The Search box on the top of each page will find names and keyword search items on all of our pages. If you can supply biographical material on more people for these pages please Contact Allen INGenWeb.

Jump to Bibles, Citizens of the Year, Crime, ebooks, Family Resources, Keys to the Fort, Library, Local People, Movies and Television people, Musicians, Other Information, Surnames, Trivia, Videos

In May of 1997, Jeff Murphy started collecting biographies for the Indiana Biographies Project including Allen County, Indiana Biographies using the Kentucky Biographies Project as a model. State coordinators were sought to set up their own state project. They were offered the system design and tools created for the KY project, but were free to set up their project any way they chose. Volunteers were needed to enter, edit, and archive additional biographies for each project. Those biographies were included as submitted.

Our Name Index History of the Maumee River Basin page for the 586 page book: History of the Maumee River basin from the earliest account to its organization into counties by Slocum, Charles Elihu, 1841-1915; Robertson, R. Stoddart, 1839-, Publication date on 1905 on Archive.org.

Name Index to The Pictorial History of Fort Wayne, Indiana  page for the 635 page book: The pictorial history of Fort Wayne, Indiana : a review of two centuries of occupation of the region about the head of the Maumee River by Griswold, B. J. (Bert Joseph), 1873-1927; Taylor, Samuel R., Mrs, Publication date 1917 on Archive.org.

Index to History of Fort Wayne & Allen County, Indiana, 1700-2005 to the two-volume History of Fort Wayne & Allen County, Indiana, 1700-2005 (Evansville, Indiana: M.T. Publishing Company, 2006) is at the The Genealogy Center at the Allen County Public Library in Fort Wayne, Indiana. Copies are available at The History Center.

Results of a search for Allen County, Indiana Biographies and Fort Wayne Biographies on Archive.org.

The Allen County, Indiana : Surnames page on Linkpendium has links to around 400 Allen County biographies in books on Archive.org and Google ebooks online.

Searching Allen County, Ind Biography on the WorldCat finds dozens of Allen County books on biographies and people of Allen County, Indiana.

History remembers only the celebrated, genealogy remembers them all - Lawrence Overmire from his Memorial page on Find A Grave.

August 6, 2023 post by The History Center on Facebook:

Like the colliding waters of the confluence of our Three Rivers, Allen County has been a home to a diverse array of peoples. Over the centuries, this region has welcomed a spectrum of nationalities, ethnicities, creeds, beliefs, classes, abilities, orientations, and identities. The paths these peoples took to become part of our community are equally diverse. From the indigenous Miami to European settlers, from immigrants seeking opportunity to refugees fleeing conflict and persecution, all types of peoples and cultural groups have formed our community. While this exhibit is not an exhaustive example of every representative sub-group in Allen County’s history, it is an attempt to highlight and celebrate the individual stories of the peoples who have created the Confluence of Cultures in our Land of Three Rivers. #sociallyhistory

[We have some information on German Heritage, Johnny Bright, Mary Maloley and more on our People pages.]

October 18, 2017 post by Amy Johnson Crow on Facebook:

History isn't about dates and places and wars. It's about the people who filled the spaces between them. - Jodi Picoult

September 12, 2020 post by The History Center on Facebook:

The place where Fort Wayne was founded referred to as the confluence, literally “the flowing together,” has long been prized for its strategic location at the meeting point of the three rivers. Yet it is also a place where people come together. Over the last three hundred years, individuals from all over the world have traveled to the confluence in search of opportunity and a new life. Each wave of new immigrants has left a lasting mark on the region’s story and culture. Since 2009, Welcoming Week has promoted the bringing together and building of strong connections amongst all people. This year’s theme is ‘Creating Home Together.’ …”Home is not just a house. Home is any place where you feel safe and accepted: in your neighborhood, in your community, at work. Ultimately, home is where you feel you most belong…” Today the History Center shares some materials from popular past ‘Socially History’ posts that highlight some of the many peoples that have made their home in Allen County. “This Welcoming Week, let’s build home in new ways through virtual spaces, digital sharing, and being together even when we’re alone. Let’s create home together so everyone feels they belong, no matter where you are, or where you are from, so that each of us has a stake in its future.” #sociallyhistory

Some Allen County, Indiana pioneers : a notebook handwritten personal notes kept by Stopher, John Publication date 1900 on Archive.org

Standard atlas of Allen County, Indiana : including a plat book of the villages, cities and townships of the county ... patrons directory, reference business directory ... by Geo. A. Ogle & Co. in 1898 is a good book for early township maps and several pages of portraits of locally prominent citizens starting on page 94! on Archive.org.

History of the Maumee River basin from the earliest account to its organization into counties by Slocum, Charles Elihu, 1841-1915; Robertson, R. Stoddart, 1839-, Publication date on 1905 on Archive.org. See our clickable Name Index for this book.

Art souvenir of representative men, public buildings, private residences, business houses by Public Library of Fort Wayne and Allen County, 1955, has dozens of photos of Fort Wayne attorneys, politicians and other well known men, buildings, houses, and buildings.

Back to top

1. ACGSI Records page has a growing list of indexed records for Allen County, Indiana.
2. Cityscapes - People & Places is on the archives of The News-Sentinel newspaper.
3. Family Web Sites of Allen County, Indiana is our list of local family web sites as well as how to find web sites that no longer exist via the Internet Archive Wayback Machine using automatic browser extensions to find those archived web pages.
4. French Families of Allen County, Indiana at The Genealogy Center.
5. Historical Record Lists has over 400 names of people who served such as ministers, mayors, state representaives and more prior to 1900 in Allen County and other counties in Indiana at OurFamilyTree.com.
6. History Journal archives of the Journal Gazette newspaperstarted posting almost weekly stories in November 2018. It was previously known as Throwback Thursday with stories from their archive of newspapers going back to the 1800s and a collection of photo negatives beginning in the early 1940s. A History Journal indexed by decade was published January 26, 2020 by Corey McMaken.
7. April 8, 2017 and August 11, 2017 general discussion of people from Fort Wayne were on You are positively from Fort Wayne, if you remember... Archived group only visible to existing members on Facebook.

