THE BRICK WALL
PROTOCOLGENEALOGY · BEYOND THE SEARCH BOX
BRICK WALL PROTOCOL / FREE GUIDES

Clay County:
Look for the workplace, school and funeral home.

Clay County’s surname files and local industry collections can complement records affected by courthouse loss.

Addresses and access notes ↓

Clay County, Indiana: repository locations and selected major roadsI-70US 40SR 46SR 246SR 592,7BrazilN ↑≈ 5 miles
Selected repository locations for present-day orientation. Numbers match the research stops below. Select a marker to open its stop. Locations are approximate, not entrances or driving directions. Grouped numbers identify nearby repositories; use the address key for individual locations.

Explore local streets and repository locations ↗

Not sure where to begin? Build a free three-step research plan → Choose your question, period and records already checked.

Explore records coverage by year ↓

Community history groups and access notes · Additional collection references

How to search and interpret selected collections ↓

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PLAN YOUR RESEARCH ROUTE

Match the stops to the repository

Several stops can lead to the same repository. Maps show selected verified locations, not every guide stop or every community represented in the records. Use each stop’s access instructions, including for online and out-of-county collections. Check access before traveling.

  • Stop 1, Stop 4, Stop 5, Stop 6: Clay County Genealogical Society
    309 W. Main Street, Center Point, IN 47840 Not plotted.

    Ask whether the docket covers the relevant year and which index is available. For surname files, request the source behind a clipping or transcription. Follow the society’s research-request instructions and confirm fees. Not plotted: outside this county or address direction could not be verified.

    Repository information · Map position source
  • Stop 2, Stop 7: Brazil Public Library
    204 N. Walnut Street, Brazil, IN 47834

    Select the exact school/year or file heading. Ask for onsite retrieval and copying rather than an open-ended search; the library notes staffing limits on lengthy research.

    Repository information · Map position source
Other guide stops not shown on this map

These stops may be online collections, shared repositories or locations not yet confirmed for mapping. Follow the collection’s access instructions.

Map sources and limits

County outlines: U.S. Census Bureau 2024 cartographic boundaries . Selected major roads: 2024 TIGER/Line primary and secondary roads . Public repository addresses checked against the sources above, with approximate Census geocoder positions. Unmatched addresses and out-of-county repositories are listed in the key rather than assigned a guessed position. Markers identify contact locations, not collection coverage. Historical boundaries, township lines and current traffic conditions are not shown. Prepared November 4, 2026.

Sources checked October 25, 2026. Additional collection descriptions and access instructions checked November 4, 2026. Earlier repository corrections retained. Selected dates do not imply complete coverage.

Start with one connection.

Bring a person, a place, approximate years, and one question. A township, congregation, school, or employer may reveal records a surname search misses. The custodian can be outside the county.

STOP 01 / Center Point

Clay County Genealogical Society library

Funeral-home records may identify a connection absent from a census.

The society describes surname files, naturalization papers, funeral-home burial information, World War I draft registration cards, and cemetery transcriptions arranged by township.

Research details & a question to ask

How to begin

Contact the society with a name, dates and likely funeral home or cemetery. Confirm volunteer opening times before traveling.

A question you can ask

Does the funeral-home or surname file name an informant or relative?

Keep in mind

The society’s pages give differing collection counts, so none are treated as an inventory total here. Transcriptions should be checked against originals when possible.

STOP 02 / Brazil

Brazil Public Library local-history files

An employer or strike can provide a second search term.

The library’s file list includes brick plants, Central Iron & Steel Company, the Clay Workers’ Strike of 1916, schools and the county poor farm. Its yearbook list identifies specific available school years.

Research details & a question to ask

How to begin

Choose a subject from the file list and ask staff to retrieve it. Use the yearbook inventory to confirm the exact school and year.

A question you can ask

What documents are in the file for this workplace or school?

Keep in mind

A subject heading describes a file, not necessarily an employee list. Yearbook coverage has gaps.

STOP 03 / Indianapolis and online

Indiana State Library county research guide

Take a title and date range to the catalog.

The guide lists Marriage Records, 1851–1869, and Will Abstracts, 1848–1867, alongside later WPA indexes.

Research details & a question to ask

How to begin

Use the county guide to identify a title, then check the library catalog and ask staff about consultation or copies before traveling.

A question you can ask

Which surviving records can replace a missing early marriage or probate search?

Keep in mind

The State Library reports an 1851 courthouse fire that spared Recorder’s records. Confirm survival for the individual series rather than treating all early records alike.

STOP 04 / Clay County Genealogical Society

Sheriff docket books and surname-file leads

Read the collection in context.

The society lists sheriff docket books undergoing indexing and surname files that can include school, church and organizational material.

Research details & a question to ask

How to begin

Ask whether the docket covers the relevant year and which index is available. For surname files, request the source behind a clipping or transcription. Follow the society’s research-request instructions and confirm fees.

