New ACGSI Website “Stuff”

New “stuff” added to our www.acgsi.org web site in 2015 is listed here. Some items are public while some are Members Only. Volunteer time, membership fees and donations make it possible to keep adding more items online.

Added so far in 2015

February

• —Guardianship bonds 1867-1879
• —Funeral Cards now up to 11,155
• —Peltier mortuary records 1874-1938

January

• —Deceased voters, 1934-1975, Bi-Bj
• —Divorce newspaper extractions, 1917-1918
• —Marriage Book 144, photographed and uploaded
• Mary Ward inquest, 1865
• —20th Century Veterans Honor Roll
• —African American Marriages, 1867-1892

Members Only Section

• —December 2014 Allen County Lines quarterly periodical
• —Geschichte der Evangelisch Lutheran St. Johannis Gemeinde, 1855-1905, Fort Wayne
• —Membership directory, November 2014
• —Minutes, November
• —Treasurer reports, October-November

Free Monthly Educational Programs

6:30 p.m. refreshments and social time. 7:00 p.m. a free genealogy program in Meeting Room A at the Allen County Public Library (ACPL), 900 Library Plaza, Fort Wayne, Indiana.

 Genealogy Technology Group

Meets the third Wednesday evening of each month September to May in Meeting Room B at 7:00 p.m at ACPL. We have an open discussion of anything related to the internet, computers, social media, genealogy software and much much more.

2014 Review of www.acgsi.org Additions

Lots of new “stuff” was added to our www.acgsi.org web site in 2014. Some items are public while some are Members Only. Volunteer time, membership fees and donations help us keep adding more items online.

A sample of new “stuff” added in 2014.

Public Section

• Allen County Marriages from State Index 1958-2004
• Allen County Marriages, 1943-
• Cholera Deaths, etc., Fort Wayne, 1849
• Divorce newspaper notices 1896-1899, 1905-1916
• First Families database updated with 2014 applicants
• Funeral Card Collection now over 11,000 cards!
• Gable Civil War clippings collection
• Old Catholic Cemetery History from 1849+
• Marriage books 137, 138, 139, 140, 141, 142
• Home page 52 week portraits
• Lindenwood Cemetery Index 1979-1992, 2011-2013
• Social Security Death Index pre-2010
• Voter registrations

Members-Only Section

• Allen County Lines quarterly publications
• Kinerk-Dalman family papers
• Mid-1800s to mid 1900s church class lists, directories, calendars, donor lists, dedications, histories, manuals, and more
• Miscellaneous business and high School records

“Funerals: History and Customs” presented by David W. McComb – October 8, 2014 – Free Educational Genealogy Program

David W. McComb reviews how obituaries and funeral customs have changed over the years, including interesting facts about funeral preparations, changes in burial requirements, cemeteries, and monuments.

David is a fourth generation owner of D.O. McComb and Sons Funeral Home which is the second largest in Indiana.  With twenty-seven years of experience, he is a member of the Indiana State Board of Funeral and Cemetery Service. He serves as Liaison to the Indiana Attorney General and is a nationally known speaker.

—Guests are Always Welcome!

6:30 p.m. refreshments and social time. 7:00 p.m. a free genealogy program in Meeting Room A at the Allen County Public Library (ACPL), 900 Library Plaza, Fort Wayne, Indiana.

Genealogy Technology Group

Meets the third Wednesday evening of each month September to May in Meeting Room B at 7:00 p.m at ACPL. We have an open discussion of anything related to the internet, computers, social media, genealogy software and much much more.

—”Using Find-A-Grave in your Genealogical Research” – January 8, 2014 – Free Educational Genealogy Program

Guests are Always Welcome! 6:30 p.m. refreshments and social time. 7:00 p.m. a free genealogy program in Meeting Room A at the Allen County Public Library, 900 Library Plaza, Fort Wayne, Indiana.

—A panel of ACGSI members will discuss their experiences using Find-A-Grave as a resource for genealogical research. They will share how to post pictures, how to check for authenticity, and what to watch for using this online resource.

See our 2013-2014 brochure of Free Educational Genealogy Programs.

Our Genealogy Technology Group meets the third Wednesday evening of each month September to May in Meeting Room B at 7:00 p.m.

We have an open discussion of anything related to the internet, computers, social media, genealogy software and much much more. Bring your questions and/or problems to the Allen County Public Library, Room B on the third Thursday of each month from 7:00-8:30 pm.

“Set in Stone: A Brief Intro to Gravestone Style & Symbolism” October 10, 2012 Free Educational Genealogy Program

Visitors Always Welcome! 6:30 p.m. refreshments and social time, 7:00 p.m. genealogy program in Meeting Room A at the Allen County Public Library, 900 Library Plaza, Fort Wayne, Indiana

Presented by Joy M. Giguere, PhD

This presentation will offer a brief intro into the history of gravestone styles and symbolism.  Learn how particular images or forms were used during different time periods and the meaning behind them.

Joy M.Giguere is an Assistant Professor of History at Ivy Tech Community College. Originally from Maine, her areas of expertise include the evolution of gravestone and cemetery styles over time and their relationship to broader social and cultural patterns in American society.

