Welcome to Fort Wayne!

Fort Wayne is excited for genealogists around the world to visit for the FGS 2013 Conference. Below is a blog post written by the folks at Visit Fort Wayne.

Welcome to Fort Wayne, Indiana! We are thrilled to host the 2013 Federal Genealogical Societies Conference from August 20-24 in our first-class and downtown facilities: the Grand Wayne Convention Center and the Fred J. Reynolds Historical Genealogy Department at the Allen County Public Library. The two buildings, along with the Hilton and Courtyard hotels, are within a one block radius of one another, providing easy walking convenience during the conference.

While in Fort Wayne, you will notice our clean and visitor friendly downtown streets will lead you to many fun activities. The Fort Wayne Tincaps will host league-rival South Bend from Aug. 20-23 at the eye-catching Parkview Field. The historic Allen County Courthouse is a  must-see for any history or architecture buff. Surround yourself with nature at the Botanical Conservatory with its lush seasonal displays, such as the Tropical Garden, where orchids and palms thrive in the shadows of a cascading waterfall, or retreat to the quiet beauty of the Desert Garden. We also suggest making stops to Science Central and the Fort Wayne Museum of Art.

Away from downtown, check out two of Fort Wayne’s shopping centers: Glenbrook Mall, Indiana largest shopping center, and Jefferson Pointe, an outdoor shopping mall. If you’re in the mood for a group tour, we recommend exploring cinda b and DeBrand Fine Chocolates.

These ideas are just a few ideas for your visit to our charming city. We hope participants from FGS will walk away with memories that will last a lifetime!

For more information, what’s going on in Fort Wayne, maps, or general information, visit us at www.VisitFortWayne.com/fgs or call us at 800-767-7752.

Research in the Midwest: Indianapolis

This post continues our series that will highlight research opportunities in the Midwest. Between lectures, collaboration, research at ACPL and research around the Midwest, FGS 2013 will be a great opportunity to break down your brick walls.

Indianapolis
By Harold Henderson 

Indiana's capital city, a little over two hours southwest of Fort Wayne, is a great place for a quick strike
in library or archives on your way to the FGS conference. The downtown canals and state capitol make
for plenty of photo opportunities as well.

Indiana State Library, 315 West Ohio Street, http://www.in.gov/library/index.htm. The microfilm
room on the second floor houses the world's best collection of Indiana newspapers along with the
state's most complete collection of Indiana county records. On another wing of the second floor are the
manuscript collections, with finding aids and a card catalog.

Indiana Historical Society, 450 West Ohio Street, http://www.indianahistory.org. Investigate their
massive manuscript and visual holdings at http://www.indianahistory.org/our-collections/manuscript-
and-visual-collections. Their store and “Indiana Experience” shows may be just the thing for any non-
researchers on board.

These two buildings are across the street and less than a block apart. Bring quarters for IHS lockers,
ISL copiers, and street parking. If you haven't been to Indianapolis in a while, allocate some time to
adjust to the higher on-street parking fees and the computerized payment system. IHS parking is free
with library use; its downstairs cafe looks out on the canals.

Indiana State Archives, 6440 East 30th Street, http://www.in.gov/icpr/2358.htm, with an auxiliary
on-line digital archive at http://www.indianadigitalarchives.org. Seven miles east of downtown, this is
an archive, not a library, so figure out what records you're looking for and call ahead to arrange to see
them. Parking not a problem.

Crown Hill Cemetery, 700 West 38th Street, http://www.crownhill.org, makes a great out-of-the-
car break with a genealogical and historical flavor. The beautiful pictures on the site do not lie. Burial
locator at http://www.crownhill.org/locate.

Every city deserves a blogger who's old enough to know the secrets and young enough to tell them.
Check out Ron Darrah's IndyGenealogy blog at http://indygenealogy.blogspot.com.

Research in the Midwest: Chicago

This is the first in a series of blog posts that will highlight research opportunities in the Midwest. Between lectures, collaboration, research at ACPL and research around the Midwest, FGS 2013 will be a great opportunity to break down your brick walls.

Chicago
By Harold Henderson

The de facto capital of the Midwest, a little over three hours west of Fort Wayne, has ample entertaining destinations for any non-genealogists in your group. Travelers can consider parking at an edge location (such as O'Hare or Midway airports) and taking transit into one or more repositories.

The Newberry Library, 60 West Walton Street, http://www.newberry.org. Mammoth historical collections, national and international in scope, with very knowledgeable genealogy and local history librarians. Quality in-house bookstore. If you can only visit one location, this is the one.

National Archives at Chicago, 7358 South Pulaski Road, http://www.archives.gov/chicago. Federal records for six states, both microfilm and physical archives. Call ahead.

Chicago Public Library, 400 S. State (Harold Washington Library Center), http://www.chipublib.org. A public library with significant genealogy and local history holdings. Note special and neighborhood collections at Woodson Regional, 9325 S. Halsted, http://www.chipublib.org/branch/details/library/woodson-regional, and Sulzer Regional, 4455 N. Lincoln, http://www.chipublib.org/branch/details/library/sulzer-regional.

Chicago Historical Museum, 1601 N. Clark, http://www.chicagohistory.org/research. Entry fee. The ultimate for specifically Chicago research – old phone books, newspapers, manuscripts. Note that the research center has shorter hours than the museum.

Meet FGS 2013 Local Host Allen County Genealogical Society of Indiana

The Allen County Public Library and the Allen County Genealogical Society of Indiana are the local hosts of the FGS 2013 conference in Fort Wayne, Indiana.

ACGSI board member, Marge Graham, introduces conference attendees to the society:

The Allen County Genealogical Society of Indiana is active in preserving county records, presenting educational programming nine months of the year, September through May. Our computer interest group also meets nine months of the year. The Society sponsors workshops several times a year. Members volunteer their services and expertise to the Allen County Public Library’s Genealogy Center. The Society purchases needed items for the Genealogy Center when requested or to fulfill a “wish” list.

The Society publishes a quarterly, Allen County Lines. The publication offers members an opportunity to submit their family histories, stories, photos, and queries. The Society maintains a website www.acgsi.org which contains numerous indexes and records for your searching pleasure. The “members only” section contains many valuable records plus back issues of Lines. Be sure to check out our wiki for links to other great sites. The Society also participates in USgenweb and you may find us at http://acgsi.org/genweb Check us out on Facebook at www.Facebook.com/ACGSI and if you are a blogger, join us at http://acgsi.wordpress.com or for the Twitter fans, find us at @ACGSI For those wishing to contact us try info@acgsi.org with your request or if you prefer, our address is Allen County Genealogical Society of Indiana, Inc., P.O. Box 12003, Fort Wayne, IN 46862.