A question you can ask

Which original item covers this place and year, and how can I consult it?

Keep in mind

No docket date span was verified, so it is not assigned automatic year coverage. An incomplete index can miss an existing entry.

STOP 05 / Clay County Genealogical Society

Funeral-home cards and township cemetery binders

Read the collection in context.

The society describes alphabetized funeral-home information authorized for public release and cemetery transcriptions organized by township, originally copied in the 1980s and being updated.

Research details & a question to ask

How to begin

Give the name, approximate death date and likely township. Ask for the funeral-home source and distinguish a card transcription from the original register.

A question you can ask

Which original item covers this place and year, and how can I consult it?

Keep in mind

Only releasable information was copied. Neither the cemetery project date nor a card’s presence establishes complete death coverage.

STOP 06 / Clay County Genealogical Society

Small-town newspapers with explicitly missing years

Read the collection in context.

Microfilm includes Brazil Manufacturer & Miner, December 1872–September 1877; Clay City News, 1952–1961; and Brazil Times, 1928–1939 excluding 1929 and 1931.

Research details & a question to ask

How to begin

Match the title and date to the microfilm inventory before visiting. Ask about the reader/printer and copy arrangements. Search workplace and neighborhood terms as well as surnames.

A question you can ask

Which original item covers this place and year, and how can I consult it?

Keep in mind

Ranges describe listed reels, not every issue. The omitted Brazil Times years must remain excluded from date matching.

STOP 07 / Brazil Public Library

Brazil, Cory and Staunton school volumes and subject files

Read the collection in context.

The yearbook list names Cory volumes for 1958–1966 and Staunton volumes for 1954–1956 and 1960–1965. Subject files include the 1963 Coalmont school conflict, former Brazil mayors and the 1916 clay-workers strike.

Research details & a question to ask

How to begin

Select the exact school/year or file heading. Ask for onsite retrieval and copying rather than an open-ended search; the library notes staffing limits on lengthy research.

A question you can ask

Which original item covers this place and year, and how can I consult it?

Keep in mind

Coverage varies by school and year. A subject file need not include a full participant list; confirm the original source of each clipping.

Leave a trail another researcher can follow.

Save the repository, collection title, dates, volume, page or item identifier, link, and the date you consulted it. Follow an index to the original record when possible. Keep uncertain names and inferred relationships visibly separate from what the source states.

Return to the Indiana county map · Explore Ohio collections

Corrections or a useful collection? hello@brickwallprotocol.com

CLAY COUNTY / SELECTED RECORDS COVERAGE

Which collections cover your years?

Use these dated holdings to choose a next search. This is a selection of cataloged collections, not a complete inventory of Clay County records.

A range is a lead, not a guarantee. Bars show the dates stated by the cited catalog or inventory. They do not establish uninterrupted coverage, complete reporting or online image access. Unmarked years mean not represented in this selection, not that records were destroyed. Indexes and abstracts still need to be followed to the underlying record.

Sources reviewed October 26, 2026. Blue shows cataloged holdings; rust identifies indexes or compiled publications where the source specifies them. Read the format label and access notes for each row.

inventory overview bounds

Marriage microfilm holdings

Listed years: 1851–1957.

Source, access and coverage limits

Open the inventory and match the year to a specific item, title and call number. Ask the Indiana State Library about viewing the microfilm or any digital counterpart. The overview may combine indexes and record volumes; its bounds do not promise an uninterrupted series.

Keep in mind: Selected Indiana State Library holdings. Microfilm overview bounds can include indexes and multiple volumes; consult item-level entries for gaps. These are not countywide survival dates or an assurance of online images.

inventory overview bounds

Deeds microfilm holdings

Listed years: 1825–1902.

Source, access and coverage limits

Open the inventory and match the year to a specific item, title and call number. Ask the Indiana State Library about viewing the microfilm or any digital counterpart. The overview may combine indexes and record volumes; its bounds do not promise an uninterrupted series.

Keep in mind: Selected Indiana State Library holdings. Microfilm overview bounds can include indexes and multiple volumes; consult item-level entries for gaps. These are not countywide survival dates or an assurance of online images.

inventory overview bounds

Wills microfilm holdings

Listed years: 1848–1936.

Source, access and coverage limits

Open the inventory and match the year to a specific item, title and call number. Ask the Indiana State Library about viewing the microfilm or any digital counterpart. The overview may combine indexes and record volumes; its bounds do not promise an uninterrupted series.

Keep in mind: Selected Indiana State Library holdings. Microfilm overview bounds can include indexes and multiple volumes; consult item-level entries for gaps. These are not countywide survival dates or an assurance of online images.

inventory overview bounds

Probates microfilm holdings

Listed years: 1852–1921.

Source, access and coverage limits

Open the inventory and match the year to a specific item, title and call number. Ask the Indiana State Library about viewing the microfilm or any digital counterpart. The overview may combine indexes and record volumes; its bounds do not promise an uninterrupted series.

