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Cecil Beeson collection

 Collection
Identifier: L566

Scope and Contents

This collection includes typed, autographed and photocopied documents from various people, government and private organizations collected by local genealogist and historian Cecil Beeson in Blackford County, Indiana, ranging from 1838 to 1972 regarding family histories, biographies, U.S. Civil War documents, church histories and governmental records.

There is an oversize document, "The Early History of the First Baptist Church of Montpelier, Indiana" by Rev. C. H. Kendall, circa 1908 (OB083).

Dates

  • 1839-1972, undated

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 Note

Cecil Beeson, son of William Henry and Jenny (Jinks) Beeson, was born in Wabash, Indiana on August 19, 1905. He had a twin brother named Claude Stuart Beeson. The family moved to Hartford City, Indiana, in 1911, following the death of Jenny Jinks Beeson. Beeson graduated from Hartford City High School. He married Hannah Catherine Sills on August 19, 1928. In 1938, Beeson married Cittie Pearl Helm of Adair County, Kentucky. He retired from the U.S. Postal Service in 1965 and then became deputy surveyor of Blackford County. He was an avid genealogist and was instrumental in opening the Blackford Historical Museum and Cecil Beeson Genealogical Library. Beeson died April 4, 1994.

Sources:

Items in the collection.

Cecil Beeson oral history transcript, September 1979, Rare Books and Manuscripts, Indiana State Library

Fort Wayne Journal Gazette, April 7, 1994.

Ancestry.com. "Cecil Beeson." Accessed November 2011. http://www.ancestrylibrary.com.

Extent

0.35 Cubic Feet (1 manuscript box, 1 oversize folder )

Language of Materials

English

Arrangement

This collection is arranged by subject.

Custodial History

This collection was received by Rare Books and Manuscripts as donations from Mr. and Mrs. Cecil H. Beeson from 1966-1979.

Accruals

No further additions are expected.

Related Materials

Materials relating to this collection may be found in the following collections in Rare Books and Manuscripts, Indiana State Library, Indianapolis, IN:

SP015: Cecil Beeson, Blackford County photograph collection

S2796: Cecil Beeson collection on Albert Woolson

OH166: Cecil Beeson memorial service recording

Processing Information

Collection processing completed 2012/05/17 by Nikki Schofield. EAD finding aid created 2015/06/10 by Edythe Huffman. EAD finding aid revised 2021/09/30 by Lauren Patton; 2022/04/18 by Brittany Kropf.
Title
Cecil Beeson collection
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