Lenawee List: Here are some items of interest from the Allen Co. Indiana Public Library Happy New Year to you all Mary Teeter A New Database We are pleased to announce an exciting new database on the FriendsOfAllenCounty website called "American Ancestors of Michigan Governors" <friendsofallencounty.org/20050034/searchform.php>. Dr. Joseph Druse, the first state of Michigan genealogist, had collected lineage information on the Michigan governors and their spouses for more than fifteen years. A colleague, Judy Pfaff, assisted Dr. Druse in keying this data into a FamilyTreeMaker program and took over the project completely when Dr. Druse died in the fall of 2004. There are nearly ten thousand persons and over four thousand marriages listed in the file. As was reported in the 16 June 2003 edition of "Eastman's Online Genealogy Newsletter," many of the families of Michigan governors were of New England ancestry who later moved to New York, Ohio, and then Michigan. Best wishes for much genealogical success in the New Year! ****************************************** Farm Directories By Elaine M. Kuhn ********************************************* While city directories are a popular tool for finding urban ancestors, researchers should keep in mind that there are farm directories geared toward the rural population. Not only do farm directories provide valuable family information—especially for those years in between the federal censuses—they also offer a kind of "snapshot" of life on the family farm. Several publishers produced farm directories from the mid-nineteenth through the mid-twentieth centuries with the "Prairie Farmer's Reliable Directory of Farmers and Breeders" series out of Chicago being one of the most popular. Early farm directories usually list the name of the farmer, the township and section of the farm, whether the farmer owns or rents, the number of acres owned or rented, and the farmer's post office address. Prairie Farmer directories built upon this basic information and, though their entries are still brief, provide a fantastic amount of data. Each entry includes the farmer's name, the wife's maiden name, the first names of the children (names of children followed by an asterisk indicate children not living at home), the farm name (if any), the post office address, the township and section of the farm, how many acres the farmer owns, the land owner's name (if the farmer was a tenant), and the year when the farmer first moved to the county. Some directories also include the names of parents, siblings, in-laws, nieces, nephews and grandchildren living in the home and occasionally give the farmer's primary crop and names of any farm hands. Owners of purebred animals such as cattle, chickens, hogs, goats, ducks and even bees are then listed by types of animal and breed. Later directories provided a listing of automobile owners and the makes of their vehicles as well as tractor owners and the makes they owned and even what type of silo a farmer possessed. A directory of county businesses is always included; as with modern directories, advertisements from local proprietors financed much of the publication costs and can be found throughout. As informative as the general farm directory information is, the supplemental data can prove as much a gold mine. Don't hesitate to look all through the directory to see if there are any pictures of your ancestors' homes, their livestock, or even your ancestors themselves. Some farm directories include brief histories of the county's settlement and its early pioneers. Finally, remember to check nearby city directories for farmers and others living in outlying areas. Residents of rural Allen County, Indiana, for example, are listed in the back section of older Fort Wayne city directories. Use the ACPL Library Catalog at <www.ACPL.Info> to identify what farm directories the library owns in book form. Search by the name of the county to see what is available (use terms such as "lorain county ohio directories"). The Genealogy Department also holds a number of farm directories on microfilm. Researchers visiting the library can check the microtext card catalog to see what is available. Some farm directories can also be searched and perused through the Ancestry.com and HeritageQuest Online databases, both of which are available for researchers to use in the Genealogy Department. ***************************************************** Colonial Records of Pennsylvania and Pennsylvania Archives by Ryan Taylor ***************************************************** The Colonial Records of Pennsylvania and Pennsylvania Archives are ten series of volumes published by the state between 1838 and 1935 which reproduce various records of great use to genealogists. Government minutes, revolutionary war records (including many lists of soldiers) and tax lists from the mid-18th century make up most of the volumes. All ten series are available in their entirety at ACPL. We have recently recataloged these volumes to make them more accessible to you, whether you are searching the catalog in the library or at home. In particular, we have added detailed contents notes to each record, so that you can find the individual volume you need quickly. A search on the internet reveals many sites which have references to the Pennsylvania Archives series, and they often contain notes about the contents. No site has a complete listing of all the volumes and all the series, however, and that is another reason why we have noted these contents so carefully. Even if you are going to use these volumes at another library, you might find it easier to