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 / ElkhartElkhart Public Library genealogy collection
Pair an obituary with a school or street record.
Searchable obituary and local-history records, cemetery compilations, city directories and school yearbooks. Elkhart High School annuals span 1908–1972 and 2021 onward; Central and Memorial cover 1973–2020.
Research details & a question to ask
How to begin
Use the genealogy page’s search links or contact Reference for copies and fees. Rare materials are used downtown; Ancestry is available within the library locations.
A question you can ask
Can you pair this obituary with a directory entry or yearbook page?
Keep in mind
Listed spans do not promise every annual survives. Funeral-home publications and cemetery indexes are derivative sources.
STOP 02 / GoshenGoshen Public Library Indiana Room
Place a household on a changing street.
Goshen newspapers on microfilm, 1837–2022; Sanborn maps, 1886–1926; county plat books; selected city directories and vital-record indexes.
Research details & a question to ask
How to begin
Ask the Reference Desk about the relevant reel and reader/printer. Newspaper indexes differ by period, including a 1970–1994 card file and later electronic indexes.
A question you can ask
Which directory and Sanborn sheet cover this address in the target year?
Keep in mind
The newspaper span describes holdings, not a gap-free run. Maps identify buildings, not proof that a named family occupied them.
STOP 03 / Indianapolis and onlineIndiana State Library county research guide
Use a record title and call number to move beyond a surname search.
Naturalization Records, 1856–1957 (ISLG 977.201 E43r), the index to delayed births filed 1941–1963, and Will Records, 1845–1881 are listed.
Research details & a question to ask
How to begin
Open the county guide, follow its catalog and records links, and ask the library about the exact volume before visiting.
A question you can ask
Can the delayed-birth index identify a file and its supporting evidence?
Keep in mind
These are selected published holdings, not a complete inventory of original records.
STOP 04 / Elkhart County Genealogical SocietyLook for the separate marriage-return companion film
Marriage films 1830–1942; a separate Register of Returns companion film covers 1882–1906 and can add parents and witnesses.
Research details & a question to ask
How to begin
Research Library in Corson Reading Room at the county museum. Contact ahead with surname/date; microfilm scanner supports digital copies. Remote lookup requests available.
A question you can ask
Which item or series covers my person, community and year, and how can I consult it?
Keep in mind
Early marriage entries may be brief. Companion returns are a separate series, not automatic extra information in every license entry.
STOP 05 / Goshen Public Library Indiana RoomPlat-book snapshots and Goshen street-address research
County plat books 1892, 1929, 1969, 1979, 1984, 1996. Goshen Sanborn maps 1886–1926 on microfilm; directory holdings are uneven and listed by year.
Research details & a question to ask
How to begin
Use Indiana Room and microfilm reader/printer; contact Reference before travel or request local-history help.
A question you can ask
Which item or series covers my person, community and year, and how can I consult it?
Keep in mind
Plat years are discrete snapshots. Sanborn date span does not promise every year, street or county locality.
STOP 06 / Goshen Public Library Indiana RoomFuneral-home indexes for overlooked death leads
Catalog lists Dale White Funeral Home index 1929–1993 and Walley-Mills-Zimmerman index April 1912–October 1988.
Research details & a question to ask
How to begin
Ask Reference for the named index and its citation; follow index entries to the underlying record custodian.
A question you can ask
Which item or series covers my person, community and year, and how can I consult it?
Keep in mind
Indexes, not necessarily original files held by the library; an index entry is a lead. Privacy and copying rules require confirmation.
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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