Land research help and more Allen County Public Library Genealogy Center

Did your research target buy or homestead federal land between 1820 and 1908? Did (s)he try to? Then you need to check out friend and colleague Kimberly Powell's correlation of at least three different on-line resources over at About.com. Tract books may be your new BFF.



A friend has pointed out an important omission from my Allen County Public Library Genealogy Center research book, Finding Ancestors in Fort Wayne. When planning a research trip, you can produce a private list of materials to consult, and include ratings and comments or reviews. When you locate a title in the main catalog, click on "Save or Tag," set up your account (it's quick and does not require holding a card at the library), and proceed to listmaking. (NOTE: This feature applies materials listed in the main catalog. There are several others to be consulted as well, including microtext, which does not have this capacity.) I will include this feature when the booklet is revised, but in the meantime there's this big conference coming up in three weeks...





Kimberly Powell, "Searching BLM Tract Books on FamilySearch," About.com Genealogy, 30 July 2013 (http://genealogy.about.com/b/2013/07/30/searching-blm-tract-books-on-familysearch.htm : viewed 30 July 2013).


Harold Henderson, "Land research help and more Allen County Public Library Genealogy Center," Midwestern Microhistory: A Genealogy Blog, posted 2 August 2013 (http://midwesternmicrohistory.blogspot.com : viewed [date]). [Please feel free to link to the specific post if you prefer.]

Tips for FGS week (August 20-24)

* Are  you traveling from the east via I-90, I-80, or I-76, toward Fort Wayne for the FGS conference three weeks from now? Consider using US 30 west from Mansfield, Ohio, rather than the Ohio Turnpike. It's now built to near-interstate standards, has no tolls, less traffic, and less construction than the alternative. You could even plan a visit to the Ohio Genealogical Society's beautiful new library south of Mansfield off I-71 at Bellville.

* If you have a knotty problem or other genealogical question, it is not too late to sign up for a free 20-minute genealogy consultation at FGS. These will be scheduled between 3:30 and 6 pm Tuesday, August 20.

* If you're aiming to research at the Allen County Public Library Genealogy Center before, during, or after the conference, check out my free PDF booklet on how to prepare and what to expect: Midwest Roots under "Finding Ancestors in Fort Wayne." As always, the more preparation, the better the research experience.

* If you can't attend this time, check out Cinamon Collins's great post over at (Mis)Adventures of a Genealogist, on how to stay at home.

(I am on the publicity committee for FGS 2013, but this is an unofficial post, because since when does conference PR include tips on how to stay home?)


Harold Henderson, "Tips for FGS week (August 20-24)," Midwestern Microhistory: A Genealogy Blog, posted 29 July 2013 (http://midwesternmicrohistory.blogspot.com : accessed [access date]). [Please feel free to link to the specific post if you prefer.]

The 200-Year-Old Genealogist

Everyone who's even thinking of going to the Federation of Genealogical Societies' national conference in Fort Wayne in August (or who's thinking of signing up before July 1 to get the early-bird discount) should already be reading both the FGS conference blog and the blog of the Genealogy Center at the Allen County Public Library, one of the two local hosts. In just the past few days I've learned:

* how the center's unique adaptation of the Dewey Decimal System works, so that you won't miss anything in searching the printed materials, and

* that the librarians on staff there have among them more than 200 years' worth of genealogy experience.

My free 26-page guide to the center, Finding Ancestors in Fort Wayne, doesn't include either of these fun facts -- yet -- but it can still help you make the most of your limited time there.




Harold Henderson, "The 200-Year-Old Genealogist," Midwestern Microhistory: A Genealogy Blog, posted 17 June 2013 (http://midwesternmicrohistory.blogspot.com : accessed [access date]). [Please feel free to link to the specific post if you prefer.]