When marveling at the size and scope of the collection at The Genealogy Center of the Allen County Public Library in Fort Wayne, more than one puzzled genealogist has wondered, “Why Fort Wayne?” How did this renowned collection of genealogy research materials grow in a public library in a mid-sized Midwestern city? The synergy of several factors over the years caused the collection to become the outstanding resource that it is today.
Fred J. Reynolds was Head Librarian in January 1961 when the Indiana History and Genealogy Room was established in a corner of the Carnegie building, which was at Wayne and Webster Streets, the same physical location as today’s library. Reynolds was not a genealogist, but he recognized the value of family history research. Under his tenure, materials from all over the library that related to genealogy were gathered in the fledgling department. This included a collection of lineage books and historical works that had been donated to the library by the local chapter of the National Society of Daughters of the American Revolution back in 1903. It also included county history volumes, city directories and other local history works that had been purchased on forays to used book stores all over the Midwest during the Great Depression in an effort to restock library shelves during that period of great library use.
From the original nucleus of 400 DAR volumes, Reynolds was instrumental in building the collection of genealogy materials to more than 100,000 volumes by the end of his tenure in 1978, largely through innovative partnerships. One such collaborative effort was with the Newberry Library in Chicago. Many of the Newberry’s old books were in disrepair. So they were brought by station wagon-load to Fort Wayne and photocopied twice. The original of each volume was returned to the Newberry along with a hardbound photocopy, and the second photocopy was put on the shelf in Fort Wayne. Copy machines ran at the library in Fort Wayne 24 hours a day, with local business college students at the controls. Photocopy arrangements with other institutions followed. Another partnership was with R.L. Polk Directory Company. Beginning in 1965, the library became a depository collection for Polk city directories. This arrangement continues today.
The Genealogy Center for several decades has had a unique collection development partnership with societies and individuals, as well. Authors of genealogy books who allow The Genealogy Center to copy their manuscript for the collection, receive a free, hardbound copy of the work back with their original. This includes family histories, cemetery volumes, church histories or books on any other genealogy or local history subject. Through word of mouth, news of this “Photocopy Exchange Project” has spread, and The Genealogy Center is home to hundreds of nearly-one-of-a-kind family history volumes.
Over the years, The Genealogy Center has made it known that it gratefully accepts donations of school yearbooks, church directories, and other such items from anywhere in the U.S. or Canada, and again, largely through word of mouth, people hear about the collection and contact The Genealogy Center when handling a relative’s estate or helping a neighbor downsize. Now that digitization is de rigueur, The Genealogy Center has even more options for accepting material and expanding its collection on its website, with military materials of all kinds on Our Military Heritage, family bible pages, family data and photos on the Family Resources page, and more.
Be sure to explore the The Genealogy Center’s catalog and website at www.GenealogyCenter.org in advance of the Federation of Genealogical Societies Conference in August to see what treasures the department may have that pertain to your research goals. Future Conference blog entries will describe some of the unique collections within The Genealogy Center in more detail.
