Genealogy Gems: News from the Fort Wayne Library, No. 126, August 31, 2014
From: Genealogy Gems (genealogygemsgenealogycenter.info)
Date: Sun, 31 Aug 2014 23:19:15 -0400

Genealogy Gems: News from the Fort Wayne Library
No. 126, August 31, 2014

In this issue:
*Allen County Public Library Closed for Staff Day
*Working The GenealogyCenter.org Website--Part Two
*Leave No One Behind . . . Continued--Month Four
*“New York in the American Revolution: A Source Guide for Genealogists and Historians”
*Virginia County Court Records
*Technology Tip of the Month--Exploring the Big PowerPoint Book: Inserting a Video
*Quick-Tip of the Month for Preservation--Preserving Family Papers, Photographs, and Images
*Digital Discoveries Series Concludes with “Discovering Newspaper Databases”
*Out and About
*Area Calendar of Events
*Driving Directions to the Library
*Parking at the Library
*Queries for The Genealogy Center

***************************************
Allen County Public Library Closed for Staff Day
***************************************
The Genealogy Center and all Allen County Public Library locations will be closed Friday, October 3, 2014, for a day of staff development activities. We especially do not want our out-of-town patrons to make a trip to Fort Wayne to find the library closed. So mark your calendars – we don’t want to miss you!

***************************************
Working The GenealogyCenter.org Website--Part Two
by Curt B. Witcher
***************************************
Last month, we took some time to explore a number of marque features on GenealogyCenter.org. We started with the main page, and that is where I would like to start again this month. On the right-hand side, immediately beneath the search boxes for our free databases and our online catalog, one will find a section called “Family History Archives.” This is one “springboard section” I alluded to at the end of my column last month.

This archive section provides one with direct links to copyright-clear materials that have been digitized from the collections of The Genealogy Center. We have digitizing partnerships with both FamilySearch and the Internet Archive. More than 170,000 local and family history publications are available for free use on FamilySearch.org as a result of this multi-organization cooperative. Thousands of Genealogy Center books are available online through this site. More than 80,000 Genealogy Center books and microfilm are available through the Internet Archive web site, archive.org. As with FamilySearch, these materials are available for free. One can view the items online, save as PDF documents, and even download to a Kindle.

Appreciating the challenges of African American and First Nations/Native American research, The Genealogy Center offers two gateways for those interested in these areas of research. The African American Gateway is organized by states, regions, countries outside the United States, and subjects. Within each area, one will find a significant collection of relevant websites along with a comprehensive list of Genealogy Center resources for the specific state, region, country, or subject in which one is interested. There are nearly 10,000 Internet sites categorized in this gateway. Using this gateway is a good way to quickly access pertinent materials to advance one’s research.

The Native American Gateway is organized a bit differently. The first link in this gateway is to short guide on how to begin doing Native American research. Whether just starting or continuing this type of research, taking a quick look at this outline may be quite beneficial. The rest of the links on the left-hand side of main gateway webpage are quick access points to The Genealogy Center collection. The “Microtext Catalog” link takes one to a table that lists all Native American materials in this format. The table begins with a listing of general or multi-tribe materials followed by an alphabetical list of tribe-specific materials. The “Genealogy Center Catalog” link takes one directly to a search screen where one can enter a tribe name, surname, or geographic location to get results specific to The Genealogy Center collection. Under the “Collection Bibliography” link, one will find the additional links of “Tribes,” “Locations,” and “General.” The “Tribes” and “Locations” links are likely the most useful as one can find Genealogy Center-specific materials on more than 150 tribes as well as U.S. states and regions as well as Canada and Mexico. Like the many other snapshots continually updated by Center staff, the Native American snapshot contains major indices and research works to assist one in conducting this challenging research. Further, there are specific materials listed for eight major tribes.

On the right-hand side of the Native American Gateway main page, researchers will find links to “Websites,” “First Nations of Indiana,” “Indian Census Records,” “Cherokee Records,” and “National Archives Guides.” The “Websites” list and “First Nations of Indiana” are not intended to be comprehensive but rather to provide one with some major sites that can offer both solid info and links to other web resources. The “Indian Census Records” section provides several dozen links to important information about First Nations’ enumerations--where they can be found, how to get access them, and how to use that data they contain. The “Cherokee Records” link takes one to the National Archives’ website, “The Dawes Rolls (Final Rolls of the Citizens and Freedmen of the Five Civilized Tribes in Indian Territory).” More links will be added to this site in the future. This gateway is rounded-out with links to three significant guides to National Archives and Records Administration guides.

In wrapping-up this two part series on the GenealogyCenter.org website, some mention needs to be given to the “Allen County (Indiana) Resources” and “Indiana Resources.” Both have numerous small data files that can be searched individually or collectively through a federated search. Just the Allen County section has a total of more than one million searchable records in eleven different subject categories.