Bibles

January 30, 2023post by Genealogy Center on Facebook:

Bibles passed down through the generations can hold valuable family information such as births, marriages, deaths, and other significant family events. The Genealogy Center has a collection of family bible records, which feature images and transcriptions from bibles donated to us. View the digital collection here: https://www.genealogycenter.info/bibles/

Included in this collection is the Anthony and Mary (Penrose) Wayne Family Bible. General Anthony Wayne (1745-1796) was a staff officer of George Washington during the Revolutionary War and later took charge of the American army in the 1790s. His military victory at the Battle of Fallen Timbers helped to establish American control of the Old Northwest Territory. The artifact complements a manuscript letter of General Wayne, which the library acquired in 1994.

Published in 1788, the Wayne family Bible was presented by Wayne's wife Mary to their son Isaac Wayne, a Philadelphia attorney, probably soon after the book was published and contains her inscription to him. Perhaps it was Isaac Wayne who carefully recorded the deaths of both of his parents on the Bible's flyleaves, as well as his own marriage and the births and deaths of his children.

Family Resources

February 22, 2023 post by Genealogy Center on Facebook:

Have you explored our Family Resources section lately?

The Family Resources database on Genealogycenter.org features unique family histories and family files submitted by researchers who have granted permission for their material to be hosted on The Genealogy Center site. View the digital files here: https://www.genealogycenter.info/familydb.php

This particular entry offers information on the Descendants of Nicholas Hathaway, compiled by Lanning, Smith, and Miyamoto.

Contributions of additional data are most welcome! 

Surnames

We have a Surname Queries page where you can post names on our Submit a Surname Query page, or search already submitted names on our Query Index page.

Genealogy of the Tragedies: Death and Sorrow in America Published on November 1, 2018 by Allen County Public Library on YouTube.
Presented by the Genealogy Center at the Allen County Public Library. Every family has at least one tragedy in their family narrative. Let’s explore the process of researching some of these tragedies and how you can apply these same methods to your family history research.

Library Information

The Genealogy Center at the Allen County Public Library in Fort Wayne, Indiana has a web page called Life Stories Your Story, Our History, Told By You that has links to interview information and a growing collection of online video Interviews recorded, preserved and presented at the library. Current video interview pages include:

1. Allen County Public Library Interviews
2. Community Interviews
3. Family Resources growing collection of material submitted to The Genealogy Center at the Allen County Public Library in Fort Wayne, Indiana
4. Indiana Artists More than 1,000 entries compiled from the "Indiana Artists" clipping folder of the Indiana Collection Vertical File (which no longer exists).
5. Lasting Lawyer Legacy Project currently has the most videos of local attorneys. Information not in the history books was one heading in the article Allen County Bar Association project collects oral histories from the legal community by Marilyn Odendahl published August 9, 2017 on The Indiana Lawyer.com. 
6. Life Stories Your Story, Our History, Told By You at the Allen County Public Library.
7. "My Life Indiana" Stories
8. Surname File Lists other researchers searching same surname w/ contact information

Local People

1. A History of the Allen County Bar and Courts 1824-2019, subtitled A Light in the Forest, published by the Allen County Bar Foundation. A major find in the research was discovering the old original 1824 Circuit Court docket books at the Genealogy Center of the Allen County Public Library. These large heavy books described what happened each day of court. They were handwritten and difficult to read. From the docket books I learned the names of our first lawyers and judges and what legal business was available. Copied from NEWS-SENTINEL GUEST COLUMN: Allen County courts history dates back 195 years by Don Doxsee published September 21, 2019 in The News-Sentinel newspaper. More information with photos is in the History is in session Courthouse,occupants getbook treatment article published May 12, 2019 in The Journal Gazette newspaper.
2. Always Carl: Letters from the heart and heartland, 1929-1931 by Amy McVay Abbott. Letters gifted by her aunt love letters written 90 years ago by her grandfather, Carl Enz, to her grandmother, LeNore, that began during their “courting” in fall 1929 and end right before they were married in spring of 1931. Ddiscussed in Letters chronicle love Granddaughter puts handwritten notes in self-published book by Terri Richardson published September 10, 2019 in The Journal Gazette newspaper.
3. The Autobiography of an Ordinary Man : from Letters to my Daughter by Edward Franklin Sonday, (1896-1984). He shares stories about growing up, living and working in Fort Wayne. He writes about his experiences in FTW during WWI, the Great Depression, WWII and a lot about the 41 years that he worked at GE. Photos and discussion June 2, 2019 on You are positively from Fort Wayne, if you remember... Archived group only visible to existing members on Facebook.
4.  Myself When Young by Karl Detzer, published in 1980, written in 1968 has stories about his childhood in Fort Wayne, in particular the central part of the city. Menioned in the Sonday discussion item above.

Crime

1. Records of Lawless Citizens at Allen County Genealogical Society of Indiana
2. Crime Reports in the Sunday The Journal Gazette newspaper
3. Beyond the Evidence series at The Journal Gazette newspaper

   July 8, 2022 post by The Journal Gazette on Facebook:

   With every investigation, there is more to the story than police reports, court trials and convictions. In Beyond the Evidence, we take a closer look at memorable area cases that have left an indelible mark.

   The series runs Sundays from July 10 to 31 in The Journal Gazette.

   #fortwayne #indiana #truecrime

   1. 30 years later, family still looking for answers in arson deaths of Harlan couple on Christmas Eve 1992 Joesette Purcell and Jeff Koop were killed in a house fire on Christmas Eve 1992 by Terri Richardson published July 10, 2022 in The Journal Gazette newspaper.
   2. George Osborne kept calling, but his brother wouldn’t pick up the phone. Osborne lived in Lawrence, Kansas, and his brother lived in Fort Wayne. Osborne called Saturday and Sunday, but to no avail.On Monday, Sept. 19, 1983, he called again. This time, a Fort Wayne police detective answered the phone and explained that Osborne’s brother, Ralph Daniel Osborne, his wife, Jane Osborne, their 11-year-old son, Benjamin Osborne, and dog, a schnauzer, had been bludgeoned to death with a baseball bat. Beginning paragraphs copied from Random killing of family shook city in 1983 Almost 39 years have passed since three people were bludgeoned to death with a baseball bat in an attack investigators said was random by Jim Chapman published July 17, 2022 in The Journal Gazette newspaper. See Osborne Murders.
   3. Two girls murdered within two years, one sure killer and one only possible From the Beyond the Evidence series Just 7-years-old, Sarah Jean Bowker was molested, killed and left in a ditch. There was never a conviction in the 1990 case, and the suspected culprit is dead. By James D. Wolf Jr. published July 24, 2022 in The Journal Gazette newspaper.
   4. Allen County Confinement Officer's 1998 murder sees no conviction after 3 men confess Dan Osborn was killed in a robbery at a Subway store he co-owned. By Terri Anderson published July 31, 2022 in The Journal Gazette newspaper.

