72 Hendricks County probate packets from 1834 through 1887 digitized

The Indiana Genealogical Society recently added 72 Hendricks County probate packets to their website for free viewing.

This batch of probate packets spans from 1834 through 1887. They were sorted and digitized by volunteers - if you live in central Indiana and would like to help with this project, please contact volunteer coordinator Darlene Anderson (mdagenealogy@gmail.com).

The 72 digitized probate packets are:

Baber, Mary Melissa (1853) – guardianship of a minor
Bacon, Emma (1874) – estate
Bailey, Amos M. & Thomas J. (1872) – guardianship of minors
Bailey, Tilford (1871) – estate
Bales, Eleazer (1887) – estate
Bales, John (1885) – estate
Bales, John, Sr. (1852) – estate
Bales, Ruth M. (1850) – estate
Bales, Samirah (1879) – estate
Bales, Susannah & Mary Jane (1870) – guardianship of minors
Bales, Tarlton (1878) - estate
Ballard, Emma; Jones, George T., Lily, Samuel & Charles; Morris, Oliver P. (1882) – guardianship of minors
Ballard, Louisa A. (1878) – guardianship of a minor
Barker, Charles (1882) – guardianship of a minor
Barker, Martin R. (1852) – estate
Barker, Samuel (1873) – estate
Barnett, Elnora (1869) – guardianship of a minor
Baron, Nathaniel S. (1882) – estate
Beard, Elizabeth (1873) – estate
Beason, Jemima (1834) – guardianship of a minor
Beeson, Christena Elizabeth & Jehu Alva (1868) – guardianship of minors
Bell, Moses (1882) – estate
Benbow, Wyatt H., Letitia A., Wilson Charles & Laura J. (1868) – guardianship of minors
Bendler, Joseph (1881) - estate
Bennefiel, Isaac O., John Chesley, Eliza E. & Lewella (1870) – guardianship of minors
Bennett, Ann (1882) -estate
Bereman, Rhoda E. (1885) – estate
Berreman, Allen (1878) – estate
Black, Charles W. & Mary Virginia (1853) – guardianship of minors
Black, William (1835) – guardianship of a minor
Blair, Abner, Jr. (1856) – estate
Blair, Joseph F. (1871) – guardianship of a minor
Blake, John (1857) – estate
Bland, Americus V. (1875) – estate
Blanton, John (1873) – estate
Blanton, Mary Elizabeth & Christopher (1874) – guardianship of minors
Blanton, William H. (1882) – estate
Blunk, Malissa A. (1876) – guardianship of a minor
Blunk, Sena (1877) – estate
Boatright, Ambrose, Mary, William, Daniel & Benjamin (1840) – guardianship of minors
Bonifield, Mary J., Alice J. & Luther F. (1873) – guardianship of minors
Brill, William (1873) - estate
Brittain, Harmon (1875) – estate
Broadstreet, Thomas, Sr. (1885) – estate
Bronaugh, William N., Jacintha, Martha Ann, Sarah Jane, Lucy, Thomas, Maria & Ford Tinsley (1838) – guardianship of minors
Brooks, Rebecca (1880) – estate
Brown, Brasleton (1872) – estate
Brown, Carrie E. & Laura P. (1869) – guardianship of minors
Brown, Daniel (1847) – estate
Brown, Jacob (1880) – estate
Brown, John W. (1894) – guardianship of unsound mind
Brown, Martha (1882) – guardianship of a minor
Brown, Milton (1881) – estate
Brown, Preston (1881) - estate
Brown, Susan (1883) – estate
Bryan, George M. (1846) - estate
Bryant, Asbury B. (1881) – estate
Bryant, Bardna Ann, Thomas David & Nancy Elizabeth (1870) – guardianship of minors
Bryant, Florence E. & Carl T. (1876) – guardianship of minors
Bryant, Nancy (1886) - estate
Bryant, Sarah (1887) – estate
Buchanan, Eli (1852) – estate
Buchanan, Emily Ellen (1854) – guardianship of a minor
Buchanan, John A. (1879) – estate
Buchanan, Reuben M. (1872) – estate
Buchanan, Reuben M., Cora A., Samuel M. & Fremont T. (1876) – guardianship of minors
Budd, Harriett A., David D. & Daniel F. (1865) – guardianship of minors
Buntain, James W. (1876) - estate
Burcham, McCarty (1876) – guardianship of unsound mind
Burden, Daniel (1874) – estate
Burnett, Isaac (1878) – estate
Butler, Joshua (1859) – guardianship of a minor

