September 2010

Genealogy Gems:

News from the Fort Wayne Library No. 79, September 30, 2010

In this issue:

Happy Family History Month!

The Printed Birth and Baptismal Certificates of the German Americans

Lockwood Marble Works Account Books

Technology Tip of the Month--Inserting Photographs into Microsoft Word

Preservation Tip of the Month--Mending a Paper Tear

Family History Month 2010!

Attention! Military History Symposium!

Start Sharing the News!

WinterTech 2010-2011

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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Happy Family History Month! by Curt B. Witcher

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There are a couple of very exciting technology items to report this month relative to The Genealogy Center. First, the online catalog for the entire Allen County Public Library system is getting a new look and a great new bit of functionality. Online catalogs are essential in exploring the holdings of any research center. This is particularly true for The Genealogy Center as we put many resources into providing significant metadata for each item in our collection so it is findable by major surnames and many geographic designations. The new catalog overlay that was turned on today provides much more than a clean, new look. It provides search functionality that emulates Amazon.com and other popular websites. You should be able to find more relevant materials more quickly and more easily. And that‛s a lot of more! It‛s a completely different look with new features for both expanding and narrowing your search. The link to the new Genealogy Center Catalog is: . Take some time to play--you just might be pleasantly surprised by what you find that has actually been on our shelves for years. To complement the new look and the enhanced functionality of our online catalog, we have completely reworked our Genealogy Center webpage. For the past several months, we have been working with a local team of web developers to craft a web presence that is better organized and more intuitive, as well as one that highlights our resources--both resources that are available over the web for free and those that are available to onsite researchers. Our programs and the conduits for interacting with Center experts will be easier to find as well. In addition, we will be able to provide new content more quickly through this new design. Before the middle of this month, the new site will be available for you to experience. Please accept my invitation to join us for many of the events we are offering in October in celebration of Family History Month. This is a great time to upgrade your research skills, network with genealogists, and learn about some new sources and sites. There are so many learning opportunities for every interest and skill level. I especially want to highlight the Military Symposium coming up in one week. Six top-shelf presentations about military records in general and Civil War research in particular are offered over Friday and Saturday, October 8th and 9th. What better way to prepare for five years of War Between the States commemorations than to research and document the service of your military ancestors of that era. At the end of October, we again will offer our extended research hours on Friday, October 29, 2010. The Genealogy Center will be open from 6 p.m. until midnight that day for those who like getting a little extra time to do their research. (If you want to take advantage of those extended hours, please remember you must be in The Genealogy Center by 6 p.m. that evening.) Also taking place that evening is the beginning of our “Start Sharing the News” program that will stretch from Friday evening through Sunday morning. Friday evening, there will be a family-style dinner along with a presentation at the historic Baker Street Train Station in Fort Wayne on how The Genealogy Center became a national attraction and an acclaimed family history research center. Those attending the dinner will also be able to take advantage of the extended research hours in The Genealogy Center at the conclusion of the program. Saturday, October 30th will be filled with a number of programs detailing how you can use contemporary technologies to share your genealogical records. Sharing your research accomplishes two rather critical things. First, it ensures that there is more than one copy of a record or set of compilations to protect against loss and inadvertent destruction. We are all very familiar with how often floods and fires destroy irreplaceable collections of family documents, photographs, and research papers. Second, allowing your research to be seen by others creates a worthwhile, informal vetting process in which individuals who are researching the same family or researching in the same geographic area can evaluate the conclusions you have drawn from the evidence and sources you have gathered and used. The three days of programs at the end of October concludes with a guided tour of historic Lindenwood Cemetery on Sunday morning, October 31st. More details can be found on The Genealogy Center‛s website. Please join us for “Start Sharing the News” on Friday, October 29th through Sunday, October 31st. It will be a great time of enjoyment, sharing successes, and learning new skills. Happy Family History Month!

