Gov. Morton is known as the man who guided Indiana during the Civil War. However, he was not the man elected to carry the people of Indiana through the tough times that were brewing during the 1860 election that would shortly develop into the Civil War. As a governor, Oliver P. Morton was seen by […]
April 2, 2012. The wait is over. If you are a genealogist, you have had this date circled for some time. For those of you wondering the importance of April 2, 2012 no, it is not a new day after April Fool?s holiday it is the release of the 1940 Census! For privacy reasons, censuses […]
It amazes me how early children learn that grandmas are one of their biggest allies. Maybe it is because they don’t hear the word “no” as often or they get chocolate chip cookies for breakfast, but grandchildren know they have a special bond with grandma. So when I came across this letter from Mary Stewart […]
When you think about elections, you don?t often consider electing an official who was thought to have died years before the election ever took place. The people of Indiana do not appear to have had any qualms about doing just that in the fall of 1928 for the state?s highest office. Harry G. Leslie was […]
With the 150th anniversary underway, the American Civil War is getting a lot of attention. New books are being published, websites launched and events planned to commemorate the sesquicentennial. Indiana played its part in the war, supplying more than 200,000 men for service in the military. Our library has thousands of items concerning Indiana?s role […]
I love looking at old menus and recipe books. Historically, they can tell a lot about a time period and how people lived (and there is also the yum and yuck factor that can be a lot of fun). We recently catalogued several menus from the restaurant in Hotel Bates, all dating from the mid […]
Have you ever read a book by a ghost? It is unlikely that many of us have, but at least one author of the late 19th century has presented us with one we can. Being the cataloger of printed items here at the Indiana Historical Society has its advantages. On a regular basis, I get […]
Ah, it is State Fair time in Indiana and we all have our favorite activities. Most of mine involve the various food booths. I recently saw some unique images of a different kind of food? booth from fairs in the years past the Lard Art exhibit. Yes, instead of deep-frying it, Hoosiers used to create […]
I just got my invitation to my high school reunion I won?t go into to details but it is a, , significant number. The reunion Web site has some pages from our senior yearbook, and it brought back a lot of fond memories. Yearbooks can be a great tool whether you are looking for a […]
Tell me you label your images with names, dates or some kind of identification. I admit, I am horrible about labeling my pictures. I currently have almost 600 images on my digital camera and when the memory card maxes out I will finally get around to making some prints. Usually these prints are enjoyed and […]
