LaPorte County, Indiana Genealogical Records Information

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LaPorte County History and Information

LaPorte County Facts

LaPorte County was created on 9th of January 1832 and was formed from St. Joseph County and Unorganized Land. The County was named for "the door" or "the port" in the French language.

The County Seat is La Porte. It was first settled in 1832 by R. Harris, J. M. Wilson, William Hawkins, Geo. Thomas, and others. General W. Wilson was the proprietor. By 1849 it contained a flourishing Medical College, an Academy and several High Schools, about 350 houses, mostly frame, and 2,000 inhabitants. See also County History for more historical details.

Counties adjacent to La Porte County are Berrien County, Michigan (north), St. Joseph County (east), Starke County (south), Jasper County (southwest), Porter County (west).

LaPorte is divided into 21 Civil Townships as follows: Cass, Center, Clinton, Cool Spring, Dewey, Galena, Hanna, Hudson, Johnson, Kankakee, Lincoln, Michigan, New Durham, Noble, Pleasant, Prairie, Scipio, Springfield, Union, Washington and Wills. Washington Township was once part of Union Township while Prairie Township was part of Hanna Township.

Cities, Towns and Communities include Ackerman, Alida, Belfast, Byron, Fish Lake, Hanna, Haskells, Hayville, Heston, Hudson Lake, Kingsbury, Kingsford Heights, La Crosse, Lalimere, Lakeland, Lake Park, La Porte, Magee, Michigan City, Mill Creek, New Carlisle, Otis, Pinelake, Pinola, Rolling Prairie, Smith, South Center, South La Porte, South Wanatah, Stillwell, Thomaston, Tracy, Trail Creek, Union Center, Union Mills, Wanatah, Waterford, Wellsboro, Westville and Youngs.

The LaPorte County Official Government Website
LaPorte County Township Map
Indiana Newspaper Holdings for LaPorte County: The county newspaper holdings are under regular revision, as new microfilm holdings are added. These files are not up to date; there are continuous updates and corrections.
Official County Historians
LaPorte County, Indiana History Books at Amazon.com

There are free downloadable and printable forms to help with your research. These include U.S. Census Extraction Forms, U.K. Census Extraction Forms, Research Calendar, Ancestral Chart, Research Extract, Correspondence Record , Family Group Sheet , Source Summary Form.

Records at the LaPorte County Courthouse

PLEASE READ!! Please call the clerk's department to confirm hours, mailing address, fees and other specifics before visiting or requesting information because of sometimes changing contact information.

NOTE: The date listed for each category of record is the earliest record known to exist in that county. It does not indicate that there are numerous records for that year and certainly does not indicate that all such events that year were actually registered. See also the LaPorte County Courthouse History

LaPorte County Clerk has Marriage Records from 1832 , Probate Records from 1832 and Court Records from 1832 and is located at 813 Lincolnway Suite 105, La Porte, Indiana 46350; 219-326-6808 La Porte, 219-874-5611 Michigan City.
The Clerk of the Circuit Court is a ministerial officer who is the custodian of the Clerk's record and seal, issues process, accepts filings of commencement of actions in litigation, enters judgments and orders of the court, receives money in his official capacity, makes certified copies of record, issues many miscellaneous licenses, and keeps a record of all wills and matters of trust in probate proceedings.

LaPorte County Recorder has Land Records from 1831 and is located at 555 Michigan Ave, Suite 201, LaPorte, IN 46350; Phone: (219) 326-6808 ext. 280, 234, 209, Fax: (219) 326-0828.
The county recorder's function is to maintain permanent public records involving a wide variety of instruments. These documents detail transactions involving real estate, mining, personal property, mortgages, liens, leases, subdivision plats, military discharges, personal bonds, etc. Generally, all of these instruments are recorded either for giving legal public notice of their existence or for safekeeping and future reference. The recorder maintains and preserves all legal documents affecting title to real property.

