With library manager Curt Witcher and Allison Singleton discussing the new Genealogy Center website.
Exploring The Genealogy Center Website and Catalog January 4, 2024 Allen County Public Library on YouTube. The Genealogy Center Explore the recently launched website and catalog at The Genealogy Center! Dive into the vast array of valuable resources and documents designed to assist you in delving into your family history. Additionally, learn tips and tricks for maximizing your searches with our new library catalog. Presented by Kate McKenzie.
In late 2023, the Allen County Public Library shared its strategic, four-year plan. We learn what that means for the future of the library, including how they're updating their technology and adding positions to better serve the community.
Today we are celebrating our 125th birthday. When we first opened our doors in 1895, ACPL was a single room in City Hall with 3,606 books. We've since grown to 14 locations across Allen County, housing a collection of millions of items and hosting over 8,000 free programs every year.
Over the past 125 years, we've delivered books on horseback, organized rallies to support our troops, transitioned from handwritten card catalogs to full digital databases, and offered every music format from phonograph records to online streaming.
As we begin this new chapter, we would like to thank our community for your endless support. We thank our volunteers and community partners who see the value in what we do and contribute their valuable skills, time, and, donations. We thank our brilliant staff for their passion and dedication to serving their communities.
It’s National Library Week. As a nationally recognized institution, the Allen County Public Library has been integral to the development, education, and entertainment of local residents for over one-hundred and twenty years. The public library system in Fort Wayne began in 1895 with the founding of the Fort Wayne Public Library. This initial library system was housed in City Hall (today the History Center) until 1898 when the Brackenridge Home was purchased as a new location. By 1904, the Fort Wayne Public Library was able to open a Carnegie-funded building which served as its main location until 1968. In 1923, the library system expanded outward to the entire county, becoming the Public Library of Fort Wayne and Allen County. In 1980, the library was renamed the Allen County Public Library. The main library we know today was granted bond financing of $84 million by the county taxpayers in 2001 for renovations and additions. These additions were completed in 2007. Today, the Allen County Public Library has fourteen branches throughout Fort Wayne and Allen County. #sociallyhistory
In Allen County, the public library system is a much revered institution. The roots of the public library date back to 1895, with the founding of the Fort Wayne Public Library. The library was originally located in the City Hall (today the History Center) from January to September of 1895 before moving into the former home of Sol. D. Bayless at the corner of Wayne and Clinton streets. Outgrowing this second location, the library moved once again in 1898 to the remodeled Brackenridge Home at the corner of Wayne and Webster streets. Once again outgrowing its location, the library moved into temporary quarters on the second floor the Elektron Building, 215 E. Berry, so the Breckenridge house could be razed to make way for a new building. On June 7, 1904, exactly 119 years ago today, the Fort Wayne Public Library dedicated their new building. It cost $110,000, with $90,000 coming from the wealthy industrialist Andrew Carnegie. The new building was built in the Neoclassical style, featuring a pediment with columns and a central circular hall. This library, which served generations of Fort Wayne residents, was razed in 1965 to make way for a new modern building. #sociallyhistory
Timeline
1895 – Library opened in City Hall on January 28 with 3,606 volumes.
1898 – Library Board purchased the Brackenridge Home at Wayne Street and Webster Street for $14,000.
1904 – Carnegie-funded library building opened after he gave the city $90,000 to build it. It was designed by Alfred Grindle of Fort Wayne. From comments by
Randy Harter, Fort Wayne historian and author.
1923 – Service to county residents began. Fort Wayne Public Library became Public Library of Fort Wayne and Allen County.
1944 – Main Library expansion began with purchase of Hollywood Building on Washington Boulevard to house administrative offices.
1952 – Young Adult Department opened in basement of main library, the first such department in the country.
1968 – 173,500-square-foot (16,120 m2) building at Wayne and Webster Streets was dedicated August 21, 1968.
1977 – Construction of the new addition to the Main Library began.
1980 – Public Library of Fort Wayne and Allen County officially became Allen County Public Library by act of the state legislature on January 1.
1985 – Estimated 5,500 people ate 2,731 pizzas during system's 90th birthday celebration.
1997 – Library Board and staff began system-wide space needs analysis for all library facilities.
2001 – Allen County taxpayers approved bond financing of the $84 million library expansion project.
2007 – Renovation and expansion of main library nears completion. Grand opening held on January 27, 2007, with Randall T. Shepard, Chief Justice of the Indiana Supreme Court, among the speakers. Copied from Allen County Public Library on Wikipedia, The Free Encyclopedia.
We extend our congratulations to Curt Witcher, our Director of Special Collections, who has been honored with the "I Love My Librarian Award!" Library users from across the nation were invited to acknowledge the achievements of exceptional librarians, resulting in nearly 1,400 submissions highlighting their outstanding contributions. The 10 distinguished honorees for 2024 were selected for their remarkable public service accomplishments.
Curt's impact extends beyond our library's walls; he has supported the establishment of local genealogy societies, collaborated with FamilySearch and the Internet Archive to enhance online accessibility to public domain sections of our collection, and so much more!
Congratulations to our own Curt Witcher for winning the "I Love My Librarian Award!"
Library users from all over the country were invited to recognize the accomplishments of exceptional librarians. Nearly 1,400 library users submitted stories highlighting how their librarians have gone above and beyond in their communities. The 10 honorees for 2024 were selected for their outstanding public service accomplishments.
Fort Wayne draws thousands of visitors each year thanks to the genealogy expertise of ACPL’s Curt Witcher. His decades of work in African American and Jewish genealogy, Native American research, and more have helped cultivate one of the largest genealogy collections in the country and positioned it as an international destination for researchers.
Curt has supported the founding of other local genealogy societies, forged partnerships with FamilySearch and the Internet Archive to make public domain portions of the center’s collection accessible online, and collaborated with an Indiana Tech professor to build a literature and genealogy course.
