Genealogy Gems: News from the Fort Wayne Library No. 80, October 31, 2010 | <– Date –> <– Thread –> |
From: Genealogy Gems (genealogygemsgenealogycenter.info) | |
Date: Sun, 31 Oct 2010 16:53:13 -0700 (PDT) |
Genealogy Gems: News from the Fort Wayne Library No. 80, October 31, 2010 In this issue: *Start Sharing the News! *Confederate Cemeteries *Searching for War of 1812 POWs *Technology Tip of the Month--Understanding the “Lock Anchor” *Preservation Tip of the Month--Fixing a Weak or Wobbly Hinge *A New Website for The Genealogy Center--GenealogyCenter.org *WinterTech 2010-2011 *Librarians on Parade *Area Calendar of Events *Driving Directions to the Library *Parking at the Library *Queries for The Genealogy Center *************************************** Start Sharing the News! by Curt B. Witcher *************************************** We just finished a small but mighty seminar we called “Start Sharing the News!” and I want to share some of the information discussed in the various sessions that were presented. The emphasis of the presentations was on deploying today’s technology to preserve the family history data we’ve collected, to collaborate with other interested individuals in an effort to do better research, and to find new ways of sharing our own research findings with future generations of family members and researchers. There were presentations on Flickr, WeRelate, and the cataloging of 3-D heirlooms, as well as a session on being creative with one’s family history online, which discussed how wikis, blogs, webpages, Facebook, and other online environments can allow us to view, share, and use our research from anywhere in the world. While most have heard of Flickr, more genealogists need to actively use it to preserve and share photograph and document images. All one needs to get started on Flickr is a Yahoo account, which is obtainable at no cost. The free version of Flickr provides neat sharing opportunities by allowing you to upload two hundred images each month. You can create appropriate captions for your images, group your images by categories that you determine, and decide who can view your images. The professional (Pro) version of Flickr allows you to upload unlimited numbers of images. Power users of Flickr have more than ten thousand images in their online Flickr accounts. And the cost for the professional version of Flickr is just twenty-five dollars per year. Imagine the fun of showing up at your next reunion or holiday gathering with your virtual photo album--and all you need is an Internet connection to access it. Add to that the advantages of having a “back-up” copy of your images, and Flickr is certainly worth a look if you’re not already using it. If you think Flickr is not secure or just a passing fad, think again. A significant number of respected institutions are using Flickr to post their images. The Library of Congress, for example, has tens of thousands of photographic images on their Flickr site. You can hardly be “connected” in any way these days without hearing about blogs, yet it is interesting how many genealogists are not engaged in blogging--using blogs to share, collaborate, and preserve. I fear there may be a tendency to think of blogs as geeky, technical, difficult to set-up, and hard to use. Nothing could be further from the truth. You can set up a blog for free and it’s really easy to do--even I managed it with no assistance. Go to the genealogy section of About.com and search on “blogs” to discover just how easy it is. While people can post anything and everything on their blogs, genealogists can use them to post information about their genealogical research. Just as you can categorize your images on Flickr, you can categorize your postings on a blog--so you can have a category for each family line you’re searching, each geographic area of interest, each time period, etc. Through the use of a blog, you can not only post a description of your family data and the research you’ve done, you can also post images of the documents you’ve encountered, the handwriting you’re having difficulty reading, or the castle in Ireland you believe might have belonged to an ancestor. You can present your research challenges as well as research conclusions. Others can look at the work you’ve done and provide their own comments or suggest the next best steps in your research as well as specific sources (virtual and actual) that you may want to consult for further data. Many genealogy bloggers have found cousins and other relatives only because they have a blog--how cool is that?! Google and other search engines crawl the web, indexing names and terms in your blog. When that happens, your family data can be found by others interested in the same name or geographic area. As with most of these sharing programs, you can determine if your blog is public or private, and if you are going to allow comments on your blog posts. Depending on how you set up your blog postings, you can actually use your blog to take your research with you without taking that extra briefcase (or luggage bag) of paperwork. You can even use your blog as your family’s genealogy webpage or your research website. Wikis and their application to genealogy were also discussed frequently in our “Start Sharing the News!” program. You might think of wikis as blogs on steroids. There are a number of ways you can set up your own wiki for free, or better, take advantage of the largest genealogy wiki already available for free, WeRelate.org. At WeRelate.org, you will find pages for more than 1.8 million people, and it grows every day. As mentioned, it is free to use--both for contributing data and for searching the data already posted. As with Flickr and blogs, posting data to WeRelate accomplishes three important things for genealogists--it provides us with an amazing opportunity to share our data with interested