The exact page text, read by your browser's voice.
TESTED NEGATIVE · searches shown · Run B #228
The ethnic chorus tradition is a real Indiana institution with named seats all around this ground — and no seat here: the test was run three ways and is printed at its result. First, the county histories: Chapman (1880) and Howard (1907), whose society passages the build has used throughout for the county's orders and societies, name no singing society, Sängerbund, Männerchor, choral society, or ethnic chorus seated in Osceola or Penn Township, and no such body appears in the township material of either book as reached. Second, the tradition's own geography, which the searches establish precisely so the negative is a placed one: Indiana's German singing societies are documented at Indianapolis (the Männerchor, formally established June 1854, host of the 1867 national Sängerfest of the Nordamerikanischer Sängerbund) and at Fort Wayne (the Sängerbund founded 4 October 1869, by its own account one of the oldest German singing societies in Indiana, with eight singing societies in that city by 1898) — that is, the tradition seated itself in the state's German city centers, and St. Joseph County's smaller German farm townships, Penn among them, are absent from its rosters as reached. Third, the town's own record as built: the one singing body in the whole build is Notable People's "Singing Rories," a 1970s–1980s religious family quartet carried there as claimed-not-proven on a single album-database line — a family gospel quartet is not a singing society, not ethnic-chorus tradition, and not evidence for this item, and it is pointed to here only to be excluded. Verdict: no singing society, ethnic chorus, or Sängerbund seated in Osceola or Penn Township stands in any record reached; the test is printed negative at the strength of the searches named, with the standing caveat of this section — Kiracofe (1988) and the Enterprise film, unread online, are where a contrary record would live.
Sources: Chapman (1880) and Howard (1907) society and township passages as reached in this build — no singing society for this ground. Tradition's geography: Indianapolis Männerchor Records, Ruth Lilly Special Collections, Indiana University Indianapolis (established June 1854; 1867 national Sängerfest); Encyclopedia of Indianapolis, "Indianapolis Saenger Chor" (founded 1885); Fort Wayne Männerchor/Damenchor history (Sängerbund founded 4 Oct. 1869; eight societies by 1898) — printed as the tradition's documented seats, not as this ground's record. Exclusion: Notable People of this build ("Singing Rories," claimed-not-proven, single album-database line) — excluded as not a singing society. Caveat settler: Kiracofe (1988) and the Enterprise film.