Congratulations, Curt, on this well-deserved award!
We're so excited to announce this year's recipients of the #ILoveMyLibrarian Award! Congratulations to these 10 outstanding librarians. Thank you for going above and beyond to make your communities strong. Learn more: 2024 Honorees
🎉 Join us for a live broadcast tonight as our own Curt Witcher accepts the "I Love My Librarian" award. The ceremony kicks off at 6 pm and will be available for streaming on the American Library Association’s YouTube channel. 📚🏆 Don't miss this exciting moment!🔗
Link to the live stream:
The 2024 I Love My Librarian Award nominees have been recognized for their exceptional public service achievements. Curt Witcher's profound expertise in genealogy, particularly in African American, Jewish, and Native American research, has turned Fort Wayne into a genealogy hub, drawing thousands of visitors annually. His decades of dedication have contributed to establishing one of the country's largest genealogy collections, making it an international destination for researchers.
Congratulations, Curt, on this well-deserved honor! 🏅
The I Love My Librarian Award encourages library users to recognize the accomplishments of exceptional public, school, college, community college, or university librarians. Each year 10 librarians are selected by leaders from the library community to receive a plaque and $5,000 cash award. This event will showcase the accomplishments of this year's amazing award winners. Learn more and meet the 2024 honorees: Congratulations to the 2024 recipients of the I Love My Librarian Award!
Congratulations to the ACPL's Curt Witcher, recipient of the Distinguished Hoosier Award. The award was presented by ACPL Executive Director, Susan Baier at the recent meeting of the Library Board of Trustees.
This is honor has been awarded by Indiana governors for over 50 years to celebrate exceptional Indiana residents. This award is meant for those who distinguish themselves by significant contributions to their communities, and whose qualities and actions endear them in the hearts and minds of Hoosiers.
Did you know that we have been serving the Genealogy community since 1961? The collection started with 1,000 genealogical books on the shelves. This article, published in the Fort Wayne News Sentinel in 1970 discusses the growing Genealogy department at the Allen County Public Library, headed by Dorothy Lower at the time. By 1970, the collection contained some 40,000 volumes.
Today, our collection contains more than 1.3 million items!
Visits and borrowing at the Allen County Public Library increased last year, and the library had more registered users, internet users and program attendees than in 2021, according to a new report.
Happy #WaybackWednesday! In celebration of #NationalLibraryWeek, we're taking a stroll down memory lane with snapshots from our Shawnee, Monroeville, and Woodburn branches over the years, along with a glimpse back into our very own Genealogy Center! Let's reminisce together! #librarylove
Did you know that the Genealogy Center adds over 500 items to our collection every month?! Check out one of our latest additions: "The Fabric of Civil War Society: Uniforms, Badges, and Flags 1859-1939."
Shae Smith Cox examines the material culture of America’s bloodiest conflict, offering a deeper understanding of the war and its commemoration.
Happy Monday! What genealogy puzzle are you diving into today? 🧐
This picture shows The Public Library of Fort Wayne and Allen County: Genealogy dept., showing patrons using microfilm readers in old Purdue Building. News Sentinel, 27 April 1968.
Did you know, the Genealogy Center, located in our Main Branch downtown, is the second largest genealogy center in the entire country?! Whether you are an experienced researcher or someone who is just getting started, our helpful and friendly staff is available to assist you through your research journey. For more information, please visit: acpl.lib.in.us/genealogy
Visit the Genealogy Center to explore our extensive collection of 1.3 million physical items and a wide range of digital resources. Take advantage of our 23 on-site databases for all of your genealogy research needs. Plan your visit: https://acpl.lib.in.us/explore-genealogy/plan-your-visit
I found my great-grandmother in Fort Wayne, Indiana. Actually, she didn't live in Indiana but on an island in the Baltic Sea. After years of searching for her birthplace, experts at the second-largest genealogical research collection in the U.S. did what ... Find your roots in Fort Wayne: Visit The Genealogy Center on a getaway to Indiana's second city Katherine Rodeghier, March 24, 2023 in DailyHearld Chicago, IL.
Happy Wednesday! Take a look at these photos of the Genealogy Center from 1999! These pictures include a view of the open stacks, the microfilm room catalog and cabinets, and the reference desk and card catalog.
The Genealogy Center still has the Photocopy Exchange Program. If you have written a family history (it must be something YOU have written), you can give us a manuscript and we will make 1 bound copy for you and 1 bound copy for our collection. This is how we have obtained many of the very rare family history volumes in our collection.
Have you checked out our Pathfinders? These handy lists of selected research guides and record indexes located within the Genealogy Center can help you get started on your research within a particular state, country, or subject!
Are you looking for hard-to-find genealogy records? Don't miss The Genealogy Center's extensive collection of microfilm records! We have just under 800,000 rolls microfilm, covering everything from city directories to newspapers to local histories! Browse our catalog to uncover hidden gems and valuable information about your ancestors. Our knowledgeable staff is also here to assist you with any questions you may have. Let's dive into the past together! #microfilmgenealogy#familyhistory#thegenealogycenter
Looking to trace your ancestors' migration patterns? Check out the wealth of migration genealogy records available at The Genealogy Center! From passenger lists to naturalization records, we have a wide range of resources to help you uncover your family's migration history. Be sure to explore our catalog and utilize our Periodical Source Index (PERSI) to discover hidden gems related to your family's story. Let's discover the journeys of our ancestors together! #migrationgenealogy#familyhistory#thegenealogycenter
Did you know that when you visit The Genealogy Center, you can access 23 licensed databases for FREE?!
This extensive list includes AmericanAncestors. AmericanAncestors.org, produced by the New England Historic Genealogical Society (NEHGS), provides a wealth of resources for researching New England and early American families. The site includes many searchable databases, the NEHGS library catalog and publications list, and more.
