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

Martin County:
A town centennial, a military-memory project and early probate.

Use Shoals and Loogootee resources for local context, then test names and dates against records created closer to the event.

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

Sources checked October 25, 2026. Based on public institutional descriptions and collection catalogs; no staff confirmation or onsite inspection. Confirm access before visiting.

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 / Shoals

Martin County Historical Society and Museum

A local military project may lead to family-held photographs.

The society describes a county military book project seeking veterans’ information and family military photographs, including people who lived in the county.

Research details & a question to ask

How to begin

Contact the museum with a veteran’s name and county connection. Ask about the project status, research appointments and any underlying submission that can be shared.

A question you can ask

Has this veteran been documented, and what original material supports the account?

Keep in mind

The announcement does not establish that the book is finished or that every veteran is represented. Submitted stories still need source checking.

STOP 02 / Online / Indiana State Library

Loogootee centennial book in Indiana Memory

A commemorative volume offers names, images and town context.

Indiana Memory provides a digitized 1953 Loogootee centennial publication covering the town’s 1853–1953 anniversary.

Research details & a question to ask

How to begin

Open the item and use the compound-book navigation to inspect surrounding pages and the title page. Record the printed page as well as the image link.

A question you can ask

Which named person, business or photograph can be followed into newspapers or official records?

Keep in mind

A retrospective celebration is not contemporary proof of every story. Check image rights before republication.

STOP 03 / Indianapolis / statewide

Indiana State Library: Martin County holdings

Turn a county index into a precise request for the underlying record.

Selected holdings include probate records for 1820–1875 and a multi-volume series of marriage returns for 1880–1920.

Research details & a question to ask

How to begin

Open the county guide, copy the title and call number, then check the catalog or ask the library about format and access before visiting.

A question you can ask

Does the return contain more information than the marriage index?

Keep in mind

These are selected library holdings, often indexes or transcripts. A listed date range does not guarantee every event survives or that original images are online.

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

MARTIN 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 Martin 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: 1820–1957.

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: 1820–1947.

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: 1845–1930.

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: 1821–1864, 1866–1925.

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.

1853 register documenting African American residents

Indiana Historical Bureau identifies a historical register in the Martin County Historical Society microfilm collection at Indiana State Library, with a typed copy.

How to begin: Ask State Library manuscripts staff for the society collection, reels 2 and 3, register item 9 and typed-copy reference item 4, scrapbook 5.

What remains uncertain: This discriminatory registration record must be read in its historical context. The resource guide is a locator, not a complete transcription or guarantee of current remote access.

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.

Martin County Historical Society Indiana

Private, discoverable Facebook group

The group describes sharing county history and identifies Shoals, Indiana as its location. Use it as a local contact route, then confirm museum access directly.

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

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 Martin County Historical Society Indiana on Facebook

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.

Suggest a correction or collection

Opens your email app with the guide name and link filled in. Prefer webmail? Email hello@brickwallprotocol.com and include this page’s title or URL.

Share this county guide

Know someone researching here? Share this to help them find their next source.

Share on Facebook ↗

THE BRICK WALL PROTOCOL ON YOUTUBE

A short video. A new direction.

Watch the Short. Open the protocol. Follow the evidence.

▷   Subscribe on YouTube ↗