| Genealogy Gems: News from the Allen County Public Library at Fort Wayne, No. 256, June 30, 2025 | <– Date –> <– Thread –> |
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| Date: Mon, 30 Jun 2025 22:09:09 -0400 | |
Genealogy Gems: News from the Allen County Public Library at Fort Wayne
No. 256, June 30, 2025
In this issue:
*The Many Blessings of July Fourth
*Cavaliers and Pioneers, A Review
*The Gerd Heidemann Collection
*PERSI Gems: Whatcha Doing?
*Preservation Tips: Lessons from the National Archives Fire of 1973
*History Tidbits: Lay on Macduff! The Incredible Story of the Shakespeare Riot of 1849
*Genealogy Center’s July 2025 Programs
*Genealogy Center Bits-o’-News
*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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The Many Blessings of July Fourth
by Curt B. Witcher
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The fourth of July means many things to many people in our country. Predominant among those meanings typically is celebrating our country’s freedom from an oppressive monarchy and enjoying times with family for cooking-out, good conversations, and reminiscing about the past. Both are most worthy engagements.
Freely Accessible Military Information
As we look to celebrate our country’s freedom, it truly is a great time to remember our military ancestors. With enhanced technology improving literally every day, there is no better time to explore a little to further document the lives of our known military ancestors and possibly discover new ancestors who sacrificed for our country and our freedoms. Many of you may have seen the following list of solid online sites but you may not have placed them on your list of resources to check for military information. You could spend many interesting hours delving into these treasure troves of data, and this is by no means a comprehensive list.
The Internet Archive: www.archive.org
More than four million texts from American libraries are available for free use on the Internet Archive. More than four hundred texts can be found on the Mexican American War. The Internet Archive viewing experience allows one to search through many of the texts for specific names, places, and activities. One can find publications from the National Association of Veterans of the Mexican War and an image of Veterans of American Legion Post 804 near the Mexican-American All Wars Memorial, Boyle Heights, California, and much more.
Digital Public Library of America: dp.la
One can search through more than fifty-two million digitized items from public libraries across the United States. There are thirty-two search results for the search “soldiers Omaha Nebraska” including soldiers saluting President Truman at Offutt Air Base and soldiers standing at parade rest during the dedication of the World War II Memorial Park in Omaha. A “draft recruitment” search returns more than one hundred results including articles of draft calls for Idaho and Montana for WWI and a newspaper article about more favorable military service opportunities in artillery and engineers’ divisions in Canada. Another search leads one to a downloadable PDF of “A Guide to the Monuments on the State House Grounds” in South Carolina and a postcard depicting the “Monument to the Women of the Confederacy, Columbia, S.C.”
Chronicling America: chroniclingamerica.loc.gov
You have read it so many times in previous “Genealogy Gems” issues, and you likely heard it many dozens of times more--newspapers of yesteryear are the chroniclers of the lives and times of communities across the country. And with veterans being appropriately honored in the communities where they were born, lived, and are buried, newspapers are important in telling the stories of their lives and honoring their service. These free newspapers from the Library of Congress are terrific complements to the paid databases of Newspapers.com and NewspaperArchives.com that are accessible in many libraries. Some remarkable examples of articles include a May 8, 1898 issue of “The Daily Kentuckian” containing a complete roster of those leaving for service and the May 31, 1893 edition of “The Evening Bulletin” providing national news about the Grand Army of the Republic. One may also find access to some early newspapers in state memory projects.
State Memory Projects
So many states have memory projects that contain numerous nuggets of historical and genealogical materials for interested researchers. Among these memory projects, one often finds military data and information on veterans who served from the particular state or are buried in the state. As an example, the Florida Memory Project contains an index to and online copies of “Confederate Pension Applications” for Florida Civil War veterans as well as the “County Guard Commissions, 1917-1919” that consist of commissions issued to officers of County Guard units in Florida during World War I. Theses County Guards were authorized by the Legislature in 1917 to replace the Florida National Guard who in active duty in the war.
National Union Catalog of Manuscript Collections (NUCMC): www.loc.gov/coll/nucmc
Using NUCMC, one can find a military collection entitled “Gallatin County (MT) Veterans Service Records, 1918-1965” that also contains records for that county’s veterans who served in the Spanish American War still living at the time of WWI. Further searching on “Spanish American War” one can discover a group photograph of the men of the "Co. H-4-O.V.I. in Tracy Park after their return from Puerto Rico", as well as a photograph showing some of the identified men in the hospital of the 4th Ohio Volunteer Infantry.
ArchiveGrid: researchworks.oclc.org/archivegrid/
Similar to NUCMC, ArchiveGrid can greatly assist one in finding leads and links to unique, off-the-beaten-path records and photographs. Searching for “Kansas Military” one gets more than seven thousand search results including various veterans’ papers, newspaper clippings from various time periods and for different engagements, a Quartermaster’s journal from 1844-1850, and Civil War diaries just to name some categories of materials.
National Archives & Records Administration (NARA): www.archives.gov/research/military
NARA has an amazing collection of online catalogs, finding aids, and research materials for one looking to find military information; indeed, one can quickly become overwhelmed. Zeroing-in on the particular military engagement of interest on the website listed above can be a good place to start. Another way to learn of military collections is to use their online catalog. That catalog can be somewhat overwhelming for those not used to searching it--just take your time and make some time to play around and look around.
Federal Government Documents/GovInfo: www.govinfo.gov
Federal government documents will never make the top-ten list of most exciting reading. Nonetheless, they should be regularly consulted for the potential silos of significant data they may contain. Perhaps one could relegate searching this site for a few sleepless nights. In a Monday, January 22, 1912 Congressional Record from the Senate one can find a petition of the Samuel McAllister Literary and Military Association of Philadelphia, Pa., and a petition of the Christian Endeavor Union of Franklin, Pa., praying for the ratification of the proposed treaties of arbitration between the United States, Great Britain, and France. Many individuals representing various organizations were also making that request. That same day, the Senate also considered adjusting pensions for veterans of the Mexican American War as well as the Civil War. While federal government documents are not as name-rich as we would like, they are still worth our consideration. They provide extremely useful contexts to guide us to new sources and to challenge us to think about our research endeavors in new ways, and they do contain more individual names than one might think at first glance.
USGenWeb: usgenweb.org
As an example, the USGenWeb page for Orange County, Indiana contains links for the following military topics. And that is just one county in one state!