Other Information

1. 1875 State Legislators - INGenWeb pdf - name Index
2. 1860 Lawyers from Livingston's United States Law Register published in the December 5, 1894 Fort Wayne Weekly Sentinel newspaper on the original Great Memories and History of Fort Wayne, Indiana page on Facebook.
3. 1879 State Legislators on Internet Archive
4. 108 year old resident: Irene Alma Steiss Burgoon Mensalvas died September 11, 2012. She lived on Ferguson Road farm that became part of Fort Wayne International Airport, lived in Hawaii, several states, a couple other countries before returning to Fort Wayne. From her Fort Wayne Newspapers Legacy.com obituary.
5. A Brief History of Brewing in Fort Wayne, Indiana on the Internet Archive Wayback Machineformerly IndianaBeer.com.
6. Blood on the Ohio Frontier Tales of Terror by Fritz Zimmerman is a blog that contains several stories relating to our area such as Artifacts and Description of the Last French Fort in Present Day Ft. Wayne, Indiana and Aboite, Indiana Named For Indian Massacre and French Word For "Slaughterhouse."
7. Business People magazine started their online digital edition in April 2019.
8. Cumberland Gap and Hoosier pioneers posted December 1, 2018 on the Archives of Hoosier History Live podcast on Saturdays, noon to 1 p.m. ET on WICR 88.7 FM introduction starts with: What would a site near the junction of Kentucky, Virginia and Tennessee have to do with Indiana's early heritage? More than you might expect! But to understand the connection, a little geographical history is needed. The Cumberland Gap is a pass in the Cumberland Mountains in far-southeastern Kentucky that many early pioneers of European heritage used to reach the wilderness territory that would later be known as Indiana, where they established settlements on the frontier. For many decades before Europeans' arrival, Native Americans also had been using the narrow passageway through the mountain range, which otherwise posed a nearly insurmountable challenge to those traveling by foot, horseback or wagon. In the spirit of the early adventurers, our show will explore a range of aspects related to the Cumberland Gap - also known as the Cumberland Pass - and the travelers who came through it.
9. Dialects and 4 part tongue in cheekHow To Speak Hoosier video links on YouTube discussed August 10, 2017 on You are positively from Fort Wayne, if you remember... Archived group only visible to existing members on Facebook. Some of the video comments indicate some of these dialects are fading away and not state wide.
10. Farm wives of the mid to late 1800s posted March 28, 2020 on the Archives of Hoosier History Live podcast on Saturdays, noon to 1 p.m. ET on WICR 88.7 FM introduction starts with: Digging up details about the lives of farm wives in Indiana during the 19th century wasn't easy for historian Morgan Lee Wilson, who will be our guest as Hoosier History Live salutes Women's History Month. Morgan, who lives on a small farm near Walkerton in St. Joseph County, has read diaries and letters written by rural women whose roles in agricultural life were crucial, but often unheralded and misunderstood by subsequent generations. Farm wives of the mid and late 1800s tend to be romanticized or described in "limited" ways, Morgan says. Morgan, who works at the University of Notre Dame, says misperceptions include the notion that farm wives had isolated lives. Diaries and letters often describe, in Morgan's words, "social opportunities through trips to towns and churches." Rather than being confined to kitchens and washbasins, farm wives of the 19th century often worked in fields, barns and gardens.
11. Finding Indiana Records a pdf by the Indiana Historical Society
12. First Name AbbreviationsIn many historic documents, first names were abbreviated. For example, old street directories and city directories always abbreviated common first names. Parish records often abbreviated familiar Christian names. This was done to save space and paper. From Genealogy In Time archived on the Internet Archive Wayback Machine.

13. March 13, 2023 post by the Genealogy Center on Facebook:

    Food can be an important ingredient in your family history research! Items such as family and church cookbooks can be a great way to trace your female ancestors and gain insights into their daily lives.

    Do you have a favorite family recipe?

    Search the Genealogy Center's collection of family histories and cookbooks here: https://acpl.lib.in.us/genealogy

