A monthly section on using and searching PERSI is posted in the Genealogy Gems monthly E-Zine which lists information about the department's collections and useful research tips emailed to subscribers. A separate Genealogy Gems Archive back to the first issue September 30, 2004 is maintained by Friends of the Allen County Library.
In this column, we share citations of the thought-provoking, odd, cringe-worthy, and sometimes humorous topics of the articles we catalog. Through our indexing work for the Periodical Source Index, we churn through the periodicals at our disposal, seeking to shine a light on every bit of useful research material we find among the pages.
This week, a former research librarian, new to searching PERSI, offered an observation about our index and posed a question. Among our citations, she noticed the vast and incredible variety of rare, niche, and truly special source material we cite. She wondered how the Genealogy Center learns about and acquires such serial publications, ones written for small local audiences, those from groups that share super-specific interests, and those which might be held in fewer than half a dozen repositories in the world. In other words, how did we build the incredible serials collection on which PERSI is based?
Parts of the Genealogy Center collection predate the 1961 founding of the Genealogy Department itself. Throughout the first part of the 20th Century, the collection of the Public Library of Fort Wayne and Allen County benefited from the work of our local DAR chapter and from frugal library administrators with a good eye who traveled widely seeking second-hand historical gems. In later partnerships with other libraries, most notably the Newberry, we photocopied huge numbers of disintegrating volumes to preserve, acquire, and share the knowledge they held. Over decades, we developed and maintained contacts with thousands of societies, authors, publishers, and donors who supply the periodical issues we bind and shelve. Piles arrive daily. A stack of one month's incoming serials would rival the height of a genealogy librarian or a PERSI indexer. We are grateful to the taxpayers of Allen County who provide the core funding supporting our acquisition efforts.
Do you know about an available publication, old or new, which you think should be added to our collection? We welcome donations, leads, and purchase requests from our patrons. Email us at: Genealogy@ACPL.Info
As you search PERSI, you will find gems published by special people with fascinating interests in places far and near. Try a PERSI search here:
The Canal Society of Indiana sends us their journals and newsletters including the Hoosier Packet and Tumble. Vital to Indiana's growth, canal transportation brought settlers and commerce to this region. Among much evidence, you'll find a story of an old man named Maiden. He drunk drove an oxen-drawn wagon laden with supplies for canal workers. Mr. Maiden met his end near Evansville in 1851.
Ex-CBI Roundup, founded in 1946 and published to 2009, was a reminiscing magazine for former members of U.S. units stationed in the China-Burma-India Theater during World War II. Many war veterans hesitated to share their experiences with their own families. Through this publication, though, veterans wrote in to share their memories with military comrades, ones they knew would understand. Our collection starts with volume 20 in 1965; we seek earlier issues.
Kanhistique, published in Ellsworth, Kansas, from 1975 to 2008, was a paper devoted to Kansas, its history, and its antiques. It's full of vintage photographs of pioneer scenes, Kansas people, and the stuff they collected.
Luxembourg Heritage Society of Southern Minnesota Newsletter, 2007+, comes from a society active today. This is an example of our many publications which preserve history of particular immigrant groups. One article details the life Peter Schmitz and his journey from Luxembourg to Chicago to New Ulm, Minnesota. It tells of Indian attacks, ad-hoc militias, government reparations, a diphtheria epidemic, and a funeral cortege of forty vehicles.
Solitude in Stone, published in East Lansing, Michigan, from 1994 to 2010, relishes in the eccentricities of decedents as revealed via a walk through a cemetery. Karl Simpson's stone forever declares him a "Great Father & Grumpy Old Fart". Another photo, a wide angle of a cemetery, includes a common road sign which gave the photographer pause: "Dead End".
PERSI: A Research Gem
by Allison DePrey Singleton
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The Genealogy Center is delighted to be the home of the Periodical Source Index (PERSI). Created in 1985, PERSI assists genealogy researchers in finding articles in more than 11,000 titles of periodicals and is designed to make that research easier, since many publications do not have their own indexes. Researchers have difficulty knowing every periodical that might benefit their research due to such factors as limited availability, the unexpected location of information, and the size of the organization that creates the periodical. The library staff designed PERSI to help overcome these obstacles and leave no stone unturned. Even though it has been around for more than 37 years, it has only come to be hosted on the Genealogy Center website this past year. Let’s explore how to use PERSI.
