Genealogy Gems: News from the Fort Wayne Library, No. 103, September 30, 2012 | <– Date –> <– Thread –> |
From: Genealogy Gems (genealogygemsgenealogycenter.info) | |
Date: Sun, 30 Sep 2012 18:25:59 -0700 (PDT) |
Genealogy Gems: News from the Fort Wayne Library No. 103, September 30, 2012 In this issue: *A Family History & Archives Month *Land in Her Own Name: Women as Homesteaders in North Dakota *Funeral Records of Juneau, Alaska *Technology Tip of the Month--Adobe Photoshop: Reducing a Moire Pattern (Part 2) *Quick-Tip of the Month for Preservation--Importance of Electronic Records *Family History Month Overview *Family History Month Events *WinterTech 2012-2013 *War of 1812 Pension Digitization Update *Out and About *Area Calendar of Events *Driving Directions to the Library *Parking at the Library *Queries for The Genealogy Center *************************************** A Family History & Archives Month! by Curt B. Witcher *************************************** How can it be the end of the third quarter of 2012 already?! Amazing as it may seem, we have arrived at the doorstep of Family History Month 2012, and there is an incredible selection of activities from which you can choose. Our Family History Month events are especially designed to broaden your research horizons, to deepen your knowledge of genealogical as well as historical research methodology, to provide you with first-rate networking opportunities, and to introduce a bit of family history fun into your life. You will notice some mini-themes throughout the month of programs, including state-specific research topics, using an ancestor’s death event to harvest as much data as possible, and technology topics. Do yourself a big favor and partake of as many offerings as you can. The first few days of autumn tempt many to begin cleaning-up the yard and the house, preparing for the changes that winter often brings. It also might be a good time to clean-up and organize research notes and documents gathered from a summer of family history sleuthing. If you have pictures and notes from a family reunion, now would be a good time to organize and possibly even annotate them, while the information is still at least relatively fresh in your mind. If you made research trips to various libraries and record repositories, resist the file-by-pile method of organization for your copies and digital images. Organize that data now in a way in which it can be easily retrieved. It is interesting to note that the archival community increasingly has been heralding October as Archives Month--the same month we have claimed as Family History Month for many years. While not a complete list of Archives Month activities, some useful information can be found at the following website: <www.statearchivists.org/archivesmonth/AAM-directory.htm> Perhaps this is a sign to us that we should be paying more attention to how we archive our family history data so that it is both easily accessible for us today, and for future generations of researchers tomorrow. *************************************** Land in Her Own Name: Women as Homesteaders in North Dakota by Cynthia Theusch *************************************** When we think about homesteaders, we normally picture a husband and wife working together to create a frontier home for their family. “But the Homestead Act also allowed women, for the first time, to claim an independent stake in the land…if they were single or heads of households, at least twenty-one years of age, and citizens or immigrants who had filed for citizenship.” In H. Elaine Lindgren’s book, “Land in Her Own Name: Women as Homesteaders in North Dakota” (978.4 L643Lan), we learn that 287 women filed for homesteads under this 1862 law. Dr. Lindgren, who taught sociology at North Dakota State University, spent years researching these women. She interviewed them or their relatives and friends, and also reviewed the documents for each land claim. A majority of women claimed land near close family members (parents, sisters, brothers, or adult children), other relatives, a husband-to-be, or friends. For example, Lena Norby’s parents had their homestead across the section line from her property. Three of her brothers also had claims nearby. Lindgren included excerpts from diaries and letters in her study, as well as photos of some of the sod houses, shacks, dugouts, log cabins, and wood-frame homes that were built on the claims. Mary Ann Murray wrote in her diary about constructing her sod house. ”Sod was stripped from the prairie with the walking plow, cut into pieces 4” x 12” x 24” and then stacked like bricks to enclose the 12’ x 14’ house. A wood roof and floor was installed and wood-framed