14. A second serving of foods of the pioneers posted June 20, 2020 on the Archives of Hoosier History Live podcast on Saturdays, noon to 1 p.m. ET on WICR 88.7 FM introduction starts with: The table was overloaded when Hoosier History Live served up a show on topics related to the foods of the pioneers earlier this year. So during this show, we will savor additional, fresh aspects of what and how Indiana residents ate during the 1820s, '30s and '40s. Which members of pioneer households worked in the gardens? Did early settlers really believe tomatoes were poisonous? How was the corn grown in the pioneer era different from what's cultivated in Hoosier soil today? Indianapolis-based food historian Sheryl Vanderstel will discuss those and other topics that we were not able to explore when she was our guest in April. In addition, Sheryl is planning to share insights about aspects of what she calls "food etiquette," of the pioneer era, customs ranging from "tableware to table settings, serving and meal manners."
15. Foods of the pioneers - Encore posted November 27, 2021 on the Archives of Hoosier History Live podcast on Saturdays, noon to 1 p.m. ET on WICR 88.7 FM introduction starts with: When you dig into questions of what Hoosiers ate in the 1820s, '30s and '40s, when they gathered for meals, the dining utensils they used, and related topics, you have a lot to savor. Indianapolis-based food historian Sheryl Vanderstel even described what she calls "lost" foods as Nelson's guest on a show with a smorgasbord of information and historical facts about the foods of pioneers. During this encore broadcast from 2020, she also shared insights about dining routines during Indiana's earliest era as a state. Misconceptions abound, including the "myth of pioneer self-sufficiency," Sheryl says. Sheryl Vanderstel"Even the earliest settlers were interdependent, bartering with each other," she explains. "Grocers and merchants were among the first residents of Indianapolis and could easily obtain goods from thriving, established communities like Salem or Connersville and Ohio River cities Madison, New Albany, Cincinnati and Louisville." During the first half of the 19th century, the largest meal was eaten at midday and called "dinner," not "lunch." The evening meal, "supper," was much lighter. Except for the spoon, Sheryl says the pioneers' dining utensils "looked much different."
16. Now, a poem: "What did Hoosiers eat, when it was long ago? Corn and beans and boiled meat, butter and potatoes." Read page 13 of this November 1964 issue of the Indiana History Bulletin, published by the Indiana Historical Bureau, for some old time Hoosier recipes. Indiana history bulletin, volume 41, number 11, November 1964 Copied from an August 2022 post by Indiana State Library on Facebook.
17. Fort Wayne Sports History is a book by Blake Sebring and Facebook page of the same name posting highlights from the book.
18. Founders Online CORRESPONDENCE AND OTHER WRITINGS OF SIX MAJOR SHAPERS OF THE UNITED STATES: George Washington, Benjamin Franklin, John Adams (and family), Thomas Jefferson, Alexander Hamilton, and James Madison. Over 182,000 searchable documents, fully annotated, from the authoritative Founding Fathers Papers projects. At The National Archives. Discussed April 4, 2019 on the National Historical Publications and Records CommissionFacebook page.
19. FORT WAYNE FIVE: Important medical figures published April 9, 2018 in The News-Sentinel newspaper.
20. Historical Databases of over 18,000 19th-20th Century Indiana Physicians and over 9,000 Union Civil War Surgeons at Ruth Lilly Medical Library at Indiana University of Medicine. 14 Doctors of Allen County search results.
21. Hoosiers: The Story of Indianafour-part video series explores Indiana’s 200-year history. Based on the definitive history of Indiana, Hoosiers: A New History of Indiana, by James Madison. Produced by WFYI Public Media.
22. The Indiana Historical Society has many searchable collections online. One is Traces of Indiana and Midwestern History an award-winning popular history magazine for Indiana Historical Society members. This collection includes full issues of the magazine from its first issue in 1989 through 2013.
23. The book Legendary Locals of Fort Wayne by Randy Harter and Craig Hartman is about 182 well known Fort Wayne locals released August 31, 2015 and nnounced July 16, 2015 on You know you've lived in Fort Wayne too long when... Private Facebook group.
24. Fort Wayne researcher on quest to find 'One Hundred Leading Hoosiers 1816-1916' Fort Wayne woman is trying to track down all of the people profiled in the 1916 newspaper series “One Hundred Leading Hoosiers 1816-1916,” which highlighted people who made major contributions to the state. by Kevin Kilbane published February 4, 2016 in The News-Sentinel newspaper .
25. Legends of Fort Wayne. Over 400 comments December 28, 2017 on I grew up in Fort Wayne, Indiana on Facebook.
26. Linkpendium has links to over 9 million surnames worldwide including 160,000 recently added free online biographies according to their November 21, 2015 Facebook post.
27. List of mayors of Fort Wayne, Indiana on Wikipedia, The Free Encyclopedia. See our Mayors of FOrt Wayne page.
28. List of people from Fort Wayne, Indiana on Wikipedia, The Free Encyclopedia
29. List of people from Indiana on Wikipedia, The Free Encyclopedia
30. Little-known women influenced city by Michael Hawfield in Cityscapes from the archives of The News-Sentinel newspaper.
31. Miss Fort Wayne Scholarship Organization - list of names from beginning in the 1940s to present on FreeWebs.com
32. Most Popular People Born In "Fort Wayne/ Indiana/ USA" lists over 120 people with some claim to fame with Fort Wayne connections on IMDb.com.
33. Old Settlers and pioneers in Indiana by Indiana Division Librarian Andrea Glenn published December 6, 2017 on Indiana State Library blog.
34. Fort Wayne media personalities discussed August 16, 2017 on You are positively from Fort Wayne, if you remember... Archived group only visible to existing members on Facebook.
35. Surname spellings were often based on what the writer heard, rather than standard English grammar and spelling. Discussed in this blog North American Dialects and Fonetik Speling by Michael J. Leclerc's Genealogy News May 9, 2013 on the Internet Archive Wayback Machine for Mocavo about the North American English Dialects, Based on Pronunciation Patterns Rick Aschmann outlines eight dialects in North America. Discussed again as Where to Find the Best Collections of Regional Dialects and Local Accents by Nick Douglas September 7, 2017 on lifehacker.com.
36. Top 5 Names In Each Of The Last 100 Yearsfemale and male names 1917 through the last year on Social Security.gov
37. A common myth is some of our ancestors changed the spelling of their name at Ellis Island. Read: Ellis Island -- Names were NOT changed! A very persistent myth perpetuated in our genealogical world ... on the July 10, 2013 National Genealogical Society blog.
38. USGenWeb has a list of Common Nicknames.
39. People from Fort Wayne and Allen County on Wikipedia, The Free Encyclopedia.
40. Portraits in the Grand Staircase - portraits of Sam Hanna, Samuel Foster, and Major-General Henry Lawton by Carmen Doyle published September 24, 2014 in the History Center Notes & Queries blog.
41. 
    Reunions - early newspapers published lists of names of people who attended such as this September 14, 1927 newspaper for Reunions of the Thomas, Bieber, Seidel-Schneider and Evard families.
42. Social Security Administration Top 10 Baby Names have look up by decade and state.
43. American Notes: Travels in America, 1750 to 1920 over 250 publications in the collection at The Library of Congress.
44. People have always whinged about young adults. Here's proof by Amanda Ruggeri October 3, 2017 on BBC.com. Older people love to gripe about the entitled, lazy millennial generation. But it's nothing new – by delving into the archives, we found plenty of parallels stretching back 2,000 years.

45. March 24, 2023 post by The Waynedale News on Facebook:

    What did humans use to clean themselves in the days BEFORE toilet paper? Naturally, they used what was readily available. ... 