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The Printed Birth and Baptismal Certificates of the German Americans by Cynthia Theusch

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The publication of “The Printed Birth and Baptismal Certificates of the German Americans” (974.8 St73p) in six volumes was the culmination of a comprehensive study by Klaus Stopp. Stopp scoured numerous public and private collections to discover and record the beautiful illustrations and detailed information preserved in a wide variety of printed birth and baptismal certificates (BBCs). The majority of the printers and certificates featured are from Pennsylvania, but the set also includes a few certificates produced by printers in Illinois, Indiana, Iowa, Maryland, Minnesota, Missouri, New York, Ohio, Virginia, Wisconsin, Canada, Germany, Switzerland and France. The work begins with useful background about BBCs including their significance and printing techniques as well as information about text, color, Bible verses, materials used and more. The table of contents in each volume lists printers by geographic location. Each printer‛s section includes illustrations of the certificates produced by that printer with their approximate date, imprint, and notes about styles and variations For example, Abraham Harry Senseman was a printer in Easton, Pennsylvania, during the 1840s who designed six of the certificates featured. Important for genealogists, Stopp also abstracted the family information from each document and includes it, along with a note of where the certificate is held. Family details generally include the father‛s name, mother‛s maiden name, child‛s given name, child‛s birth and/or baptismal date and the place of the event. For example, Samuel, the child of Elias Hinckel and Anna Kramer, was born September 8, 1848 and baptized December 18, 1848 in Bedminster, Bucks County, Pennsylvania. This certificate is in the collection of the Free Library in Philadelphia. Abstracts from a handful of printers‛ ledgers are another useful feature of the set. These include the name of the customer, date of the transaction, type of certificate ordered and quantity purchased. For example, printer Johann Ritter noted on page 70 in his ledger that on June 2, 1815, Georg Mentz purchased 70 colored Taufscheine for $19.45 and 100 plain Taufscheine for $16.67. The printers‛ ledgers also reveal other interesting details. Not all BBCs were ordered at the time of a child‛s birth or baptism, for example. Klopp noted that Johann Adam Riegel and his wife Anna Catharina Schwartz ordered certificates for themselves after their marriage on October 19, 1781. Researchers will find a name index in each volume to help them make their own discoveries.

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Lockwood Marble Works Account Books by Dawne Slater-Putt, CG

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The account books of the Lockwood Marble Works of Huntington, New York, give detailed descriptions of the work done by this cemetery marker company and are a true “genealogical gem.” The three original volumes cover 1837 to 1869 and were at the Huntington Historical Society when filmed in 1976. They are available in The Genealogy Center as items two through four on roll five of a five-roll set of microfilmed material for Suffolk County. Each volume begins with a chronological list of names of the deceased and page numbers on which their marker information appears. Following these lists are details of the orders, including at minimum the stone‛s inscription, cost of the order, and name of the town where the stone was to be placed. Beginning in the early 1850s, entries began to include sketches of the markers in minute detail, noting the sizes of the letters, dimensions of the monument bases, and height, shape and type of stone used. Volume one includes an entry for “Phebe, widow of Peter M. Lawrence of New-Town, and Daughter of Isaac and Anna Parish, died December 27, 1832 aged 36 years.” Phebe‛s stone was to be set in the town of Oyster Bay, and cost $19.60. A book in The Genealogy Center‛s collection, “Historic Cemeteries of Oyster Bay” by John E. Hammond (GC 974.702 Oy8ham), confirms that Phebe (Parish) Lawrence died in 1832 and was buried in Weekes Cemetery in Oyster Bay. Verses are part of the details recorded, such as that for Letty Agusta Horton, age 7 months, 19 days: “No more my baby shall then lie, With drowsy smile and half shut eye, Pillow‛d upon my fostering breast, Serenely sinking into rest.” Surprising information is included in some of the entries. One reads, “Erected by Rory Kerewan in memory of his Brother, Thomas Kerewan of the County of Queens, Ireland who was accidentally drowned while in the act of bathing August 4, 1853. Aged 23 years.” What a boon this source is for the genealogist who finds that the tombstone of his or her Suffolk County ancestor is no longer readable! By comparing the shape and dimensions of markers, their age, material and location with these records, it may be possible to identify stones that have been displaced or broken, or have had their legends erased by time.

