The Best Gift After a DNA Kit? A Genealogy Getaway to Fort Wayne, Indiana
Fort Wayne · Indiana
The Best Gift After a DNA Kit? A Genealogy Getaway to Fort Wayne, Indiana
The DNA results tell you where your family came from. A trip to Fort Wayne, home to one of the largest genealogy collections in the country, can tell you who they were. And it’s free.
Every holiday season, millions of DNA kits end up under the tree. A few weeks later the results arrive: a pie chart of percentages, a list of distant cousins, a map with arrows pointing across oceans. It is thrilling, and then, for most people, it stops. The ethnicity estimate tells you roughly where your family came from. It cannot tell you who your great-great-grandmother was, why she left, or where she is buried. For that, you need records, and the people who know how to read them. Which is how a surprising number of families end up in Fort Wayne, Indiana.
Fort Wayne is home to The Genealogy Center at the Allen County Public Library, widely ranked as the second-largest genealogy research collection in the United States and the largest in any public library. It draws researchers from around the world, and it costs nothing to use. If someone in your family is giving or getting a DNA kit this year, a genealogy getaway might be the most meaningful next step you can plan.
The DNA kit is the beginning of the story. Fort Wayne is where you read the rest.
Why the DNA results are only the start
A DNA test is a powerful clue, but it is still a clue. Matches point you toward relatives; they rarely explain how you are connected. To turn a list of cousins into a family tree, genealogists rely on the paper trail: census pages, city directories, church and cemetery records, immigration and military files, newspapers and family Bibles. Those records are scattered across thousands of archives, and many of the best are behind paywalls or available only inside a library. That is exactly the problem The Genealogy Center solves.
Inside The Genealogy Center
The scale is hard to overstate. The collection spans books, periodicals, microforms and digital records covering families from across the United States and around the world, and it holds the largest collection of city directories in the country, one of the most useful and overlooked tools for tracing where ancestors lived and worked, year by year.
Then there are the databases. Visitors get free on-site access to the leading licensed genealogy databases, the same subscription services that cost individual researchers real money every year, plus several databases available only to libraries. Some of them can be searched only inside the building, which makes a visit far more than a nice day out.
The setting helps, too. The Genealogy Center sits inside the Allen County Public Library’s $65 million, state-of-the-art main library, a bright, modern building designed for long research days.
Free help from people who know where to look
The best resource is not a book or a database. It is the staff. The Genealogy Center offers free one-on-one consultations with experienced genealogy librarians, who can look at what you already know, including your DNA matches, and point you toward the records most likely to break through a brick wall. For beginners it is a crash course; for seasoned researchers it is a second set of expert eyes. Either way, it is the kind of guidance that would cost a great deal anywhere else.
An affordable family getaway
Part of Fort Wayne’s appeal is how easy it is to turn research into a trip. The library sits in the heart of downtown, a few blocks from restaurants, museums, theaters, hotels and the city’s revitalized riverfront. That makes it simple to split a weekend between focused hours in the stacks and time together as a family: lunch downtown, a walk along the river, dinner to compare what everyone found. Because the Center itself is free, the biggest costs are the hotel and the drive, which keeps the whole trip within reach.
How to plan your genealogy trip
A little preparation goes a long way. Before you go, gather what you already know: names, dates and places, copies of documents and old photos, and your DNA match list. Write down the specific questions you want answered, such as a missing maiden name or an immigrant ancestor’s hometown. Check The Genealogy Center’s website for hours and how to arrange a consultation, bring a laptop or tablet, and plan at least one full day in the library; two is better. Then book a hotel downtown so you can walk to the research and back.
It may be the rare holiday gift that keeps growing: a DNA kit in December, a family trip to Fort Wayne in the new year, and a story that finally has names attached.
The Genealogy Center — At a Glance
- Where
- Allen County Public Library, 900 Library Plaza, downtown Fort Wayne, Indiana
- Cost
- Free
- Collection
- Second-largest genealogy collection in the U.S.; largest collection of city directories in the country
- Databases
- Free on-site access to the leading licensed genealogy databases, plus library-only databases
- Help
- Free one-on-one consultations with genealogy librarians
- Nearby
- Downtown restaurants, museums, hotels and the riverfront
Plan Your Genealogy Getaway
Check hours, resources and how to book a consultation with The Genealogy Center, then find a hotel downtown within walking distance of the library.
Visit The Genealogy CenterFrequently Asked Questions
Is the Genealogy Center in Fort Wayne free?
Yes. The Genealogy Center at the Allen County Public Library is free to visit and use, including its print collection, on-site access to leading licensed genealogy databases and free consultations with its genealogy librarians.
Where is the Genealogy Center?
The Genealogy Center is inside the main Allen County Public Library at 900 Library Plaza in downtown Fort Wayne, Indiana, a few blocks from the city’s restaurants, museums and hotels.
How big is the Genealogy Center’s collection?
It is widely described as the second-largest genealogy research collection in the United States and the largest in a public library, with books, periodicals, microforms and databases covering records from around the world, as well as the largest collection of city directories in the country.
Can I get help from a genealogist?
Yes. The Genealogy Center offers free one-on-one consultations with experienced genealogy librarians, who can help you plan your research, read DNA-linked records and find the right sources for your family.
What databases can I use at the Genealogy Center?
Visitors get free on-site access to the leading licensed genealogy databases, plus several databases available only to libraries. Some of these can be used only in the building, which is one of the best reasons to plan a trip.
What should I bring to a genealogy research trip?
Bring your DNA results and match list, the names, dates and places you already know, copies of family documents and photos, and a list of specific questions. A laptop or tablet and a way to save copies of what you find are also useful.
What else is there to do in downtown Fort Wayne?
The Genealogy Center is a short walk from the riverfront, museums, theaters, restaurants and hotels of downtown Fort Wayne, which makes it easy to pair research days with time out as a family.
This article may contain sponsored or partner content and affiliate links; see our Editorial Policy & Advertiser Disclosure. Hours and services are subject to change; confirm with The Genealogy Center before visiting.
