Maudeen and other list members--
Although Maudeen was the one that specifically asked for this information, it would most
likely also benefit others.
The following is information on the Historical Society as I know it from doing their
website and factual information I know from visiting the library in
Owen County.
The following website will give anyone information on the Historical Society such as
holdings, etc.
They have NO physical building, it is an organization.
There is an archives held by the organization, however at this time I don't know what
arrangements there are for that.
It was by appointment only, but then some of the people in charge changed, so they may
have changed policies.
The items housed at the archives are things such as guardianship papers, probate files,
perhaps military files, insanity papers,
things of those nature.
http://www.sweetowen.net/OCHGShomepage.html
The Owen County Library is located at 10 Montgomery Street, Spencer, IN. This is just
around the corner from the court house.
They are open M-Thur 9-8 Friday 9-5 and Saturday 9-3.
As you enter the library, make a left and the genealogy section is all the way to the
back. Within this genealogy section is a "vault".
This used to be an actual bank vault, but now houses the books and files of information.
It is quite impossible for me to list ALL of the holdings at the library. There are
numerous books on various subjects/families in Owen County and
surrounding areas.
The real jewel however is the complete wall of family file folders. These contain
information left by other researchers, news clippings and obituaries
on persons of the individual surnames. This is just a gold mine of information. Plan for a
substantial amount of time to go through these files. There is a
copy machine in the outer area. You make your copies (10 cents each) and pay the librarian
at the front of the library before leaving.
Each time I visit the library I tell myself- "this is the last trip, I have
everything that they do now". And each time I find myself returning.
A few tips for visiting the facility-
1. Make a list of EXACTLY what surnames you are looking for in the folder section.
2. I have a spiral notebook called "In Search Of". I have pages marked --
obituaries or any other type of thing I want to find. I then list the names of those
persons in order to not overlook them. I find that once I get to the library I am just
amazed at the amount of info and my train of thought wanders away from where it should.
(No I am not a dribbling idiot, there is just so much to look at).
3. The room is not extremely large, but the contents are varied. Go through the folders
carefully. If you are researching one of those families that have various branches and not
all of them connect to yours, be certain to look in all of the folders of that surname. I
have frequently found obits in the folders NOT connected to
my family lineages.
I will be up there next month and I am now starting my notebook for the visit and what I
hope to find there.
My categories are things like-- Obituaries, Land Records, Marriage Records, Death
Certificates.
Write down pertinent information to help you out. For example, on the marriage records jot
down the dates. If you are wanting to check out something on Schools for instance, jot
down just what you are looking for to help your memory out. Believe me it is extremely
easy to get side tracked there.