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Technology Tip of the Month--Inserting Photographs into Microsoft Word by Kay Spears ***************************************

Has this ever happened to you? You‛ve just inserted a photograph into your family history. You continue to type, and then notice that your photograph has moved. Welcome to the magical world of Microsoft Word. Photographs inserted into a Word document will be either “inline” or “floating.” All versions of Microsoft Word I‛m familiar with have a default setting of inline. Inline photographs stay where they are inserted with the adjacent text, so if the text moves the photograph moves. You can resize and left, right or center-align inline images, but you cannot wrap text around them. In order to wrap text around a photograph, Word will change the format of the image to “floating,” and that‛s when the disappearing act can occur because “floating” objects can move around and even off the page. Suppose we want to wrap text around an image inserted into a Word document. The easiest way to begin this process is to right-click on the photo. A dialog box will appear. Click on Format Picture, then on the Layout tab. Five text wrapping styles will be illustrated by pictures of dogs surrounded by text. Choose between in line, behind, square, in front, or tight depending on how you want the text to wrap around the photograph. Let‛s choose tight. When you click on your choice, Word automatically wraps the text and changes the photograph‛s format to “floating.” Let‛s make sure that the picture stays where you want it. Go back to Format Picture, Layout, and then click Advanced. In the options section, you should see the “move object with text” box checked by default. This means your photograph will stay with the paragraph into which you inserted it, regardless of where you may be working in the document. If that check box is cleared, the picture will stay on the page but the text will move around it as you edit. Next month: Understanding the “Lock Anchor”

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Preservation Tip of the Month--Mending a Paper Tear by Becky Schipper

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To correctly mend a torn page or document you will need a bone folder and Filmoplast P paper mending tape, which is acid free. For non-archival paper you may use Scotch Magic Removable Tape #811. Carefully matching words and or lines and pictures use a narrow piece of mending tape to cover the tear. It is always best to mend on the back side if you can accomplish a good match. Apply the tape from the inner or spine side of the page and rub towards the outer edge. Use no more tape than necessary; but if the tear is overly long or very jagged you may need to tape on both the front and back. Burnish the tape with the bone folder to make it almost invisible.

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Family History Month 2010!