+++John Alexander Winegar Revolutionary War Veteran Marker Dedication
+++Gold Star Honor Roll 1914-1918
+++World War I Letters - Women - Red Cross
+++Veterans of Orange County
+++Military Honors Page
+++Sites Honoring American Military Veterans.
+++Indiana And Orange County in The Civil War
+++Orange County Civil War Units History - Personnel
+++List of Civil War Regiments, Orange County
+++Officers of the 24th from Orange County.
+++Enlisted men of the 24th Infantry Indiana Volunteers Companies B. & G
+++Men of the 49th
+++49th Indiana Volunteer Infantry Civil War Reenactment Unit
+++Company A, 38th Indiana Infantry Regiment List
+++Roster of Thirteenth Cavalry, Company F.1861-1865
+++Roster of Thirteenth Cavalry Civil War. Companies A.,E.,F.
+++Roster of the Twenty-eighth Regiment U.S. Colored Troops Civil War
+++Roster of Enlisted Men of Company D. Indiana Volunteers 1866
+++Revolutionary War Pensioners
+++Sixty-sixth Regiment Indiana Volunteers A brief History and a listing of Orange County Officers and Enlisted Men.
+++Field Investigation for pension of Woodrow Wilson Hollen.
+++Company H 93rd. Indiana Volunteers Contributed by, William Swift
+++Selected Photographs Indiana 93rd. Civil War
+++Misc. Civil War Veterans Information
Oh my goodness--what a list! Are you curious what might be available for your county of interest?
Thoughts on Your Fourth of July Cookouts and Gatherings
Any time family gathers it is an occasion ripe for collecting family stories and sharing family memories. I encourage you to make a little extra effort this Fourth of July to collect the amazing stories of yesteryear and yester-generation. One interesting way to do that is to talk your way through the events of the day.
When you’re preparing the hotdogs and burgers, vegetables, and other items for the grill, talk about your memories of what kinds of things your family would grill for this holiday (or any holiday!) when you were younger. Those comments can comfortably lead into what cookouts looked like a generation or two ago. Who gathered at those events? Was it just families, or families, neighbors and friends? As you’re playing games like cornhole and badminton, ask about the different games that used to be played. Which games were the favorites of those gathered decades ago? Which ones were they particularly good at? As you’re preparing to light-up sparklers and firecrackers, ask what that part of the Fourth looked like when those fun activities were not so prevalent.
Another activity we can do to start wonderful conversations is to prepare some of the summer dishes our parents and grandparents used to prepare that we enjoyed so much. Our sense of smell is our strongest memory trigger; hence, smelling those special spices sprinkled over nearly-done meat on the grill and those summer salads uniquely flavored with a concoction of not-so-well-known vinegars and herbs possibly will start some wonderful recollections and conversations.
Happy Fourth of July, and best wishes for a holiday and summer filled with recording wonderful memories.
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Cavaliers and Pioneers: A Review
by Logan Knight
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Passenger lists are one of the American genealogist’s most treasured records. In a nation of immigrants, holding a document showing exactly when your ancestor first came to these shores can be an emotional moment as well as useful for going further back in one’s lineage. For Americans whose family came during the colonial period, such documents are rare. There was no central authority that regulated and preserved such records at the time. Even when laws were passed, they were simply ignored. The colony of Virginia, for example, passed a law in 1632 requiring the documentation of every arrival in the colony. No records have ever been found, however.
Therefore, when researching this time period, we have to rely on what are known as passenger arrival records. These are basically records that show your ancestor in a certain area at a certain time and place, proving their immigration. For the colony of Virginia (the most populous of the original thirteen colonies), the most commonly used records in this regard are land grants, land patents, and headrights. The first and best assemblage of these is Nell Marion Nugent’s beautifully named “Cavaliers and Pioneers: Abstracts of Virginia Land Patents and Grants” (Richmond, VA: Dietz Press, 1934, and later editions), GC 975.5 N89cad. Originally published in three volumes covering 1632 to 1732, it has been extended by later writers to 1776 to make a set now totaling seven volumes.
These books contain thousands of names found in abstracts of original land patents, which now reside in the Virginia State Library. These documents record the name of people granted land during this time period, where it was located, the acreage, the names of adjoining land holders, and the date of the grant. For those who are not well versed (yet) in land records, a brief breakdown of these terms follows.
A “land patent” is an official document given by some sort of governing entity confirming someone’s ownership of a piece (or multiple pieces) of real property. A “land grant” is usually a process by a government giving said land in exchange for some service, such as improving the land. A “headright” is an even more precise form of land grant. To populate the Virginia colony, anyone who paid to transport an individual from England at about £6 would receive fifty acres of land in the new colony (the transportee having to work off the cost in years of indentured servitude). The resulting records include names of both the grantee and those being imported, sometimes years after their actual arrival. Be careful with interpreting this information, since some chicanery could be involved. For example, an established colonist might return to England and then go back to Virginia, claiming more fifty acres for himself due to his return voyage. The number of headrights was more than four times the actual increase in population. Some people were claimed more than once, and some fictitious names appear.
These books contain abstracts of these documents recorded in the early years of the Virginia colony. To utilize them properly, you simply need to look at the alphabetical index for your ancestor, but be aware of abbreviated first names and surname variations. Nugent provides a useful introduction that will help with understanding the historical context as well as the terminology.
Nugent’s volumes are foundational for early Virginia research. The number of whites being imported fell dramatically by the early eighteenth century, and from volume three onward, the books contain records of grants and not headrights.
All volumes of Cavaliers and Pioneers can be found here at the Genealogy Center. In addition, many volumes are available through Ancestry, FamilySearch, and even for free at the Internet Archive: https://archive.org/details/cavalierspioneer00nuge. The Library of Virginia website contains searchable images of the original grants https://lva-virginia.libguides.com/land-grants. These land records remain among the best sources for tracing people in colonial Virginia.
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The Gerd Heidemann Collection
by Allison DePrey Singleton
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The Hoover Institution has digitized and released over 800 audio recordings from journalist Gerd Heidemann’s archive, including covert interviews with former high-ranking Nazi officials who fled to South America after World War II. The recordings, featuring individuals such as Klaus Barbie, offer chilling insight into their actions, ideologies, and postwar lives.
Though difficult to hear, this collection holds value for genealogical research. The tapes include names, places, and events that may intersect with family histories, particularly for those with European ancestry affected by the Holocaust or WWII. Even if ancestors were not directly involved, the content can provide context for understanding displacement, migration, and survival during a time of widespread upheaval.
Genealogists can use these recordings to expand family narratives, trace connections to communities disrupted by Nazi violence, or better understand the historical forces that shaped their ancestors' experiences. Hearing the actual voices of perpetrators adds a sobering but powerful dimension to this research.