Plainfield library indexes Hendricks County insanity records

The Plainfield-Guilford Township Public Library has published an online index (in PDF format) to its collection of Hendricks County insanity records. This collection - which is housed in the library's Indiana Room Archives - includes admittance papers, orders for discharge, witness affidavits, clothing requisitions, re-admittance papers, and others. What is interesting is reading what was considered "cause" for the person to be hospitalized or considered insane. Some of the described symptoms for women sound much like post-partum depression, something that wasn't treated in the 19th and early 20th centuries.

The insanity records range from the late 1850s to the 1920s. These records can be viewed in the library's Indiana Room upon request.

Danville library to host book talk about "Crime of the Century"

The Danville library will host a book talk by Putnam County Historian Larry Tippin about his book, The Betrayal of Pearl Bryan: Unraveling the Gilded Age Mystery That Captivated a Nation, on Thursday, December 13 at 2 pm. The book is the story of how in 1896 Pearl Bryan of Greencastle travelled to Cincinnati and was killed by the father of her unborn child, events which newspapers dubbed the "Crime of the Century." Pearl's parents, Alexander S. and Susan Farrow Bryan, lived in Hendricks County until 1854, near New Winchester.

This program will be held in the library's program room on the ground floor and pre-registration is required - to register online, visit the Events Calendar section of the library's website, or call (317) 745-2604.

Danville genealogy group to host pitch-in luncheon and heirloom show & tell

The Danville Public Library's Genealogy Nuts group will hold a pitch-in luncheon on Monday, December 10 starting at noon. The pitch-in will be held in the library's program room on the ground floor. Please bring a side dish or dessert to share. After the luncheon, there will be a show and tell, where you can show a family heirloom or tell a research triumph.

34 Hendricks County probate packets from 1844 through 1883 digitized

The Indiana Genealogical Society recently added 34 Hendricks County probate packets to their website for free viewing.

This batch of probate packets spans from 1844 through 1883. They were sorted and digitized by volunteers - if you would like to help with this project, please contact volunteer coordinator Darlene Anderson (mdagenealogy@gmail.com).

The 34 digitized probate packets are:

Adair, John D. (& Lavena A. Claypool) (1866) - guardianship of minors
Adams, Franklin P. (1882) - estate
Adams, Hiram F., Caleb F. & Solomon T. (1864) - guardianship of minors
Adams, Melinda Elinor, Sarah Jane, Francis Newton, John Allen, Margaret Elizabeth, Bellsena, James Milton, Letha Hester & Mary Emily (1867) - guardianship of minors
Adams, Thaddeus S. (1881) - appointment as commissioner
Aldred, William (1881) - estate
Alexander, Mary E., Susan, Henry J. & Sarah (1864) - guardianship of minors
Alexander, William (1881) - estate
Ayers, James, Sr. (1870) - estate
Ayers, Lydia (1881) - estate
Ayers, William (1877) - estate
Ayers, William (1878) - estate
Bonnifield, Susan (1859) - estate
Borders, James (1875) - estate
Boswell, William (1875) - estate
Bowsher, Lewis D. (1879) - guardianship of a minor
Boyd, Dudley (1859) - estate
Boyd, Dudley E. (1860) - guardianship of a minor
Boyd, John (1840) - estate
Boyd, Phebe (1857) - estate
Brackett, Jacob (1867) - guardianship of a minor
Bradshaw, Charles W. (1885) - estate
Bradshaw, James A. (1874) - guardianship of a minor
Brady, Drusilla (1882) - estate
Brady, Merill (1859) - estate
Brady, Sarah, Lucy E. & Carrie B. (1883) - guardianship of minors
Bramell, Thomas (1882) - estate
Bray, Edward W. (1874) - estate
Bray, Elizabeth J. (1881) - estate
Bray, Thomas S. (1878) - estate
Brewer, Daniel (1881) - estate
Bunton, George (1844) - estate
Bunton, Nancy, Amanda, Aramantha, George M. & James J. (1849) - guardianship of minors
Bunton, William (1856) - estate

Danville library to host sorting days for Hendricks County probate project

The Danville library will host a series of "sorting days" in December where volunteers can stop by and help sort some of Hendricks County's probate records from the 1800's, in preparation for these records to be digitized by the Indiana Genealogical Society and placed online for free access. No pre-registration is necessary for these sorting days - you can come and work for as little or as long as you like. The dates and times of the sorting days are:

Wednesday, December 5 - 10 am to 4 pm. Location: Danville library's program room (located on the ground floor).
Wednesday, December 12 - 10 am to 4 pm. Location: Danville library's program room (located on the ground floor).

