100th Anniversary of the End of World War I

Today is the 100th anniversary of the end of World War I.  This was called "The Great War" and it began in 1914 and ended November 11, 1918.  We honor those who served then and now.  We will always remember. 

Indiana Genealogy and Local History Fair

From John Wekluk, Communications Director at the Indiana State Library:  On Saturday, Oct. 27, 2018, from 10 a.m. to 3:30 p.m., the Indiana State Library will host the Indiana Genealogy and Local History Fair in downtown Indianapolis.  Admission is free and the event is open to the general public.  The library is located at 315 W. Ohio St.  This year's theme is "Digging Up the Dead."  Attendees will learn how to examine, decipher and interpret death records and death research.  Over 30 organizations and exhibitors will be in attendance.  Participants are encouraged to visit the tables in the exhibition hall to collect information from genealogical and local history organizations.  Commercial vendors will also be available for shopping.  Highly-acclaimed and internationally-known speakers and genealogy consultants, Lisa Alzo and Amie Bowser Tennant, will present.

The Howard County Genealogical Society will meet Monday, October 8, from 6 to 8 p.m. in Meeting rooms A & B at KHCPL Main.  For the program, Karen Sosbe will explain how DNA helped her find her birth family.  The public is welcome and for more information call 765-626-0839.  Visit the Genealogy and Local History Department online at www.KHCPL.org.

Vertical Files at the Library

Are you looking for a particular surname in the Howard County area?  Check out the resources available in the Genealogy & Local History Department at the Kokomo & Howard County
Public Library.  We have 10 file cabinets filled with files of information on over 4430 names.  Files are continually being added.  As well as the Surname files, we have additional file cabinets filled with information on local business & industry, organizations, churches, schools, local architecture and more.  Our Vertical File collection is outstanding.  Come in and check it out or go to www.HowardCountyMemory.net to see a list of the surnames.

Civil War Collection on Fold 3

Fold 3 is providing FREE access to their Civil War Collection from April 1-15 "to commemorate the beginning of the Civil War in 1861."  The collection currently has 50 titles with more than 91 million records.  Now is the perfect time to look for your Civil War ancestors.  Go to www.fold3.com and have fun.

County Bounty

Most of our genealogical records can be found in counties where our ancestors resided.  Here are some interesting statistics about counties.

County names most commonly use:

1. Washington County - 31 states
2. Jefferson County - 26 states
3. Franklin County - 25 states
4. Jackson County 24 states
5. Lincoln County 24 states

States with the most counties:

1. Texas - 254 counties
2. Georgia - 159 counties
3. Kentucky - 120 counties
4. North Carolina - 100 counties
5. Virginia - 95 counties

State with the least counties:

1. Delaware - 3 counties
2. Hawaii - 5 counties
3. Rhode Island - 5 counties
4. Connecticut - 8 counties
5. New Hampshire - 10 counties

Planning Your Research Trip

Spring and summer are great times to travel and visit the areas where your ancestors lived.  Here are some things to consider.  Check the local library's website to see what they have in the collection and online.  Check the days and hours the genealogy department is open.  Check department rules - do they allow food or beverages in the department?  Can resources be copied and if so what is the price per copy?  Can resources be scanned or photographed?  If they can, be sure to bring flash drives, a portable scanner and/or camera.  Ask if they have WiFi.  Be sure you bring information on the people you will be researching in either paper form or on your laptop.  Bring your GPS to find the library and any cemeteries or home addresses you want to visit in the area.  By planning ahead you are sure to have a productive trip.  Enjoy.

Genealogy Happenings in 2018

Now is the time to make genealogy plans for 2018.  Here are a few dates to remember:

Feb 28 - Mar 3, 2018
Roots Tech
Salt Lake City, Utah

Apr 11 - 14, 2018
Ohio Genealogical Society
Columbus, Ohio

Apr 28, 2018
IGS Annual Conference
New Albany, Indiana

May 2 - 5, 2018
NGS Family History Conference
Grand Rapids, Michigan

Aug 22 - 25, 2018
FGS Annual Conference
Fort Wayne, Indiana

"A Date Which Will Live in Infamy"

Today is December 7th.  National Pearl Harbor Remembrance Day is observed annually in the United states to remember and honor the 2,403 Americans who were killed in the surprise attack which brought us into World War II.  It has been 76 years since that fateful day.  We will always remember.

