IGS Adds Free Databases of Adams County and Allen County Cemetery Records

The Indiana Genealogical Society has added more databases to the County Records section of the Members Only area:

Adams County
--Index of St. Joseph Catholic Cemetery, Adams County, Indiana

Allen County
--Index of Antioch Cemetery, Allen County, Indiana
--Index of Coleman Family Cemetery, Allen County, Indiana
--Index of Emmanuel Lutheran (Soest Emmanuel) Cemetery, Allen County, Indiana
--Index of Thompson Family Cemetery, Allen County, Indiana

NOTE: These 5 databases were submitted by Penny Baughman North & Jim Cox and are free to the public.

The Indiana Genealogical Society now has 570 databases in the Members Only area, covering all 92 Indiana counties.

Allen County Society To Discuss Colonial Era Research

The Allen County Genealogical Society of Indiana will meet on Wednesday, May 11 at 7 pm in Meeting Room A of the Allen County Public Library in Fort Wayne (gathering time is 6:30 pm). John Beatty and Curt Sylvester will present a program about how to research ancestors who lived in the colonial era. The meeting is open to visitors as well as members.

Cemetery Restoration Workshop in Vigo County

The Wabash Valley Genealogy Society of Terre Haute will hold a hands-on cemetery restoration workshop at Rose Hill Cemetery in New Goshen, Indiana on Saturday, May 7 beginning at 9:30 am. The workshop will be led by Brad Manzenberger of Stone Revival Cemetery Restoration, Inc. Registration is $10 for WVGS members, $15 for non-members. For more information, please visit www.inwvgs.org/cemetery_restoration_workshop.htm

Scholarship Available to Attend Underground Railroad Conference in Cincinnati

Indiana Freedom Trails is offering a scholarship to Indiana residents age 21 and over to help attend the National Network To Freedom Underground Railroad Conference, which will be held June 15-18, 2011 in Cincinnati, Ohio. The scholarship will cover the conference registration fee as well as a 2-night hotel stay.

The scholarship application is available online at the Indiana Freedom Trails website - the deadline to apply is Friday, May 20, 2011.

Query: DeGROFFT / DeGRAFT / DeGROFF / DeGROFT / JOHNSON of Fountain County

I am working on my family history and know that my 5th Great Grandfather was buried in "Fountain, IN" on 14 OCT 1846 (I don't know if this was Fountain City or Fountain County, so I am trying to search both areas without much success thus far). He moved his family from Butler County, Ohio, in 1820 and had a son somewhere in Indiana. He was married 19AUG1819 in Butler County, Ohio and I do have that Marriage Record.

I am looking for help with two items: (1) How can I search the cemeteries local to Fountain City & Fountain County, IN to see if he is buried in the local area? NAME: Aaron DeGROFFT, died 14OCT1846 - wife was Anna JOHNSTON - alternate spellings could be DeGRAFT, DeGROFF, DeGROFT, etc . (2) How might I locate a birth certificate for his son Aaron L. (L might be for Lyman) DeGROFFT born 18AUG1820 in Indiana - I don't have a specific birth city? (he died in Illinois)So far, I have not been successful in locating this information in spite of various internet searches. Any and all help you might be able to provide would be most appreciated.

Shari DeGrofft Powell
445 Sundance Drive
Windsor, CO 80550
sharilpowell@gmail.com

Query: LAMBERT/RANDALL

I am trying to locate information on the Alva Elwood and Eleanora (RANDALL) LAMBERT. I have been told that my father Clair Randall LAMBERT was born in Illinois, and then the family moved to Indiana. He had two brothers George and Frank LAMBERT and a sister Marie LAMBERT. I have no idea where they were in Indiana. I would appreciate your help.

Thank You,
Glenn F. Lambert
508 Spring St.
River Falls, WI 54022

Indiana State Library To Discuss Overseas Research

The Indiana State Library in Indianapolis will host a free program, "Foreign Genealogy Research," on Thursday, June 2 from 5:30 to 6:30 pm in the library's History Reference Room. The program will discuss the library's resources to help you if you are researching ancestors from other countries.

