Author Archives: Charlie McAtee

Are We Related?: Cleveland

Many family historians are thrilled when they can connect famous people to their own genealogy. This month I attempted to tie my 4x great-grandmother with a presidential surname to Grover Cleveland (trivia: His first name was actually Stephen). The president in question had several Hoosier connections. Cleveland was the 22nd and 24th president, uniquely he […]

Hoosier History At Your Fingertips

Have you ever wished for the ability to shop online for images depicting Hoosier History? Well, now you can! Just this month the Indiana Historical Society has made over 90,000 digital assets more accessible by launching our high-resolution image ordering system. Previously, if you wanted to order a high-resolution image from our digital image site […]

Indiana’s Oldest Latino Hoosier Tradition Turns 100

Sunday, September 15, 2024, will be the 100th anniversary of the Fiestas Patrias parade in Indiana Harbor (East Chicago). One hundred years ago, this Mexican American community, coupled with the smaller community in Gary, gathered to celebrate Mexico’s Independence from Spain (1821). However, this inaugural Indiana parade had a deeper meaning. The early Mexican American […]

Haunting and Elegant

Director of Collections Management Maire Gurevitz (aka my supervisor) and I have spent most of 2024 processing the records of the Junior League of Indianapolis, or JLI. The JLI is a women’s service organization that uses the power of voluntarism to affect positive change in our community. The Junior League has its roots in the […]

1945: Indianapolis Women’s Department Club Hosts Academy Awarding Winning Chinese American Film Producer, Li Ling-Ai

The Women’s Department Club was started in Indianapolis in 1912 by Mrs. Luella McWhirter. While still presently active, this club and its members focus their efforts on community service, arts, and education related causes and projects. This club was and still is presently known to host a public lecture series. On October 10, 1945, the […]

Indiana’s Viva Kennedy Campaign

The Viva Kennedy campaign was mostly known to exist in the American southwest, originating in Arizona. It is reported that a low-level Mexican-Irish campaign worker, a Latino member of his senatorial staff, or a well-known progressive Los Angeles politician came up with the idea for the Viva Kennedy campaign, as to which is unclear. What […]

Are We Related?: Roudebush

This month we explore a family name with a common issue…multiple or changing spellings. My colleague, Lauren, is one of the first members of her direct line to leave the family stronghold in Pennsylvania. When she got here and started working with Indiana-related materials, she saw a name similar to another found in her family […]

Celebration Days in July

July’s best-known celebration day is likely Independence Day, which commemorates the founding of the United States of America. But even before the Declaration of Independence was adopted in 1776, the Post Office of the United States (a precursor to the U.S. Postal Service) was established in 1775 with Benjamin Franklin as the first Postmaster General. […]