Launching of the Kokomo Victory Ship

Library board member Clee Oliver recently loaned us a family scrapbook to scan and put on the Howard County Memory Project.  Mrs. Clara Maddox is Clee’s grandmother.  She was selected as the Indiana War Mother of 1945 because she had seven sons in the military at that time.  She was also the Mother of Honor at the December 18, 1944 launching of the S.S. Kokomo Victory, one of the cargo ships built during World War II.  The pictures also show the life rafts and lifeboats made at the Globe plant in Kokomo.  View this wonderful addition to the Memory Project at http://www.howardcountymemory.net/default.aspx?id=3084

Two Indiana Sites Named to Top 75 List

Rick Crume has posted his Top 75 State Websites of 2012.  Two Indiana sites made his list.  Mr. Crume says, "Tracking down state-level genealogy records - births, marriages, deaths and more - can be exhausting work, but each year it gets easier and easier as more state historical societies and archives digitize collections and post them online for you to browse or search."
From Indiana:
The Indiana State Digital Archives www.indianadigitalarchives.org  - Thanks to the work of volunteers, this site now boasts more than 2.8 million searchable records, including military, naturalization and prison records.  Naturalization records from other counties are on the way.
Indiana State Library: Genealogy Collection www.in.gov/library/genealogy.htm - Click on Databases to search indexes to marriages, deaths, biographies and newspapers.  The VINE database has Indiana local history and vital records from libraries, historical societies and genealogical societies.
Visit the Genealogy & Local History Department at www.KHCPL.org/glhs and our digital collection at www.HowardCountyMemory.net.

Henry Louis Gates Coming to Kokomo

   

 

Tickets which include dinner are $50.  Make your reservations online at www.ivytech.edu/kokomo/gates.html.  See you there.

New Howard County Genealogist

The Indiana Genealogical Society has chosen Howard County Genealogical Society member Cindy Stover to be our first Howard County Genealogist.  IGS is working to
appoint a County Genealogist in each of Indiana's 92 counties.
The responsibilities of a County Genealogist include:

• Report monthly on events and news for their county (including issues of records preservation and access)
• Promote genealogical and historical research and education within the county they represent
• Be familiar with the genealogical records available for the county
• Be familiar with any genealogical repositories in the county
• Be familiar with any historical or genealogical groups within the county
• Be familiar with IGS and its functions
• Will provide advice and counsel to those doing genealogical research in the particular county (the Indiana County Genealogist will not be expected to do personal research for those who contact them)

Contact Cindy with questions on where to go next in your family research.  Cindy can be reached at 765-432-5453 or clstovr@aol.com

War of 1812 Bicentennial

On June 18, 1812, the United States declared war on Great Britain, thus making this the 200^th anniversary of the War of 1812.  Even though Howard County was not yet formed (we did not become a county until 1844), the people who settled here had fought to defend the United States of America and then came west to help build Howard County. They deserve to be remembered.   We want to compile their stories and share their history so that they will not be forgotten.

The library is compiling a database of these veterans to add to the Howard County Memory Project at www.HowardCountyMemory.net.  If you have any information or pictures of these veterans, please send them to Marcia Ford at the Kokomo-Howard County Public Library at mford@KHCPL.org.  There may be more veterans, so if you have the names of other veterans of the War of 1812 who are buried in Howard County, please share this information with us.  As we commemorate the bicentennial of the War of 1812, let us not forget these brave men.

Private George Barngrover

Veterans Buried in Howard County
William Apperson - Albright Cemetery
Asbury Arnett - New London Cemetery
Jesse C. Barnett - Barnett Cemetery
George Barngrover - Crown Point Cemetery
Capt. John T. Blanche - Russiaville Cemetery
Jacob Davis - Lindley Cemetery
Israel Feree - Old Kokomo Cemetery
Alexander G. Fogey - Oak Mound Cemetery
Samuel Giles - New London Cemetery
Peter Gray - Russiaville Cemetery
John Gregg - Russiaville Cemetery
Capt. John Harrison - Unknown
Daniel M. Heaton - Alto Cemetery
Henry Jackson - Barnett Cemetery
William Lee - Barnett Cemetery
John Miller - Jerome Cemetery
Joseph Mills - Unknown
Robert Morrison - New London Cemetery
Wm Rayburn - Crown Point Cemetery
John Rivers - Russiaville Cemetery                                        
Peter Sence - Russiaville Cemetery                                             
Capt. Joseph Taylor - Taylor Cemetery
Joseph Tennell - Simpson Cemetery

Rich Funeral Home Database Recognized

The Rich Funeral Home database from the KHCPL website was recently spotlighted in the February 29 issue of the Weekly Genealogist, a publication of the New England Historic Genealogical Society. Here is what they had to say about us:
Rich Funeral Home, Indiana
This funeral home database is on the Kokomo-Howard County Public Library website. Howard County is located in central Indiana. Kokomo is its county seat. This database is an index to the records of the Rich Funeral Home, a family business, which was in operation from June 1893 through October 1956. The index was created from photocopies of the company’s records. The data fields in the alphabetical index include name of the deceased, record number, place of death, and notes. The notes field includes age at death, and abbreviations for the cemetery in which the deceased is buried. There is a chart at the end of the introduction page that provides a listing of burial dates and corresponding record numbers. There is also a key to the abbreviations used in the database. The original records for the Rich Funeral Home are in the possession of the Stout Funeral Home in Russiaville, Indiana.

