Local History blogs

Are you working on your family genealogy? Are you interested in Indiana’s Bicentennial? Ever wonder about the old buildings around town?

Our Local History blog provides helpful information, ideas and advice.

Introduction to the Historical Room

Posted by: Johnson County Public Library on Wednesday, October 11, 2023

Today we are swinging open the double oaked doors of that mysterious room located at the Johnson County...

Laura Ingall’s Kitchen Garden

Posted by: Johnson County Public Library on Wednesday, June 6, 2018

Laura Ingalls Wilder, author of the children’s series “Little House on the Prairie,” reveals to us how...

Let Us Take a Moment to Thank Willis Carrier

Posted by: Johnson County Public Library on Tuesday, May 8, 2018

Willis Carrier invented the air conditioner in 1902, but it wasn’t until the 1970s that most homes had...

Along The White River

Posted by: Johnson County Public Library on Tuesday, March 13, 2018

About 200 years ago, the area of State Road 37 and Smithy Valley Road in White River Township was home...

Halloween Shenanigans

Posted by: Johnson County Public Library on Tuesday, October 17, 2017

If Halloween conjures up images of kiddies going door to door trick-or-treating, you may be a little...

Fair Tidbits: 1920s

Posted by: Johnson County Public Library on Wednesday, August 2, 2017

Here are a few interesting facts about the Johnson County Fair during the 1920s. At this time, the Southeastern...

Washday Blues

Posted by: Johnson County Public Library on Tuesday, July 11, 2017

My son goes off to college in two short months and the time has come for him to cram in a summer semester...

Johnson County Ties to the Greatest Spectacle in Racing

Posted by: Johnson County Public Library on Tuesday, May 30, 2017

The stories of three Johnson County men - Omar Jolliff, Lora Vandiver and A. M. Ragsdale - were forever...

The Turnpike

Posted by: Johnson County Public Library on Tuesday, April 25, 2017

With all of the road construction going on within Johnson County, including I65 and the coming of I69,...

Catching the House History Bug

Posted by: Johnson County Public Library on Monday, March 20, 2017

There is a bug going around. It is a fun bug, but I warn you, the longer you have it, the less likely...

Young Love in 19th Century Indiana

Posted by: Johnson County Public Library on Monday, February 13, 2017

In honor of Valentine’s Day, I bring you a story about beaux and courtship in the little town of Cicero,...

Spotlight: Military History in the Historical Room

Posted by: Johnson County Public Library on Monday, January 9, 2017

One resource that is often overlooked in the Historical Room at the Franklin Branch is our military history...

Students’ Rebellion on Christmas Day

Posted by: Johnson County Public Library on Monday, December 5, 2016

An unusual custom pioneer children observed on Christmas Day was “turning out” or locking out the schoolteacher...

Early Churches of the Settlers Still Worshipping

Posted by: Johnson County Public Library on Monday, October 31, 2016

The first comers to the newly inhabited areas of Johnson County included preachers and clergymen, who...

How Schools Operated in 1830

Posted by: Johnson County Public Library on Friday, September 23, 2016

Our pioneer ancestors began organizing a school system soon after Johnson County was established. The...

History of Medicine in the Wilderness of Johnson County

Posted by: Johnson County Public Library on Friday, August 19, 2016

Tucked away in Johnson County Public Library’s Historical Room is a treasure that will reveal a surprising...

Explore Camp Atterbury

Posted by: Johnson County Public Library on Tuesday, July 19, 2016

If you have never visited the Camp Atterbury Prisoner of War Chapel or have not seen it in a while, you...

Biotech Company Breathes New Life into Old Alexander’s Building

Posted by: Johnson County Public Library on Friday, June 17, 2016

We have all seen the scaffolding around Franklin for the past several years as lovely old buildings in...

Look Up Your Ancestors They Said

Posted by: Johnson County Public Library on Tuesday, May 17, 2016

Looking up your ancestors can be costly without the help of Johnson County Public Library. Using a home...



Contributors

David Allen, Adult Services Manager -- Franklin Branch

Pam Caito, Former Assistant to both the Historical Room and Marketing and Communications Department

Local History Recommended Library Resources

Ancestry Library Edition (only available inside the library) - Discover your family history by searching census records from 1790 to 1940, birth, marriage and death records from around the world, voter registrations, military records, immigration paperwork and much more.

Accessible only at Johnson County Public Library branches.

HeritageQuest Online - All U.S. census records from 1790-1930, more than 25,000 local histories and family genealogies, the Genealogical Periodical Source Index (PERSI) and Revolutionary War Pension.

Historic Indiana Newspapers - Scanned copies of historic Indiana newspapers, browsable by date and searchable by keyword, brought to you by the Indiana State Library and Newspapers.com.

Johnson County Historical Resources Available Online

These historical publications have been scanned and made available by the HathiTrust Digital Library. Click the titles to access a full-text edition.

  • A historical sketch of Johnson County, Indiana / by D. D. Banta (1881)
  • Making a Neighborhood: Delivered at the Shiloh Reunion, May 26, 1887 / by D.D. Banta (1887)
  • History of Johnson County, Indiana / by Elba L. Branigin (1913)
  • The people's guide, a business, political and religious directory of Johnson Co., Ind. together with a collection of very important documents and statistics connected with our moral, political and scientific history; also, a historical sketch of Johnson County and a brief history of each township / by Cline & McHaffie (1874)
  • The First Presbyterian Church of Franklin, Indiana: One Hundred and Twenty Years, 1824-1944 / by Herriott C. Palmer (1946)

NEW: Become an Ancestry Search Expert with this free video course from Ancestry Academy. Topics covered include census searching, birth, marriage and death records and immigration & military documents. Requires a free Ancestry Academy account.