GenealogyGems Mailing List: Genealogy Gems: News from the Allen County Public Library at Fort Wayne, No. 269, July 31, 2026

[Genealogy Gems (genealogygems]

Genealogy Gems: News from the Allen County Public Library at Fort Wayne
No. 269, July 31, 2026

In this issue:
*Off-Roading Your Family History Research
*Italians in the State of Brazil: Immigration in the State of Parana, A Review
*Researching Ulster Ancestors, 1800-1914: The Essential Genealogical Guide, A Review
*PERSI Gems: Rocky Roads
*Preservation Tips: The History of Papermaking, Part 3 – Wood Pulp Paper
*History Tidbits: President Rutherford B. Hayes--Savior of Paraguay?
*Genealogy Center’s August 2026 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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Off-Roading Your Family History Research
by Curt B. Witcher
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The rapidly waning summer months continue to provide us with near countless opportunities to engage in fun activities that define warm weather and the outdoors. For some, off-roading remains a favorite adrenaline boosting favorite. Taking an ATV into the backcountry, maybe even a place with which we’re not that familiar, can be invigorating and tell us things about ourselves, our sense of adventure, and our longing for moments of being less constrained.

I think we should take these waning days of summer to do a little off-roading with our family history research. But . . . why? What in the world could that be like? Many get comfortable in our same routines and stay there. We have our favorite online sites, we deploy our same search routines, and we focus almost exclusively on family names and associated name-rich documents. And then we get frustrated when our research time seems to net fewer and fewer meaningful results. We seem almost afraid to get off the beaten path. We engage in the same activities and expect different, more meaningful results. (Some famous individuals have called that a definition of insanity.)

What if we focused on discovering robust contexts for every family group? What would this off-roading look like? What about reading (yes, I mean really reading, not just looking for marriage announcements and obituaries!) the newspapers for the cities and towns where our ancestors lived? I had a colleague who also happens to be the finest genealogist I know who found newspapers online or got newspapers on microfilm for every location where a family lived for one generation. Yes, he was happy to find birth and marriage announcements as well as obituaries; however, he was also excited to learn in surprising detail how his ancestors lived their lives. Newspapers of yesteryear can provide details of crop plantings, livestock, and harvesting. They can inform us about where family members are going on vacation, who is coming to visit, who attended church services, real estate sales, and church happenings across all the denominations in a particular area, and more.

We have such ready access to newspapers; there is simply no justification for not reading them thoroughly. Many libraries and historical organizations have access to Newspapers.com and NewspaperArchive.com. But don’t stop there in your quest to build wonderful contexts for your ancestors. Be sure to visit “Chronicling America: Historic American Newspapers” at the Library of Congress’ website. It’s free access to more than 4,500 newspaper titles comprising of nearly twenty-seven million pages. Google can be one’s friend when looking for newspapers online that are not picked up by the major players. You can really “off-road” in your search for newspapers and guide some of your late summer and autumn road trips to intersect with public libraries in the town your ancestors called home. Most public libraries have complete collections of their respective towns’ newspapers.

More “off-roading” could include spending some dedicated time searching through large digital libraries that are so readily accessible for free. Use all the tech tools available to you to do so including experimenting with the deployment of AI. Four digital libraries that jump to mind are the Internet Archive, HathiTrust, Google Books, and the FamilySearch Digital Library. Of course you are going to look for your surnames of interest. However, please don’t stop there. Familiarize yourself with what is going on in the town or area of interest by perusing the pages of histories, government publications, yearbooks of all kinds, and organizational bulletins.

Collectively these online gems may tell you what kinds of things might have touched your ancestors’ lives. You can learn of events that might alter where you’re going to look for further data about your families of yesteryear. There are different records that were generated that are not of an “everyday variety.” Might you look for a different kind of courthouse record if you knew squirrel pelt bounties were obtainable in an area your ancestors lived? Might knowing about the existence of different schools prompt you to look for youth enumerations? Might knowing about disasters and various illnesses offer a hypothesis regarding why a particular ancestor is especially elusive?

