Wabash Plain Dealer Saturday, December 01, 2001 Story #3764 Woodward honored By The Plain Dealer Staff

WABASH, Ind. -- Ron Woodward, one of the original planners, a charter member and the first president of the Wabash County Genealogical Society, was honored this week by the group.

Linda Thompson, current president of the society, presented genealogy research materials to the Wabash Carnegie Public Libray in Woodward’s name.

Woodward has edited Monthly Branches, the society’s newsletter, since 1995, and has been instrumental in building the library’s growing collection of genealogy research materials.

As a history teacher at the Wabash Middle School since 1974, Woodward encourages his students to interview family members and to trace the history of their ancestors. He was instrumental in forming the Wabash Middle School History Club.

As a yearly project, the members compiled obituaries from the Wabash Plain Dealer and presented them to the library. They were then compiled in scrapbooks by the library staff for genealogy research.

He would also take many youth and adult groups to Wabash County cemeteries for clean-up and preservation projects and to record important data from old tombstones.

Woodward, a native of Albany, is an active member of the Wabash County Historical Society and has presented many programs on the numerous historical sites throughout the county, often showing slides.

For not being a native of Wabash County, he knows the county like the back of his hand, Mrs. Thompson said.

The genealogy materials presented to the library were purchased by the society from Selby Publishing Co. They include Grant County, Indiana Obituaries & Survivors, Vols. 1-10; Howard County, Indiana Marriages, Vols. 1-2; Kosciusko County, Indiana Marriages, 1836-1845 and 1846-1891; Wells County, Indiana Marriages, 1837-1861; Howard County Index to Death Records, 1875-1920; Carroll County, Indiana Marriage Records, 1828-1850; and Carroll County, Will Abstracts, 1830-1897.

These new genealogy materials from nearby counties are a welcome addition to our growing collection of local research materials, said Helen Bruss, the library’s genealogy and local history librarian. She responds to genealogy queries from researchers throughout the United States.

Many queries are now coming in by e-mail, Mrs. Bruss continued. They find our e-mail address on the library’s website.

The library’s website is www.wabash.lib.in.us
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