Family historian Barbara Moorhouse's most thrilling moment was opening an oversize book of old maps at the Allen County Public Library in Fort Wayne, Ind.
Like many modern, tech-savvy amateur genealogists, Moorhouse has been able to do most of her research online. But finding and "actually holding" a book of old county plats, one marked with a family name, was special in a way that cannot be duplicated by computer, she says.
"I have yet to visit a county courthouse," the Bloomfield Hills, Mich., resident admits of a once-necessary stop.
The book is part of the library's Genealogy Center, the nation's largest public genealogy collection.
One of the nation's most complete and important family history research sites, the facility draws visitors from across the country. It is open seven days a week from September through May, closed Sundays from Memorial Day to Labor Day.
Its location makes it easy for Midwesterners to fill in a branch on the family tree as part of an affordable getaway weekend.
The collection has 1 million textual items and access to millions more, all free to visitors. It includes census records, military records dating to the 1700s, National Archives passenger lists and indexes covering 163 ports of entry on microfilm. It has one of the largest collections of city directories in the country and the largest English-language genealogy and local history periodical collection in the world, with more than 10,000 titles. In addition, the center has access to important national and international genealogy databases.
Curt Witcher, manager of the Genealogy Center and Special Collections, says that 30 years ago, tracing the family tree usually meant a trip to the local library. Today, would-be family historians more likely begin by logging on to the home computer and Ancestry.com.
Hunting down old records once was arduous, but today's easy access brings a new set of problems.
"What is the data I should be gathering?" is one of the most common questions staff members hear from visitors "either overwhelmed or frustrated" by all that is available, Witcher says. His staff is trained to help visitors cut the hit-or-miss factor that is a big part of family research. And he boasts that his "staff's expertise and access to databases" mean "there is no question we can't answer."
Visiting the Genealogy Center, however, is most rewarding to those who have already done some basic spadework, he says.
"You'd be surprised how many people come here a week before they are going to Ireland and want to find out something about family history," he says.
To help people get started, the Genealogy Center has a rich and easy-to-navigate website, geneal
ogycenter.org. The site has tips on how to begin a family history, a genealogy blog, a monthly e-zine, and an orientation video of the center for those contemplating a visit.
The Genealogy Center is on the second floor of the library in downtown Fort Wayne.
The 7-year-old library is equipped with free Wi-Fi, and there are plenty of tables with outlets for laptops and enough room to spread out books and papers.
The center has a number of computers with access to databases from Ancestry.com to the Mormon holdings in Salt Lake City. In addition, printers and microtext readers for printing or downloading information are scattered throughout.
"I wouldn't go there if you haven't started on the family tree," advises Moorhouse, echoing Witcher. "There is so much there it is almost overwhelming."
But those with a focus will find "you can access all this stuff yourself," she says.
She was able to trace a great-grandfather as he relocated from one Ohio city to another and as he moved his Columbus, Ohio, business from address to address.
Members of the Afro-American Genealogical and Historical Society of Chicago also have found the city directory collection useful. The Chicago group is one of several from major Midwestern cities that regularly visit the Indiana center.
"Of course, the Newberry Library is our local major research center," says trip coordinator Nettie Nesbary, referring to Chicago's well-known private library. But each research site has special strengths, she notes, citing the Allen County library's directories for cities in Alabama and Mississippi.
"We want people to be successful here, however they define successful," Witcher says. "And we want them to have fun."
If you go
After spending some time in the stacks at the Allen County Public Library Genealogy Center, plan to visit some of the history just outside the library's doors:
Fort Wayne is Indiana's second-largest city after Indianapolis. Thanks to its location as part of a 10-mile portage between waterways connecting the Great Lakes and the Wabash River, it has been a commercial center since the mid-1600s.