Researchers can access the collection through the Hoover Institution Library & Archives website, using transcripts and search tools to explore names and locations. This archive is a difficult but important reminder of the past, offering opportunities to connect personal stories to global history. https://oac.cdlib.org/findaid/ark:/13030/c8sj1tk3/
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PERSI Gems: Whatcha Doing?
by Adam Barrone and Mike Hudson
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Research work requires a lot of doing. A successful researcher reads, writes, asks, searches, organizes, plans, visits, documents, collaborates, networks, and shares. Think of each Eureka! moment you've experienced in your family history journey. What led to your exciting find? What did you do?
What does the future hold for your research projects? What are your pressing questions? Will the answer fall in your lap? Whatcha gonna do?
As you ponder your next steps, we invite you to search the Periodical Source Index (PERSI) which offers plenty of evidence of doing.
https://www.genealogycenter.info/persi/
Abraham Rice killed by lightning after doing business on Sabbath, 1777, Framingham, MA
Family Tree Magazine, Vol. 6, Issue 1 (Feb 2005)
Becky Carlson recalls encounter with a box of live grenades while doing archival work, n.d., MO
Missouri State Archives: Where History Begins, Sum 2009
Darren Bubz re doing doughnut automobile maneuvers, brief, 1980s
Steel Shavings (Indiana Univ. Northwest), Vol. 38 (2007)
Doin' chores, photos of Kansans doing everyday work, c. 1900-1920
Kansas Heritage (Kansas State Historical Society), Vol. 13, Issue 2 (Sum 2005)
Doing our bit, Helena Cheeseman Thomas recalls her family wartime involvement, 1914-1918
Bygone Kent (Eng.), Vol. 23, Issue 11 (Nov 2002)
Don Ricci describes career doing aircraft nose art, examples of work, 2009, CA
Warbirds, Vol. 32, Issue 4 (Jun 2009)
Farm wife doing laundry with Jacob Haish engine, photo and note, 1915
Iroquois (IL) Stalker, Vol. 43, Issue 1 (2013)
Imogene Herald recalls old women did not sit around doing nothing, family memories, n.d.
Kentucky Explorer, Vol. 31, Issue 3 (Jul 2016)
Morning hours in Nahunta, what people are doing, May 15, 1936
Armadillo Tracks (Brantley County Historical & Preservation Society, GA), Issue 3 (Apr 2015)
Public nuisance, animals doing their public loafing on sidewalks, Bolivar Bulletin excerpt, 1872
Family Findings, Vol. 49, Issue 4 (Oct 2017)
Territorial Grand Jury investigates wrong-doing at penitentiary, 1857
Historical Whisperings (Washington County Historical Society, MN), Vol. 32, Issue 3 (Oct 2005)
What people were doing when Pres. Kennedy killed
Jersey County Historical Society's Quarterly Newsletter, Vol. 5, Issue 3 (Fal 2002)
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Preservation Tips: Lessons from the National Archives Fire of 1973
by Christina Clary
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On the night of July 12, 1973, a fire broke out on the sixth floor of the Military Personnel Records Center (MRPC) in St. Louis, Missouri. The fire burned for four days and destroyed an estimated 16 to 18 million records, most of them Army and Air Force records. While the cause of the fire is still unknown, its rapid spread and destructiveness were due to noncompliance with archival standards for disaster preparedness.
The MRPC opened in 1956 to house military personnel files. When designing the building, the architects received conflicting advice on fire suppression systems. The Navy Records Center strongly recommended sprinkler systems, while the Department of Defense advised against them. The architects agreed with the latter, and no sprinkler systems were installed. In addition, the storage areas consisted of large, uninterrupted spaces with no firewalls, meaning a small fire could not be easily contained. Together, these factors lead to the inevitable fire rapidly spreading and becoming out of control.
The lack of a sprinkler system in such a large public building containing so much flammable material may seem unfathomable in hindsight. In fact, by the time the building was completed in 1956, the National Archives had made fire suppression systems, such as sprinklers, mandatory in all buildings. At the time, however, archivists and librarians were debating the question of what was more damaging to records: fire or the water used to extinguish it. The destruction of the 1890 Census in a 1921 fire—much of which was due to untreated water damage and mold—remains a cautionary tale. The concern was that accidental discharges from sprinkler systems posed a more immediate threat than a large-scale fire.
These concerns still exist today, but technology in fire suppression systems has advanced to mitigate damage. Gaseous suppression systems can be used in place of water sprinklers for high value collections. The sentiment today is that the benefits of these systems far outweigh any damage they might cause. For example, fire safety professionals believe that water sprinklers in the attic of Notre Dame Cathedral could have prevented some of the damage done by the 2019 fire. During the rebuilding of the MRPC, sprinkler systems were installed, and the storage space was broken into smaller spaces to deter fire spreading.
By the time of the 1973 fire, conservation techniques for restoring water-damaged materials had advanced to the point where such damage was no longer considered a total loss. Materials damaged by fire are much more difficult to conserve than water damage or mold. When dealing with water damage, the sooner you begin the drying process, the better. Typically, freeze drying is used to prevent and kill mold. In the case of the 1973 fire, archivists utilized a NASA-designed chamber—originally built to emulate space conditions—to vacuum-dry large quantities of records. The records are now kept in a heavily air-conditioned area to prevent dead mold from reactivating.
The lessons learned from the 1973 fire can be used for your own personal or family collections. Preventing or stopping fire takes precedence over potential water damage to materials. To reduce the risk of water damage, do not store boxes or materials directly on the floor. If materials do sustain water damage, dry them out and freeze them as quickly as possible to prevent mold. Finally, make sure to keep copies of records in separate places to ensure that the information is not completely lost should something happen to the originals.
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History Tidbits: Lay on Macduff! The Incredible Story of the Shakespeare Riot of 1849
by Logan Knight
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“All the world’s a stage, And all the men and women merely players,” said William Shakespeare. The pinnacle of English literature, is it any wonder that the works of the Bard of Avon have often assumed the mantle of larger issues? Such was certainly the case on May 10, 1849, in New York City, when a mob descended on the Astor Palace to vent their displeasure at a performance of Macbeth. How did such a strange event take place?
Though long forgotten now, the 1840’s were a poisonous time for relations between the new United States and Great Britain. Feelings were still sore over the Revolution and War of 1812. Also, large numbers of Irish immigrants had been arriving in response to the Great Famine, leaving them unsurprisingly with a burning hatred for their former overlords. Despite this antagonism, Shakespeare was universally beloved across all strata of America.