    Toilet Paper’s Dirty Past ~ The History of Ordinary Things March 22, 2023 Doris Montag

46. Who lives in Fort Wayne, and how did they get here? by Joshua Schipper | Oct 4, 2022 | on  Fort Wayne Media Collaborative.
47. Why is HE so important? (A brief reason why some things in Fort Wayne were named that) (The dead guys with streets and places named after them) by Carmen Doyle published December 24, 2013 in the History Center Notes & Queries blog.
48. Writing Her Story annually since 2013 by the Indiana Commission for Women.

49. July 8, 2023 post by WANE 15 on Facebook:

    In an effort to capture a snapshot of the U.S. job market’s history, Stacker compiled a list of the most common jobs in Indiana from 150 years ago using data from the U.S. Census Bureau.

    Most common jobs 150 years ago in Indiana  

50. September 6, 2023 post by the Allen County Genealogical Society of Indiana on Facebook:

    When "mango" pizza topping meant "green pepper!" Why? An Indy Star newspaper article explains why.

    Why some Hoosiers call green peppers mangoes Dawn Mitchell, November 16, 2017, IndyStar

51. The Trenton Strain of Racing Homer The Origins of the Trenton Strain about homing pigeons on CircusLofts discussed September 4, 2023 on Facebook.

    History of the Trentons

    Source of the following information was obtained from the ATB website.

    What follows is a reproduction of an article published by the late Otto Meyer about 1980 which gives a little background on the Trentons and the ATB.

    American Trenton Breeders ------------------------------

    by Otto Meyer, Publicity

    Rt. No. 1. Box 331-B

    Madison Heights. Va. 24572

    The original purpose of the American Trenton Breeders was to promote and perpetuate the Trenton Strain of racing pigeons. When the ATB was organized 23 years ago, there were only a very few fanciers who had any Trentons, and the strain had almost disappeared. Today there are several hundred fanciers who have at least a few Trentons and some of the members have nothing but Trentons. This was one of the greatest strains of pigeons ever in America. Never in the history of pigeon racing has any strain won as many races as was won by the Trentons. This was during the early part of the nineteen hundreds and this winning trend went on for a period of about 25 years. The Trentons made more world records at the long distances (1000 miles and further) than all other strains combined. These records were printed in this publication about two and a half years ago.

    Anyone who is interested in becoming a member of the ATB is welcome to join. You are not required to have Trentons to participate in the activities of the organization. The ATB has encouraged many things to improve our pigeon society. For a long time a national trophy was awarded each year to the owner of a 600 mile bird with the fastest speed. A national trophy was also awarded for the fastest speed at 500 miles. Then came the 1000 mile classics for which Harold L. Driver was primarily instrumental in establishing. Eventually these races may become the National Classics of America.

    Milton E. Haffner of Fort Wayne, Indiana is recognized as one of the best 1000 mile racing pigeon experts in the United States.In November 1979 he was the guest speaker at the Washington State R.P. Organization Convention. He has permitted me to quote all or any part of his presentation. I am happy to quote the following parts that will be of special interest to fanciers who wish to fly some of their birds in the 1000 mile classics:

    "The Fort Wayne Racing Pigeon Club has been in existence and has had young bird series and old bird series since 1887 or for 92 years. Around the turn of the century. four or five of the local fanciers ordered direct from Conrad Mahr four or five pair of his Trentons. It was from these Trentons blended with Grooters that the Fort Wayne fanciers started making long distance records, some of which still stand today. During the period from 1905 thru 1930 the Fort Wayne flyers were flying 2 and 3 1000 mile old bird races and a 1000 mile young bird race, it definitely required a different type of bird than the Sprinters and Speedsters in short races where money is the big factor. It required then and still does today, a bird that comes home on his own initiative and determination to get home.

    Oscar Anderson is the oldest living flyer in Fort Wayne. He is 92 years old and up until a year ago. could tell all about his flying with the Old Timers in 1902 and 1903. It is rare in a 1000 mile race that two birds will come together. The 1000 mile world record established in Fort Wayne was by Dr. Schilling's Blue Checker Trenton, named Hagen, who made the flight in 2 days, 3 hours, and, some minutes from Abilene, Texas. Needless to say, the publicity his bird got only gave the local boys something to shoot for as they all wanted to beat Hagen's world record. In 1910 Hagen's record was beaten by a Red Slate Trenton cock flown by Henry Beach. He called his bird 'Abilene'. Henry Beach's bird made the 1000 mile flight in 2 days, 2 hours and some minutes. Needless to say, Abilene's performance gained a lot of national publicity in pigeon circles.

    Henry Beach sold many Trentons and many prominent flyers obtained their first Trentons from Beach. Among the well known flyers of today who obtained birds from Beach are Otto Meyer and Art Nemechek.

    Three years later on July 11, 1913, a Blue Checker Trenton-Grooter cross hen named 'Bullet' homed in Fort Wayne from Abilene, Texas, 1000 miles late in the afternoon of the 2nd day to the loft of Oscar Anderson, whom I referred to before. Only a died in the wool pigeon fancier can dream of the pleasure young Oscar had when his 'Bullet' made the world record in 1 day. 11 hours, and 24 minutes, and 6 seconds making a speed of 1042.54 yards per minute. This was not the first good performance for 'Bullet' as she had previously flown 500 miles same day two different times. I might add that Oscar disposed of his last pigeons in May 1979. He said at 92 it was too hard for him to get up into his second story loft in his barn.

    In 1927, the 24th of June, Bullet's record was broken by "Wayne Jr." another full Trenton bred and flown in Fort Wayne by the late C.W. Oetting and to the best of my knowledge this record still stands for a club sponsored race from 1000 miles. Wayne Jr. flew 1005 miles to his home loft in I day, 10 hours, 22 minutes and 20 seconds, with a speed of 1122.43 ypm. Wayne Jr. was bred down from the Mahr Bright Eye Trenton strain. Mr.Oetting sold quite a few birds in the 30's and 40's and I am sure some of his blood lines exist in many lofts around the country.

