A local, award-winning Web site is certainly worth a visit if you have ancestors from Prairie Creek Township in Vigo County. The site, operated by Kim Holly, is called Prairie Creek Families and focuses on life in 19th century Vigo County. The information here is of both historical and genealogical interest.

Most of the databases deal exclusively with Prairie Creek Township but a couple, notably the Death Indexes (1882-1920) and the Cemetery Directory, list deaths and burials in Prairie Creek, Prairieton and Linton townships.

The Biography Index recounts biographies of local citizens taken from county histories, with a link to 576 other online biographies. Similarly, the History of Prairie Creek is taken from county histories of the times.

The Farm Index lists local farmers in the years 1858, 1874 and 1890. The Business Directory lists local businesses and their owners in 1890.

The Diary of Dr. A. Decker F. Pound, from 1878, is indexed by surname. You can find out if this doctor treated any of your ancestors and if they lived or died after his treatment! The diary lists babies delivered, the cost of medications and other items, and records the weather for each day.

The Census Index page itemizes all census years and directs researchers to where they can find a particular census online. The site includes both the 1850 and 1860 Prairie Creek Township portions of the Vigo County census and the 1850 Prairie Creek Mortality Schedule, which are all indexed by surname.

There is a map of Prairie Creek Township and pictures to give the remote visitor a more intimate feel for the area. The site also offers ways for the visitor to connect to others doing similar research.

The Surname Registry lists names from 19th century Prairie Creek Township and the researcher or researchers who are working on that line, with a link to their e-mail. You also can post queries on the query page or post your Prairie Creek events reunions, etc., on the calendar page.

Besides having a number of informative databases, Prairie Creek Families is one of the more attractive Web sites I have visited. It has nice graphics and it is easy to access the different sections.

Holly has put a lot of work into making the site visually appealing and arranging her databases in an interesting and accessible manner.

To visit Prairie Creek Families, go to Prairie Creek Families