November 2020

Genealogy Gems:

News from the Allen County Public Library at Fort Wayne No. 201, November 30, 2020

In this issue:

New Hours, Recrafted Services and Remembering

“Unofficial Guide to FamilySearch.org”

Spanish Colonial Women and the Law

Technology Tip of the Month: Continuing on with Adobe Elements 2018 and the Auto Select Tool

PERSI Gems: Wine

History Tidbits: Saint Lucy’s Day

Library Catalog Insider: Corporate Name Headings Genealogy

Center’s December 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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New Hours, Recrafted Services and Remembering by Curt B. Witcher

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New Hours & Recrafted Services

On Black Friday, November 27, the Allen County Public Library, complying with increased safety and health guidance from local and state authorities, changed its hours and recrafted its services. For Genealogy Center customers it means the following. New Hours effective until around January 28, 2021: Monday thru Thursday: 10A to 8P Friday and Saturday: 10A to 6P Sunday: 12P to 5P That shaves an hour off each end of the day Monday through Thursday, and one hour off the beginning of the day Friday and Saturday. Sunday hours remain unchanged. Our services have been recrafted to adhere to new limits on the number of people permitted to gather in one location due to pandemic health concerns. To research in the Center, you must make an appointment. That’s easily done, though. Simply email Genealogy@ACPL.info and request your day(s) and time(s). You will receive a confirmation email from us, and you will use that to enter the building on the day(s) you want to research. Simply bring that confirmation with you on your smart phone or printed out to gain access to the building and the Genealogy Center. You can reserve multiple days at a time covering the next two months. This could be a great opportunity to use the Genealogy Center if you feel safe traveling to get here. From the very beginning of this terrible pandemic, Genealogy Center staff clean and disinfect every research table section and every computer station after each use. We are committed to continuing this rigorous cleaning. And we are equally committed to providing you the best possible service. We truly do welcome you coming to the Genealogy Center to research among our 1.12 million books and periodicals as well as accessing our more than twenty in-houses databases including Ancestry.com, MyHeritage, FindMyPast, Newspapers.com, NewspaperArchive.com, and Fold3. We are truly here FOR YOU! And what does “here FOR YOU” mean? 1. Face to face Zoom consultations. If you have a challenging family history problem and would like to show us what documents you have gathered and ask how to interpret them, if you would like us to show you how to successfully explore FamilySearch, or if you’d like to chat about any genealogical research problem, call or email us for a virtual conversation on Zoom. 2. Open for 25 researchers at a time by appointment only. Yes, it’s true--one cannot simply show up to use the Genealogy Center with our new, temporary COVID protocols. One must make an appointment first. Please don’t let that discourage you. It’s easy. Simply email us at Genealogy@ACPL.info. Someone from our staff will email you back with a confirmation. Bring that confirmation email with you to gain entrance to the library and the Genealogy Center. 3. Ready to help via email, phone, and social media. Even if you can’t come to the Genealogy Center, that’s fine. You can still get help by emailing us at Genealogy@ACPL.info with your questions, calling us at 260-421-1225 to ask for assistance, or by using any of our social media channels to communicate with us. Whatever method works best, we truly are here for you. 4. YouTube presentations available 24/7. You can watch a couple of dozen Genealogy Center YouTube videos any time of the day or night that you might to enjoy some good presentations and perhaps refresh your research skills at the same time. In addition, more are being added every several weeks. 5. Online programs twice each week. Your Genealogy Center remains committed to presenting two virtual programs each week (unless there is a holiday on one of our normally scheduled days). Every Tuesday afternoon at 2:30 p.m. EST and every Thursday evening at 6:30 p.m. EST you can enjoy a family history program on Zoom. The large majority of these programs are recorded so you can enjoy them again on YouTube. 6. Utilize our digitized books on FamilySearch & Internet Archive. In addition to the five million records and images freely available under the “Free Databases” link on the GenealogyCenter.org website, tens of thousands of our books have been digitized by the Internet Archive and FamilySearch. These books are freely available to read online, search through the texts, and even download. If you can’t get to us, take advantage of the books we have put online for you. Find quick access to these free online resources by going to GenealogyCenter.org and clicking on the “Family History Archives” purple button on the center-left of that main webpage. In so many ways, we are open for you! Come see us, virtually or in person. Remembering For most, this past Thanksgiving was unlike any we have experienced. It’s almost guaranteed that this entire holiday season will be unique well into 2021. It has been a century since we have had a global pandemic of the proportion of COVID-19. These challenging times beg us to record our thoughts and feelings. We all have experienced some kind of loss during this year, even if it is just our loss of mobility. Record your thoughts and feelings about your losses. Did your time quarantining, officially or selfimposed, cause you to make family history discoveries, whether online or looking through mountains of electronic files and foldered papers? Have you had an opportunity to chat with distant relatives about what life is like for them during the COVID pandemic? Pay careful attention to the words that are used--let them roll around in your heart as well as your mind. And then record them for your grandchildren’s grandchildren. On November 26, 2020, The New York Times’ “This Morning” published a section entitled, “I am thankful to be thankful.” Readers were invited to send six words describing what made them thankful in 2020. The New York Times reported, “It’s a form of writing--the six-word memoir-- popularized by the author Larry Smith.” More than ten thousand individuals responded. Below is a sample of those responses.

