69Titles
Explore publications and collections from the past.
Community History Archive Partner
Mellinger Memorial Library
Morning Sun, Iowa
Explore this community history collection to discover the people, places, organizations, and events of Morning Sun.
1883 to 2021Dates represented
See individual titles for available dates.
148,090Archive pages
Historical pages reported for this collection.
Explore local history
Discover the people, places, and stories of Morning Sun, Iowa.
Get to know Morning Sun, Iowa in earlier years through newspapers as well as yearbooks and annuals shared in the Mellinger Memorial Library's digital archive. Its sixty-nine titles include material from 1883 to 2021. There are more sources to explore here, including vital records; family history and genealogy; local history resources; and personal writings.
Opens in a new tab.
-
Selected titles
Selected titles from Mellinger Memorial Library include “Morning Sun Elementary Yearbooks” and “Morning Sun News-Herald”.
-
Free and open access
No subscription or payment required.
-
Different views of the past
A familiar name or event takes on another dimension in the newspaper coverage of its time, alongside the stories that mattered to the readers of that issue. Yearbooks and annuals bring together the people and activities their editors chose to remember, offering a view of life within a particular year.
A name on one page may prompt a question that another source helps you explore. Look beyond the first match for the circumstances and connections that give a story depth. Bring a family connection, a question about a familiar place or an interest in local history, and see where the sources lead. Explore the archive online for free, without a subscription.
Explore the collection
Titles in this collection
Browse sixty-nine titles and 148,090 digitized pages, with material from 1883 to 2021. A partnership between Mellinger Memorial Library and Advantage Archives makes this collection available. Some years or items may be missing between the dates shown.
Follow a family connection or a question about the community through the titles below and the history they preserve.
Board of Education
220 pages in 1920
Family Histories Baird
576 pages in 2021
Family Histories Baird Congrove
38 pages in 2021
Family Histories Beckonings
318 pages in 2021
Family Histories Caparoon and Aronhalt Family History
230 pages in 2021
Family Histories Cemetery Records
226 pages in 2021
Family Histories Collins Kin
142 pages in 2021
Family Histories Courter
436 pages in 2021
Family Histories Descendents of John E. Willson and Wife Nancy A Edgar
70 pages in 2021
Family Histories Descendents of Samuel Mehaffy 1869 to 1944
116 pages in 2021
Family Histories Edgar
284 pages in 2021
Family Histories Elmwood Cemetery 1975
74 pages in 2021
Family Histories Elmwood Cemetery Register
326 pages in 2021
Family Histories Family Records
748 pages in 2021
Family Histories Hank
162 pages in 2021
Family Histories Hartsock Family
218 pages in 2021
Family Histories Henderson
80 pages in 2021
Family Histories Hewitt Hamilton Family Record
48 pages in 2021
Family Histories History and Pictures of the Caldwell Delzell Families
54 pages in 2021
Family Histories Jamison Family
40 pages in 2021
Family Histories John Green Irishman and His Descendents
518 pages in 2021
Family Histories Kerr Family
310 pages in 2021
Family Histories Loper Cemetery
20 pages in 2021
Family Histories Louisa County Marriages
240 pages in 2021
Family Histories Marshall Cemetery
16 pages in 2021
Family Histories Marshall Family
116 pages in 2021
Family Histories Nichols
68 pages in 2021
Family Histories Obituaries and Death Notices
238 pages in 2021
Family Histories Obituaries and Death Notices 2002
340 pages in 2021
Family Histories Owens Notices 2002
226 pages in 2021
Family Histories Reminiscing in Franklin Township and Big Hollow
330 pages in 2021
Family Histories Robert Delzell Family
282 pages in 2021
Family Histories Sharon Church Cemetery Records
30 pages in 2021
Family Histories Simpson Sons and Daughters 1735 to 1986
1,580 pages in 2021
Family Histories Smith Family
296 pages in 2021
Family Histories The Cary Family Tree and History
36 pages in 2021
Family Histories The Castens and Interrelated Families
264 pages in 2021
Family Histories The Grant Family History
108 pages in 2021
Family Histories The Luety Line
908 pages in 2021
Family Histories The McElhinney Family
188 pages in 2021
Family Histories The Westfalls Then and Now
330 pages in 2021
Family Histories Towns Trains and Times Long Gone
182 pages in 2021
Family Histories Umphreys
1,162 pages in 2021
Family Histories Vital Records
72 pages in 2021
Family Histories Wilson Family History
94 pages in 2021
Horizon
194 pages in 1979
Horizons
190 pages in 1987
Mellinger Memorial Library
398 pages from 1975 to 1981
Memorie
132 pages in 1930
Memories of 1984
184 pages in 1984
Morning Sun
188 pages in 1977
Morning Sun Community School
192 pages in 1988
Morning Sun Elementary Yearbooks
2,316 pages from 1991 to 2020
Morning Sun Herald
6,998 pages from 1883 to 1897
Morning Sun News
3,476 pages from 1890 to 1897
Morning Sun News Herald
116,066 pages from 1897 to 2018
Morning Sun News-Herald
1,492 pages from 2020 to 2021
Morning Sun Yearbook
192 pages in 1988
Nevermore
164 pages in 1974
Our Year Forever
196 pages in 1978
Reflections
180 pages in 1973
Special Moments
196 pages in 1980
Spirit of 76
196 pages in 1976
Sun News
Page count not currently available dates not yet available
Sunbeam Staff
120 pages in 1952
Sunners
96 pages in 1947
Tiger
2,170 pages from 1948 to 1990
Tiger Prints
198 pages in 1982
Today Is Our Moment Now Is Our Story
196 pages in 1983
Opens in a new tab.
