Introducing the Genealogy Center at the Allen County Public Library, Fort Wayne, Indiana

Summer is a perfect time to pack up the car and take a genealogy road trip. Are you ready? How about a ride to northern Indiana through beautiful farmland (and just a few construction zones) to the second largest genealogy collection in the U.S.—the Allen County Public Library? Located in downtown Fort Wayne, the Genealogy Center at the Allen County Public Library is second in size only to the FamilySearch (Family History) Library in Salt Lake City. At 367,000 square feet, it occupies a bright, spacious location on the second floor of a library that was entirely rebuilt in 2007. Here's why you might want to consider a trip there.

The highlight of the collection in Fort Wayne is more than one million books! The library is home to more than 72,000 family histories and 372,000 printed volumes of state and local histories—and not just books, but also manuscripts and maps from all over the country. In addition, the library staff publishes and maintains a well-known genealogy resource, the Periodical Source Index, commonly called PERSI. The staff is knowledgeable, patient, and friendly, and there are ample tables with electricity, computers, copiers, and comfortable seating for all patrons.

PERSI

Hundreds of journals are published by genealogical and historical societies in the U.S., Canada, and throughout the world. What if someone indexed the names, titles, and keywords from every article in every journal and made that public? Well, that’s what PERSI is! And every copy of every journal indexed in PERSI is at the Allen County Public Library Genealogy Center, bound, shelved in open stacks, and easily accessible. The PERSI index is on the library’s website so you can search by surname or location, jot down the call numbers of whatever journals you want to look at, and go right to them when you arrive at the library.

Manuscript and Special Collections

Some of the unique collections at the Genealogy Center include:

• American Home Missionary Society Papers, 1816–1894
• American Missionary Association Manuscripts, 1839–1882 
• American State Papers & U.S. Serial Set (Gov. Docs.)
• Bexar Archives (Texas & Mexico)
• Colonial newspapers from Maryland, Pennsylvania, and Virginia
• Draper Manuscript Collection & Shane Papers
• Library of Congress Land Ownership Maps
• New England Women and Their Families
• Pamphlets in American History
• Robert R. Livingston Papers (New York)
• Southern Women and Their Families 

(All photos by Ilene Murray, June 2023; used with permission)

And there is more . . .

The library also houses an extensive collection of African American and Native American records. There are collections of records from Canada and the British Isles; U.S. military and census records; and city directories from throughout the U.S. The Genealogy Center website includes a page called “Our Military Heritage,” featuring original letters, diaries, biographies, photographs, and other unique records.

And then there are the family histories. Thousands of them, again, shelved in the open and accessible in the library. They are all in the online catalogue so you can do all your searching at home before you get to the library. 

Start by exploring the library’s website: https://acpl.lib.in.us/genealogy

Download an updated brochure with everything you need to know about the library: https://acpl.lib.in.us/images/Documents/Gendocs/2022_GEN_Brochure_Update.pdf

While you are on the website, you might also like to register for the free webinars the library offers. Just look over to the left for the “Genealogy Events” column.

The library is located within blocks of several hotels and restaurants. There is covered parking under the building and street level parking lots within easy walking distance. Hope you make it there, but even if you can't go in person, be sure to check out their website!