If you have any questions about the sorting days, please contact the volunteer coordinator for this project, Darlene Anderson (mdagenealogy@gmail.com).

Danville library to host program about life during World War I

The Danville library will host a program, "World War I from a Different Perspective," on Saturday, November 17 at 1 pm. Tim Macsay and Audrey, volunteers from the Hendricks County Historical Museum, will discuss what life was like during World War I, including how food was rationed and how schools had gardens. Several World War I artifacts from the Hendricks County Historical Museum's collection will also be shown. This program will be held in the library's program room on the ground floor and pre-registration is required - to register online, visit the Events Calendar section of the library's website, or call (317) 745-2604.

Danville library to discuss newspaper research

The Danville library will host a presentation about newspaper research on Monday, November 12 at 1:30 pm in the library's program room on the ground floor. The presentation will be part of the Genealogy Nuts group's monthly meeting. Cindy Rutledge from the library's Indiana Room will talk about how newspapers are often used for finding obituaries, but can be overlooked when it comes to other information they provide. No pre-registration is required.

Plainfield library to host sorting days for Hendricks County probate project

The Plainfield library will host a series of "sorting days" in November where volunteers can stop by and help sort some of Hendricks County's probate records from the 1800's, in preparation for these records to be digitized by the Indiana Genealogical Society and placed online for free access. No pre-registration is necessary for these sorting days - you can come and work for as little or as long as you like. The dates and times of the sorting days are:

Friday, November 2 - 10 am to 4 pm. Location: Plainfield library's McMillan A meeting room (located on the 2nd floor).
Friday, November 9 - 10 am to 4 pm. Location: Plainfield library's McMillan A meeting room (located on the 2nd floor).
Friday, November 16 - 10 am to 4 pm. Location: Plainfield library's McMillan A meeting room (located on the 2nd floor).
Friday, November 30 - 10 am to 4 pm. Location: Plainfield library's McMillan A meeting room (located on the 2nd floor).

If you have any questions about the sorting days, please contact the volunteer coordinator for this project, Darlene Anderson (mdagenealogy@gmail.com).

19 Hendricks County probate packets from 1839 through 1884 digitized

The Indiana Genealogical Society recently added 19 Hendricks County probate packets to their website for free viewing.

This batch of probate packets spans from 1839 through 1884. They were sorted and digitized by volunteers - if you would like to help with this project, please contact volunteer coordinator Darlene Anderson (mdagenealogy@gmail.com).

The 19 digitized probate packets are:

Almond, James (1872) - estate
Alred, Martitia (1881) - estate
Anderson, Lucinda, Benjamin W. & Eli H. (1876) - guardianship of minors
Appleby, Milton (1859) - estate
Applegate, Mary M. & William F. (1875) - guardianship of minors
Arbuckle, Francis M. (1879) - estate
Arbuckle, Mary (1883) - guardianship of unsound mind
Arbuckle, Mary (1884) - estate
Arbuckle, Washington M., Hester Emeline & Matthew Howard (1872) - guardianship of minors
Archer, Lillie May & Laura Etta (1882) - guardianship of minors
Armstrong, Benjamin (1855) - estate
Armstrong, Eli & William (1839) - guardianship of minors
Armstrong, Sarah (1855) - estate
Armstrong, Susan (1882) - trusteeship
Arnold, Eliza C. (1875) - estate
Arnold, John F. (1880) - estate
Arnold, John W. & George W. (1858) - guardianship of minors
Arnold, Richard (1856) - estate
Ayers, Mary (1879) - estate

Danville library to host presentation on how to investigate your ancestor's neighborhood

The Danville Public Library will hold a presentation in the library's program room on Saturday, October 20 at 10 am about "Investigating the Neighborhood of Your Ancestors". Rose Ann Sigborn from the library's Indiana Room will discuss how investigating your ancestor's community - their siblings, parents, in-laws, cousins and other relatives - may help you solve a research problem.