Happy #ManuscriptMonday! Have you heard about The Genealogy Center's extensive collection of more than 70,000 family histories? Dive into the past by exploring these books in person. Plus, we're committed to sharing public domain portions of our collection online through various initiatives.
A digital ribbon cutting ceremony was held today at the Main library to officially add the United Hispanic Americans, Inc. Collection to our online Community Album.
United Hispanic Americans, Inc., founded in 1971, was the first of its kind founded in Allen County and operated out of the Benito Juarez Cultural Center for four decades. It was key to the success and empowerment of Latinos in our community. One of the Founders, Rosa Gerra, was on site to launch the new portal!
The Genealogy Center holds more than 72,000 family histories. Compiled family histories can provide clues and sources, if not specific information about one’s family. These are browsable by principal surname or discoverable in our online catalog. The advantage to using the online catalog is that most surnames in a particular work are discoverable, not just the principal ones.
The Doc West Concert Collection is now live in our Community Album...with more to come! Browse here: The Doc West Concert Collection [ over 1,000 items! ]
Embark on a nostalgic journey with "The Doc West Concert Collection," a mesmerizing assembly of concert photos capturing the vibrant music era of the 1960s and 70s. For over four decades, Doc West, the seasoned WXKE 96.3 radio DJ, has been a musical curator, delivering rock 'n' roll to very appreciative audiences.
This intriguing compilation captures the spirit of a transformative period in music history, providing a timeless voyage for enthusiasts and those eager to relive the moments of live performances that shaped a generation.
ACPL'S CURT WITCHER-DIRECTOR OF SPECIAL COLLECTIONS AND THE GENEOLOGY CENTER MANAGER, WBOI'S JULIA MEEK, & YOBD. WE DISCUSS THE POWER OF CONCERT MEMORIES NEXT WEEK ON 89.1 WBOI.
ACPL'S CURT WITCHER-DIRECTOR OF SPECIAL COLLECTIONS AND THE GENEOLOGY CENTER MANAGER, WBOI'S JULIA MEEK, & YOBD. WE DISCUSS THE POWER OF CONCERT MEMORIES NEXT WEEK ON 89.1 WBOI.
Whether you're just starting out or a seasoned genealogist, we hope these tips will help you stay on track and make the...
Whether you're just starting out or a seasoned genealogist, we hope these tips will help you stay on track and make the most of your research journey. Don't let the wealth of information overwhelm you—organize, backup, and document your findings like a pro! #FamilyHistory#Genealogy#ResearchTips Share your favorite organization tips with us!
Discover Your Family History in Fort Wayne, Indiana published October 19, 2018 by Visit Fort Wayne on YouTube
Fort Wayne is home to the nation’s largest public genealogy collection at The Genealogy Center, which visitors can enjoy for FREE! Whether you’re a casual family historian or a seasoned professional, the trained genealogists on staff will help you get started on your family history research, or help you dig deeper into your family research! Learn more at Find Your Story in Fort Wayne, Indiana.
Meet the NEW Genealogy Center Online Portal posted Dec 9, 2020 by Allen County Public Library on YouTube Join Curt Witcher as he dives into how to find our resources on our NEW Genealogy Center website. Presented by The Genealogy Center at the Allen County Public Library. The ACPL Genealogy Center is a unique and valuable resource for the Northeastern Indiana community and the entire genealogical community at large. We have one of the largest research collections available, incorporating records from around the world. Our staff specializes in genealogy and is always available to help.
Introduction to WorldCat Tools posted May 21, 2021 by Allen County Public Library on YouTube Join us to find out how to turn WorldCat, the largest compilation of library resources in the world, into your discovery toolbox! We will walk you through creating a free account, setting up your profile, compiling lists and bibliographies, and even saving your search queries. You will learn how to designate your favorite libraries, including The Genealogy Center at the Allen County Public Library, Family History Library and other major genealogy libraries. Presented by Aaron Smith and Kasia Young
It's ✨5-Minute Friday! ✨ Join us for a quick dive into fantastic digitized resources you can access from home. 🏡💻 Start exploring here: https://www.genealogy.acpl.lib.in.us/family-history-archives
It's ✨5-Minute Friday! ✨ Join us for quick tips, so that you can make the most of your catalog searches! 💻📚 Start searching here: https://www.genealogy.acpl.lib.in.us/
Dedication of the Discovery Center published March 15, 2016 by Access Fort Wayne on YouTube.
The Discovery Center at the Genealogy Department in the Allen County Public Library is the latest resource provided by the ACPL. Director of the Library, Greta Southard, opened the ceremony hosted by Genealogy Manager Curt Witcher. Many notables were present including esteemed retired Library Director Jeff Krull. This video was recorded and edited by Access Fort Wayne, a department of the Allen County Public Library.
Wednesdays will usually find Donald Weber at the Allen County Public Library downtown, scanning old pictures into computers and loading them into a digitized photo album of the city of Fort Wayne, complete with information on where and when the photo was taken and the names of people pictured.
Weber had his own photography business years ago. He took school photos. He was also a Fort Wayne firefighter, and in 1973, using historic photos, assembled the first history of the fire department. Then there were the photos he took himself.
Those old photographs, whether you realize it or not, are part of history, and Weber, as a volunteer for the library, is helping preserve that history.
Over the years, Weber has scanned thousands of old photographs into the library’s computer system. He says he’s working on No. 12,500 or so right now.
It’s important to save the old photos.
But a lot of them never get saved. People die, and relatives, sifting through what they have left behind, often find and just throw away piles of photos of people who lived long, long ago, and places as they were long, long ago.
Weber tells the story of another firefighter who had over the course of his career taken thousands of photographs of fires and firefighters on the job. The photos and the negatives were carefully stored in boxes.
Weber heard about the hoard of old pictures and looked up the man’s widow.
