The German-American Collections include the records of national and local social, cultural, economic, and athletic organizations started by German immigrants. Particularly significant are the national and local records of the American Turners, a social organization of German origin whose is physical fitness, sports, and the propagation of German culture.
Incorporated in 1871, Bremen was founded by a group of German settlers who first named the community “New Bremen.” As time progressed, the "New" was slowly omitted and the town became known as “Bremen.”
Joshua Schipper posted on the Fort Wayne Media Collaborative about German Immigrants' Outsized Role in Development of Fort Wayne Still Wields Influence. “Fort Wayne has been considered a predominantly German town since the 19th century, and the influence of its German ancestors continues to the present day. Those with German ancestry still make up 26.5% of the total population of Fort Wayne.” Read more at https://fwmediacollaborative.com/german-immigrants-outsized-role-in-development-of-fort-wayne-still-wields-influence/
Here's a post written by Mona Meyer, Archives and Special Collections Metadata Librarian at the David L. Rice Library Archives and Special Collection at the University of Southern Indiana giving a summary of the strong German Settlement in Evansville.
https://amusingartifacts.org/2024/10/08/german-evansville-its-time-for-the-fall-festival/
From the Gerst Haus website: Where authentic german food and giant frozen fishbowls meet! We have 50 draughts on tap and a large selection of imported beers. We pride ourselves on a fun and authentic German atmosphere.
During the 1800’s, German immigrants wanted to preserve their culture in their new country. Many of them formed societies based on common interest, one of which was singing. For 150 years, the Indianapolis Liederkranz has continued to preserve this part of German culture in the Holy Cross area of Indianapolis. The purpose of the Indianapolis Liederkranz is the cultivation and perpetuation of German culture, primarily through song and music, as well as the cultivation and promotion of other cultural activities for its members and the community at large.
Schwätzer's German Restaurant, Seymour, Indiana https://www.schwatzers.com/
Their Mission: “We are here to allow South Central Indiana to explore its German heritage through food & fun.”
Indianapolis German Restaurants
Edelweiss Restaurant at German American Klub https://indianapolisgak.com/
The Heidelberg Haus https://www.heidelberghaus.com/
“Enjoy the cozy and relaxed atmosphere of and Old World Germany cafe. Our store is not only a restaurant, cafe, bakery, pastry shop but also a unique German grocery and gift shop.”
The Rathskeller at the Athenaeum https://rathskeller.com/
The Cabin Kitchen at Guggman Haus Brewing Co. https://guggmanhausbrewing.com/thecabinkitchen
Founded in 1906, the Mennonite Historical Library (MHL) at Goshen College maintains one of the most comprehensive collections in the world related to the Radical Reformation, Anabaptists, Hutterites, Mennonites, Amish, and other Plain groups. These qualities have made the MHL an indispensable resource for a wide range of local, domestic, and international scholars. As part of the Institute for the Study of Global Anabaptism (ISGA), the MHL serves to connect individuals and communities in pursuit of equitable and accessible source preservation, research, and publication that engages global Anabaptism.
https://www.goshen.edu/about/facilities-centers/mennonite-historical-library/
The Gasthof Amish Village contains a restaurant that was constructed in 1988 in the traditional Amish style and built by local Amish craftsmen. A hotel was added in 1997, and additional buildings and shops were added as well to keep the Amish tradition alive and provide the community a place to sell antiques, crafts, and homemade items. The property now contains a hotel, restaurant, Amish barn, group & wedding spaces, and antique and craft shops, all keeping the AMish heritage alive and well.
Chartered in 1985, Swiss Heritage Village is the largest outdoor museum in northern Indiana. Their mission is “To spark and sustain an interest in the Swiss and Christian heritage of Berne, Indiana and southern Adams County by promoting learning through discovery.” You can read about the buildings, grounds, and events sponsored by the Swiss Heritage Society on their website, and you will learn about how the Swiss settlers lived in this area more than a century ago.
Christkindlemarkt (generally “Christmas Market” in the U.S.) is a street market associated with the celebration of Christmas during the four weeks of Advent. These markets originated in Germany, but are now held in many countries.
The first traces of Christmas markets in the German-speaking part of Europe and in many parts of the former Holy Roman Empire go back to late medieval sales fairs and—often one-day—markets, which gave citizens the opportunity to stock up on meat and winter necessities at the beginning of the cold season. In the 14th century, the custom arose of allowing craftsmen such as toy makers, basket weavers and confectioners to set up stalls under the name "Saint Nicholas market" to sell the little things that children received as Christmas gifts
Over time, the tradition spread throughout the German-speaking world. Several Indiana towns celebrate a form of Christmas Markets. Here we feature a few of these colorful markets.
Carmel, Indiana: https://www.carmelchristkindlmarkt.com/
Brown County Christkindl Market, Nashville, Indiana: https://browncountychristkindlmarket.com/
Athenaeum Christkindlmarkt, Indianapolis, Indiana: https://athenaeumindy.org/events/christkindlmarkt/
Ferdinand Christkindlmarkt, Ferdinand, Indiana: https://www.ferdinandchristkindlmarkt.com/#/
[Art by Pixel Art Foundry, Etsy]
The Ethnic History Collection Project was created to collect, preserve and make available for research materials which illuminate the history of the various ethnic groups that have played an important role in Indiana’s development. Scroll down the page and click on “Germans.”
https://indianahistory.org/explore/our-collections/archives/ethnic-history-materials/
Chronicling America (ISSN 2475-2703) is a searchable and freely accessible digital collection of historic newspaper pages. It contains millions of newspaper pages from nearly every state and territory in the United States published through 1963. The website also provides access to information about historic newspapers and is produced by the National Digital Newspaper Program (NDNP).
https://www.loc.gov/collections/chronicling-america/
Sample searches:
Advanced Search for newspapers in Indiana: https://www.loc.gov/collections/chronicling-america/?dl=title&searchType=advanced&location_state=indiana
Advanced Search for German newspapers in Indiana: https://www.loc.gov/collections/chronicling-america/?searchType=advanced&location_state=indiana&subject_ethnicity=german Result: Indiana Tribune (Indianapolis, Ind.) 1878-1907 https://www.loc.gov/item/sn83045241/
The Jasper Deutscher Verein was founded in January, 1980 to promote, preserve and celebrate our proud German Heritage in Jasper and surrounding area. The Club is intended to be primarily Social and Not-For-Profit.