Click Here to Search Indiana Court, Land, Wills & Financial Records! - Researchers often overlook the importance of court records, probate records, and land records as a source of family history information.

LaPorte County Health Department has Birth / Death Records from 1882 and is located at County Complex, 4th Floor, Suite 401A, 809 State St., La Porte, IN 46350; (219) 326-6808 Ext. 200

Below is a list of online resources for LaPorte County Court Records. Email us with websites containing LaPorte County Court Records by clicking the link below:

Bureau of Land Management (BLM)
Indianapolis Newspaper Index, 1848-1991: Select articles from 1848-1888 Indianapolis daily newspapers; heavily focused on deaths and marriages. Select articles from 1898-1991 about people, places, events, and topics in Indianapolis and the state of Indiana. Extremely limited for deaths; no coverage of marriages. Card file also available in the Microforms Area, second floor.
Reference & Government Services CD Collection: Database to allow searching of the hundreds of CDs from the federal government and other sources, part of the collections of the Reference & Government Services Division.
LaPorte County, Indiana Court Books at Amazon.com
Indiana Immigration & Emigration Records - Immigration records help the family historian to understand the movements of their ancestry as they relocated to different parts of the world.

LaPorte County Vital Records

See Also Research In Tax Records

Records of county taxes were kept as early at 1842, although most were discarded. Remaining ones would be at the county courthouse. National Archives-Great Lakes Region has records of the Internal Revenue Service for Indiana for 1867 to 1873. These are tax assessment records, arranged by district and then chronologically.

Below is a list of online resources for LaPorte County Tax Records. Email us with websites containing LaPorte County Tax Records by clicking the link below:

LaPorte County, Indiana Tax Books at Amazon.com

LaPorte County Genealogical Addresses

See Also Other Indiana Genealogical Addresses

The Repositories in this section are Archives, Libraries, Museums, Genealogical and Historical Societies. Many County Historical and Genealogical Societies publish magazines and/or news letters on a monthly, quarterly, bi-annual or annual basis. Contacting the local societies should not be over looked. State Archives and Societies are usually much larger and better organized with much larger archived materials than their smaller county cousins but they can be more generalized and over look the smaller details that local societies tend to have. Libraries can also be a good place to look for local information. Some libraries have a genealogy section and may have some resources that are not located at archives or societies. Also, take a special look at any museums in the area. They sometimes have photos and items from years gone by as well as information of a genealogical interest. All these places are vitally important to the family genealogist and must not be passed over.

Below is a list of online resources for LaPorte County Genealogical Addresses. Email us with websites containing LaPorte County Genealogical Addresses by clicking the link below:

La Porte County Genealogical Society, c/o La Porte Public Library, 904 Indiana Avenue, La Porte, IN 46350; Phone: 219-362-6156
La Porte County Historical Society & Museum, LaPorte County Complex , 809 State Street , LaPorte, Indiana 46350-3329; (219) 326-6808 ext. 276
Local Indiana Researchers, Find a local researcher or become a local researcher.
Indiana Libraries: Database to allow searching for Indiana's public libraries.
National Archives - Great Lakes Region (Chicago), 7358 South Pulaski Road, Chicago, Illinois 60629-5898; 773-948-9001; E-mail: chicago.archives@nara.gov (Maintains retired records from Federal agencies and courts in Illinois, Indiana, Michigan, Minnesota, Ohio, and Wisconsin.)
General Information Leaflet
Indiana State Archives, 6440 E. 30th St., Indianapolis, IN 46219; (317) 591-5222, [EMAIL]
Indiana State Library, Attn: (Division or Staff Name), 140 North Senate Avenue, Indianapolis, IN 46204-2296
Loan Desk and General Inquiries: 317-232-3675, ind@statelib.lib.in.us
Genealogy Division: 317-232-3689, genealogy@statelib.lib.in.us
Indiana Genealogical Society, P.O. Box 10507, Fort Wayne IN 46852
Indiana Historical Society, 450 W. Ohio St, Indianapolis,IN 46202; 1-800-447-1830 or 317-232-1882
Indiana Newspapers & Periodicals Records - Newspapers and periodicals are the diaries of local communities. They are excellent sources of family history details - often recorded nowhere else. Look for obituaries, marriages, legal notices, and more found in our Historical Newspaper Archives.
indiana Genealogical Society Books at Amazon.com