She told him she wished he had come by a couple of years ago, Weber said. After the man’s death, she had tried to find anyone who was interested in the pictures. No one was interested. After awhile she just put it all in the trash.
Most every household has stacks of old photographs sitting around in boxes or trunks. Some of them might seem dull and pointless, photos of old buildings, photos of people lined up, staring at the camera. In one way, they are terrible photos.
But as time goes on, those terrible old photos get interesting, fascinating actually. They are the closest thing we have to time travel.
So the library is also inviting the public to offer up their old photographs to become part of a community photo album. They can drop off CDs with pictures or USB drives. They can even offer up original photographs.
“They contact the library, the library contacts me, and I get together with them,” Weber says. “They get the pictures back,”
Melissa Tennant, assistant manager of the genealogy department, said: “Anyone can donate material or lend it to the library. It will be forever preserved for future generations.”
But one thing the library would like to have with those old pictures – information: When was the photo taken, where is the place pictured, and who are the people in the photos.
Did you know, nestled in the lower levels of the Main Library, production to digitize public-domain materials, such as yearbooks from the 1920s, a collection of books dating back to the 1880s and old photographs is in full swing? This effort is led by a group of full-time volunteers who scan donated materials like family history logs and old newspapers for genealogy research, making them easily accessible in a community album, no matter your location. These detailed processes require handling materials dating back over one hundred years, which helps ultimately provide direction to researchers looking for a particular person in a particular place at a particular time.
The Genealogy Center is active in several initiatives to make significant public domain portions of its collection available online! This includes a partnership with Internet Archive.
The Genealogy Center is active in several initiatives to make significant public domain portions of its collection available online. This includes a partnership with Internet Archive. We now have over 118,000 items digitized from our collection, that you can search and view from home!
Interested in researching your family history? Learn how genealogist Taneya Y. Koonce uses the Internet Archive's vast collections of digitized yearbooks, newspapers, location histories & government records to piece together her family’s story:
"Archive" is a documentary focused on the future of long-term digital storage, the history of the Internet and attempts to preserve its contents on a massive scale. Jonathan Minard, its creator, shared a section of it with us that features the Internet Archive. Take a look!
A new, 4,000-square-foot Digital Scan Center employs sophisticated equipment to help staff digitize the Library's vast and remarkable collections. One fully automated machine turns book pages as high-resolution scanning proceeds. Another, designed especially to avoid damage to rare and fragile books, requires volumes to open only to 60 degrees to capture images using a prism.
At the Internet Archive, this is how we digitize a book. We do this so that everyone, everywhere has access to a great research library. #digitization#preservation
Web pages typically last about 100 days before being changed or deleted. Since 1996, the Internet Archive's Wayback Machine has preserved nearly 900 billion pages, making them accessible to all. https://cbsn.ws/4ebzsWV
Web pages typically last about 100 days before being changed or deleted. Since 1996, the Internet Archive's Wayback Machine has preserved nearly 900 billion pages, making them accessible to all. https://cbsn.ws/4ebzsWV
Did you catch the segment about the Wayback Machine on CBS Sunday Morning? 🌞 Watch now!
The Lincoln Collection at the Allen County Public Library has a YouTube video channel with over 20 videos about Abraham Lincoln, 16th President of the United States. The Lincoln Financial Foundation Collection at Archive.org has over 15,000 ebooks available to billions of people around the world. Volumes that in the past may have been opened only a few times a year are now often downloaded thousands of times each month! Links to those ebooks are still being organized on our pages by topics such as cemetery, church, or school.
HUGE Abraham Lincoln COLLECTION (See the TOP FIVE RARE items inside) by Daniel Beals uploaded May 28, 2022 Story originally aired Dec. 17, 2020 on YouTube.
“A top five list for a collection like this is extremely difficult to pick.” Sr. Lincoln Librarian Emily Rapoza manages the massive Abraham Lincoln archive beneath the Allen County Public Library downtown. On normal days, she would be giving tours of the collection to families and students, but the pandemic put a temporary stop to that. Instead, we asked her to list the top five items that are either rare, have an interesting story, or popular to those who visit the library’s vaults. The five items are listed on YouTube.
Lincoln was shot April 14, 1865 by John Wilkes Booth at Ford's Theatre in Washington, D.C., and died the next day. Andrew Johnson becomes 17th president of the U.S. after Lincoln's assassination. Thousands of Lincoln photos, documents and books are online in the Lincoln Collection at the Allen County Public Library which also has speaker presentation videos archived as Lincoln Programs at the Allen County Public Library on Archive.org where the Description states: This collection showcases library-sponsored programs based around the life and times of Abraham Lincoln, 16th President of the United States. The Allen County Public Library has been documenting Lincoln events at the library since 2010. These video clips are available to authors, scholars, TV producers, educators, students, Lincoln enthusiasts, and the general public. Topics include little-known facts about the Lincoln family, descriptions of life during the American Civil War, details about Lincoln’s assassination and much more.
This gilt-edged leather-bound copy of “Decisive Battles since Waterloo: The Most Important Military Events from 1815 to 1887” by Thomas Knox was printed in 1900. Four Civil War battles – the Monitor and Merrimac, Gettysburg, Vicksburg, and Five Forks – have chapters in the book, but otherwise there is no connection to Lincoln in the text. However, when the pages of the book are displayed in just the right way, Lincoln appears. The illustration of Lincoln’s life, from the cabin to the White House, is a fore-edge painting, hidden from view until the pages are correctly seen. Fore-edge paintings first appeared on books as early as the Middle Ages, but became especially popular in the late 19th century.
