History of Indiana Civil War Regiment Published

Billie J. Crane and Samuel A. Passo recently authored First Flag On The Summit: History of The 15th Indiana Civil War Regiment (260 pages, paperback). The 15th Indiana Infantry was recruited at Lafayette, Indiana and participated in some of the major battles of the Civil War, including the battles of Shiloh and Chattanooga. It was led by Colonel George D. Wagner of Pine Village, Indiana, and both authors have ancestors who served in the 15th regiment. Copies of the book may be purchased from Amazon.com,or directly from the author Billie Crane(bj.crane@yahoo.com).

Allen County Library To Discuss Great Depression Records

The Genealogy Center of the Allen County Public Library in Fort Wayne will host a program, "Civilian Conservation Corps, 1933-1942," on Tuesday, March 3 at 10 am. Cynthia Theusch will provide information on the CCC, which was an employment program created during the Great Depression, and how to obtain their enlistment papers. To register for this free program, please contact the Genealogy Center--phone (260) 421-1225.

Howard County Genealogical Society To Meet in Kokomo

The Howard County (Indiana) Genealogical Society will meet on Saturday, March 7, 2009 at 10 am in the Community Room of the Kokomo-Howard County Public Library (220 N. Union St., Kokomo IN 46901-4614). The meeting is open to the public.

IGS Adds Newsletter to Members-Only

The February 2009 issue of the Indiana Genealogical Society's newsletter is now available in the Members-Only section of the IGS website. This is the first issue of the newsletter since it went electronic, and it features e-mail addresses and websites that you can click on, as well as a clickable Table of Contents on the front page.

We invite you to click on the "comments" link at the end of this post and let us know what you think about the new format.

Danville Library To Discuss Abraham Lincoln's Ancestry

The Danville Public Library will host a program about Abraham Lincoln's ancestors on Saturday, February 21 at 10 am. The program, "Abraham Lincoln: Were His Ancestors Undistinguished?", will be given by Rose Ann Sigborn of their Indiana Room. Registration is requested--register online, or phone the library at (317) 745-2604.

Allen County Library To Discuss Family Histories

The Genealogy Center of the Allen County Public Library in Fort Wayne will host a program, "Evaluating Published Family Histories," on Thursday, March 5 at 2 pm. John Beatty will show you how to assess the quality of a family history by examining things such as the format and footnotes. To register for this free program, please contact the Genealogy Center--phone (260) 421-1225.

IGS Conference Update

The Indiana Genealogical Society is holdings its annual conference on Saturday, April 25 at the Indianapolis Marriott East. Because the Marriott East has other events going on that weekend, only a limited number of discounted rooms (at the rate of $139 per night) are available. Contact them at (317) 352-1231.

Marriott owns two other properties that share a parking lot with the Marriott East--Fairfield Inn, (317) 322-0101, and the LaQuinta Inn, (317) 359-1021. And there are several other hotels that are in the immediate vicinity of the conference site:

--Quality Inn (317) 352-0481--half a block west
--Days Inn (317) 359-5500--half a block east
--Holiday Inn (877) 211-3289--one block west
--Comfort Inn (317) 359-9999--one block north
--Hampton Inn (317) 359-9900--one block north

Kosciusko County Library Offers Beginning Genealogy Classes

The North Webster Community Public Library in Kosciusko County is holding a beginning genealogy class on Tuesday February 3 and Tuesday, February 10 from 2 to 3 pm. For more information, please contact Beth Smith--inroom@kconline.com.

Beginning Genealogy Class At Plainfield

The Plainfield Public Library will host a program on beginning genealogy on Saturday, February 7 from 10 am to noon. The program, "Roots For Adults," will be given by Cindy Rutledge, Indiana Room Manager at the Danville Public Library, and it will cover how to start researching your family, as well as how to get organized. Registration is required-- register online, or contact the library by phone--(317) 839-6602, ext. 114.

Danville Library To Discuss George Washington's Ancestry

The Genealogy Nuts group will meet on Monday, February 9 at 1:30 pm at the Danville Public Library. In honor of George Washington's birthday, Rose Ann Sigborn from the library's Indiana Room will discuss Washington's ancestry. The Genealogy Nuts is a support group for genealogists that meets monthly to discuss genealogy news and share research tips.

