Thursday, May 22, 2008

Methodist Archives Closed For Summer

The Archives of DePauw University and Indiana United Methodism (which is located in Greencastle, Indiana), is closed to the public this summer while the Roy O. West Library undergoes renovations. The Archives is home to a large collection of records about Methodist churches in Indiana.

During the closure, the Archives staff will still be able to answer questions that are submitted to them by mail and e-mail. The Archives expects to reopen in late August.

Wednesday, May 21, 2008

Allen County Society Holds Dinner Meeting

The Allen County Genealogical Society of Indiana will hold its Annual Dinner Meeting on June 18, 2008 at Hall's Guest House in Fort Wayne. There will be a social hour at 6 pm and dinner will be at 6:30 pm.

The cost of the dinner is $17 per person; reservations are required. To make your reservation, contact Lois Snouffer at (260) 637-7601. Make checks payable to Allen County Genealogical Society of Indiana and mail to: Lois Snouffer, 2028 Trader Crossing, Fort Wayne IN 45845-1592.

Sunday, May 18, 2008

Query: Stultz/Cox of Lake or Sullivan counties

I am trying to determine the birthplace of my mother, Betty Lou Stultz. She was born November 18, 1924 to John W. Stultz and Marie Cox. She was born in either Whiting, Lake County, Indiana or Sullivan County, Indiana.

Deanna Skaggs
490 Cramertown Loop
Martinsville, IN 46151
deannaskaggs@sbcglobal.net

Query: Irmer/Riordan of Marion County

According to his passport application, my great-grandfather, Ernst Irmer, was naturalized on 9 October 1880 before the Superior Court of Marion County, Indiana. I would appreciate any information on how to go about getting his naturalization record.

Also my grandmother, Annette Fidalia Riordan, was supposedly born on 13 February 1884 or 13 February 1885 in Indiana. I would like to get verification of her birth and birthplace.

Gerard Irmer
749 Old Bass River Rd.
Dennis, MA 02638
jeanandjerry@aol.com

Query: Schroder of LaPorte County

John Louis Schroder married Hannah Sophia Wilimene on September 24, 1857 in LaPorte County, Indiana. They had 3 children who were born there:

--Hannah (born February 19, 1858)
--Frederica (born June 23, 1860)
--Anna (born July 28, 1863)

They were German Lutherans and the family may have belonged to a Methodist church. I am looking for any mention of them.


Cheryl Engel
7818 Strathclyde Sound Rd.
Houston, TX 77095
cc3back@aol.com

Query: Gardner of Hancock County

Looking for information on Mary "Polly" (Main) Gardner who was born 24 May 1787 in Stonington, Connecticut and died 23 October 1863 in McCordsville, Hancock County, Indiana. She married Samuel Gardner about 1815. I would like to know where she is buried and if there is any information on her parents.


Judy Taylor
328 Cambridge St.
Brush, CO 80723
hbtaylor03@msn.com

Noblesville Hosts Computer Training Workshop

The Hamilton East Public Library in Noblesville, Indiana will host a hands-on workshop on using Ancestry.com's Library Edition on Wednesday, May 28, 2008 from 9:30 am to 12:30 pm. The workshop will take place in their computer training room, and participants are asked to bring information about their ancestors to be searched. Registration for the workshop is required--you may register through their website, or by contacting their Outreach Department at (317) 776-6939.

Saturday, May 17, 2008

Query: Oliver/Jacobs of Knox County

Looking for information on Francis Oliver (born about 1915). He was the son of William Henry Oliver (who was born in New York) and Emma Violet Jacobs (who was from Decker, Knox County, Indiana). Francis married Thelma Oliver and had 2 sons, Raymond R. and Arthur H. Any information will be helpful. Thank you.


Gaye Dillon
1355 Pendleton Ave.
Pendleton, IN 46064
gayedillon@aol.com

Query: Fredericks of Elkhart County

I am looking for any information on my great-grandmother, Betty Jane Fredericks. She was born in Miller (maybe Millersburg?), Indiana around 1911. She had a brother named Bill and two sisters named Catherine and Ruth (I'm not sure of their last names). They all lived in Chicago together with my grandfather (Robert Knudson) in the 1930's. That's all the information I know about her, so anything would help. Thanks!


Clarissa McCall
1017 Boren Ave. #210
Seattle, WA 98104
mccallc@seattleu.edu

Query: Danner of Indiana

My great-grandfather, Charles Levi Danner, enlisted on August 10, 1862 and was posted as a private to "G" Company of the 82nd Indiana Regiment. He died on January 3, 1870 from complications of wounds he had recieved at the Battle of Chickamuaga on September 19, 1863. Any further information regarding this Indiana Civil War veteran would be greatly appreciated.