others, it gives us real-time collaborative opportunities, and it helps preserve our information in a digital format, posturing against disasters of fire and flood that often obliterate family archives. Wiki software allows one to post data of all kinds, including images, and it allows others to contribute their knowledge and data to your posts. It is the ultimate in collaborative tools. As an example, I could create a wiki page about Jasper, Indiana on WeRelate and post some information about Fairview Cemetery, and the Englerts and Schucks that are buried there. Another researcher interested in Jasper, Indiana could post information about the Dubois County Genealogical Society, and provide links to the society’s membership application and the Jasper Public Library, adding to the initial data I contributed. I could mistakenly post information on St. Joseph’s Lutheran church and another researcher could correct me, indicating that the two Lutheran churches in Jasper are St. John’s and St. Paul’s, and that St. Joseph’s is the famous Catholic church of the Rev. Joseph Kundek. With WeRelate in particular, you can upload your GEDCOM files as well as digitized copies of photographs and other family documents. You can also include as many family stories and biographical sketches as you would like. All the information is searchable through the indexing that is automatically done on the site. You can even use WeRelate to catalog your family heirlooms and artifacts, describing them and telling the stories associated with each item. Whether you decide to upload images to Flickr, to start a blog in which you can share family information, or to become an active user of WeRelate, this is a great time of year to begin such a venture or to commit more time to something you may have started a while ago. See what you can accomplish before the holidays. Even with the precious few days remaining before Thanksgiving, you will be surprised at what you can achieve. What a neat family activity after that wonderful Thanksgiving meal or after gift exchanges at Christmas or Hanukkah--to share information and images about your ancestral family. Get started today—you'll be glad you did. *************************************** Confederate Cemeteries by Melissa Shimkus *************************************** Following the Civil War, the federal government created seventy-two national cemeteries for the burial of Union soldiers. In addition, in 1879, Congress permitted Union veterans not entombed in these federal cemeteries to receive government headstones. No corresponding federal actions to provide gravesites or headstones for Confederate soldiers were legislated. Instead, these services were performed at the local level by the Confederate Memorial Association and other patriotic organizations, as well as by local and state governments. Records of these southern efforts are scattered and can be difficult for genealogists to locate and access. One helpful source is “Confederate Cemeteries” volumes one and two (973.74 AA1hugh) by Mark Hughes. The set’s title is a bit misleading because the first two volumes only cover cemeteries in Virginia, but more than 20,000 burials are listed including those of some two hundred Union soldiers and about twenty civilians. One example of a civilian burial included in this work is that of fourteen year old Nanie Horan, killed 15 March 1863 in the explosion of C.S. Laboratory, a gunpowder plant, and buried in Shockoe Cemetery in Richmond. Source material for these volumes included tombstone inscriptions, cemetery records, unpublished manuscripts and burial lists from patriotic organizations, local, state and national archives. Introductory matter in the books includes a section on how to use them, keys to the sources, a history of post-war burial efforts, and descriptions of each cemetery covered. The lengthy list of burials in each volume is arranged alphabetically by the name of the deceased and provides each person’s state, unit, date of death or burial and place of burial. For example, J.T. Bookout of the 7th Georgia, H. Saunders of the 4th Virginia, and Corporal Emory Cook of the 9th South Carolina died in the Confederate Hospital at the University of Virginia in Charlottesville. The final resting places of the first two men can be determined using the reference number key and cemetery descriptions provided by the author. Bookout’s data notes that he died 17 November 1861 of disease and was buried in the Charlottesville Soldier’s Cemetery. Saunders died in 1861 and was buried in Maplewood Cemetery in Charlottesville. Cook died 20 January 1862 of pneumonia, but no place of burial is given. With no centralized collection of burial information for Confederate soldiers, a resource such as the “Confederate Cemeteries” volumes is important to genealogists despite its limited focus. *************************************** Searching for War of 1812 POWs by Delia Cothrun Bourne *************************************** In 1812, the United States was still struggling with the British Empire over trade restrictions, impressments of American seaman and other issues, in spite of having won its independence almost thirty years earlier. These difficulties resulted in the War of 1812 – the so-called Second War of Independence. During that war, eight percent of American soldiers and seamen were captured by the British. The Genealogy Center has two sets of microfilm that provide information on these prisoners. “Records Relating to War of 1812 Prisoners of War” (NARA M2019) is one reel of microfilm containing some 94 manuscripts of various lengths that document the care and exchange of prisoners. The records relate to American soldiers held in England, Canada and on prisoner of war ships. Many of the manuscripts are accounts of clothing provided by the United States for men held by British forces, while others