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Whitley County History and Information
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Whitley County Facts

Whitley County was created on January 29, 1839, which became effective April 1, 1839 and was formed from Unorganized Land. Whitley County was formed out of what was originally Cleveland Township of Huntington County. The County was named for Col. William Whitley, who was killed at the decisive American victory at the Battle of the Thames in the War of 1812.

The County Seat is Columbia City. Columbia City wasn't the original location for the County Seat. The site for the first County Seat, which was selected by sate commissioners, did not prove satisfactory and the Legislature passed an act February 18, 1839, naming five new commissioners to relocate the County Seat. On October 19, 1839, the commissioners met and decided to place the County Seat on centrally located fractional Section 11, Township 31 North, Range 9 East. This land was owned by Elihu Chauncey, of Philadelphia and he agreed to donate 222 1/2 acres and build a sawmill on the land. There was not a family of settlers living within one and a half miles of the County Seat, called Columbia and afterward changed to Columbia City, when it was established. By 1849 it contained seventy houses, two were brick the others being frame, and a brick Courthouse had been commenced; the population was 350. See also County History for more historical details.

Counties adjacent to Whitley County are Noble County (north), Allen County (east), Huntington County (south), Wabash County (southwest), Kosciusko County (west).

Whitley County is divided into 9 Civil Townships as follows: Cleveland, Columbia, Etna-Troy, Jefferson, Richland, Smith, Thorn Creek, Union and Washington; originally Etna-Troy was divided into individual townships named Etna and Troy. Cities, Towns and Communities include Arnolds, Churubusco, Coesse, Collins, Columbia City, Dunfee, Etna, Larwill, Peabody and South Whitley.

 

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.

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Records at the Whitley County Courthouse

See Also Indiana Land Records, Marriage Records, Court & Probate Records

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 Whitley County Courthouse History

   Whitley County Clerk has Marriage Records from 1838 , Probate Records from 1839 and Court Records from 1839 and is located at 101 W Van Buren, Columbia City, IN 46725; (260) 248-3102, fax: (260) 248-3137
   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.

   Whitley County Recorder has Land Records from 1813 and is located at 101 W Van Buren, Columbia City, IN 46725; (260) 248-3106, fax: (260) 248-3163.
   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.

Search Online 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.

   Whitley County Health Department has Birth / Death Records from 1882 and is located at 101 West Market, Suite A, Columbia City, IN 46725-2402; (260) 248-3121

Below is a list of online resources for Whitley County Court Records. Email us with websites containing Whitley 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.
  • Whitley 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.

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Whitley County Vital Records

See Also Vital Records in Indiana

Search Online Click Here to Search Indiana Birth, Marriage & Death Records! - Birth, marriage, and death records are connected with central life events. They are prime sources for genealogical information. Look also for baptism, christening, and burial records in this collection.

Some documents are just too important to wait 6 weeks for. With VitalChek Express Certificate Service you won’t have to. Birth, Marriage, Divorce & Death Certificates Signed. Sealed. Delivered. Often in as few as three business days!

  • Birth Certificates: The Division of Vital Records and Statistics maintains birth records that occur in Indiana since Oct 1907 to the present. Prior to October 1907, records of birth are filed only with the local health department in the county where the birth actually occurred.
    • Cost: Initial search and one certified copy or certification of the record or No Record Statement is $10.00 and $4.00 for each additional copy. Make your check or money order payable to "Indiana State Department of Health". Enclose a business-size self-addressed envelope. If no record is found or no copy is made, state law requires that we keep check amount for a searching fee. Please do not send cash in the mail.
    • In Person: The ISDH Vital Records office is located at 6 West Washington Street, Indianapolis, Indiana 46204. The office is open for walk-in requests from 10:00 a.m. to 2:00 p.m., E.S.T., Monday through Friday (excluding official State Holidays). The cost for the first certificate is $10.00 and $4.00 for each additional copy. Average wait time is less than an hour.
    • Processing Time: 5 weeks when ordered by MAIL or 2-5 Days when you order ELECTRONICALLY
  • Death Certificates: The Division of Vital Records and Statistics maintains death records that occur in Indiana since 1900 to the present. Prior to 1900, records of death are filed only with the local health department in the county where the death actually occurred. For deaths occurring from 1900 to 1917, the city and/or county of death is required in order to locate the record.
    • Cost: Initial search and one certified copy or certification of the record or No Record Statement is $8.00 and $4.00 for each additional copy. Make your check or money order payable to "Indiana State Department of Health". Enclose a business-size self-addressed envelope. If no record is found or no copy is made, state law requires that we keep check amount for a searching fee. Please do not send cash in the mail.
    • In Person: The ISDH Vital Records office is located at 6 West Washington Street, Indianapolis, Indiana 46204. The office is open for walk-in requests from 10:00 a.m. to 2:00 p.m., E.S.T., Monday through Friday (excluding official State Holidays). The cost for the first certificate is $8.00 and $4.00 for each additional copy. Average wait Time is less than an hour.
    • Processing Time: 5 weeks when ordered by MAIL or 2-5 Days when you order ELECTRONICALLY
      • Click Here to Search the Social Security Death Index for FREE
  • Marriage Certificates: Certified copies of marriage certificates are not available from the State Health Department. They are available from the Clerks of the Circuit Court in the county where the marriage was granted. Fees vary.
  • Divorce Certificates: Certified copies of divorce certificates are not available from the State Health Department. They are available from the County Clerk in the county where the divorce was granted. Fees vary.