This ugly feeling crystalized in the careers of two actors: William Macready and Edwin Forrest. Macready, the leading British actor of his day, was especially noted for his performance as King Lear. His most important contribution was his insistence on performing the play’s original tragic ending (a happy ending had been standard for the past 150 years). Macready made such an impression on the British stage that when he died, Alfred Lord Tennyson eulogized him: “Farewell, Macready; moral, grave, sublime, Our Shakespeare's bland and universal eye, Dwells pleased, through twice a hundred years on thee."
Not everyone held such a high opinion of Macready. One such person was American actor, Edwin Forrest. A second-generation immigrant (Scottish/German), Forrest quickly discovered a love for the theatre. His career skyrocketed when he participated in an experiment with nitrous oxide. While under the influence, he performed a soliloquy from Richard III. This so impressed the viewers in attendance that a prominent lawyer arranged for his first audition. He became a leading light for American theatre, particularly for his Shakespearean performances. His immigrant roots ensured that he had great popularity with the American working-man.
Forrest toured Europe, where he felt that Macready had poisoned audiences against him. In retaliation, Forrest went to a performance of Hamlet with Macready in the lead role and hissed at him - a grave insult at the time and still quite rude today. It prompted an escalating and dramatic feud between the two stars. One incident occurred when Macready made a tour of America and was welcomed on stage by someone tossing a sheep’s carcass next to him. The issue between the actors became a symbol of America versus Great Britain, the rich versus the poor, and which people could perform Shakespeare better. Forrest’s rough and muscular performance contrasted with Macready’s sublime and nuanced version.
The stage was set for an all-out war. In May 1849, Macready had undertaken another tour of America and was performing Macbeth at the Astor Place Theatre. Forrest’s supporters bought up all the tickets and made such a ruckus that the play had to be performed in pantomime. The mob threw rotten eggs, fruit, and other things at the stage and began ripping up seats while hollering “shame, shame.” Macready decided to cut his tour short but was persuaded to stay by a group of affluent New Yorkers. This action proved to be the equivalent of pouring gasoline on an open flame.
On May 9, Macready attempted his final American performance. Forrest’s supporters howled and began to fight running battles with the police and the militia that the Mayor had assembled, knowing there would be trouble. A full-on riot broke out, forcing Macready to flee the stage in disguise. At this point, the battles became an all-out war, and the city descended into chaos. By the next morning, almost thirty rioters had died and numerous more badly injured, thereby ending the squalid affair of the Astor Place Riot.
This conflict between two of the best Shakespearean actors has to be among the strangest ever recorded in the annals of the stage. It had ended with the highest civilian death count since the American Revolution. Despite the larger issues, the riot symbolized what Shakespeare had put on his own tomb: “Good friend, for Jesus' sake forebear, to dig the dust enclosed here. Blessed be the man that spares these stones, and cursed be he that moves my bones.”
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Genealogy Center’s July 2025 Programs
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Tuesday, July 1, 2025 at 2:30 p.m. ET “Ask the Experts!” with Genealogy Librarians - https://acpl.libnet.info/event/13986477
Thursday, July 3, 2025 at 6:30 p.m. ET “In-Person DNA & Genealogy Interest Group” with Sara Allen - https://acpl.libnet.info/event/13835863
Tuesday, July 8, 2025 at 2:30 p.m. ET “Why Family History Needs Historians” with Katherine Brodt - https://acpl.libnet.info/event/13835895
Thursday, July 10 at 6:30 p.m. ET “Digitize Like a Pro: Best Practices for Scanning and Metadata Entry” with Angela Andrieux - https://acpl.libnet.info/event/13835986
Tuesday, July 15 at 2:30 p.m. ET “Finding the Records for Impossible Genealogy” with Linda Yip - https://acpl.libnet.info/event/13836071
Thursday, July 17 at 6:30 p.m. ET “Discovering Pennsylvania Dutch Ancestors” with Jeanie Glaser - https://acpl.libnet.info/event/14008274
Tuesday, July 22 at 2:30 p.m. ET “Community Cookbooks as Local History and Genealogy Resources” with Jennifer Brannock - https://acpl.libnet.info/event/13836139
Thursday, July 24 at 6:30 p.m. ET “Old Homes, New Discoveries: How to Research Historic Properties” with Mark Belloni - https://acpl.libnet.info/event/13869683
Tuesday, July 29 at 2:30 p.m. ET “A Beginner’s Guide to Italian Genealogy” with Logan Knight - https://acpl.libnet.info/event/13986391
Thursday, July 31 at 6:30 p.m. ET “Cluster Research or Discovering You’re Related to the Whole Block” with Jessica Trotter - https://acpl.libnet.info/event/13836186
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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 Bits-o’-News
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Time to visit the Allen County Public Library’s online merchandise store? Look for the Genealogy Center merch! You really need to check it out--we have added more merch offerings! The special Genealogy Center section of the store with some pretty cool items. http://acpl.dkmlogo.online/shop/category/4726261?c=4726261 Please remember that your purchases support the Friends of the Allen County Public Library, and they in turn support the Genealogy Center. More than ever, this support is so very important. Indeed, I would call this support vital.
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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%20Webster%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 $95.
Public lots are located at the corner of Ewing and Wayne Streets ($1 each for the first two half-hours, $1 per hour after, with a $4 per day maximum) and the corner of Jefferson Boulevard and Harrison Street ($3 per day).
Street (metered) parking on Ewing and Wayne Streets. On the street you plug the meters 8am – 5pm, weekdays only. The meters take credit cards and charge at a rate of $1/hour. Street parking is free after 5 p.m. and on the weekends.
Visitor center/Grand Wayne Center garage at Washington and Clinton Streets. This is the Hilton Hotel parking lot that also serves as a day parking garage. For hourly parking, 7am – 11 pm, charges are .50 for the first 45 minutes, then $1.00 per hour. There is a flat $2.00 fee between 5 p.m. and 11 p.m.
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Genealogy Center Queries
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The Genealogy Center hopes you find this newsletter interesting. Thank you for subscribing. We cannot, however, answer personal research emails written to the e-zine address. The department houses a Research Center that makes photocopies and conducts research for a fee.
If you have a general question about our collection, or are interested in the Research Center, please telephone the library and speak to a librarian who will be glad to answer your general questions or send you a research center form. Our telephone number is 260-421-1225. If you’d like to email a general information question about the department, please email: Genealogy [at] 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.