interior walls carried wallpaper and an essential shelf or two.” Other excerpts from diaries and letters highlight the daily struggles and good times enjoyed, as well as the challenges of coping with the long winter months, wild animals and snakes. An appendix, arranged alphabetically by name, provides details on each woman homesteader. Included are: land location, ethnic background of mother and father, age when land transaction was initiated, date transaction initiated, date of final land transaction, birth date, and marital status when transaction was initiated. Even if your ancestors did not homestead in North Dakota, this book offers a personal and revealing glimpse of what homesteading pioneers faced in establishing their new homes on the prairie. *************************************** Funeral Records of Juneau, Alaska by Dawne Slater-Putt, CG(sm)* *************************************** “Funeral Records of Juneau, Alaska,” is not only a rich source of information for genealogists interested in someone who died in the Juneau area between 1898 and 1964, but also an excellent example of data that can be found in this type of record. Five 16 millimeter microfilms, available in The Genealogy Center (cabinet 69-O-4), include images of records from three mortuaries: C. W. Young Company, Juneau-Young Company and the Charles W. Carter Mortuary. Reel 1 is a master index to the set. Reel 2 covers Volumes 1-6, January 1898-August 1930; reel 3 covers Volumes 7-12, August 1930-December 1944; reel 4 covers Volumes 13-17, December 1944-April 1958; and reel 5 covers Volumes 18-19, April 1958-March 1964. Each volume also includes its own index. Each page of the records includes information about the death, funeral and burial of an individual, with some additional details. The amount of data that has been logged for each person – presumably by a mortuary employee – varies. One example is the entry for Mrs. Ada Van Wart in Volume 7, page 4, on Reel 3 of the microfilm. She died 2 September 1930 at St. Ann’s Hospital of burns and shock. Her funeral was at Trinity Cathedral on 4 September, and Pioneer Auxiliary Lodge, Igloo No. 6, participated. She was buried in Evergreen Cemetery. The record noted the names of her doctor and clergyman. Other information included occupation (housewife), marital status (married) and religion (Ep – presumably Episcopal). Mrs. Van Wart was born in November 1857. Her parents’ names and birth places were unknown. The cost of her funeral was $150. Some important information for the genealogist included the names of pall bearers and near relatives. Mrs. Van Wart’s bearers were Lockie McKinnon, Elmer Reed, F. Wollard, Dolly Grey or J. Latimer Grey, Lloyd Winter and J. M. Williams. Her husband was Edwin Van Wart, her son was Wm. Ingle and her daughter was Mrs. Nellie Whitehead. The information in these funeral home records will lead the savvy genealogist to numerous other resources – a cemetery marker, death record, obituary, possibly two marriage records for Mrs. Van Wart, since she had a son with the surname Ingle, a marriage record for her daughter, a newspaper article detailing the event which caused the burns leading to her death, and more. [*”CG” & “Certified Genealogist” are service marks of the Board for Certification of Genealogists, and are used by authorized associates following periodic, peer-reviewed competency evaluations.] *************************************** Technology Tip of the Month--Adobe Photoshop: Reducing a Moire Pattern (Part 2) by Kay Spears *************************************** Last month, I wrote about reducing the Moire pattern in a photograph by using the settings on a scanner. But, what if the scanner you are using doesn’t have those settings? Let’s look at reducing the Moire pattern by using Adobe Photoshop. As with the previous “fix” I described, the resulting image will be slightly blurred. So, once again, you will probably need to choose between an out of focus image or one with a Moire pattern. First, open the image. Enlarge the image view to 100 percent. Now, zoom out by holding down the Ctrl key and pressing the - key. Don’t confuse screen resolution issues with the Moire pattern and keep zooming out until you can no longer see the Moire pattern. When that pattern disappears, note the zoom percentage displayed in the lower left corner of the screen. Now select Image>Image Size and check Resample Image and Constrain Proportions near the bottom of the dialog box that opens. In the Pixel Dimensions drop down box, change “pixels” to “percent” and enter the percentage you made note of previously. Click OK. Then, select Image>Image Size to reopen that dialog box. In the Pixel Dimensions drop