2012-2013 ACGSI Educational Programs

See our 2012-2013 brochure of Free Educational Genealogy Programs the second Wednesday evening of each month September to May at the Allen County Public Library Meeting Room A.

Our Computer Interest Group meets the third Wednesday evening of each month September to May in Meeting Room B at 7:00 p.m. We have a round table discussion of genealogy computer software and hardware issues from attendee questions. A genealogy related video is often shown after questions are answered.

Tombstone Photography – Hallowed Stones

Our November 9, 2011 “Hallowed Stones – Cemetery Restoration” program by Mark Davis – Stone Saver Cemetery Restoration was well attended. Lots of questions were asked during and after Mark Davis’ program. An encore presentation to his January 14, 2009 program when a dozen or so brave souls ignored a winter weather advisory of near zero° wind chills and several inches of blowing and drifting snow. His program emphasizes maintaining and restoring the original tombstone presentation. I have photos from his day long 2005 workshop in Auburn, DeKalb County, Indiana on my personal web site. Mark is now too busy restoring tombstones scheduling 18 months in advance to offer workshops anymore.

Mark mentioned pre-1835 tombstones are likely a tan or gray colored sandstone, a soft easily damaged stone rare in Indiana, although I have seen a few in the oldest parts of older cemeteries. Next came white Italian marble imported from Italy in slabs, often adding a mass produced emblem and then hand sculpted names and dates popular until the late 1800’s. Gray granite tombstones a much harder stone became popular in the late 1800’s.

Marble stones could last 500 years under ideal circumstances, but are soft and easily damaged by lawn mowers, grass trimmers, absorbing chemical salts, and more. Water and soft plastic bristle brushes with hand labor are the safest cleaning techniques. Concrete, silicone rubber, bleach, weed killers, glues, non-stone adhesives, and chemicals can permanently damage and discolor the stone.

Empty square holes held tintype photos, I’ve seen a couple in Indiana and have to wonder who took them. Mark had one photo of an eight year old girl whose tintype was still in the tombstone, another was a 150 year old paper newspaper obituary still intact in a metal tombstone box in Colorado where the very low humidity prevented the paper from rotting as would occur here in our humid Midwest climate.

One series of questions about not damaging tombstones to revel hard to read information using common techniques like chalk rubbings, shaving cream and flour to read the tombstone data caught my attention. If not completely washed off with clean water, some type of permanent damage is possible especially when baked on by the extreme heat of July and August summer droughts.

The recommended non-destructive technique is to document the tombstones by taking photos before any attempts at cleaning or restoration. If you don’t know what you are doing, then hire someone who does. It can cost thousands of dollars to recreate one authentic replica tombstone. There are plenty of websites with information such as Gravestone Study Association and others linked on my 2005 workshop in Auburn, DeKalb County, Indiana web page.

Take Photographs

If the tombstone information is hard to read then take photographs when the angle of the sun creates shadows of the dates and names normally around 2:15 pm on a sunny day depending on the season. I have taken 1,000’s of tombstone photos in dozens, perhaps 100’s of cemeteries around Indiana and Ohio over the past 10 years. I use a digital camera and a tripod, but have seen the negative results of using chalk, shaving cream and worse. Pioneer cemeteries normally do not have running water, and most modern cemeteries no longer provide water for watering live plants since only removable artificial decorations are now recommended.

When possible I make at least 2 visits to a cemetery. The first visit is to take as many photos as possible of all tombstones in the area to later analyze the lay of the cemetery, family relationships, and the quality of the images to reveal all available information. I notice the location of tombstones relative to similar or recognizable names on other tombstones, trees, shrubs, buildings and any thing else that affects the angle of sunlight.

4:07 pm CDT

12:48 pm CDT

As shown in the photos above, the position of the sun according to the season, time of day, cloud cover, etc. all determine the clarity of the photos. The photo on the left was taken at 4 pm CDT (Central Daylight Time) with the sun shinning directly on the stone, the photo on right was taken the next day at 12:48 pm CDT with the sun coming in from an angle. I go into more detail on my Tombstone Photo page where I show another example of the difference time of day and angle of the sun shining directly onto the stone makes on the final photo, or how the sun shining from an angle from the side creates shadows highlighting dates and words chiseled into the stone.

Mirrors to Reflect Sunlight

Another non-destructive photography example is using mirrors to reflect the sun onto tombstones in the shade that reveal otherwise invisible information. A picture really is worth a 1,000 words as seen in the photos below from this Mirror Photography page.

In the shade

Mirror reflecting sun

On both of my personal pages I provide more information with links to related cemetery restoration and photo pages as well as Mark Davis – Stone Saver Cemetery Restoration company page.

The blog “How To Take Better Gravestone Photos” discusses using a camera flash similar to the mirror technique on Marian’s Roots and Rambles blog when there is no sun.

Microchip Technology

At the end of program Ron Stanley of R & T Monuments gave a quick overview of the latest technology of an RFID microchip that can be glued on old monuments or in a drilled hole in new monuments for access by smartphones and mobile devices using internet connections.

This video Tombstone Technology: Passing Information on Generation After Generation with Curt Witcher of the Genealogy Center shows the R & T Monument microchips recorded June 27, 2011 by IndianaNewsCenter.