By Julie Schlesselman, Local History & Genealogy Department Manager, FCPLD This article ran in the November, 11, 2020, edition of the Brookville American, and is in Forgotten Franklin County V. 2. Oftentimes, when people see something intriguing, they do a little research themselves, then contact the Local History & Genealogy Dept. of the Franklin County Public Library District to see if we have anything else to add or, hopefully, something more…

By Julie Schlesselman, Local History & Genealogy Department Manager, FCPLD This article ran in the January 26, 2022, edition of the Brookville American, and is in Forgotten Franklin County V. 3. That was the handwritten notation taped to the front of a large old-fashioned scrapbook. It was written by Ruth Huber on July 24, 1985. Not knowing the entire background of this item but knowing that Ruth passed away in 1992,…

By Julie Schlesselman, Local History & Genealogy Department Manager, FCPLD This article ran in the July 19, 2023, edition of the Brookville American, and is in Forgotten Franklin County V. 5. Anna Farquhar-Bergengren. She’s not exactly a household name here, despite the fact that she was briefly famous and a native of Franklin County. She was born in Brookville in December of 1865. She, like Lew Wallace, was only here for…

By Julie Schlesselman, Local History & Genealogy Department Manager, FCPLD This article ran in the December 16, 2020, edition of the Brookville American, and is in Forgotten Franklin County V. 2. …three simple words stated by Josephine Kraus in New Trenton 1816-1976. What would we do without local historians? They are the dedicated researchers who take an extreme interest in their communities and the people and places within them. They are…

By Julie Schlesselman, Local History & Genealogy Department Manager, FCPLD This article ran in the February 5, 2025, edition of the Brookville American, and will appear in Forgotten Franklin County V. 7 which is slated to be ready in November of this year. In the Forgotten Franklin County column of September 11, 2019, I briefly discussed one of my favorite mid-20th-century modern homes, the Lustron house. They were a prefabricated home,…

By Julie Schlesselman, Local History & Genealogy Department Manager, FCPLD This article ran in the July 17, 2024, edition of the Brookville American and in Volume 6 of Forgotten Franklin County. Edwin May was an architect. Primarily based in Indianapolis, May was one of the most prominent first-generation architects working in the Hoosier state. Why is he important to Franklin County? Because his career as an architect is believed to have…

By Julie Schlesselman, Local History & Genealogy Department Manager, FCPLD This article ran in the August 12 and 19, 2026, editions of the Brookville American and will appear in Forgotten Franklin County V. 7, which is slated to be ready in November of this year.  “Life in Brookville”…that was the name of the movie. Yes, a movie made in Brookville – a candid film of all local scenes featuring all local…

By Julie Schlesselman, Local History & Genealogy Department Manager, FCPLD This article ran in the April 6, 2023, edition of the Brookville American and in Volume 4 of Forgotten Franklin County. Practically everyone in Brookville has heard the story of Phoebe Meeks. To a few readers, her story may be new. She is famous. Not for doing anything fabulous or inventing anything unusual, but for doing something life-changing. An event that…