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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 sspearswells [at] acpl.lib.in.us with "unsubscribe e-zine" in the subject line.
Curt B. Witcher and John D. Beatty, CG, co-editors
No. 256, June 30, 2025
In this issue:
*The Many Blessings of July Fourth
*Cavaliers and Pioneers, A Review
*The Gerd Heidemann Collection
*PERSI Gems: Whatcha Doing?
*Preservation Tips: Lessons from the National Archives Fire of 1973
*History Tidbits: Lay on Macduff! The Incredible Story of the Shakespeare Riot of 1849
*Genealogy Center’s July 2025 Programs
*Genealogy Center Bits-o’-News
*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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The Many Blessings of July Fourth
by Curt B. Witcher
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The fourth of July means many things to many people in our country. Predominant among those meanings typically is celebrating our country’s freedom from an oppressive monarchy and enjoying times with family for cooking-out, good conversations, and reminiscing about the past. Both are most worthy engagements.
Freely Accessible Military Information
As we look to celebrate our country’s freedom, it truly is a great time to remember our military ancestors. With enhanced technology improving literally every day, there is no better time to explore a little to further document the lives of our known military ancestors and possibly discover new ancestors who sacrificed for our country and our freedoms. Many of you may have seen the following list of solid online sites but you may not have placed them on your list of resources to check for military information. You could spend many interesting hours delving into these treasure troves of data, and this is by no means a comprehensive list.
The Internet Archive: www.archive.org
More than four million texts from American libraries are available for free use on the Internet Archive. More than four hundred texts can be found on the Mexican American War. The Internet Archive viewing experience allows one to search through many of the texts for specific names, places, and activities. One can find publications from the National Association of Veterans of the Mexican War and an image of Veterans of American Legion Post 804 near the Mexican-American All Wars Memorial, Boyle Heights, California, and much more.
Digital Public Library of America: dp.la
One can search through more than fifty-two million digitized items from public libraries across the United States. There are thirty-two search results for the search “soldiers Omaha Nebraska” including soldiers saluting President Truman at Offutt Air Base and soldiers standing at parade rest during the dedication of the World War II Memorial Park in Omaha. A “draft recruitment” search returns more than one hundred results including articles of draft calls for Idaho and Montana for WWI and a newspaper article about more favorable military service opportunities in artillery and engineers’ divisions in Canada. Another search leads one to a downloadable PDF of “A Guide to the Monuments on the State House Grounds” in South Carolina and a postcard depicting the “Monument to the Women of the Confederacy, Columbia, S.C.”
Chronicling America: chroniclingamerica.loc.gov
You have read it so many times in previous “Genealogy Gems” issues, and you likely heard it many dozens of times more--newspapers of yesteryear are the chroniclers of the lives and times of communities across the country. And with veterans being appropriately honored in the communities where they were born, lived, and are buried, newspapers are important in telling the stories of their lives and honoring their service. These free newspapers from the Library of Congress are terrific complements to the paid databases of Newspapers.com and NewspaperArchives.com that are accessible in many libraries. Some remarkable examples of articles include a May 8, 1898 issue of “The Daily Kentuckian” containing a complete roster of those leaving for service and the May 31, 1893 edition of “The Evening Bulletin” providing national news about the Grand Army of the Republic. One may also find access to some early newspapers in state memory projects.
State Memory Projects
So many states have memory projects that contain numerous nuggets of historical and genealogical materials for interested researchers. Among these memory projects, one often finds military data and information on veterans who served from the particular state or are buried in the state. As an example, the Florida Memory Project contains an index to and online copies of “Confederate Pension Applications” for Florida Civil War veterans as well as the “County Guard Commissions, 1917-1919” that consist of commissions issued to officers of County Guard units in Florida during World War I. Theses County Guards were authorized by the Legislature in 1917 to replace the Florida National Guard who in active duty in the war.
National Union Catalog of Manuscript Collections (NUCMC): www.loc.gov/coll/nucmc
Using NUCMC, one can find a military collection entitled “Gallatin County (MT) Veterans Service Records, 1918-1965” that also contains records for that county’s veterans who served in the Spanish American War still living at the time of WWI. Further searching on “Spanish American War” one can discover a group photograph of the men of the "Co. H-4-O.V.I. in Tracy Park after their return from Puerto Rico", as well as a photograph showing some of the identified men in the hospital of the 4th Ohio Volunteer Infantry.
ArchiveGrid: researchworks.oclc.org/archivegrid/
Similar to NUCMC, ArchiveGrid can greatly assist one in finding leads and links to unique, off-the-beaten-path records and photographs. Searching for “Kansas Military” one gets more than seven thousand search results including various veterans’ papers, newspaper clippings from various time periods and for different engagements, a Quartermaster’s journal from 1844-1850, and Civil War diaries just to name some categories of materials.
National Archives & Records Administration (NARA): www.archives.gov/research/military
NARA has an amazing collection of online catalogs, finding aids, and research materials for one looking to find military information; indeed, one can quickly become overwhelmed. Zeroing-in on the particular military engagement of interest on the website listed above can be a good place to start. Another way to learn of military collections is to use their online catalog. That catalog can be somewhat overwhelming for those not used to searching it--just take your time and make some time to play around and look around.
Federal Government Documents/GovInfo: www.govinfo.gov
Federal government documents will never make the top-ten list of most exciting reading. Nonetheless, they should be regularly consulted for the potential silos of significant data they may contain. Perhaps one could relegate searching this site for a few sleepless nights. In a Monday, January 22, 1912 Congressional Record from the Senate one can find a petition of the Samuel McAllister Literary and Military Association of Philadelphia, Pa., and a petition of the Christian Endeavor Union of Franklin, Pa., praying for the ratification of the proposed treaties of arbitration between the United States, Great Britain, and France. Many individuals representing various organizations were also making that request. That same day, the Senate also considered adjusting pensions for veterans of the Mexican American War as well as the Civil War. While federal government documents are not as name-rich as we would like, they are still worth our consideration. They provide extremely useful contexts to guide us to new sources and to challenge us to think about our research endeavors in new ways, and they do contain more individual names than one might think at first glance.
USGenWeb: usgenweb.org
As an example, the USGenWeb page for Orange County, Indiana contains links for the following military topics. And that is just one county in one state!
+++John Alexander Winegar Revolutionary War Veteran Marker Dedication
+++Gold Star Honor Roll 1914-1918
+++World War I Letters - Women - Red Cross
+++Veterans of Orange County
+++Military Honors Page
+++Sites Honoring American Military Veterans.