There are thousands of quotations—some sentimental, some humorous, some wise—attributed to Abraham Lincoln. Many, however, fall into the “Lincoln never said that” category. The quotation on this 1908 postcard published by M.T. Sheahan of Boston is one example. In this case, the quotation is a near miss—Lincoln likely said something like this in his Farewell Address to the crowd at the Springfield, Illinois, Great Western Railroad station as he left for Washington in February 1861. Reporters at the scene published three versions of his remarks, one of which bears a resemblance to the postcard quotation: “I feel that I cannot succeed without the same Divine aid which sustained [George Washington], and on the same Almighty Being I place my reliance for support, and I hope you, my friends, will all pray that I may receive that Divine assistance without which I cannot succeed, but with which success is certain.” Although not an accurate quotation, Sheahan’s version fit better on a postcard.
Located in downtown Fort Wayne, ACPL's Main Library houses the Rolland Center for Lincoln Research. This space features original items such as photographs of Abraham Lincoln and his family; letters and documents to and from President Lincoln; diaries of Civil War soldiers and much more. Come experience the impressive marrying of original, historic materials with interactive technology today! For more information and the Center's hours, visit acpl.info/Rolland
Located in downtown Fort Wayne, ACPL's Main Library houses the Rolland Center for Lincoln Research. This space features original items such as photographs of Abraham Lincoln and his family; letters and documents to and from President Lincoln; diaries of Civil War soldiers and much more. Come experience the impressive marrying of original, historic materials with interactive technology today!
For more information and the Center's hours, visit acpl.info/Rolland
The Rolland Center for Lincoln Research is featured on Education Snapshots! Located in the downtown Fort Wayne Allen County Public Library, this center features thousands of items previously unavailable to the public, with both physical and digital displays curated by ACPL’s dedicated team.
Explore the life and times of Abraham Lincoln at the Rolland Center for Lincoln Research inside the Allen County Public Library! Interactive, immersive technology brings to life this incredible collection of photos, letters, diaries, and more.
Details: bit.ly/lincolnacpl
The Lincoln Financial Foundation Collection and the Friends of the Lincoln Collection are thrilled to announce that the Rolland Center for Lincoln Research is officially open.
Have you explored our YouTube channel lately? We have over 300 previously recorded programs available for you to explore, whether you're just beginning you're genealogical journey or working on breaking through a brick wall.
WPTA 21 Country Stories is a collection of videos by Eric Olson their longest-serving reporter who is now retired. A journalist for 40 years, 30 of them working in Fort Wayne. Eric covered local news for many years but for two decades developed the 21Country franchise into a viewer favorite, producing nearly 3000 feature stories on interesting people, places and history that is now being adding to
The Genealogy Center at the
Allen County Public Library in Fort Wayne, Indianaonline video collection.
30 minute video The Fort Report: Allen County Public Library August 3, 2014 by The News-Sentinel on YouTube Kevin Leininger sits down with Allen County Public Library Director Jeffery Krull to discuss the libraries' challenges and opportunities, him imminent retirement and other issues. All episodes of The Fort Report air Saturday's at 5:30 p.m. on Comcast Ch. 57, FiOS Ch. 27, and on Sunday's at news-sentinel.com.
Rescuing Photos from Dying Digital Platforms: How to Save by Allen County Public Library published on Apr 30, 2019 on YouTube Presented by the Genealogy Center of the Allen County Public Library. "Rescuing Photos from Dying Digital Platforms: How to Save" With the news that Google+ is shutting down, people are scrambling to make sure they have saved their content. Let's explore how to save digital platform content that you and family members have put online. We will be focusing on Facebook, with additional tips for Twitter, Instagram, and websites. Macs, PCs, IPhone, and Android will be used for this presentation.
Street Scenes--New Haven Public Library Published by Allen County Public Libraryon YouTube November 11, 2016. This clip is from the July 2nd, 1976 taping of New Haven from the Street Scenes Series created by Steven Fortriede. Produced by the Fort Wayne Public Library. Camera and Editing by Steve Fortriede.
Are you subscribed to Genealogy Gems? Genealogy Gems is our free monthly e-zine, published at the end of each month. The e-zine contains information about the department's collections and articles discussing many useful research tips!
Click here to subscribe and to browse previously published editions:
Are you subscribed to Genealogy Gems?! Our free monthly newsletter is packed with details on the department's collections and valuable research tips. Sign up with your email address, and it will be delivered to your inbox at the end of every month! 💻
Subscribe now and access previous newsletters at: Genealogy Gems
A separate Genealogy Gems Archive back to the first issue September 30, 2004 is maintained by Friends of the Allen County Library.
Genealogy Gems: News from the Allen County Public Library at Fort Wayne, No. 230, April 30, 2023
*************************************** Another Look at Reasonably Exhaustive Research
by Curt B. Witcher
***************************************
Last week I had the very good fortune of being invited by Sarah Kirby to speak at the Huntington City-Township Public Library during National Library Week. I was asked to present a methodology talk on how we can find more records, access more data, in our quest to engage in “reasonably exhaustive research.” I thought it might be worthwhile to cover some of the points I shared in that presentation in this end-of-April column.
There are numerous ways one can approach the task of engaging in reasonably exhaustive research, and much has been written on the topic. One way I like to approach the topic is to be much more intentional in identifying a great number of repositories in which one will find records about people, places, time periods, and events. A good way to do that for ancestors in the United States is to divide records evidencing our ancestors’ lives into published, official or governmental, and unpublished. Further, explore for those records in repositories at the local level, state level, and national level.
The best among numerous places to look for published records at the local level is to explore the local public library. With very few exceptions, most public libraries have rich collections of materials that rather comprehensively cover the jurisdictions they serve. They typically collect histories of all types that cover the institutions, organizations and people of the particular area. Their collections most frequently contain city, county and rural directories, newspapers of all types, phone books, indices to vital records and court records, obituary and cemetery files, and pamphlet files that detail special events, individuals, and groups in the area. Yes, much of the aforementioned information can be found on the websites of large information aggregators such as Ancestry, FamilySearch, MyHeritage, FindMyPast, and the Internet Archive to name some of the largest. However, if one is committed to engaging in reasonably exhaustive research, one truly must visit the websites and use the catalogs of the local public libraries to ensure that one is truly looking at, taking advantage of, and benefiting from all available data.
