Conarroe family papers
Collection
Identifier: L182
Scope and Contents
This collection includes correspondence, programs, pamphlets, publications, Bible and family history records, obituaries, papers, photographs, two scrapbooks, and a laminated certificate of military service from Joe and Sue Conarroe in Indianapolis, Indiana, Missouri, and the United States, ranging from 1800 to 2007, regarding family life and history, military service, education, and genealogy of the Black family.
There are also a May 11, 1949 Indianapolis Optimist newsletter; a military training "yearbook" for the 6th Armored Division at Fort Leonard Wood in Missouri dated January 1954; a bronze sobriety chip with a butterfly and the words, "freedom", "growth", and "Halterman Center" (possibly from Columbus, Ohio); and an undated card to Joe Conarroe from his grandchildren Al and Ransome and Grandfather Remembers memory book.
There are also a May 11, 1949 Indianapolis Optimist newsletter; a military training "yearbook" for the 6th Armored Division at Fort Leonard Wood in Missouri dated January 1954; a bronze sobriety chip with a butterfly and the words, "freedom", "growth", and "Halterman Center" (possibly from Columbus, Ohio); and an undated card to Joe Conarroe from his grandchildren Al and Ransome and Grandfather Remembers memory book.
Dates
- 1800-2007
Creator
- Conarroe, Joseph Harry, 1932-2019 (Person)
Conditions Governing Access
This collection is open for research.
Conditions Governing Use
Legal title, copyright, and literary rights reside with Rare Books and Manuscripts, Indiana State Library, Indianapolis, IN. All requests to publish or quote from manuscripts must be submitted to Rare Books and Manuscripts.
Biographical / Historical
Joseph Harry Conarroe was born on November 14, 1932, to Harry C. (1909-1985) and Catherine E. (Guion) Conarroe (1910-2002) in Pike Township in Indianapolis, Indiana. The family first lived in the New Augusta neighborhood, and then lived in Traders Point from 1941 to 1950, before returning to New Augusta, at the northwestern edge of the city. Joe Conarroe graduated from Pike High School in 1950, then worked in construction before attending Butler University for a year, then transferring to Purdue University. He was drafted into the United States Army in 1953 during the Korean War. Conarroe first served as a private first class in Company B, 86th Reconnaissance Battalion, 6th Armored Division. He was first stationed in McGrath, Alaska, then the Presidio in San Francisco, California.
Conarroe married Sue Carolyn Green (1935-2018) on October 24, 1954, in Jonesboro, Indiana, and they had four children: Brenda Sue (later named Sarah S.), Belinda Jo (1958-1959), Rhonda, and Ben. The couple lived in San Francisco until he was discharged in August 1955, then moved to Lincoln, Illinois, where Conarroe attend Bible college. He was ordained a minister at Traders Point Christian Church in Indianapolis in 1958. The couple served at a number of churches in the region, including in Rutland, Illinois; Burnettsville, Elizaville, Indianapolis, Cambridge City, and Worthington, Indiana; and Bowling Green, Kentucky. The last years of his career was spent with Indianapolis Public Schools until his retirement in 2007. Joe Conarroe died on December 15, 2019, in Indianapolis and was buried in Pleasant Hill Cemetery in Indianapolis.
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Sue Carolyn Higgins was born on July 5, 1935, to Richard L. (1913-1979) and Mary E. (Medsker) Higgins (1916-1976) in Lebanon, Indiana. She had five siblings: Nancy, Jean, Kurtis, Steven, and Richard L., Jr. She attended Pinnell High School in Lebanon, graduating in 1953. Higgins may have lived with her great-aunt and uncle, Fern Aurelia (Higgins) and Floyd Smith in 1948. She appears to have been adopted, informally or formally, by her great-aunt and uncle, Omer E. (1896-1980) and Cordelia Maye (Higgins) Green (1898-1984), as a teenager as she took their last name and lived with them in 1950. She married Joseph H. Conarroe (1932-2019) in Jonesboro, Indiana, and they had four children: Brenda Sue (who later changed her name to Sarah) (c.1956-), Belinda Jo (1958-1959), Rhonda, and Ben. She attended at least one course Lincoln Bible Institute after her husband was discharged from the army in 1955. The couple moved to Rutland, Illinois, serving in a church there. Their second child, Belinda, died on April 15, 1959 due to accidental suffocation in Rutland. The family lived in several places in Illinois, Indiana, and Kentucky over the years. Sue Conarroe died on July 1, 2018, in Indianapolis and was buried in Pleasant Hill Cemetery.
Sources:
Items in the collection.
Ancestry.com. "Brenda Sue Conarroe." Indiana, U.S., Marriage Certificates, 1960-2012. Accessed May 14, 2025. http://www.ancestrylibrary.com.