+++Indiana And Orange County in The Civil War
+++Orange County Civil War Units History - Personnel
+++List of Civil War Regiments, Orange County
+++Officers of the 24th from Orange County.
+++Enlisted men of the 24th Infantry Indiana Volunteers Companies B. & G
+++Men of the 49th
+++49th Indiana Volunteer Infantry Civil War Reenactment Unit
+++Company A, 38th Indiana Infantry Regiment List
+++Roster of Thirteenth Cavalry, Company F.1861-1865
+++Roster of Thirteenth Cavalry Civil War. Companies A.,E.,F.
+++Roster of the Twenty-eighth Regiment U.S. Colored Troops Civil War
+++Roster of Enlisted Men of Company D. Indiana Volunteers 1866
+++Revolutionary War Pensioners
+++Sixty-sixth Regiment Indiana Volunteers A brief History and a listing of Orange County Officers and Enlisted Men.
+++Field Investigation for pension of Woodrow Wilson Hollen.
+++Company H 93rd. Indiana Volunteers Contributed by, William Swift
+++Selected Photographs Indiana 93rd. Civil War
+++Misc. Civil War Veterans Information
Oh my goodness--what a list! Are you curious what might be available for your county of interest?
Thoughts on Your Fourth of July Cookouts and Gatherings
Any time family gathers it is an occasion ripe for collecting family stories and sharing family memories. I encourage you to make a little extra effort this Fourth of July to collect the amazing stories of yesteryear and yester-generation. One interesting way to do that is to talk your way through the events of the day.
When you’re preparing the hotdogs and burgers, vegetables, and other items for the grill, talk about your memories of what kinds of things your family would grill for this holiday (or any holiday!) when you were younger. Those comments can comfortably lead into what cookouts looked like a generation or two ago. Who gathered at those events? Was it just families, or families, neighbors and friends? As you’re playing games like cornhole and badminton, ask about the different games that used to be played. Which games were the favorites of those gathered decades ago? Which ones were they particularly good at? As you’re preparing to light-up sparklers and firecrackers, ask what that part of the Fourth looked like when those fun activities were not so prevalent.
Another activity we can do to start wonderful conversations is to prepare some of the summer dishes our parents and grandparents used to prepare that we enjoyed so much. Our sense of smell is our strongest memory trigger; hence, smelling those special spices sprinkled over nearly-done meat on the grill and those summer salads uniquely flavored with a concoction of not-so-well-known vinegars and herbs possibly will start some wonderful recollections and conversations.
Happy Fourth of July, and best wishes for a holiday and summer filled with recording wonderful memories.
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Cavaliers and Pioneers: A Review
by Logan Knight
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Passenger lists are one of the American genealogist’s most treasured records. In a nation of immigrants, holding a document showing exactly when your ancestor first came to these shores can be an emotional moment as well as useful for going further back in one’s lineage. For Americans whose family came during the colonial period, such documents are rare. There was no central authority that regulated and preserved such records at the time. Even when laws were passed, they were simply ignored. The colony of Virginia, for example, passed a law in 1632 requiring the documentation of every arrival in the colony. No records have ever been found, however.
Therefore, when researching this time period, we have to rely on what are known as passenger arrival records. These are basically records that show your ancestor in a certain area at a certain time and place, proving their immigration. For the colony of Virginia (the most populous of the original thirteen colonies), the most commonly used records in this regard are land grants, land patents, and headrights. The first and best assemblage of these is Nell Marion Nugent’s beautifully named “Cavaliers and Pioneers: Abstracts of Virginia Land Patents and Grants” (Richmond, VA: Dietz Press, 1934, and later editions), GC 975.5 N89cad. Originally published in three volumes covering 1632 to 1732, it has been extended by later writers to 1776 to make a set now totaling seven volumes.
These books contain thousands of names found in abstracts of original land patents, which now reside in the Virginia State Library. These documents record the name of people granted land during this time period, where it was located, the acreage, the names of adjoining land holders, and the date of the grant. For those who are not well versed (yet) in land records, a brief breakdown of these terms follows.
A “land patent” is an official document given by some sort of governing entity confirming someone’s ownership of a piece (or multiple pieces) of real property. A “land grant” is usually a process by a government giving said land in exchange for some service, such as improving the land. A “headright” is an even more precise form of land grant. To populate the Virginia colony, anyone who paid to transport an individual from England at about £6 would receive fifty acres of land in the new colony (the transportee having to work off the cost in years of indentured servitude). The resulting records include names of both the grantee and those being imported, sometimes years after their actual arrival. Be careful with interpreting this information, since some chicanery could be involved. For example, an established colonist might return to England and then go back to Virginia, claiming more fifty acres for himself due to his return voyage. The number of headrights was more than four times the actual increase in population. Some people were claimed more than once, and some fictitious names appear.
These books contain abstracts of these documents recorded in the early years of the Virginia colony. To utilize them properly, you simply need to look at the alphabetical index for your ancestor, but be aware of abbreviated first names and surname variations. Nugent provides a useful introduction that will help with understanding the historical context as well as the terminology.
Nugent’s volumes are foundational for early Virginia research. The number of whites being imported fell dramatically by the early eighteenth century, and from volume three onward, the books contain records of grants and not headrights.
All volumes of Cavaliers and Pioneers can be found here at the Genealogy Center. In addition, many volumes are available through Ancestry, FamilySearch, and even for free at the Internet Archive: https://archive.org/details/cavalierspioneer00nuge. The Library of Virginia website contains searchable images of the original grants https://lva-virginia.libguides.com/land-grants. These land records remain among the best sources for tracing people in colonial Virginia.
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The Gerd Heidemann Collection
by Allison DePrey Singleton
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The Hoover Institution has digitized and released over 800 audio recordings from journalist Gerd Heidemann’s archive, including covert interviews with former high-ranking Nazi officials who fled to South America after World War II. The recordings, featuring individuals such as Klaus Barbie, offer chilling insight into their actions, ideologies, and postwar lives.
Though difficult to hear, this collection holds value for genealogical research. The tapes include names, places, and events that may intersect with family histories, particularly for those with European ancestry affected by the Holocaust or WWII. Even if ancestors were not directly involved, the content can provide context for understanding displacement, migration, and survival during a time of widespread upheaval.
Genealogists can use these recordings to expand family narratives, trace connections to communities disrupted by Nazi violence, or better understand the historical forces that shaped their ancestors' experiences. Hearing the actual voices of perpetrators adds a sobering but powerful dimension to this research.