Boone County Society To Meet in Lebanon

The Boone County Genealogical Society will meet on Tuesday, May 24 at 6:30 pm at the Lebanon Public Library. The society's new website will be revealed. The public is welcome.

Southern Indiana Genealogical Society To Discuss Civil War & Other Military Resources

The Southern Indiana Genealogical Society will meet on Thursday, May 5 at 7 pm in the Strassweg Auditorium of the New Albany - Floyd County Public Library. Nancy Strickland, Indiana Room librarian at the library, will present a program, "Military Resources at the New Albany-Floyd County Public Library," covering the earliest American military records through World War II that are available at the library or online. Her program will cover Army, Navy, Air Force, and Marine Corps service, with an emphasis on Hoosiers who served in the Civil War. The meeting is free and open to the public.

Indiana Historical Society To Host African-American Research Workshop

Genealogist and author Tony Burroughs will present "The Six Phases of African-American Genealogy," a class about African-American research, on Saturday, May 21 from 10 am to noon at the Indiana Historical Society in Indianapolis. Burroughs will identify and discuss the six distinct phases of research he considers to be the building blocks of African-American genealogy research.

Indiana Historical Society members will receive a discount on registration. Librarians are eligible to receive 2 LEU credits. To register, or for more information, visit http://www.indianahistory.org/events/the-six-phases-of-african-american-genealogy

Bloomington To Hold Historic Photographs Workshop

The Lilly Library on the campus of Indiana University Bloomington (1200 E. Seventh St., Bloomington IN), in association with Traditional Arts Indiana, will host a free workshop, "The Identification, Care & Handling of Historic Photographs," on Saturday, May 14 from 10 am to 1 pm. Folklorist and historic photograph researcher Jon Kay will teach participants how to identify the various types of historic photographs as well as how to care for them. An avid student of vernacular images, Kay will also share tips and tricks for reading and better understanding old photographs.

Participants are encouraged to bring their own family and local history images to discuss and analyze at the workshop. Kay will explain the tools used to identify photographic materials, discuss the various formats of old images, and share images from his own collection of historic images.

This workshop is free - to register please contact The Lilly Library at (812) 855-2452.

Merrillville Historical Society To Host Open House

The Merrillville/Ross Township Historical Society Museum (13 W. 73rd Ave., Merrillville IN) in Lake County will host an Open House on Sunday, May 1 from 1 to 4 pm. Among the exhibits that will be open for display is one honoring local Civil War veterans, as well as a traveling exhibit from the Indiana Historical Society about the artwork found in Indiana's post official murals from the 1930's.

IGS Offers Statewide Indexes to 1880 DDDs and 1890 Soldiers Enrollment Lists

The Indiana Genealogical Society has added 2 new statewide indexes to the publications available for purchase in its online Shop:

--Statewide Index to Indiana's 1890 Soldiers Enrollment Lists
A CD-ROM in PDF format containing over 51,000 entries to the 85 of Indiana's 92 counties that have been indexed. The enrollment lists (which are housed at the Indiana State Archives, and have also been microfilmed) enumerated veterans of all past wars who were residing in the various counties of Indiana in 1890, or if they were deceased, information on their widows and children. The lists are a valuable resource for determining an ancestor's military service, and also function as a partial census substitute, particularly since the Indiana portions of both the 1890 census and the 1890 special census of Union veterans and their widows were destroyed. The Indiana counties that are not included in this combined index are: Adams, Allen, Blackford, Crawford, Dearborn, Madison & Marion.

--Statewide Index to Indiana's 1880 DDD (Defective, Dependent, Delinquent) Schedules
A CD-ROM in PDF format containing over 17,000 entries to all 92 Indiana counties that have been indexed. The 1880 DDD schedules (which were microfilmed) were a supplemental schedule to the 1880 federal census, with the census enumerator providing additional information on those who had been labeled as Insane, Idiotic, Deaf and Mute, Blind, Homeless Children, Inhabitants in Prison, or Indigent.