Ancestry.com. "Joseph H. Conarroe." 1950 United States Federal Census. Accessed May 14, 2025. http://www.ancestrylibrary.com.
Ancestry.com. "Belinda Jo Conarroe." Indiana, U.S., Death Certificates, 1899-2017. Accessed May 14, 2025. http://www.ancestrylibrary.com.
Ancestry.com. "Joseph H. Conarroe." Indiana, U.S., Birth Certificates, 1907-1944. Accessed May 14, 2025. http://www.ancestrylibrary.com.
Ancestry.com. "Joseph H. Conarroe." Indiana, U.S., Marriage Certificates, 1960-2012. Accessed May 14, 2025. http://www.ancestrylibrary.com.
Ancestry.com. "Joseph H. Conarroe." U.S., School Yearbooks, 1900-2016. Accessed May 14, 2025. http://www.ancestrylibrary.com.
Ancestry.com. "Sue C. Higgins." 1950 United States Federal Census. Accessed May 14, 2025. http://www.ancestrylibrary.com.
Ancestry.com. "Sue Carolyn Higgins." Indiana, U.S., Birth Certificates, 1907-1944. Accessed May 14, 2025. http://www.ancestrylibrary.com.
Ancestry.com. "Sue Green." Indiana, U.S., Marriages, 1810-2001. Accessed May 14, 2025. http://www.ancestrylibrary.com.
Ancestry.com. "Sue Higgins." U.S., School Yearbooks, 1900-2016. Accessed May 14, 2025. http://www.ancestrylibrary.com.
"Brown-Conarroe Vows Are Read." Indianapolis Star, January 8, 1976. ProQuest.
"Conarroe-Green Vows Exchanged in Church Rite." Indianapolis Star, October 27, 1954. ProQuest.
"Conarroes Head West." Indianapolis Star, October 28, 1954. ProQuest.
"Divorce Lawsuits Filed: Brown, Michael D., and Sarah Conarroe-Brown." Indianapolis Star, March 3, 2000. ProQuest.
Findagrave.com. "Belinda Jo Conarroe." Find a Grave Memorial. Accessed May 14, 2025. https://www.findagrave.com/memorial/23578226/belinda-jo-conarroe.
Findagrave.com. "Cordelia Maye Higgins Green." Find a Grave Memorial. Accessed May 14, 2025. https://www.findagrave.com/memorial/27700613/cordelia_maye-green
Findagrave.com. "Joe Harry Conarroe." Find a Grave Memorial. Accessed May 13, 2025. https://www.findagrave.com/memorial/205519871/joe-harry-conarroe.
Findagrave.com. "Richard Lane Higgins." Find a Grave Memorial. Accessed May 13, 2025.https://www.findagrave.com/memorial/62945206/lane-higgins.
"Richard L. "Rick" Higgins, Jr." Obituaries. Indianapolis Star, September 10, 2009. Proquest.
Conarroe married Sue Carolyn Green (1935-2018) on October 24, 1954, in Jonesboro, Indiana, and they had four children: Brenda Sue (later named Sarah S.), Belinda Jo (1958-1959), Rhonda, and Ben. The couple lived in San Francisco until he was discharged in August 1955, then moved to Lincoln, Illinois, where Conarroe attend Bible college. He was ordained a minister at Traders Point Christian Church in Indianapolis in 1958. The couple served at a number of churches in the region, including in Rutland, Illinois; Burnettsville, Elizaville, Indianapolis, Cambridge City, and Worthington, Indiana; and Bowling Green, Kentucky. The last years of his career was spent with Indianapolis Public Schools until his retirement in 2007. Joe Conarroe died on December 15, 2019, in Indianapolis and was buried in Pleasant Hill Cemetery in Indianapolis.
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Sue Carolyn Higgins was born on July 5, 1935, to Richard L. (1913-1979) and Mary E. (Medsker) Higgins (1916-1976) in Lebanon, Indiana. She had five siblings: Nancy, Jean, Kurtis, Steven, and Richard L., Jr. She attended Pinnell High School in Lebanon, graduating in 1953. Higgins may have lived with her great-aunt and uncle, Fern Aurelia (Higgins) and Floyd Smith in 1948. She appears to have been adopted, informally or formally, by her great-aunt and uncle, Omer E. (1896-1980) and Cordelia Maye (Higgins) Green (1898-1984), as a teenager as she took their last name and lived with them in 1950. She married Joseph H. Conarroe (1932-2019) in Jonesboro, Indiana, and they had four children: Brenda Sue (who later changed her name to Sarah) (c.1956-), Belinda Jo (1958-1959), Rhonda, and Ben. She attended at least one course Lincoln Bible Institute after her husband was discharged from the army in 1955. The couple moved to Rutland, Illinois, serving in a church there. Their second child, Belinda, died on April 15, 1959 due to accidental suffocation in Rutland. The family lived in several places in Illinois, Indiana, and Kentucky over the years. Sue Conarroe died on July 1, 2018, in Indianapolis and was buried in Pleasant Hill Cemetery.