include lists of soldiers captured or held, prisoner exchanges, and a rather gruesome accounting of fatal wounds. Lists of prisoners may note rank and regiment, when and where captured and disposition – usually death, exchange or parole. Three additional reels of microfilm titled “Index Relating to the War of 1812 Prisoners of War” (NARA M1747) assist researchers in locating a specific soldier in these manuscript materials. Cards in this set are arranged alphabetically, usually note the soldier’s regiment, and include manuscript citations. This index and images of the cited manuscripts are both available online at Ancestry.com. The Genealogy Center also holds “Records Relating to American Prisoners of War, 1812-1815, in the Public Records Office, London” on eleven reels of microfilm. These records include manuscript material concerning prisoners held in Halifax, Quebec, Newfoundland, England and various other locations, but have more information than the NARA microfilms. Prisoners’ entries are arranged by unique prisoner number and include details of capture, date and place (often longitude and latitude), name of “prize” (ship on which the prisoner was taken) and its classification, prisoner’s name, rank, disposition date and details, and where the prisoner went after release, among other information. Some manuscripts also provide age, physical description and whether the prisoner was supplied with bedding and clothing. Other lists note prisoners in hospital, deaths, parolees and those who volunteered for the Royal Navy. With the bicentennial of the War of 1812 nearing, it is timely to focus on sources that spotlight the soldiers and sailors who served and suffered for their country. *************************************** Technology Tip of the Month--Understanding the “Lock Anchor” by Kay Spears *************************************** Last month, when we discussed inserting photographs into Microsoft Word, we explored the “move object with text” option located in the Format Picture dialog box. This month, we are going to continue with one other option in that box. Any inserted objects (this includes pictures, clip art and text box) will be “inline” by default. They are converted to “floating” objects only when we wrap text around them. All floating objects are anchored to the paragraph that contains the initial insertion point. The tricky part is you can still move that object around on the page. However, if you ever delete the initial insertion point (regardless of where you have moved the object), that object will be deleted also. This is because the object’s anchor was locked to the point you deleted. To prevent such an accidental deletion, go back to the Format Picture dialog box> Layout>Advanced>Picture Position>Options and uncheck “lock anchor.” Now, if you move the object elsewhere on the page, the anchor will move along with it and there should be no more accidental deletions. You can view the anchor if you have your Show/Hide symbol on. The Show/Hide symbol is located on the toolbar and looks a bit like a backward P. Next month: Inserting Images into Shapes Using Microsoft Word. *************************************** Preservation Tip of the Month--Fixing a Weak or Wobbly Hinge by Becky Schipper *************************************** To fix this common problem, you will need to apply adhesive in the gap between the spine and the book’s endpaper (which is glued to the inside of the front or back cover). Using a knitting needle or Plexiglas rod makes this task much easier. I keep adhesive in a small dishwashing detergent bottle with a hole in its cap just slightly larger than the diameter of the applicator. This helps coat the applicator evenly and keeps the mess to a minimum. Once your applicator is coated with adhesive, insert it in the gap between the spine and endpaper. Twirl it around several times to get good coverage. Place wax paper over the endpaper and rub down with a bone folder. Wipe off any excess adhesive that oozes from under the endpaper at both the top and bottom. Lay the book flat and apply weights or stand it on its spine to dry. This repair should be checked to see that it is drying unwrinkled after 30 minutes. Re-rub, then re-weight until it is dry. *************************************** A New Website for The Genealogy Center--GenealogyCenter.org by Curt B. Witcher *************************************** The Genealogy Center of the Allen County Public Library launched a new website on October 11, 2010. It is found at www.GenealogyCenter.org. The new site provides easier access to The Center’s online resources and is a big step forward in giving researchers the best possible experience and the most success in finding what they need, whether they are visiting us virtually or visiting us in person. Some of the very useful resources that can be accessed via the new website’s top-anchored navigation bar include the free databases and portals that The Genealogy Center has developed, including the African American Gateway, Family Bible Records and Our Military Heritage. The African American Gateway combines more than 1,000 links to Internet sites for African American research with bibliographic information on African American sources in The Genealogy Center’s collection. The rather new Family Bible Records site features digitized images of bible records that patrons have allowed The Center to scan and upload. These have been transcribed and are searchable. Our Military Heritage is a cornucopia of digitized images of military records and photographs stretching from the Colonial era to the current war in Afghanistan. The Center also has an ever-growing collection of state-specific databases available free for patrons, with a heavy concentration on Allen County, Indiana information. “Ask a Librarian” is a popular feature of the Allen County Public Library’s website as a