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

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Whitley County Census Records

See Also Research In Census Records

Search Online Click Here to Search Indiana Voter Lists & Census Records! - Few, if any, records reveal as many details about individuals and families as do government census records. Substitute records can be used when the official census is unavailable.

  Countywide Records: Federal Population Schedules that exist for Whitley County, Indiana are 1840, 1850, 1860, 1870, 1880, 1900, 1910, 1920 and 1930. Other Federal Schedules to look at when researching your Family Tree in Whitley County, Indiana are Industry and Agriculture Schedules availible for the years 1850, 1860, 1870 and 1880. The Mortality Schedules for the years 1850, 1860, 1870 and 1880. There are free downloadable and printable Census forms to help with your research. These include U.S. Census Extraction Forms and U.K. Census Extraction Forms.

  See Also Statewide Records that exist for Indiana

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

  • Indiana Census, 1790-1890: This collection contains the following indexes: 1790 (Northwest Territory) Federal Census Index; 1807 State Census Index; 1810 Wayne County Census Index; 1812 Census Index; 1820 Federal Census Index; 1830 Federal Census Index; 1840 Federal Census Index; 1840 Pensioners List; 1850 Federal Census Index; 1860 Federal Census Index; 1870 Federal Census Index; 1890 Veterans Schedule.
  • Whitley County, Indiana Census Books at Amazon.com

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Whitley County Maps & Atlases

   Genealogy Atlas has images of old American atlases during the years 1795, 1814, 1822, 1823, 1836, 1838, 1845, 1856, 1866, 1879 and 1897 for Ohio and other states.

  You can view rotating animated maps for Indiana showing all the county boundaries for each census year overlayed with past and present maps so you can see the changes in county boundaries. You can view a list of maps for other states at Census Maps
   You can view rotating animated maps for Indiana showing all the county boundary changes for each year overlayed with past and present maps so you can see the changes in county boundaries. You can view a list of maps for other states at County Maps

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

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Whitley County Military Records

See Also Military Records in Indiana

Search Online Click Here to Search Indiana Military Records! - Military and civil service records provide unique facts and insights into the lives of men and women who have served their country at home and abroad.

   The uses and value of military records in genealogical research for ancestors who were veterans are obvious, but military records can also be important to re-searchers whose direct ancestors were not soldiers in any war. The fathers, grandfathers, brothers, and other close relatives of an ancestor may have served in a war, and their service or pension records could contain information that will assist in further identifying the family of primary interest. Due to the amount of genealogical information contained in some military pension files, they should never be overlooked during the research process. Those records not containing specific genealogical information are of historic value and should be included in any overall research design.

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

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Whitley County Tax 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 Whitley County Tax Records. Email us with websites containing Whitley County Tax Records by clicking the link below:

  • Whitley County, Indiana Tax Books at Amazon.com

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Whitley 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 Whitley County Genealogical Addresses. Email us with websites containing Whitley County Genealogical Addresses by clicking the link below:

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Whitley County Church & Cemeteries

See Also Church & Cemetery Records in Indiana

Search Online 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 Whitley County. Some transcriptions are online. A great site is the Whitley 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 Whitley County Cemetery & Church Records. Email us with websites containing Whitley County Cemetery & Church Records by clicking the link below:

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Family Trees & Genealogy Tidbits

Search Online 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 Whitley County Family Trees, web forums and other family type information. Email us with websites containing Whitley County Family Trees, web forums and other family type information by clicking the link below:

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County History

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

Whitley County, organized in 1842, was named in honor Colonel William Whitley, of Lincoln County, Kentucky, one of the bravest and most generous of the early pioneers of that State, who, after being a successful leader in many daring expeditions, fell at last, at the age of 64, in the Battle of the Thames, where he had volunteered to serve as a private. Whitley County is 18 miles square, and is bounded north by Noble, east by Allen, south by Huntington, and west by Wabash and Kosciusko. The civil townships are Cleveland, Richland, Troy, Thorn Creek, Columbia, Smith, Washington and Jefferson. The population in 1840 was 1,237; it is now [in 1849] about 4,500.