We are honored to be recognized by the NEHGS.
To visit the Kokomo Howard County Public Library database, go to:
www.khcpl.org/glhs/richFuneralHome/index.html

KHCPL is Affiliate Library of FamilySearch

People can now order microfilm directly from FamilySearch (Latter Day Saints) for viewing here at KHCPL. The patron will order the film they want, pay for it by PayPal or credit card and it will be sent here to us at the library. The patron will come in to view the microfilm and we will send the microfilm back for them (there is no charge for shipping the film back).
Procedure:
1. Go to https://www.familysearch.org/films/ and sign into FamilySearch using the Sign In link located in the top right corner of the screen. If you do not have an account, clicking the Sign In link will help you register.
2. Locate the microfilm number(s) you want to order from the Family History Library Catalog located on http://www.familysearch.org/ . Note: Before ordering any film, check to see if the Family History Library Catalog has a digital copy available online for free viewing.
3. Select your loan type, enter the microfilm number, and click Search. Repeat this step for each additional item.
4. Select the library for the microfilm to be shipped to (Kokomo-Howard County Public Library).
5. Click on Shopping Cart to pay and follow instructions.
For more information, call 765-626-0839 or visit our website at www.KHCPL.org/glhs.

IGS Annual Meeting

The Indiana Genealogical Society's 2012 Annual Meeting & Conference will be held Saturday, April 28 at the Allen County Public Library in Fort Wayne. The featured speaker is Debra S. Mieszala and a second track of sessions will also be offered. Register online at the IGS website at www.indgensoc.org/conference.php or mail in the form provided on the website. The fee is $30 for IGS members or $40 for non-members. Each IGS Annual Meeting & Conference presents an outstanding program. Don't miss it.

Who Do You Think You Are?

Mark you calendars, because the popular series "Who Do You Think You Are?" will be coming back for a 3rd season starting February 3, 2012. It will air on Friday evenings from 8-9 pm. We are all waiting to see who the list of participants will include.

Summer Research Trips

Summer is a great time to travel and visit the areas where your ancestors lived. Preparation for these research trips is very important. I just returned from a little place called Raywick, Kentucky where my father's mother was born and raised. All that remains there now are a few houses, a small grocery store, a Catholic Church and 2 bars. In the local cemetery, I was able to take 64 pictures of relatives who I had never met.

I also visited the county public library located in nearby Lebanon, Kentucky. The genealogy room was very small, but contained usefull information compiled by local genealogists. This is information that will probably never be on Ancestry. In the short time that I was there, I met five people who had compiled books for the collection. What an incredible day.

Plan ahead on your next research trip by gathering some important information before you go: check on the days and hours the genealogy department is open, ask if food and drinks are allowed in the department, and find out if the resources can be copied, scanned or photographed. Be sure to bring information on the people you will be researching, either on paper or on a laptop and don't forget your flash drive, portable scanner and camera. These gadgets really make genealogy research easier.

I'm proud to say, that on my recent research trip, I followed by own advice on everything, but it would have been nice to have had GPS in my automobile. It might have saved me an hour's drive in the wrong direction when leaving Raywick. I'll add that to my list.

GenFest 2011

The 6th annual GenFest will be held at the Kokomo-Howard County Public Library (KHCPL) and co-hosted by the Howard County Genealogical Society (HCGS). GenFest 2011 will be held Friday, June 10 and Saturday, June 11 at KHCP Main, 220 N. Union St., Kokomo, Indiana. Planned events include:

Friday from 12:00 noon until 8:00 p.m., genealogist will have the opportunity to use the genealogy collection for research into the evening when the library is normally closed. Think of it - you, all those resources, vendors, door prizes and snacks.

Saturday from 9:00 a.m. until 5:00 p.m. KHCPL Main will be dedicated to genealogists. The Genealogy & Local History Department will have available staff for personal research assistance with our large genealogy collection. Though out the day, speakers will share information on current genealogy topics.

Vendors will be on hand both days with genealogy supplies, research materials, and publications for your shopping pleasure. Local exhibitors will share information. Visitation opportunities to local historic venues will be offered.

Come prepared to have fun and to do some research. KHCPL Main is a newly remodeled facility with free parking. Wi-Fi is available throughout the building and the Computer Lab on the second floor will be open for your use. For more information go to the website at www.KHCPL.org/genfest2011 or contact Marcia at mford@KHCPL.org.