LaPorte County Church & Cemeteries

Click Here to Search Indiana Obituary Records! - This database is a compilation of obituaries published in U.S. newspapers, collected from various online sources. Obituaries can vary in the amount of information they contain, but many of them are genealogical goldmines, including information such as names, dates, places of birth and death, marriage information, and family relationships.

There are many churches and cemeteries in LaPorte County. Some transcriptions are online. A great site is the LaPorte County Tombstone Transcription Project.

Baptist records are found at Franklin College (in Franklin); Methodist at DePauw University (in Greencastle); Mennonite at Goshen College (in Goshen); Presbyterian at Hanover College (in Hanover); Disciples of Christ at their historical society in Nashville, Tennessee; and French Catholic at Vincennes University in the Byron R. Lewis Collection. There are also Catholic church histories and records at the Catholic Archives, University of Notre Dame, South Bend, Indiana. Quaker records are at Earlham College (at Richmond).

The commissioner's office of each Indiana county may have burial records for soldiers, sailors, and marines. If available, the records should include name, age, date of enlistment, discharge date, and death date. Records begin about 1862.

The Indiana State Library holds records of inscriptions from some Indiana cemeteries. The "Indiana Cemetery Locator File," compiled by the Genealogy Division, is an alphabetical listing of cemeteries, indicating the location in the state and the designation in the Genealogy Division of the Indiana State Library where inscriptions may be found.

Below is a list of online resources for LaPorte County Cemetery & Church Records. Email us with websites containing LaPorte County Cemetery & Church Records by clicking the link below:

Family Trees & Genealogy Tidbits

Click Here to Search Indiana Family Tree Records! - The use of published genealogies, electronic files containing genealogical lineage, and other compiled sources can be of tremendous value to a researcher.

When view family trees online or not, be sure to only take the info at face value and always follow up with your own sources or verify the ones they provide. Below is a list of online resources for LaPorte County Family Trees, web forums and other family type information. Email us with websites containing LaPorte County Family Trees, web forums and other family type information by clicking the link below:

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Sites on USGenweb: [ LaPorte County ] [ Indiana ] [ Main Page ]
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The Indiana Family Group Sheet Project
LaPorte County INGenWeb Archives
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Genealogy Encyclopedia: General Abbreviations, Early Illnesses, Nickname Meanings, Worldwide Epidemics, Early Occupations, Common Terms, Censuses Explained, Free Genealogical Forms
Nichols and Related Families of Alabama, Arkansas, Georgia, Florida, Kentucky, Louisiana, Mississippi, Missouri, North Carolina, South Carolina, Tennessee, Texas, and Virgina.
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Indiana Family & Local History Records - The Family & Local Histories Collection lets you read journals, memoirs, and other first-hand historical narratives right on your computer. Gathered from some of the world's finest libraries, these materials may provide hard-to-find town, county, and state information; tax records and wills; military, church, and court records; as well as photographs, stories, and maps.
Genealogical Document Search and Retrieval Service
LaPorte County, Indiana Family Books at Amazon.com

County History

1849 Adams County Retrospect - Based on "Indiana Gazetteer," published by E. Chamberlain

LaPorte County, so called from the French name of the large and beautiful prairie, which it includes, was organized in 1832. It is bounded north by the State of Michigan, east by St. Joseph, south by Starke, and west by Porter, and it contains 562 square miles. It is divided into the following townships, to-wit: Michigan, Springfield Galena and Hudson, on the north; Cool Spring, Center, Kankakee and Wills, second tier; New Durham, Scipio and Pleasant, third tier; Clinton, Noble and Union, fourth tier; and Cass and Van Buren in the southwest corner. The population in 1840 was 8,184, and at this time [1849] it is about 12,500.

