Genealogy Gems: News from the Fort Wayne Library, No. 99, May 31, 2012 | <– Date –> <– Thread –> |
From: Genealogy Gems (genealogygemsgenealogycenter.info) | |
Date: Thu, 31 May 2012 18:09:46 -0700 (PDT) |
Genealogy Gems: News from the Fort Wayne Library No. 99, May 31, 2012 In this issue: *Anniversaries, Commemorations, & Milestones: More Than Just Remembering *Important Guides to Published British Genealogies *Anti-Slavery Propaganda in the Oberlin College Library *Technology Tip of the Month--Creating a Mask Using Adobe Photoshop Elements before Version 9 *Quick-Tip of the Month for Preservation--Ideas for Storing Those Old Family Garments *Tree Talks: Help for Beginners *Controlling Genealogy Clutter Week--July 9 through 14, 2012 *Out and About *Area Calendar of Events *Driving Directions to the Library *Parking at the Library *Queries for The Genealogy Center *************************************** Anniversaries, Commemorations, & Milestones: More Than Just Remembering by Curt B. Witcher *************************************** I trust everyone had an enjoyable Memorial Day holiday spent with family and friends. I also trust that you took a few moments to recall the real reason for the holiday. No, it really isn’t a holiday to mark the start of summer or to celebrate some of auto racing’s finest; rather, it’s a holiday to remember all those men and women who paid the ultimate sacrifice for their country in the armed services. And it’s in that context that I would like to introduce a concept you might call “active remembering.” The Genealogy Center remains very interested in providing meaningful ways to remember and honor our military veterans for protecting our rights and freedoms. For several years, we have supported an online initiative called “Our Military Heritage.” <www.GenealogyCenter.info/military/> On this site, we host digitized data about veterans from the colonial wars to the present day. Though many of you may have already explored this site, I have a “double invitation” for you. First, I encourage you to visit the site frequently as we continue to load new data. There are digitized copies of Revolutionary War rosters, War of 1812 battle histories, Civil War Diaries, WWI and WWII unit histories, Korean War era letters, and a video of Vietnam veterans sharing their experiences. The “Search This Site” and “Roll Call” features allow one to explore by veterans’ names. However, another enlightening and meaningful way to explore, and remember what life was like for our veterans in different historic periods, is to browse the collections, particularly the letters and diaries. Second, I invite you to be active in honoring our veterans--engage in “active remembering.” Consider Memorial Day in May and Veterans’ Day in November as bookends on a summer of genealogical activities. As you are in cemeteries this summer in search of ancestors, keep an eye peeled for military markers. In particular, I challenge you to capture digital images of War of 1812 and Iraqi/Desert Storm markers--remembering those veterans by doing something active to preserve their piece of history--and contribute copies of those images to “Our Military Heritage.” Simply email them to Genealogy [at] ACPL.Info to the attention of Curt Witcher with information about the location of the cemetery. It’s these small acts of “active remembering” that collectively create consequential sources of data. While any military marker is certainly welcome, I chose to focus on the War of 1812 and the Iraqi/Desert Storm conflicts for a couple of reasons. June 18, 2012 marks the 200th anniversary of the official start of the War of 1812, our nation’s “second revolution.” I can’t think of a better way to commemorate that important date than to engage in a bit of “active remembering.” I also chose the Iraqi/Desert Storm engagement because we too frequently de-emphasize contemporary wars and engagements, thinking we’ll get around to documenting the sacrifices, honoring the men and women, and memorializing their service someday. Increasingly, someday needs to be today. Perhaps this is a good opportunity for all of us to commit to doing more than simply remembering the anniversaries, commemorations, and milestones in our lives and the lives of our families. Maybe our personal anniversaries and milestones need to be marked by activities such as journaling, preserving and digitizing, and sharing our pieces of history with family members. Is it possible to make a commitment that with each anniversary and milestone in our lives, we take a few moments to document and share information about that event? Increasingly, what we find, preserve and share will be the majority of information available for our children’s children to learn from and enjoy. An afterword: (1) Last month, I wrote about War of 1812 resources in The Genealogy Center. Since that article, Mark Kreps, president of The Society of the War of 1812 in the State of Indiana, sent me an interesting article from the Smithsonian, “Ten Things You Didn’t Know About the War of 1812.” <www.smithsonianmag.com/history-archaeology/The-10-Things-You-Didnt-Know-About-the-War-of-1812.html> I found it an enjoyable and informative read. (2) 233,087 images of War of 1812 pension records are available online for free at <http://go.fold3.com/1812pensions/>! Only 3.46 