Did My Grandparent's House Exist in 1875?

Frank Wilmot, Indiana State Data Coordinator
Indiana State Library
MLS, Pratt Institute 2000

Roberta Brooker, Acting Director
Indiana State Library
MLS, IU 1988

Have you ever contemplated any of the following questions?

What was the headline in the Peru Daily Tribune on October 16, 1964, the day after Cole Porter died?

Did my grandparents' house in Indianapolis exist back in 1875? Who lived in it?

Where can I read a Civil War diary?

What does the 1850 federal census record for Abraham Lincoln tell us about him and his household?

What are Indiana Mortality Schedules?

Where would I find the 1858 report published by the Senate Committee on Public Lands to grant the right of pre-emption to certain lands to the Indiana Yearly Meeting of the Society of Friends?

What was the population in 2000 of the area near IUPUI formed by University Boulevard, Indiana Avenue, and North Street?

Where can I find a demographic and socio-economic profile of the population within a 25-mile radius of Circle Center Mall?

If you have, you should think... Indiana State Library!

You have abundant information resource options in the Indianapolis area to do research or for personal enrichment. Several chain bookstores and genre bookstores offer the most recent popular and classic information in all types of media, non-fiction and fiction. Amazon.com is available 24 hours a day to purchase any type of book a student might need. Google and other search engines search the entire Internet on any subject.

Almost every type of Indianapolis library is within 30 minutes driving distance: the IUPUI Library, the Indianapolis Marion County Public Library and branches, the IU Law Library, the Indianapolis Art Museum Library, the NCAA Library, the Historical Society Library, the Indiana State Library and many more.

Most of the materials on the Internet represent information from 1975 to the present. Search engines may or may not sort materials by relevance and search results are not always from reliable sources. Also, search engines are not without bias. A January 23, 2006 Google search on the word "failure" returned the official White House website's "Biography of George W. Bush" as the first hit. While this is interesting, it is biased. Bookstores exist to make a profit, so the materials that they stock are materials that will sell — not necessarily the most authoritative book on a subject, but the most popular or recent book. Frequently it takes researching many books, articles, and other types of media, from various time periods, providing a variety of opinions or insights, to obtain the best information. Knowledge and history do not consist of multiple facts only, but a combination of facts, opinions, and perspectives. History does not change. It is the questions that we ask of history that make history expand into a kaleidoscope of ideas and subjects. Libraries are critical because of the breadth and depth of their permanent collections. Although every library might have a unique focus, all libraries are committed to keeping materials that represent a variety of opinions, representing many perspectives, covering as many years as possible. Librarians are trained to find the most significant information from a variety of resources and media - online and in print.

The Indiana State Library (ISL) was organized in 1825 and is one of the oldest libraries in the Indianapolis area. Since the library was formed, it has collected materials, representing a variety of subjects, formats, and perspectives. The State Library is a research library, open to the public, and specializing in Indiana history, but there are a number of other collections and services at ISL.

The State Library has collected information about Indiana since it first opened its doors. The Indiana collection includes state documents, newspapers from all over the state, photographs, oral histories, county histories, pamphlets, biographies, directories and telephone books, magazines and newsletters, maps and atlases dating back to the early 1800s, and works of fiction by Indiana authors. The Indiana newspaper collection is the largest collection of Indiana newspapers in the world and dates back to the early 19th century. Many of the collections and materials are not online or in the online catalog, so it is a good idea to call the Indiana Reference Desk. In order that all public documents of the state of Indiana are preserved and made available for public use by the citizens of Indiana, the State Library, by statute, is designated as the depository library for Indiana documents. State agencies are required to furnish copies of all issued public documents to the State Library. One example of an extraordinary resource is the 34 volume set of the Year Book of the State of Indiana 1917-1950, which includes the annual reports and publications from Indiana state agencies between 1917 and 1950.
There are specialized card indexes for researching Indiana topics including the Indiana Biography Index and the Indianapolis Newspaper Index (covering 1989 through 1991). Many of the indexes are available online at http://www.statelib.lib.in.us/www/isl/whatwehave/dbsubj.html#indiana.