Keep in mind: Selected Indiana State Library holdings. Microfilm overview bounds can include indexes and multiple volumes; consult item-level entries for gaps. These are not countywide survival dates or an assurance of online images.

Confirm the historical jurisdiction as well as the date. A record may be held outside today’s county, and an inventory’s ending year does not mean recordkeeping stopped.

Check historical jurisdiction → · Find collections for my years →

FOLLOW THE COLLECTION

Additional collection references

Official catalog descriptions checked October 25, 2026. These notes identify research routes, not completed name-level searches.

McCrea-Brown Hardware Company customer index, 1902–1907

An Indiana Historical Society transcription indexes customers of the Brazil hardware business. The underlying petty ledger records purchases, charges and payments, including household, farm and building supplies.

How to begin: Search the linked PDF for surname variants, then ask IHS about account books BV 0161–0162 and the original customer entries.

What remains uncertain: The published index omits original page numbers and preserves uncertain readings. A name match alone does not establish identity.

COMMUNITY MEMORY

Community history groups and research leads

Local communities can help identify a place, photograph or possible source. These independently run groups are community leads, not catalogued archives or BWP partners. Keep the contributor, date, basis for an identification and original source together. Ask permission before republishing photographs or private contributions.

Facebook identities and visible access information checked October 25, 2026. Verification here concerns the group, not the accuracy of its members’ posts. No groups were joined and no messages were sent.

Clay County Indiana History

Private, discoverable Facebook group

A community for photographs and stories about Clay County, Indiana history, with Brazil identified in its location information.

Access and rules: Facebook lists a private, visible group. Request membership through Facebook; administrators decide admission. Read the current description and rules before posting. Rules restrict promotion, advertising or selling.

Verification limits: The group identity, location and visible access information were checked. Member posts and particular holdings were not independently verified. Preserve source details and ask permission before reusing photographs or private contributions.

Open Clay County Indiana History on Facebook

BEFORE YOU SEARCH

Understand the collection. Choose your next step.

Two selected collections, with practical ways to search and interpret the result. These are research suggestions, not findings about a particular person.

  1. Choose a source
  2. Check its limits
  3. Search and record
  4. Follow the next lead
Selected local collection

Brazil Times microfilm

What it can tell you
Local newspapers may record family events, workplaces and community connections.

Selected listed years: 1928, 1930, 1932–1939

Date overlap is a lead, not a guarantee of complete coverage.

How to search, request and interpret this collection

Coverage and gaps
Ranges describe listed reels, not every issue. The omitted Brazil Times years must remain excluded from date matching. 1929 and 1931 explicitly omitted from this holding. 1929 and 1931 explicitly omitted from this holding. 1929 and 1931 explicitly omitted from this holding.

How to search
Search the relevant issue using surnames and locality terms, then preserve the title, date and page.

How to retrieve it
Ask Clay County Genealogical Society for Brazil Times reels within 1928–1939, excluding 1929 and 1931.

Practical access
Match the title and date to the microfilm inventory before visiting. Ask about the reader/printer and copy arrangements. Search workplace and neighborhood terms as well as surnames.

If nothing turns up
The society explicitly omits 1929 and 1931. A negative search in available issues does not cover those years or prove an event was never reported.

Read the collection source ↗

Source review: 2026-11-04; repository description checked, individual entries not inspected. Search and interpretation suggestions are BWP guidance.

Then try this

Check another listed local newspaper for a missing period.

Follow this research route →

Match collections to your research years →

Selected local collection

Cory High School yearbooks

What it can tell you
School volumes can connect a student with a particular year, activity or class.

Selected listed years: 1958–1966

Date overlap is a lead, not a guarantee of complete coverage.

How to search, request and interpret this collection

Coverage and gaps
Coverage varies by school and year. A subject file need not include a full participant list; confirm the original source of each clipping. Specific consecutive volumes listed; school-specific coverage.

How to search
Use the exact Cory volume and read captions, class headings and activity pages in context.

How to retrieve it
Ask Brazil Public Library for the desired Cory High School volume within the listed 1958–1966 run and copying arrangements.

Practical access
Select the exact school/year or file heading. Ask for onsite retrieval and copying rather than an open-ended search; the library notes staffing limits on lengthy research.

If nothing turns up
An absent photograph or name does not prove nonattendance. Do not identify an unnamed person from appearance.

Read the collection source ↗

Source review: 2026-11-04; repository description checked, individual entries not inspected. Search and interpretation suggestions are BWP guidance.

Then try this

Compare with other school and graduation sources.

Follow this research route →

Match collections to your research years →

HELP KEEP THIS GUIDE USEFUL

Know a collection we should include?

Suggest a correction, an overlooked collection or an updated access detail. An official link or source helps us check it before making a change. Please leave out private family documents and sensitive personal information.

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