Fairland, Indiana History

To celebrate the 2nd anniversary of the Fairland Historical Society, we created a Website to continue to share local history with you. Visit  https://sites.google.com/view/fairland-historical-society for upcoming events, historic photos, and to access resources. (Bookmark the site to view updates.) The Fairland Historical Society shares the history of Fairland, Indiana, including Moral & Brandywine Townships. The Fairland Historical Society is a non-profit, public charity, 501(c)(3), 509(a)(2).  

  The Fairland Historical Society and the Shelby County Public Library, Genealogy & History Department invite you to attend on May 21, 2026 at 6:30 p.m. as Donna Dennison Presents: Research Tips for Using Library Resources (highlighting Fairland & Moral Township) . Learn more about resources available to help with your own research, then stay until the library closes to explore. This program will highlight examples from Fairland, but can benefit all those interested in researching. The event is free and open to the public. Location: Shelby County Public Library, Carnegie East Wing, Genealogy & History Dept., 33 W Broadway St, Shelbyville, Indiana Follow the Fairland Historical Society on Facebook or Instagram .

This photo postcard was another mystery to research. The birth announcement was mailed in 1905 to Katherine Cordes in Seymour, Indiana. It says "Fairland, Dec. 11, 1905, Lelia." Boy is crossed out, and Girl is written in pencil; though that has faded with time. The photo says The American Photography Company, Chicago, 1905. With just a few clues, could we discover who this was? We discovered that Miriam Mayes was born on that date in Fairland to Robert Oscar and Lelia Vest Mayes. But, Robert and Lelia had lived in Seymour, what brought them to Fairland? We tried to research Robert's occupation (he is listed as Robert, Oscar, and R. O.) and learned that in 1905 he worked for the Shelby Coffee Company. But, that was not the reason for their move to Fairland. Lelia's father was Reverend E. R. Vest, and in Sep. 1904, they all moved from Indianapolis to Fairland when he was appointed to the M. E. Church in Fairland. But, that was not the whole story. Rev. Vest requested Fa...

I first became interested in family history and genealogy as a child while visiting my grandmother. She worked many hours to document our family history and had hand-written family tree pages spread across her kitchen table as she discussed the details and stories with me.  Decades later, it is so much easier to search records online and to view scans of documents to help fill in the stories of individuals and families. As I search online, sometimes I find other interesting details. I have added information to the Ancestry and Find a Grave websites to help others who may be researching. And, when I found family letters and photo albums for sale on Ebay, I posted or sent messages to individuals who might be interested in obtaining them. In antique stores, I have purchased photos with names written on them and posted them online to "save" their history. I have made connections by reaching out to an individual about photos he posted on FamilySearch, and a woman contacted me to d...

GET READY for Giving Tuesday! Dec. 2 is the day to support your favorite non-profit organizations, including the Fairland Historical Society. (You don't have to wait; you may give now.) Your support makes it possible for us to share more local history with the community! Donations accepted: https://checkout.square.site/merchant/MLF78WKW4NEPW/checkout/QBET6B5TRKU23BEZCAEHPFNG Thank you!!

Thanks to this support from the Beaty/C-Tech Fund administered by the Blue River Community Foundation we will be working to place more historical markers in the area. We are grateful and excited to share more history with the community. Thank you! We will be working on this project during the winter. Watch for more details in the spring of 2026!