New Castle To Host GenFest 2008

The New Castle-Henry County Public Library and the Henry County Historical Society in New Castle, Indiana will host GenFest2008 on June 13-14, 2008. GenFest is an annual gathering of individuals and organizations who are interested in genealogy in east central Indiana. For more information, see http://www.munpl.org/images/uploads/henrycountygenfest.htm

IGS Announces "...Always A Hoosier" Project

The Indiana Genealogical Society recently launched a new project, "...Always A Hoosier," to record information on ancestors who were buried in Indiana. The project is a companion to our long-running project, "Once A Hoosier...", which records information on people who migrated from Indiana.

If your ancestor was born before 1930 and was buried in Indiana (even if they were not living in Indiana at the time of their death), we'd love to hear about them for AAH. Note that you must provide some corroborating evidence of their burial, such as a photo of their tombstone, a copy of an obituary listing their place of burial, an interment record, or a published index of the cemetery.

A submission form (PDF format) is available at http://www.indgensoc.org/projects/AlwaysAHoosierform.pdf

IGS Announces Genealogy Grants for 2008

At its annual conference in Evansville, the Indiana Genealogical Society announced the recipients of its genealogy grants for 2008:

• The Kosciusko County Historical Society received a $500 Cemetery Preservation Grant for their Syracuse Cemetery restoration project.



• The Genealogy Club of Montgomery County, Indiana received a $500 Cemetery Preservation Grant for their O'Neall Cemetery restoration project.



• The Pike County Historical Society received a $500 Resource Development Grant for their "Creating Pike County Birth and Death Database Project."



• The Sullivan County Genealogical & Historical Society received a $500 Resource Development Grant to purchase a digital projector to use in their programs.

IGS is proud to support local societies in their efforts to aid genealogy research in Indiana.

Interested societies are invited to apply for 2009 grants. Applications must be submitted to IGS by December 31, 2008. All applicants will be notified by March 1, 2009, and the winners will be recognized at the IGS annual conference on April 25, 2009 in Indianapolis.

Application forms are available from the IGS website (http://www.indgensoc.org/grants.html).

Changes in Indiana Cemetery Preservation Laws

The Indiana Department of Natural Resources' Division of Historic Preservation and Archaeology (DHPA) will host a series of meetings around the state to discuss changes to Indiana laws involving archaeology and cemetery preservation. These new laws will go into effect in July. The meetings will also be an opportunity to discuss a proposed rule change related to non-scientific probing in cemeteries.

These meetings are open to the public, and no reservations are required. All times are local:

• Greencastle: May 15 – Putnam County Public Library (103 E. Poplar St.), 6 pm


• New Castle: May 22 – Henry County Community Foundation (700 S. Memorial Dr.), 7 pm


• Corydon: May 29 – Harrison County Community Foundation (1523 Foundation Way), 7 pm


• Warsaw: June 10 – Munson Building (216 N. Lake St.), 6 pm


• Princeton: June 12 - Princeton Public Library (124 S. Hart St.), 6 pm


• Fort Wayne: June 14 – Cinema Center (347 E. Berry St.), 9 am


• Columbus: June 14 - Jewell-Rittman Funeral Home (3855 25th St.), 3 pm


• Lafayette: July 28 – Tippecanoe County Public Library (627 South St.), 6:30 pm

To learn more about the event, contact the Jeannie Regan-Dinius, Cemetery and Burial Ground Registry Coordinator for the DHPA, at (317) 234-1268.

Marriage Indexing: Roll of Honor

IGS thanks the almost 1,000 volunteers who have signed up to help with the Indiana marriage indexing project. Here is our latest roll of honor:

Over 20,000 Records Indexed:
Harold Martin of Melbourne, Florida
Sheryl Porter of Monmouth, Illinois
Robert E. Van Lue of Rochester, Indiana

Over 20,000 Records Arbitrated:
Dan Elliott of Mount Vernon, Indiana
Clara J. Whan of Avilla, Indiana
Nancy Brower of Oroville, California

Over 10,000 Records Indexed:
Clara J. Whan of Avilla, Indiana
Jane Chamberlain of Bloomfield, Indiana
Bea Barton of Washington, Utah
Justina Cook of Nampa, Idaho
Mary Sallee of Mesa, Arizona
Darlene Shuart of Monroe, Washington
Michelle Golden of Roy, Washington
Teresa Taramasso of Graham, Texas
Linda Harney of Huntington, Indiana
Carolyn Lowe of Knoxville, Tennessee

Over 10,000 Records Arbitrated:
Bernie Cinkoske of Indianapolis, Indiana
Ronald Chard of Ocala, Florida
Justina Cook of Nampa, Idaho

Over 5,000 Records Indexed:
Patricia Hodges of Stacy, Minnesota
Cindy Fuller of West Lafayette, Indiana
Robert McKillip of Rocky Mount, Virginia
Evelyn D. City of Clinton, Indiana
William Stevens of West Point, Utah
Walter Caplinger of Kansas City, Missouri
Mary Stewart of Muncie, Indiana
Sandra Wincek of New Berlin, Wisconsin
Ronald R. Hall of Fort Wayne, Indiana
Barbara Scott of Sunnyvale, California
Karen Creamer of Connersville, Indiana
Martha Roll of Rockford, Illinois

Over 5,000 Records Arbitrated:
Lori White of Windsor, Colorado
Michelle Golden of Roy, Washington
Ann C. Richardson of Woods Cross, Utah
Larry Munden of Houston, Texas
Robert McKillip of Rocky Mount, Virginia
Jennifer Cruse of Terre Haute, Indiana

IGS Appoints Perry County Genealogist

At its May board meeting, the Indiana Genealogical Society appointed Tony Collignon of Tell City as the Indiana County Genealogist (ICG) for Perry County. Tony has been involved with genealogy for over 35 years and is the Perry County Historian. He is also in charge of the genealogy department of the Tell City Historical Society's museum. He has worked on several of their publications, and is currently compiling a county marriage index for 1930-1950.

About ICG
Indiana County Genealogist is a program of the Indiana Genealogical Society. Its goal is to appoint qualified individuals to represent each of the 92 counties in Indiana. The ICG is a liaison between the Indiana Genealogical Society and local organizations and individuals, acting as a conduit for genealogy-related news. For more details (including an application form), please visit http://www.indgensoc.org/ICG.html

IGS Appoints Spencer County Genealogist

At its May board meeting, the Indiana Genealogical Society appointed Kris Manley as the Indiana County Genealogist (ICG) for Spencer County. Kris is the genealogy librarian for the Spencer County Public Library and has been involved with genealogy for over 30 years. She was a former officer of the Spencer County Historical Society and in 2007 was honored as their Historian of The Year. She has co-authored 30 volumes of genealogy materials for Spencer, Perry and Warrick counties, including readings of all known cemeteries in Spencer County.

About ICG
Indiana County Genealogist is a program of the Indiana Genealogical Society. Its goal is to appoint qualified individuals to represent each of the 92 counties in Indiana. The ICG is a liaison between the Indiana Genealogical Society and local organizations and individuals, acting as a conduit for genealogy-related news. For more details (including an application form), please visit http://www.indgensoc.org/ICG.html