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CCGS Receives $1,800 Grant from REMC Community Fund

Clay County Genealogical Society Uses UDWI REMC Community Fund Grant to Help Preserve Historical Records

The UDWI REMC Community Fund has recently awarded $1,800 to the Clay County Genealogical Society, Inc. (CCGS).  CCGS used these new funds to purchase high-quality metal bookends to preserve, protect, and properly display county historical records. 

“Metal bookends may seem simple, but they play a critical role in protecting fragile materials,” said Tonia Tucker, president of CCGS. “Durable bookends keep books upright and prevent warping, reduces stress on aging bindings, protects rare and irreplaceable genealogical volumes, and helps to improve airflow and reduce moisture build up on shelves.”

Founded in 1980, the Clay County Genealogical Society is a non-profit volunteer-run organization dedicated to preserving, protecting and sharing the history and heritages of families in Clay County and surrounding counties in Indiana. Through its preservation work, the organization hopes to protect records so that future generations can have access to the stories of the ancestors that shaped their communities.

“For far too long, our families have had stories that have been tucked away in family houses, dusty attics, and forgotten boxes,” said Tucker. “We have the tools and resources to explore those stories in greater detail, to uncover the people who shaped the communities we call home, and to make them accessible to everyone.”

CCGS maintains thousands of irreplaceable documents, including over 3,800 books and 500 plus family histories, census records from 1820 to 1950, cemetery records, obituaries dating back to the early 1800s, naturalization papers, funeral home records, WPA birth/marriage/ death indexes, and access to microfilm, surname files, and rare local documents. 

The organization also utilizes volunteers to give visitors research assistance— geared for both beginners and those more experienced with research. Other major volunteer opportunities include cataloging and digitizing materials, updating cemetery and obituary records, recording tombstones and mapping cemetery locations, and supporting the society’s social media and online outreach. 

Outside of volunteer opportunities, the CCGS hosts regular community events.  Those interested in learning more about events, volunteering, or joining as a member can visit the library in person (Mondays and Wednesdays from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. or Fridays from 11 a.m. to 4 p.m.), Clay County Indiana Genealogy Library Facebook page, or their website at www.ccgsilib.org

“Funded through memberships, donations for research, and grants, the Clay County Genealogical Society is doing meaningful work— tracking history for all 92 counties in the state,” said Byron Goodman, UDWI REMC Community Fund Trustee. “Visiting the organization, it was clear that they were very grateful for our grant. We cannot thank members enough for contributing to the Community Fund and supporting community organizations like this one.”

To donate to the Community Fund, UDWI REMC members can participate in the RoundUp Program, which allows cooperative members to round up to the nearest whole dollar on their electric bills. The money accumulated is then awarded to various nonprofit organizations— determined by the UDWI REMC Community Fund Board (separate from UDWI REMC staff and Board of Directors).

The latest round of UDWI REMC Community Fund grant recipients for the past quarter are: Scotland Historical Society; PACE Community Action Agency; Pantry 279, Inc.; Salvation Army – Greene County Service Extension; Middle Way House, Inc.; Eastern Greene Elementary School; Knights of Columbus Council #1166; Clay County Genealogical Society, Inc.; Summer Food Program for Bloomfield Community Kids; Friends of the Library; ReBuilt Recovery & Discipleship Corporation; Bloomfield School District Police Department; and Springville Community Association.

The UDWI REMC Community Fund, Inc. is now accepting applications for its next grant cycle. All nonprofit businesses in UDWI REMC’s service area are encouraged to apply. Please visit www.udwiremc.com to learn more about the program and to start an application.

Source: Written by Brooke Porter on August 18, 2026. Posted in UDWI News.

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CCGS Hosts Author of The Life and Times of Madge Oberholtzer

CCGS Library Hosts Charlotte Ottinger, author  of Madge:The life and times of Madge Oberholtzer 

On Saturday, July 25th, the Clay County Genealogical Society located at 309 Main Street in Center Point will be hosting a presentation by author Charlotte Halsema Ottinger, who will be discussing her 2021 book, Madge: The life and times of Madge Oberholtzer, the young Irvington woman who brought down D.C. Stephenson and the Ku Klux Klan. Madge Oberholtzer was born in Clay County, Indiana, where she lived until her family moved to Irvington, five miles east of downtown Indianapolis.

According to newsman Harold C. Feightner, “Few deaths of comparatively inconspicuous people have had the far-flung effects that [Oberholtzer’s] did. Her passing marked the beginning of the end of the Ku Klux Klan in Indiana; it resulted in the indictment of Governor Ed Jackson; the indictment and conviction of Mayor Ed L. Duvall, of Indianapolis, and other city officials and a complete change in the capital city’s administration, and it nearly wrecked a political party.”

Ottinger will discuss Oberholtzer’s limited relationship with Stephenson, Grand Dragon of the Ku Klux Klan, her abduction and assault, her death bed declaration and the trial that sent D.C. Stephenson to prison for second degree murder. In addition to a display of related artifacts from the 1920s, Ottinger will share interesting aspects of Oberholtzer’s short life including her time studying under notable Indiana artists William Forsyth, Otto Stark and Clifton Wheeler. Special attention will be given to the legal precedents established during the trial and Oberholtzer’s lasting legacy. Much of Ottinger’s extensive research was used by Timothy Egan for his 2023 book Fever in the Heartland.

            Timothy Egan wrote:  “Charlotte Ottinger has done what no one else has done in telling the tale of the woman whose life and death destroyed the Ku Klux Klan in the 1920s: she brought her subject fully to life. Page after page is full of discoveries that other historians of the era have missed. Her Madge emerges as a multi-dimensional woman of character and intelligence, the result of brilliant, tireless and original scholarship on Ottinger’s part. “Madge” is the story of a genuine American hero – a Hoosier original who deserves her place in history.”

Ottinger is a retired nurse and American Sign Language Medical Interpreter who makes her home in Historic Irvington on Indianapolis’ eastside. Ottinger has a psychology degree from Purdue University, Nursing degree from Indiana University, and a Master’s degree from Gallaudet University, a university for the Deaf in Washington, D.C. A lifelong history enthusiast, Ottinger is a current member and former board member of the Irvington Historical Society. In her spare time, she enjoys buying and selling antiques and fostering kittens.

Following her presentation, she would be happy to answer any questions and sign books.

You are welcome to bring your own copy of Madge to be signed or you may purchase a copy following the presentation. The book costs $35.00 with fifty-percent of the proceeds going to the Irvington Historical Society.  Payment methods include cash, check, Venmo, Zelle or credit card.

Mark your calendar for Saturday, July 25th.  The event is free of charge and will begin promptly at 1:00 in the new Clay County Genealogical Library. If you have any questions, you may contact someone at the library Mon, Wed, Thurs, or Friday between 10:00 and 4:00 p.m. The library phone number is 812-835-5005.