down box, once again change “pixels” to “percent.” This time enter the original percentage – 100. In the drop down box at the bottom of the Image Size dialog box, select Bicubic Smoother and then click OK. This should reduce the visual effect of the Moire pattern. I had to go through all of these steps twice on my practice image before I noticed an improvement. Next: Working with Color Photographs Using Adobe Photoshop. *************************************** Quick-Tip of the Month for Preservation--Importance of Electronic Records by Curt B. Witcher *************************************** The Archivist of the United States, in collaboration with state archivists around the country, has declared October 10, 2012 Electronic Records Day. (This date was picked for the binary expression "1010.") The idea behind this day is to bring additional attention to our country's digital repositories at all levels. Increasingly, the documents that evidence today's activities (from births, marriages, and deaths to reunion programs, church minutes, and school records) are at greater and greater risk of being lost. Our children and their children may have precious little with which to research when they decide to seek information about our generation. That should be a grave concern to us. Many articles and web sites pertinent to personal digital preservation have been referenced previously in this ezine. In case you're wondering why this topic gets such heavy coverage and significant emphasis, much of the reason rests with how poorly most genealogists preserve their digital assets for future generations to use and enjoy. Many priceless images and sometimes irrecoverable data is lost each day because genealogists fail to take basic measures to properly back-up and share their family history data. The Library of Congress offers very useful downloadable PDF documents, streamed videos, and step-by-step guides on its website: www.digitalpreservation.gov/personalarchiving/. If you’ve explored the site before, go back for a refresher. If it’s new to you, you will find tips on how best to preserve your digital photographs, digital audio and video, email, personal digital records, and websites. Protecting our digital assets necessarily means paying attention to local, state, and national archives, and what they are doing to preserve and make accessible those documents that evidence our heritage--those documents that we not only need to do our research, but also that our children’s children need in future generations. All these archives are under budgetary attack, though their respective budgets as a percentage of their governing bodies’ overall budgets are embarrassingly minuscule. We recently learned of the closing of the Georgia State Archives to walk-in customers, and how that archives will lose all but three staff members. One can read about it in a recent New York Times article. <http://www.nytimes.com/2012/09/27/us/budget-cuts-to-limit-public-access-to-georgia-archives.html?_r=0> When the Georgia governor’s recent press conference (called, ironically, to celebrate October as Archives Month!!) was populated by more than one hundred concerned citizens, the governor committed to keeping the Archives open. It’s really hazy, though, what exactly that means. One technically could keep the Archives open by having only three staff and no walk-in customers. And that is exactly what this author predicts will happen when the spotlight dims. In this author’s home state of Indiana, the State Archives’ budget continues to be cut. With a smaller staff, the Indiana State Archives needs to deal with increasing numbers of records, including electronic records. There is a backlog of more than one decade’s worth of records to be processed. January 2013 will bring a new administration into state government, and all the records of the current governor and his administration will be transferred to the State Archives. Who will process that intake of records and how will the processing be done when staff cannot keep up with current activities? And all of this is happening in a state that actually has a budget surplus. Clearly there is much advocacy to be done. Let’s celebrate Electronic Records Day by stepping-up our own efforts to preserve our digital data, and also, by doing something proactive to bring increasing attention to the importance of our local, state, and National Archives. *************************************** Family History Month Overview *************************************** Family History Month 2012 is here, so celebrate by attending some of the many events planned by The Genealogy Center Staff along with our Allen County Genealogical Society of Indiana and DAR