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Classification: Query
Message Board URL:
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Message Board Post:
So how do you go about finding records in White County, Indiana? It depends on what type
of records you want and how close you live to White Co. IN. If you don't live
locally you can order microfilms at your local FHC, if you live locally or semi-locally,
then go and visit the places listed below.
Many records in White County, Indiana have been microfilmed to preserve them by the
Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints. You can access these records at any family
history centers across the world. You will first need to look up the films numbers you
want on
www.familysearch.org Click on SEARCH then click on FAMILY HISTORY LIBRARY
CATALOG. then click on PLACE SEARCH type in WHITE in the first line then INDIANA in the
second line. Click on the link for White County, Indiana. This when then lead you to a
page with all the types of records they have microfilmed. If you are looking for births,
deaths, marriages you need to click on vital records. If you want wills & probates
then click on that link or the court record link. If you want to do census research I
recommend that you sign up for the 2 week free trial at
ancestry.com and do a search
there. There are a few typos, however it is much faster and easier than ordering and
reading tons of microfilms. (I k!
now because I've done it both ways). There are other records too, just remember not
everything has been filmed and a privacy law protects records for 72 years after they were
created. This is one reason why the latest census record you can get is the 1930 census,
because not enough time has past for anyone to look at the later records. They have
vitals for later years at the health department but I think you have to be a direct
descendant to look at these records. Check with them to be sure, though.
If you don't want to order the microfilms you can write or visit the White County
Health Department, 315 North Illinois Street, Monticello. They have births, marriages and
deaths and are VERY helpful. There is a genealogical society there. It is located in the
Historical Society building, 101 South Bluff Street, Basement Floor, Monticello. They
have some records. If you want obituaries then physically go to the Monticello Library;
they have microfilms for many of the newspapersin White Co. IN, there for you to look at.
They don't have the staff to look these up for you so if you can't physically go
there then you will need to find or hire someone who can look these up for you. Also
check the Tippecanoe Public Library in Lafayette for the Lafayette Journal & Courier
which many times has information/ articles about people in Brookston. If your people died
later check also with the Tippecanoe Department of Health, because sometimes if they died
in Brookston they were ta!
ken to the hospital in Lafayette and pronounced dead there. Check with the funeral homes
in the area. Most people in Brookston (at least in the Brookston IOOF Cemetery) used
Thompson & Hartzler which is now Hartzler-Clapper. They have good records that go
back to 1935 and are very helpful.
Check cemetery records by either visiting the cemetery or contacting the genealogical
society. If you are interested in people buried in the Brookston IOOF Cemetery, then ask
me because Jo Ann Guntrip and I have been researching this cemetery for the past 4-5 years
and we have been compiling it into a book with a CD full of pictures which we are just
about ready to publish. From looking at your names, they look familiar and many are
probably in the Brookston IOOF Cemetery. I have made a web page on the US Gen Web Page
for White County, Indiana which Russ Karr is hosting. It iis a brief list of those listed
in the cemetery that we have found so far. I have only provided basic info such as names,
birth year, death year and plot location. I am currently working on making some
corrections to send to him so it isn't 100% correct at the moment, but it can give you
a general idea. Find you people listed, make a list and send it to me and I will email
you back with what inform!
ation we have already found. The online listing does not contain everything we have or
know about the people buried in the cemetery. Like I said, we have spent the past few
years working on researching everyone in this cemetery and have look through many types of
records to make sure what we have is accurate and complete. When we could find it, we
have the following information on people buried in this cemetery: birth dates &
places, parents names, spouses names, marriage dates & places, death & burial
dates, place of death, cause of death, location within the cemetery, transcription of what
the tombstone says and a copy of the tombstone if we could find it. This info is not
online because it will be in our book. But I am more than willing to share. If you have
additional information I would love to know about it. If your people are buried in the
Brookston IOOF Cemetery there are also IOOF cemetery lodge records which they have kept
when they record who is buried and!
where, we are working with Shorty and have the current information, s
o you really don't need to contact them unless you really want to.
Nancy Hartman at the Brookston Library has put together a lot of obit online at their
website. She also has copies at the library there I think. She is really helpful and I
would see if they have any obits posted there, too. There are a few books out there about
White Co. IN. Many of them have biographies about people who settled this area. On the
Gen Web site an alphabetical listing of those with bios is listed and you can access &
read the article online. Lisa McGrattan also has an online listing of many people listed
in the newspaper from 1886-1895 and you can find a link for it on the White Co. IN Gen Web
page.
Hope to hear back soon. I'm sure I have lots of info you need. Just provide me with
a list of names and I would be happy to swap info. best of luck with your research.
Dana Palmer