John R. Byrd: Indiana’s First African American Lawyer By: David Heighway, Hamilton County Historian A one-time Noblesville resident had a very unique distinction. However, very little is known about him and his activities. John R. Byrd was the first African American to be admitted to the Indiana Bar...
A Portrait as a Present: the Art of Francis H. Finch By: David Heighway, Hamilton County Historian In a continuation of my last post on Frank H. Finch, crayon artist, I want to look at his decade-long career in Noblesville. I’m mentioning the subjects of his known portraits...
I Spy in the Indiana Room Written by: Nancy Massey The Indiana Room recently acquired a new item. Well, it is new to the Indiana Room, but actually resided in the Youth Services area in Fishers. It joined a fellow bird of prey that arrived in the...
A Portrait as a Present: the Art of Francis H. Finch By: David Heighway, Hamilton County Historian During the holidays, it’s common to give professionally made family photos as gifts. Things were much the same in the 1870’s and 1880’s, but the technology was a little different. People...
The Thanksgiving holiday is right around the corner. For most people, we start thinking of turkey with all the trimmings. When they were young, my two sons knew that Maw Maw and Paw Paw would be here to tell them funny stories about their dad....
“Bedrock Jim”: The Peculiar Life of James Burchem By: David Heighway, Hamilton County Historian While the holidays are usually thought of as a time of family togetherness, this is the story of a man who left his family and disappeared for 37 years. Much of his life is...
Important Local Genealogy Resources By: Sherri Bonham Whenever I receive a request for information about early residents of Hamilton County, the first book I go to is the Hamilton County, Indiana index of names of persons and of firms compiled by the U. S. Works Progress Administration in 1940....
On your ancestor hunts, have you ever wished someone would invent a time machine so that you could travel back in time to visit with your ancestor and ask a few pertinent questions? I have a list of questions that I would like my ancestors...
Another Kind of Historic Photography - Mugshots By: David Heighway, Hamilton County Historian Thanks to the internet, there are many resources available today for doing local history, some of which might be surprising. The Indiana Archives and Records Administration – the State Archives – has put many of...
Family History Day at HEPL By: Nancy Massey Next month, October, is Family History Month, time to jumpstart that ancestor hunt! To celebrate this special theme, we are planning an event that will inspire and encourage you to explore and research your ancestry. Why? Because researching and remembering...