: www.facebook.com/GenealogyCenter As we are scrambling to find just the right gift for each of the important people in our lives, remember that the absolute best gift you can give to any family member is the gift of your family stories. Best wishes for a family history filled holiday!

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Were Your Ancestors Alcoholics? by John D. Beatty, CG

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As evidenced by extensive media coverage, our nation today is awash in opioid addiction. In our ancestors’ time (and for many still today), the drug of choice was alcohol. Western Europeans have imbibed wine, beer, hard cider, and other distilled spirits for millennia. Indeed, the traditions that surround drinking have become tightly interwoven with many cultures and touched countless families. If a family member in recent times has suffered from addiction, it is logical to wonder whether alcoholism “runs in the family” and further, whether science has definitively identified a genetic component to the disease. Genetic studies have been promising but inconclusive (https://academic.oup.com/alcalc/article/51/5/507/2237006), and none of the medical offerings of commercial DNA tests through such firms as Promethease (https://promethease.com/) and 23andMe (https://www.23andme.com/) have yet identified sets of genes responsible for alcoholism despite the strong likelihood that they exist. More likely alcohol abuse stems from a complex interaction between genetics, heredity, lifestyle, and cultural forces. All of this begs the larger question of whether we can readily discover if our ancestors suffered from alcoholism. Chances are good that at least some of them at some point in history had the problem, even though the evidence may be hard to find in the historical record. A good place to begin is with the study of alcoholic culture in early America. Hard drinking has been a part of America since the beginning of European settlement. Many pioneers discovered that groundwater was unhealthy, while fermented beverages such as beer or hard cider offered a safer alternative and protection from water-borne illnesses. But it was easy to drink to excess, and by the nineteenth century a variety of clergy and social reformers warned of dire consequences to the social fabric if government did not enact reforms. In his book, “The Alcoholic Republic: An American Tradition” (New York: Oxford University Press, 1979) (Gc 973 R69aL), W. J. Rorabaugh explores the pervasiveness of the problem, especially between 1790 and 1840, when Americans drank more alcohol by the gallon per capita than at any other time in history. By one estimate, half of the adult male population in the late 1820s drank two-thirds of all alcohol consumed. Women and children were also partakers, sometimes excessively. Sharon V. Salinger’s book, “Taverns and Drinking in Early America” (Baltimore: Johns Hopkins University Press, 2002) (Gc 973 Sa338t) examines the role that taverns played in the culture of seventeenth- and eighteenth-century America. In addition to their social function as community gathering places, they also afforded a place to drink, and many did so to the point of drunkenness. During this period, the public did not view drinking as intrinsically bad, even among children, unless it was taken to excess. Many believed that spirits possessed healthful, even nutritious, properties. However, concern became widespread that taverns collected the dredges of society and that too many taverns had an unwholesome effect on a community. In an effort to study the extent to which alcoholism was regarded as a social evil, Matthew Warner Osborn offers his book, “Rum Maniacs: Alcohol Insanity in the Early American Republic” (Chicago: University of Chicago Press, 2014) (Gc 973 Os12ru). Osborn looks at the medical history of delirium tremens that results from excessive drinking, tracing the growing awareness of alcoholism as a biological disease that pervaded all ranks of life. Clinical recognition of the problem, both among physicians and social reformers, represented the first steps in finding adequate treatment. If you believe you have alcoholic ancestors, then searching historical newspapers for articles about their inebriation is a good beginning point. Saloons were ubiquitous in cities and towns across America, as was public intoxication. Look for arrest records, articles about domestic battery, and even divorces, which may have had alcohol as a root cause. Also seek out court records. The law regarded drunkenness as a low-level misdemeanor that violated local ordinances, usually resulting in such cases being prosecuted in the city courts or by justices of the peace. If the task of finding such evidence is unpleasant at one level, it may also prove rewarding to have the knowledge that addiction exists as part of a medical family tree.