State libraries represent significant record repositories that should be often visited for published information about the state in which one is researching. In some states, the state library and state archive are a combined entity; in a few other states that don’t have a state library, the state historical society often performs the major roles of a state library. In a way, state libraries function like the public library for the state. Their holdings of directories, newspapers, and published histories are significant collections that they make available to researchers. Engaging their online discovery tools will almost assuredly lead one to many resources. They also typically have very robust collections of state government documents. While those documents may seem dusty-dry at first glance, they can hold valuable information about aspects of our ancestors’ lives. I appreciate that library catalogs can be challenging to use and are not all together that intuitive. Alas, in most instances they are all we have to get a virtual look at a library’s collection. Hence, take time to play a bit, try different search terms, and engage any Ask-A-Librarian services that may be offered as methods to more clearly understand their resources and services.
At the national level, libraries that one should consider exploring when doing reasonably exhaustive research in published materials include the Allen County Public Library, the Clayton Library of the Houston Public Library, the FamilySearch Library, the Midwest Genealogy Center, the NSDAR Library in Washington, DC, the New York Public Library, the New England Historic Genealogical Society library in Boston, the Newberry Library in Chicago, the Dallas Public Library, the Los Angeles Public Library, the Library of Congress, and many more. As mentioned previously, each of their online catalogs works a little differently so expect to spend a bit of time exploring different search terms and engaging any advanced search features you may find. And keep an eye peeled for any chat or live information services they may offer.
The template we can deploy in seeking official or governmental records is relatively straightforward—local courthouses and record repositories, state archives, and the National Archives. It can be easy for some to forget that for most of the repositories in this category, they are collecting records of the various governmental units. They typically are not collecting family histories, newspapers, and directories. The various libraries we previously discussed tend to take care of that responsibility.
Birth, marriage and death records, will and probate records, land records including grantor and grantee indices, pleadings and proceedings of local lawsuits, payment of taxes and fees, records of licenses of all types—basically anything that is the work of local government and local government offices will be found for some period of time in local courthouses or local government archives. One should determine the official local office responsible for a particular record or record group, and then inquire about their holdings, record retention schedules, and the process for accessing information and copies of documents. In some communities, the local public library or a local college or university may serve as a repository for some of the records of a local governmental unit, particularly the more historic documents and records. Don’t expect a lot from the websites of local archives and record repositories. A lot of their web real estate is consumed with contemporary hearings, rulings, and public meetings as well as public and political initiatives.
At the state level, state archives truly are a genealogist’s friend. First, the records they curate and provide access to are rich with data relating to the lives and times of our ancestors--both specific details and excellent contexting data. And second, the websites of many state archives contain very useful finding aids, indices, and increasingly, digital copies of actual documents. I know since I am a Hoosier this may be viewed as a biased comment; however, the Indiana Archives and Records Administration is a great website to look at as an example of what one may find available online. <www.in.gov/iara/> Nearly one and a half million names are searchable from this website just for starters. The Tennessee State Library and Archives and the Missouri State Archives are two other excellent state archive sites.
The National Archives and Records Administration (NARA) with its various regional branches is the national level archive that curates many hundreds of millions of historical documents of great value to genealogists and historical researchers. This tremendously large website may appear intimidating and challenging to navigate. As referenced previously, it is truly worthwhile to take time to explore and play with the various search and discovery options. NARA partners with numerous large information aggregators in making digital copies of many records available online, the two most prominent being Ancestry and FamilySearch. In the coming three to five years look for some of the records digitized through these partnerships to be even more widely available online as embargo periods expire. It would take me at least several columns to begin exploring even a part of what NARA has to offer online. One may just want to devote a bit of scheduled time to exploring the Archives.gov website.
The button on the main page of the NARA website that likely bears exploring first is named “Research Our Records.” Under that button one can find links to search the catalog (take your time as the catalog initially can be quite frustrating!), other online research tools including Access to Archival Databases (AAD), researching your ancestry, and researching military records. The sheer quantity of data on this site begs one to explore. This site is so consequential that the Genealogy Center has posted many NARA finding guides for easier viewing at <www.genealogycenter.info/nara/>. It’s worth at least a quick look.
Exploring for unpublished materials--photographs, letters, diaries, daybooks, store ledgers, company records, and the like--may seem like a formidable task, particularly if we are committed to finding all the data possible. It helps to keep your geographic foci in mind. First, look on the local level, and for that we would be looking at local historical societies of all types. City and county historical societies typically have the most robust collections but don’t forget about ethnic, religious, and occupational historical societies. Some of these societies have very modest sized collections, while some are quite extensive. You won’t know until you look. Some local historical society websites are extremely poor relative to online indices, finding aids and collection descriptions. A phone call or email prior to a visit may be necessary to ascertain what resources are available to researchers.
State historical societies typically have amazingly robust collections of records and documents for the geographic areas they cover. In addition, their websites are typically quite good in providing meaningful discovery layers for their collections. Increasingly state historical societies are linking significant digital collections from their websites. Articulating Hoosier pride again, the Indiana Historical Society’s webpage offers much to explore. <IndianaHistory.org> Two links that can quickly lead to resources include the library catalog and digital collections links. Online finding aids can greatly assist in finding specific collections worth further exploration. Among other state historical societies of note are the Wisconsin Historical Society, the Ohio History Connection, the Kentucky Historical Society, and the Georgia Historical Society. Please note, though, that the website of the state historical society in the state where you are conducting research is always worth exploring.
In the category of national historical societies, I would suggest we consider historical societies that cover regions of the country if not the entire country. Such historical societies or organizations tend to be occupationally or ethnically based. These national historical societies tend to be overlooked by genealogists. The Baltimore & Ohio Railroad Historical Society and the American Historical Society of Germans from Russia are two examples of such organizations that may benefit family historians.
