With respect to genealogical research, the greatest strength of the Indiana Historical Society Library is its ability to provide resources that help create a clearer image and understanding of the time in which your ancestors lived. Its vast collection of manuscripts, visual materials, and rare published volumes offer a unique perspective of how people lived, telling much about what their lives were like. Maps, oral accounts, visual records, Civil War diaries and correspondence, club and organizational records, and personal papers are among the many treasures that help illuminate the past. Below is a short list of some of the IHS Library’s reference books, key resources, and collections that may be useful to genealogists:

• A number of self-help books and guides for researchers, including: Finding Indiana Ancestors, First Steps in Genealogy, Genealogist’s Handbook, Sleuth Book for Genealogists, Bringing Your Family History to Life through Social History, and Organizing Your Family History Search
• AncestryPlus, Civil War Research, and other databases available in the library
• Indiana census, indexes only: 1807 (territorial census), 1820-1840, and 1860
• Kentucky census, indexes only: 1810, 1820, and 1830
• Illinois census, indexes only: 1810 and 1820
• A complete run of The Hoosier Genealogist (quarterly), published by The IHS Press
• The IHS Indiana Source Book series, offering an intriguing hodgepodge of genealogical gems and unique sources found within the state’s borders
• An Index to Indiana Naturalization Records . . . Prior to 1907, published by IHS
• American Naturalization Processes and Procedures, 1790-1985, by John J. Newman
• Research in Indiana Courthouses: Judicial and Other Records, by John J. Newman
• The County Courthouse Book, by Elizabeth Petty Bentley, featuring addresses and contacts for county courthouses and similar repositories nationwide
• A number of pioneer reminiscences and community centennial histories
• Pioneer Ancestors of Members of the Society of Indiana Pioneers, by Ruth Dorrel
• Indiana Tax Lists, by Jane E. Darlington
• Original manuscript tax lists and related records for select counties in Indiana
• Correspondence and personal accounts of persons living in specific counties—perhaps contemporaries, neighbors, or relatives of ancestors being researched
• Histories of individual churches and congregations around the state
• Western Christian Advocate Abstracts of Obituaries, 1834-1850, compiled by Margaret R. Waters, Dorothy Riker, and Doris Leistner
• Abstracts of the Records of the Society of Friends, compiled by Willard Heiss
• George Rogers Clark and His Men, compiled by Margery Heberling Harding
• Civil War rosters and regimental histories contained in W.H.H. Terrell’s Report of the Adjutant General of the State of Indiana
• Select published histories of various Indiana Civil War regiments
• Reminiscences and correspondence of Indiana soldiers, particularly from the Civil War
• Numerous 19th century medical guides and directories helpful in studying the maladies afflicting early Indiana settlers and the methods for “curing” or treating them
• Biographies and necrologies of some Indiana physicians
• Biographies of Indiana legislators, including those published in the Biographical Directory of the Indiana General Assembly, and those found in the William H. English Papers (M98), which laid the groundwork for the biographical publication
• A variety of other biographical sources, including Indiana Authors and Their Books
• Dictionaries and reference books on slang and colloquial terminology, including regional English and Colonial American English
• Some records or reports from a select number of central Indiana orphanages
• Admission Record, Indianapolis Asylum for Friendless Colored Children, 1871-1900, transcribed and arranged by Jean E. Spears and Dorothy Paul
• Index to Records of the Indiana Soldiers’ and Sailors’ Children’s Home in the Indiana State Archives, edited by Ruth Dorrel and compiled by Paula Corpuz
• Published newspaper bibliography guides for Indiana, Ohio, and Nebraska
• City directories for key cities or metropolitan areas around the state, including Indianapolis, Fort Wayne, South Bend, Lafayette, Kokomo, Marion, Terre Haute, and Evansville
• An extensive body of county and city histories, atlases, and detailed architectural inventories
• A large map collection highlighting early settlement and transportation in Indiana
• Pocket traveler’s guides, such as those carried by immigrant ancestors, ca. 1820s-1840s
• Histories of businesses, industries, and unions
• Histories of clubs, lodges, and other social organizations
• Written and published accounts of disasters (massacres, tornadoes, floods, etc.)

These are just some of the sources that can be helpful to genealogical researchers. You may explore the riches of IHS collections further by making a personal visit to the library. Also, IHS is located just one block away from one of the premier family history collections in the state— the Genealogy Division of the Indiana State Library—where researchers can find some of the cornerstones of genealogical research: birth, marriage, and death record indexes, cemetery transcriptions, microfilmed census records, county records, compiled and published family histories, notes of family researchers, and countless other resources useful in tracing your family history. For those seeking the real “nuts and bolts” sources and vital records essential for documenting family names, dates, and places, a trip to the Indiana State Library’s Genealogy Division is recommended as a primary destination and a chief starting point.

We appreciate your interest and look forward to assisting you in your family history research. Contact the reference desk at (317) 234-0321, or inquire via e-mail.