Carroll County, Indiana Legacy, 1824-2005

Features include:

• 821 articles; 638 photographs
• 400 pages; 52-page detailed index
• Complete listings of First Families of Carroll County by Ancestor and Descendants
• Map of Carroll County Cemeteries
• Histories of the Carroll County Museum, Historical Society, Old Settlers Association, and more...
• National Register of Historical Places in Carroll County
• Listings of Century and Half-Century Business Awards, Hoosier Heritage Awards, Hoosier Homestead Awards...

It has been nearly 100 years since a comprehensive history of Carroll County has been published. There have been more recent books which have addressed in depth the county’s postal or rural history and a compilation of historic photographs. Carroll County Indiana Legacy 1824-2005 does not pretend to be a comprehensive history of the County, but is a compilation of about 800 articles written by 400 contributors. Authors were neither charged nor paid. Contributors are from all over the United States, and while very few are professional historians, they all have a deep interest in their topics.

Many of the stories are about individuals or families and are packed with genealogical information. Much of this writing was inspired by participation in the First Families of Carroll County program which is described elsewhere. Sections of the book are Individuals and Families, Businesses, Organizations, Churches, Cemeteries, Libraries, Schools, Towns, and Reminiscences. Each section is arranged alphabetically by subject of the article.

Besides submitted stories in the main body of the book, this volume includes accounts of the county’s Old Settlers celebration in honor of the 150^th celebration in 2005. Ancestors and descendants identified through the First Families of Carroll County program are listed. There are also lists of local sites listed on the National Register of Historic Places, recipients of Indiana’s Century and Half Century Business Awards, and persons who have qualified for the Hoosier Homestead distinction by owning their family farms for 100 years or longer. Winners of the Carroll County Heritage Awards are also listed. A bibliography of historical sources, county maps, and a map and listing of the county’s 91 cemeteries are included.

The coverage is not comprehensive in any story section—there were not volunteers to write about every town or church, for example. Articles may cover current entities or those that no longer exist. Family stories were not limited to First Families, and people who have lived here only a short time were encouraged to participate.

Articles were edited somewhat for style, consistency, and length, and attempts were made to eliminate discrepancies, but it was not possible to make everything uniform. Photos were included as available, along with captions.

The index consists primarily of names, since people are the subject of most of the articles. All personal names are indexed, including both maiden and married names. There are cross references for variant spellings of surnames. Businesses, churches, etc. are indexed as well, and some subject indexing is included. When a story appears on more than one page, index entries indicate both (or all) the pages.