million images to go! Thank you to all who have supported this important access project. Encourage your friends and colleagues to offer their support at <www.fgs.org/1812/donation.php>. *************************************** Important Guides to Published British Genealogies by Steven W. Myers *************************************** Genealogists have long consulted the work of previous researchers as a time-saving step in their own investigations. In the case of the most reliable publications, the rewards may include a carefully documented pedigree stretching back generations and a short-cut to transcripts or citations of obscure original records. Before the advent of family trees posted on the Internet, many compiled genealogies were printed in a book on a particular surname. However, much valuable previous work appeared only in county histories, heralds’ visitations, biographical studies, society journals or other serial publications. Three important guides are available in The Genealogy Center to help lead resourceful researchers to these hidden gems of British family history. The fourth and final edition of George W. Marshall’s “The Genealogist’s Guide” (942 M35gea), originally published in 1903, is the definitive starting point. Its 880 pages contain an alphabetical list of surnames with references to more than 75,000 published sources that include any descent of at least three generations in the male line. Most references cite the title, author, volume, and page for each publication. Cross references are provided to variant surname spellings. J. B. Whitmore’s “A Genealogical Guide: An Index to British Pedigrees in continuation of Marshall’s Genealogist’s Guide (1903)” (929.7201 W599ga) appeared in 1953, bringing coverage of publications forward to the mid-twentieth century. In nearly 660 pages, it provides tens of thousands of additional references to printed family pedigrees, with cross references to variant surnames. Whitmore included coverage of some older publications missed by Marshall, and a short “corrigenda” to Marshall’s “Guide,” as well as a lengthy list of title abbreviations used in the citations. He did not index Scottish historical journals. Third in the series is Geoffrey B. Barrow’s shorter “The Genealogist’s Guide: An Index to Printed British Pedigrees and Family Histories, 1950-1975” (942 B279g). Supplementing Marshall’s and Whitmore’s work, Barrow includes older works neglected by his predecessors and makes some attempt to provide coverage of material on Scottish and Irish families. He abandoned Marshall’s “three generations” requirement and included “references to any fairly long passage of a family’s history.” Users should read the introduction to each of these three wonderful indexes to better understand their limitations. Together they help make accessible a wealth of previous genealogical work available in older printed publications. Many of the items they reference can be found on the shelves in The Genealogy Center. *************************************** Anti-Slavery Propaganda in the Oberlin College Library by John D. Beatty *************************************** One of the more distinctive and little-used resources in our microtext area is the collection of anti-slavery pamphlets from the abolitionist collection of Oberlin College in Lorain County, Ohio. The college is renowned not only for its School of Music, but also for its progressive racial attitudes in the nineteenth century, since it began admitting African American students in 1835. Because of the large number of abolitionists among its faculty and alumni, the college began collecting anti-slavery pamphlets and ephemera in the 1830s in order to promote the cause. The collection continued until 1863, when President Lincoln issued the Emancipation Proclamation. The collection of propaganda consists of approximately 2,252 pamphlets, which have been reproduced on microfiche, in alphabetical order by author. While the vast majority of titles have anti-slavery themes, a few are also pro-slavery or more neutral in position. They include a wide range of formats, from speeches and addresses before Congress and religious sermons before congregations to poetry, songs, slave narratives, and business records such as annual reports and proceedings of anti-slavery societies. Many of the great abolitionist writers in the first half of the nineteenth century are represented, including John Quincy Adams, Frederick Douglass, Charles Sumner, and members of the Beecher family, but the vast majority of pamphlets resulted from more obscure authorship. Some of the gems include Caroline Lee Whiting Hentz’s 1800 pamphlet, “The Planter’s Northern Bride,” and James Mars’s “Life of James Mars, a Slave Bought and Sold in Connecticut,” published in 1865. Many of the pamphlets bore witness to the inhumanity of slavery and were intended to arouse a northern reading audience to sympathy or indignation. Obviously the pamphlets are of considerable value to historians of the antebellum period interested in how abolitionist views were promulgated in the North. Genealogists may find them more challenging, but should not entirely discount them. Those whose ancestors were known opponents of slavery and were active in a Quaker, Presbyterian, or Methodist church may find a pamphlet worth studying