INDIANA ROOM
Explore your family tree, discover local history, and access valuable resources in the Indiana Room!
Our Collection
The stunning Indiana Room has many genealogy resources for Hendricks County, including cemetery records, court records, family histories, land records, church records , and newspapers. We also have resources for various counties in Indiana (particularly Boone, Putnam, Morgan, and Montgomery counties).
Coming Soon
Central Normal College Collection
Danville was the home of Central Normal College from 1878-1951 (it existed under the name Canterbury College from 1946-1951). CNC was one of the nation’s early “normal” schools that specialized in training teachers. The Danville Police station sits on the site of the former college and utilizes part of the original campus, Hargrave Hall. The Indiana Room’s CNC collection contains annual catalogs, histories, newspapers, photographs, postcards, and yearbooks, as well as assorted memorabilia.
Archives
The Indiana Room collections are available to the general public for genealogical and historical research, unless materials are closed for ethical, legal, or preservation reasons. Please note that archives cannot be accessed without an Indiana Room staff member present; we strongly recommend calling ahead or scheduling a time in advance. To ensure the care and integrity of our materials, only one collection may be viewed at a time, and physical items must remain in the Indiana Room.
Collections can be located by exploring our online or in-person finding aids and requesting the corresponding Call Number. We accept donations of records and photographs related to specific subject areas, including the family history of Hendricks County residents, Hendricks County history, Central Normal College, and Hendricks County organizations. However, we do not accept antique artifacts, materials not related to Danville or the library’s service area, film negatives, electronic storage devices, duplicate yearbooks, uncontextualized records or photos (unless scanned and returned), excessively damaged items, or items with unclear ownership.
Other Collections
In addition to Hendricks County resources, we have subscriptions to Ancestry.com, FamilySearch.org, Fold3, and ProQuest Newspaper Archive. These subscription databases are only accessible within the library. We also have records from states where many Indiana resident’s ancestors came from, such as Kentucky, Maryland, North Carolina, Ohio, Pennsylvania, South Carolina, Tennessee, Virginia, and New England).
Research Requests
Indiana Room staff will answer limited genealogy research requests for individuals who are unable to visit our library in person. Research time is typically limited to 30 to 60 minutes. If additional research is needed, staff will provide suggestions for further sources. All searches are limited to Hendricks County materials and indexes, and searches of Hendricks County newspapers can only be conducted if exact dates are provided.
Telephone inquiries should be limited to general reference questions or to help familiarize you with the Indiana Room collection.
Research requests can be submitted by emailing indianaroom@dplindiana.org or by calling the library at 317-745-2604 and asking to be connected to the Indiana Room.
Microfilm Reader
We have a microfilm reader/printer in the Indiana Room, which can view both 16mm and 35mm microfilm. Copies are $.15 a page.