If you find yourself stuck looking at the same popular websites that offer predictably disappointing results or leave you with more questions than answers, then it’s time to do some “off-roading” in your family history research. If you’re really looking to do reasonably exhaustive research, then again, it’s time to do some family history “off-roading.” I bet you’ll be surprised at the adrenaline rush of using a new resource to find new parts of your families’ stories.

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Italians in the State of Brazil: Immigration in the State of Parana, A Review
by Logan Knight
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Many people think that the Genealogy Center is exclusively concerned with the United States, or even just Indiana. That could not be further from the truth. While the Center does have a focus on North America, we are truly an international collection. For example, let us look at one of the more recent arrivals here in the department, Matheus de Paula’s Italians in Brazil: Immigration in the State of Parana (2022), GC 981.62 D44it.

We tend to think of Italian immigration as a U.S. phenomenon and why not? More than five and a half million Italians crossed the Atlantic to make their homes here, with roughly seventeen million descendants. However, that is only part of the story. Around one and a half million Italians also flooded into the South American country of Brazil. Today, their posterity now number about thirty million people, making Brazil the largest “Italian country” outside of Italy itself.

Author Matheus de Paula tackles this fascinating subject in his book. The first few chapters reflect on the history of how Italians first came to Brazil, particularly the great immigration surge in the late nineteenth and early twentieth centuries. This section is particularly enjoyable as Matheus illustrates how the journey from Italy to Brazil took place, complete with photographs and translated letters, which gives the information a deeply personal feel. I was very interested in how these chapters noted that most Italian-Brazilians came from Northern Italy, while those from the United States came largely from Southern Italy.

The story then turns to the specific Brazilian state of Parana (pronounced like the toothy Piranha fish). Parana is a large southern state, most of which is in the interior of the country with a small border along the Atlantic. It derives its name from the Parana River, the second longest river in South America. The name itself originates from an indigenous Tupi word which probably meant "river." So, technically the name is “River River” but that is how it goes. Parana is important for this work though, because it had one of the highest rates of immigration from Italy. The author goes on to describe how the Italians began to settle the region. The book really comes into its own here, describing the various Italian communities of the state, how they developed, what life was like and so on and so forth. I was particularly interested to know that much of the region’s economy is based around tourism, with people journeying there to sample a genuine Italian lifestyle.
 
The author finishes with a description of Italian culture and life in Brazil, touching on subjects as different as football, the church, and the development of a distinctive Italian Brazilian identity. While I do wish the book focused a bit more on records and how to get them, that is not really the point of this material. I would recommend this work to anyone who has Italian Brazilian heritage or anyone interested in the wider history of Italian immigration.

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Researching Ulster Ancestors, 1800-1914: The Essential Genealogical Guide, A Review
by John D. Beatty, CG, FASG
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The Scots-Irish are an ethnic group that touches the ancestry of many Americans. The group emerged in the northern Irish province of Ulster after large English landowners transplanted Protestant Scottish settlers there in the seventeenth century to help subdue Ireland from a cycle of Gaelic-led rebellion. Beginning in the eighteenth century, these ethnic Scots immigrated in large numbers to colonial America and became one of its most consequential ethnic groups at the time of the American Revolution.

Finding Scots Irish ancestors is a major challenge for genealogists. The records are fragmentary, and the settlers themselves, once they settled in America, left few clues about their exact place of origin in Ulster. By far the most authoritative guide to Scots-Irish or Ulster Scot records is William J. Roulston’s “Researching Scots-Irish Ancestors: The Essential Genealogical Guide to Early Modern Ulster, 1600-1800,” published in its second edition in 2018 (GC 941.6 R759ra). Dr. Roulston, who is Research Director of the Ulster Historical Foundation in Belfast, presents a nearly comprehensive account of genealogical records and lists of Ulster towns, together with available church records, secondary works, family papers, and other archival records.

Roulston has come out with a new volume, a sequel to his earlier guide, titled “Researching Ulster Ancestors, 1800-1914: The Essential Genealogical Guide” (Belfast: Ulster Historical Foundation, 2026) (GC 941.6 R759re). Like the previous book, it presents Roulston’s encyclopedic knowledge of resources, record groups, and research methodologies for accessing Ulster records in the nineteenth century.