friends. Classes will interest both beginners and more advanced researchers, and will highlight census and cemetery research, electronic databases, and brick wall research. There will be tours of the Center as well as the ever popular Midnight Madness Extended Research Hours on Friday, October 26--when researchers will have the opportunity to do family history research until midnight. For detailed class descriptions, more information, and to register for individual sessions as well as the extended research hours, see the brochure at http://www.GenealogyCenter.org/Libraries/2012_Brochures/FHM.sflb.ashx. *************************************** Family History Month Events *************************************** Please check the online brochure for descriptions and further details. http://www.GenealogyCenter.org/Libraries/2012_Brochures/FHM.sflb.ashx. Monday, October 1st, 2-3 p.m.--Researching in the Library Outside The Genealogy Center Tuesday, October 2nd, 2-3 p.m.--Death Heads and Clasped Hands: Cemetery Symbolism and Iconology for Genealogists Wednesday, October 3rd, 10 a.m.-4 p.m.--Daughters of the American Revolution Research Assistance for Membership Thursday, October 4th, 9:30-10:30 a.m.--How to Look at Your Photographs, Analyze and Organize Friday, October 5th, 9:30-10:30 a.m.--Cemetery Research Saturday, October 6th, 9 a.m.-1 p.m.--Beginning Genealogy--Contact Marge Graham at 260-672-2585 or gramar57 [at] aol.com. Fee. Sunday, October 7th, 1-2 p.m.--Beginning Kentucky Research at The Genealogy Center Monday, October 8th, 2-3 p.m.--Indiana Research & Records Tuesday, October 9th, 2-3 p.m.--Beginning Virginia Genealogical Research Wednesday, October 10th, 7-8 p.m.--Set in Stone: A Brief Introduction to Gravestone Style and Symbolism Thursday, October 11th, 9:30-10:30 a.m.--Beginning Genealogical Research in Colonial New England Friday, October 12th, 9:30-10:30 a.m.--Michigan Research and Records Saturday, October 13th, 10-11 a.m.--Genealogical Resources of the National Society Daughters of the American Revolution Sunday, October 14th, 1-2 p.m.--Exploring Origins.net for Your British, Irish & Scots Ancestors Monday October 15th, 2-3 p.m.--Tech Talk I, Photocopiers, copy card charger, and digital sender Tuesday October 16th, 2-3 p.m.--Tech Talk II, Microfilm printer/scanner and microfiche printer Wednesday, October 17th, 7-8 p.m.--Allen County Genealogical Society of Indiana Computer Interest Group Meeting Thursday, October 18th, 9:30-10:30 a.m.--Using PERSI (Periodical Source Index) Friday, October 19th, 9:30-10:30 a.m.--Becoming Expert at Using Ancestry Saturday, October 20th, 10-11 a.m. & 3-4 p.m.--Genealogy Center Tours Sunday, October 21st, 1-2 p.m.--Piecing the Census Puzzle Together Monday, October 22nd, 2-3 p.m.--Introduction to the 1940 Census Tuesday, October 23rd, 2-3 p.m.--Beyond Federal Population Schedules Wednesday, October 24th, 9:30-10:30 a.m.--Introduction to the 1940 Census Thursday, October 25th, 10 a.m.-3 p.m. (1 hour break for lunch)--Basics of Adobe Elements Workshop Friday, October 26th, 6 p.m.-12 midnight--Extended Research Hours in The Genealogy Center Saturday, October 27th, 9 a.m.-12 noon--Writing a Book Using Family Tree Maker and Microsoft Word. Registration required. Contact Marge Graham at 260-672-2585 or gramar57 [at] aol.com. Fee. Sunday, October 28th, 1-2 p.m.--Fail! When the Record is Wrong Monday, October 29th, 2-3 p.m.--Using "Whole Family" Research to Break Through Your Genealogical Roadblocks Tuesday, October 30th, 2-3 p.m.--Breaking Through the Brick Wall Wednesday October 31st, 2-4 p.m.--One-on-One Consultations (pre-registration required) Please check the online brochure for descriptions and further details. http://www.GenealogyCenter.org/Libraries/2012_Brochures/FHM.sflb.ashx. *************************************** WinterTech 2012-2013 *************************************** After enjoying Family History Month, the shorter daylight hours and colder temperatures may make one want to stay inside. But The Genealogy Center has plans for you over the winter months. Come out of the cold and attend the annual WinterTech classes held the second Wednesday of each month, from November through February. Beginning at 2:30 p.m., you can attend the classes and remain for the Allen County Genealogical Society of Indiana's monthly meetings at 7 p.m. With the hours in between, you can research in The Genealogy Center and network with other genealogists. This year's lectures start with "Twitter for #Genealogy." Tina Lyons will tell us how genealogists everywhere share research, collaborate with others, participate in conferences, and cultivate friendships in the world-wide genealogical community. Join us