Danville library to discuss newspaper research

The Danville library will hold a free program about "Not Just Obituaries: Newspaper Research" on Saturday, April 20 at 10 am in the library's program room on the ground floor. Cindy Rutledge of the library's Indiana Room will discuss the other kinds of information that can be found in newspapers besides obituaries, and where to find newspapers.

Pre-registration is required for this free program - to pre-register, call the library at (317) 745-2604 or visit the library's website and click on the Events link.

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.

Danville library's genealogy group to discuss subscription databases

The Danville library's genealogy group, Genealogy Nuts, will meet on Monday, November 13 at 1:30 pm in the library's program room. Steve Smith will give a presentation on the genealogy databases that the library has subscriptions to. The meeting is free and open to the public.

For more information on the group, please contact the library's Indiana Room - dplind@dplindiana.org.

Danville library's genealogy group to discuss newspaper research

The Danville library's genealogy group, Genealogy Nuts, will meet on Monday, October 9 at 1:30 pm in the library's program room. Cindy Rutledge will give a presentation on newspaper research. The meeting is free and open to the public.

For more information on the group, please contact the library's Indiana Room - dplind@dplindiana.org.

Advertisement for home demonstration of television (1949)

The July 7, 1949 issue of the Plainfield Messenger included this advertisement from the Plainfield Electric Co. offering to acquaint residents with the offerings of television by giving a demonstration of a television in your own home:

Danville newspaper to become part of Brownsburg publisher

source: Danville Gazette (Danville, Indiana) - issue of Thursday, April 7, 1983 - page 1, columns 3-4:

According to a newspaper article, the Danville Gazette announced that effective with their April 20, 1983 issue, they would be owned by Mid-States Newspapers, Inc. of Brownsburg, which published The Guide. The Gazette would remain a separate newspaper, but would focus on news about Avon and Danville.

Hendricks County obituaries index updated for 2016

Entries from 2016 have been added to the database Deaths from The Republican's Year in Review, which is on the Hendricks County GenWeb site. The Republican is a weekly newspaper published in Danville, Indiana. At the beginning of the year it publishes a special "Year in Review" issue, which includes a listing of all the deaths that were mentioned in each issue of the previous year.

This database includes the person's name and the issue of the newspaper their obituary appeared in. It now covers 1892-2016.

2 Plainfield newspapers merge (1956)

source The Plainfield Messenger (Plainfield, Indiana) - issue of Thursday, December 20, 1956 - page 1, columns 5-6:

According to a newspaper article, in December 1956, The Friday Caller (owned by Mrs. Grace M. Jackson) announced it had been sold to The Plainfield Messenger (owned by Mr. and Mrs. Clarence Curtis and Don Cochran). The Friday Caller was established in 1934; The Plainfield Messenger was established in 1866. In August 1956, Grace M. Jackson had retired and leased The Friday Caller to Mr. and Mrs. Richard Hopper, who had since joined the staff at the Indianapolis Star. The Hoppers' lease of The Friday Caller was then terminated to allow its sale to the Plainfield Messenger. The first combined issue of the Plainfield newspaper was to be published on January 3, 1957, with the masthead of the Messenger to include a line that referenced the Friday Caller.

Coatesville newspaper stops publishing (1961)

source: The Republican (Danville, Indiana) - issue of Thursday, December 28, 1961 - page 1, columns 7-8:

According to a December 1961 newspaper article, the Coatesville Herald had just published its last issue. Its editor, Harmon Hathaway, had been in charge since September 1, 1916. His father, Horace E. Hathaway, had purchased the weekly newspaper in May 1911; the Herald had been started on January 6, 1910, by Wolf & Metsker.

Existing subscribers to the Herald would start receiving a subscription to The Republican in January 1962; the Herald's correspondent, Mrs. Mable Hanlon, would be sending her Coatesville news items to the Republican for publication.

Plainfield genealogy group to discuss newspaper research

The Family History Hounds genealogy group will meet on Thursday, September 1 from 1 to 3 pm at the Plainfield-Guilford Township Public Library. The meeting will be held upstairs in the library's meeting rooms. Leigh Anne Johnson from the Indiana State Library will give a presentation on using newspapers in research, including how newspaper items can piece together family ties at a time when other records don't exist.

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 newspaper research

The Brownsburg Branches genealogy group will meet on Tuesday, August 2 from 1 to 3 pm at the Brownsburg Public Library. The meeting will be held in the library's computer lab. Leigh Ann Johnson from the Indiana State Library will explain how to use newspapers - obituaries, death notices and miscellaneous articles - to more effectively research your family history.

Registration is requested - register online.

If you are interested in the group, or have questions, please contact Linda Cook - e-mail lcook@bburglibrary.net

Hendricks County obituaries index updated

Entries from 2015 have been added to the database Deaths from The Republican's Year in Review, which is on the Hendricks County GenWeb site. The Republican is a weekly newspaper published in Danville, Indiana. Once a year it publishes a special "Year in Review" issue, which includes a listing of all the deaths that were mentioned in each issue of that year.