Irish & Scots-Irish Workshop Offered At Fort Wayne

The Allen County Public Library in Fort Wayne will offer a 2-day mini-course on Friday, March 13 and Saturday, March 14. The mini-course will be led by Steven W. Myers and the registration fee is $50. For details and registration information, please visit http://www.acpl.lib.in.us/genealogy/Irish%20Mini-Course09.pdf

Boone County Library To Discuss Census

The Lebanon Public Library will host a program on the census on Friday, January 30 at 10 am in their Heritage Center. Darlene Anderson from the Boone County Genealogical Society and the Indiana Genealogical Society will present “Making Sense of the Census” using Ancestry.com. This is a free program. To register, or for more information, contact the Heritage Center--phone (765) 482-3460 ext. 261.

Muncie Library To Close Genealogy Center

The Muncie Public Library has announced that due to budget cuts, their Local History and Genealogy Center will close by June 1st. The center was built in 2003, and plans are for its materials to be moved to the nearby Carnegie Library, where they should remain available to the public. For more information, read the full article from The Star Press--http://www.thestarpress.com/article/20090122/NEWS01/901220379

Rush County Society Adds Website

The Rush County Genealogical Society (P.O. Box 293, Milroy IN 46156) has now added a website (http://www.rushcogs.com). The society was officially formed earlier this month and memberships are $15 per year for individuals, or $20 per year for families.

Beginners Genealogy Workshop in Fort Wayne

The Allen County Genealogical Society of Indiana will host a beginners workshop on Saturday, March 28 from 9 am to noon at the Allen County Public Library in Fort Wayne. Registration is $10 and pre-registration is required. To register, send your name and address along with a check payable to ACGSI and mail to: Margery Graham, 13431 Ernst Rd., Roanoke IN 46783. If you have any questions, please contact Margery Graham--phone (260) 672-2585 or e-mail gramar57@aol.com.

Allen County Library To Discuss Sharing Photos and Documents

The Genealogy Center of the Allen County Public Library in Fort Wayne will host a program, "Using Flickr to Document Your Genealogy," on Saturday, March 7 at 10 am. Sara Patalita will discuss how to share your photos and scanned documents. To register for this free program, please contact the Genealogy Center--phone (260) 421-1225.

Kokomo Libary To Host Genealogy Basics Workshop

The Genealogy & Local History Department of the Kokomo-Howard County Public Library (220 N. Union St., Kokomo IN 46901-4614) will hold a genealogy workshop on Saturday, February 21, 2009 from 9 am to 12:30 pm in the Community Room. Registration opens on January 21. To register for the workshop, contact Marcia Ford--e-mail mford@khcpl.org; phone (765) 457-3242.

IGS Adds Cemetery Indexes to Members-Only

The Indiana Genealogical Society has added two cemetery indexes for Whitley County to the Members-Only section of its website. The indexes are of St. Peter Lutheran Church Cemetery in Columbia Township and of Wigent-Taylor Cemetery in Union Township. Both of these indexes are free databases and were donated by Penny L. North and Jim Cox.

Vital Records Program Offered in Plainfield

The Plainfield-Guilford Township Public Library will offer a program on vital records on Tuesday, March 24 at 7 pm. Meredith Thompson from the Indiana Genealogical Society and the Hendricks County GenWeb site will present "Vital Genealogy: Birth, Marriage and Death Records," which will discuss how to find vital records and alternative sources for when those records do not exist. Registration is required-- register online or phone (317) 839-6602.

Noblesville Offers Class in Major Genealogy Sites

The Hamilton East Public Library in Noblesville, Indiana will offer a free class on Wednesday, February 25 from 9:30 am to noon on how to use three of the major sites with genealogy databases--Heritage Quest Online, NewEnglandAncestors,org, and Footnote.com. The class will be hands-on and will be held in the library's computer training room. Participants should bring their own research to work on. Registration is required--please contact the library's Outreach Department at (317) 776-6939, or register online at the library's website.

Index to Lake County Wills Now Online

The Northwest Indiana Genealogical Society has now added an index to Lake County wills from 1855 through the 1930's. The index is located in the Online Archives section of their website. These wills have been microfilmed and the society has (with the permission of the Lake County Clerk) purchased these microfilms and will donate them to the Periodicals Room of the Lake County Public Library in Merrillville. A form for ordering photocopies of a will is also available on the society's website.

