Delaware County Historical Society

The society’s mission is to enrich the lives of the people of Delaware County through the preservation and interpretation of our heritage.

DCHS Officers and Board:

Kelli Huth: President
Thomas R. Tomlinson: Vice-President
Diana L. Garza: Treasurer
Karen Good: Secretary
Robert Good
Michael Mavis
Robert J. Mielke
P. Gregory Cross
Donald Conner
Karen Vincent
Rodney Qualkinbush
Chris Flook

Heritage Library
Hours: TUESDAY through FRIDAY
Noon to 4:00 p.m.
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Please call:  765-282-1550

Come in and see our new additions, including the R. Thomas Mayhill private genealogy collection consisting of approximately 3,000 books. Included are: diaries, genealogical records from Indiana and many other states, some foreign resources, and microfilm.
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For more information, contact the Delaware County Historical Society at 765-282-1550.
The Heritage Library’s collection focuses on Delaware County’sgenealogy and history. There are some materials from surrounding counties and a few from other counties in Indiana. It also includes a smaller collection of materials from the so-called feeder states, those states through which most of the Delaware County pioneer settlers passed.

Delaware County resources include:
A. All of the Delaware County histories and the every name index to those histories.
B. Atlases of Delaware County, including Muncie and other localities plus indexes.
C. W.P.A. indexes of births and deaths in the county from 1881 to 1920. Such records were not collected before 1882 in Indiana.
D. Indexes of marriages 1827-1920 and of marriage applications from the time they were required.
E. Printed U.S. census indexes for 1820 (entire state) and Delaware County in 1830, 1840, 1860 and 1870.
F. Muncie City Directories for various dates.
G. Indexes to testators for 1827-1900.
H. Cemetery directories locating the various cemeteries in the county.
I. Cemetery readings or abstracted records of extant cemeteries with stones or records.
J. Histories of the various localities in the county, such as Albany, Eaton, Yorktown, etc.
K. Church histories.
L. Histories of businesses in Delaware County.
M. Naturalization Records 1851-1905.
N. Yearbooks from schools in the county and city of Muncie; years vary.
O. Land entries of the initial purchases in East Central Indiana and deed abstracts of the first eight deed books beginning in 1827.

Indiana resources include:
A. County histories and records from several of the surrounding counties.
B. Various titles from other counties in Indiana.
C. Atlases of the state and its counties.

Other resources:
A. Various records abstracts and transcriptions from states such as Maryland, Massachusetts, New Jersey, North Carolina, Ohio, Pennsylvania, South Carolina, Kentucky and Tennessee.
B. Families histories and family files.

Moore-Youse Home Museum

Volunteers from the Delaware County Historical Society provide guided tours of the Moore-Youse Home Museum. The house is furnished with the belongings of three generations of Moore-Youse women, including such notable items as Muncie’s first piano and several original paintings by J. Ottis Adams. Entry is free to DCHS members, otherwise admission is $2.00.

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Need more information?
Call 765-282-1550, or e-mail us at delaware2675@att.net.
Planning A Visit?
The Moore-Youse Home Museum is open to the public the first Sunday of each month from March – November.
Hours are 1:00 – 4:00 p.m.
-or-
by appointment.
The Museum is closed December – February.
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When Mary (Youse) Maxon died in 1982, she left her house and its contents to the Delaware County Historical Society, with the provision that the organization establish and maintain a museum of Delaware County History on the premises. The Moore-Youse house became a home museum, and the Heritage Library Resource Center was established next door. Three generations of Moore-Youse women and their families lived in the house. Each of them added to the exceptional mix of furniture, china, linens, and other household items, endowing the home with its own unique charm. A number of paintings by Muncie artist J. Ottis Adams also decorate the walls.

Rebecca Hackley originally owned the land on which the house was built, having been given 672 acres by the U.S. government for work done by her father, William Wells. William was the adopted son of Miami Indian Chief Little Turtle. The house was built in 1849, by Anderson Carter, who purchased the land from Daniel H. Andrews and his wife, Mary Jane Gilbert. Mary Jane was the daughter of Goldsmith Gilbert, founder of Munseytown (Muncie).

The house first came into the Moore family after Samuel Porter Wilson purchased the two-story structure in April of 1864. Two months later he sold it to his daughter, Clara Jane (Wilson) Moore. The Moore’s enlarged the four-room house in the 1870′s to better accommodate their growing family. They added an entry hall, dining room, kitchen, an upstairs bathing area, a sitting room, and another bedroom. Porches appeared after 1883. When Clara died in 1904, she left the house to her daughter, Mary Elizabeth (Moore) Youse, a.k.a. Mame. When Mame died in 1943, she left the house to her daughter Mary (Youse) Maxon.

If you would like to schedule a group tour, please call us at (765) 282-1550.

Become a member today!

Members receive the DCHS Newsletter, as well as free admission to the Moore-Youse Home Museum.
The newsletter is currently published four times a year.
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Download this form and mail to:
120 East Washington Street
Muncie, IN 47305-1734
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Donations

If you are not interested in becoming a member, but would like to make a donation, your gift is fully tax deductible.
We are a 501 (c) (3) organization as determined by the Internal Revenue Service.

Please make checks payable to:
DCHS
120 East Washington Street
Muncie, IN 47305-1734

HERITAGE AND LIFESTYLES COMMITTEE
The Heritage and Lifestyles Committee is one of the newest DCHS groups.  They are tasked with creating the Midwest Restoration Festival - including rehabilitation an historic home and bringing vendors to the event.  Please visit their site for more information: http://www.midwestrestorefest.org/.

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PIONEER CEMETERY PRESERVATION COMMITTEE
The Pioneer Cemetery Preservation Committee is currently working to restore grave markers in several old cemeteries in Delaware County. The Committee has completely restored five Pioneer Cemeteries and worked in many others to repair and preserve markers from damage. The Cemetery Committee members are an all volunteer group and always welcomes anyone who wants to learn how to preserve historical grave markers.

Learn more about the PCPC here: http://www.delawarecountyhistory.org/pioneer-cemetery-preservation-committee/

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• Contact Us
• 765.282.1550
• 120 East Washington Street

Our email: delaware2675@att.net