The crinkling eye above the mask. Mom, 87, rocking pretty, pandemic ponytail. 5329 games of solitaire, won 5286. I held my dying husband’s hand. Pandemic baby after years of trying. Tried. Failed. Failed worse. Kept going. There’s really more kindness than hate. What if you invited everyone who would have been around your festive dinner tables between Thanksgiving and New Year’s Day to send you a six-word memoir? I believe that would be an amazing way to remember and share the end of 2020 and begin 2021.

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“Unofficial Guide to FamilySearch.org” By Sara Allen

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During our COVID-19 lockdowns and isolation periods this year, many persons have turned to online family history research to pass the time. One great free website for genealogical research is FamilySearch.org, sponsored by the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints. This site is so amazing and has so many different layers of material available that sometimes people aren’t aware of all the site has to offer. Enter the newly updated and expanded edition of Dana McCullough’s book, “Unofficial Guide to FamilySearch.org” (GC 929 M139UO). This book is a one-stop guide to everything you ever wanted to know about the FamilySearch.org website. Armed with the book, your electronic device, and your comfy couch or armchair, you can while away the winter months using the FamilySearch.org website to its fullest extent. The book devotes chapters to the FamilySearch Family Tree, Searching and Browsing Historical Records, Searching Genealogies, the Catalog and Books, as well as an appendix on the FamilySearch Wiki. Then there are chapters on different major categories of records found on FamilySearch, such as U.S. Census records, U.S. vital records, U.S. immigration and naturalization records, U.S. military records, U.S. probate and court records, European records, global records, and even more. Finally, there is a chapter on access at the Family History Centers and Affiliate Libraries, as well as an Index. Below is a quick summary of the highlights of the website, but the book has so much more detailed information, advice, tips, and tricks for using the website! Once you have completed your free registration and acquired a user name and password, you are ready to use FamilySearch.org. When you go to the “Family Tree” tab, you can build your own family tree on the site, adding pictures and documents. Be aware that FamilySearch utilizes a universal family tree model, which means that others can edit a person in your tree, add new records, and make corrections, if they too are researching that same individual. The Search tab provides access to many of the other record sets on the website, including historical records such as censuses, vital records, military, probate, and more, both for the United States and many countries around the globe. Many of these records are searchable by personal name, but others are only browsable - which means that the record set has not yet been fully indexed by name, but scanned digital copies of the records are available for you to page through electronically. Also on the Search tab, you can search for Books, entire family and local history books that have been digitized. You can search Genealogies through this tab also, which are user-submitted genealogies, such as the old IGI, Ancestral Files, and Pedigree Resource Files. Searching the Catalog at FamilySearch is also done through the Search tab. This is the library catalog of the Family History Library in Salt Lake City, but more importantly for the armchair user, it contains links to digital copies of the materials that is available online. Some digitized items are “locked” and only available at a Family History Center or affiliate, while others are unlocked and freely viewable online. Finally, through the Search tab, you can view the FamilySearch Research Wiki. This is the place to go for detailed advice and information about each locality that you are researching, including the different record categories available for that location and which repository might have those records. As you work through the chapters of this book, we wish you great success in finding many

new family discoveries on FamilySearch.

