Yesteryears is the Family History Research
Center I have set up with headquarters here in Historic Vernon, Indiana. I chose
Vernon because it is close to my own roots and because it is centrally
located to many Courthouses in Southeastern Indiana. I also love it because when
I step out my door it is like stepping back in history. Within less than an hour
I can drive to many places to do on site research. The area is beautiful,
historic and tranquil all the things I was looking for after 40 years
in the high pressure world of Electronics
Manufacturing. I have slowly collected photo's of
Original Documents from the Jennings County Courthouse, and other sources in the
area which along with thousands of pages of printed family histories. I am
the County Coordinator for the Jennings, Jefferson & Switzerland Counties on
INGenWeb, where I am placing as much data as I can
gather. In March of 2011, I
started working part time at the Jennings
County Public Library as the Local History & Genealogy Associate,
and in April became the "Official" Jennings County Genealogist with the Indiana Genealogical
Society. I have become so busy with
all the above it is limiting my ability to travel, so I plan to concentrate
on Jennings County. I also care for my mother which is keeping me closer to
home. I have asked Indiana GenWeb to replace me as County Coordinator for
the Jefferson & Switzerland County web sites. I will be happy to refer you
to someone who can do research in those counties. I will still be contributing
things to those sites as I find them even though I will not be the
Coordinator. Before my move here I spent time at the
Indiana State Archives and have copies of some interesting documents on the
G.A.R. (Grand Army of the Republic) for this area, also of the
list of those who had claims agains the State when Morgans Raiders
came through Indiana. I am inviting researchers to stop by if you are
in the area! I can within a few minutes compile for you a map to local
Cemeteries, by Township along with a listing of those buried in them, (if
they were recorded). I am doing as much as I can at either no charge
or a minimal charge. For years I have had to go on trips to do on site
research and know it can be expensive, in this day and age I want to help
when I can. If you want extensive work done or large amounts of
research there will be a charge, if you just want information on where to go
and where to look for what you need just give me a call or e mail
me. If you are planning a visit to the area call a little ahead so I can
plan to be here and not out "digging for roots".
I will continue to gather as much information as I can including
family pictures and records for Southeastern Indiana so check and see what is
available. I do have a number of resource books such as marriage index's,
and local histories. I have on my computer plus on CD's and Flash
Drive's actual photo's of some Courthouse documents and pictures of cemeteries
and individual headstones. The bulk of what I have is on southern Jennings
County but now that I am in the area more from other areas is being
added. If you have family from this area and would be willing to share
please contact me, I would love to put it up either here or on one
of the INGenWeb County sites.
As I find
things for the southeastern counties that I do not have other web sites for I
will be adding them to this site - the first is a the list from the
Indiana State Archives of Claims for damages by Morgan's Raiders in Scott
County. A link is provided down the page to access this
information.
Home of Yesteryears - my office is the door to the right in
the picture
Visitors
Welcome
At trip to Southeastern Indiana is a joy for History buffs, you
can take the John Hunt
Morgan Heritage Trailwhere you
will learn-At Vernon, for the first time, the raiders were turned back. The Home Guard had
taken up a strong position at Vernon on a bluff overlooking the Muscatatuck
River. Morgan turned southeast toward Dupont, destroying bridges along the
way.My 2nd great grandfather Joseph
Ayers was a member of the Paris Home Guards a local militia that was formed
during the Civil War to defend the area.
Just a ways down the road is Lancaster, home of
Historic Eleutherian College. Which is-
a monument to a group of people believing in
education, the arts and equality without regard to race or
gender. Quite a few of my ancestors were members of the Neil's Creek
Anti-Slavery Society which was involved in the founding of the College. The area
had many anti slavery activists who helped slaves work their way North on the
Underground Railroad. I recently became a
member of the group that is working to preserve Eleutherian College, this is a
part of our local history that deserves to be promoted and documented. Many of
the people who live in Southeastern Indiana do not realize that while our
ancestors struggled to make a life for themselves they also struggled to help
those escaping from slavery and because of our proximity to the Ohio
River this area was critical to that effort. Eleutherian College was
ahead of its time in the belief that education was a key to equality. Just as
slavery divided our country it divided this area and it was to be expected that
much of what was done around Lancaster to help in this cause was not
appreciated by some of their neighbors. The founders of the College and those
who participated in the Underground Railroad did so at their
own peril. Join us in working to keep their sacrifices alive and by
understanding them may we all continue to
learn.