The range of country east and west, from eight to twelve miles southeast of Lake Michigan, is timbered land and parts of it are somewhat hilly, and the soil is mostly thin. The timber there is oak and hickory. The level part is covered with beech, poplar, sugar, etc., and in the vicinity of the Lake and Michigan City are sand hills, covered mostly with pine. The country south of the above, for six or eight miles in width, is gently undulating prairie, interspersed with groves of timber and small lakes, which has a very rich soil; still farther south, are burr oak barrens, a few dry prairies, and the Kankakee marshes, of which portions are better for grazing than for grain. It is estimated that 188 sections of land lie in the different prairies in the county, the principal of which are Rolling, Door or LaPorte, Stillwell, Domain and Hog prairies, which, with the exception of a few wet places, are well adapted to wheat, oats, corn, barley, hemp and vines, and garden vegetables of every description. Fruit succeeds well, and the wet prairies, when drained, are well adapted to grass. The burr oak barrens are still little inferior to the prairies in respect to soil. The surplus articles exported are wheat, flour, corn, oats, pork, beef, etc., of which there have been at leas $500,000 annually taken from Michigan City, principally the products of the county. Stock, horses, etc., are also driven to Chicago and Detroit. The completion of the Railroad between these two points, which will pass through this part of the State, will add largely to its wealth and prosperity.

There are in LaPorte County thirteen gristmills, many of them merchant mills and among the best in the State, twenty-seven sawmills, four carding machines, two fulling mills, one large furnace, two printing offices, sixty stores and groceries, sixteen lawyers, twenty-two physicians and forty-five preachers, and good mechanics of the trades most in demand, are found in sufficient numbers.

The taxable land amounts to 257,000 acres, and including the small lakes, there are 100,000 acres not taxable.

The writer, who has traveled extensively in the "flat woods" of Indiana, could never pass over the fine scenery and beautiful prospects presented by the prairies, groves and lakes of LaPorte County, without feelings of wonder and admiration; and he has repeatedly, in his excursions, encountered entire strangers, who, it seemed, were involuntarily forced to pause and express the pleasure and delight with which they concurred in his sentiments.

Michigan City is situated at the mouth of Trail Creek, on Lake Michigan, twelve miles northwest of LaPorte. It was first settled in 1831. There are in the place [in 1849] nine dry goods stores, one drug store, seven grocery and provision stores, one printing office, a branch of the State Bank of Indiana, and 900 inhabitants. Michigan City has a number of large warehouses, conveniently situated on Trail Creek, for the storage and shipment of wheat, and had the improvement of the harbor been continued as was contemplated, the great emporium of the northern trade of the State would have been here. At one time more than 2,000 acres of land were laid out in town lots, houses were thinly scattered over the whole, and there were good prospects of its becoming a large and flourishing city, where business to the amount of millions would be annually transacted. Instead of this, vessels can now be loaded and unloaded only form "Lighters," and in pleasant weather. The losses by the owners of lots alone were not doubt four-fold the expense of making a harbor, and to the public the loss of wealth, capital and the facilities for business is very large.

1938 Adams County Retrospect - Based on "Indiana Review," published by the State Legislature

LaPorte County is one of the state's greatest resort sections and also an industrial center. It is bordered on the northwest by Lake Michigan. Across the county from east to west runs an elevated ridge forming a watershed, dividing the surface waters into tributaries of the St. Lawrence and Mississippi Rivers. In addition to Lake Michigan there are a number of other lakes, most of which are drained by the Kankakee River. The highest point of the surface in the county is about 270 feet above the surface of Lake Michigan and 870 feet above the ocean. The soil of the county is varied, consisting of sandy timber loam, prairie loam and vegetable mold, and is especially adapted to the growth of potatoes, wheat and corn.