Where can I read a Civil War diary?

The ISL manuscripts collection houses a great collection of primary documents and photographs. Strengths include Civil War letters and diaries, papers of political figures, and some organizational papers. Another highlight of the collection is the LaSalle Family Collection 1713-1904, which covers early Indiana history with a focus on Vincennes, some of which is in the original French language. The manuscripts card catalog is the best source for searching the vast collections (about 15-20% is in the online catalog); the next best source would be A Guide to Manuscripts Collections of the Indiana Historical Society and Indiana State Library by Eric Pumroy.

What are Indiana Mortality Schedules?

The genealogy collections focus on Indiana counties and states to the south and east of Indiana. However, visitors to the State Library are provided with free access to U.S. federal population census records (1790-1930) for all states via the online subscription database, Ancestry Library Edition. These census records, the original forms completed by U.S. Marshals or other census takers, include householder and household residents' names and ages and may include some race, income and employment information for states, counties, townships and cities or towns. Another useful resource available within the building is HeritageQuest Online's Periodical Source Index (PERSI), which may be used to locate history and genealogy articles or periodical titles relating to a specific surname, subject or geographic area.

Where would I find the 1858 report published by the Senate Committee on Public Lands to grant the right of pre-emption to certain lands to the Indiana Yearly Meeting of the Society of Friends?

The Library serves as a bridge to state and federal government information for Indiana citizens. If the State Library does not have a state or federal government publication or some other online or print source, staff is trained to locate documents or to provide a contact for the person in need of the information.

The State Library has the largest collection of U.S. federal and Indiana state documents in the state. It is the regional depository library in the Federal Depository Library Program, which means that it receives federal government publications and information at no charge, is committed to equity of access, and is dedicated to free and unrestricted public use. The government depository collections are filled with information on careers, business opportunities, consumer information, health and nutrition, legal and regulatory information, demographics, and much more. ISL has been a regional depository for so long that nobody really has a record of when it became one. One of the great collections is the Congressional Serial Set, which is a primary source of United States history from its founding to the present day. The Serial Set includes congressional publications, such as committee reports on public and private legislation, House and Senate journals, numerous investigations, directories, rule manuals, and histories of Congress and the Capitol; executive branch publications, including department and agency annual reports and special recurring publications; and nongovernmental publications, including reprints from magazines, newspapers, professional journals, and other sources.

Where can I find a demographic and socio-economic profile of the population within a 25 mile radius of Circle Center Mall?

The Indiana State Data Center is part of a national program sponsored by the U.S. Bureau of the Census. ISL and the Indiana Business Research Center, a research unit of Ill's Kelley School of Business, are the two leading agencies of the program in Indiana. The Data Center can provide historical and current federal and state statistical data in person, email, chat or over the phone. Using historical and current statistics, students can research demographic, socio-economic, economic, and business trends in Indiana or Indianapolis neighborhoods. Data Center products and services are used in marketing, economic development, community planning and analysis, grant writing, business startups, and much more.

The Talking Book and Braille Library

Individuals with visual or physical disabilities and those researching disability issues may find the Talking Book and Braille Library useful. The collection provides large print books, Braille books, and books on tape to Indiana residents who are unable to read regular print because of visual or a physical disability. These books cover a wide range of topics and include both popular fiction as well as non-fiction. The Indiana State Library holds copies of all materials listed in the catalog of the National Library Service for the Blind and Physically Handicapped, as well as 925 locally produced cassette titles on Indiana topics. Equipment for using the materials is available as well.

Doing research at the Indiana State Library

Whether it's a quick question or weeks' worth of in-depth research, there are a number of ways ISL librarians can help. In-depth research might involve interdivisional collaboration, and the librarians and ISL staff can help shepherd you through all the resources at the State Library. You can chat with a librarian or submit requests for research help by clicking on the "Ask-A-Librarian" button on the library's homepage at http://www.statelib.lib.in.us.

---

Article reprinted with permission from the author and Indiana Insight, a publication of IUPUI.