Sources:
Items in the collection.
Ancestry.com. "Brenda Sue Conarroe." Indiana, U.S., Marriage Certificates, 1960-2012. Accessed May 14, 2025. http://www.ancestrylibrary.com.
Ancestry.com. "Joseph H. Conarroe." 1950 United States Federal Census. Accessed May 14, 2025. http://www.ancestrylibrary.com.
Ancestry.com. "Belinda Jo Conarroe." Indiana, U.S., Death Certificates, 1899-2017. Accessed May 14, 2025. http://www.ancestrylibrary.com.
Ancestry.com. "Joseph H. Conarroe." Indiana, U.S., Birth Certificates, 1907-1944. Accessed May 14, 2025. http://www.ancestrylibrary.com.
Ancestry.com. "Joseph H. Conarroe." Indiana, U.S., Marriage Certificates, 1960-2012. Accessed May 14, 2025. http://www.ancestrylibrary.com.
Ancestry.com. "Joseph H. Conarroe." U.S., School Yearbooks, 1900-2016. Accessed May 14, 2025. http://www.ancestrylibrary.com.
Ancestry.com. "Sue C. Higgins." 1950 United States Federal Census. Accessed May 14, 2025. http://www.ancestrylibrary.com.
Ancestry.com. "Sue Carolyn Higgins." Indiana, U.S., Birth Certificates, 1907-1944. Accessed May 14, 2025. http://www.ancestrylibrary.com.
Ancestry.com. "Sue Green." Indiana, U.S., Marriages, 1810-2001. Accessed May 14, 2025. http://www.ancestrylibrary.com.
Ancestry.com. "Sue Higgins." U.S., School Yearbooks, 1900-2016. Accessed May 14, 2025. http://www.ancestrylibrary.com.
"Brown-Conarroe Vows Are Read." Indianapolis Star, January 8, 1976. ProQuest.
"Conarroe-Green Vows Exchanged in Church Rite." Indianapolis Star, October 27, 1954. ProQuest.
"Conarroes Head West." Indianapolis Star, October 28, 1954. ProQuest.
"Divorce Lawsuits Filed: Brown, Michael D., and Sarah Conarroe-Brown." Indianapolis Star, March 3, 2000. ProQuest.
Findagrave.com. "Belinda Jo Conarroe." Find a Grave Memorial. Accessed May 14, 2025. https://www.findagrave.com/memorial/23578226/belinda-jo-conarroe.
Findagrave.com. "Cordelia Maye Higgins Green." Find a Grave Memorial. Accessed May 14, 2025. https://www.findagrave.com/memorial/27700613/cordelia_maye-green
Findagrave.com. "Joe Harry Conarroe." Find a Grave Memorial. Accessed May 13, 2025. https://www.findagrave.com/memorial/205519871/joe-harry-conarroe.
Findagrave.com. "Richard Lane Higgins." Find a Grave Memorial. Accessed May 13, 2025.https://www.findagrave.com/memorial/62945206/lane-higgins.
"Richard L. "Rick" Higgins, Jr." Obituaries. Indianapolis Star, September 10, 2009. Proquest.
Extent
0.3 Cubic Feet (1 manuscript box)
Language of Materials
English
Arrangement
This collection is arranged by subject.
Custodial History
This collection was received by Rare Books and Manuscripts as a donation from Ransome Brown on 2022/07/06.
Accruals
No further additions are expected.
Processing Information
Collection processing completed 2025/05/14 by Brittany Kropf. EAD finding aid created 2025/05/14 by Brittany Kropf.
- Black family
- Clippings
- Coins
- Correspondence
- Death
- Draft -- United States
- Education
- Education -- Indiana
- Family history
- Family life
- Genealogy
- Higgins family
- Indianapolis (Ind.)
- Korean War, 1950-1953
- Marion County (Ind.)
- Military veterans
- Newsletters
- Obituaries
- Pamphlets
- Photographs
- Programs
- Schools -- Indiana
- Soldiers
- United States. Army
- Veterans -- Indiana
Creator
- Conarroe, Joseph Harry, 1932-2019 (Person)
- Conarroe, Sue Higgins, 1935-2018 (Person)
- Conarroe family (Family)
- Title
- Conarroe family papers
- Status
- Completed
- Description rules
- Describing Archives: A Content Standard
- Language of description
- English
- Script of description
- Latin
Repository Details
Part of the Rare Books and Manuscripts Repository
Contact:
140 North Senate Avenue
Indianapolis, Indiana 46204 U.S.A.
317-232-3671
140 North Senate Avenue
Indianapolis, Indiana 46204 U.S.A.
317-232-3671
