Hoosier CharacterHoosier Character

Hoosier Character uses oral history and traditional sources to see where 19th century Indiana residents lived—the common and the bold.  
 
 

 

1950 Census  
access anywhereReleased by the National Archives on April 1, 2022. The option to search by name is limited but will continue to improve as volunteers convert cursive writing to computer-recognized text. Use Enumeration District (ED) maps, city directories, and telephone books to supplement your browsing. Try the Steve Morse Unified Census ED Finder and ED Maps for Monroe County and ED Maps for Bloomington.

Local & Family History

 
Ancestry Library Edition  
library access onlyGenealogical information from 1.2 billion+ records in 3,000+ databases, including the U.S. Federal Census since 1790, American Genealogical Biographical Index, and Passenger and Immigration Lists Index.
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Local & Family History

 
Alexander Memorial Veterans List
access anywhereList of those honored by the Alexander Memorial on the courthouse lawn: Monroe County veterans of the Mexican War, Spanish-American War, Civil War, and World War I. Also includes Revolutionary Patriots buried in Monroe County.

Local & Family History

 
America's Historical Newspapers  
accessible with library cardMore than 1,000 historical newspapers from all 50 states, published 1690–1922. Created by Readex in partnership with the American Antiquarian Society, The Library of Congress, Wisconsin Historical Society, and others.

Local & Family History, Magazines & Newspapers

 
At War and At Home  
access anywhereUse this digital collection to find out about Monroe County in the Civil War era (1855 - 1875).
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Local & Family History

 
Counties of Morgan, Monroe, and Brown, Indiana  
access anywhereDigital historical and biographical 1884 book. Published by Charles Blanchard.

Local & Family History

 
FamilySearch  
library access onlyOne of the world’s largest family research databases.  Create a free account and login.

Local & Family History

 
Herald-Times Full Text Archive, 1988–present  
accessible with library cardComplimentary access to The Herald-Times archive. Full-text only articles from 1988 to the present are available. Herald-Times Historical, 1943-2013, fully digitized copies of The Herald-Times, also available.
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Community Resources, Local & Family History, Magazines & Newspapers

 
Herald-Times Historical, 1943–2013  
accessible with library cardAccess to fully-digitized versions of The Herald-Times from 1943-2013. Copies of the complete content including images, classifieds, and more. Herald-Times Full-Text Archive, 1988–present, full-text only The Herald-Times news articles, also available. See The Bloomington Daily Herald, 1947–1950, from Newsbank for fully-digitized copies of each newspaper edition.
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Community Resources, Local & Family History, Magazines & Newspapers

 
HeritageHub  
accessible with library cardExplore your family history with the premier collection of U.S. obituaries and death notices for in-depth genealogical research from 1704 – today. HeritageHub helps you easily identify relatives, uncover new information and potentially unknown family members. Includes deep coverage from all 50 states, hard-to-find content from the mid 1900’s, and original obituary images.
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Local & Family History

 
HeritageQuest Online  
accessible with library cardMore than 28,000 genealogies, local histories, primary source materials, and genealogical and local history serials. Also includes searchable Census images for 1790–1950. All materials are keyword searchable and may be downloaded and copied.
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Local & Family History

 
Historic Treasures of Bloomington  
access anywhereDigitized version of the 1922 volume compiled by Forest M. Hall. From the cover: "True tales of deeds with interesting data in the life of Bloomington, Indiana university and Monroe County." Published by Indiana University Press.

Local & Family History

 
History of Lawrence and Monroe Counties  
access anywhereDigitized version of the 1914 volume devoted to the "people, industries, and institutions" of the two counties. Published by B.F. Bowen, Indianapolis.

Local & Family History

 
Hoosier State Chronicles  
access anywhereMonroe County newspapers 1869–1932. Searchable by keyword. Part of the Indiana State Library's Digital Historic Newspaper Program.
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Local & Family History, Magazines & Newspapers

 
Indiana Bedrock  
access anywherePhotographs, letters, newspaper articles, and limestone industry archives related to Matthews Brothers Stone Company, an Ellettsville, Indiana, limestone quarry operating 1862–1978. Digital collection also includes photos from other limestone companies and artists.
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Local & Family History