About the Library
About The Mellinger Public Library
The Mellinger Public Library serves as a vital resource for the community, providing a wide range of books, magazines, newspapers, and electronic resources. Established to meet the educational and informational needs of the residents, the library is dedicated to providing equal access to technology and print materials. The library's mission is to support lifelong learning, foster a love of reading, and preserve the rich history of Morning Sun through its extensive archival collections. The library also hosts various programs and events aimed at engaging the community and promoting educational opportunities for all ages.
Library History
The History Of The Mellinger Public Library
The Mellinger Public Library has a rich history, beginning with the efforts of Mrs. W.E. Sterett, who led the initiative to bring library services to Morning Sun. In 1915, a meeting was held to put a course plan into action, leading to the formation of the Morning Sun Library Association. The library was initially housed in city hall and later moved to various locations before receiving a generous donation from Mrs. Maude Mehaffy and Mr. and Mrs. O.M. Hensleigh, who provided funds for the construction of a new library building in memory of their brother, Edward Arthur Mellinger. Edward Arthur Mellinger, born in 1874 near Morning Sun, was an accomplished engineer and inventor with 17 industry-related United States patents. His legacy and contributions to the telephone industry were honored through the establishment of the Mellinger Memorial Library. The library building, completed in 1937 at a cost of $35,000, became a central hub for the community, offering a wide range of resources and services.
About the Community
About Morning Sun, Iowa
Morning Sun, located in Louisa County, Iowa, is a town with a rich agricultural heritage and a strong sense of community. Established in the late 19th century, Morning Sun has grown from a small farming settlement into a vibrant community known for its friendly atmosphere and active civic life. The town's history is closely linked to agriculture, with many farms in the area having been operated by the same families for generations. Morning Sun's community spirit is evident in the numerous local events and festivals that celebrate the town's heritage and bring residents together. The town's well-preserved historical buildings and landmarks provide a glimpse into its past and reflect the pride of its residents.
More ways to explore and share local history
Research Guidance
Explore more than one research path
The collection shared by Mellinger Memorial Library offers several ways to explore a question connected with Morning Sun. Start with the event type, date, place, and names as the record presents them. Use only fields actually supplied, and keep an index entry or transcription distinct from an image of the original record.
Note the writer, date and item reference where supplied. Keep what the account records separate from what you infer; its title alone does not establish whether it was written at the time, copied later or published as a recollection. Follow a promising detail into a different available source. Note what each record contributes, what conflicts, and what neither establishes.
Keep the title, date, page or item reference with each useful finding. Separate the words in a historical account from your interpretation, and note conflicting perspectives rather than choosing one too quickly. These notes help you connect a local story to its evidence and explain what remains uncertain.
Community Partnership
Keeping local history a community resource
This community archive is made possible by the collaboration of the Mellinger Memorial Library, its community, and Advantage Archives. Together, these partnerships preserve local sources and give people a way to explore, learn from, and share the history around them.
Advantage Archives covers ongoing archive hosting, storage, development, and maintenance. The institution and its community do not pay a subscription, seat license, annual support contract, or other recurring archive-service charge. Local history remains a community resource, not a subscription to maintain.
Would you like to see more of your community's history preserved and accessible? Start a conversation with your library, newspaper publisher, historical or genealogical society, museum, or school about the materials they would like to share and a possible partnership with Advantage Archives.
Learn about partnerships
Stories, research tips, and archive news
Read All About It connects archive research with the people and institutions preserving local history. Explore partner and community stories, project updates, research ideas, and perspectives on digitization, education, and working with primary sources. Use the articles as a starting point for your next question or a new way to share a discovery.
May 7, 2025
Why Microfilm is still important in 2023
Preserving documents on microfilm has been a popular method of storage for many years, and it still holds many benefits today. Here…
Read article
May 7, 2025
Don’t Search For An Obituary By Only Searching For An “Obituary”
In the quest to trace our roots and understand our heritage, obituaries often serve as a crucial starting point. Obituaries are undoubtedly…
Read article
April 9, 2025
Unveiling the Hidden Mysteries: Exploring Cold Cases and Unconventional Clues
Even the most esteemed police forces in the county encounter perplexing cold case files. These unsolved mysteries often leave investigators and genealogists…
Read article
April 1, 2025
This Week in History: March 31st through April 6th
Discover History in The Community History Archives. This week in history, there is absolutely nothing to talk about… April Fools! April…
Read article
March 24, 2025
This Week in History: March 24th through March 30th
Discover History in The Community History Archives. It has officially been a year since I started writing This Week in History,…
Read article
March 18, 2025
It’s Your Community’s History, So Why Rent Something You Own?
We believe that history belongs to the communities where it was made - not locked behind paywalls or inaccessible due to budget restrictions. Subscription-based services and large content aggregators are generally more concerned with "content" and less concerned with the history that content contains. Their models typically involve a reoccurring charge for a plan that renews annually or licensing agreements with the library based on population served or circulation numbers. You are essentially Renting Access To YOUR History.
Read article