Researchers can access the collection through the Hoover Institution Library & Archives website, using transcripts and search tools to explore names and locations. This archive is a difficult but important reminder of the past, offering opportunities to connect personal stories to global history. https://oac.cdlib.org/findaid/ark:/13030/c8sj1tk3/
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PERSI Gems: Whatcha Doing?
by Adam Barrone and Mike Hudson
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Research work requires a lot of doing. A successful researcher reads, writes, asks, searches, organizes, plans, visits, documents, collaborates, networks, and shares. Think of each Eureka! moment you've experienced in your family history journey. What led to your exciting find? What did you do?
What does the future hold for your research projects? What are your pressing questions? Will the answer fall in your lap? Whatcha gonna do?
As you ponder your next steps, we invite you to search the Periodical Source Index (PERSI) which offers plenty of evidence of doing.
https://www.genealogycenter.info/persi/
Abraham Rice killed by lightning after doing business on Sabbath, 1777, Framingham, MA
Family Tree Magazine, Vol. 6, Issue 1 (Feb 2005)
Becky Carlson recalls encounter with a box of live grenades while doing archival work, n.d., MO
Missouri State Archives: Where History Begins, Sum 2009
Darren Bubz re doing doughnut automobile maneuvers, brief, 1980s
Steel Shavings (Indiana Univ. Northwest), Vol. 38 (2007)
Doin' chores, photos of Kansans doing everyday work, c. 1900-1920
Kansas Heritage (Kansas State Historical Society), Vol. 13, Issue 2 (Sum 2005)
Doing our bit, Helena Cheeseman Thomas recalls her family wartime involvement, 1914-1918
Bygone Kent (Eng.), Vol. 23, Issue 11 (Nov 2002)
Don Ricci describes career doing aircraft nose art, examples of work, 2009, CA
Warbirds, Vol. 32, Issue 4 (Jun 2009)
Farm wife doing laundry with Jacob Haish engine, photo and note, 1915
Iroquois (IL) Stalker, Vol. 43, Issue 1 (2013)
Imogene Herald recalls old women did not sit around doing nothing, family memories, n.d.
Kentucky Explorer, Vol. 31, Issue 3 (Jul 2016)
Morning hours in Nahunta, what people are doing, May 15, 1936
Armadillo Tracks (Brantley County Historical & Preservation Society, GA), Issue 3 (Apr 2015)
Public nuisance, animals doing their public loafing on sidewalks, Bolivar Bulletin excerpt, 1872
Family Findings, Vol. 49, Issue 4 (Oct 2017)
Territorial Grand Jury investigates wrong-doing at penitentiary, 1857
Historical Whisperings (Washington County Historical Society, MN), Vol. 32, Issue 3 (Oct 2005)
What people were doing when Pres. Kennedy killed
Jersey County Historical Society's Quarterly Newsletter, Vol. 5, Issue 3 (Fal 2002)
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Preservation Tips: Lessons from the National Archives Fire of 1973
by Christina Clary
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On the night of July 12, 1973, a fire broke out on the sixth floor of the Military Personnel Records Center (MRPC) in St. Louis, Missouri. The fire burned for four days and destroyed an estimated 16 to 18 million records, most of them Army and Air Force records. While the cause of the fire is still unknown, its rapid spread and destructiveness were due to noncompliance with archival standards for disaster preparedness.
The MRPC opened in 1956 to house military personnel files. When designing the building, the architects received conflicting advice on fire suppression systems. The Navy Records Center strongly recommended sprinkler systems, while the Department of Defense advised against them. The architects agreed with the latter, and no sprinkler systems were installed. In addition, the storage areas consisted of large, uninterrupted spaces with no firewalls, meaning a small fire could not be easily contained. Together, these factors lead to the inevitable fire rapidly spreading and becoming out of control.
The lack of a sprinkler system in such a large public building containing so much flammable material may seem unfathomable in hindsight. In fact, by the time the building was completed in 1956, the National Archives had made fire suppression systems, such as sprinklers, mandatory in all buildings. At the time, however, archivists and librarians were debating the question of what was more damaging to records: fire or the water used to extinguish it. The destruction of the 1890 Census in a 1921 fire—much of which was due to untreated water damage and mold—remains a cautionary tale. The concern was that accidental discharges from sprinkler systems posed a more immediate threat than a large-scale fire.
These concerns still exist today, but technology in fire suppression systems has advanced to mitigate damage. Gaseous suppression systems can be used in place of water sprinklers for high value collections. The sentiment today is that the benefits of these systems far outweigh any damage they might cause. For example, fire safety professionals believe that water sprinklers in the attic of Notre Dame Cathedral could have prevented some of the damage done by the 2019 fire. During the rebuilding of the MRPC, sprinkler systems were installed, and the storage space was broken into smaller spaces to deter fire spreading.
By the time of the 1973 fire, conservation techniques for restoring water-damaged materials had advanced to the point where such damage was no longer considered a total loss. Materials damaged by fire are much more difficult to conserve than water damage or mold. When dealing with water damage, the sooner you begin the drying process, the better. Typically, freeze drying is used to prevent and kill mold. In the case of the 1973 fire, archivists utilized a NASA-designed chamber—originally built to emulate space conditions—to vacuum-dry large quantities of records. The records are now kept in a heavily air-conditioned area to prevent dead mold from reactivating.
The lessons learned from the 1973 fire can be used for your own personal or family collections. Preventing or stopping fire takes precedence over potential water damage to materials. To reduce the risk of water damage, do not store boxes or materials directly on the floor. If materials do sustain water damage, dry them out and freeze them as quickly as possible to prevent mold. Finally, make sure to keep copies of records in separate places to ensure that the information is not completely lost should something happen to the originals.
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History Tidbits: Lay on Macduff! The Incredible Story of the Shakespeare Riot of 1849
by Logan Knight
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“All the world’s a stage, And all the men and women merely players,” said William Shakespeare. The pinnacle of English literature, is it any wonder that the works of the Bard of Avon have often assumed the mantle of larger issues? Such was certainly the case on May 10, 1849, in New York City, when a mob descended on the Astor Palace to vent their displeasure at a performance of Macbeth. How did such a strange event take place?
Though long forgotten now, the 1840’s were a poisonous time for relations between the new United States and Great Britain. Feelings were still sore over the Revolution and War of 1812. Also, large numbers of Irish immigrants had been arriving in response to the Great Famine, leaving them unsurprisingly with a burning hatred for their former overlords. Despite this antagonism, Shakespeare was universally beloved across all strata of America.
