Genealogy Gems: News from the Fort Wayne Library, No. 42, August 31, 2007 | <– Date –> <– Thread –> |
From: Genealogy Gems (genealogygemsgenealogycenter.info) | |
Date: Fri, 31 Aug 2007 18:11:56 -0700 (PDT) |
Genealogy Gems: News from the Fort Wayne Library No. 42, August 31, 2007 In this issue: *Hot August Nights! *1798 Rebellion Papers *Atlantic Canadians – Maine Soldiers *Preservation Tip of the Month *Area Calendar of Events *Family History Month Reminder *Driving Directions to the Library *Parking at the Library *Queries for the Department *************************************** Hot August Nights! by Curt B. Witcher *************************************** Yes, there have been some hot, muggy nights across so much of the nation over the past month. But part of the "hot" we experienced here were the nights of the Federation of Genealogical Societies' conference in Fort Wayne the week of August 13th when the Grand Wayne Center and the Allen County Public Library were ablaze with genealogical activity. Almost 1500 genealogists from around the country and as far away as New Zealand spent nearly a week in Fort Wayne learning from the dozens of lectures presented each day, exploring a packed vendor hall, networking with other genealogists, and discovering new branches of their family with the resources of the Genealogy Center. The Center was open early three days of the conference week and stayed open until midnight twice during the event. Family historians left Fort Wayne tired, but very happy. We look forward to our next opportunity to host such a spectacular, "hot" event! We continue to believe in the old phone company invitation to "reach out and touch someone." This month, a number of new virtual offerings were launched. We developed two online tutorials based on print publications crafted by the Center. They are meant to assist those who are just beginning their genealogical adventures. The first tutorial is entitled "The Mystery of Your Family History." It approaches family history as though you are a detective working on a case. It has a very nice list of terms a true beginner will find helpful. "How to Start Researching Your Family Tree" is the second tutorial which takes a bit more traditional approach to beginning family history research. Both have fillable PDF documents to help one get started, and both are linked off the Center's "Getting Started" web page. <www.ACPL.Infos/Genealogy/getstart.html> This past month, colleague and reference librarian John Beatty and his wife recorded a very useful orientation to the Genealogy Center. We invite you to take a walking tour with the Beattys and learn about the resources of the Center. It is a most informative piece if you want to learn about our new facility and more efficiently use your time while in the Center. Some of you may have already viewed the video on YouTube as Dick Eastman announced it in his newsletter a number of days ago. That orientation is also available for viewing at RootsTelevision.com. And speaking of RootsTelevision, to celebrate the launch of their Societies and Libraries & Archives channels they are sponsoring a contest in which the organization that drives the most traffic to their website between now and October 31st will win $1000! So I invite you and your friends to take a look at RootsTelevision and view a program or two during the next couple of months by clicking on the RootsTelevision link found at <www.GenealogyCenter.Info>. Finally, through the efforts of one of the Center's summer staff, 49,381 detailed records were added to our online Microtext Catalog from the end of May through the first of August. If you haven't had a chance to take a look at our vast holdings in a microtext format, you might want to click on <www.genealogycenter.info/search_microtext.php> and take a look around. You could be pleasantly surprised by what you find. *************************************** 1798 Rebellion Papers by Steven W. Myers *************************************** The Genealogy Center recently acquired microfilmed copies of the 1798 Rebellion Papers from the National Archives of Ireland. The bulk of this important series of papers date from 1796-1805 and consist of correspondence to Dublin Castle from a variety of informants keeping authorities abreast of developments in counties "disturbed" by the seditious activities of the United Irishmen. This secret society hoped to wrest control of the country from the English by building a republican coalition of Catholics, Presbyterians and other Protestants. Their failed revolt in 1798 left as many as 30,000 people dead, many falling victim to atrocities committed by both sides away from the battlefields. For the genealogist, the rebellion is strategically placed just one generation before the beginning of most Catholic or Presbyterian Church registers. The voluminous manuscript records and substantial published literature created by and about the rising provide a vivid snapshot of Ireland and its people. Besides the extensive correspondence mentioned above, the Rebellion Papers also contain records of courts martial, many lists of prisoners and surrendering rebels, and prisoner's petitions. For some localities a virtual census of families may be constructed. Even in counties where fighting did not occur, government surveillance of United Irishmen activities throughout the 1790s generated a rich source of documentation. The Rebellion Papers Calendar, in five volumes, lists and describes each individual document or group of documents in the collection, providing a reference number that will