The book is organized into twenty chapters: Introduction; Printed sources; Church records; Civil registration; Census records; Gravestone inscriptions; Valuation records; Records of land organization and management (including estate records); Education records; Medical and hospital records; Wills and testamentary papers; Governmental and civil administrative records; Law and order; Election and political records; Businesses, occupations, and trades; Fraternal organizations; Records of Charity and relief; Records of the armed forces; Diaries, journals and memoirs; and Records of emigrants and emigration. Each chapter had many subdivisions, in which Roulston discusses specific record groups, many of which can be found at the Public Record Office of Northern Ireland (PRONI). His detailed descriptions will help the reader decide whether a collection would benefit one’s genealogical research. He concludes the book with detailed parish maps for Ulster’s nine counties (Antrim, Armagh, Cavan, Derry-Londonderry, Donegal, Down, Fermanagh, Monaghan, and Tyrone); a list of archives and libraries; and a list of locations in Ulster, including the civil parish and county.

Americans with Scots-Irish ancestors immigrating in the eighteenth century may not find this sequel book as useful as the first, but they should not ignore it. Those immigrants may have left family behind in Ulster that will turn up in later records, and they may be keys to finding earlier information. Also missing from the sequel is Roulston’s alphabetized list of Ulster towns, which included references to associated church records, secondary sources, and other archival records. Perhaps he reasoned that the list from the earlier book would still benefit those with a later focus.

“Researching Ulster Ancestors” remains a tour de force – a work that deserves the careful study of every American genealogist wishing to do research in Ulster. Not every collection will be relevant, but it contains many references that will be invaluable to research.

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PERSI Gems: Rocky Roads
by Adam Barrone and Mike Hudson
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Michael Landon’s television production of “Little House on the Prairie” taught me, in my childhood, that 19th-Century pioneer life was a rocky road. Ma, Pa, Half Pint, and family faced one struggle after another with little relief. Rushing rocky rivers, bad weather, economic hardship, illness, accidents, and hunger threatened the Ingalls, their friends, and their communities. In one episode, Mr. Ingalls and Mr. Edwards, desperate to improve their dire financial situation, hauled volatile blasting oil by wagon over rugged mountainous terrain. The high-risk journey was painful to watch.  Rocky roads, indeed.

Rocky situations are a part of life, then and now. Below, we offer a few examples from the Periodical Source Index.

Try a PERSI search here:

https://www.genealogycenter.info/persi/

Anonymous newspaper report of adulterous couple confronted by angry rock-throwing wife, 1894
Thelma Rogers Genealogical and Historical Society (Wellsville, NY), Sep 2010

Beach rocks can be fishing artifacts
Store Door (Tenakee Historical Collection, AK), Vol. 2, Issue 2 (Apr 2004)

Bear Trap made from rocks at Peabody-Fitch Farm photo, notes, n.d.
Yesterdays Enrich Today and Tomorrow (Bridgton Historical Society, ME), Fal 2017

C. D. Rock installs granite-polishing machine, news note, 1909
Farmer City Mirror (IL), Vol. 15, Issue 1 (Jan 2011)

Crumbling rocks and Indiana highways, 1958
Outdoor Indiana, Vol. 1, Issue 8 (Feb 1958)

Cursed rocks of Gettysburg, removed rocks returned, 2015+
Civil War Courier, Vol. 29, Issue 4 (Aug 2016)

E. R. Smith, Rocky Mt. Tea brings attractiveness to listless, unlovable girls, 1901
Luther Valley News (WI), Vol. 9, Issue 1 (Jan 2009)

From trade tokens to pockets full of rocks, Oregon currency before banks, 19th C.
Genealogical Forum of Portland Oregon Bulletin, Vol. 64, Issue 4 (Jun 2015)

Henry Hudson's fate, clues found etched on rocks, 1611-1612
Canada's History, Vol. 91, Issue 3 (Jun 2011)

How bottle of whiskey saved Rocky Robinson, Troop G, 8th Cavalry, Maj. W. G. Wilkinson account, 1886
Crossed Sabers (U.S. Horse Cavalry Association), Vol. 11, Issue 3 (Sep 1987)