Though I am a big fan of using our just articulated strategy of published, official/governmental, and unpublished materials collected at the local, state and national levels as a guide in conducting reasonably exhaustive research, I must also offer that nearly any library or archive may have a manuscript collection that is most relevant to one’s research. Further, this library or archive might be outside our articulated strategy for locating such materials. A supplemental strategy is worth embracing: consult NUCMC (National Union Catalog of Manuscript Collections), ArchiveGrid, Google and ChatGPT to locate important manuscript collections in repositories you may not initially consider searching.
Keep brainstorming ideas for engaging in reasonably exhaustive research!
PERSI - PERiodical Source Index
A monthly section on using and searching PERSI is posted in the Genealogy Gems monthly E-Zine which lists information about the department's collections and useful research tips emailed to subscribers. A separate Genealogy Gems Archive back to the first issue September 30, 2004 is maintained by Friends of the Allen County Library.
In this column, we share citations of the thought-provoking, odd, cringe-worthy, and sometimes humorous topics of the articles we catalog. Through our indexing work for the Periodical Source Index, we churn through the periodicals at our disposal, seeking to shine a light on every bit of useful research material we find among the pages.
This week, a former research librarian, new to searching PERSI, offered an observation about our index and posed a question. Among our citations, she noticed the vast and incredible variety of rare, niche, and truly special source material we cite. She wondered how the Genealogy Center learns about and acquires such serial publications, ones written for small local audiences, those from groups that share super-specific interests, and those which might be held in fewer than half a dozen repositories in the world. In other words, how did we build the incredible serials collection on which PERSI is based?
Parts of the Genealogy Center collection predate the 1961 founding of the Genealogy Department itself. Throughout the first part of the 20th Century, the collection of the Public Library of Fort Wayne and Allen County benefited from the work of our local DAR chapter and from frugal library administrators with a good eye who traveled widely seeking second-hand historical gems. In later partnerships with other libraries, most notably the Newberry, we photocopied huge numbers of disintegrating volumes to preserve, acquire, and share the knowledge they held. Over decades, we developed and maintained contacts with thousands of societies, authors, publishers, and donors who supply the periodical issues we bind and shelve. Piles arrive daily. A stack of one month's incoming serials would rival the height of a genealogy librarian or a PERSI indexer. We are grateful to the taxpayers of Allen County who provide the core funding supporting our acquisition efforts.
Do you know about an available publication, old or new, which you think should be added to our collection? We welcome donations, leads, and purchase requests from our patrons. Email us at: Genealogy@ACPL.Info
As you search PERSI, you will find gems published by special people with fascinating interests in places far and near. Try a PERSI search here:
The Canal Society of Indiana sends us their journals and newsletters including the Hoosier Packet and Tumble. Vital to Indiana's growth, canal transportation brought settlers and commerce to this region. Among much evidence, you'll find a story of an old man named Maiden. He drunk drove an oxen-drawn wagon laden with supplies for canal workers. Mr. Maiden met his end near Evansville in 1851.
Ex-CBI Roundup, founded in 1946 and published to 2009, was a reminiscing magazine for former members of U.S. units stationed in the China-Burma-India Theater during World War II. Many war veterans hesitated to share their experiences with their own families. Through this publication, though, veterans wrote in to share their memories with military comrades, ones they knew would understand. Our collection starts with volume 20 in 1965; we seek earlier issues.
Kanhistique, published in Ellsworth, Kansas, from 1975 to 2008, was a paper devoted to Kansas, its history, and its antiques. It's full of vintage photographs of pioneer scenes, Kansas people, and the stuff they collected.
Luxembourg Heritage Society of Southern Minnesota Newsletter, 2007+, comes from a society active today. This is an example of our many publications which preserve history of particular immigrant groups. One article details the life Peter Schmitz and his journey from Luxembourg to Chicago to New Ulm, Minnesota. It tells of Indian attacks, ad-hoc militias, government reparations, a diphtheria epidemic, and a funeral cortege of forty vehicles.
Solitude in Stone, published in East Lansing, Michigan, from 1994 to 2010, relishes in the eccentricities of decedents as revealed via a walk through a cemetery. Karl Simpson's stone forever declares him a "Great Father & Grumpy Old Fart". Another photo, a wide angle of a cemetery, includes a common road sign which gave the photographer pause: "Dead End".
PERSI: A Research Gem
by Allison DePrey Singleton
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The Genealogy Center is delighted to be the home of the Periodical Source Index (PERSI). Created in 1985, PERSI assists genealogy researchers in finding articles in more than 11,000 titles of periodicals and is designed to make that research easier, since many publications do not have their own indexes. Researchers have difficulty knowing every periodical that might benefit their research due to such factors as limited availability, the unexpected location of information, and the size of the organization that creates the periodical. The library staff designed PERSI to help overcome these obstacles and leave no stone unturned. Even though it has been around for more than 37 years, it has only come to be hosted on the Genealogy Center website this past year. Let’s explore how to use PERSI.
The indexed periodicals come from local, regional, and state genealogical societies, historical societies, museums, academic institutions, special interest groups, for-profit publishers, individuals, and many other organizations. Currently, the Genealogy Center receives more than 3,000 periodical subscriptions that are part of its permanent collection. Once we have a full run of a periodical, they are bound and shelved based on topic or location. The current periodicals are kept unbound in alphabetical order. All of them have been cataloged into our collection.
PERSI indexes the titles of articles. The content is not itself indexed, which means researchers need to look for topics and subjects surrounding their ancestors’ lives. PERSI has a surname index that can be searched, but it is unusual for entire articles to be written about one person or one family. Often, these articles include a wide variety of information, including transcriptions of court records, cemetery markers, wills, and other types of records or historical topics. It is best to look for both the surname and the topics or subjects for each ancestor being researched.