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“The Family Tree Historical Newspapers Guide” by Sara Allen

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Newspapers are a valuable source of information both about our long-ago and more recent ancestors. Many genealogists know they should be using newspapers in their research, but they may struggle with how to best accomplish that task. “The Family Tree Historical Newspapers Guide” by James M. Beidler (GC 929 B396fa) seeks to illuminate this topic and provide much-needed guidance on how to get started. Beidler begins his book by explaining the history of newspapers in general, and then describing and illustrating the types of articles one might find in a newspaper that may be useful to the family historian. He includes one chapter each about vital records in newspapers, obituaries and death notices, and the many other types of useful newspaper articles, such as legal notices, society columns, and advertisements. Then he presents a very helpful chapter on the different mediums for newspapers – print copies, microfilm copies, digital copies, born-digital (websites and databases), and indexes or abstracts – highlighting the differences and similarities between the different media and how to work with them. In the next section of the book, Beidler focuses on finding aids to locate relevant newspaper titles and articles. He discusses newspaper aggregators like Elephind.com that point to online newspaper websites. Then he covers free newspaper websites such as Chronicling America (and includes search tips for this site), Google News Archives and Old Fulton County Postcards (NY newspapers). He moves on to subscription newspaper sites, devoting a chapter each to using Newspapers.com (available at The Genealogy Center) and GenealogyBank. Readers will benefit from his how-to tips and screen-by-screen examples. Another chapter focuses on NewspaperArchive.com (available at The Genealogy Center), Proquest Newspapers, Accessible Archives, and other subscription sites. Finally, there is a chapter on finding newspapers that are not available online, and he suggests using union lists like the U.S. Newspaper Directory (https://chroniclingamerica.loc.gov/search/titles/) and WorldCat (www.worldcat.org) to discover a physical repository that holds the newspaper you seek. The last sections of the book include chapters on ethnic newspapers and international newspapers that provide much-needed information on these important sub-categories. Anyone with recent immigrant ancestors of the last 150 years should investigate whether there was an ethnic language newspaper published in the relevant city and time period that may contain valuable information about the family. There is a helpful chapter on the preservation of newspapers and citing bibliographical sources. Appendix A contains a newspaper research flowchart, while Appendix B offers a state-by-state bibliography of newspaper resources. This is a great book on a timely subject. I urge all family historians to consult it when next working with newspapers. A welcome addition to this book would be a detailed explanation about how to find an off-line obituary for a specific relative. It should include information about consulting online and print obituary indexes, accessing local, government and university library collections, and using interlibrary loan to borrow newspapers on microfilm.

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Technology Tip of the Month: Dating Photographs with Cars by Kay Spears

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Has this ever happened to you? You have settled in to watch a movie. It doesn’t really matter what movie – let’s say Psycho. You’re sitting there, thoroughly engrossed with the movie when a voice from across the room says, “That looks like a 57 Ford or it could be a 58. You can tell because the 57s had a crease down the center of the fender and a gun-sight down the middle (hood ornament). 58s had oval taillights. . .” By this time the voice from across the room sounds like “Wah, wah, wah….” And as the car Marion is in slowly sinks into the swamp behind Bates Motel, the voice across the room says, “Yes, that’s definitely a 57 Ford, a very elegant car.” I, unlike some people, am not interested in cars, especially when I’m trying to watch a movie. However, that person who knows all about those cars and their fenders, running boards, fins, and ornaments may be someone who you might rope into helping you with your box of photographs. I can guarantee that in your box of photographs there will be many with cars in them. There will be photographs of people standing beside the car, having picnics by the car, at the beach, etc. Sometimes it will help you pin-point a date of the photograph if you know the kind of car in it. Remember, automobiles come with the same warning as clothing and hair. Just because there is a 1957 Ford in the photo doesn’t mean that the photo was taken in 1957. It does mean though that the photograph wasn’t taken before 1957 and that gives you a starting point. The industrial revolution must have been an interesting time with all the new gadgets that came along. Some of them eventually faded away, but some of them remained. Early automobiles are a little bit harder to identify because they were made by different people or companies, so there wasn’t a standard set. Later when Henry Ford made his explosive entrance into manufacturing, cars became more standard in appearance. While manufacturers may have copied each other styles, a Ford was a Ford, a Chevy a Chevy, a Dodge a Dodge, etc. You can date automobiles by what kind of running boards, fenders, and fins are on it. Do they have running boards or are the sides of the card flat? Do they have a vent window, which was called a “dog leg” on the door? Are the front lights part of the hood or attached to the hood like an ornament? Does the trunk lid have a big back end or a small one? Are the tail-lights round, oval, rectangle? Is the grill work of the vehicle rather elaborate? Is there chrome along the sides or located in the middle of the car-hood? If there are fins, are they straight or angled? There are all kinds of subtle designs and changes which can be used to pin-point a date. If you don’t have a resident expert (but, I bet you do), I suggest as part of your investigations you use some handy-dandy reference books about cars. I found a great oversize book called “Car, the Definitive Visual History of the Automobile,” published in 2011 by DK Publishing. There are a plethora of books on automobiles, some on one brand, and some on numerous brands. But always keep in mind that you just might have your own expert sitting across the room from you. And, by the way, don’t get too attached to Marion in Psycho. Next article: Thoughts and wrap-up of photograph identification.