for specific names or for more general information about a particular place. The collection includes some travel accounts of the southern United States, in which reports of slavery’s abuses were promulgated to a largely northern and eastern audience of abolitionists. A few of the pamphlets pertain to slavery as practiced on various Caribbean islands. For the researcher, the greatest obstacle remains gaining access to the contents of the pamphlets. Oberlin College has published a bibliographic guide to the collection (973 An82), and there are also several online guides. Many, but not all, of the pamphlets have been digitized by Google Books or Internet Archive, where all of the contents are searchable by keyword. However, a significant portion of the collection remains to be digitized, and the titles appear only in the bibliographic guide, not in The Genealogy Center’s online catalog. The collection is definitely worth a look if you have abolitionist ancestors or ancestors held in bondage who escaped on the Underground Railroad. *************************************** Technology Tip of the Month--Creating a Mask Using Adobe Photoshop Elements before Version 9 by Kay Spears *************************************** Last month we explored how to blend images using the Mask Tool in Adobe Photoshop Elements versions 9 and 10. Older versions of Elements do not have that tool, but there is a way to create a mask tool by using “Layers and Levels.” I’ll explain how. First, open two images that you want to blend together. Make sure that you can see both in your Elements workspace. Next, you will drag one image to the other. Select the Move Tool from the top of the Tools palette. To drag one image to another, click on one of the images. Holding the left mouse button down, drag the image over and drop it onto the second image. You also may use the Layers palette, by clicking on the layer you want to move. Holding the left mouse button down, drag the layer over to the destination image and drop it. Look at the destination image. There will be two layers present, a Background layer and Layer 1. Next, you will add another layer to the Layers Palette for your mask. Make sure that this layer is between the two previously existing layers. First, click on the Background layer on the Layers palette. Then, click on the “New Adjustment Layer” icon. This icon’s location on your Layers palette will vary depending on the Elements version you have, but it looks like a circle with black and white on it, similar to a Yin-Yang symbol. After you click on this icon, you will need to choose a type of adjustment from the menu. It really doesn’t matter which one you choose, but for this discussion, select Levels. Now, on your Layers palette you should have three layers. The middle one will have thumbnail images that appear to be a chart or gears (depending on your version of Elements) and a white rectangle. This is the layer that you will use to blend the images together. To begin joining the layers together, click on “Layer 1.” Next, go to the Layers menu at the top of your screen (the main menu) and choose “Group with Previous.” This selection is only available in older versions of Elements. In version 8, the correct choice is “Create Clipping Mask.” Or, you may use CTRL+G for all versions. Nothing will appear to have happened, but if you look closely at the Layers palette, you will see that there is a slight indentation of the thumbnail image in Layer 1. Next, you need to have the second layer selected (your mask layer), so click on the white rectangle thumbnail on that layer. Select the paint brush on the Tools palette and make sure that the color on the color palette is black. Set the Brush tool to the opacity and size you desire and start painting out the area you don’t need. You will see the bottom layer begin making its appearance. That is how you mask an image without having a Mask Tool in Adobe Photoshop Elements. Next article: Further Exploration of Adobe Elements/Photoshop. *************************************** Quick-Tip of the Month for Preservation--Ideas for Storing Those Old Family Garments *************************************** Some families have heirlooms, ancestors’ military and other uniforms, and special occasion items such as wedding dresses and ancestral quilts that need appropriate attention to ensure their longevity. The Minnesota History Center has a very informative website offering tips on how to display, store, and clean clothing and textiles. <www.mnhs.org/people/mngg/stories/textiles.htm> There are many other worthwhile websites that can help address nearly any preservation need involving clothing and other material items, including a video entitled, “Preserving Our Clothing and Textile Heritage” by Dr. Michael Marendy. At a run time of two minutes and thirty-five seconds, it’s a quick watch. <www.youtube.com/watch?v=VIGPPWdgZtw> *************************************** Tree Talks: Help for Beginners *************************************** The Genealogy Center's summer series, Tree Talks, continues on Saturday, June 23, 2012, with "How to Use The Genealogy Center: Basics," 10:00 a.m. to 11:00 a.m. in Meeting Room A. Have you taken a tour of The Genealogy Center and still feel confused? Do you wonder how all the details make sense to other people? Spend time