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Spanish Colonial Women and the Law by John D. Beatty, CG

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In the records of parts of early colonial North America, women are often sparsely documented or hidden behind the records of their husbands. Efforts to rescue their stories involves carefully searching through archives and finding glimpses, often made when they came into court for various matters. A wonderful new book illuminating the lives of women in the region of New Mexico is “Spanish Colonial Women and the Law: Complaints, Lawsuits, and Criminal Behavior, Documents from the Spanish Colonial Archives of New Mexico, 1697-1749,” edited by Linda Tigges and translated by J. Richard Salazar (Santa Fe: Sunstone Press, 2016) Gc 978.9 Sp24s. As the title suggests, this book delves into the stories of women who appeared in Spanish colonial court over a variety of matters. The prevailing law treated women as having their own individual identities in sharp contrast to English common law, which held that a husband and wife were one person under law. Spanish women retained their surnames and had more property rights than English women, even though they were far from equal to men. They could sell or bequeath property they had inherited as they pleased apart from their husbands’ wishes. Criminal cases that brought them to court involved adultery, cohabitation, having illegitimate children, prostitution, rape, and murder, and they also filed suits for seduction and breaches of promise if men failed to marry them after having sexual relations and promising them marriage. A well-documented essay at the beginning introduces Spanish colonial law as it related to women and discusses court procedures and the process of divorce. The remainder of the book contains transcriptions of actual cases in both Spanish and English, arranged chronologically. Each is introduced with a synopsis and notes, followed by a transcript of the petition or court record and subsequent decree. A variety of matters are shown, including bigamy cases, petitions to leave communities, altercations, requests for compensation from aggrieved widows, property rights, and scandals, all of which illuminate aspects of New Mexican society in the late seventeenth and eighteenth centuries. For example, in 1711, the solider Agustin de la Palma was accused of raping the ten year old daughter of Petrona de Carvajal, who petitioned to have the soldier jailed. In another case, Micaela Lopez, a servant woman, appeared in court after being slapped by Salvador Martinez, a Santa Fe trader. Martinez had thought Micaela was wearing a skirt made of the same material that had gone missing from his shop and had asked her where she got it. Martinez was forced to apologize and paid her with two sacks of corn. “Spanish Colonial Women and the Law” contains only 31 cases, and while it is fully indexed, it is not likely to become a major genealogical source. Its value is in the examples it provides and the promise that other records not included could reveal the lives of other women in New Mexico at this time. A lengthy glossary, bibliography, and maps add to the book’s usefulness.

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Technology Tip of the Month: Continuing on with Adobe Elements 2018 and the Auto Select Tool by Kay Spears

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Welcome back! In this article we will continue to look at our Select Tools. This month we will be taking a look at a tool that was introduced in the 2018 Version. So, if you have an older version of Adobe Elements, this tool will not be available to you. In case you missed it, this is an Auto tool, which means that the tool is doing the thinking. We all know how much I love tools that think for us, but let’s take a look at this one anyway. First, open an image with something in it that you will want to select…a barn, a boat, a bridge, etc. I will suggest that you start with an image that has a good contrast between what you want to select and the background. This tool selects objects based on color difference and contrast. Now, go to your Select options and pick the Quick Selection Tool. Nested in the Quick Selection tool are Quick Selection, Selection, Magic Wand, Refine Selection, and the one we want, Auto Select Tool. It looks like a stick or wand with a bunch of stars or something at its end. Select it. The options available with this tool are: New, Add, Subtract, Rectangle, Ellipse, Lasso, and Polygon Lasso. There is also a Refine Edge, but we will save that for another time. Let’s start with a simple shape and see what the Auto Select tool can do. Select New and Rectangle. Drag the rectangle so that it encloses the area you want to isolate. Make sure you get as close as you can to any of the subject’s edges. When you release the Left Clicker on your mouse, that subject/area will be automatically selected. Look closely at what has been selected. While this tool does a pretty good job of selecting things, it isn’t perfect. You will probably have to go back and refine some of the areas. Maybe something wasn’t selected that should have been, or maybe it’s just the reverse of that. In all probability you will have to adjust. Tweaking the edges is where the Add and Subtract options come into play. You may also change your options; for instance, maybe change from a Rectangle to a Lasso. When I used this tool on my image, I was pretty happy with the results. It was a lot faster than manually selecting. However, there is still some fine tuning that needs to be done. Next article: Continuing on with Adobe Elements 2018 and the Refine Edge Tool

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PERSI Gems: Wine by Adam Barrone and Mike Hudson

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This holiday season comes with an array of public-service reminders: don’t undercook your poultry, don’t overload your electrical outlets with decorative lights, use caution with open flames, keep your tree watered, don’t leave your stove unattended, wear masks, practice social distancing, limit the size of gatherings, and so on. At many tables this season, wine will be poured, so we searched our Periodical Source Index (PERSI) for cautionary tales and other stories about wine. We offer you these bits of advice:

• Don’t give your wine an ‘extra kick’ by adding alcohol and sugar before corking. (Mike Choko’s wine exploded in a police hold.)

• Don’t taste wine from a Civil-War-era shipwreck.

• Don’t make wine from weeds. (Pokeweed is toxic.)

