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Indiana Genealogical Society, P.O. Box 10507, Fort Wayne, Indiana 46852-0507

Index to Alumni of Smithville Schools, Monroe County, Indiana (1913-1939)

Submitted by Randi Richardson

ABOUT THIS SOURCE: The first class to graduate from the Smithville High School was the class of 1913, and that class consisted of only one student, Maude Harrell. The first Smithville High School yearbook, the Searchlight, was not published until many years later in 1936.

Unlike the yearbooks published in the 1940s and later, the first few yearbooks included photographs that were glued on the pages rather than integral to the page itself. In many cases, as the years passed, the pasted photographs became detached. Some disappeared altogether, others became mysteries as it was difficult to tell which loose picture belonged to whom. Although the Monroe County Public Library and the Monroe County History Center have select copies of the Searchlight, the most complete collection is located at the Smithville Museum and History Center in southern Monroe County.

In an effort to preserve the history of the school, a database of all students who attended Smithville schools, including those from grades one through eight when available, has been created. At the present time it includes data from yearbooks 1936 through 1939 and from a wall photograph of the senior class of 1932. Additionally, graduates of the school from 1913 through 1936 were noted in the 1937 yearbook and select others. The information about alumni includes name, year of graduation, and a few details such as a married name, place of residence, place of employment and, occasionally, the fact that an individual is deceased.

Information noted in the database includes name, grade or faculty, yearbook date, page where noted, and whether or not a picture is available. Using multiple yearbooks of the same date, efforts have been made to reattach loose photographs where they belong.

Should you wish to view a yearbook that is not available at the Monroe County Public Library or the Monroe County History Center, please contact Randi Richardson at GFTL@bluemarble.net for access to the Smithville Museum and History Center.

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