    Not long after Oetting's record, the Depression of the early 30's came. Hard times followed & the local club had difficulty in keeping its ranks together as everyone was pinched for finances. Then the unforgetable war years from 1941 thru 1945. During the period 1931 till 1945, pigeon racing all over was at a low ebb. Only short races were flown and rarely a 1000 mile race.

    Around 1948 as an admirer of the 1000 mile performances, I started promoting a 1000 mile race again and it was not until 1953 that our club started flying the 1000 miles again. and with the exception of a few years. it has been scheduled as an annual race.

    In 1958 on Thursday, July 3rd our race birds were released at 7 AM Fort Wayne time. Friday the 4th of July, was a holiday and of course, in as much as the weather was favorable. I did a lot of looking for a bird. Saturday morning I had to go to work till 12 o'clock noon. When I returned home at 12:15 my wife nonchalantly told me she clocked a bird around 10 o'clock. I went into the loft and it was the bird I later called 'Abilene Jr.' He had flown the distance in 2 days, 2 hours and 58 minutes. 'Abilene Jr.' was then put into the Golden Cage and used for breeding only.

    In 1960. two years after Abilene Jr. made the good time. a bird I later called 'Ditto'. a full brother to Abilene Jr flew from the same 1000 mile station in 2 days. 4 hours. and 59 minutes. 'Ditto' won this race by a full 24 hours to the next bird home in the club, which was my bird called 'Spotty'. Spotty flew from the 1000 mile station a total of five times. During the period from 1958 till 1968, we had birds home almost every year on the 3rd and 4th day.

    In 1977, we participated in the 1000 mile race from Houston, Texas. This race has been known as the Atlantic Coast Thousand. We are over the 1000 mile dis- tance so we participated in 1977 and 1978. Lofts from North Carolina, South Carolina. Virginia. Maryland, Ohio, Michigan, and Indiana participated. Approximately 35 lofts with 105 to 140 birds were entered in this event. In 1977, Fort Wayne birds won 2nd and 3rd and in 1978 we won 1st and 3rd. The same 3 birds that in 1977 won 1st 2nd and 3rd came in 1st 2nd and 3rd in 1978 only in a different order. Is it coincidence, or does this tell us that some birds will come from the 1000 and some just won't? In the last 18 years, I have shipped a total of 66 birds to 1000 mile race stations and of this total of 66 birds. 48 have returned home. This is quite a good return home percentage.

    My family of birds which I call my Abilenes are a four way cross - the old Fort Wayne Trentons, Grooters, Bastins and Bricoux which I myself brought into Fort Wayne. I found back in the late 40's that this four way cross gave me everything I wanted in the way of good type and smart birds.

    I do admire long and wide flight feathers which is a characteristic of my birds. I do not like to ship a bird to the 1000 mile station until it has been to the 500 and 600, which means it must be in its 4th year of flying. I do not like to send yearlings to the 500 or 600. only to 275 miles. Then the 3rd year to 500 and 600.

    Now, how do I prepare the bird for a 1000 mile flight? The year that I intend to ship the bird to the 1000 mile race, I only enter it in the first 100 mile race of the season. Then for about three weeks before the 1000. I try to get the bird or birds to 50 miles about 3 times a week. and feed them quite heavy so they have good body.

    I like a cock bird on a 10 day old youngster and a hen on eggs about 12 to 14 days. I have had much better results with the cocks at 1000 than the hens.

    Here in the United States, popularity of a 1000 mile race seems to be gaining. More and newer clubs are sponsoring a 1000 mile race each year. In European countries a 1000 mile race is rare. There have been so many wonderful performances by fanciers in this country with birds of the Trenton background, I cannot but help think this All American strain should get more credit. They definitely have a stronger homing instinct and will work home from some of these SMASH races all clubs seem to be experiencing today."

    I respectfully thank my good friend and ATB member, Milton E. Haffner for per mitting me to quote the above information. Many fanciers will be happy to broaden their knowledge on the 1000 mile flights to better prepare them for the American Classics.

    The Trenton book, "I Kept Them Flying" by Conrad A. Mahr is being reprinted for the 4th time. It seems to be the best seller of all books.

Trivia

The old saying "Don't throw the baby out with the bathwater" is dicussed around the 9:30-minute mark in the History of the Bathtub starting around 7:46 of Episode 139: Showers and Tubs by Granite Ridge Builders posted July 10, 2020 on YouTube
Tile showers, garden tubs, glass doors - what are the trends and what are the perks of each? Between the Studs gives you the inside scoop on all you ever wanted to know (and more) on showers and tubs including the history, different materials used, and the popular styles and types used in new construction.
A couple online articles explain this historical phrase Mythbuster Friday: “Don’t Throw the Baby out with the Bathwater” August 7, 2015 by chaddsfordhistoricalsociety and Don’t throw the baby out with the bathwater on WorldWideWords.

1. In 1966, the famous “Blue Light Special” was invented by a Kmart manager in Fort Wayne, Indiana, who was seeking a way to make it easier for his customers to find the Christmas wrapping paper that he was clearing; the Blue Light Special went on to be adopted chainwide and become an American icon. Copied from Kmart Corporation on Encyclopdia.com.
2. Movies made here or about Fort Wayne.
3. Television shows with a real or fictional character from Fort Wayne.
4. Fireflies or lightning bugs? Pop or soda? Garage sale or yard sale?

   July 12, 2017 post by 5Bravo on Facebook:

   Some easy reading on cultural language differential in the US. With pictures to make it easier for the marines.

   Content credit goes to Josh Katz from his book, Speaking American. Check it out on Amazon or something.

5. September 4, 2023 post by The Public Domain Review on Facebook:

   Through a series of short stories and wonderful engravings, The Accidents of Youth (1819) is aimed at keeping young people out of trouble and "calculated to improve [their] moral conduct" — The Accidents of Youth (1819)

   The Accidents of youth : consisting of short histories, calculated to improve the moral conduct of children, and warn them of the many dangers to which they are exposed : illustrated by engravings, Publication date 1819 on Archive.org.

6. September 8, 2023 post by the Heritage Documentation Programs, NPS on Facebook:

   The more you know.

   We hate to bring up the subject of , but this post is historically interesting!

   Did you know that the federal government - through the Works Progress Administration (WPA) - built about 2.3 million outhouses during the 1930s and early 1940s?