 
Indiana Newspaper Archive  
accessible with library cardIndiana Newspaper Archive is your complete solution to uncovering treasures from the past about your ancestors. The archive covers Indiana history from 1800–2017 and its easy-to-use search interface makes it an invaluable tool for genealogy and family research.
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Local & Family History, Magazines & Newspapers

 
Indiana State Library Genealogy Collection  
access anywhereThe Genealogy Collection at the Indiana State Library has developed over time to become of the largest and most respected collections of family history information in the Midwest. The collection includes over 40,000 printed items (family histories, indexes to records, how-to books, cemetery transcriptions, family history magazines, etc.) as well as microfilmed federal census records, Indiana county records, passenger lists, and military pension information.  The collection includes hundreds of CDs with family history information.  The emphasis of the collection is on Indiana and bordering states, as well as eastern and southern states.

Local & Family History

 
INSPIRE  
access anywhere Find magazines, newspapers, and journal articles in this collection of databases maintained by the Indiana State Library and available to any Indiana resident.
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Books & Literature, Business & Investment, eBooks, eLearning, Health & Science, Languages, Local & Family History, Magazines & Newspapers, Research

 
MCPL Digital  
access anywhereHigh-resolution digital photographic collections of Monroe County yearbooks and other local historical records. See also the Monroe County Yearbook Index for a searchable index of names of some yearbooks housed in the Downtown Library's Indiana Room.

Local & Family History

 
Monroe County Census 1930
access anywhereExcel file created by Indiana Room staff and volunteers.

Local & Family History

 
Monroe County Community Collections  
access anywhereCity and county ordinances, city directories, documents, yearbooks, plat maps, and historical items from local businesses and organizations, Incl. Showers Bros. Factory employee magazine, Shop Notes. See also MCPL Digital for a collection of high-resolution digital images of Monroe County yearbooks available for searching, viewing, and downloading.
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Local & Family History

 
Monroe County Family History Files
access anywherePDF listing of books and genealogy files donated by patrons.

Local & Family History

 
Monroe County History Center  
access anywhereWebsite of the History Center, located in Bloomington. Documents, photos, artifacts, records, and many other items of local significance held at MCHC indexed here.

Local & Family History

 
Monroe County Index
access anywhereA finding aid for holdings in the Indiana Room. Includes county history, public records, coroner's reports, oral histories, and vertical file.
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Local & Family History

 
 
Monroe County Obituary Index
access anywhere  Includes obituaries from old and current local newspapers in Monroe County. Compiled by MCPL staff and volunteers.

Local & Family History, Magazines & Newspapers

 
Monroe County School Census 1914
access anywhereList of Monroe County School Students by township as transcribed by the Indiana Room; includes names of parent or guardian in 1914. Available in PDF or Excel. Original book is held by the Monroe County History Center. Data was later used in A Survey of a Public School System (1917) showing data about Bloomington schools. Provides demographic information. 

Local & Family History

 
Monroe County Timeline
access anywhereThe authoritative and popular index of our county's historical and curiously interesting events. A partnership between the Library, Monroe County History Center, and IU Archives.
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Local & Family History, Magazines & Newspapers

 
Monroe County Underground Railroad Resources
access anywhereA list of resources for researching the Underground Railroad in Monroe County.
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Local & Family History

 
Monroe County Will Records 1818-1904  
access anywhereTranscribed for publication in 1988, Ruth M. Slevin copied Will Books 1-5. For original wills and finding aids for similar records, contact the Monroe County History Center.

Local & Family History

 
Monroe County Yearbook Index
access anywhereSearch by name for faculty, staff, and students in area yearbooks. See also MCPL Digital, Ancestry, and Unionville High School's Memory page with Jordannus Yearbooks for more yearbook information and photos.

Local & Family History

 
Newspapers.com - Indiana Collection  
accessible with library cardNewspapers.com provides access to 214 Indiana newspapers from the 1800s–2000s. Additional pages are added every month.

Local & Family History, Magazines & Newspapers

 
Sanborn Maps - Indiana  
accessible with library cardFire Insurance Maps, sometimes referred to by one popular company, Sanborn, provide architectural details and building use in order to set premiums and understand risk for a business and home within city limits or congested areas. Helpful when researching house history. For other Sanborn Map repositories, see the Library of Congress Collection, which includes all 50 states, and IU Libraries Collection.

Local & Family History

 
The Smithville News
access anywhereA digital collection of Smithville's history from 1897 - 1915.
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Local & Family History, Magazines & Newspapers