Genealogy – Local History

“Saturday Spotlight” at the Frederick Porter Griffin Center: MARCH MANIA!

We’ve made it! Even as February tossed an extra day at us, March has finally, well… marched right on in. It sure is packed with exciting moments to commemorate. It’s a special month for many people. It’s celebrated by band kids (who march forth on the 4th ). Soon will be time to “Spring Forward” with Daylight Saving Time (10th ). Basketball fans love their brackets; Irish Americans look for luck. Be sure to grab a slice on 3.14 for Pi Day, and so on…

After a brief winter hiatus, the Frederick Porter Griffin Center is ready to reenter the madness with Saturday Spotlight programming all month long. The public is invited to drop in and join the Head of Genealogy, Kathy Fisher, to celebrate multiple aspects of notable March-related holidays and presentations. Kathy stated, “March is fun! There’s something that just about anyone can get excited and learn more about. Researchers of all levels are welcome! You can get creative with it, too. Stop in and see us; maybe you’ll even spot a leprechaun.”

Each Saturday during the month will offer something different. Featured topics include:
March 9 – President William Henry Harrison’s Inauguration
March 16 – St. Patrick’s Day,
March 23 – Women’s History Month
March 30 – National Vietnam War Veterans Day

Saturdays don’t work for you? The FPGC staff is always on hand to answer questions during regular hours throughout the year. Any and all of the resources at the Genealogy Library, including free use of microfilm, books, family files, the Community News collection, and library editions of databases such as Ancestry, Fold3, and Newspapers.com are available.

The Frederick Porter Griffin Center for Local History and Genealogy is located in the county’s original Carnegie Library building directly behind the Corydon branch of HCPL at 117 West Beaver Street, Corydon. For more information, call 812-738-5412.

Article by Kathy Fisher

“Saturday Spotlight” at the Frederick Porter Griffin Center: Women’s History Month

by Kathy Fisher, Head of Genealogy and Local History

March is a special month for many people.  It’s celebrated by basketball fans, Irish-Americans, appreciators of warmer and brighter days, and pie-eating math lovers maybe?  Another group that should garner attention this month is WOMEN… 

From its beginnings, Harrison County has been home to many important women.  Names such as Elizabeth Pennington, Polly Strong, Mary Bugher, Julia Fried Walker, Leora Brown Farrow, Matilda Boone Crosier, Jennie Griffin, and Georgia Stockslager Fisher represent just a few of the females that left their mark here.  You are invited to discover some of their stories (and more) at the Frederick Porter Griffin Center during this Women’s History Month.

Special programming will be offered between 10 am and 4 pm on Saturday March 11th and 18th.  Stop in to learn more!

(If you can’t make it in-person, be sure to view our other women-focused programming videos online.)

“Saturday Spotlight” at the Frederick Porter Griffin Center: Black History Month

by Kathy Fisher, Head of Genealogy

In July of 2006, a diverse group gathered at Corydon’s historic Leora Brown School to hear the remembrances of a special nonagenarian named Ethel Porter.  The location was appropriate, for Ethel was there to speak about her experiences growing up in Indiana’s segregated school systems.

The library staff was there to capture these stories and the recently uncovered video is now available to share.  You are invited to rediscover this program each Saturday during Black History Month.

Viewings will run on the hour between 10 am and 4 pm each remaining Saturday during February.  Stop in to learn more about Ethel, the Leora Brown School, Harrison County’s rich Black history, and more!

(Don’t worry if you can’t make it in person, the videos will be added to the library programming page on the website at the end of the month.)

Day of the Death Notices (and more!)

by Kathy Fisher, Head of Genealogy

During October, staff at the Frederick Porter Griffin Center have been diligently celebrating Family History Month.

Didn’t make it in to see us?  Don’t worry – you can continue the celebration anytime, any day by visiting the FPG Center for Genealogy and Local History page. 