with Melissa Shimkus who will explain the catalog, the microtext area, and how to successfully use the entire genealogy facility. Note: This session is not a beginning genealogy class, but rather an explanation of the collection. Other classes in the series will include, "Ancestry: The Beginner's Way to Search" on Saturday, July 28; and "Beginner's Guide to Vital Records" on Saturday, August 25. All Tree Talks classes are 10:00 a.m. to 11:00 a.m. in Meeting Room A. For more information, see the brochure at http://www.genealogycenter.org/Libraries/2012_Brochures/summer.sflb.ashx. Please register for any or all of these free classes by calling 260-421-1225 or send an email to Genealogy [at] ACPL.Info. *************************************** Controlling Genealogy Clutter Week--July 9 through 14, 2012 *************************************** How is your genealogical material organized? File boxes? Stacks of papers? Three-ring binders? Scrapbooks? How do other researchers organize all the information and materials they collect? Join The Genealogy Center for "Controlling Genealogy Clutter Week" and learn numerous ways to clean up your family history research. Each day features a different subject. * Monday, July 9, 2:00 p.m.-3:00 p.m., Meeting Room A: "Organizing Your Genealogical Files," presented by Cynthia Theusch. * Tuesday, July 10, 2:00 p.m.-3:00 p.m., Meeting Room A: "Organization of Genealogical Materials," presented by Dawne Slater-Putt. * Wednesday, July 11, 2:00 p.m.-3:00 p.m., Meeting Room A, "Being Creative With Your Family History," presented by Cynthia Theusch. * Thursday, July 12, 10:00 a.m.-11:00 a.m., Theater: "Digital Organization: The No Paper Approach to Genealogy," presented by Melissa Shimkus. * Friday, July 13, 10:00 a.m.-11:00 a.m., Meeting Room A: "How to Look at Your Photographs, Analyze and Organize," presented by Kay Spears. * Saturday, July 14, 10:00 a.m.-11:00 a.m., Meeting Room A: "Writing Your Family History," presented by Dawne Slater-Putt. For more information and descriptions of each class, see the brochure at http://www.genealogycenter.org/Libraries/2012_Brochures/Clutter.sflb.ashx. To register for any of these free classes, call 260-421-1225, or email to Genealogy [at] ACPL.Info. Join us and get your clutter under control! *************************************** Out and About *************************************** Curt Witcher June 5, 2012, Flint, MI, Flint Masonic Temple on Saginaw Street--Flint Genealogical Society Annual Dinner, 6 p.m.: “This I Believe--The Urgent Need to Record Living Memory.” June 8, 2012, Burbank, CA, Los Angeles Marriott Burbank Airport Hotel--Southern California Genealogy Jamboree, 9:45 a.m.: "After ‘Who Do You Think You Are?’--Engaging Beginning Genealogists in the 21st Century." June 8, 2012, Burbank, CA, Los Angeles Marriott Burbank Airport Hotel--Southern California Genealogy Jamboree, 11:00 a.m.: "Something for Everyone: Genealogical Reference Services in the 21st Century." June 9, 2012, Burbank, CA, Los Angeles Marriott Burbank Airport Hotel--Southern California Genealogy Jamboree, 7:30 a.m.: “And the Rockets' Red Glare: Online Resources for War of 1812 Research.” June 9, 2012, Burbank, CA, Los Angeles Marriott Burbank Airport Hotel--Southern California Genealogy Jamboree, 10:00 a.m.: "Using Military Records for Genealogical Research." June 10, 2012, Burbank, CA, Los Angeles Marriott Burbank Airport Hotel--Southern California Genealogy Jamboree, 12:30 p.m.: "Historical Research Methodology: Engaging the Process to Find All the Answers." June 13, 2012, Fort Wayne, IN, Allen County Public Library--Allen County Genealogical Society of Indiana Annual Banquet, 6:00 p.m. meal followed by presentation: “Good to Great: Doing the Extra that Makes the Difference.” Melissa Shimkus June 8, 2012, Burbank, CA, Los Angeles Marriott Burbank Airport Hotel--Southern California Genealogy Jamboree, 8:30 a.m.: "Think Like a Genealogy Librarian." June 9, 2012, Burbank, CA, Los Angeles Marriott Burbank Airport Hotel--Southern California Genealogy Jamboree, 2:00 p.m.: panelist for "Blogger Summit Panel #2 - From Blog Reader to Writer - Why and How" June 10, 2012, Burbank, CA, Los Angeles Marriott Burbank Airport Hotel--Southern California Genealogy Jamboree, 10:00 a.m.: "Before Crossing the Ocean: American Records of Our Immigrant Ancestors." June 10, 2012, Burbank, CA, Los Angeles Marriott Burbank Airport Hotel--Southern California Genealogy Jamboree, 2:00 p.m.: "Shadowed Roots: Antebellum Records for African-American Research." *************************************** Area Calendar of Events *************************************** Allen County Genealogical Society of Indiana (ACGSI) June 13, 2012--Allen County Public Library, 900 Library Plaza, Fort Wayne, Indiana. 6:00 p.m. meal followed by Curt Witcher’s presentation: “Good to Great: Doing the Extra that Makes the Difference.” Allen County-Fort Wayne Historical Society, 302 East Berry, Ft. Wayne, IN June 3, 2012, 2:00 p.m. Don “Bud” Hall will be speaking on, “Hall's Restaurants: All Around the Town Since 1946.” June 5, 2012, 2:00 p.m. Jim Sack will be speaking on, “George Kessler and Fort Wayne's Enduring City Plan.” *************************************** 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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