This database includes the person's name and the issue of the newspaper their obituary appeared in. It now covers 1892-2015.

Selected Danville newspapers digitized

Hoosier State Chronicles is the Indiana State Library's free portal for digital images of selected issues of newspapers from its vast Indiana collection. Their online offerings now include some selected issues of Danville newspapers:

The Butcher Knife (1857)

Hendricks County Gazette (1881, 1882, 1884, 1889, 1890, 1895 & 1898)

Hendricks County Republican (1879, 1881, 1882, 1883, 1884, 1885, 1886, 1889, 1890, 1897 & 1907)

Hendricks County Union (1883)

These digital images are not comprehensive even for these years - you must view the microfilm of these newspapers to see all the issues from a given year.

Plainfield library digitizes Indiana Boys' School newspapers

As part of a grant from the Indiana State Library, the Plainfield-Guilford Township Public Library has begun digitizing its microfilm collection of newspapers from the Indiana Boys' School from the 1930's. The newspaper, called the Indiana Boys' School Herald, was produced by the boys themselves, and included news about the boys as well as the employees (many of whom were Hendricks County residents). The digital images and transcriptions of the articles are hosted at Indiana Memory, the Indiana State Library's repository for digital collections from across the state.

The Indiana Boys' School was a state correctional institution established in Plainfield in 1867 to reform male juvenile offenders through education and job training. The records of the institution are held by the Indiana State Archives - see their database of inmates from 1867 through 1937.

Hendricks County obituaries index updated

Entries from 2014 have been added to the database Deaths from The Republican's Year in Review, which is on the Hendricks County GenWeb site. The Republican is a weekly newspaper published in Danville, Indiana. Once a year it publishes a special "Year in Review" issue, which includes a listing of the deaths that were mentioned in each issue of that year.

This database includes the person's name and the issue of the newspaper their obituary appeared in. It now covers 1892-2014.

John Philip Colletta To Speak At Genealogy Workshop in Plainfield

Nationally-known speaker and author Dr. John Philip Colletta will hold a free genealogy workshop on Saturday, September 27 from 9:15 am to 4 pm at the Plainfield Public Library. Indiana librarians can receive 4 LEU credits for attending.

Dr. Colletta will offer 4 sessions:

--Breaking Through Brick Walls: Use Your HEAD! - tips for how to overcome seeming insurmountable obstacles in your genealogy research (e.g. several men with the same name or families with common surnames).
--The County Courthouse: Your 'Trunk in the Attic' - a review of the many resources that are available in courthouses.
--Using 19th-Century Newspapers for Family History - a focus on the lesser-used items in newspapers, such as advertisements, estate settlements, real estate transfers and local elections.
--Seventeen Repositories, One Life: Uncommon Original Sources Portray a 19th-Century Immigrant - how the use of smaller, more specialized records repositories can bring personal details of an ancestor to light.

The workshop is free, but seating is limited, and pre-registration is required (lunch is on your own). Register online via the library's events calendar, or contact the library's Indiana Room - phone (317) 839-6602 extension 2114; askindiana@plainfieldlibrary.net.

Hendricks County obituary index updated

Entries from 2013 have been added to the database Deaths from The Republican's Year in Review, which is on the Hendricks County GenWeb site. The Republican is a weekly newspaper published in Danville, Indiana. Once a year it publishes a special "Year in Review" issue, which includes a listing of the deaths that were mentioned in each issue of that year.

This database includes the person's name and the issue of the newspaper their obituary appeared in. It now covers 1892-2013.

Maggie WILSON paralyzed at a party (1908)

from The Republican (Danville, Indiana) - issue of Thursday, March 19, 1908 - page 1, column 3:

UNFORTUNATE ACCIDENT
Miss Maggie Wilson, a young lady living north of Rainstown, is suffering from a peculiarly unfortunate accident. She was at a party a few evenings ago and with other ladies was seated on the floor. Behind her was a lady in a chair. Someone playfully tilted the chair and the lady on it fell upon Miss Wilson's shoulders and the back of her neck. Her head was forced down upon her beast and the spinal cord ruptured. As a result she is totally blind and a part of each day is unconscious. Her recovery is doubtful.

Pittsboro Sun Newspaper (1893)

Recently found in Hendricks County probate records was this letterhead from the Pittsboro Sun, a newspaper published in Pittsboro, Indiana. The letterhead (dated 1893) lists Earle C. Weaver as being the publisher.

Birth notices from Brownsburg Record 1937-1943 added

An index of the birth notices that were published in the Brownsburg Record (a weekly newspaper) from January 1937 through July 1943 has been added to the Hendricks County GenWeb site. This index was compiled by the Indiana Room of the Plainfield-Guilford Township Public Library.