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Researching Local and Family History. HIST 352

This guide includes links to Internet sites and paper sources that provide information on IUP History

Collect Background from Secondary Sources

A good way to begin research in local history is to consult secondary sources to gather background information.

The following are published histories of IUP and Indiana County. 

  • Cashdollar, Charles D., and Cashdollar, Donna. The IUP Story : From Normal School to University. 2021.   LD2485 .C37 2021  

  • Juliette, Ron, and Dale E. Landon. Indiana University of Pennsylvania : Our Homage and Our Love. Donning Co., 1991 (Available through Internet Archive).

  • The Centennial Scrapbook : A Graphic History of the Indiana University of Pennsylvania. The Committee, 1975.  (Available through Internet Archive).

  • Stephenson, Clarence D. Indiana County 175th Anniversary History. A.G. Halldin Pub. Co., 1978.   F157.I3 S783

  • Indiana History. This alumni bulletin provides a history of the first 75 years of Indiana State Teachers College.  

  • Wood, K. & MacGregor.  (2002).  Images of America:  Indiana, Pennsylvania.  Charleston, SC:  Arcadia. IUP Libraries Call No. F159.I39 W66 2002

Indiana Heritage Journal is a journal once published by the Historical and Genealogical Society of Indiana County. These journals are available in IUP Libraries. A list of article titles that relate to the history of the University is available from this link. 

Additional histories are available from this link.

Review Primary Sources including IUP Catalogs, Yearbooks, and Alumni Bulletins

Once you have gathered some background information you should move on to consulting primary sources. The following are just some of the primary sources that you may find useful in your research. 

Library Databases for Local and Family History

Do You Have Advice for Searching Old Newspapers?

Advice from Helpful Tips for Researching in Chronicling America http://library.sc.edu/blogs/newspaper/2011/07/21/ helpfultipsforresearchingchroniclingamerica/

Search newspaper pages to retrieve article level information on:

  • particular people, proper names, family names, and businesses

  • particular cities, towns, and communities

  • specific historical events and general news of the time

  • illustrations, advertisements, cartoons, and photos

  • and a vast array of topics like social issues, war, crime, technology and progress, education, labor, fashion, material culture, community history, etc.

When selecting search terms remember to:

  • use historically used terms rather than the modern terms used today, such as the Great War instead of World War One as it is called today

  • try variations on spelling

  • enter words in order they are most likely to occur

Do you have advice for searching Census Records?

Finding information in older census records can be challenging. The National Archives offers the following 20 Tips for success in finding information in Census materials.

How do I find information on mining towns in Indiana County?

The Coal Culture Project offers access to images, text, and an extensive bibliography related to the history of coal towns in the Indiana County area.  Visit this site at: https://www.iup.edu/archives/coal/coal-culture-bibliography/

Is there a way to look at Public History Projects from Previous Classes

Students in Public History classes have been doing projects for many years. If you would like to view some of projects of previous classes, and look at the sources they used for their projects, you can view them on through this LibGuide.