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

Montgomery County:
Move from a local database to the original probate, newspaper, or college source.

Crawfordsville's library has detailed copy-request routes. Wabash College adds institutional records for people connected with the college and its community.

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 24, 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 / Crawfordsville · Montgomery County

Crawfordsville District Public Library: Local History and Genealogy

Request the specific source behind the database entry.

The collection includes local records, directories, yearbooks, newspaper microfilm, digitized documents and maps. Request forms distinguish guardianship and probate, marriage, vertical files, yearbooks, and other record types.

Research details & a question to ask

How to begin

Search Local History Databases first. For a copy, use the matching request form; local-history specialist appointments and remote lookups are available, with applicable fees.

A question you can ask

Can I request the full guardianship or probate packet associated with this reference?

Keep in mind

Not every physical item appears in the catalog. A database result or digitized extract may not include all pages of a case.

STOP 02 / Crawfordsville · college connections

Wabash College: Robert T. Ramsay, Jr. Archival Center

Follow a student, employee, or organization into institutional records.

The archives holds academic catalogs, The Wabash magazine, The Bachelor newspaper, yearbooks, faculty papers, fraternity records, photographs, and other college material. Its digital repository provides finding aids and research guides.

Research details & a question to ask

How to begin

Start with the repository's collection guides and inventories. Contact the archives about physical access and the specific publication or collection before visiting Lilly Library.

A question you can ask

Do a catalog, yearbook, or fraternity record document this person's connection with Wabash?

Keep in mind

These are college-centered records, not a countywide resident register. A finding aid does not mean all items are online or unrestricted.

STOP 03 / Indianapolis · county-specific holdings

Indiana State Library: Montgomery County research guide

Identify a record series before requesting an original.

The county guide identifies the Original Entry Record Book, 1821 and later (ISLG 977.201 M788mo 1979), with additional county sources and record-location links.

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 original land-entry reference help locate the tract before I trace later deeds?

Keep in mind

These are selected library holdings, often indexes or abstracts. The guide does not promise every original record or online images.

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

MONTGOMERY 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 Montgomery 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

Deeds microfilm holdings

Listed years: 1821–1907.

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: 1823–1831, 1852–1902.

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: 1824–1877.

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.

Crawfordsville Seed Company Records, 1914–1918

Business and personal correspondence includes letters, postcards, telegrams and bills, with material about company partners and trade connections across the Midwest and beyond.

How to begin: Use IHS finding aid M 0420 to choose correspondents alphabetically, then request the relevant boxes and folders.

What remains uncertain: The finding aid is online; it does not indicate that the full correspondence is digitized. These are surviving company records, not a complete list of local farmers.

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.

Crawfordsville and Montgomery County History

Private, discoverable Facebook group

A community for Crawfordsville and Montgomery County memories and questions, explicitly located in Indiana.

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 Crawfordsville and Montgomery County History 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.

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