GenealogyGems Mailing List: Genealogy Gems: News from the Fort Wayne Library, No. 58, December 31, 2008

[Genealogy Gems (genealogygems]

Genealogy Gems:  News from the Fort Wayne Library
No. 58, December 31, 2008

In this issue:
*Fort Wayne Should be a Destination
*The Michigan Cemetery Source Book and Michigan Cemetery Atlas
*City Directories of the United States on Microfilm & Microfiche
*Preservation Tip of the Month--Photo & Scrapbook Albums
*WinterTech 2008-2009 Continues
*March Madness, Genealogy Style!
*Irish & Scots-Irish Genealogy: Part 1--A Two Day Mini-Course
*Librarians on Parade
*Area Calendar of Events
*Driving Directions to the Library
*Parking at the Library
*Queries for the Department

***************************************
Fort Wayne Should be a Destination
by Curt B. Witcher
***************************************
Noted technologist, online genealogy newsletter publisher, and friend,
Dick Eastman recently reported on the Allen County Public Library's
success in becoming the repository for textual materials from the
Lincoln Museum collection.  The great news article, though, ended with
a stark statement that "there will be no need to travel to Fort Wayne
. . ." While I appreciate that vast amounts of online data have
radically, and for the better, changed the face of genealogical
research, I still felt compelled to articulate why we are involved in
collaborations and further, why it still might be a pretty darn good
idea to travel to Fort Wayne.  The following is my posting to the
Eastman Online Genealogy blog.

"To be sure, the ACPL is extremely pleased to be among the Indiana
organizations receiving the Lincoln Museum collection.  We strongly
believe the virtual presence we will build for the Lincoln collection
will far out-pace the walk-in traffic the museum historically
received.  And that's a very good thing!  Further, we believe our
success with other collaborations demonstrated our commitment to big
projects with significant impact.

"For more than a year ACPL's Genealogy Center has been increasingly
involved in digitization collaborations.
**We are partnering with FamilySearch in helping build the Family
History Archive <www.lib.byu.edu/fhc/index.php> with other major
libraries around the country.  We've contributed over two thousand
volumes to that project to date.  These digitized works are fully
searchable and downloadable for free.  And we're just getting started.
**Our collaboration with Internet Archive <www.archive.org/index.php>
has already placed more than four thousand public domain family and
local histories on their website for free use and downloading.  We see
a bright future for that collaboration as well.
**We have the honor of working with two extremely talented
individuals, Dallan and Solveig Quass, in helping present and grow the
WeRelate website <www.WeRelate.org>--the largest genealogy wiki on the
web with pages for more than two million people and families.  It's a
great place to post data, search a large database of genealogy related
web sites, and make connections with others searching the same
families.  Exciting new enhancements are constantly being made.  And
it's all free.
**We are working with Footnote <www.Footnote.com> in providing data to
their interesting website--and their new approach to presenting
history and to help people interested in history (as they say on their
site) "Discover. Discuss. Connect. Share."
**We also continue a fantastic relationship with our friends at
ProQuestCSA in expanding the "Periodical Source Index" as an important
component of the HeritageQuestOnline suite of database offerings.

"The Genealogy Center in Fort Wayne engages in these collaborations to
increase synergy in the genealogical community and to amplify
excitement among non-traditional researchers about engaging in family
history pursuits by providing online access to more historical
records.  I am always a bit sensitive, then, about stark statements
associated with these collaborations such as "There will be no need to
travel to Fort Wayne..."  Of course there's not a "need" to travel to
Fort Wayne--there's hardly a "need" to travel anywhere!  However, it's
my strongest aspiration, and indeed my belief, that many will continue
to *want* to travel to Fort Wayne.  They will *want* to travel to Fort
Wayne because doing family history is so much more than just books,
real or virtual.  It's learning from workshops, lectures, seminars,
and brown-bag lunch sessions; it is being able to work one-on-one with
trained information professionals who are committed to helping you be
successful with your research challenges; it is being able to access
the two thirds of our nearly one million item collection not available
online because of copyright and other restrictions; and it's being
able to learn from fellow researchers in casual conversations across
research tables, sharing challenges and successes.

"Besides offering some of the best genealogical consultations one will
find anywhere, the Genealogy Center in Fort Wayne is hosting two major
conferences in 2009 while offering a genealogy program each month
except in October when we will be offering a genealogy program each
day.  The Palatines to America German Speaking Ancestry Conference
will be in Fort Wayne June 18-20, 2009
<palamnationalconference.org/registration/> and the International
Black Genealogy Summit: Reconnecting Lost Links
<www.blackgenealogysummit.com/> will be here October 29-31, 2009.  You
might just *want* to check us out! <www.GenealogyCenter.Info>"

Best wishes for a great (and genealogically successful!) New Year!