Indiana State Library To Discuss Land Records

The Indiana State Library in Indianapolis will host a free program, "Unlocking The Mysteries of Land Records: A Beginning Discussion," on Tuesday, May 10 from 10 to 11 am in the library's History Reference Room. The program will discuss the history of land records in Indiana, as well as public domain vs. state lands, section township & ranges vs. metes and bounds, etc.

Online Registration for IGS Conference Is Closed

The online registration for the Indiana Genealogical Society's annual Conference on Saturday, April 16 in Indianapolis has now closed. Those who wish to attend the conference are welcome to register at the door - the cost will be $45 per person.

Indiana State Library To Discuss Yearbooks

The Indiana State Library in Indianapolis will host a free program, "Most Likely To Succeed: Indiana Yearbooks," on Thursday, May 5 from 5:30 to 6:30 pm in the library's History Reference Room. The program will discuss the library's collection of yearbooks from schools around the state, and how to get the most out of yearbooks for researching teachers, students or trends.

IGS Adds Free Databases of Allen and Noble Counties' Cemeteries

The Indiana Genealogical Society has added more databases to the County Records section of the Members Only area:

Allen County
--Index of Saint Joseph (Hessen Cassel) Roman Catholic Cemetery, Allen County, Indiana

Noble County
--Index of Avilla Cemetery, Noble County, Indiana

NOTE: These 2 databases were submitted by Penny Baughman North & Jim Cox and are free to the public.

The Indiana Genealogical Society now has 565 databases in the Members Only area, covering all 92 Indiana counties.

Update: House Bill 1079 Up For Final Committee Vote 4/13

On Wednesday, April 13, the Indiana Senate's Local Government Committee will vote for the final time on House Bill 1079, the bill that would ease the restrictions on public access to veterans' discharge records while still keeping some safeguards on protecting veterans from identity theft. HB 1079 must be passed by the committee at this meeting in order to advance in this legislative session.

Please e-mail the committee members before next week's meeting, even if you do not live in their particular district, and let them know the importance of this bill. Senator Phil Boots has stated his opposition to the bill.

Committee members:
--Phil Boots (Boone, Clinton, Fountain, Hendricks, Montgomery & Warren counties) - Senator.Boots@iga.in.gov

--Jean D. Breaux (Marion County) - s34@iga.in.gov

--Doug Eckerty (Delaware & Madison counties) - Senator.Eckerty@iga.in.gov

--Beverly J. Gard (Hamilton, Hancock & Henry counties) - Senator.Gard@iga.in.gov

--Travis Holdman (Adams, Allen, Blackford, Grant & Wells counties) - Senator.Holdman@iga.in.gov

--Lindel Hume (Daviess, Dubois, Gibson, Knox, Martin, Orange & Pike counties) - s48@in.gov

--Jim Smith (Clark, Jackson, Jefferson, Jennings, Scott, Switzerland & Washington counties) - Senator.Smith@iga.in.gov

--Thomas J. Wyss (Allen County) - Senator.Wyss@iga.in.gov

--Richard D. Young, Jr. (Crawford, Dubois, Harrison, Perry, Spencer, Warrick & Washington counties) - s47@in.gov

April 2011 Issue of IGS Newsletter Added To Members-Only

The Indiana Genealogical Society has added the April 2011 issue of IGS Newsletter, the society's bi-monthly newsletter, to the IGS Records section of Members Only. It includes news items from around the state, as well as regular columns of Queries and "Always A Hoosier" submissions. The newsletter is available for download in its regular size, as well as in a compressed version, so that those with slower Internet connections can download it faster.

The newsletter is a premium database, accessible only to IGS members.

South Bend Society To Sponsor Bus Trip To Fort Wayne

The South Bend Area Genealogical Society will sponsor a Bus Trip on Tuesday, May 10 to the Allen County Public Library in Fort Wayne for a day of research at the library's Genealogy Center. The bus will leave from Mishawaka at 7:15 am and depart from Fort Wayne at 6 pm. The cost is $30 for SBAGS members, $35 for non-members (the dinner stop will be an additional cost). To register, visit http://www.sbags.org/flyer_2009bustrip.htm or contact Bill Minish - WHMinish@aol.com.