• Don’t let a buffalo near your wine if said buffalo has a full bladder. With all the hustle and the bustle, we wouldn’t want you to forget common-sense stuff like this. All of us at PERSI wish you well this season. We know you’ll be thankful that there is a low risk of your berry and grape wine being raided by Federal officers. http://search.findmypast.com/search/periodical-source-index Check out these wine woes and warnings: Allen Canning, pokeweed wine, Siloam Sprgs., 2000 White County (AR) Historical Society News, Jun. 2003 Cost of ton of wine to London merchant, 1583 Bristol (Eng.) Record Society Publications, v.31, 1979 Harry Swigart berry and grape wine raided by Federal officers, 1928 Farmer City (IL) Mirror, v.14n.2, Apr. 2003 John Etchells meanly ordered only one bottle of wine for Sacrament, Rev. William Bromley note, 1791 Family History Society of Cheshire (Eng.) Journal,v.13n.2, Dec. 1983 Mario Grasso arrest for wine and jackass brandy, 1923 This Point in Time (Point Richmond Hist. Assn., CA), v.2n.5, Dec. 1983 Mike Choko, wine explodes, 1916 Pueblo Lore (Pueblo Co. Hist. Soc., CO), v.24n.10, Oct. 1999 R. W. Bob Postier, 1339th Air Base Unit recalls buffalo relieving itself in mulberry wine, 1940s, MN Ex-CBI Roundup, v.31n.5, May 1976 Surplus wine drained from kegs at Groot Paardevlei, 1920 Chronicles from Near and Far (East Cape Branch, Genealogical Soc. Of S. Africa), n.68, Feb. 2004 Wine found in shipwreck Mary Celestia sampled, tastes like crab and gasoline, 1864, 2017 Civil War Times Illustrated, v.56n.1, Feb. 2017 Wine lobbyist and opportunist: J. Ross Browne California Historical Quarterly, v.51n.2, Sum. 1972

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History Tidbits: Saint Lucy’s Day by Allison DePrey Singleton

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Many girls in the United States have been raised with American Girl books and dolls. The books were first published in 1986. One of the first series and characters was Kirsten, a Swedish immigrant to the United States in the 1850s. The third book in the series, Kirsten’s Surprise: A Christmas Story, covers a holiday tradition, Saint Lucy’s Day, most popular in Scandinavia, Italy, and a few other countries. Immigrants brought this tradition to the United States to the areas where those ethnicities settled. While this tradition is also a Saint’s feast day, the beliefs behind it go beyond the specific religions attached to it and are part of the ethnicities that embrace it. The feast day celebrates a Sicilian virgin martyr who died after refusing marriage to a pagan man. As a Christian, she helped feed other Christians who were hiding in the catacombs by using a crown of lights on her head to light her way. Saint Lucy’s Day is observed on December 13, which was the shortest day of the year until the calendar change. This also coincided with the Winter Solstice and Yule, which were important to the Scandinavian cultures. In Scandinavian countries, girls are chosen to portray Saint Lucy for a procession of secular or religious nature. The girl chosen for each occasion wears a crown or wreath of candles in her hair, a snow-white robe or gown, and a sash of red. Frequently, the girl will deliver sweets of some sort. The procession will contain other girls or even boys who follow the girl dressed as Saint Lucy. They sing and carry candles. Different regions of Italy also celebrate Saint Lucy’s Day. She is the patron Saint of Sicily, and tradition holds that a famine ended on her feast day. In recognition, whole grains instead of bread are eaten on that day. A legend exists that Saint Lucy will leave small gifts for children on the night of December 12, so the children will awake on December 13 receiving something from her. The tradition of grains being associated with the feast day are also prevalent in Croatia and Hungary, where they plant grains to celebrate Saint Lucy. Many other countries or cities celebrate Saint Lucy’s Day due to her being their patron Saint or being named after her. These countries or cities observe different variations of celebrations depending on their local traditions. In the United States, the traditions of the countries of origin dictate if and how Saint Lucy’s Day is celebrated. Many Americans may not have even heard of this feast day. As with many things in our culture, our origins, traditions, and past dictate what we celebrate today. As December 13 rolls around, check and see if there are any local celebrations of this feast day. Sources and Further Reading: Bramen, L. (2010, December 10). Lussekatter and Cuccia for St. Lucy's Day. Retrieved November 29, 2020, from https://www.smithsonianmag.com/arts-culture/lussekatter-and-cuccia-for-st-lucysday-26001669/ Butler, A., & Thurston, H. (2016). Butler's Lives of the saints. United States: Interactive Media. Crump, W. D. (2013). The Christmas encyclopedia. Jefferson, NC: McFarland & Company,. December 13 St. Lucy's Day. (n.d.). Retrieved November 29, 2020, from https://www.stnicholascenter.org/how-to-celebrate/advent-saint/advent-calendar/advent13 E. (2017, December 04). St. Lucy's Day: Celebrating Light During the Darkest Time of the Year. Retrieved November 29, 2020, from https://danishhomeofchicago.org/the-hopechest/2017/12/04/st-lucys-day-celebrating-light/ Ekstrand, F., & Molesworth, K. E. (2003). Lucia, child of light: The history and traditions of Sweden's Lucia celebration. Bloomington, MN: Skandisk. The Festival of Saint Lucia. (n.d.). Retrieved November 29, 2020, from https://gustavus.edu/events/stlucia/ Gregory Miller, J. (n.d.). Liturgical Year : Activities : Celebrating for the Feast of St. Lucy. Retrieved November 29, 2020, from https://www.catholicculture.org/culture/liturgicalyear/activities/view.cfm?id=949 Lucia – bearer of light, hymns and Swedish treats. (n.d.). Retrieved November 29, 2020, from https://visitsweden.com/what-to-do/culture-history-and-art/swedish-traditions/christmas/lucia/ Odom, M. B. (2020, September 06). The chosen one. Retrieved November 29, 2020, from https://finland.fi/christmas/the-chosen-one/ Pantano, K. (n.d.). Happy Saint Lucy's Day in Italy! Retrieved November 29, 2020, from http://www.iitaly.org/magazine/focus/life-people/article/happy-saint-lucys-day-in-italy Tidholm, P., & Lilja, A. (2020, November 18). Lucia in Sweden. Retrieved November 29, 2020, from https://sweden.se/culture-traditions/lucia/