The south part of the county is level, the middle and north undulating or hilly; one-ninth of the county is bottomland, one-seventh barrens, the remainder is forest intermixed with wet prairies, mostly small. The timber is of almost every variety found in Indiana; the soil is generally a sandy loam, well adapted to the usual agricultural products. Fort Wayne is the market for the surplus grain, etc., to which about the value of $12,000 has been sent annually.

There are in the county five gristmills, eight sawmills, two carding machines, eight stores, one grocery, three lawyers, eight physicians, and 114 mechanics of the trades most in demand. There are also nine Episcopal and four Protestant Methodist churches, five Lutheran, two Old School and one New School Presbyterian, three Baptist and two United Brethren, one Winebrinner and one Allbright church. The taxable land amounts to 184,169 acres, and about 18,000 acres still belong to the United States.

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

Whitley County was formerly dotted with Indian villages of the Miami tribes, the most important of which was Turtle Village, located on the banks of Eel River in Union Township. This was the home of Little Turtle, one of the greatest of the Miami chiefs. He is known as having been the first of the Indians to discard the practice of the Medicine Man and adopt vaccination for the prevention of smallpox among his people. His village was destroyed by a detail from General Harrison's Army in the year 1812. Coesse, a nephew of Little Turtle, was another famous Indian Chief who lived in this county, and the village of Coesse is named for him. Some of the county's best land was granted to the Indians in parts of Columbia, Onion, and Jefferson townships. Kilsoquah, the granddaughter of Little Turtle, was one of the most interesting figures in the Indian history of the state; she died in the early 1900s at the town of Roanoke her age being 105 years. Some of the richest lands of the county were granted by treaty to the Indians, several hundred acres being comprised in the Beaver, Seeks Village and Chapine Reservations in Columbia and Union townships and the Raccoon Reservations in the southeast corner of Jefferson Township.

Whitley is another of the northern Indiana summer resort counties, and numerous lakes dot its area. In the northern part of the county lie some of the most beautiful lakes in Indiana. Blue River Lake, the largest, lies in Smith Township near the town of Churubusco. In Troy Township are Robinson, Cedar, Spruce and new Lakes and several smaller ones. In Etna Township are Old Lake and a part of Loon Lake. Cedar and Shriner Lakes in Thorn Creek Township, widely known as Tri-Lake-Resort, forms the most attractive group. Here the State Fish and Game Commission has established a fish hatchery. A portion of Crooked Lake, with its heavily wooded shores, regarded by many as the most beautiful lake in the county, also lies in Thorn Creek Township. The abundant supply of fish with which these lakes are stocked, and their picturesque surroundings, attract many pleasure seekers from all parts of the Middle West.

The land of Whitley County is rich clay loam interspersed with sandy soil. The land is quite fertile, producing abundantly of all major crops. One of the principle crops since reclamation of a large area of muck land has been onions. The land is drained by Eel River, as well as numerous smaller waterways.

Whitley County is one of the northeastern group, covering an area of 338 square miles, divided onto ten townships. The incorporated city is Columbia City, 3,805; towns: South Whitley, 1,102; Churubusco, 1,095; and Larwill, 262. Total county population for 1890 was 17,768; 1900, 17,328; 1910, 16,892; 1920, 15,660; 1930, 15,931.

Columbia City is located nineteen miles west of Fort Wayne and is served by one railroad. It is chiefly important as an agricultural center, but also manufactures flour and lumber. Other important industries include machine shops and a foundry.

One of the chief points of interest is the former home of Thomas R. Marshall' who served as Governor of Indiana as well as Vice President of the United States. In 1926 an addition to the city high school was erected and called Marshall Memorial Hall in his honor. Several other residences are of cultural note for their collections of antiques, pioneer needlework, coverlets, and Indian craft.

Among the county's outstanding personages are Lloyd Douglas, the author, formerly a minister, and Merritt W. Ireland, now a resident of Washington D. C., formerly Surgeon General of the United States.

Whitley County had fifteen manufacturing establishments, according to 1935 federal census figures. There were 879 wage earners employed on payrolls of $703,000. The value of the products was $3,853,753.

There were 2,173 farms averaging 94.8 acres each. The value of these was $10,097,668. A total of 61,435 head of livestock was reported. The total county tax valuation for 1936 was $22,112,740.

Courthouse History

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