Today would normally be one of my shifts using the scanner and working on my off-desk project. However, that project isn't ready to be started yet, so I spent the shift playing with the various genealogy databases the library has. I have wanted to look into my family's genealogy for years, but have not had the resources (such as ancestry.com) to start. Thankfully, MCPL has three different genealogy databases that I can use. I found some interesting things on my father's side of the family, but could not come up with anything at all on my mother's side. Very interesting, not to mention frustrating!
I also spent some time looking through different indexes and collections that have been put together by the Indiana Room and the Monroe History Center. One thing that I spend some time morbidly looking through was the Coroner's Reports from the 1896 to 1935. I went up to the letter C, and discovered that a major cause of death at the time was people getting hit by trains. It seemed as if at least 2 out of every 5 reports involved a train. There were also a high number of suicides. I can only guess that there were so many suicides because of the economic times.
It is amazing how many different collections and indexes have been put together regarding Monroe County information. The hours it must have taken, especially when dealing with quite old reports such as the coroner's reports from early the 1900's. These documents were generally all handwritten, with the occasional typewriter being used, and must have been difficult to transcribe. I have to commend the people who put together these amazing collections and indexes, all of which were created on the possibility that someone might be interested in the information.
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