GRS Volume 2, Issue 2 April 11, 1999 Welcome! I think you will enjoy this issued featured article by professional genealogist Joan Benner. If you have any questions about PERSI, please direct them to her. If you are waiting on a reply from me, hold on, I'll will get to you as soon as possible. Don't forget to tell your friends all about the GRS newsletter. Directions to subscribe to the list are listed below! Enjoy, Tracey ------------------------------------------------------------------------ 1. PERSI…aka "The Information Jackpot for Genealogists" By: Joan M. Benner 2. Queries-Look for Your Names! (see listing below article) ------------------------------------------------------------------------ PERSI…aka "The Information Jackpot for Genealogists" By: Joan M. Benner PERSI is an acronym for the PERiodical Source Index, the index to more than 1.1 million articles appearing in nearly 6000 genealogy and local history journals and newsletters, developed by the Allen County Public Library Foundation in Fort Wayne, Indiana. Before PERSI, there were several different genealogical indexes published, but they were not as comprehensive, and only scratched the surface. PERSI covers nearly all of the genealogy and history periodicals that are written in English (and some French-Canadian) published since 1847. It is an under-used source and a fabulous tool for both beginners and experienced family historians. It can make you aware of new sources you would have never discovered by using traditional sources, and topics found in the research methodology section will enhance your skills as an ancestor detective. Over one million articles have been published in thousands of local history and genealogy society newsletters and other periodicals, far more than any one person could possibly subscribe to or read. Before PERSI, it was nearly impossible to find out if an article had ever been published about your ancestor or the locale in which they had lived. PERSI is published annually and is carried by most genealogical libraries in book and/or CD-ROM version. PERSI does not contain the actual article, but is an index to tell you whether an article was published and which magazine it appeared in. For the price of photocopies, you can then obtain copies of articles relevant to your surname, locale, or research method of choice. PERSI makes it possible to consult the knowledge of local history and genealogy societies that thoroughly research, index and write articles for the states and counties where your ancestors lived, without your large investment in subscription fees or time spent sifti! ng t hrough years of periodical back issues. Read on, and I'll show you how to hit the genealogists information jackpot. The published index has over 27 volumes, published annually. There is also a new PERSI CD-ROM available for sale containing 27 volumes in one index, and is also available as a subscription database from Ancestry. Indexing a vast number of periodicals requires several volumes, and the breadth of the index can make using PERSI a bit confusing at first. Once you realize how many volumes are required to index nearly 6000 periodicals, and learn the system, PERSI becomes much less intimidating. Topics are divided into five categories. Places-United States Places-Canadian Places-Foreign Families Research Methodology The first sixteen volumes all have the same titles, either Places 1847-1985 or Families 1847-1985. They are divided into four retrospective series and a current series. The difference in each series is only the articles that have been indexed; the format remains the same throughout all of the volumes. The Allen County Public Library is continually discovering more genealogy and local history publications previously unknown, and continues to publish new volumes that include these periodicals. 1st Series Volume I Places 1847-1985 Volume II Places 1847-1985 Volume III Families 1847-1985 Volume IV Families 1847-1985 2nd Series Volume V Places 1847-1985 Volume VI Places 1847-1985 Volume VII Families 1847-1985 Volume VIII Families 1847-1985 3rd Series Volume IX Places 1847-1985 Volume X Places 1847-1985 Volume XI Families 1847-1985 Volume XII Families 1847-1985 4th Series Volume XIII Places 1847-1985 Volume XIV Places 1847-1985 Volume XV Families 1847-1985 Volume XVI Families 1847-1985 Current 1986 Annual 1987 Annual 1988 Annual 1989 Annual 1990 Annual 1991 Annual 1992 Annual 1993 Annual 1994 Annual 1995 Annual 1996 Annual 1997 Annual PERSI contains citations which reference specific articles. Each PERSI entry lists the title of the article, name of the periodical, volume and issue number in which the article appeared, the date it was published, and a PERSI reference code. The code refers to the appendix at the back of each volume, and refers to the title of the periodical, its general topic and area, and other bibliographic information. Since the index is compiled by the Allen County Public Library, they have every article from every periodical referenced. If your local library does not have the magazine, the Allen County Public Library Foundation will send copies for a reasonable fee. To obtain copies of articles in the PERSI index, contact the Allen County Public Library Foundation, P.O. Box 2270, Fort Wayne IN 46801-2270. Describe the articles to be copied, provide the full entry from PERSI and the name of the journal. The charge is $7.50 per letter prepaid and .20 per page copied to be billed to you. R! eque sts for copies cannot be accepted by telephone, fax or e-mail, and you will receive your copies in 6-8 weeks. Directions for requesting photocopies are listed at the front of each volume, and at http://www.acpl.lib.in.us/database/index/welcome_persi.html PERSI is a major genealogical source that has been underused for years, possibly due to the difficulty of searching through so many volumes, which is solved by the electronic version of PERSI. Whether you choose to consult traditional PERSI volumes at a genealogical library or electronically, it is a great help for every English speaking ancestor, and may be just what you need to solve some of the difficult searches for your roots. Joan M. Benner, member Association of Professional Genealogists, is a professional genealogist, researching in Wood and Portage Counties of Wisconsin. For friendly professional service at a reasonable price, guided by the Golden Rule, please see http://www.rootsweb.com/~wiwood/resource/r-joanb.htm Contact Joan at [email protected] or Post Office Box 1559, Wisconsin Rapids WI 54495-1559. Copyright 1998 by Joan M. Benner * Genealogy Research Sources is a free periodic newsletter covering queries and genealogy subjects of interest to researchers. Please remember to attribute any article you use to our newsletter. Also, please get permission from the author before republishing. Send any articles or queries to: [email protected] with the subject line GRS. To subscribe or unsubscribe to this newsletter send one email message to: [email protected] In the body of the message type your command either: subscribe or unsubscribe Happy Hunting, Tracey