Kristy Keener, founder Fort Wayne Rocks, rock painting community, 2017+, IN
Fort Wayne Magazine, Vol. 18, Issue 4 (Apr 2020)

Pebble in my shoe, ten ideas to get past research frustration
Pendleton County Historical & Genealogical Society Quarterly Newsletter, Vol. 13, Issue 4 (Dec 2005)

Rural school children removed rocks from roads, 1916
South Central Missouri Genealogical Society Newsletter, Vol. 27, Issue 4 (Oct 2007)

Use of hot rocks for cooking
Currents (Utah State Historical Society), Vol. 55, Issue 1 (Spr 2005)

Youngest Gold Star wife, Normia R. Wiles, age 15, Rossie E. Rocky Wiles death, poem, d. 1953
Graybeards (Korean War Veterans Association), Vol. 17, Issue 3 (Jun 2003)

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Preservation Tips: The History of Papermaking, Part 3 – Wood Pulp Paper
by Christina Clary, C.A.
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The early nineteenth century was a pivotal time for papermaking. The idea to create paper from wood pulp instead of rags was first tested in the late eighteenth century with little success. It was not until 1843 that advancements using wood pulp finally occurred. In 1844, two inventors independently working in Germany and Canada, Friedrich Gottlob Keller and Charles Fenetry, unveiled new processes utilizing ground wood pulp. Keller’s process mechanically ground wood into pulp. The wood chips were ground between two stones in water, which caused the fibers to separate. Paper could then be manufactured from this resulting pulp. Fenerty’s method was similar, but bleach was added to the process, resulting in whiter paper.

In the 1850s, a new process, the soda pulping process, was created that separated the wood fibers chemically instead of mechanically. Instead of grinding wood to a pulp, a sodium hydroxide solution was used to break down the fibers. Lignin, a complex polymer found in the walls of plant cells, and other fibers are removed, leaving behind only cellulose fibers. The chemical process resulted in longer fibers and less lignin than the mechanical one, making the paper stronger and more durable.

During the 1860s and 1870s, both the mechanical and chemical processes were modified and refined to meet the high demand for paper. In 1884, the kraft sulfate process was introduced. Hot water and sodium sulfide were added to the sodium hydroxide solution, which further broke down any remaining lignin to create an even stronger paper. The kraft sulfate process became the dominant pulping process.

By the end of the 1870s, wood pulp had usurped rag pulp as the preferred source. Rag pulp was rarely, if ever, used to make paper. Unfortunately, this meant that the paper being made was now significantly less durable than in the past. Paper made from the mechanical process resulted in shorter fibers and retained more lignin, making it much more acidic. It will become brittle and disintegrate at a much faster rate. It is also a much more time efficient process with a higher yield. The mechanical process was used for cheaper, mass-produced items such as newspapers, magazines, and dime novels. Paper made chemically was more expensive due to the less efficient process. It was primarily used in government documents, ledgers, and other legal and business records.

Less acidic and more permanent paper containing alkaline was not commercially viable until the 1970s. This means that there is over a century’s worth of documents and records that were not made to last. Due to the large price differences, it is much more likely that you will find mechanically produced pulp paper in your family collection than chemical ones. Distinguishing between the two is usually obvious. Chemically produced paper will feel stronger and smoother. It will not rip or tear as easily and will still appear white. Mechanical ones are typically brown and extremely brittle. Unless kept in unusually pristine environments, they will exhibit some sort of damage. Essentially all newsprints were made from the cheapest mechanical pulp possible, which is why it ages so rapidly and poorly.

Paper is best stored in buffered, acid-free and lignin-free folders. Damaged paper and highly acidic paper should be separated from others to prevent staining. Buffered tissue paper should be placed between each document, and folders can be stored in an acid-free archival document box. Books that have become brown and brittle should be wrapped in buffered tissue paper. A book box is preferred, but as long as they are in a climate-controlled environment and out of direct sunlight, they can be stored wrapped on a shelf.