***************************************
The Michigan Cemetery Source Book and Michigan Cemetery Atlas
by Cynthia Theusch
***************************************
The "Michigan Cemetery Source Book" (977.4 L61m) is an excellent key
for locating cemeteries and transcriptions of tombstone information
for all 83 counties of Michigan.

The book is divided into three sections. The first provides a listing,
by county, of published and unpublished cemetery transcriptions
available at the Library of Michigan. For each county, a numbered
bibliography of these transcriptions, giving title and call number, is
followed by an alphabetical listing of townships and an alphabetical
listing of cemeteries in each township. Each cemetery listing
indicates the year(s) the cemetery was read and the reference
number(s) for the item(s) containing the transcription. Cemetery
locations are given next, followed by a listing of cemeteries and
locations that had no transcriptions or readings available at the
Library of Michigan as of 1994.

The second section is a bibliographic listing, by title, of books,
newsletters and manuscripts containing tombstone transcriptions that
are available at the Library of Michigan. The third section is an
alphabetical index of cemeteries.

The "Michigan Cemetery Atlas" (977.4 M5852) is a great companion
source for locating the cemeteries mentioned in the "Michigan Cemetery
Source Book." More than 3,800 Michigan burial sites are listed and
marked in red on detailed county road maps. A complete listing of
cemeteries, by name and county, rounds out the volume. In addition,
two errata pages to the "Michigan Cemetery Atlas" can be found at the
end of the "Michigan Cemetery Source Book." Both of these books can be
consulted in the Genealogy Center and can help you locate the
cemeteries where your ancestors were buried. Many of the cited
cemetery transcriptions are held in the Genealogy Center collection.
The "Michigan Cemetery Sources" web site at
http://www.hal.state.mi.us/cemeteries/default.aspx also contains much
of the reference material in these two volumes, along with updates and
links to some sites containing burial transcriptions.

***************************************
City Directories of the United States on Microfilm & Microfiche
by Don Litzer
***************************************
If an ancestor's timeline is viewed as a freeway, city directories can
provide important clues at its mileposts. Head of household names,
residence addresses, and occupations are usually found in directory
listings. Details about churches, schools, fraternal societies, and
other record-creating institutions are usually included. Address
cross-references may facilitate the retracing of a census enumerator's
route. In addition, directories occasionally provide completely
unexpected information—for example, the inclusion of mortuary data in
several Detroit directories from the 1880s and 1890 created death
documentation for a significant number of that city's residents.

The Genealogy Center's city directory collection is extraordinary
because it is both broad and deep. Largely because of its status as a
depository of R.L. Polk directories, the Genealogy Center has more
than 50,000 directories in print format from throughout the U.S. and
Canada, mostly dating from 1964 to the present, but often extending
back into the 1940s and 1950s, and occasionally even earlier. The
Genealogy Center's extensive directory collection on microfilm and
microfiche complements its holdings in print. Add county atlases and
other rural directories in print and microtext formats, and
researchers have the tools at the Genealogy Center to search far,
wide, and deep into the past.

The "City Directories of the United States" collection, published by
Primary Source Media, includes directories from 1785 through 1960.
Directories through 1860 are available on more than 6,300 microfiche,
and directories from 1861 through 1960 are on more than 10,000
microfilms, arranged alphabetically by city name, and chronologically
within each city.

To determine whether the Genealogy Center's city directory collection
may benefit your research, navigate to www.ACPL.Info/Genealogy, and
click on the "Microtext Catalog" link. On the resultant page, click
the "City & County Directories" button, then select a state to bring
up a list of directories in microtext format for that state, sorted
alphabetically by place. Pre-1861 directories are also listed in
Dorothea N. Spear's "Bibliography of American Directories Through
1860" (016.9173 Sp3b). Printed guides to the microfilmed "City
Directories of the United States, 1902-1935" are also available (973
C498).

We invite you to visit the Genealogy Center to use the city directory
collections in person. However, if you can't make it to Fort Wayne,
send a completed Quick Search Form (download a copy at
http://www.acpl.lib.in.us/genealogy/QuickSearchRequest.pdf) with
payment to our Research Center.

