RESEARCH LIBRARY
and Archives
Located at the Heritage Center, the Historical Society's Research Library makes available to the public, in a state-of-the-art facility, our extensive collections of manuscript materials, maps, photographs, early government records, books, and other research documents. Copies of genealogy related documents can be obtained for a nominal fee. Some of our Research Library resources such as maps, indexes and directories have been published, and are available in our Museum Shop.
Listed here are just a few of the many materials available to researchers. Collection Guides describing all of our collections are available at the Research Library.
GENEALOGY:
MC-0004 FAUNA MIHALKO GENEALOGY COLLECTION.
This collection contains the genealogy research files of Fauna Mihalko,
who was employed for many years by the Madison-Jefferson County Public
Library as the local history librarian and genealogy researcher. An
INDEX to the files in the collection can be viewed at the Jefferson
County INGENWEB Website. To learn the content of any files not detailed
in the index, send us an
E-MAIL and we will reply with a description of the contents and the
cost of copying it.
GM-0001 CITY OF MADISON DEATH RECORDS. Collection contains the death certificates and burial permits that were issued for deaths occurring in the City of Madison from 1879 through 1905. An INDEX of the death records in the collection can be viewed at the Jefferson County INGENWEB Website. Note that if a name does not appear in this index, we do not have it in the collection.
FAMILY HISTORY FILES. Genealogy and family history information from various sources including numerous family histories contributed by local families. An index to this collection is currently under development.
MC-0029 CEMETERY RECORDS. Collection includes the original lists of persons buried in each Jefferson County Cemetery as compiled by the John Paul Chapter of the D.A.R. in their 1941 cemetery survey. There are also various detailed listings compiled by churches and other organizations.
SUBJECT FILES. An extensive collection of document files relating to a variety of subjects including: Architecture, Businesses, Churches, Organizations, Madison History, Township History, Transportation, and Special Events.
MC-0039 CHARLES HEBERHART NEWSPAPER COLUMNS. Collection contains copies of his entire series of 512 "They Say and Do in the Country" newspaper columns that were published in the Madison Courier from 1938 to 1940. The columns covered a variety of local history subjects. A subject index to the columns is included in collection.
MC-0005 FRANK BIRD COLLECTION. Frank Bird was an avid local history researcher and writer. Collection contains his extensive research files, newspaper articles, and copies of material he located in other repositories. Of special emphasis are Fire Companies, Steamboats, Churches, Schools, Politics, and Wars.
MC-0004 ANNA LAURA PEDDIE LAND ABSTRACT COLLECTION. The files of land abstract researcher Anna Laura Peddie contain land ownership information on hundreds of Jefferson County and Madison land parcels that were researched by Peddie.
MC-0014 JEFFERSON PROVING GROUND. JPG was a U.S. Army munitions testing facility that operated from 1940 to 1995. Its construction displaced nearly an entire township of Jefferson County. This collection contains historical information on the families, farms, and organizations that once occupied the land as well as records and photos about the operation of JPG.
GM-0002 CITY TAX ASSESSORS BOOKS 1837 - 1905. Collection contains bound ledger books prepared by the City of Madison Tax Assessor, listing all eligible taxpayers living in Madison, a description of real property owned, and the assessed valuation. These records are valuable for determining when buildings in Madison were constructed.
GC-0009 EARLY COUNTY ASSESSOR RECORDS 1827 - 1834. These records, which have been scanned and indexed on a computer CD, provide land ownership information for some early years in Jefferson County's history.
GC-0005 CLERK OF CIRCUIT COURT RECORDS. Collection contains some of the earliest records of Jefferson County that were filed with the Circuit Court. Included is the first Clerk's Book (1811-1814).
GC-0008 SHERIFF'S OFFICE RECORDS. A valuable research document in collection is the Sheriff's Journal for 1814 - 1815, which listed in detail the taxes collected from Jefferson County property owners and the location of their property.
Over 4000 images from our Photograph Collection have been digitally scanned and cataloged for easy retrieval and viewing on computers at the Research Library. Madison has been blessed with many talented photographers, who over the years have captured in pictures the people, the architecture, the events, and the scenes of daily life in our historic city. The Research Library has become the repository for many of these priceless photographs. Subjects of special emphasis include: Architecture, Steamboats, Railroading, Ohio River, Schools, and Family Photos. Included are many early images by Madison photographers Joseph R. Gorgas, William Heberhart, Herbert Flora, George Spaulding, and Harry Lemen.
High quality digital reproduction of most of the photos in our collection is available at the Research Library. We can produce prints in sizes up to 16" x 20" using fade-resistant archival inks and papers. Contact the Research Library for further information on prices and ordering.
LAND OWNERSHIP PLAT MAPS. County plat maps for the years 1878, 1900, 1927, 1933, and many recent years show landowners names, location of their property, and acreage owned. The early maps also show locations of houses, schools, and churches. Several of these maps have been reproduced and are available in the Museum Shop.
SANBORN FIRE INSURANCE MAPS FOR MADISON. Maps for the years 1886, 1892, 1897, 1911, 1927, and 1948 show the location of types of businesses and factories, as well as the "footprint" of most residences in the City of Madison.
MP-0020 1854 MAP OF MADISON AND VICINITY. A treasured wall sized map of Madison shows the lot numbers, lot size, and building "footprints" for Madison and North Madison. The map, which was published in 1854 by Hart and Mapother of New York, contains a wealth of information on the locations of early businesses and institutions. It has been computer scanned, and is available to researchers in booklet form and on CD.
RAILROAD MAPS. Our collection includes over 25 maps showing the routes of the railroads of Indiana from the earliest days of railroading.
The Research Library Book Collection contains over 1200 books and publications with special emphasis on Local History, Architecture, Railroads, Indiana Authors, and Indiana History. Also in the collection are Madison City Directories dating back to 1859, and School Yearbooks for several Jefferson County high schools. Most of the books in the JCHS Book Collection are available for two week loans to Historical Society members.
M & I RAILROAD:
MC-0012 RAILROAD COLLECTION. A comprehensive collection of documents relating to the history of the Madison and Indianapolis Railroad and its successor companies. Other railroad related collections include annual reports, early company records, and scrapbooks compiled by railroader Robert J. Elvin.
MC-0031 ANNUAL REPORTS OF THE M. & I RAILROAD. Collection contains a complete set of the annual reports to stockholders of the Madison and Indianapolis Railroad and it's successor company, the Jeffersonville, Madison, and Indianapolis Railroad. Reports date from 1843 to 1869 when it became part of the Pennsylvania Railroad.
MC-0055 MADISON & INDIANAPOLIS R.R. RECORDS. Collection contains photocopies of many of the early records of the M. & I Railroad starting in 1842 when the State of Indiana Board of Internal Improvements was abolished and operation of the railroad was turned over from the state to a newly formed company. The records include the two year period (1854-1855) when the company merged with the Indianapolis and Peru Railroad , forming the Madison, Indianapolis & Peru R.R., and also the period (1862 - 1866) when the company reorganized from bankruptcy as the Indianapolis & Madison Railroad.
MC-0028 CIVIL WAR COLLECTION. Collection contains company rosters, muster lists, orders, discharge papers, and numerous other original documents relating to Jefferson County Civil War units and soldiers.
MC-0026 G.A.R. POST #26 RECORDS. Collection contains the organization records of the Grand Army of the Republic, A.O. Bachman Post #26, whose members were Civil War veterans from Jefferson County. Included in collection are approximately 250 membership applications which contain the military service records of the applicants.
