Sources checked October 24, 2026. Additional collection descriptions and dates checked November 4, 2026. Earlier valid guide content retained; date spans do not guarantee complete holdings.
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 / Carnegie Library · MuncieMuncie Public Library: Local History and Genealogy
Follow a death or property clue into local record collections.
The collection includes family files, funeral records, newspapers, directories, court and probate material. Its Muncie/Delaware County Digital Resource Library includes court documents, wills, deeds, an obituary index, funeral home records, and Beech Grove Cemetery records.
Research details & a question to ask
How to begin
Search the linked digital resource library. For undigitized items, contact the Local History and Genealogy collection at Carnegie Library with the record type and date range.
A question you can ask
Does this funeral or cemetery entry connect to an obituary, probate file, or family folder?
Keep in mind
A database result may be an index rather than a complete file. Search variant names and record the original volume or document reference.
STOP 02 / Muncie · Delaware CountyBall State University: Stoeckel Archives of Local History
Your ancestor did not have to attend Ball State.
Stoeckel collections document local businesses, churches, organizations, government, families, photographs, and oral histories. The related Middletown Studies Collection contains material generated by research about Muncie.
Research details & a question to ask
How to begin
Start with the guide's finding aids and digital resources, then search OneSearch for collection titles. Ask Archives and Special Collections about specific boxes and research arrangements.
A question you can ask
Which church or employer collection covers this family's neighborhood and years?
Keep in mind
A finding aid describes a collection, not necessarily digitized items. Social research and oral histories need attention to their creators, dates, and access restrictions.
STOP 03 / Indianapolis · county-specific holdingsIndiana State Library: Delaware County research guide
Identify a record series before requesting an original.
Selected holdings include declarations of intention and citizenship applications for 1843–1847, plus Deed Books 1–4, 1828–1840 (ISLG 977.201 D343df) and Deed Books 5–7, 1840–1845.
Research details & a question to ask
How to begin
Use the county guide to copy the title and call number, then search the State Library catalog or use its Ask-a-Librarian service to confirm access.
A question you can ask
Can the early deed or citizenship reference identify a previous residence or associate?
Keep in mind
These are selected library holdings, often indexes or abstracts. The guide does not promise every original record or online images.
STOP 04 / Ball State University Archives and Special CollectionsMuncie school publications and county reorganization plans
Digital school publications dated 1874–1995 include personnel directories, annual reports, budgets, calendars, newsletters and commencement programs. The collection also includes the Delaware County school reorganization plan, 1959–1961.
Research details & a question to ask
How to begin
Browse or search the Muncie Community Schools collection online; inspect the individual item date and school name before citing it.
A question you can ask
Which item or series covers my person, community and year, and how can I consult it?
Keep in mind
Collection-level span, not continuous student registers or proof every school and year is represented.
STOP 05 / Ball State University Archives and Special CollectionsBurris school newspapers, programs and student-life scrapbooks
Burris Laboratory School material includes the Burris Owl, 1930–1966, and Burris Vanguard, 1972–1987, plus commencement and theatre programs and student-life scrapbooks.
Research details & a question to ask
How to begin
Open the digital collection and browse by title or date. Newspaper pages and programs can identify activities and associates beyond a yearbook portrait.
A question you can ask
Which item or series covers my person, community and year, and how can I consult it?
Keep in mind
Published title spans do not guarantee every issue survives. Burris is one school, not all Delaware County pupils.
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.
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