Jasper, in DuBois County, is defined by its German heritage roots. The area was founded in 1837 by Father Joseph Kunke of Croatia, who encouraged German immigrants to settle in the region. The community grew with people from Cincinnati and from areas like the Black Forest. Jasper is known as the “Wood Capital of the World” because of its strong furniture and woodworking industries. Jasper is a sister city with Pfaffenweiler, Germany.
Jasper, in the southern Indiana County of DuBois, holds an annual festival the first full weekend in August. This festive event brings together locals and tourists alike to celebrate German culture, cuisine, music, and more. The festival includes a tour of historical buildings and a Spirit of Jasper train ride. The Strassenfest is famous for its mouth-watering German cuisine, which includes Bratwurst, Schnizel, Sauerkraut, and more. It's an opportunity to interact with locals and learn more about the region's vibrant German heritage.
https://visitduboiscounty.com/celebrate-german-traditions-and-experience-the-jasper-strassenfest/
The Freudenfest, meaning “festival of fun”, is a non profit organization that originated in 1976 by volunteers who envisioned holding a “family fun day.” The mission then is the same today, “to provide a high quality festival that celebrates the richness of our German Heritage community through people having a fun day with their family and friends”.Musik, Games, Food, Bier und Wein, and more. The festival is held annually in Oldenburg, Indiana.
Oldenburg was founded in 1837 by a group of German settlers. The town was named after Oldenburg, in Germany. Incorporated in 1881, Oldenburg is called the "Village of Spires" because of its churches and religious educational institutions. In 1851, Mother Theresa Hackelmeier (1827–1860) founded the Sisters of St. Francis of Oldenburg who would open numerous schools in the Midwest. The Oldenburg Historic District was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1983.
The ACPL Genealogy Center welcomes you to explore our unique and state-of-the-art resource for family history research. We have the largest publicly-available research collection in the country and make available, at no cost, records from around the world to aid in your discovery. Our staff specializes in genealogy and is ready to help. Everyone has a story. Let’s find yours!
The Genealogy Collection at the Indiana State Library ha become one of the largest collections of family history information in the Midwest. The collection includes more than 40,000 print items (family histories, indexes to records, how-to-books, cemetery transcriptions, family history magazines, and more), as well as military pension information. The emphasis of the collection is on Indiana and bordering states, as well as eastern and southern states.
https://www.in.gov/library/collections-and-services/genealogy/
The mission of the IU Max Kade German-American Research and Resource Center in Indianapolis is to support German-American Studies through scholarly research, teaching, and service and the community by offering events on all aspects of German-American culture. The Max Kade German-American Center provides the Indianapolis community, the State of Indiana, and more broadly, the eastern Midwest with a center for conducting research on German American history, language, and culture. A particular focus is the study of German-American dialects and German history in the United States. As part of its research mission, a new project for creating a digital archive of German-American dialects in Indiana is in progress.
https://liberalarts.iupui.edu/centers/maxkade/? [This link is not currently active due to IU administrative changes.]
The Research Indiana Index is a catalog that can help you find information in the Indiana State Archive’s collections through different access points, such as a person’s name, an organization’s name, a county, or a keyword. Or you can choose a category such as Veteran’s Graves or Naturalizations.It’s a great place to start your genealogical research. Try searching for your ancestor.
https://www.in.gov/iara/services-for-public/search-archives-holdings/indiana-archives-digital-index-records/.
People with ancestral ties to Germany, Austria, Switzerland, Liechtenstein, Luxembourg, and other German-speaking provinces of central and eastern Europe constitute the largest white ethnic group in Indianapolis and have since the city’s formative years. The first large influx of German immigrants came following the Revolution of 1848. There were 1,045 persons of German ancestry (802 German-born, 243 of German parentage) in Indianapolis in 1850, or 12.9 percent of the total population. Indianapolis is a sister city with Cologne, Germany.
The mission of the Indiana German Heritage Society is to understand, promote, and celebrate the contributions of German-speaking immigrants and their descendants to the multi-cultural heritage of the state and the nation. The vision of the Indiana German Heritage Society is to be the catalyst for the preservation and celebration of the state's German-American heritage, and to support groups and communities in activities that coincide with our mission.
Founded in 1986, German Heritage Society is the youngest of the Fort Wayne German clubs. While each of the other German clubs have a specific focus (e.g. music or sports), GHS is intended to be a place for anyone with ties to or curiosity about: German culture, their German heritage, or the effects our local German history has had on the Fort Wayne Area.
For more than 40 years Germanfest has helped Fort Wayne celebrate its rich German heritage. Join us for authentic German music, games, food, and drinks and make memories that will last a lifetime.
The Athenaeum in Indianapolis preserves and enhances its historic German-American landmark to advance the Sound Mind in a Sound Body values of its founders through programming that lifts spirits and engages in diverse communities.
We are a chapter of the national Palatines to America German Genealogy Society.
Indianapolis, IN