lead researchers to the correct roll of microfilm. As an example, box 4, folder 53, items 1-14 are "Lists of rebels who surrendered [in] Queen's Co., 1798." These lists contain a combined total of 2361 names with varying descriptive information for each person. Some provide only the name, occupation, parish and weapon surrendered. Others add the age or specific townland of residence, and one even provides the person's height and color of complexion and hair. For genealogists descended from rebel and loyalist exiles, or whose families left Ireland later in the aftermath of the famine, the archives of 1798 offer one of the few opportunities to trace a family's history beyond the beginning of church registers. The microfilmed 1798 Rebellion Papers and the associated Rebellion Papers Calendar are sources worth exploring for the local history of a turbulent time in Ireland or for that genealogical tidbit that will further your research. *************************************** Atlantic Canadians – Maine Soldiers by Delia Cothrun Bourne *************************************** The foreign-born soldier was not an oddity during the Civil War, with entire regiments composed of natives of Germany or Ireland serving both sides of the fray, and many Canadians crossing the border to serve in various, primarily Union regiments. Many Atlantic Canadians from New Brunswick, Nova Scotia, Prince Edward Island and Newfoundland already lived in Maine before the War, and some of these men, as well as others from that area in Canada, joined Maine Regiments for patriotic or ethical reasons, or for cash in the form of a bounty or payment as a substitute. Daniel F. Johnson examined more than 70,000 cards located in the Maine State Archives on these soldiers to compile "The American Civil War: the Service Records of Atlantic Canadians with the State of Maine Volunteers" (973.74 M28JD). Johnson's explanation at the beginning of the book details the problems and discrepancies that occur with some of these soldiers, including the recruiter's clerical errors and the use of aliases. Listed by soldier's name, entry information might include age and marital status, physical description, occupation, birth place and residence, enlistment, muster and discharge information, regiment and company. As each community had to supply a specific quota of recruits, an indication is also made of which town was credited with the enlistment. Occupations are listed, from the most common farmers, lumbermen, laborers, and sailors to shoemakers and blacksmiths. Transfers, desertions or absences are also noted. Some men served out their term of enlistment, like 25-year-old Frederick L. McDonald, a New Brunswick farmer, who enlisted in November, 1863 and mustered out in Florida in December, 1865. Others deserted, either immediately, like Andrew Gillis, 22, of Cape Breton who enlisted in the 17th Maine Infantry on 4 August 1862, then deserted while the regiment was embarking on the train to leave for Washington, or later, like Benjamin Laboree, a New Brunswick laborer, who enlisted in August, 1864 as a substitute for Joseph S. Wheelwright, a merchant of Bangor. Laboree deserted to the enemy near Petersburg, Virginia. But others were just unlucky, like Nicholas Summers of Andover, New Brunswick, who joined the 1st District of Columbia Cavalry in September, 1861 for a term of three years, was discharged in February, 1863 for disability, and re-enlisted February, 1864 in the 1st Maine Cavalry, then died in prison on November 11, 1864. The volume also contains lists of Atlantic Canadians by regiment, those killed in action, or who died of wounds, died of disease, died in a Rebel prison, or just died. Reading through the entries is a fascinating look at a specific group of soldiers and an interesting source for Atlantic Canadians. *************************************** Preservation Tip of the Month by Becky Schipper *************************************** You may want to scan your photos, documents, and records into electronic files to share with family. When doing this be careful of small, auto-feed scanners that may harm your material. It is best to scan on a flat-bed scanner, where the risk of harm is minimal. If you want to make an electronic record of your documents or photos, you will want to use a scanner that will allow you to save in a number of formats (e.g. tif, jpg, pdf, etc.). A tif image is still widely recognized as the preferred archival format. The files can then be stored on CD or DVD. *************************************** Area Calendar of Events *************************************** Allen County Genealogical Society of Indiana (ACGSI) +Sep. 12, 2007 at 6:30 pm at the Allen County Public Library's Main Library, 900 Library Plaza, Fort Wayne. Genealogy Center manager Curt Witcher will speak about updates in the Genealogy Center in his presentation entitled, "New Building, A New Name, A New Beginning." +Oct. 10, 2007 at 6:30 pm at the Allen County Public Library's Main Library, 900 Library Plaza, Fort Wayne. John Kalb of the Indiana Postal History Society will speak about early correspondence and stampless folded letters. +Nov. 14, 2007 at 6:30 pm at the Allen County Public Library's Main Library, 900 Library Plaza, Fort Wayne. John Hannigan will speak about 21st Century military veterans of Allen County and an effort to record them. Daughters of the American Revolution (DAR) "First Wednesday" program of lineage assistance is Wednesday, May 2nd from 9 am – 7 pm. Expert help from members of the DAR on becoming a member of that