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 / Anderson · Madison CountyAnderson Public Library: Indiana Room
Look beyond an obituary to marriage applications and local files.
The library lists Madison County marriage record books for 1880–1949 containing applications and certificates, bound local obituaries for 1968–2025, and databases for funeral, coroner, cemetery, naturalization, and military records.
Research details & a question to ask
How to begin
Use the online databases, request a focused obituary or article copy, or book a research consultation. Indiana Room material is noncirculating; some database access is onsite only.
A question you can ask
Can the marriage application add parents, residence, or other details absent from the certificate index?
Keep in mind
Staff cannot conduct extensive research. Official marriage copies for legal purposes come from the county clerk; library holdings are for research.
STOP 02 / Elwood · Frankton · Summitville areaNorth Madison County Public Library System: genealogy
Search the smaller-town record trail.
Resources include the North Madison County Historical Database, a photograph-box index, local yearbooks, Elwood: A Pictorial History, obituary requests, and Elwood Call-Leader archives.
Research details & a question to ask
How to begin
Use the genealogy page to choose a collection. The Call-Leader archives require in-library access and staff assistance; other services may require a card or account.
A question you can ask
Which Call-Leader issue or local photograph collection covers this family event?
Keep in mind
The database covers selected material and communities. Check the specific newspaper dates and whether a result is an image or only an index.
STOP 03 / Indianapolis · county-specific holdingsIndiana State Library: Madison County research guide
Identify a record series before requesting an original.
Selected holdings include a naturalization index for 1890–1958, abstracts from deed records for 1824–1840, Deed Record No. 1, and Will Record No. 1.
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 an early deed or will record connect the people who appear together in a later household?
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 / Anderson Public Library Indiana RoomSchool enumerations with a documented gap
The microfilm inventory lists school enumerations for 1904–1924 and 1929–1932.
Research details & a question to ask
How to begin
Ask the second-floor Indiana Room for the named microfilm series. Materials stay in the library; contact staff before traveling.
A question you can ask
Which item covers my person, place and year, and how can I consult the underlying record?
Keep in mind
1925–1928 is not listed. Confirm the township and surviving volume; this is not proof of continuous household coverage.
STOP 05 / Anderson Public Library Indiana RoomPipecreek Township school registers and trustee reports
Pipecreek school registers and report cards cover part of 1930–1941; trustee annual reports are listed for 1914–1917.
Research details & a question to ask
How to begin
Ask the second-floor Indiana Room for the named microfilm series. Materials stay in the library; contact staff before traveling.
A question you can ask
Which item covers my person, place and year, and how can I consult the underlying record?
Keep in mind
The school material is expressly partial. Trustee reports are a separate series, not student registers.
STOP 06 / Anderson Public Library Indiana RoomCommissioners records across two runs
County commissioners records are listed for 1828–1876 and 1914–1982.
Research details & a question to ask
How to begin
Ask the second-floor Indiana Room for the named microfilm series. Materials stay in the library; contact staff before traveling.
A question you can ask
Which item covers my person, place and year, and how can I consult the underlying record?
Keep in mind
The inventory does not list 1877–1913 in this series. Ask for the relevant meeting or volume.
STOP 07 / Anderson Public Library Indiana Room1927 township census field sheets
The inventory identifies 1927 census field sheets for Adams through Van Buren townships in cabinet 49, drawer 6.
Research details & a question to ask
How to begin
Ask the second-floor Indiana Room for the named microfilm series. Materials stay in the library; contact staff before traveling.
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 single-year collection. Confirm the relevant township and contents before assuming every resident appears.
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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