As I did last month, I encourage you to take some time this coming month to explore GenealogyCenter.org. There is an amazing amount of data awaiting your discovery.

***************************************
Leave No One Behind . . . Continued--Four
by Curt B. Witcher
***************************************
Rebecca Crowe and her colleagues at the Fortville-Vernon Twp. Public Library have contributed many fine data files of Hancock County, Indiana resources. This month, they compiled and contributed a list all World War I servicemen from Hancock County. Derived from the book “Hancock County Indiana in the World War 1914-1918,” these 789 men will certainly not be forgotten. In addition to a list of those who served, there is also a link to a list of those who gave their lives. <www.GenealogyCenter.info/results_inhancockwwi.php>

A Fort Wayne resident, J. Michael Dittoe, contributed his father’s World War II diary. James W. Dittoe was at Pearl Harbor during the attack on December 7, 1941, on the battleship West Virginia when it was sunk during the attack. Shortly after the attack, James decided to write his experiences in notebook form. His son Michael transcribed the content and scanned the original notebook pages. <www.genealogycenter.info/military/wwii/search_dittoediary.php>

More World War II documents were contributed this month by a Genealogy Center patron from Manchester, Tennessee. She has an interesting collection of documents about Charles/Chirles Early Padgett containing World War II era military records and photographs. She scanned the images to a USB drive and brought the drive for us to copy on her most recent research trip to Fort Wayne. <www.genealogycenter.info/military/wwii/search_charlespadgett.php>

August also saw the Civil War pension file of Elijah Wilson of the 1st Ohio Volunteer Infantry get posted. <www.genealogycenter.info/military/civilwar/search_elijahwilson.php>

Thrice before, I have asked: What have you done to leave no veteran behind? What is your answer?

***************************************
“New York in the American Revolution: A Source Guide for Genealogists and Historians”
by Sara Allen
***************************************
This important work, “New York in the American Revolution: A Source Guide for Genealogists and Historians,” by Eric Grundset <974.7 G925ne> is a comprehensive bibliography of sources about the American Revolution in New York State, and notes where many of those sources can be found. It is imperative for historians and genealogists researching New York topics to consult this volume.

The wide breadth of information covered in the book is evidenced by the chapter descriptions listed below. The volume is divided into subtopics, moving from the general to the specific. To begin with, there are chapters on sources about the history of New York, libraries and archives located in New York or with significant Revolutionary War collections, and the geography of New York. Following are chapters listing sources concerning the history of the Revolution in New York, the history of the War in general, and then, government, tax and land records of New York. Moving on to military operations, there are chapters with sources about New York military records, spies and espionage, naval records, prisons and prisoners, and veterans of the War.

The middle section of the book segues into a geographic breakdown of sources about regions, counties, districts or towns during the Revolutionary period. Finally, the last section lists sources about people in New York’s Revolution, including ethnic and social groups, professions, Loyalists, and women. Following that is a chapter on lineage societies, while the final chapter concerns sources about specific prominent individuals involved in New York’s War effort. The book concludes with maps and an index.

As an example of what types of information can be found in the book, the chapter on Ulster County contains citations to books, periodicals and manuscript collections relating to the War for Independence in that county. Some citations are annotated, such as the one for the “Calendar of Historical Manuscripts Relating to the War of the Revolution,” which gives the helpful advice that one should consult the index of this reference under town and county name to locate relevant documents. For the manuscript collections cited, the location of the collection is noted so that the researcher can find this material in a library or archives. For instance, original manuscript collections about the Hasbrouck family of New Paltz, New York, and their involvement in the War are cited along with locations of these collections at the Schoonmaker Library, Historic Huguenot Street, New Paltz, New York; Washington Headquarters State Historic Site, Newburgh, New York; and Manuscripts & Archives Division, New York Public Library.

A periodical article featuring Ulster County Revolutionary patriot Silas Bowker is cited in the book as being published in the journal “The Accordian” [Accord, New York] 7:4 (October 1993), pages 5-7. To find a copy of this periodical article in a library, search the WorldCat database, www.WorldCat.org, by the title of the publication, in this case, “The Accordian.” The Genealogy Center owns most genealogical periodicals that have been published. Also check our library catalog at www.GenealogyCenter.org and visit us in person to read articles. Or you can order copies of articles from us using the Article Fulfillment form found under the Services drop-down menu on our website.

As a genealogist studying New York ancestors living at the time of Revolution, this volume has provided me with invaluable assistance in my research and given me many new leads to follow up on, books to consult, libraries and archives to visit, and periodical titles to track down. “New York in the American Revolution” is a very detailed and important starting point for any researcher working on this topic.