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Library Catalog Insider: Corporate Name Headings by Kasia Young

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We are keeping it short and sweet this month, as we are nearing the end of 2020. Let’s jump right in! One of the great features of the WISE discovery tool is that you can easily search for corporate name headings, which are the names of agencies, associations, businesses, firms, governments, institutions, nonprofit enterprises, performing groups, etc. The issue lies in the fact that organizations quite often undergo name changes, which is especially true for educational institutions. We do not have to look far to find a prime example of this. If we drive 80 miles south of Fort Wayne, we come upon the beautiful Ball State University, an institution with centennial history and a national reputation. But there is a catch … Ball State changed its name 4 times! It was founded as Indiana State Normal School--Eastern Division in 1918; its name changed to Ball Teachers College in 1922, then again in 1929 to Ball State Teachers College. In 1961 the official name became Ball State College, and finally Ball State University in 1965. You might wonder what does this have to do with your catalog search? The short answer is EVERYTHING! In order to find materials on any organization, it is crucial that you type the correct corporate name into the search box. Although all the catalogers at The Genealogy Center make an effort to input alternative corporate names into catalog records, we still encourage you to pay attention to corporate body name changes, and to always search all name variations before you give up! And with that, we wish you a happy holiday season and a joyous New Year!

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Genealogy Center’s December Programs

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Join us for another month of free, virtual programs! December 1, 2020, 2:30P, “Family Stories" with Allison DePrey Singleton - https://acpl.libnet.info/event/4712943 December 3, 2020, 6:30P, “Which DNA Test Should I Order?” with Sara Allen - https://acpl.libnet.info/event/4710550 December 8, 2020, 2:30P, "Pennsylvania Genealogy: Doing Research in the Keystone State" with John Beatty - https://acpl.libnet.info/event/4715570 December 9, 2020, 7P, “Pre-1850 Census Records and Substitutes” with Sara Allen (Allen County Genealogical Society of Indiana sponsored program)- https://www.acgsi.org/meetings.php December 10, 2020, 6:30P, “Exploring Historical Dimensions Through Detailed Storytelling” with Lauren Peightel- https://acpl.libnet.info/event/4713470 December 15, 2020, 2:30P, “Ontario Genealogy Program” with Steve Fulton - https://acpl.libnet.info/event/4724171 December 17, 2020, 6:30P, “Fireside Chat: Immigration” with Genealogy Center Staff - https://acpl.libnet.info/event/4716910 December 22, 2020, 2:30P, “'Do They Know it’s Christmas?': A Look at the Realities & Fantasies of Civil War Christmases” with Emily Rapoza- https://acpl.libnet.info/event/4713927 December 29, 2020, 2:30P, “Exploring Manufacturers (Non-Population) Schedules” with Cynthia Theusch - https://acpl.libnet.info/event/4723939 Please register in advance for each program.

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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 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 $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