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History Tidbits: President Rutherford B. Hayes--Savior of Paraguay?
by Logan Knight
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When someone brings up the subject of U.S. presidents, names like Washington, Jefferson, and Lincoln dominate the conversation. Then there are the ones such as Rutherford B. Hayes. He is one of those late nineteenth century presidents that just sort of fades into the background. If his name comes up at all in the U.S., it’s because Hayes is the answer to a difficult trivia question about which president first had a telephone in the White House.

The situation is quite a bit different in the South American nation of Paraguay. Here, Hayes is celebrated as a national hero. In fact, an entire department (Paraguayan equivalent of a U.S. State) is named for him. The capital of Presidente Hayes Department is Villa Hayes. In the said capital, there is a museum dedicated to him. A local soccer club goes by the name Club Presidente Hayes (nicknamed “Los Yanquis”). Hayes’s portrait has even appeared on the nation’s postage stamps.
 
How did this happen? The roots of it go back to one of the most terrible wars that have ever plagued mankind: the War of the Triple Alliance (1864-1870). Little known outside of South America, this conflict saw tiny Paraguay suicidally assault the much larger, and more populous Brazil, Argentina, and Uruguay at the same time. The dictator of Paraguay, Francisco Solano López, tried to live out his dreams of becoming the Napoleon of South America. By the time he died, the country was completely devastated. The numbers are debated, but most historians believe that of a population of somewhere between 450,000 and 900,000, only 220,000 survived the war, of whom only 28,000 were adult males. Proportionally, this may have been the most devastating conflict in history.

In 1870, Paraguay was completely helpless. In addition to the death and destruction, the victorious allies stripped large chunks of its territory away. Argentina clamored for even more. The ugly debate raged for years until 1878. In a world before international institutions, such as the United Nations, countries would often ask another to step in and settle disputes as an “honest broker.” Enter President Hayes. Asked by both countries to determine who would possess the border Chaco region, Hayes awarded the disputed territory to Paraguay.

The decision saved Paraguay. The disputed area makes up roughly sixty percent of the modern-day country. It is hard to see how it could have continued as an independent country. Indeed, that may have been Argentina’s goal in pressing for the territory. This decision, which Hayes probably spent a few hours on at most, is celebrated throughout the nation to this day. In fact, if you ever do find yourself in Presidente Hayes Department on November 12, be sure to join with the locals as they celebrate this remarkable event as Laudo Hayes Firm Day.

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Genealogy Center’s August 2026 Programs
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August’s engaging programs are listed below. Take a look and register for programs today!

Tuesday, August 4, 2026, 2:30 p.m. ET “Raízes: Discovering Your Roots in the Iberian World” with Suzana Stucka - https://acpl.libnet.info/event/16670853

Tuesday, August 11, 2026, 2:30 p.m. ET “What Can DNA Really Tell You? DNA and Genealogy Basics” with Collette Fenlason - https://acpl.libnet.info/event/16670925

Tuesday, August 18, 2026, 2:30 p.m. ET “Ship Manifests and Oaths of Allegiance: Finding the Origin Stories of 19th Century Immigrant Families” with Jeremy Verdusco - https://acpl.libnet.info/event/16670975

Wednesday, August 19, 2026, 6:30 p.m. ET “The Meteor of the War: John Brown’s Raid” with Jon-Erik Gilot – a “Lincoln at the Library Program” - https://acpl.libnet.info/event/16760851

Tuesday, August 25, 2026, 2:30 p.m. ET “What Gravestones Can Tell You About Your Family” with Laura Suchan - https://acpl.libnet.info/event/16673357

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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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Look for the Genealogy Center merch! You really should check it out! The special Genealogy Center section of the store with some pretty cool items. Just added: some holiday ornaments! 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. As much as ever, this support is so very important.

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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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The library’s current parking system started on November 3, 2025, and may still be new to some. It is a real advantage for those using the Genealogy Center because the first three hours of parking are free. Then, as before, it is $1 per hour up to a maximum of $7 per day.

One can read all about the new system at www.acpl.lib.in.us/parking-at-main. There is a great FAQ section that will answer many questions one may have. And of course, one can always reach out to your friends in the Genealogy Center.

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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, FASG co-editors