According to history, this is part of the territory visited by Father Marquette. The date of the first settlement by white men is nor certain, though it was in either the township of New Durham or, as is more generally believed, Hudson Township, settled in 1828. The Indians of the region were of the Pottawatomie Tribe.

One of the largest counties in the state, LaPorte embraces an area of 595 square miles, divided into twenty-one townships. This is the largest number of townships in any Indiana county. The incorporated cities are LaPorte, 15,755, and Michigan City, 26,735; towns: Westville, 496; LaCrosse, 568; Long Beach, 436; Trail Creek, 295; Pottawattomie Park, 23, and Lakeland. Total county population in 1890 was 34,445; 1900, 38,386; 1910, 45,797; 1920, 50,443; 1930, 60,490.

The Interlaken School for Boys is located at Rolling Prairie in LaPorte County. It is one of the most unique educational institutions in America and was established by Dr. Edward A. Rumely. It is a boys' training or preparatory school, western state universities recognize its certificate, and it gives thorough preparation for eastern colleges, as well as German universities. Special courses in scientific agriculture and related subjects are offered with practical experience in the use of all farm tools and the care of cattle. The school has a 500-acre farm, which is equipped with every modern appliance.

The Indiana State Prison was established by authority of an act approved March 5, 1859, providing for the erection of a prison in that part of the state north of the National Road. It was first known as the Northern Indiana State Prison. Its site at Michigan City was chosen March 1, 1860, and approved by the Governor the next day. The organic law required that a certain number of convicts should be transferred from the Jeffersonville prison and their labor utilized in the work of construction. The first detachments of these arrived in Michigan City April 5, 1860, and were housed in temporary quarters. The new institution was made a receiving prison by an act approved June 1, 1861, and from that day until April 1, 1897, was the place of confinement for all persons sentenced to State Prison from the counties north of the National Road. An act approved February 26, 1897, converted this institution into the Indiana State Prison for the incarceration of men convicted of treason or murder in the first or second degree and all men thirty years or over convicted of felony in any court in the state.

LaPorte is located fifty-nine miles southeast of Chicago and is served by three railroads. It is important not only as a center of agriculture, but from an industrial standpoint. According to 1935 federal census figures, the city had thirty-seven manufacturing establishments employing 2,285 wage earners. These earned $2,262,673. The value of the products was $10,098,673.

Michigan City, the largest city in the county and one of Indiana's important manufacturing centers, is located fifty-six miles southeast of Chicago and is served by four railroads, as well as the Great Lakes Lines. Its industries include the manufacture of railroad cars, mining machinery, boilers, heating apparatus, furniture, hosiery, gloves, shirts, overalls, blouses, lumber, water coolers, nickel plate ware, bricks, and bicycles. In addition there are numerous fishing concerns. The Kuhn Ice and Coal Co. is among the county's well-known businesses. According to the figures of the 1935 federal census, the city had forty-five manufacturing establishments employing 2,989 wage earners on pay rolls totaling $2,517,006. Value of the manufactured products was $14,163,969.

This city is best known throughout the Middle West as an outstanding summer resort, situated as it is on the shores of Lake Michigan. Thousands visit the city weekly during the summer. One of the points of interest in the city is the modern harbor. Michigan City is the site of Indiana State Prison.

According to 1935 federal census figures, the county had ninety manufacturing establishments employing 5,446 wage earners. Pay rolls for these totaled $4,936,951. The value of the manufactured product was $25,045,146.

The county had 2,565 farms with an average of 130.9 acres each. The value of these was $18,450,035. A total of 57,172 head of livestock was reported.

The total county tax valuation as of 1936 was $86,835,884.

Courthouse History

Map of Indiana Historical Markers

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