***************************************
Preservation Tip of the Month--Photo & Scrapbook Albums
by Becky Schipper
***************************************
For those of you purchasing photo and scrapbook albums for yourself or
others, be certain that you purchase materials that are acid-free or
archival–quality.  Not all materials are photo safe or acid–free, and
this includes paper, adhesives, photo corners, stickers, markers, and
pens.  Use only products that are labeled as archival–quality or
acid-free.

Acid causes paper and photos to disintegrate. The pH for acid–free
paper should be 7 or above. There are inexpensive testing pens that
allow you to check for acidity. They can be purchased at most art
supply stores and online. The one that I use here at the ACPL is an
"Abbey pH Pen." They sell for around $5.00.  If you want to include
newspaper articles and or announcements in your album, photocopy them
on acid–free paper as newspaper is very acidic.

***************************************
WinterTech 2008-2009 Continues
by Melissa Shimkus and Delia Bourne
***************************************
The WinterTech series continues on January 14, 2009--Cynthia Theusch
will offer a "WeRelate.org Overview." Find out how to use the world's
largest genealogy wiki to interact with other researchers online,
upload GEDCOM files, annotate scanned documents and photos, and more!
And don't forget that Don Litzer will remind you that online
genealogical searching is "Not Just Ancestry" on February 11. Keep
track of the dates by checking
www.acpl.lib.in.us/genealogy/WinterTech.pdf . And remember that these
are scheduled on the afternoons of the Allen County Genealogical
Society of Indiana's monthly meetings, held at 7 p.m. Please call
260-421-1225 to register for a WinterTech program, or email your
registration to Genealogy [at] ACPL.info.

***************************************
March Madness, Genealogy Style!
by Melissa Shimkus and Delia Bourne
***************************************
We will have our third annual "March Madness, Genealogy Style"
programs March 1 through 7, 2009. It will be a week of events to rev
up your research!

Sunday March 1 at 1:00 p.m. Melissa Shimkus presents, "Southern Lore."
After the Civil War many changes occurred in the Southern States.
Determine historical events that affect your research in the South.
Discover your Southern ancestors through records from the
reconstruction era. Bring your ancestors to life by learning about
their history.

Monday, March 2 at 2:00 p.m. Don Litzer presents, "Family Search Labs."
Learn about LDS's beta website, featuring family history technologies
not yet ready for prime time.  Test innovations in using the Internet
to find, research, organize, and share information--for free!

Tuesday, March 3 at 10:00 a.m. Cynthia Theusch presents, "Civilian
Conservation Corps, 1933-1942."
This presentation will provide background and historical information
on the Civilian Conservation Corps (CCC), which was part of Franklin
D. Roosevelt's New Deal.  Learn more about how the CCC helped the
nation and about the men who joined and became known as Roosevelt's
Tree Army. Learn where and how you can obtain their enlistment papers.

Wednesday, March 4 from 10:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m. The Daughters of the
American Revolution provide Research Assistance for Membership.
DAR members provide assistance to anyone interested in research to
join the Society.

Thursday, March 5 at 2:00 p.m. John Beatty presents, "Evaluating
Published Family Histories."
The Genealogy Center owns more than 57,000 published family histories.
How do you, as a researcher, evaluate them effectively in your
research? This class will look at techniques for assessing the quality
of published family histories, from format to style to footnotes and
evidence. It will present examples of some of the most outstanding
genealogies in the collection and discuss what makes them great.

Friday, March 6 at 10:00 a.m. Delia Cothrun Bourne presents, "Tech Time."
Copiers, printers, scanners... Lost amid the Genealogy Center's
machinery? Take a brief tour among the gears and microchips for tips
on using these valuable resources. *Space is limited.*  Please
register.

Saturday, March 7 at 10:00 a.m. Sara Patalita presents, "Using Flickr
to Document Your Genealogy."
Sharing photos and scanned documents has never been easier, thanks to
new online software. Sara Patilita will discuss the ins and outs of
Flickr, one of the most popular programs for storing and documenting
your historic photographs.

Please call 260-421-1225 or email Genealogy [at] ACPL.info to register for
any or all of our programs. Keep an eye on our Special Programs
website www.acpl.lib.in.us/genealogy/programs.html for class
descriptions and registration information.

***************************************
Irish & Scots-Irish Genealogy: Part 1--A Two Day Mini-Course
by Melissa Shimkus and Delia Bourne
***************************************
The first of our 2009 two-day mini-courses will be presented March 13
& 14, 2009. Steve Myers, Genealogy Center Assistant Manager and
well-known lecturer on Irish research, will provide a thorough
grounding in the sources and techniques that lead to success. The
mini-course schedule is below.

