I am in need of what books or articles to read that detail life in small Indiana towns in the early 1900s – specifically 1916-1921. I have TONS of letters that my grandparents wrote each other while they were courting (Easter 1916 – December 1916) and then letters my grandfather wrote to my grandmother while he was stationed at Kelly Field in San Antonio in early 1918 through his service in WWI in France. My goal is to incorporate their letters into a book about them.
To give a more rounded view of their lives outside of the letters, I really need to study up on what small town Indiana life was like at that time.
Have you read a book that provides enough historical and “mundane” daily life information that would help me in my quest? Or know of some articles – online, in a book, whatever – that would be of help to me?
Please leave your ideas in my comments or send me a link to your website that might have information for me!
Thanks so much!
Wendy, what town(s) or counties are of interest?
One of the best places to start would be the local historical or genealogical society. Many of these societies have published county histories and/or picture books in recent years. Even if your families aren’t in them the books are a great resource for learning what the area was like. From my experiences I can say that these societies are very helpful, not only for people who visit in person, but those who correspond from a distance.
Check the local library to see if they have newspapers on microfilm. The local library probably won’t lend the films but the Indiana State Library might. Also, check the card catalogs of the Allen County Public Library as well as the FamilySearch (LDS/Mormon) library. Within the last few years there has been a company that publishes books of photographs for localities. I don’t recall the name of the company but perhaps one has been published for the locality in which you are interested.
Also of help in locating resources would be the Indiana Historical Society and the Indiana State Archives, both located in Indianapolis.
Thanks, Becky! I’ll see what I can find (since I’m not in Indiana I’m not able to get to a local libary there but will see what I can find via interlibrary loan).