whole. Now patrons can ask a genealogy librarian their reference questions directly from The Genealogy Center’s website. While we cannot do your research for you, our genealogy specialists can help you determine what we have available among our resources and how you can best access it. The site also features direct links to the book and microtext catalogs as well as to The Center’s orientation video that can help visitors make the most efficient use of their time once here. The Genealogy Center’s website is the launchpad to a number of other resources, including full-text books that have been digitized by Internet Archives and the Family History Archive Project, The Center’s pathfinders to various areas of research, and the Community Album, a collection of historical photographs for the surrounding area. The website is also the place to discover all of the details about upcoming classes and seminars. Additional Genealogy Center news is available through The Center’s blog, Facebook page and by subscribing to the department ezine, all accessed through convenient links from the new website. The website is the culmination of several months of work with internal staff and local web developers. We are pleased that our virtual presence now more completely and aesthetically represents the outstanding physical collection that has served the genealogical community for half a century. *************************************** WinterTech 2010-2011 *************************************** As the weather cools down, make sure that doesn’t happen to your research! Instead, warm up your genealogical technology skills at The Genealogy Center by attending one of our WinterTech lectures. On the second Tuesday of each month, from November through February, enjoy a full day of genealogy by getting in some research, then attending the WinterTech class at 2:30 PM, and staying for the Allen County Genealogy Society of Indiana's monthly meeting at 7:00 PM. On November 10, join Cynthia Theusch as she explains "Preserving Your Genealogy Research and Documents Using WeRelate." The class will explore how WeRelate.org can prevent the loss of your genealogical research. Learn how to upload and download GEDCOM files, documents, and photos. Future WinterTech classes will feature Delia Bourne discussing "Net Treats" in December, Melissa Shimkus "Becoming Expert at Using Ancestry" in January, and Dawne Slater-Putt "Exploring the Ever Expanding FamilySearch" in February. Call 260-421-1225 to register, or send us an email at Genealogy [at] ACPL.Info . *************************************** Librarians on Parade in November & December 2010 *************************************** Curt Witcher December 8, 2010--Allen County Public Library, 900 Library Plaza, Fort Wayne, Indiana. 6:30 p.m. refreshments, 7 p.m. program. Curt Witcher will present “Revolutionary War and War of 1812 Research.” John Beatty November 10, 2010--Allen County Public Library, 900 Library Plaza, Fort Wayne, Indiana. 6:30 p.m. refreshments, 7 p.m. program. John Beatty will present “Allen County Maps Over the Years.” Delia Bourne December 8, 2010-- Allen County Public Library, 900 Library Plaza, Fort Wayne, Indiana, Meeting Room C, 2:30 p.m. Delia Bourne will present “’Net Treats.” Cynthia Theusch Allen County Public Library, 900 Library Plaza, Fort Wayne, Indiana, Globe Room, 2:30 p.m. Cynthia Theusch will present “Preserving Your Genealogy Research and Documents Using WeRelate.” *************************************** Area Calendar of Events *************************************** Allen County Genealogical Society of Indiana (ACGSI) November 10, 2010--Allen County Public Library, 900 Library Plaza, Fort Wayne, Indiana. 6:30 p.m. refreshments, 7 p.m. program. John Beatty will present “Allen County Maps Over the Years.” Allen County-Fort Wayne Historical Society, 302 East Berry, Ft. Wayne, IN November 3, 2010, 2 p.m.—Joe Krom will present “Between Two Cultures: The Home of William Wells and Sweet Breeze at Fort Wayne." *************************************** Driving Directions to the Library *************************************** Wondering how to get to the library? Our location is 900 Library Plaza, Fort Wayne, Indiana, in the block bordered on the south by Washington Boulevard, the west by Ewing Street, the north by Wayne Street, and the east by the Library Plaza, formerly Webster Street. We would enjoy having you visit the Genealogy Center. To get directions from your exact location to 900 Library Plaza, Fort Wayne, Indiana, visit this link at MapQuest: http://www.mapquest.com/maps/map.adp?formtype=address&addtohistory=&address=900%20Webster%20St&city=Fort%20Wayne&state=IN&zipcode=46802%2d3602&country=US&geodiff=1 >From the South Exit Interstate 69 at exit 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 Ave. which dead-ends at West State Blvd. Make an angled left turn onto West State Blvd. Turn right on Wells Street. Go south on Wells to Wayne Street. Turn left on Wayne Street. The Library will be in the second block on the right. Using US 24: After crossing under Interstate 69, follow the same directions as from the South. >From the East Follow US 30/then 930 into and through New Haven, under an overpass into downtown Fort Wayne. You will be on Washington Blvd. when you get into downtown. Library Plaza will be on the right. *************************************** 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.GenealogyCenter.org. Scroll to the bottom, click on E-zine, and fill out the form. You will be notified with a confirmation email. If you do not want to receive this e-zine, please follow the link at the very bottom of the issue of Genealogy Gems you just received or send an email to kspears [at] acpl.lib.in.us with "unsubscribe e-zine" in the subject line. Steve Myers & Curt Witcher, co-editors
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