Our Blog

The traffic detour that we warned you about in March, which closed part of Clinton Street (U.S. 27) into downtown Fort Wayne from the north, and created a two-way section on its companion street, Spy Run Boulevard, is now over. Although there will be occasional lane closures to complete work on cross streets, travel into downtown Fort Wayne will be much faster. Coming from the north, Clinton Street becomes a one-way south-bound street just north of State Boulevard. Visitors to The Genealogy Center should turn right at Washington Boulevard, and travel west four blocks to the Allen County Public Library. To leave downtown Fort Wayne, go to Lafayette Street, which becomes Spy Run Boulevard as it crosses the river. Confused? Maybe the map below will help, but we wanted to let everyone know that getting here just go ta bit easier.

The waiting list for the September 17-18, 2010 Beyond the Basics Mini-Course is now closed. While we are disappointed that everyone who has expressed an interest cannot attend, we are very pleased with the high demand. We hope to offer this course again soon. Keep watching!

Family History: Beyond the Basics, scheduled for Friday and Saturday September 17-18, 2010, is filled. We will be establishing a waiting list, so you can still send in your registration and we will notify you if space becomes available. This mini-course will be offered again in the future. Watch Genealogy Special Programs to keep informed of this, and all of our courses, symposiums and classes.

by Dawne February is Black History Month and the Genealogy Center can be your “gateway” to many resources for African American genealogy research. In conjunction with the International Black Genealogy Summit held here in October 2009, the Genealogy Center unveiled the African American Gateway, a collection of thousands of Internet links for African American research grouped by state, coupled with bibliographical notes for books and films in the Center’s collection. Specific to the Hoosier state is Indiana’s African American Settlements, a database of more than 7,000 names of individuals who lived in the communities settled by free and formerly enslaved African Americans who moved north into Indiana in large numbers from the 1830s to the 1870s. Digital photos and record images are linked to some of these individuals. Those with Allen County, Indiana, roots will want to check the African-American Resources available in the Ethnic Resources category on the Genealogy Center’s website. Included are extracts from birth, marriage and death records, the federal census, city directories and World War I draft registration cards. All of these resources are updated regularly, so check back often for new material! Several of the large subscription databases include African American research collections. For most of these, ...

Schools, post offices and other government entities may be closed on Monday, January 18, 2010, for Martin Luther King Day, but the Genealogy Center (and the entire Allen County Public Library System) is open for your researching pleasure. And with our Sunday hours (12 noon to 5 PM), out of town researchers, including students, teachers and others can make a long weekend of it.