Henry County: Find the newspaper reference, then look for the family papers.
New Castle's public library and historical society offer different routes into local lives, from a long-running newspaper card index to Bibles and donated family files.
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.
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 2, Stop 4, Stop 5, Stop 6, Stop 7: Henry County Historical Society and Museum 606 South 14th Street, New Castle, IN 47362
Confirm current research access before visiting. See the collection instructions below.
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 24, 2026. Additional local collection descriptions and dates checked November 4, 2026. Earlier valid guide content retained. Dates describe selected holdings, not 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 / New Castle · Henry County
New Castle-Henry County Public Library: Indiana Room
Use a local newspaper index to make a precise lookup.
The Indiana Room includes census material, local family histories, microfilm, and a card index to the Courier-Times covering 1848–1989.
Research details & a question to ask
How to begin
Start from the library's Genealogy Resources link or ask the Indiana Room to check a surname and narrow date range in the card index. Obtain the referenced article where available.
A question you can ask
Can you identify the issue and page behind this Courier-Times reference?
Keep in mind
An index is not the newspaper page, and the stated span does not establish that every issue or person was indexed.
STOP 02 / New Castle · local manuscripts
Henry County Historical Society and Museum: Genealogy Library
Ask about the family material that never became a database.
The society lists family files, local yearbooks, Bibles, scrapbooks, local and regional histories, and some older courthouse records. It also provides a 1906 New Castle telephone directory download.
Research details & a question to ask
How to begin
Arrange an appointment, preferably at least a week ahead for travel. Send the surname, township, and specific question so volunteers can check relevant material.
A question you can ask
Does a family Bible, scrapbook, or courthouse item identify the source of this family claim?
Keep in mind
Staffing can change research hours. The phrase 'some old courthouse records' is not a complete inventory; ask which series and years actually survive.
STOP 03 / Indianapolis · county-specific holdings
Indiana State Library: Henry County research guide
Identify a record series before requesting an original.
Selected sources include Naturalization Records, 1854–1929 (ISLG 977.201 H525en), Early Marriage Records, 1823–1839, and marriage indexes through 1920.
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 I connect the naturalization entry to an original court record or earlier marriage?
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 / Henry County Historical Society and Museum
Estray ledgers among rescued courthouse records
The museum describes salvaged courthouse ledgers including estray records of found animals, with finders, appraisers and buyers.
Research details & a question to ask
How to begin
Request an appointment at least a week ahead, naming the file or ledger. Volunteer availability can change; research without an appointment is not guaranteed.
A question you can ask
Which item covers my person, place and year, and how can I consult the underlying record?
Keep in mind
No ledger date range is provided. Ask staff to verify the volume before relying on a match.
STOP 05 / Henry County Historical Society and Museum
Hoosier Manufacturing, Maxwell and Chrysler files
Business files include a drawer for Hoosier Manufacturing and two for the Maxwell factory and Chrysler plant.
Research details & a question to ask
How to begin
Request an appointment at least a week ahead, naming the file or ledger. Volunteer availability can change; research without an appointment is not guaranteed.
A question you can ask
Which item covers my person, place and year, and how can I consult the underlying record?
Keep in mind
A business-history file is not a confirmed employee register. Dates and personal-name indexing require staff confirmation.
STOP 06 / Henry County Historical Society and Museum
School, reunion and township files
Files cover New Castle and other township schools, class reunions and local sports. Place files cover all thirteen townships.
Research details & a question to ask
How to begin
Request an appointment at least a week ahead, naming the file or ledger. Volunteer availability can change; research without an appointment is not guaranteed.
A question you can ask
Which item covers my person, place and year, and how can I consult the underlying record?
Keep in mind
No complete student list or date run is promised. Bring the school name and approximate year.
STOP 07 / Henry County Historical Society and Museum
Directories at two early checkpoints
The repository guide identifies 1874 as its earliest directory, followed by 1901, with later directories also held.
Research details & a question to ask
How to begin
Request an appointment at least a week ahead, naming the file or ledger. Volunteer availability can change; research without an appointment is not guaranteed.
A question you can ask
Which item covers my person, place and year, and how can I consult the underlying record?
Keep in mind
1874 and 1901 are discrete checkpoints, not continuous coverage. Verify each directory’s geographic scope.
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.
Use these dated holdings to choose a next search. This is a selection of cataloged collections, not a complete inventory of Henry 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.
180018501900195020002026
inventory overview bounds
Marriage microfilm holdings
Listed years: 1823–1851.
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.
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.
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.
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.
Official catalog descriptions checked October 25, 2026. These notes identify research routes, not completed name-level searches.
Henry County papers at the Indiana Historical Society
The Henry County, Indiana Papers, 1806–1970 (M 0060), include an early county-library record book, 1829–1847, seminary material for 1831–1837, and chronologically arranged historical documents. The finding aid supplies box and folder locations.
How to begin: Read the folder inventory and select a date or subject. Ask the William Henry Smith Memorial Library about consultation or copies, citing M 0060 and the relevant box and folder.
What remains uncertain: The collection is a selected body of papers, not all surviving courthouse records. The online finding aid describes originals; it does not mean every document is digitized or names your family.
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.
Henry County, Indiana, Memories, Pictures, and History
Private, discoverable Facebook group
The group describes old photographs, memories and Henry County history. It asks contributors to send historical items to administrators for posting.
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.
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.