consult the ACPL catalog for details. There are no every-name indexes to the Pennsylvania Archives volumes. Such an index would be very large, as there are many thousands of names. However, there are some more general indexes, which are also at ACPL. To locate them, type "pennsylvania archives indexes" in the subject line of the catalog search form. On the shelf, they are found at the end of the ninth (and last) series of Pennsylvania Archives. Many genealogists know about the Pennsylvania Archives series and use them, but we suspect others have not taken advantage of the goldmine of material available there. Since many of them deal with that difficult period in the last half of the 18th century, they may answer your dead-end questions. *************************************** An Old Friend *************************************** It is with sorrow that we note the passing of an old friend. Carole Callard, once a reference librarian in the Historical Genealogy department and a distinguished Michigan genealogist, died in December aged 64. She held the Abrams Chair in Genealogy at the Library of Michigan and was a frequent speaker at conferences throughout the country. Her gentle nature and sense of humor endeared her to all who met her, and her former colleagues at the library miss her. *************************************** New Family History Show - You could be a part of it. *************************************** History Television (Canada) is creating an exciting new series about family history. This is your opportunity to share your stories, your research and your research challenges. If your story, research or question is chosen, it could appear on Ancestors in the Attic. Were your ancestors sheep-thieves or war heroes, saints or sinners, or something quite unexpected? Are there family secrets you'd still like to unlock or legends you've already untangled? Let Ancestors in the Attic help you solve your dramatic, personal family mysteries or feature the stories you've already uncovered. Whether you're a historical researcher or a family historian, Ancestors in the Attic would like to hear about astonishing stories with a Canadian connection that you've already unearthed. Discover more on the History Television website: www.history.ca or go directly to the Ancestors in the Attic page at: http://www.history.ca/microsites/ancestorssearch/default.asp In 500 words or less, tell Ancestors in the Attic about your story and briefly outline the evidence you gathered in your research. Send all information to: [email protected]

----- Original Message ----- From: "W & M Teeter" <[email protected]> To: <[email protected]> Sent: Sunday, January 01, 2006 2:36 PM Subject: [MILENAWE] Abstracts from Allen Co Public Library Newsletter > Lenawee List: > Here are some items of interest from the Allen Co. Indiana Public Library > Happy New Year to you all > Mary Teeter > > A New Database > > We are pleased to announce an exciting new database on the > FriendsOfAllenCounty website called "American Ancestors of Michigan > Governors" <friendsofallencounty.org/20050034/searchform.php>. Dr. > Joseph Druse, the first state of Michigan genealogist, had collected > lineage information on the Michigan governors and their spouses for > more than fifteen years. A colleague, Judy Pfaff, assisted Dr. Druse > in keying this data into a FamilyTreeMaker program and took over the > project completely when Dr. Druse died in the fall of 2004. There are > nearly ten thousand persons and over four thousand marriages listed in > the file. As was reported in the 16 June 2003 edition of "Eastman's > Online Genealogy Newsletter," many of the families of Michigan > governors were of New England ancestry who later moved to New York, > Ohio, and then Michigan. > > Best wishes for much genealogical success in the New Year! > > ****************************************** > Farm Directories > By Elaine M. Kuhn > ********************************************* > While city directories are a popular tool for finding urban ancestors, > researchers should keep in mind that there are farm directories geared > toward the rural population. Not only do farm directories provide > valuable family information—especially for those years in between the > federal censuses—they also offer a kind of "snapshot" of life on the > family farm. > > Several publishers produced farm directories from the mid-nineteenth > through the mid-twentieth centuries with the "Prairie Farmer's > Reliable Directory of Farmers and Breeders" series out of Chicago > being one of the most popular. Early farm directories usually list the > name of the farmer, the township and section of the farm, whether the > farmer owns or rents, the number of acres owned or rented, and the > farmer's post office address. Prairie Farmer directories built upon > this basic information and, though their entries are still brief, > provide a fantastic amount of data. Each entry includes the farmer's > name, the wife's maiden name, the first names of the children (names > of children followed by an asterisk indicate children not living at > home), the farm name (if any), the post office address, the township > and section of the farm, how many acres the farmer owns, the land > owner's name (if the farmer was a tenant), and the year when the > farmer first moved to the county. Some directories also include the > names of parents, siblings, in-laws, nieces, nephews and grandchildren > living in the home and occasionally give the farmer's primary crop and > names of any farm hands. Owners of purebred animals such as cattle, > chickens, hogs, goats, ducks and