on November 14, 2012 at 2:30 PM in Meeting Room A to learn the basics of using Twitter. Other WinterTech classes will include "Using OneNote in Your Genealogical Research," on December 12th; "e-Readers & Family History," on January 9th; and "Plug-In Your Armchair Genealogy: Researching from Home," on February 13th. For more information about any of these classes, see the brochure at http://www.genealogycenter.org/Libraries/2012_Brochures/winterTech2012.sflb.ashx. To register for any of these classes, please call 260-421-1225 or email Genealogy [at] ACPL.Info. Join us in keeping family history efforts thriving through the winter months! *************************************** War of 1812 Pension Digitization Update by Curt Witcher *************************************** Did you know that more than 343,000 War of 1812 pension documents have been digitized and are now online for free at: <http://go.fold3.com/1812pensions/>? That is a good first step toward having all 7.2 million online and searchable! Though we do have many miles to go, this weekend we learned of some neat activities. First, the Florida State Genealogical Society announced a $2000 matching grant program for the “Preserve the Pensions!” fund. If they’re successful, $4000 will be raised in total, and then matched by $4000 from Ancestry.com, who is matching every gift. Read all about it at: <http://www.flsgs.org/cpage.php?pt=197>. Second, $1,400 was raised this week from members of the Fairfax Genealogical Society for the 1812 project. That will be matched by the society's publishing endowment, and then all of those funds will be matched by Ancestry.com. That means an additional 11,200 pages of pension documents will be available. Finally, I noted that California genealogist, J. Paul Hawthorne posted the following on his Facebook page: "I just donated $25.00. If ALL of my 386 Facebook friends donated $25.00, then 9,650 images could be digitized for all of us to use!" Way to go, Paul--I like the way you think! I believe you’re being a bit modest, though. 386 people donating $25 would equal $9,650. With Ancestry matching every dollar raised, your effective “buying power” would be $19,300. Since every image costs just $0.50, $19,300 would make 38,600 images available! *************************************** Out and About *************************************** Curt Witcher October 12, 2012--Western Michigan Genealogical Society, “Got Ancestors?! Got Questions? – Get Answers!” at the Prince Conference Center, Calvin College, Grand Rapids, Michigan, 7 p.m. to 9:30 p.m. Topic: “Pain in the Access: Getting More from the Internet for Your Genealogy.” October 13, 2012--Western Michigan Genealogical Society, “Got Ancestors?! Got Questions? – Get Answers!” at the Prince Conference Center, Calvin College, Grand Rapids, Michigan, 9 a.m. to 5:15 p.m. Topics: “Fingerprinting Our Families: Using Ancestral Origins as a Genealogical Research Key,” “Boot Camp & Roll Call: An Overview of Military Records and New Sites & Sources for Military Research,” “All that Other Stuff!”: Other Census Records Beyond the Federal Population Schedules,” and “Effective Use of the Allen County Public Library Genealogy Center.” October 20, 2012--Louisville Genealogical Society’s Family History Seminar and Book Fair, Beargrass Christian Church, 4100 Shelbyville Road, Louisville, Kentucky, 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. Topics: “Pain in the Access: Getting More from the Internet for Your Genealogy,” “Historical Research Methodology: Engaging the Process to Find All the Answers,” “Fingerprinting Our Families: Using Ancestral Origins as a Genealogical Research Key,” and “Doing Effective Genealogical Research in Libraries.” Dawne Slater-Putt October 15, 2012--Family History Library, 35 North West Temple Street, Salt Lake City, Utah, 84150. A BCG panel participant on the topics of (1) most valuable/critical genealogical lessons learned and (2) one’s biggest genealogical surprise; cases that shocked or amazed or went against all reason. *************************************** Area Calendar of Events *************************************** Allen County Genealogical Society of Indiana (ACGSI) October 10, 2012--Allen County Public Library, 900 Library Plaza, Fort Wayne, Indiana. 6:30 p.m. refreshments, followed at 7 p.m. by Joy M. Giguere’s presentation: “Set in Stone: A Brief Introduction to Gravestone Style and Symbolism.” Allen County-Fort Wayne Historical Society/The History Center, 302 East Berry, Ft. Wayne, IN October 7, 2012 at 2 p.m. Rich Ferguson will present, “The War of 1812 Comes to 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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