organization. *************************************** Family History Month Reminder *************************************** There is an awesome listing of programs lined-up for this October, Family History Month 2007. We'd love for you to join us! Click on the following link to see the details. <www.ACPL.Info/Genealogy/programs.html> *************************************** Driving Directions to the Library *************************************** Wondering how to get to the library? Our location is 900 Library Plaza, Fort Wayne, Indiana, on the block bordered on the south by Washington Boulevard, the west by Ewing Street, the north by Wayne Street, and the east by the Library Plaza, formerly Webster Street. We would enjoy having you visit the Genealogy Department. To get directions from your exact location to 900 Library Plaza, Fort Wayne, Indiana, visit this link at MapQuest: http://www.mapquest.com/maps/map.adp?formtype=address&addtohistory=&address=900%20Webster%20St&city=Fort%20Wayne&state=IN&zipcode=46802%2d3602&country=US&geodiff=1 >From the South Exit Interstate 69 at exit 102. Drive east on Jefferson Boulevard into downtown. Turn left on Ewing Street. The Library is one block north, at Ewing Street and Washington Boulevard. Using US 27: US 27 turns into Lafayette Street. Drive north into downtown. Turn left at Washington Boulevard and go five blocks. The Library will be on the right. >From the North Exit Interstate 69 at exit 112. Drive south on Coldwater Road, which merges into Clinton Street. Continue south on Clinton to Washington Boulevard. Turn right on Washington and go three blocks. The Library will be on the right. >From the West Using US 30: Drive into town on US 30. US 30 turns into Goshen Road. Coming up to an angled street (State Street) and make an angled left turn. Turn right on Wells Street. Go south on Wells to Wayne Street. Turn left on Wayne Street. The Library will be in the second block on the right. Using US 24: After crossing under Interstate 69, follow the same directions as from the South. >From the East Follow US 30/then 930 into and through New Haven, under an overpass into downtown Fort Wayne. You will be on Washington Blvd. when you get into downtown. Library Plaza will be on the right. *************************************** Parking at the Library *************************************** At the Library, underground parking can be accessed from Wayne Street. Other library parking lots are at Washington and Webster, and Wayne and Webster. Hourly parking is $1 per hour with a $7 maximum. ACPL library card holders may use their cards to validate the parking ticket at the west end of the Great Hall of the Library. Out of county residents may purchase a subscription card with proof of identification and residence. The current fee for an Individual Subscription Card is $70. Public lots are located at the corner of Ewing and Wayne Streets ($1 each for the first two half-hours, $1 per hour after, with a $4 per day maximum) and the corner of Jefferson Boulevard and Harrison Street ($3 per day). Street (metered) parking on Ewing and Wayne Streets. On the street you plug the meters 8am – 5pm, weekdays only. It is free to park on the street after 5pm and on the weekends. Visitor center/Grand Wayne Center garage at Washington and Clinton Streets. This is the Hilton Hotel parking lot that also serves as a day parking garage. For hourly parking, 7am – 11 pm, charges are .50 for the first 45 minutes, then $1.00 per hour. There is a flat $2.00 fee between 5pm and 11pm. *************************************** Genealogy Center Queries *************************************** The Genealogy Center hopes you find this newsletter interesting. Thank you for subscribing. We cannot, however, answer personal research emails written to the e-zine address. The department houses a Research Center that makes photocopies and conducts research for a fee. If you have a general question about our collection, or are interested in the Research Center, please telephone the library and speak to a librarian who will be glad to answer your general questions or send you a research center form. Our telephone number is 260-421-1225. If you'd like to email a general information question about the department, please email: Genealogy [at] ACPL.Info. *************************************** Publishing Note: *************************************** This electronic newsletter is published by the Allen County Public Library's Genealogy Center, and is intended to enlighten readers about genealogical research methods as well as inform them about the vast resources of the Allen County Public Library. We welcome the wide distribution of this newsletter and encourage readers to forward it to their friends and societies. All precautions have been made to avoid errors. However, the publisher does not assume any liability to any party for any loss or damage caused by errors or omissions, no matter the cause. To subscribe to "Genealogy Gems," simply use your browser to go to the website: www.FriendsOfAllenCounty.org. Scroll down toward the bottom of the first screen where it says, "Enter Your Email Address to Subscribe to "Genealogy Gems." Enter your email address in the yellow box and click on "Subscribe." You will be notified with a confirmation email. If you do not want to receive this e-zine, please follow the link at the very bottom of the issue of GenealogyGems you just received or send an email to kspears [at] acpl.lib.in.us with "unsubscribe e-zine" in the subject line. Curt Witcher, editor pro-tem
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