This book is one in a series of source guides by the same author on the Revolutionary War in different states. Guides for Rhode Island, South Carolina and Georgia have already been published, while other states are planned for future release.

***************************************
Virginia County Court Records
by John Beatty, CG(sm)*
***************************************
Work in colonial Virginia poses many challenges for researchers. A number of county courthouses have burned and their records have been lost, but others survive, either completely or partially intact. Deed records, will records and court order books, where they survive, are often essential sources for reconstructing families. Those records from the 17th and 18th centuries can be difficult to read and peruse in their entirety for a particular name. Yet it is the appearance of a name, often in passing, as a witness to a deed or will that can sometimes be an important clue to open a door to a wider investigation.

Between 1985 and 1993, Ruth and Sam Sparacio of McLean, Virginia, undertook the herculean task of abstracting and indexing original records from colonial Virginia through their publishing house, Antient Press. In all, they produced some 114 volumes pertaining to the records of 16 counties and two cities, as well as several miscellaneous volumes of a more general nature. The 16 counties include Albemarle, Caroline, Culpeper, Essex, Fairfax, King George, Lancaster, Loudoun, Madison, Middlesex, Northumberland, Orange, Prince William, Old Rappahannock, Richmond, Spotsylvania, and Stafford, as well as the cities of Fredericksburg and Petersburg. The volumes comprise many records from surviving counties in the upper Tidewater and trace many families into the lower Piedmont area of upland Virginia. Many of these books can be located in The Genealogy Center’s catalog under the series label “Virginia County Court Records.”

The type of records that the Sparacios abstracted varies according to what survived. For many counties, they carefully examined both deed and will books, abstracting every entry on each page and compiling an everyname index. For others, such as Caroline County, where the deeds and wills are lost, they examined the court order books. These court books yield clues about when a will or estate was probated or a deed was recorded, even if the contents of those wills, estates and deeds are not fully known. While these are derivative and not original sources, they nevertheless provide researchers with a highly-detailed view of a minutia of records, and as such are full of potential clues.

Researchers of these counties will want to examine the Antient Press Surname Index series (GC 975.5 Sp2s and 975.5 Sp2sa). These 14 volumes provide a full name index to all of the Sparacios’ books. Following each name in the indexes is a two-letter code and a number, corresponding to a specific volume, as reflected in the key at the beginning of each index book. The researcher will then need to locate the needed volume in the Genealogy Center catalog and search the index of that volume for the specific reference. The value of these indexes is that it can be seen at a glance whether a particular name appears in the record books of more than one county. For example, a tobacco planter who spent most of his life in Orange County may have journeyed to Caroline or Essex to be a party to a lawsuit or to give testimony, which would be recorded in the court order book.

The Sparacios accomplished an important task through these publications. They brought a myriad of records to the fingertips of modern researchers, allowing them to comb through records with a level of detail seldom matched in other regions. If your ancestors come from this part of Virginia, these books are an essential research tool.

*“CG” & “Certified Genealogist” are service marks of the Board for Certification of Genealogists®, and are used by authorized associates following periodic, peer-reviewed competency evaluations. Certificate No. 1050, awarded 8 August 2014; expires 8 August 2019.

***************************************
Technology Tip of the Month--Exploring the Big PowerPoint Book: Inserting a Video
by Kay Spears
***************************************
Last month I reviewed some issues that might occur when installing a video into a PowerPoint presentation. Since you have all of that memorized, it’s time to actually insert the video. 
 
Before you insert the video into your presentation, I suggest you move the video into the same folder where the PowerPoint presentation file is. Over the years, I have learned to create a folder for each of my presentations and any file related to that presentation, or anything I insert into it, is there in that folder. It makes things easier to keep all of my links, pictures, sound and videos for a particular presentation in one spot, and also makes it easier to transfer an entire presentation package from one computer to another without breaking any links. If you embed the video in your presentation, you may not have to worry about breaking the link, but that makes for a very large file.
 
To begin, display the slide into which you want to insert the video. Next, choose Insert>Video>Video From File. A dialog box will appear titled Insert Video. Choose the video you want to insert and click Insert. Once your video is in your slide, you can do some formatting so it will run the way you want it to, although your choices are limited. Click on the video so that it is “selected.” On your menu bar there will be a Video Tools tab and within that tab are the choices of Format and Playback. If you click on Format, you will see all of what I call the “bell and whistle” tools. If you want to, you can play with these tools to see what they can do. However the tab you really want to use is Playback. The tools we are interested in are: Start, Loop Until Stopped, Rewind After Playing, and Play Full Screen.

When you choose the Start drop-down box, your choices are: On Click and Automatically. If you select On Click, you will have to click on the Play button on the video itself when you are doing your presentation to make it begin. If you select Automatically, your video will start to play when the slide it is in appears. Depending on what you want your presentation to do, you can also choose Loop Until Stopped and Rewind After Playing. If one of your selections is Play Full Screen, I would suggest you preview it as it will appear during your presentation. Depending on the resolution of the video – or the lack thereof – you may end up with a fuzzy picture when using the Full Screen option.
 