Indiana State Library To Discuss How To Organize Your Research

The Indiana State Library in Indianapolis will host a free program, "Organize and Document Your Genealogy Research," on Thursday, April 28 from 5:30 to 6:30 pm in the library's History Reference Room. The program will give tips for how to organize and document your research. You'll also learn how to prepare for a research visit to a library.

Mishawaka Library To Host Genealogy Roundtable

The Bittersweet Branch of the Mishawaka-Penn-Harris Public Library in St. Joseph County, Indiana will host a Genealogy Roundtable on Thursday, April 21 from 6:30 to 7:30 pm. Whether you're just beginning, or are more experienced, come share your research tips, favorite websites and stories.

Allen County Library To Discuss Photo Restoration

The Allen County Public Library in Fort Wayne will hold a free program, "Photo Restoration Using Adobe Photoshop," on Friday, April 15 from 2:30 to 3:30 pm. You'll learn basic techniques for restoring those old family photographs by using Adobe Photoshop software.


To register, e-mail Genealogy@ACPL.Info or call (260) 421-1225.

IGS Adds Free Databases of Noble County Cemeteries

The Indiana Genealogical Society has added more databases to the County Records section of the Members Only area:

County Records
--Index of Sacred Heart Cemetery, Noble County, Indiana
--Index of St. Mary's Cemetery, Noble County, Indiana

NOTE: These 2 databases were submitted by Penny Baughman North & Jim Cox and are free to the public.

The Indiana Genealogical Society now has 563 databases in the Members Only area, covering all 92 Indiana counties.

Allen County Library To Discuss Family History Writing

The Allen County Public Library in Fort Wayne will hold a free program, "Writing Your Family Stories," on Thursday, April 14 from 6:30 to 7:30 pm. This class will provide practical tips on writing our family stories from the data you have collected and the relatives you have interviewed. Short writing exercises will also be a part of this class experience.

To register, e-mail Genealogy@ACPL.Info or call (260) 421-1225.

Hotel Information for IGS Annual Conference

There is no official hotel for the Indiana Genealogical Society's annual conference on Saturday, April 16, 2011 at the Sterrett Center, Fort Benjamin Harrison, Indianapolis, but here is a listing we have compiled of the hotels that are in the area:

--Fort Harrison State Park Inn, Golf Resort & Conference Center (the only hotel on the Fort)
5830 N. Post Rd., Indianapolis, IN 46216
www.in.gov/dnr/parklake/inns/ftharrison/ or phone (317) 638-6000

--Comfort Inn & Suites
5755 N. German Church Rd., Lawrence, IN 46236
http://www.comfortinn.com/ or phone (317) 823-7700

--Comfort Suites
9760 Crosspoint Blvd., Indianapolis, IN 46038
http://www.comfortsuites.com/ or phone (317) 578-1200

--Hilton Garden Inn
9785 North By Northeast Blvd., Fishers, IN 46037
http://hiltongardeninn.hilton.com/ or phone (317) 577-5900

--Hilton Indianapolis North
8181 N. Shadeland Ave., Indianapolis, IN 46250
http://www.hilton.com/ or phone (317) 849-6668

--Ramada Indianapolis
7701 E. 42nd St. (I-465/Pendleton Pike Exit 42), Indianapolis, IN 46226
http://www.ramada.com/ or phone (317) 897-4000

Allen County Library To Discuss Recording of Oral Histories

The Allen County Public Library in Fort Wayne will hold a free program, "Recording Family Histories for the Ages," on Wednesday, April 13 from 2:30 to 3:30 pm. The class will cover the very basics of video production to help you record the best possible oral history for your family that will be both viewable and understandable for generations to come.

To register, e-mail Genealogy@ACPL.Info or call (260) 421-1225.

Indiana State Library To Discuss Research of Historic Businesses

The Indiana State Library in Indianapolis will host a free program, "Researching Your Family's Business," on Wednesday, April 20 from noon to 1 pm in the library's Indiana Author's Room. The program will discuss the resources available to help you research a historic business in Indiana.