This ugly feeling crystalized in the careers of two actors: William Macready and Edwin Forrest. Macready, the leading British actor of his day, was especially noted for his performance as King Lear. His most important contribution was his insistence on performing the play’s original tragic ending (a happy ending had been standard for the past 150 years). Macready made such an impression on the British stage that when he died, Alfred Lord Tennyson eulogized him: “Farewell, Macready; moral, grave, sublime, Our Shakespeare's bland and universal eye, Dwells pleased, through twice a hundred years on thee."
Not everyone held such a high opinion of Macready. One such person was American actor, Edwin Forrest. A second-generation immigrant (Scottish/German), Forrest quickly discovered a love for the theatre. His career skyrocketed when he participated in an experiment with nitrous oxide. While under the influence, he performed a soliloquy from Richard III. This so impressed the viewers in attendance that a prominent lawyer arranged for his first audition. He became a leading light for American theatre, particularly for his Shakespearean performances. His immigrant roots ensured that he had great popularity with the American working-man.
Forrest toured Europe, where he felt that Macready had poisoned audiences against him. In retaliation, Forrest went to a performance of Hamlet with Macready in the lead role and hissed at him - a grave insult at the time and still quite rude today. It prompted an escalating and dramatic feud between the two stars. One incident occurred when Macready made a tour of America and was welcomed on stage by someone tossing a sheep’s carcass next to him. The issue between the actors became a symbol of America versus Great Britain, the rich versus the poor, and which people could perform Shakespeare better. Forrest’s rough and muscular performance contrasted with Macready’s sublime and nuanced version.
The stage was set for an all-out war. In May 1849, Macready had undertaken another tour of America and was performing Macbeth at the Astor Place Theatre. Forrest’s supporters bought up all the tickets and made such a ruckus that the play had to be performed in pantomime. The mob threw rotten eggs, fruit, and other things at the stage and began ripping up seats while hollering “shame, shame.” Macready decided to cut his tour short but was persuaded to stay by a group of affluent New Yorkers. This action proved to be the equivalent of pouring gasoline on an open flame.
On May 9, Macready attempted his final American performance. Forrest’s supporters howled and began to fight running battles with the police and the militia that the Mayor had assembled, knowing there would be trouble. A full-on riot broke out, forcing Macready to flee the stage in disguise. At this point, the battles became an all-out war, and the city descended into chaos. By the next morning, almost thirty rioters had died and numerous more badly injured, thereby ending the squalid affair of the Astor Place Riot.
This conflict between two of the best Shakespearean actors has to be among the strangest ever recorded in the annals of the stage. It had ended with the highest civilian death count since the American Revolution. Despite the larger issues, the riot symbolized what Shakespeare had put on his own tomb: “Good friend, for Jesus' sake forebear, to dig the dust enclosed here. Blessed be the man that spares these stones, and cursed be he that moves my bones.”
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Genealogy Center’s July 2025 Programs
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Tuesday, July 1, 2025 at 2:30 p.m. ET “Ask the Experts!” with Genealogy Librarians - https://acpl.libnet.info/event/13986477
Thursday, July 3, 2025 at 6:30 p.m. ET “In-Person DNA & Genealogy Interest Group” with Sara Allen - https://acpl.libnet.info/event/13835863
Tuesday, July 8, 2025 at 2:30 p.m. ET “Why Family History Needs Historians” with Katherine Brodt - https://acpl.libnet.info/event/13835895
Thursday, July 10 at 6:30 p.m. ET “Digitize Like a Pro: Best Practices for Scanning and Metadata Entry” with Angela Andrieux - https://acpl.libnet.info/event/13835986
Tuesday, July 15 at 2:30 p.m. ET “Finding the Records for Impossible Genealogy” with Linda Yip - https://acpl.libnet.info/event/13836071
Thursday, July 17 at 6:30 p.m. ET “Discovering Pennsylvania Dutch Ancestors” with Jeanie Glaser - https://acpl.libnet.info/event/14008274
Tuesday, July 22 at 2:30 p.m. ET “Community Cookbooks as Local History and Genealogy Resources” with Jennifer Brannock - https://acpl.libnet.info/event/13836139
Thursday, July 24 at 6:30 p.m. ET “Old Homes, New Discoveries: How to Research Historic Properties” with Mark Belloni - https://acpl.libnet.info/event/13869683
Tuesday, July 29 at 2:30 p.m. ET “A Beginner’s Guide to Italian Genealogy” with Logan Knight - https://acpl.libnet.info/event/13986391
Thursday, July 31 at 6:30 p.m. ET “Cluster Research or Discovering You’re Related to the Whole Block” with Jessica Trotter - https://acpl.libnet.info/event/13836186
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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 Bits-o’-News
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Time to visit the Allen County Public Library’s online merchandise store? Look for the Genealogy Center merch! You really need to check it out--we have added more merch offerings! The special Genealogy Center section of the store with some pretty cool items. http://acpl.dkmlogo.online/shop/category/4726261?c=4726261 Please remember that your purchases support the Friends of the Allen County Public Library, and they in turn support the Genealogy Center. More than ever, this support is so very important. Indeed, I would call this support vital.
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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%20Webster%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 $95.
Public lots are located at the corner of Ewing and Wayne Streets ($1 each for the first two half-hours, $1 per hour after, with a $4 per day maximum) and the corner of Jefferson Boulevard and Harrison Street ($3 per day).
Street (metered) parking on Ewing and Wayne Streets. On the street you plug the meters 8am – 5pm, weekdays only. The meters take credit cards and charge at a rate of $1/hour. Street parking is free after 5 p.m. and on the weekends.
Visitor center/Grand Wayne Center garage at Washington and Clinton Streets. This is the Hilton Hotel parking lot that also serves as a day parking garage. For hourly parking, 7am – 11 pm, charges are .50 for the first 45 minutes, then $1.00 per hour. There is a flat $2.00 fee between 5 p.m. and 11 p.m.
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Genealogy Center Queries
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The Genealogy Center hopes you find this newsletter interesting. Thank you for subscribing. We cannot, however, answer personal research emails written to the e-zine address. The department houses a Research Center that makes photocopies and conducts research for a fee.
If you have a general question about our collection, or are interested in the Research Center, please telephone the library and speak to a librarian who will be glad to answer your general questions or send you a research center form. Our telephone number is 260-421-1225. If you’d like to email a general information question about the department, please email: Genealogy [at] 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 sspearswells [at] acpl.lib.in.us with "unsubscribe e-zine" in the subject line.
Curt B. Witcher and John D. Beatty, CG, co-editors
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