Next month: Inserting Sound – More from the Big PowerPoint Book.

***************************************
Quick-Tip of the Month for Preservation--Preserving Family Papers, Photographs, and Images
***************************************
The North Carolina State Historical Records Advisory Board and the State Archives of North Carolina have partnered to produce several video tutorials on the preservation of family papers, photographs and digital images.  These tutorials were made possible through a grant from the National Historical Publications and Records Commission, and can be viewed on YouTube. Topics are:

• Identifying and Protecting Essential Family Records
• General Paper Preservation Tops
• Caring for and Sharing Family and Personal Papers
• The Care and Preservation of Family Photographs
• Managing and Preserving Digital Images

Find links to the tutorials here: http://ncarchives.wordpress.com/2014/08/08/the-care-and-handling-of-family-papers-photographs-and-essential-records/.

***************************************
Digital Discoveries Series Concludes with “Discovering Newspaper Databases”
***************************************
It's been a great series this summer as we explored several databases available to you here at The Genealogy Center. The series ends with "Discovering Newspaper Databases," presented by Sara Allen on Wednesday September 10, 2014, from 3:00P to 4:00P in Meeting Rom A. Did you know that you can access a variety of titles and from many locations through our online databases, including Newspaper Archive, Newspapers.com, African American Historical Newspapers and others here in The Genealogy Center? Learn why newspapers are wonderful resources for family history research and how to use our databases to find articles you want.

For more information, see at <www.GenealogyCenter.org/docs/digital2014>. To register for this free event, call 260-421-1225 or email Genealogy [at] ACPL.Info.

***************************************
Out and About
***************************************
Curt Witcher
September 10, 2014
Allen County Genealogical Society of Indiana, Allen County Public Library, 900 Library Plaza, Fort Wayne, Indiana, 6:30 p.m. refreshments, 7 p.m. presentation: “What’s New in The Genealogy Center?”

September 18, 2014
Senior Information Fair, Allen County Public Library, 900 Library Plaza, Fort Wayne, Indiana, 10:30 a.m. Presentation: “Telling the Stories of Our Lives.”

September 26-27, 2014
Montana State Genealogical Society Conference, Helena Colonial Red Lion, Helena, Montana. Presentations: “Historical Research Methodology: Engaging the Process to Find All the Answers,” “Using Military Records for Genealogical Research,” “Mining the Motherlode: Using Periodical Literature for Genealogical Research,” and “Fingerprinting Our Families: Using Ancestral Origins as a Genealogical Research Key.”

October 1, 2014
Allen County Public Library, 900 Webster Street, Fort Wayne, Indiana. With Aaron Smith, come for an evening of storytelling--connecting the present to the past.

Sara Allen
September 17, 2014
Butler Public Library, 340 S. Broadway, Butler, Indiana, 12 noon. Presentation:  “Introduction to DNA for Genealogy.”

John Beatty
September 12, 2014, Lutheran Life Village, Fort Wayne, Indiana, 12 noon. Presentation: “Lindenwood Cemetery.”

September 30, 2014, Cedar Creek Women’s Club, Allen County, Indiana, 12:30 p.m. Presentation: “Lindenwood Cemetery.”

***************************************
Area Calendar of Events
***************************************
History Center
6 September 2014 - Chief Richardville House, 5705 Bluffton Road, 1-4 p.m. For Miami Indian Heritage Days, Dani Tippmann will present “Miami Harvest: Edible and Usable Plants and Materials.” Admission: $7 adults, $5 seniors & students. History Center members admitted free.
 
Allen County Genealogical Society of Indiana Meeting
10 September 2014 – Allen County Public Library, 900 Library Plaza, 7 p.m. Curt Witcher will present “What’s New at The Genealogy Center?”
 
DAR Research Help
13 September 2014 – Allen County Public Library Genealogy Center, 9 a.m.-noon. The Mary Penrose Wayne Chapter of the National Society of Daughters of the American Revolution (DAR) is available to help prospective DAR members research their lineage to prove ancestry to an American Revolutionary Patriot. The DAR has a table in the west reading room of The Genealogy Center.
 
Allen County Genealogical Society of Indiana Genealogy Technology Group
17 September 2014 – Allen County Public Library, 900 Library Plaza, 7 p.m.

***************************************
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.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 [at] acpl.lib.in.us with "unsubscribe e-zine" in the subject line.

Dawne Slater-Putt, CG & Curt Witcher, co-editors

  • (no other messages in thread)

Results generated by Tiger Technologies Web hosting using MHonArc.