Be sure to check out our newly-updated Master Obituary Index!  We’ve added over 100 pages of new entries spanning all years pre-1900 up to 2020, made many clerical corrections, and streamlined the “Unknowns” section at the beginning (so even if you have previously unsuccessfully searched for a person in the Index, be sure to check again)!  The improved “Disclaimer, Key, and Tips” at the beginning offers assistance to better navigate the document.

We also recently uploaded new digital content including Heth and Jackson Township Justice Dockets and Group Photos.

Coming Up Soon:  Keep an eye out for the next digital collection featuring Posey Township Teacher’s Registers from the early 1900s!

Keep digging!

Dig in to HCPL’s online Digital Archives

By Teresa Douglass, Genealogy Assistant

Ever been curious about what Harrison County was like in years past? Like to look at old photographs? Researching your family history? Have a parent or grandparent that attended an early Harrison County school or an ancestor that was a World War II veteran?  If you answered “Yes” to any of these questions, then you should check out
HCPL’s Digital Archives.

HCPL’s Digital Archives is a website displaying numerous collections of images that reflect the rich and varied history of Harrison County and its residents from the early 19th century to the near present. Collections range from historical records and documents to a vast assortment of photographs of people, places, and events. Come and explore, you’ll be amazed at what you find! For example …

  • See what it was like to attend a one-room rural schoolhouse, take a tour of the many mills that once flourished throughout the county, and visit some of the county’s churches as they once were.
  • Attend the Pancake Festival of the 1960s or view the floats, bands, horses, and beauty queens in the Centennial Fair Parade and the Indiana Sesquicentennial Parade.
  • Go to the fair – See a ticket from the first Harrison County Fair in 1860, or what the fairgrounds looked like in 1900. Read a program from a 1939 horse race and find out who the grand champion livestock winners were in the 1940s.
  • Travel over early roads and bridges, ride the LNA&C Railroad, and catch a steamboat down the Ohio.
  • See some of the many Harrison County residents who served in the military during WWI & WWII.
  • Visit downtown Corydon in the 1880s, 1910s, 1930s, and 1960s, and observe how the town has evolved. Notice the change in streetscapes, and what buildings and houses are gone and which ones remain.
  • View Corydon baseball clubs from the 1890s and basketball teams and players from 1916 through the 1950s. See routines of Corydon cheerleaders from the 1940s and 50s.

And those are just SOME of the photographs. HCPL’s Digital Archives also contains several historical documents, all of which have been transcribed and are easily searchable. Whether you are researching your family or just curious about local history, these documents provide a glimpse into what everyday life was like for many residents in Harrison County.

Looking for a particular ancestor? Simply type their name in the search box at the top of the page, and the results will show how many times the name appears in the collection and on what pages. You might find that your ancestor was a founding member of the Harrison County Agricultural Society, or a Civil War veteran, or a member of the Woman’s Literary Society. Perhaps your ancestor worked on a tugboat in the 1930s, or had his photograph taken in front of the courthouse before leaving for boot camp. You could discover your parents or grandparents high school commencement program, or the type of brand an ancestor used to mark his cattle. You might be able to glean information on family relations and property ownership through perusing probate, township, or insurance records. And you can search justice dockets to investigate if your ancestors had any disputes with their neighbors, or were involved in something more notorious!

So, come look… explore… discover….HCPL’s Digital Archives.

Click on this link to visit the Digital Archives.

The site can also be reached through Harrison County Public Library’s website – go to Branches and select the Center for Genealogy and Local History, scroll down and click on the button marked Digital Archives – or through Indiana Memory and select Collections Across Indiana, then click on Harrison County on the map; or select “Contributors” at the top of the main page and choose Harrison County Public Library from the alphabetized list. A list of our collection titles will appear, choose any of them and it will direct you to our digital archives.

All items featured on HCPL’s Digital Archives are items in the Frederick Porter Griffin Center for Local History and Genealogy. Visit us in person & explore even more local history. We are located in the original Carnegie Library building at 117 W. Beaver Street, just behind the Main library branch building in Corydon.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

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