   LEARN MORE

   Our fans of outhouses can see a variety of examples and designs in the HABS/HAER/HALS Collection in The Library of Congress at Search results containing "outhouse"

   #HistoricArchitecture #WPA #Outhouse #Latrine #Outbuilding #Privy #Watercloset #Dunny #Bog

   Shared the August 30, 2022 post by the Montana Historical Society on Facebook:

   Most Montanans have seen the inside of at least one outhouse, but did you know that the federal government built about 2.3 million outhouses during the 1930s and early 1940s? While the Depression-era Works Progress Administration (WPA) economic relief program is known for large-scale infrastructure projects like dams and civic centers, it also worked to improve rural sanitation and public health. The WPA provided the outhouse plans and labor, and the property owner provided the materials.

   Learn more about this outhouse on the Gehring Ranch near Helena on the Historic Montana website at https://historicmt.org/items/show/2810.

7. September 14, 2023 post by the Wabash County Historian on Facebook:

   YOU'VE COME A LONG WAY BABY! If your school picture is similar to this one then you were a teenager in the 1960s. Remember penny loafers, chains made out of chewing gum wrappers, SWAK, LYLAS, cherry vanilla cream cokes, hair curlers 1 inch round, mini or maxi dresses, scrapbooks with movie ticket stubs, the Beatles????

   Well here are some changes you may remember as well. The following list is of NINE things a woman couldn’t do in 1971.

   1. Get a Credit Card in her own name – it wasn’t until 1974 that a law forced credit card companies to issue cards to women without their husband’s signature.

   2. Be guaranteed that they wouldn’t be unceremoniously fired for the offense of getting pregnant – that changed with the Pregnancy Discrimination Act of *1978*!

   3. Serve on a jury - It varied by state (Utah deemed women fit for jury duty way back in 1879), but the main reason women were kept out of jury pools was that they were considered the center of the home, which was their primary responsibility as caregivers. They were also thought to be too fragile to hear the grisly details of crimes and too sympathetic by nature to be able to remain objective about those accused of offenses. In 1961, the Supreme Court unanimously upheld a Florida law that exempted women from serving on juries. It wasn't until 1973 that women could serve on juries in all 50 states.

   4. Fight on the front lines – admitted into military academies in 1976 it wasn’t until 2013 that the military ban on women in combat was lifted. (See Combat Exclusion Police of Jan 24, 2013.)Prior to 1973 women were only allowed in the military as nurses or support staff. However, there were exceptions Vicki Wallace Harris says “my daughter was a combat medic in Afghanistan in 2004/05 with the 25th ID, she was going to Forward Operating Bases(FOB’s) back then. She was outside Bagram Airfield quite a few times and carried weapons to help protect herself and her fellow soldiers if need be.”

   5. Get an Ivy League education, with the exceptions of Penn and Cornell, who began admitting women in 1870. Penn and Cornell are large universities and have always accepted hundreds of women in their entering classes. Yale and Princeton didn't accept female students until 1969. Harvard didn't admit women until 1977 (when it merged with the all-female Radcliffe College). Brown (which merged with women's college Pembroke), Dartmouth and Columbia did not offer admission to women until 1971, 1972 and 1981, respectively.

   Other case-specific instances allowed some women to take certain classes at Ivy League institutions (such as Barnard women taking classes at Columbia), but so many women in the '60s who harbored Ivy League dreams had to put them on hold. Some of you may remember when college dorms had curfew for women and having to sign out and in when going out of the dorm.

   6. Take legal action against workplace sexual harassment. Indeed the first time a court recognized office sexual harassment as grounds for any legal action was in 1977!

   7. Decide not to have sex if their husband wanted to – spousal rape wasn’t criminalized in all 50 states until 1993.

   8. Obtain health insurance at the same monetary rate as a man. Sex discrimination wasn’t outlawed in health insurance until 2010 and today many, including sitting elected officials at the Federal level, feel women don’t mind paying a little more.

   9.The birth control pill: Issues like reproductive freedom and a woman's right to decide when and whether to have children were only just beginning to be openly discussed in the 1960s. In 1957, the FDA approved of the birth control pill but only for "severe menstrual distress." In 1960, the pill was approved for use as a contraceptive. Even so, the pill was illegal in some states and could be prescribed only to married women for purposes of family planning.

   Jeanie McCarty shares “When dad died the electric company refused to place a security light on the backyard pole because the bill was in his name and mom, as a woman, wasn't considered credit worthy. This despite the fact that she worked at a manufacturing job. Also, girls on the high school basketball team only played half court. We were deemed too delicate to play full court.” Joy Wert says “We lived through archaic times.”

8. September 8, 2023 post by Downtown Fort Wayne on Facebook:

   A new report, New Americans in Allen County, released today by the American Immigration Council—in partnership with Amani Family Services, Inc., Downtown Fort Wayne, and Greater Fort Wayne Inc..—underscores the crucial role immigrants play in the region’s labor force, business creation, and consumer spending power.

   The new report was awarded to Amani Family Services, Downtown Fort Wayne, and Greater Fort Wayne Inc. as part of the Gateways for Growth Challenge, a competitive opportunity for localities to receive research support and/or technical assistance from the American Immigration Council and Welcoming America to improve immigrant inclusion in their communities.

   #GatewaysforGrowth #WelcomingWeek2023

9. September 14, 2023 post by Smithsonian Magazine on Facebook:

   Pink and blue arrived as colors for babies in the mid-19th century; yet, the two colors were not promoted as gender signifiers until just before World War I.

10. September 21, 2023 post by Family Tree Magazine on Facebook:

    "Learning the laws in place at the time of arrival—or any time within our US ancestors’ lifetimes—can help us better navigate the records that may be available, understand why they made certain choices at certain times, and contextualize the lives of our immigrant ancestors."

