SWFLN Meeting: Archives, Local History, and Genealogy Interest Group

Fort Myers Regional/Bonita Springs Library - Genealogy Collection Highlights January 25, 2012

1. Access to genealogical research materials is available during normal business hours. 2. Genealogical research assistance: Available by appointment only. Contact options: a. Fort Myers: Contact Bryan Mulcahy at [email protected] or 239-533-4626 or the Lee County Genealogical Society at http://www.leecountygenealogy.org/libraryRecords.php b. Bonita Springs: Contact the Bonita Springs Genealogy Club at http://lcgsfl.org/index.php 3. Hours of Operation: Fort Myers: Monday-Wednesday 9 a.m.-8 p.m.; Thursday 9a.m.-6 p.m. ; Friday and Saturday 9 a.m.-5 p.m. 4. Hours of Operation: Bonita Springs: Monday, Wednesday and Thursday 10 a.m.-6 p.m. ; Tuesday, Thursday 12 p.m.-8 p.m.; Friday and Saturday 9 a.m.-5 p.m. 5. Collection size: Fort Myers 9,243 titles; Bonita Springs 1,000+ titles 6. Copies of our genealogy collection shelf list are available at: a. Cart in front of the genealogy collection b. Fort Myers Reference Desk c. Lee County Genealogical Society website: http://www.leecountygenealogy.org/ d. No shelf list is available for the Bonita Springs Collection. For information on this branch collection contact Bryan Mulcahy via email or visit the Bonita Springs Genealogy Club website: http://lcgsfl.org/index.php 7. Shelf list is important because not all titles appear on our Polaris catalog system. Patrons may also contact Bryan Mulcahy about obtaining electronic copies relevant to their area of research. 8. Subject Coverage: Fort Myers: All 50 states and 41 foreign countries; Bonita Springs: Eastern Seaboard, New England and mid-Atlantic (USA); British Isles; Northwest/Central Europe 9. Scope: heaviest concentration is east of the Mississippi River, British Isles, and Western Europe 10. Examples of materials in both collections include the following: a. Indexes to primary source records (would be classified as secondary sources) (1) Land records (2) Vital records (births, marriages, divorces, and death records) (3) Military service and pension records (4) Township, city, and state records (tax, voters registers, licenses) b. Selected microfilm rolls for the Federal census for Florida (Fort Myers) and selected states in the Middle-Atlantic region (Bonita Springs) c. Bibliographies of holdings in genealogical research institutions in the U.S. and Europe d. Published family histories e. Personal narratives of historical events f. Selected genealogical periodicals g. Circulating self-help books on specific genealogical research topics (929.1) h. Study guides on a variety of genealogical research topics i. Information for contacting family associations, genealogical/historical societies, organizations, and repositories, both local and worldwide j. Subscription databases, containing digitalized images of a growing number of primary sources such as census records, land records and wills, military records, etc.: (1) Ancestry Library Edition (available at all library branches in system) (2) Heritage Quest (available at all library branches in the system and remote access from home) (3) Heritage Quest is available via remote access from home provided the user has a valid Lee County Library System library card 2

k. Secondary resources in both genealogical collections provide researchers with the contact information necessary to access primary records and documents from the jurisdiction where their ancestors resided. l. The information in these sources usually provides the fee structure, forms (which can be photocopied), and necessary address, fax, or telephone information needed to process the request. m. We can also borrow genealogical materials from other libraries nationwide via our Inter- Library Loan Department. 11. On-Line databases: a. Heritage Quest (including access to PERSI). Due to PERSI and limited shelf space we have very few genealogical periodicals. PERSI allows access to the majority of research related periodicals of interest to researchers for names and records. b. AncestryLibrary Edition 12. Newspapers: a. New York Times 1851-present b. Fort Myers News-Press 1884-Present 13. Study Guides: a. Cover a variety of genealogical subjects including over 140 titles, each of which includes bibliographical sources for further research. b. Binders are located on the genealogy shelving cart at Fort Myers. c. Patrons may also contact Bryan Mulcahy at [email protected] for information and to obtain electronic copies. d. Patrons may photocopy them at the branch for $.10 per page. 14. Genealogical Programming a. Ongoing throughout the year b. October Family History Month c. February Beginners Series d. Tours arranged for study groups by appointment 15. Research Assistance: a. Volunteers are available during the following times (1) Monday 9 a.m.-4 p.m. (2) Wednesday Noon-2 p.m. (3) Thursday 11:30-4:30 p.m. (11/1/2004-May 2005) (4) By appointment with various members of the LCGS b. Contact Bryan Mulcahy at [email protected] or by phone at 239-533-4626 minimum of three days in advance of your visit for an appointment. c. There is no charge for assistance but in-house patrons must pay for all photocopies. d. Join the Lee County Genealogical Society and enroll in one of the special interest groups which meet at the library at various times. e. Finding obituaries: Patrons MUST be able to supply the following in order for us to perform a search (1) Full name of the decedent (2) Date of death (we will search up to one month without a specific date) (3) Year of death (mandatory—we will not search entire years). Since the LCGS has compiled a printed index of obituaries covering the years 1930-1997, we will search the cards BUT we will not search the entire newspaper. We do not have the staff or time. f. Mail queries: We accept queries by mail with the following criteria: (1) Patron must furnish complete information (2) Limit one question or two obits per letter (3) Please allow at least two weeks for replies (4) Enclosing a SASE is now mandatory unless you are satisfied with an e-mail or fax response (5) There is no charge for photocopies for mailed in queries BUT we cannot provide more than 10 pages of photocopies. We do not solicit donations or 3

request the patron to reimburse us but we don’t turn down donations if the patron includes a check.

Updated 1/25/2012