Indiana Offers Conferences on Records Preservation

The Indiana State Historic Records Advisory Board (SHRAB) is offering a series of regional conferences for all those who are involved in the preserving and salvaging of records in their community--everyone from archives professionals to educators and volunteers. Issues such as the creation of digital repositories, finding grants and raising funds, and planning for disasters will be among those discussed. There is no fee to attend and lunch will be provided. Pre-registration is required (the registration form is available on their website).

The conferences will be held at these locations:
--Tuesday, February 24, 9 am to 3 pm at the Knox County Public Library Fortnightly Club, Vincennes
--Thursday, February 26, 9 am to 3 pm at the Madison-Jefferson Public Library Auditorium, Madison
--Tuesday, March 3, 9 am to 3 pm in Meeting Room C of the Allen County Public Library, Meeting Room C, Fort Wayne
--Friday, March 6, 9 am to 3 pm in Conference Room 425 of the Indiana State Library, Indianapolis
--Tuesday, March 10, 9 am to 3 pm at the Indiana University Northwest Conference Center, Gary

Clinton County Society To Discuss Indiana Schools

The Clinton County Genealogy Society will meet on Wednesday, February 25 at 6:30 pm in the Ivy Tech Room of the Frankfort Community Public Library. Kirk B. Smith will present a program on "Indiana Rural Schools of Howard, Clinton, and Tipton Counties". This program will include the townships of Honey Creek, Monroe, Harrison, Forest and Prairie. The public is invited to attend. For additional information, please e-mail genealogy_123@yahoo.com.

Lake County Cemetery Books Published

The Northwest Indiana Genealogical Society has now published the final two books in their series of cemetery indexes for Lake County, Indiana. These new books contain indexes of Chapel Lawn Cemetery (located in Schererville) and Fern Oaks Cemetery (located in Griffith).

Chapel Lawn Cemetery had over 28,000 burials when it was read in summer 2008. This book has been laid out in two sections. The first section is a row by row listing showing the details of what is found on each tombstone, plus any military information. The second section of the book is an alphabetical every-name index to the cemetery (done by both married and maiden names). The book has 750 pages, is hardbound and ready for any library shelf. The cost of the book is $125.00 plus $13.00 shipping & handling, for a total of $138.00 each.

Fern Oaks Cemetery had over 7,500 burials when it was read in fall 2008. Many of the burials are of African-Americans that lived in Lake County. This book is arranged into two sections. The first section is a row by row listing showing the details of what is found on each tombstone, plus any military information. The second section is an alphabetical every-name index to the cemetery (done by both married and maiden names). The book has 200 pages, is hardbound and ready for any library shelf. The cost of the book is $35.00 plus $5.00 shipping & handling, for a total of $40.00 each.

These books can be ordered by contacting Northwest Indiana Genealogical Society, P.O. Box 595, Griffith IN 46319 or downloading the publication list from their website (http://www.rootsweb.ancestry.com/~innwigs)

Genealogy Software Roundtable in Noblesville

The Hamilton East Public Library in Noblesville, Indiana will hold a genealogy roundtable on Tuesday, February 10 from 2:15 to 3:15 pm in the library's genealogy classroom. The roundtable will focus on genealogy software. Participants are invited to bring samples of charts and histories created with software they use, and to talk about their likes and dislikes concerning various programs.

Tri-State Society To Discuss Ohio Research

The Tri-State Genealogical Society will meet on Tuesday, February 10 at 7:30 pm at Willard Library in Evansville. Larry Goss will present a program, "Grandma's Photo Album." There will also be a help session offered at 6:30 pm, with Rena Goss presenting a program on Ohio research.

Rush County Forms Genealogical Society

The Rush County Genealogical Society recently held its first organizational meeting and is now open to membership. Membership is $15 per year for individuals, $20 for families and $5 for students age 18 and younger. The society's mailing address is:

Rush County Genealogical Society
P.O. Box 293
Milroy, IN 46156

The society will meet the first Saturday of each month at 11 am at the Rushville Public Library and the public is welcome to attend. The next meeting is scheduled for Saturday, February 7 at 11 am.

