In August, we observe many obscure days. Some of my favorites have to do with pets, especially dogs, but as I have tackled at least one of those previously, I decided to look at a couple of the other days included for the month. This led me to National VEEP Day, celebrating the line of […]| Indiana Historical Society
While April showers may bring May flowers, March has been dubbed National Umbrella Month. It’s unclear why Thomas Edward Knibb, the founder of the celebration back in 2003, selected March, but it is thought that it had to do with ensuring you were prepared for the rainy season with the proper gear. In Indiana, and […]| Indiana Historical Society
Trying to search for a surname like Johns proved to be interesting. I had to work to determine the best terms and ways to remove terms to get the best search possible. In this instance, I ran a search for: Johns -Johnson -Johnston. This weeded out the more common surnames Johnson and Johnston and made […]| Indiana Historical Society
This month we celebrate our appreciation for photographers. Whether amateur or professional, photographers are important to the historical record. At the Indiana Historical Society, we have millions of photographs representing many photographers. It was a struggle to decide which photographer’s collections to highlight. Here are the ones that I decided to share: Cephas M. Huddleston […]| Indiana Historical Society
You can take the ‘Rat’ out of the ‘Region,’ but you can’t take the ‘Region’ out of the ‘Rat.’ I was in college before I really learned what it meant to be a ‘Region Rat,’ despite having lived there my entire life. As one of my colleagues pointed out, though, the ‘Rat’ moniker supposedly stems […]| Indiana Historical Society
Welcome back to our monthly installment of “Are We Related?.” This time we’re exploring the Cheek family. My colleague Tamara provided some links to this surname, specifically noting her grandfather, Gail Austin Cheek. While seeking out Cheeks in the IHS collection, I came across a couple of options, but one really stood out. In our […]| Indiana Historical Society
September is probably best known for a celebration like Labor Day. Continuing our National Days blog series, I’ve highlighted two other day celebrations in the month as illustrated by materials from the IHS digital collection. In 2022, the American Hotel and Lodging Association along with National Day Calendar began celebrating September 1st as National Hotel […]| Indiana Historical Society
This month we explore a family name with a common issue…multiple or changing spellings. My colleague, Lauren, is one of the first members of her direct line to leave the family stronghold in Pennsylvania. When she got here and started working with Indiana-related materials, she saw a name similar to another found in her family […]| Indiana Historical Society
June is probably best known for their major celebrations like Father’s Day, Juneteenth and others. However, to continue our National Days blog series, I’ve highlighted two of the lesser celebrations as illustrated by materials from the IHS digital collection. One particular day, in the list of many for June, standing out to me was National […]| Indiana Historical Society
Though previously unaware of the Headwear Information Bureau (HIB) prior to finding out that April is National Straw Hat Month, I am glad to know of this organization’s existence now. Founded in 1989, HIB promotes hat making (or millinery) through contests and public relation promotions. National Straw Hat Month is just one of many celebrations […]| Indiana Historical Society
