George T. Blakey

Because my mother's family has lived in Indiana for 200 years, a lot of my family history research centers on the state and its history. I picked up this book hoping to learn more about the state during a challenging era in the nation's history, and to learn about resources that might help me put my family's life in context. This book met, but did not exceed, my expectations. Its tone is dry and academic. It is suited for readers seeking information rather than entertainment.

The most useful chapters for me are those that describe the unpublished material housed in various archives. I'm curious to see what research inventories are available for the counties where my ancestors lived, and if they passed down any of the antiques inventoried, had an unusual epitaph inscribed on a gravestone, lived or worked in a historic building, or if my abolitionist ancestors had an association with the Underground Railroad. I marked things throughout the text to explore if and when I'm able to visit the archival repositories.

I wasn't as interested in the research and editorial processes of the completed publications of the Indiana Federal Writers Project. It seems like the Washington bureaucracy did a lot of micromanaging, which probably explains why so few of the projects reached publication. Indiana's experience was probably typical to that of other states, so this book would be useful as a case study for someone doing extensive research on the Federal Writers Project.… (mehr)