For more information about the society, please e-mail rushcogs@gmail.com.

Allen County Society To Discuss Electronic Publishing

The Allen County Genealogical Society of Indiana will meet on Wednesday, February 11 at 7 pm in Meeting Room A of the Allen County Public Library in Fort Wayne (gathering time begins at 6:30 pm). Curt Witcher, who is manager of the library's Genealogy Center, will present a program on electronic publishing. The meeting is open to the public.

Tri-State Society To Meet in Evansville

The Tri-State Genealogical Society will meet on Tuesday, January 13 at 7:30 pm at Willard Library in Evansville. Connie Conrad will present a program, "So You Think It Doesn't Exist." There will also be a help session offered at 6:30 pm, with Becky West presenting "A Journey To The Beginning: My Adoption Story."

IGS Publishes 2008 Index to Indiana Genealogist

The Indiana Genealogical Society has now released an every-name index to the 2008 issues (Volume 19) of its quarterly publication, Indiana Genealogist. This every-name index is available as a searchable database as well as in PDF format. Both formats of the index are located on the Members-Only section of the IGS website. This index is a free database, available to the public.

Internet Genealogy Lecture at Allen County Public Library

The Allen County Public Library in Fort Wayne will offer a free lecture on Wednesday, February 11 at 2:30 pm in Meeting Room A. Don Litzer will present "Not Just Ancestry: Using the Entire Internet for Genealogy." The lecture is part of the WinterTech Family History lecture series and is open to the public.

IGS Seeks Newsletter Editor

The Indiana Genealogical Society is looking for someone to fill the position of editor of the IGS Newsletter, which is published 6 times a year and sent to IGS members. The editor would be responsible for compiling each issue, editing it for grammar, typos and clarity, and exporting it to PDF for inclusion on the IGS website. This is a paid position and experience working with Adobe Acrobat software is expected.

For more information on the position, please contact Marlene Polster, the IGS Publications Committee chair--e-mail lakecogen@sbcglobal.net.

Colonial Research Workshop in Hamilton County

The Hamilton East Public Library in Noblesville, Indiana will offer a free class on how to research your ancestors who lived in colonial times. The class will be held in the library's genealogy classroom on Saturday, February 14, 2009 from 9:30 am to 12:30 pm. Registration is required--please contact the library's Outreach Department at (317) 776-6939, or register online at the library's website.

Marion County Society Meeting in Indianapolis

The Marion County Historical Society will hold its annual meeting and program on Sunday, February 8 beginning at 2:15 pm at the Indianapolis-Marion County Central Library. The annual meeting will be held at 2:15 pm in the Meeting Room on the Second Atrium Level of the library. Then at 2:30 pm, Kathleen Helbing will present a program on "The Unknown Lincoln." At 3 pm, a tour of the library will be given.

Howard County Genealogical Society To Meet in Kokomo

The Howard County (Indiana) Genealogical Society will meet on Saturday, February 7, 2009 at 10 am in the Community Room of the Kokomo-Howard County Public Library (220 N. Union St., Kokomo IN 46901-4614). The meeting is open to the public.

Query: Booten of Howard County

I am interested in finding out more about my great-great-great-great-uncles, Travis Booten and William Booten of Howard County, Indiana. According to the book, Counties of Howard and Tipton, Indiana Historical and Bibliographical (1883 edition) by Charles Blanchard, they both received Revolutionary War bounty land grants in Howard County. I would also like to have a copy of the page that mentions them (Volume 4, page 37) so I can send it to the National Archives as backup for my requests. I would appreciate any assistance--thank you!

Submitted by:
David F. Goode
8551 Huebner Rd., Apt. 152
San Antonio, TX 78240
E-mail dgoode@satx.rr.com

IGS Adds Databases to Members-Only

The Indiana Genealogical Society has added more databases to the Members-Only section of its website:

--Enumeration of Veterans in Hancock County, Indiana (1886)

--Lawyers in Indiana State Bar Association (1901)--this database includes memorial tributes written for members of the Association who died in 1901.

--Students of Wabash College, Crawfordsville (1912-1915)--this database includes photos of students from the class of 1912.

--Veterans of Revolutionary War Living in Indiana Who Received Pensions (1828)