Searching PERSI is a learned skill. We recommend that you watch at least one of our videos on PERSI: Ask the Experts: PERSI or Welcome to the New, FREE, Periodical Source Index (PERSI)!. [SHOWN BELOW] Both of these videos will supply tips and tricks to get the most out of PERSI. Wildcards are not available at this time, but it is possible to enter search terms in quotes. More specific results will be found this way. It is also important to think of every term that can be used to describe an event in an ancestor’s life. For example, if seeking material on a death event, use terms such as death, die, funeral, wake, burial, bury, cemetery, grave, headstone, homicide, suicide, murder, kill, will, probate, etc. Be creative!
After an exciting discovery has been made within PERSI, obtaining a copy of the article is the next step. The first option is to visit the Genealogy Center to view the article in person. Researchers are able to make photocopies, scans, or take pictures. We then recommend contacting the publisher for each periodical to see if an inexpensive or free copy could be obtained. The next step is to see if there is a copy of the article in a local library. WorldCat.org is the best option for finding locations of these titles. Lastly, an article order can be made through the Genealogy Center at a small fee. The order form needs to be filled out here: https://acpl.lib.in.us/images/Documents/Gendocs/Forms/articlerequest.pdf. The form can be mailed or emailed. Pre-payment is no longer necessary. The best part of the Genealogy Center’s hosting PERSI, creating the index, and having the periodicals on the premises is that our staff are also here to assist. We want your search to be successful.
Have you searched PERSI lately? 🔍 PERSI, our Periodical Source Index, is the premier subject index for genealogy and local history periodicals, and is produced by the staff of The Genealogy Center. This valuable resource provides more than 3 million citations to readily-available periodical sources!
2:07 minute video October 31, 2021 post by Genealogy Center on Facebook. Meet the Genealogy Center: Adam Barrone Genealogy PERSI Research Center Supervisor.
Ask the Experts: PERSI posted Oct 3, 2022 by the Allen County Public Library on YouTube
Join the Genealogy Center's senior librarians on Thursday, August 18th at 6:30 p.m. EDT where we will discuss the amazing Periodical Source Index (PERSI). Participate in this discussion on how PERSI can assist you with your research.
Welcome to the New, FREE, Periodical Source Index (PERSI)! January 28, 2022 by the Allen County Public Library on YouTube
The Genealogy Center
The Periodical Source Index (PERSI) is the premier subject index for genealogy and local history periodicals, and is produced by the staff of The Genealogy Center. This January, PERSI will be made available as a part of our FREE databases, and we want your feedback to make this the best tool in your family history toolbox! Join us for an informal first look at the new PERSI to ask questions and share your thoughts.
Find Millions of Genealogy Clues with This Free Website posted May 6, 2022 by Genealogy with Amy Johnson Crow on YouTube There are millions of genealogy clues published by genealogy societies that you will never find on Ancestry or FamilySearch. Here's how to use a free resource called PERSI to find those valuable clues. PERSI is now available for FREE on the website of the Genealogy Center at the Allen County Public Library in Fort Wayne, Indiana. It has references to more than 3 million articles. It's definitely worth exploring!
PERSI is growing! 😍 Our Periodical Source Index just grew by 20,000 entries bringing the grand total to 3,144,958!...
PERSI is growing! Our Periodical Source Index just grew by 20,000 entries bringing the grand total to 3,144,958!
PERSI is the premier subject index for genealogy and local history periodicals, and is produced by the staff of The Genealogy Center. This valuable resource provides access to countless genealogy gems!
If you’ve been following the Library for a while, you know we preserve and digitize materials that come to us in all kinds of physical formats. That includes video tapes! Here’s a look inside the Video Preservation Lab at the National Audio-Visual Conservation Center. pic.twitter.com/lY1rroBWjF
Friends of Allen CountyThe Friends of the Allen County Public Library, a non-profit, membership organization, has a common concern for the library's expansion and participation in community life. Since 1981, the Friends of the Allen County Public Library has made significant contributions to the steady growth of the library and its services to the community. Facebook page: https://www.facebook.com/ACPLFriends/
Did you know that 113 years ago today the first Carnegie Library in Indiana opened in Goshen, Indiana? Over the next 20 years, the state would lead the nation with a total of 164 Carnegie libraries in 155 communities. You can learn more about the history of the Carnegie libraries in Indiana by reading: Indiana’s Carnegie Libraries Yaël Ksander August 13, 2007 via WFIU Public Radio
"What does that say?" Each year on #NationalHandwritingDay we like to share our recorded workshop on Reading Old Handwriting. Originally created for participants of our Making History transcription events (www.virginiamemory.com/makinghistory/events), this video is very helpful for anyone trying to decipher historic handwritten documents to find an ancestor or research a topic. Reading Old Handwriting
Congratulations to the ACPL's Curt Witcher, recipient of the Distinguished Hoosier Award. 
The award was presented by ACPL Executive Director, Susan Baier at the recent meeting of the Library Board of Trustees.
This is honor has been awarded by Indiana governors for over 50 years to celebrate exceptional Indiana residents. This award is meant for those who distinguish themselves by significant contributions to their communities, and whose qualities and actions endear them in the hearts and minds of Hoosiers.
Way to go, Curt!
Accessible from anywhere, each database is searchable independently. Explore now: 
Happy 
Let's reminisce together! 
Have you heard about The Genealogy Center's extensive collection of more than 70,000 family histories? 
New Collection Alert 
Browse here: 
Don't let the wealth of information overwhelm you—organize, backup, and document your findings like a pro! 
Share your favorite organization tips with us!
5-Minute Friday! 
Watch now! 
We have over 300 previously recorded programs available for you to explore, whether you're just beginning you're genealogical journey or working on breaking through a brick wall.
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Our Periodical Source Index just grew by 20,000 entries bringing the grand total to 3,144,958! 