    A Timeline of US Immigration Law for Genealogists

11. September 22, 2023 post by The History Center on Facebook:

    Every day when getting dressed, you are reliant on the art and skill of sewing. Sewing is the craft of fastening or attaching objects together using stitches made with needle and thread. It is one of the oldest of the textile arts, and archeologists have found evidence at multiple prehistoric sites. For thousands of years, all sewing was done by hand. The invention of the sewing machine in the 19th Century and the rise of computerization in the 20th Century led to mass production and export of sewn objects, but hand sewing is still practiced all around the world. National Sewing Month has been celebrated in the United States since 1982. President Ronald Reagan proclaimed that National Sewing Month would take place in September. Take sometime this month to appreciate the hard work or even participate in some sewing activities! #sociallyhistory

Videos

From The Journal Gazette newspaper

On Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/journalgazette/videos

On Vimeo over 4,000 videos in 2016: https://vimeo.com/thejournalgazette

See our Journal Gazette section.

From The News-Sentinel newspaper

News-Sentinel.com videos: http://www.news-sentinel.com/videos/

On Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/thenewssentinel/videos

See our News-Sentinel section.

Let's Talk: Labor Unions Jan 10, 2023 by Allen County Public Library on YouTube
The Genealogy Center This Let's Talk! session will focus on the history of labor unions and resources for research. These quarterly programs are a continuation of the partnership between the Allen County Public Library Genealogy Center and the Indiana Historical Society to encourage conversations on themes of interest to family historians.

eBooks

See our eBooks page.

Over 900 pages of Biographical Sketches in Memorial record of northeastern Indiana published in 1896 by Lewis Publishing Company of Chicago.

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Keys to the Fort

The Key to the Fort goes to individuals who’ve made an extraordinary commitment to the community through a lifetime of stewardship and involvement. The Key is a hand forged replica of the iron key that was at the Fort in the days of Anthony Wayne, circa 1790. The original key is at the History Center. Recipients include the late Charles Redd, a former City Council member and community activist, the late Jane Avery of Community Harvest Food Bank of Northeast Indiana, Bob Chase, legendary Fort Wayne Komets broadcaster and WOWO personality, Belinda Lewis of Animal Care and Control.

Citizens of the Year

Since 1988 The Journal Gazette newspaper has selected a Citizen of the Year. See Past Citizens of the Year Dec 31, 2022 in The Journal Gazette newspaper. See our Journal Gazette section.

2022: Zachary Benedict, MKM architect with a vision for the city. Citizen of the Year: Zachary Benedict Janaury 1, 2023 in The Journal Gazette newspaper.

2021: Nancy Stewart, Susan Mendenhall, arts community influencers. Nancy Stewart, Susan Mendenhall Editorial Board Dec 26, 2021 Updated Jun 3, 2022 in The Journal Gazette newspaper.

2020: Mindy Waldron, Allen County Health Department administrator. Mindy Waldron CITIZEN OF THE YEAR Dec 27, 2020 in The Journal Gazette newspaper.

2019: Pastor Javier Mondragon, Bridge of Grace community development organization. Javier Mondragon Dec 29, 2019 in The Journal Gazette newspaper.

2018: Patti Hays, Marilyn Moran-Townsend, Rachel Tobin-Smith and Faith Van Gilder, founders of Advancing Voices of Women. The founders of AVOW Patti Hays, Marilyn Moran-Townsend, Rachel Tobin-Smith, Faith Van Gilder Dec 30, 2018 in The Journal Gazette newspaper.

2017: Dr. Deborah McMahan, Fort Wayne-Allen County health commissioner. Dr. Deborah McMahan Dec 31, 2017 in The Journal Gazette newspaper. See our section on Dr. Deborah McMahan.

2016: Dan Wire, advocate for the rivers. Dan Wire December 31, 2016 in The Journal Gazette newspaper. See our section on Dan Wire.

2015: Chuck Surack, founder and president of Sweetwater. Chuck Surack December 27, 2015 in The Journal Gazette newspaper now on the Internet Archive Wayback Machine. See our Chuck Surack section.

2014: FWCS Superintendent Wendy Robinson and Board President Mark GiaQuinta. The Journal Gazette Citizens of the Year published December 28, 2014 in The Journal Gazette newspaper now on the Internet Archive Wayback Machine. See Wendy Robinson section.

2013: Michael Packnett, president and CEO of Parkview Health System. See Michael Packnett section.

2012: Irene Walters, executive director of university relations at IPFW, community volunteer. See Irene Walters section.

2011: Larry Wardlaw, chairman of Fort Wayne Metropolitan Human Relations Commission, community volunteer. See Larry Wardlaw section.

2010: Meg Distler, executive director of the St. Joseph Community Health Foundation, and Minn Myint Nan Tin, executive director of the Burmese Advocacy Center

2009: Lynn Reecer, co-founder and president of Aboite New Trails

2008: Jane Avery, executive director of Community Harvest Food Bank. See our Jane Avery section.

2007: Jeff Krull, director of the Allen County Public Library. See our Jeff Krull section.

2006: Hana Stith, founder and curator of the African/African-American Museum. See Hana Stith section.

2005: John Stafford, director of the Community Research Institute at IPFW

2004: Shirley Woods, founder of the Euell A. Wilson Center

2003: Donald Andorfer, Sister Elise Kriss, university presidents; Chancellor Mike Wartell

2002: Judges Fran Gull, Steve Sims and John Surbeck, court reform activists

2001: Jim Kelley, philanthropist

2000: Rosetta Moses Hill, education activist

1999: Father Tom O’Connor, founder, St. Mary’s Soup Kitchen

1998: Phil, Joann, Matt, Glen and Ryan Nixon, activists for bike trails, traffic safety

1997: Jane Novak, mental health advocate

1996: Ternae Jordan, Stop the Madness founder

1995: Ian Rolland, Lincoln National CEO, community activist. See our Ian Rolland section.

1994: Irene Walters, Mike Hawfield and Patty Martone, Fort Wayne bicentennial organizers

1993: Jane and Tom Dustin, environmentalists. See our Dustin section.

1992: Joyce Schlatter, Fort Wayne Community Foundation specialist

1991: Don Wolf, founder of Big Brothers Big Sisters of Greater Fort Wayne and Fort Wayne Community Schools Study Connection

1990: Brenda Robinson, director of Old Fort YMCA

1989: Dr. David Porter, child abuse prevention specialist/advocate

1988: Paul Clarke, philanthropist and founder of Fort Wayne Community Foundation

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