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PERSI Gems--Pie Secrets by Adam Barrone and Mike Hudson

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We at the Periodical Source Index (PERSI) wish you a holiday season full of memories of family, friends, and good food. No feast is complete without our favorite desserts, especially pie. Last Christmas, I attempted to reproduce the apple pie my mother and grandmother often made. I did reasonably well, but the bottom crust was a bit soggy. I consulted my mother and learned that there was a necessary adjustment to our family recipe which was not included on the recipe card. Genealogists are no strangers to family secrets. Sometimes those secrets extend to Mom’s recipe box. Articles indexed in PERSI reveal secrets of grandma’s pie, moldy pie, giant pies, pie-related crime, banned pies, and heirloom furniture for protecting pies. As you seek to shed light on your own family secrets, try a search here: http://search.findmypast.com/search/periodical-source-index Have a look at the citations we found: Ardene Neve, Grandma's lemon pie, MN Lifestory (Letter Rock Publications, KS), n.26, Mar. 1994 Eleanor Nel Bachelor, pie woman of Folkstone epitaph, her mouldy old crust, n.d. Peterborough and District (Eng.) Family History Society Journal, v.1n.5, Dec. 1982 Hawkins Bakery made 3-foot pie for President Calvin Coolidge note, 1926 Michigan History, v.96n.4, Jul. 2012 Moon pies, RC soda pop and other luxuries Looking Glass (AR), v.19, Apr. 1993 New Bremen Giant Pumpkin Growers make world's largest pumpkin pie, 2010 Towpath (New Bremen Historical Assn., OH), Jan. 2011 Nubbin Ridge pie supper Izard County (AR) Historian, v.13n.2, Apr. 1982 Onion pie murder, Chiddingly, 1852 Family Roots (Eastbourne, Eng.), v.3n.3, Jan. 1989 Pie safes and jelly cupboards Kanhistique (KS), v.17n.6, Oct. 1991 Pie banned by Boston Public Schools, news item, 1898 Harrison County (IA) Happenings, Jan. 2012 Sidney Saylor Farr re fried pies, Chess Pie, and Egg Custard Pie, Bell Co., KY Appalachian Heritage, v.34n.4, Fal. 2006 Stealing pork pies at Mansfield, 1848 Nottinghamshire (Eng.) Family History Society Journal, v.5n.10, Jan. 1099 Tyneside cat pie, woman arrested for selling cats as Scotch hares in Felling, 1885 Northumberland & Durham (Eng.) Family History Society Journal, v.35n.3, Aut. 2010 Whalley aka Worley family notes, Mr. Worley beat his wife, she made a pie out of his stick, 18th C.+ Nottinghamshire (Eng.) Family History Society Bulletin, v.2n.11, Mar. 1979

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History Tidbits: Who is Santa Claus? by Allison DePrey Singleton