even bees are then listed by types of > animal and breed. Later directories provided a listing of automobile > owners and the makes of their vehicles as well as tractor owners and > the makes they owned and even what type of silo a farmer possessed. A > directory of county businesses is always included; as with modern > directories, advertisements from local proprietors financed much of > the publication costs and can be found throughout. > > As informative as the general farm directory information is, the > supplemental data can prove as much a gold mine. Don't hesitate to > look all through the directory to see if there are any pictures of > your ancestors' homes, their livestock, or even your ancestors > themselves. Some farm directories include brief histories of the > county's settlement and its early pioneers. Finally, remember to check > nearby city directories for farmers and others living in outlying > areas. Residents of rural Allen County, Indiana, for example, are > listed in the back section of older Fort Wayne city directories. > > Use the ACPL Library Catalog at <www.ACPL.Info> to identify what farm > directories the library owns in book form. Search by the name of the > county to see what is available (use terms such as "lorain county ohio > directories"). The Genealogy Department also holds a number of farm > directories on microfilm. Researchers visiting the library can check > the microtext card catalog to see what is available. Some farm > directories can also be searched and perused through the Ancestry.com > and HeritageQuest Online databases, both of which are available for > researchers to use in the Genealogy Department. > > ***************************************************** > Colonial Records of Pennsylvania and Pennsylvania Archives > by Ryan Taylor > ***************************************************** > The Colonial Records of Pennsylvania and Pennsylvania Archives are ten > series of volumes published by the state between 1838 and 1935 which > reproduce various records of great use to genealogists. Government > minutes, revolutionary war records (including many lists of soldiers) > and tax lists from the mid-18th century make up most of the volumes. > > All ten series are available in their entirety at ACPL. We have > recently recataloged these volumes to make them more accessible to > you, whether you are searching the catalog in the library or at home. > In particular, we have added detailed contents notes to each record, > so that you can find the individual volume you need quickly. > > A search on the internet reveals many sites which have references to > the Pennsylvania Archives series, and they often contain notes about > the contents. No site has a complete listing of all the volumes and > all the series, however, and that is another reason why we have noted > these contents so carefully. Even if you are going to use these > volumes at another library, you might find it easier to consult the > ACPL catalog for details. > > There are no every-name indexes to the Pennsylvania Archives volumes. > Such an index would be very large, as there are many thousands of > names. However, there are some more general indexes, which are also at > ACPL. To locate them, type "pennsylvania archives indexes" in the > subject line of the catalog search form. On the shelf, they are found > at the end of the ninth (and last) series of Pennsylvania Archives. > > Many genealogists know about the Pennsylvania Archives series and use > them, but we suspect others have not taken advantage of the goldmine > of material available there. Since many of them deal with that > difficult period in the last half of the 18th century, they may answer > your dead-end questions. > > *************************************** > An Old Friend > *************************************** > It is with sorrow that we note the passing of an old friend. Carole > Callard, once a reference librarian in the Historical Genealogy > department and a distinguished Michigan genealogist, died in December > aged 64. She held the Abrams Chair in Genealogy at the Library of > Michigan and was a frequent speaker at conferences throughout the > country. Her gentle nature and sense of humor endeared her to all who > met her, and her former colleagues at the library miss her. > > *************************************** > New Family History Show - You could be a part of it. > *************************************** > History Television (Canada) is creating an exciting new series about > family history. This is your opportunity to share your stories, your > research and your research challenges. If your story, research or > question is chosen, it could appear on Ancestors in the Attic. > > Were your ancestors sheep-thieves or war heroes, saints or sinners, or > something quite unexpected? Are there family secrets you'd still like > to unlock or legends you've already untangled? Let Ancestors in the > Attic help you solve your dramatic, personal family mysteries or > feature the stories you've already uncovered. > > Whether you're a historical researcher or a family historian, > Ancestors in the Attic would like to hear about astonishing stories > with a Canadian connection that you've already unearthed. > > Discover more on the History Television website: www.history.ca or go > directly to the Ancestors in the Attic page at: > http://www.history.ca/microsites/ancestorssearch/default.asp > > In 500 words or less, tell Ancestors in the Attic about your story and > briefly outline the evidence you gathered in your research. Send all > information to: > [email protected] > > > >