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Plan to celebrate Family History Month with The Genealogy Center by participating in 31 days of genealogical research, instruction, and fun. Classes are available for new family historians, just beginning their journey, to the advanced researcher. Each week in October, the programs will focus on a theme. Highlights include classes on How to Use The Genealogy Center, Preserving Family History, and Obituary Research as well as an all day workshop on the Basics of Adobe Elements. If you need further enticement, other offerings include the Allen County Genealogical Society of Indiana's Beginner's Workshop, the 3rd Annual Military Symposium, the Start Sharing the News Seminar, and the annual Midnight Madness Extended Research Hours. Don't miss out on the numerous opportunities available to further your genealogical research this October. Here's a view of the entire line-up! General Week Friday October 1: Using Footnote.com Saturday October 2: Beginning Genealogy Sunday October 3: Stephen Douglas and the Presidential Campaign of 1860 in Fort Wayne Monday October 4: Roots of our Ancestors: Land Records Tuesday October 5: One-on-One Consultations Wednesday October 6: Daughters of the American Revolution Research Assistance for Membership Thursday October 7: How To Use the Genealogy Center: Basics Friday October 8: Military Symposium Saturday October 9: Military Symposium Preservation Week Sunday October 10: Preserving Family History Monday October 11: Reunions and Research Tuesday October 12: One-on-One Consultations Wednesday October 13: Allen County Genealogical Society of Indiana Meeting: Native American Genealogical Research Thursday October 14: Writing Your Family History: A Primer Friday October 15: Basics of Scanning Photographs Saturday October 16: Scrapbooking Historical Photographs and Memorabilia Technology Week Sunday October 17: Using PERSI (PERiodical Source Index) Monday October 18: Exploring FamilySearch.org Tuesday October 19: One-on-One Consultations Wednesday October 20: Allen County Genealogical Society of Indiana Computer Interest Group Meeting Thursday October 21: Voyages At Your Fingertips: Online Immigration Records Friday October 22: Basics of Adobe Elements Workshop Saturday October 23: Create a Family Website Dead Week Sunday October 24: "Jumping-off Points": Getting the Most You Can from a Single Record Monday October 25: Haunted Sites in Fort Wayne Tuesday October 26: One-on-One Consultations Wednesday October 27: Obituary Research Thursday October 28: Lindenwood Cemetery lecture Friday October 29: Midnight Madness Extended Research Hours Friday October 29: Start Sharing the News! A Celebration of Collaboration Saturday October 30: Start Sharing the News! A Celebration of Collaboration Sunday October 31: Start Sharing the News! A Celebration of Collaboration For more information and to register for these wonderful programs, go to http://thing1.acpl.lib.in.us/genealogy/FHM2010c.pdf

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Attention! Military History Symposium!

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Register now for the 2010 Military Symposium to be held on Friday and Saturday, October 8 and 9, sponsored by the Allen County Genealogical Society of Indiana and The Genealogy Center. With the sesquicentennial of the Civil War approaching, the Symposium will focus on the men who fought in the War Between The States. Curt Witcher will present "Using Military Records for Genealogical Research" on Friday, October 8, at 2:30 PM, followed at 4:00 PM by Amy Johnson Crow's lecture on "The Last Full Measure: Military Burials." Amy will be the featured speaker on Saturday, October 9, speaking on "Researching Your Civil War Ancestors Online" at 9:30 AM, "State and Local Records for Civil War Research" at 11:00 AM, "After Mustering Out: Researching Civil War Veterans" at 1:30 PM, and "For Benefit of the Soldier: Civil War Fraternal Organizations" at 3:00 PM. Amy Johnson Crow, CG, is a researcher, author, editor, and an expert in Civil War research. She is the FGS webmaster, and is currently pursuing a Master of Library and Information Science degree at Kent State University. Curt Witcher is Manager of The Genealogy Center, former president of both FGS and NGS, and the founding president of the Indiana Genealogical Society. The registration form is available at: http://thing1.acpl.lib.in.us/genealogy/Military%20Symposium_2010.pdf

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Start Sharing the News!

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To wrap up Family History Month, The Genealogy Center is offering a three day seminar to encourage you to Start Sharing the News! Focused on gathering, recording, and sharing information, "Start Sharing the News! A Celebration of Collaboration" will begin on Friday, October 29th with a welcoming dinner at the historic Baker Street Station from 5:30 p.m. to 8 p.m. The Genealogy Center's Curt Witcher will present "How the Genealogy Center in Fort Wayne Became a National Tourist Attraction." The seminar continues Saturday, October 30th in Meeting Rooms AB at the Allen County Public Library downtown from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. During the first session, "Cemetery Seekers Presentation: Sharing Your Cemetery Research," Jim Cox and Penny North will discuss their experiences reading and documenting cemeteries. From 11 a.m. to 12 noon, you may select one of two concurrent sessions: "Flickr for Genealogists" presented by Sara Patalita, or "Relating through WeRelate.org" by Cynthia Theusch. At 12:30 p.m., bring your brown-bag lunch (or visit a nearby restaurant for carry out) and enjoy an opportunity to relax and discuss your research with fellow genealogists. Later in the afternoon, select from two more concurrent sessions: "Being Creative with Your Family History Online" presented by The Genealogy Center Staff, or "Cataloging 3-D Items and Heirlooms" by Dawne Slater-Putt. The day ends with individual research consultations available in The Genealogy Center. The seminar concludes on Sunday, October 31st with a tour of historic Lindenwood Cemetery from 9:45 a.m. to 11:45 a.m. Highlighted during this walking tour will be examples of some of the earliest tombstones in the area, grave sites of prominent individuals, and examples of tombstone iconography during the last 150 years. The fee for the entire event is $25. Register early to take advantage of this opportunity. For more information and registration, see http://thing1.acpl.lib.in.us/genealogy/Start%20Sharing%20The%20News.pdf.

