October is Family History Month – and the Allen County Public Library is doing it up in style. The month will end at the library with the Black Genealogy Summit. Following is an excerpt from an article about the Summit.
Click Here for a PDF Calendar of Family History Month programs at the Allen County Public Library in Fort Wayne, Indiana.
Genealogy and historical research buffs, from the local to the international level, will descend on the Allen County Public Library later this month for “Reconnecting Lost Links,” the International Black Genealogy Summit.
The conference, Oct. 29-31, will feature speakers and workshops for the novice genealogist to the seasoned researcher at the library, which is the second-largest genealogy research center in North America. The first day is free, and the final two days cost $100 for both or $75 for one.
“We have a well-known and very rich collection from local history records, plantation records, slave manifests, county histories, middle passage records and more amazing collections of materials,” said Curt Witcher, manager of the Genealogy Center in the library. “You won’t find access to as many databases anywhere as you’ll find at the library. Along with that, our staff has broad expertise. It’s a winning combination.”
The conference will allow patrons to use the library’s resources and learn in workshops about genetics, church historiography, identifying slave owners, personal research journeys, local history, using nontraditional resources, and the Power to End Stroke program in partnership with the American Heart Association.
Hana Stith, co-founder and curator of the African/African American Museum in Fort Wayne, and lecturer, historian and author Dorothy Spruill Redford, will deliver keynote speeches.
Witcher expects about 420 people over the weekend and many more in the days before and after for further research.
Read the full article by Nick West in the October 2, 2009 edition of the Fort Wayne Sentinel.
Click here for details and registration info on the Black Genealogy Summit.