William E. Danner, Sr.
10312 Montwood Dr.
El Paso, TX 79925
wdanner@sbcglobal.net

Query: Glenn of Harrison County

Seeking information about the ancestors of Reverend Peter Glenn and his wife Catherine Deatrick. He was a Lutheran minister who was killed by Morgan's Raiders in 1863 at Corydon, Harrison County, Indiana.


William J. White
25294 County Road 38
Summerdale, AL 36580
sandflea1932@yahoo.com

Query: Lyle or Lyles of Floyd County

I'm looking for any information on anyone in the Lyle or Lyles family that lived in Floyd County, Indiana and the surrounding area before and during the Civil War. I'm looking for a connection to my great-great-grandfather John S. Lyle, who lived there during the Civil War.


Andy Lyle
1409 Lexington Rd.
Richmond, KY 40475
alyle@roadrunner.com

Query: Beegan of Tippecanoe County

About 1853 or so my great-great-grandfather, Michael Beegan, was the city clerk for Lafayette in Tippecanoe County, Indiana. Other names in the family were Blount and Meehan. They were also connected to St. Mary's Church. Do any of these names "ring a bell" with anybody? Thanks.


William Hawkins, Jr.
9407 Terry
Romulus, MI 48174
whaw654768@aol.com

Hamilton County Hosts Land Records Workshop

The Hamilton East Public Library in Noblesville, Indiana will host a workshop, "Surveying Land Records," on Saturday, June 7, 2008 from 9:30 am to 12:30 pm. The workshop will take place in their genealogy classroom, and will explore where to find land records and their importance in genealogy research, as well as how to use maps, atlases and gazetteers to focus your research.

Registration for the workshop is required--you may register through their website, or by contacting their Outreach Department at (317) 776-6939.

Friday, May 16, 2008

Kentucky Society Holds Seminar

The Kentucky Genealogical Society will hold their 34th Annual Seminar on August 2, 2008 from 9:15 am to 4 pm at the Thomas D. Clark Center for Kentucky History (100 W. Broadway, Frankfort KY 40601). Tom Kanon from the Tennessee State Library and Archives and Brandon Slone from the Kentucky Department of Military Affairs will be the featured speakers. The theme of the seminar will be "Researching Your War of 1812 Ancestors History and Genealogy." There will be vendors, and the Kentucky Historical Society's library will be open for research.

Registration for the seminar includes a box lunch. The registration fee is $30 if postmarked by July 26, 2008; otherwise $35 per person. Registration forms and additional information are available on their website, or by directly visiting http://www.kygs.org/meetings/sem2008.pdf

Thursday, May 15, 2008

Carmel Society Opens Genealogy Lab

The Carmel Clay Historical Society in Carmel, Indiana recently opened a Genealogy Lab at the Monon Center East. The lab is open to the public on Tuesdays and Fridays from 9 am to 2 pm, and offers Hamilton County resources as well as access to several genealogy databases such as HeritageQuest Online, Ancestry.com's Library Edition and NewEnglandAncestors.org

For more information, contact (317) 846-7117.

Wednesday, May 14, 2008

Military Records Workshop in Noblesville

The Hamilton East Public Library in Noblesville, Indiana will host a workshop, "Marching Through Military Records," on Saturday, May 17, 2008 from 9:30 am to 12:30 pm. The workshop will take place in their north meeting room. Registration for the workshop is required--you may register through their website, or by contacting their Outreach Department at (317) 776-6939.

Thursday, May 8, 2008

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

Wednesday, May 7, 2008

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

Tuesday, May 6, 2008

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).

Monday, May 5, 2008

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

IGS Appoints Vermillion County Genealogist

At its May board meeting, the Indiana Genealogical Society appointed Walter Warren of Clinton, Indiana as the Indiana County Genealogist (ICG) for Vermillion County. Walter is a charter member of the Wabash Valley Genealogy Society and works at the Vermillion County Public Library in Newport. He is engaged in the preservation of county records and works closely with the Vermillion County clerk's office to make their records more available to the public.

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

Sunday, May 4, 2008

IGS District Director Vacancies

The Indiana Genealogical Society is now accepting volunteers for the positions of Northwest District Director and South Central District Director. District Directors act as liaisons, relaying information on the activities, news and concerns of individuals and organizations in their area, including Indiana County Genealogists. They must be IGS members and residents of the districts they represent.

The Northwest District Director represents the interests of those in Benton, Jasper, Lake, La Porte, Newton, Porter, Pulaski, Starke, Tippecanoe, Warren and White counties.

The South Central District Director represents the interests of those in Bartholomew, Brown, Clark, Crawford, Floyd, Harrison, Jackson, Lawrence, Monroe, Orange, Scott and Washington counties.

District Directors are 3-year positions and are elected. They are part of the IGS board and as such, are responsible for submitting written reports on their area's activities and attending quarterly IGS board meetings (3 of the meetings are held at a library in central Indiana; 1 meeting is held at the Allen County Public Library in Fort Wayne.)

If you are interested, or would like more information, please contact IGS President Michael Maben