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WinterTech 2010-2011

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As the weather cools down, make sure that doesn‛t happen to your research! Instead, warm up your genealogical technology skills at The Genealogy Center by attending one of our WinterTech lectures. On the second Tuesday of each month, from November through February, enjoy a full day of genealogy by getting in some research, then attending the WinterTech class at 2:30 PM, and staying for the Allen County Genealogy Society of Indiana's monthly meeting at 7:00 PM. On November 10, join Cynthia Theusch as she explains "Preserving Your Genealogy Research and Documents Using WeRelate." The class will explore how WeRelate.org can prevent the loss of your genealogical research. Learn how to upload and download GEDCOM files, documents, and photos. Future WinterTech classes will feature Delia Bourne discussing "Net Treats" in December, Melissa Shimkus "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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Librarians on Parade in October 2010

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Notice all the contributions of The Genealogy Center librarians during Family History Month by reviewing the schedule at the following link. http://thing1.acpl.lib.in.us/genealogy/FHM2010c.pdf Curt Witcher October 2, 2010, Ohio Genealogical Society‛s 2010 Fall Seminar, 611 State Route 97 West, Bellville, OH. Presentations: “The Road Not Taken: Mega Internet Sites for Genealogists Off the Beaten Path,” “Doing Effective Genealogical Research in Libraries,” “Fingerprinting Our Families: Using Ancestral Origins as a Genealogical Research Key,” and “Mining the Mother Lode: Using Periodical Literature for Genealogical Research.” October 8, 2010, Society of Indiana Archivists, Allen County Public Library, 900 Library Plaza, Fort Wayne, IN, 10:30 a.m. Presentation: Tour of The Genealogy Center and an Introduction to Its Resources. October 23, 2010, Illinois State Genealogical Society Fall Conference, Hotel Pere Marquette, 501 Main Street, Peoria, IL. Presentations: “Using Military Records for Genealogical Research,” “Pain in the Access: Getting More from the Internet for Your Genealogy,” “Using Church Records in Your Genealogical Research,” and “All that Other STUFF! Other Census Records Beyond Population Schedules.” John Beatty October 3, 2010, Allen County-Fort Wayne Historical Society, 302 East Berry, Ft. Wayne, IN, 2 p.m. Presentation: “Stephen Douglas and the Presidential Campaign of 1860." Dawne Slater-Putt October 11, 2010, Family History Library, Salt Lake City, UT. Presentation: “Jumping-off Points: Getting the Most You Can from a Single Record.”

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Area Calendar of Events

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Allen County Genealogical Society of Indiana (ACGSI) October 13, 2010--Allen County Public Library, 900 Library Plaza, Fort Wayne, Indiana. 6:30 p.m. refreshments, 7 p.m. program. Dani Tippmann will present “Native American Genealogical Research.” Allen County-Fort Wayne Historical Society, 302 East Berry, Ft. Wayne, IN October 3, 2010, 2 p.m.--John Beatty will present “Stephen Douglas and the Presidential Campaign of 1860."

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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.Info. Scroll down toward the bottom of the first screen where it says, "Enter Your Email Address to Subscribe to "Genealogy Gems." Enter your email address in the yellow box and click on "Subscribe." 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