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In the spirit of December and the upcoming holiday, let’s look at the different names and origins of Santa Claus. Like American history, Santa’s origin is the product of many different countries and cultures. No specific date that can be assigned to his appearance, since he grew organically out of other traditions. The main traditions that created Santa Claus as we know him today are Saint Nicholas, Father Christmas, Sinterklaas, Wodan, and Yule. Saint Nicholas was a Greek bishop of Myra during the Roman Empire. He was legendary in his gift giving, including a story about how he slipped gold into the window of three destitute girls so they could afford dowries and not become prostitutes. He was also known for slipping coins into shoes of those who needed it. Saint Nicholas is the patron saint of children, students, sailors, merchants, archers, repentant thieves, brewers, and pawnbrokers. Sinterklaas represents a translation of Saint Nicholas in Dutch and is based on the actual saint. He appears on the evening of December 5th to fill the shoes of good children with treats. This tradition corresponds with Saint Nicholas’ feast day on December 6th, when the children would wake up to find the treats. Dressed in a red bishop’s robe and hat, Sinterklaas carries a large red book with all the names of the good and bad children in it. He rides a horse and has an assistant named Zwarte Piet ("Black Pete"). In the legends, Zwarte Piet originally had a switch to hit bad children but has morphed into an incredibly helpful assistant. Some controversy has arisen over the existence of this character, considered racist in many parts of the world. In more recent years, a newer version of Zwarte Piet has only soot marks on his face instead of being in full black face. In Dutch, Santa Claus is actually de Kerstman ("the Christmas man"). The British Father Christmas is often synonymous with Santa Claus. Father Christmas first appeared around the mid-17th century as a symbol of the past with feasting and cheer. Originally, he was not associated with children, but with adults. A wonderful depiction of Father Christmas to which most people relate is the Ghost of Christmas Present in “A Christmas Carol.” Not until the Victorian era did Father Christmas begin showing signs of similarity to Santa Claus. By the early 20th century, most people could not distinguish the difference between the two. The Germanic god Wodan, or Odin, also contributed to the traditions surrounding Santa Claus. The pre-Christian Germanic tribes celebrated each year a midwinter event called Yule, a twelve-day festival full of revelry and feasting. Many Christmas traditions stem from this feast, including a Yule log, Yule goat, Yule singing, and the twelve days of Christmas. A legend of Yule included the belief that mysterious and supernatural occurrences happened during the festival, such as the Wild Hunt, a hunt through the sky led by Wodan on a flying horse. Wodan was said to have a long, white beard and wore a long, blue cloak. The Yule Goat, as mentioned above, is still the name of the Santa-type person who visits children in Finland. Named Joulupukki, he turns into a goat-man on Christmas Eve. He is an older man with a white beard and wears robes to keep warm. He rides a sleigh led by reindeer (on the ground) and has gnomes to assist him. The biggest difference between Joulupukki and Santa Claus is that the former, a known figure, enters through the door. Santa Claus is also known as Kris Kringle, an English adaptation of Christkindl or Christkind, the German name for Christ Child. Many cultures that celebrate Saint Nicholas’ feast day will then have the Christ Child bring presents on Christmas. No matter what Santa Claus is called or his origins, his meaning rings true throughout the world. He brings a message of giving, love, and family. “Merry Christmas to all and to all a good night!” You can see a list of the different names for Santa Claus here: https://drive.google.com/file/d/1nBEWTG21Fgm-4YOruky_emWMD_uk1_ni/view?usp=sharing

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Library Catalog Insider--Cookbooks and Family Recipes by Kasia Young

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We are going to keep it short but delicious this month! December is the time of year when we dust off our cookbooks and embrace the family recipes and traditions. Have you ever wondered how other families celebrate the holidays? What special recipes bring them together at a family table? The Genealogy Center has a rich collection of family cookbooks, and this month we will show you how easy it is to discover recipe books that were put together by your fellow family historians. Start your search at The Genealogy Center’s homepage: http://www.genealogycenter.org/ Locate the “Search the Catalog” window. Type the term Cookbooks and click the search button. This search yields 79 results. Make sure you write down the call number so you can easily locate the book on our shelves. Happy cooking! Bonus tip for December: Subject heading “Cookbooks” is a relatively new term, which was introduced by the Library of Congress in 2010. Before that date, catalogers used the term “Cookery”. This subject heading is no longer used since it was replaced by the term “Cooking”. However, “Cookery” is still present in our catalog, so you want to make sure you use it in your search. The search for Cookery in our catalog yields 232 results, and the search for Cooking yields 495 results.

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DNA and Genealogy Interest Group

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Have you done a DNA test for genealogical purposes? Do you completely understand the results you received? Do you need advice in interpreting your results? Are you interested and wonder what the best test is for you? Come to the DNA & Genealogy Interest Group Meetings on the 1st Thursday of the month to share and learn from each other! Basic information meeting is from 6:30 p.m. - 7:30 p.m., followed by a more advanced discussion from 7:30 p.m. to 8:30 p.m. The next meetings are Thursday, December 6, 2018 in the Discovery Center. Come in and share!

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Northeast Indiana Jewish Genealogy Society Seminars

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There are a number of exciting seminars and events planned in 2019 for those interested in Jewish genealogy and history. Among those events are two really excellent seminars--you will want to mark your calendars now for these two upcoming programs, both in the Genealogy Center’s Discovery Center at 2 p.m. February 17, 2019 – Lara Diamond will speak on Jewish Genealogy and DNA. Ms. Diamond will present “DNA 101: How to use Genetic Testing for Genealogical Research.” After a brief break, she will offer “Sorting Distant Cousins from Close Family,” including the challenges of endogamous populations such as Ashkenazi Jews. Plan to join us for both talks! Ms. Diamond’s appearance is made possible by a grant from the Dr. Harry W. Salon Foundation. May 5, 2019 – Dr. Elizabeth Anthony will discuss the International Tracing Service. For more information, see https://neindianajgs.wordpress.com/upcoming-events/.

