The mystery starts with little more than a name.
When people come to the genealogy museum at the Johnson County Museum of History, they often only have that bit of information as a starting point. In order to find out more about branches of the family tree, they need resources such as property deeds, marriage and death records, cemetery listings and other historical information.
Linda Talley has made it her responsibility to uncover as much of the past as she can in every genealogical search that comes to the museum.
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“It’s really pretty satisfying to help people through that. Unless it’s something fairly strange, I can usually find something that interests them about what they’re looking for,” she said. “That’s the fun part. I’m kind of proud that I can do that.”
For the past 25 years, Talley has helped make Johnson County’s genealogy department one of the richest resources in the area.
Her dedication to the science of the past, as well as her willingness to put extra effort into the hardest searches, has led to a significant recognition among the genealogy world. She was named the winner of the Willard C. Heiss Family History/Genealogy Award, given by the Indiana Historical Society to a family historian for distinguished service in Indiana family history.
“While Linda Talley’s knowledge of Johnson County history is undeniable, her efforts to engage and inspire the local genealogical community are truly unique. Throughout her decades-long career, there are numerous examples of Linda going above and beyond her duties,” said Rachel Hill Ponko, spokeswoman for the Indiana Historical Society.
Talley started working at the Johnson County Museum of History as a volunteer in 1994. At the time, the director of the museum was Mary Ann Plummer, who was interested in genealogy and put an emphasis on making the museum’s library a vital resource in that field.
So there was already a wonderful foundation for her to work on. Her focus was making it as user-friendly as possible.
“When I started, I didn’t know much about (genealogy). I wanted to make it easy for anyone who could come in to find what they wanted,” she said. “At other libraries, sometimes it’s hard for people to find what they want. Things are alphabetized, or set up in a way that is easy.”
Over the course of 25 years, Talley has kept improving and adding the museum’s library. People who come in have a wealth of public records, property registries, birth and death records and other information from as far back as the early 1800s to consult.
Talley has also been instrumental in connecting the museum to the digitally based genealogy world, keeping accounts on websites such as Ancestry.com to broaden people’s searches worldwide. She helped the museum become an affiliate library of FamilySearch, which manages the Family History Library in Salt Lake City, Utah, the world’s largest genealogy library.
“I’ve always wanted it to feel like the library in your own house. I want it to look good, and try to keep things really organized, and I want people to feel like we’re friends and we want them to be here,” she said.
Special events such as the yearly Genealogy Day and late-night genealogy sessions put a greater emphasis on research.
“I’ve always said I never realized how much of a draw and how important genealogy is to people until I started working here. We have so many people who come through here for our programs, and the outreach she does in the community as well,” said David Pfeiffer, director of the museum.
Talley is also in charge of managing the genealogy department’s team of volunteers, who are available every day to help patrons find the information they need and search out the answers to their questions.
Many of the volunteers have been giving their time continually for years and years, making the department more like a family, Talley said.
“When you see someone once or twice a week for 25 years, you have that connection. We easily have volunteers who have been here since I got here,” Talley said.
The Willard C. Heiss Family History/Genealogy Award is given each year by the historical society to a family historian for distinguished service and career in Indiana family history, including presentations, use of materials and preservation. The award is named for Heiss, a noted conservationist and archivist in Indianapolis, an authority on Quaker history and genealogy, as well as former chairman of the Family History section of the Indiana Historical Society.
Each year, the society accepts nominations for the award. Talley was one who embodied the impact that family history can have, Pfeiffer said.
“She brings that personal touch. In this day and age, we get phone calls, emails, Facebook messages. Linda is always willing to check and do research and do anything she can to help,” he said. “We often get people who can’t come here, that are out of state, so she does the research for those people.”
The Indiana Historical Society informed Pfeiffer that Talley had been chosen for the award in late September. To give her the news, Pfeiffer simply came down to the genealogy department and handed her the letter.
“I didn’t know what it was. At first, I was very calm about it,” Talley said. “But after I looked around, it’s pretty exciting.”
Winning the award has been something the entire museum staff and volunteers have relished, due to the extraordinary effort Talley puts into her work, Pfeiffer said.
From a statewide perspective, it’s nice to continue to shine a spotlight on the importance of family history, Hill Ponko said.
“With this award, the Indiana Historical Society chose to recognize her exceptional efforts, while also bringing awareness to the valuable resource any genealogist — both amateur and professional — will find with a trip to the genealogy and local history library at the Johnson County Museum of History,” she said.