The indexed periodicals come from local, regional, and state genealogical societies, historical societies, museums, academic institutions, special interest groups, for-profit publishers, individuals, and many other organizations. Currently, the Genealogy Center receives more than 3,000 periodical subscriptions that are part of its permanent collection. Once we have a full run of a periodical, they are bound and shelved based on topic or location. The current periodicals are kept unbound in alphabetical order. All of them have been cataloged into our collection.
PERSI indexes the titles of articles. The content is not itself indexed, which means researchers need to look for topics and subjects surrounding their ancestors’ lives. PERSI has a surname index that can be searched, but it is unusual for entire articles to be written about one person or one family. Often, these articles include a wide variety of information, including transcriptions of court records, cemetery markers, wills, and other types of records or historical topics. It is best to look for both the surname and the topics or subjects for each ancestor being researched.
Searching PERSI is a learned skill. We recommend that you watch at least one of our videos on PERSI: Ask the Experts: PERSI or Welcome to the New, FREE, Periodical Source Index (PERSI)!. [SHOWN BELOW] Both of these videos will supply tips and tricks to get the most out of PERSI. Wildcards are not available at this time, but it is possible to enter search terms in quotes. More specific results will be found this way. It is also important to think of every term that can be used to describe an event in an ancestor’s life. For example, if seeking material on a death event, use terms such as death, die, funeral, wake, burial, bury, cemetery, grave, headstone, homicide, suicide, murder, kill, will, probate, etc. Be creative!
After an exciting discovery has been made within PERSI, obtaining a copy of the article is the next step. The first option is to visit the Genealogy Center to view the article in person. Researchers are able to make photocopies, scans, or take pictures. We then recommend contacting the publisher for each periodical to see if an inexpensive or free copy could be obtained. The next step is to see if there is a copy of the article in a local library. WorldCat.org is the best option for finding locations of these titles. Lastly, an article order can be made through the Genealogy Center at a small fee. The order form needs to be filled out here: https://acpl.lib.in.us/images/Documents/Gendocs/Forms/articlerequest.pdf. The form can be mailed or emailed. Pre-payment is no longer necessary. The best part of the Genealogy Center’s hosting PERSI, creating the index, and having the periodicals on the premises is that our staff are also here to assist. We want your search to be successful.
Have you searched PERSI lately? 🔍 PERSI, our Periodical Source Index, is the premier subject index for genealogy and local history periodicals, and is produced by the staff of The Genealogy Center. This valuable resource provides more than 3 million citations to readily-available periodical sources!
2:07 minute video October 31, 2021 post by Genealogy Center on Facebook. Meet the Genealogy Center: Adam Barrone Genealogy PERSI Research Center Supervisor.
Ask the Experts: PERSI posted Oct 3, 2022 by the Allen County Public Library on YouTube
Join the Genealogy Center's senior librarians on Thursday, August 18th at 6:30 p.m. EDT where we will discuss the amazing Periodical Source Index (PERSI). Participate in this discussion on how PERSI can assist you with your research.
Welcome to the New, FREE, Periodical Source Index (PERSI)! January 28, 2022 by the Allen County Public Library on YouTube
The Genealogy Center
The Periodical Source Index (PERSI) is the premier subject index for genealogy and local history periodicals, and is produced by the staff of The Genealogy Center. This January, PERSI will be made available as a part of our FREE databases, and we want your feedback to make this the best tool in your family history toolbox! Join us for an informal first look at the new PERSI to ask questions and share your thoughts.
Find Millions of Genealogy Clues with This Free Website posted May 6, 2022 by Genealogy with Amy Johnson Crow on YouTube There are millions of genealogy clues published by genealogy societies that you will never find on Ancestry or FamilySearch. Here's how to use a free resource called PERSI to find those valuable clues. PERSI is now available for FREE on the website of the Genealogy Center at the Allen County Public Library in Fort Wayne, Indiana. It has references to more than 3 million articles. It's definitely worth exploring!
PERSI is growing! 😍 Our Periodical Source Index just grew by 20,000 entries bringing the grand total to 3,144,958!...
PERSI is growing! Our Periodical Source Index just grew by 20,000 entries bringing the grand total to 3,144,958!
PERSI is the premier subject index for genealogy and local history periodicals, and is produced by the staff of The Genealogy Center. This valuable resource provides access to countless genealogy gems!
Our Periodical Source Index just grew by 20,000 entries bringing the grand total to 3,144,958!
https://www.genealogycenter.info/persi/