Friday, March 13, 2009:
9:00 a.m.:  Library Opens
9:15 a.m. - 9:30 a.m.:  Course Introduction
9:30 a.m. - 10:30 a.m.:  Doing Your Homework in North American Sources
10:30 a.m. - 10:45 a.m.:  Break
10:45 a.m. - 11:45 a.m.:  Getting the Lay of the Land: Irish
Place-names, Maps & Gazetteers
11:45 a.m. - 12:45 p.m.:  Lunch on Your Own (A map of local
restaurants will be provided.)
12:45 p.m. - 1:45 p.m.:  Griffith's Valuation and the Tithe Applotment Books
1:45 p.m. - 2:00 p.m.:  Break
2:00 p.m. - 2:30 p.m.:  Tour of Genealogy Center
2:30 p.m. - 4:00 p.m.:  Assisted Research / Consultations
6:00 p.m.:  Library Closes

Saturday, March 14, 2009
9:00 a.m.:  Library Opens
9:15 a.m. - 10:15 a.m.:  Church Records & Heritage Centres
10:15 a.m. - 10:30 a.m.:  Break
10:30 a.m. - 11:30 a.m.:  Civil Registration & Other Vital Records Sources
11:30 a.m. - 12:30 p.m.:  Lunch on Your Own (A map of local
restaurants will be provided.)
12:30 p.m. - 1:30 p.m.:  Censuses & Census Substitutes
1:30 p.m. - 1:45 p.m.:  Break
1:45 p.m. - 4:00 p.m.:  Assisted Research / Consultations
6:00 p.m.:  Library Closes

The complementary Part 2 mini-course, tentatively scheduled for March
of 2010, will cover additional topics such as using Irish manuscript
collections and local history publications. Steve says you'll learn
lots and have fun too!  Class descriptions and registration
information will be posted soon on our Web site at
http://www.ACPL.Info/Genealogy/programs.html

***************************************
Librarians on Parade
***************************************
Curt Witcher
February 11, 2009--Allen County Genealogical Society Meeting, Allen
County Public Library, 900 Library Plaza, Fort Wayne, IN, Meeting Room
C, 7 p.m.  "Electronic Publishing."
February 28, 2009--Whittier Area Genealogical Society Seminar,
Greenleaf Masonic Temple, 7604 Greenleaf Avenue, Whittier, CA, 9 a.m.
to 4 p.m. "Doing Effective Genealogical Research in Libraries," "Using
Periodical Literature for Genealogical Research," "Pain in the Access:
Getting More from the Internet for Your Genealogy," and "All That
Other Stuff!: Other Census Records Beyond Federal Population
Schedules."

Donald Litzer
February 28, 2009--DuPage County (IL) Genealogical Society 34th Annual
Conference, Hilton Garden Inn, 4070 East Main Street, St. Charles, IL,
8 a.m. to 4 p.m.  Don's topics:  "Gems at the Crossroads of America"
and "The Mysteries of PERSI."

Melissa Shimkus
January 10, 2009--Detroit Society for Genealogical Research, Christ
Church, Cranbrook, 470 Church Street, Bloomfield Hills, MI, 2 p.m.
Topic:  "Discovering Your Female Ancestors."

Cynthia Theusch
January 14, 2009--Allen County Public Library, 900 Library Plaza, Fort
Wayne, IN, Meeting Room A, 2:30 p. m.  Topic:  "A WeRelate.org
Overview."

***************************************
Area Calendar of Events
***************************************
Allen County Genealogical Society of Indiana (ACGSI)

January 14, 2009 at 7 p.m. (social time begins at 6:30 p.m.) at the
Allen County Public Library's Main Library, 900 Library Plaza, Theater
(Lower Level 2).  Mark Davis of Stone Saver Cemetery Restoration will
present "Hallowed Stones: Cemetery Restoration."

Allen County-Fort Wayne Historical Society, 302 East Berry, Ft. Wayne, IN

January 4, 2009 at 2 p.m.  Dr. Patty Martone will present "Fort Wayne
Women Who Have Broken the Mold."

***************************************
Driving Directions to the Library
***************************************
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%20Webster%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.

***************************************
Parking at the Library
***************************************
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.

***************************************
Genealogy Center Queries
***************************************
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 [at] ACPL.Info.

***************************************
Publishing Note:
***************************************
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 GenealogyGems you just received or
send an email to kspears [at] acpl.lib.in.us with "unsubscribe e-zine" in
the subject line.

Steve Myers & Curt Witcher, co-editors