Another fantastic road tour with choices can
be found at Southeast Indiana Trails to Freedom Driving Tour it is a wonderful and educational way to spend your time.
Another great driving tour is the Ohio River
Scenic Byway which goes from Lawrenceburg to Madison some really
beautiful scenery here.
For those who are tracing their Indiana
ancestors be sure to check the counties in Southeastern Indiana. Clark, Dearborn, Franklin, Jackson, Jefferson, Jennings, Ohio, Ripley, Scott, and Switzerland
. I personally feel that not enough
attention is given to these areas where many early entries by pioneers into the
state actually happened. Madison and Versailles were easy entry points for those
who traveled down the Ohio River, or who came over land from eastern states to
what was the the new and wild Indiana Territory. There many types of researchers
involved in family searches, I started out just looking for my direct ancestors,
then became fascinated with how quickly a family tree could grow, and the
history of the areas in which they lived. I love meeting either in person or on
line people who are connected either by marriage or just by proximity, I have
found learning about your ancestors neighbors and their families can give
insight into how they lived and what infulenced them to either move on or stay
where they were and put down roots. The study of the old cemeteries tells
many a tale of love and loss on the American frontier, so many times I see one
child after another who never got to grow up, and imagine how their families
suffered with each loss, or the lonely stone of a young wife and child. Then
there are the ones where you know the person buried there had a sense of humor,
such as one in Jennings County-"I have gone into the hole before but this time
was the worse".
If you are tracing your
own family roots, I highly recommend using the USGenWeb
Project. I decided to become a
county coordinator because the site was so helpful to me. I believe in Free
Genealogy and with the USGenWeb Project you have access to lots of free
information. It is all taken care of by volunteers who post information on their
counties at no cost to the user. I know how much work an effort goes into
each site. Some coordinators are more able, due to circumstances, than
others to have detailed sites, but U.S. and Indiana GenWeb has archives. I
go to many county courthouses and wander around old cemeteries, in fact the kids
say I need a bumber sticker that says "I brake for old cemeteries" because I
can't seem to just drive by one.
Of course I use most all of the other
Genealogy sites and am a member of Ancestry.com which is owned by
The Generations
Network.
This is a picture
of a group of Civil War Reinactors in 2006 at Eleutherian College with the gun
my 2nd great grandfather Joseph Ayers carried during the time of Morgan's Raid
into Indiana
Family History Stuff
Although I love
Jennings County, my family is all over Southern Indiana and they of
course came from other places to settle there. So on this site I will
be placing more about where each of these my Jennings County settlers
migrated from and where they went from Jennings as the years passed. My
main areas of interest are Jennings
County , Jefferson County ,
& Switzerland County in Indiana and Pendleton County, Kentucky
My main surnames
are Stewart (my maiden name), Colvin, Ayers
& Zener/Zenor. I keep being amazed at what a small community the
area in southern Jennings & northern Jefferson Counties were in the
1800's. I have met some really terriffic "Cousins" who also research the
area and whose family's mine married into. At one time I thought of the area as
a gene pool, with time I have discovered it was more of a gene puddle with
so many of the early families connected by marriage. The part of all this
research I enjoy is trying to understand the people and the time in which
they lived, so rather than saying I am a Genealogist, I just say I am
enjoying my Family History. I do many of the same things a Genealogist does and
I learned the hard way to list sources because when I first started I didn't and
now do I ever wish I could go back and find this or that again or verify
something when asked to do so.
Other pages on this site click on the
underlinded words
My Adoption Story
The rather long complicated story of how I found out I was
adopted and what I did then.
My Colvin
Line (Birth Family) Mainly origins in Kentucky,
around Pendleton County- I would love contact from folks who can fill in blanks
here! Also Wright and Forsythe connections in the same area.
Horses
Another "phase" of my life, from the California
years
Southeastern Indiana Research
Links Indiana GenWeb Project Sites