Pre-registration is required - register online via the library's events calendar, or by calling (317) 745-2604.

Danville library to host presentation about finding female ancestors

The Danville Public Library will hold a presentation in the library's program room on Thursday, October 11 at 2 pm about how to find female ancestors. Sarah Pfundstein, Genealogy Collection Librarian at the Indiana State Library, will explain how to find the women in your family tree, and what resources are available.

Pre-registration is required - register online via the library's events calendar, or by calling (317) 745-2604.

Danville genealogy group to discuss immigration records

The Danville Public Library will present a session by Steve Smith on Monday, October 8 at 1:30 pm about the people who immigrated and settled in America, including the 12 million who came through Ellis Island in New York. The session will be part of the library's Genealogy Nuts group monthly meeting, which is held in the library's program room on the ground floor. Visitors are welcome - for more information, contact the library - phone (317) 745-2604.

Plainfield genealogy group to discuss hiring professional genealogists

The Family History Hounds genealogy group will meet on Thursday, September 7 from 1 to 3 pm at the Plainfield-Guilford Township Public Library. The meeting will be held upstairs in the library's meeting rooms. Darlene Anderson will give a presentation about when it's time to consider hiring a professional genealogist to help you in your research.

If you are interested in the group, or have questions, please contact Plainfield library's Indiana Room - e-mail askindiana@plainfieldlibrary.net or phone (317) 839-6602 extension 2114.

Brownsburg genealogy group to discuss genealogy cold cases

The Brownsburg Branches genealogy group will meet on Tuesday, September 4, 2018 from 1 to 3 pm at the Brownsburg Public Library. The meeting will be held in Meeting Room E. Cindy Rutledge from the Danville Public Library will give a presentation on genealogy cold cases.

The meeting is free and open to the public - registration is requested via the events calendar on the library's website. If you have any questions, please contact Linda Cook - e-mail lcook@bburglibrary.net

Danville library to host presentation about Civil War life

The Danville Public Library will hold a presentation in the library's program room on Saturday, August 25 at 10 am about Civil War life. Tim Macsay, a volunteer with the Hendricks County Historical Museum, will give a demonstration of the weapons used during the Civil War, and there will be an opportunity to taste hardtack, which soldiers ate.

Pre-registration is required - register online via the library's events calendar, or by calling (317) 745-2604.

Danville genealogy group to discuss county histories

The Danville Public Library will present a session by Monique Howell from the Indiana State Library on Monday, August 13 at 1:30 pm about how to make the most of county histories. County histories can include biographical sketches of your ancestors as well as information on local history. The session will be part of the library's Genealogy Nuts group monthly meeting, which is held in the library's program room on the ground floor. Visitors are welcome - for more information, contact the library - phone (317) 745-2604.

Plainfield genealogy group to discuss DNA research

The Family History Hounds genealogy group will meet on Thursday, September 7 from 1 to 3 pm at the Plainfield-Guilford Township Public Library. The meeting will be held upstairs in the library's meeting rooms. Andrea Ackermann from the Central Indiana DNA Interest Group (CIDIG) will give a presentation about DNA testing and how they can help you in researching your family history.

If you are interested in the group, or have questions, please contact Plainfield library's Indiana Room - e-mail askindiana@plainfieldlibrary.net or phone (317) 839-6602 extension 2114.

Plainfield genealogy group to discuss tax lists

The Family History Hounds genealogy group will meet on Thursday, August 2 from 1 to 3 pm at the Plainfield-Guilford Township Public Library. The meeting will be held upstairs in the library's meeting rooms. Meredith Thompson will give a presentation on tax lists and how you can use them in your genealogy research.

If you are interested in the group, or have questions, please contact Plainfield library's Indiana Room - e-mail askindiana@plainfieldlibrary.net or phone (317) 839-6602 extension 2114.

Danville library to discuss genealogy "cold cases"

The Danville Public Library will hold a workshop on Thursday, July 26 at 1 pm about how to solve a genealogy "cold case" - when your research on an ancestor has seemingly hit a wall. You will learn how to track ancestors, uncover holes in your research and retrieve missing information. Pre-registration is required - register online via the library's events calendar, or by calling (317) 745-2604.