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WinterTech 2018-2019 Continues in December

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Not sure what to give for a holiday gift this season? The Genealogy Center has you covered with our WinterTech offering, “Which DNA Test Should I Order?” conducted by Sara Allen on Wednesday, December 12, 2018, at 2:30 p.m., in the Discovery Center. Are you planning to buy DNA kits for yourself or others during this holiday season? How can you decide among the variety of options? Join Sara Allen for this informative program where she will discuss the three different types of DNA testing for genealogy, and the six major companies that offer tests for the consumer. Pros and cons will be presented to help you with your decision. Remember that WinterTech is offered on the second Wednesday each November through February, in the Discovery Center! Each event is followed by the Allen County Genealogical Society of Indiana’s monthly meeting at 7:00 p.m. Upcoming WinterTech events are “Saving Digitally from Genealogy Center Resources,” on January 9, 2019, and “Having Your Genealogical Research at Your Fingertips Using Evernote and Hoopla,” on February 13, 2019, both at 2:30, p.m., in the Discovery Center. For more information, see the brochure at http://www.genealogycenter.org/docs/defaultsource/2018-brochures/wintertechflyerreduced(2) . To register for these free events, call 260- 421-1225 or email Genealogy@ACPL.Info.

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Staying Informed about Genealogy Center Programming

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Do you want to know what we’ve got planned? Are you interested in one of our events, but forget? We are now offering email updates for The Genealogy Center’s programming schedule. Don’t miss out! Sign up at http://goo.gl/forms/THcV0wAabB. ***************************************

Area Calendar of Events

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Allen County Genealogical Society of Indiana, Inc. (ACGSI) Monthly Program December 12, 2018 - Allen County Public Library, 900 Library Plaza, Fort Wayne, Indiana, refreshments & networking begins at 6:30 p.m., program at 7 p.m. Marge Graham will present: “Where to Search for Documentation.” The George R. Mather Sunday Lecture Series January 6, 2019 - History Center, 302 E. Berry Street, Fort Wayne, Indiana, 2 p.m. Lecture presented by John Beatty, who will speak on “Susan Man McCulloch: Heirloom Fruits and Traditional Recipes.”

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Genealogy Center Social Media

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Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/GenealogyCenter/

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/genealogycenter/

Twitter: https://twitter.com/ACPLGenealogy

Blog: http://www.genealogycenter.org/Community/Blog.aspx

YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/user/askacpl

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Driving Directions to the Library

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Wondering how to get to the library? Our location is 900 Library Plaza, Fort Wayne, Indiana, in the block bordered on the south by Washington Boulevard, the west by Ewing Street, the north by Wayne Street, and the east by the Library Plaza, formerly Webster Street. We would enjoy having you visit the Genealogy Center. To get directions from your exact location to 900 Library Plaza, Fort Wayne, Indiana, visit this link at MapQuest: http://www.mapquest.com/maps/map.adp?formtype=address&addtohistory=&address=900%20Web ster%20St&city=Fort%20Wayne&state=IN&zipcode=46802%2d3602&country=US&geodiff=1 >From the South Exit Interstate 69 at exit 302. Drive east on Jefferson Boulevard into downtown. Turn left on Ewing Street. The Library is one block north, at Ewing Street and Washington Boulevard. Using US 27: US 27 turns into Lafayette Street. Drive north into downtown. Turn left at Washington Boulevard and go five blocks. The Library will be on the right. >From the North Exit Interstate 69 at exit 312. Drive south on Coldwater Road, which merges into Clinton Street. Continue south on Clinton to Washington Boulevard. Turn right on Washington and go three blocks. The Library will be on the right. >From the West Using US 30: Drive into town on US 30. US 30 turns into Goshen Ave. which dead-ends at West State Blvd. Make an angled left turn onto West State Blvd. Turn right on Wells Street. Go south on Wells to Wayne Street. Turn left on Wayne Street. The Library will be in the second block on the right. Using US 24: After crossing under Interstate 69, follow the same directions as from the South. >From the East Follow US 30/then 930 into and through New Haven, under an overpass into downtown Fort Wayne. You will be on Washington Blvd. when you get into downtown. Library Plaza will be on the right.

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Parking at the Library

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