Indiana Cemetery Records Research Guide
Indiana cemetery records should be one of the first things you use when you are doing a family tree and trying to learn more about your ancestors from that state.
You can get a lot of information from Indiana cemetery records, and they will also lead you to other ancestors that you will want to learn more about. Again, you can use Indiana cemetery records if these ancestors are buried in that state.
If you have ancestors from different states, you will have to get Indiana cemetery records, as well as the cemetery records from other states.
This may take a little bit of time and work, but the information these records contain is going to be vital to your research. Indiana Cemetery and gravestone inscriptions are a rich source of information for family historians. For Definitions of all Cemetery Terms See Symbols on Gravestones and Their Interpretations
Get Indiana Cemetery Records It Yourself
Many people think that it is easier to hire a professional to research their family histories for them, but this can actually be quite costly. While it may be easier, you can do the same work yourself at a fraction of the cost.
For example, there are going to be fees for Indiana cemetery records and other documents you need, and if you have a professional genealogist doing the research, you will be paying these fees on top of what you pay for the work.
Anyone can access Indiana cemetery records, as well as all of the other necessary documents for genealogical research, so there really is no need to hire a professional.
Genealogy Research Tips
If you have Indiana cemetery records, you will have a lot of the information you need to get started with your research. You will need many other documents for your research, but there is a lot you can learn from Indiana cemetery records.
Here are some more tips that will help you with your research:
- Get Organized. Before you can start researching Indiana cemetery records and other documents, you need to be organized and have a plan in place.
- Schedule Work Time. If you have a specific time every day you are going to work, including researching Indiana cemetery records, you will find it easier to get the work done.
Once you get started, you will be able to create a system that will make it fun and easy to use Indiana cemetery records and other documents to research your family history.
Research In Indiana Cemetery Records
Each county's commissioner's office holds records of military burials for marines, soldiers, and sailors, records go back to around 1862. Those records may include:
- name
- age
- date of death
- date of enlistment
- date of discharge
Indiana cemetery inscription records can be found at the Indiana State Library.
The Genealogy Division has compiled the "Indiana Cemetery Locator File."
It contains alphabetical cemetery listings, which show where each cemetery is located within the state. Inscriptions may also be found in the Genealogy Division of the Indiana State Library.
The Indiana Adjutant General's Office and the American Legion created the "Veteran's Grave Registration File" in the 1940s. The original card file can be found at the Indiana State Archives. It includes soldiers who were buried in Indiana and served in World War I and previous wars.
However, the collection only includes 51 counties out of the 92 in the state.
Famous People Buried in Indiana Cemeteries
| County | Name / Date / Cemetery | Description |
|---|---|---|
| Allen | Chapman, John 'Johnny Appleseed' 9/26/1774 - 3/10/1845 Johnny Appleseed Memorial Park | Folk Hero and Patriot. He was born John Chapman in Leominster, Massachusetts to a father who was a Minuteman at Concord and later served in the Continental Army during the Revolutionary War. |
| Grant | Dean, James 2/8/1931 - 9/30/1955 Park Cemetery | Actor. James Dean would make only three films in his brief Hollywood career. |
| Hamilton | White, Ryan 12/6/1971 - 4/8/1990 Cicero Cemetery | AIDS Victim, he gained national attention for the disease and its victims, helping to education the public on its causes, it's treatment and the risks associated with the disease. During the period from 1986 to 1989, he became the national poster boy about the problems of the disease and helped remove the public stigmatisms associated with it. |
| Marion | Chevrolet, Louis 12/25/1878 - 6/6/1941 Holy Cross and Saint Joseph Cemetery | Franco-American automotive designer, best known as co-founder of the Chevrolet Motor Car Company, now a part of General Motors (GM). Louis Chevrolet was born on Christmas day 1878 in La Chaux de Fonds, Switzerland, in the middle of the French-speaking Jura region. |
| Marion | Chevrolet, Louis 12/25/1878 - 6/6/1941 Indianapolis Motor Speedway | This monument has been established in honor of race car driver and automobile designer Louis Chevrolet. The monument features a large bust of Chevrolet and smaller plaques that feature his brother Gaston, who drove a car Louis designed to victory in the 1920 Indianapolis 500, Henry Ford, W. |
| Marion | Dillinger, John Herbert 6/22/1903 - 7/22/1934 Crown Hill Cemetery | Career Criminal. John Dillinger was made an outlaw hero during the depths of the Depression by Americans mired in financial ruin, loss of hope and simply frustrated by desperation brought on by the times. |
| Marion | Earnhardt Sr. , Dale 4/29/1951 - 2/18/2001 Indianapolis Motor Speedway | Auto Race Car Driver. A legend in the sport of race car driving, he was a 7-time NASCAR Winston Cup Champion. |
| Marion | Medical Science Donor Memorial - Crown Hill Cemetery | A portion of Crown Hill Cemetery in Indianapolis, has been set aside for the burial of cremations of those who gave their bodies to benefit medical education. The cemetery marked the area with a memorial with the inscription "Dedicated to those persons of good will who have bequeathed their bodies for the advancement of medical science". |
| Miami | Porter, Cole Albert 6/9/1891 - 10/15/1964 Mount Hope Cemetery | American Composer, LyriciSt. Cole Porter wrote musicals and hit songs for four decades. |
| Monroe | Carmichael, Hoagy 11/22/1899 - 12/27/1981 Rose Hill Cemetery | Musician, Songwriter, Actor. Born Hoagland Howard Carmichael in in Bloomington, Indiana, he was a jazz piano player regarded as one of the finest popular music composers of the 20th Century. |
| St. Joseph | Rockne, Knute 3/4/1888 - 3/31/1931 Highland Cemetery | Football Coach. He was innovative during his coaching career at Notre Dame when football was still in its infancy, and was the first coach to initiate intersectional rivalries and build a national schedule. |
| Tippecanoe | Battle of Tippecanoe Memorial - Tippecanoe Battlefield Memorial | Cause of death: Casualty of war |
| Tippecanoe | Kelly Sr. , Emmett 12/9/1898 - 3/28/1979 Rest Haven Memorial Park | Entertainer. A World famous Circus Clown during the 1930s and 1940s, he best remembered for his sad-faced, silent "Weary Willy" hobo clown, who as the perpetual underdog never gave up, and for his comic act of sweeping the spotlight. |
| Vermillion | Pyle, Ernie (Ernest Taylor) 8/3/1900 - 4/18/1945 Ernie Pyle Memorial Marker | JournaliSt. Born in Dana, Indiana, he attended Indiana University but never graduated. |
Indiana Cemeteries
| Cemetery Name | Cemetery City |
|---|---|
| Dayton Cemetery | Dayton |
| Park Cemetery | Fairmount |
| Heady Lane Cemetery | Fishers |
| Crown Hill Cemetery | Indianapolis |
| Calumet Park Cemetery | Merrillville |
| Holy Family Cemetery | New Albany |
| Pleasant Valley Cemetery | Parke County |
| Earlham Cemetery | Richmond |
| Lutherania Cemetery | Richmond |
Indiana Cemeteries & Graveyards Links
- Web: Indiana and Michigan, Michiana Genealogical Cemetery Index, 1800-2010
- Indiana Pioneer Cemeteries Restoration Project
- Indiana State Library Cemetery Locator File
- Web: Indiana, Find A Grave Index, 1800-2011
- Find a Grave - Indiana Cemeteries
- The Indiana Political Graveyard
- Roster of Soldiers and Patriots of the American Revolution Buried in Indiana
- Indiana Cemetery Books
