South Bend Indiana FamilySearch Center

The South Bend, Indiana Family History Center is actually in Mishawaka, Indiana, The two cities seem to be one big city. The dividing line is Logan Street. If you want to find us using your GPS, you will have to enter 930 Park Place, Mishawaka, IN.

Location &amp; Map:

Address: 930 Park Place, Mishawaka, IN 46545


 * We have our own entrance to the FHC. It is in the left front of the building, or right front, looking from the street. It has written in white letters, Family History Center along with our hours of operation.


 * Location on map for South Bend, Indiana Family History Center

Phone: (574) 243-1633

E-mail: [mailto:in_southbend@ldsmail.net in_southbend@ldsmail.net]

Open Hours:


 * Tuesdays and Wednesdays 10:00am to 7:00 pm,
 * Saturday 10:00am to 3:00pm

Holiday Schedule: We are only closed if the holiday falls on a Tuesday, Wednesday or Saturday. For Christmas and New Years we will be closed, starting the Thursday before Christmas and open again on the Tuesday after New Years day.

Collections

 * Family History Library Catalog: This center has the ability to order any of the films and fiche available through the Family History Library Catalog, from Salt Lake Library distribution. We have over 1900 films in our own Inventory. Plus another 1,000 or so fiche.

There is a $5.50 charge to cover the shipping to and from our FHC. This allows a patron to view the film for 30 days. If they find 30 days is not enough time, they can renew the film for an additonal 30 days for another $5.50. If someone wants to have the film added to our own Inventory, they can pay an additonal $5.50, or if they know they would like to keep the film here when they initially ordered it, they can pay the $16.50 up front, and when the film comes in we add it to our Inventory at that time.

Coming soon, you will be able to order the films right from your own computer..Until then, you can just email us with the film or films you want to order, and we will order them for you, and you can pay when they come in.


 * FHC Portal: This center has access to the Family History Center Portal page which gives free access in the center to Premium Family History software and websites that generally charge for subscriptions.
 * Such as the following web sites. •19th Century British Library Newspaper Digital Archive •Access Newspaper Archive •Alexander Street Press - The American Civil War:    Research Database | Letters and Diaries | Images, Photographs, Posters, and Ephemera •Ancestry.com
 * •Find My Past •Fold3.com (Previously known as Footnote.com) •The Genealogist •Genline FamilyFinder *. •Godfrey Memorial Library •Heritage Quest Online •Historic Map Works Library Edition •Paper Trail •World Vital Records
 * Hardware and Equipment: We have seven computers with access to the above sites, with the ability to print or save to a flash drive the information you find and want to keep. We have five film readers along with one Cannon Scanner that allows you to scan documents you find on any of the films you may have ordered. We are working on adding another scanning device that will be able to take a picture of an image from the readers. This will be of great benefit to our patrons. Now we have a 1 hour time limit on the Cannon Scanner, this allows more patrons time to copy the documents, rather then having to transcribe the information.

Staff Research Specialties
We have several consultants who specialize in Hungary, Polish, German, and England research. Also one who is very good searching Military Records. Once you have an initial contact with them, you can set up appointments with them, at no charge. We do ask $.10 a copy if you make a hard copy of your records, other than that everything here is free of charge.

Resources in the Local Area
The Mishawaka Penn Harris Public Library, located at 209 Lincoln Way East, Mishawaka, (574) 259-5277, with branches at: 602 Bittersweet Rd, Mishawaka (574) 259-0392, and 51446 Elm Rd. Granger            (574) 271-3179.

The St.Joseph County Public Library, 304 South Main St.South Bend, IN (574) 282-4621

The Allen County Public Library, in Ft. Wayne, IN (260) 421-1200

Links:
http://wicklow.rootsireland.ie

www.geneanet.org and www.archive.org

www.verwandt.de and www.mocavo.com

www.in.gov/library/genealogy.htm

Volunteer at the Center
Anyone can be a volunteer at our Family History Center. You don't have to be an expert at doing research or on how to use a computer. We would be glad to have anyone who has a couple of hours during any of the days we are open. There is more to do then helping people with their research, I as the Director can find something for you to do to assist us in making this the best Family History Center.

Jim Myers, Director