LaPorte County, Indiana Genealogy
Guide to LaPorte County, Indiana ancestry, genealogy and family history, birth records, marriage records, death records, census records, and military records.
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County Information
Description
The county was named LaPorte, which means "the door" or "the port" in French. It is located in the north-central area of the state.[2]
County Courthouse
LaPorte County Courthouse
813 Lincoln Way
LaPorte, IN 46350
Phone: 219-326-6808
County Website
LaPorte County Health Department
809 State Street, Suite 401A
La Porte, IN, 46350
Health Officer: Sandra Deausy, MD
Phone Number: 219-326-6808
Fax: 219-325-8628
Email: tmancuso@laportecounty.org
Health Department
County Clerk has marriage records from 1832, divorce, probate and court records from 1834.
County Recorder has land records.
County Health Department has birth, death and burial records. [3]
Health Department has birth records and death records.
Copies may be obtained from the county health department or the Indiana State Division of Vital Records.
LaPorte County, Indiana Record Dates
Information for this chart was taken from various sources, often containing conflicting dates. This information should be taken as a guide and should be verified by contacting the county and/or the state government agency.
| Birth* | Marriage | Death* | Court | Land | Probate | Census |
| 1882 | 1832 | 1882 | 1834 | 1831 | 1834 | 1807 |
Record Loss
|
There is no known history of courthouse disasters in this county. |
Boundary Changes
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Populated Places
For a complete list of populated places, including small neighborhoods and suburbs, visit HomeTown Locator. The following are the most historically and genealogically relevant populated places in this county:[7]
| Cities | ||
| Towns | ||
| Unincorporated communities | ||
| Census-designated places | ||
| Townships | ||
History Timeline
Resources
Bible Records
Biographies
Business, Commerce, and Occupations
Cemeteries
The following may hold valuable information:
- Cemetery records of LaPorte County, Indiana - FamilySearch Digital Library
- Cemetery inscriptions, LaPorte and Porter Counties, Indiana; v. 02 - FamilySearch Digital Library
Census Records
For tips on accessing LaPorte County census records online, see: Indiana Census.
| Historical populations | ||
|---|---|---|
| Census | Pop. | %± |
| 1840 | 8,184 | — |
| 1850 | 12,145 | 48.4% |
| 1860 | 22,919 | 88.7% |
| 1870 | 27,062 | 18.1% |
| 1880 | 30,985 | 14.5% |
| 1890 | 34,445 | 11.2% |
| 1900 | 38,386 | 11.4% |
| 1910 | 45,797 | 19.3% |
| 1920 | 50,443 | 10.1% |
| 1930 | 60,490 | 19.9% |
| 1940 | 63,660 | 5.2% |
| 1950 | 76,808 | 20.7% |
| 1960 | 95,111 | 23.8% |
| 1970 | 105,342 | 10.8% |
| 1980 | 108,632 | 3.1% |
| 1990 | 107,066 | −1.4% |
| 2000 | 110,106 | 2.8% |
| 2010 | 111,467 | 1.2% |
| Source: "Wikipedia.org". | ||
- Index to Mortality Schedule for LaPorte County (1860) at Indiana Genealogical Society ($)
- Index to Defective, Dependent & Delinquent Census for LaPorte County, Indiana (1880) at Indiana Genealogical Society ($)
Church Records
Most church records are held by individual churches. For contact information, check a phone directory, such as SearchBug or Dex Knows. Some denominations are gathering their records into a central repository.
For more information about these major repositories, see Indiana Church Records.
List of Churches and Church Parishes
Court Records
- 1818-1954 Indiana Court Cases at MyHeritage — index ($)
- 1832-1922 Court Records, 1832-1922(*); Circuit and Probate Court at FamilySearch Catalog — index & images
- 1834-1979 Index of Guardianships, 1834-1979(*); Circuit Court at FamilySearch Catalog — index & images
- 1853-1876 Common Pleas Order Book, 1853-1876(*); Court of Common Pleas at FamilySearch Catalog — index & images
LaPorte County is the only county in Indiana that has 2 courthouses. One is located in Michigan City and the other is in the county seat of the City of La Porte.
Directories
- 1893-1894 Michigan City, Indiana, City Directory, 1893 - 1894 at MyHeritage — index & images ($)
- 1899 Laporte County, Indiana, County Directory, 1899 at MyHeritage — index & images ($)
- 1905 Michigan, Indiana, City Directory, 1905 at MyHeritage — index & images ($)
- 1970-2024 United States, Residence Database, 1970-2024 at FamilySearch — How to Use this Collection; index, coverage may vary
- Directory of Businesses in LaPorte County, Indiana (1868) at Indiana Genealogical Society ($)
Emigration and Immigration
Ethnic, Political, and Religious Groups
African American
- 28th US Colored Troops, Addition Recruits for Colored Troops
Funeral Homes
- Coleman and Hicks Funeral Home and Crematory in Michigan City.
- Cutler Funeral Home and Cremation Center in La Porte.
- Emmanuel Funeral Home and Cremation Services in Trail Creek and Westville.
- Frank L. Keszei Funeral Home, Inc in La Porte.
- Geisen Funeral Homes in Michigan City.
- Haverstock Funeral Home Inc and Cremation Services in La Porte.
- Lakeview Funeral Home and Crematory in La Porte.
- Midwest Cremation Center in La Porte.
- Newhard Funeral Home in Westville.
- Root Funeral Home in Michigan City.
- Wanatah Funeral Chapel in Wanatah.
Genealogies
Guardianship
Land and Property Records
Land and property records can place an ancestor in a particular location, provide economic information, and reveal family relationships. Land records include: deeds, abstracts and indexes, mortgages, leases, grants and land patents. See Indiana Land and Property for additional information about early Indiana land grants and patents.
After land was transferred from the government to private ownership, subsequent transactions were recorded at the LaPorte County courthouse, where records are currently housed.
Online Land Indexes and Records
- Full-Text Search - Land Records at FamilySearch - index & images; dates, records, and places vary; How to Search
Local Histories
Local histories are available for LaPorte County. County histories may include biographies; church, school and government histories; and military information. For more information about local histories, see Indiana Local Histories.
- History of La Porte County, Indiana. 1974. Evansville, Indiana : Unigraphic. Online at: FamilySearch Digital Library, Hathitrust, Internet Archive. Digital images. Reprint of the 1880 ed. published by C. Chapman, Chicago.
- History of LaPorte County, Indiana and its Townships, Towns and Cities. 1976. By Jasper Packard. Evansville, Indiana : Unigraphic. Online at: FamilySearch Digital Library, Hathitrust; At various libraries (WorldCat). Reprint of original published: LaPort [Ind.] : E. Taylor, 1876. Includes index, compiled by Gertrude Davison Flotow.
- A Twentieth Century History and Biographical Record of La Porte County, Indiana. 1904. By E.D. Daniels. Chicago : Lewis Publishing Co. Online at: FamilySearch Digital Library, Hathitrust; At various libraries (WorldCat).
Maps and Gazetteers
for more resources
- Historic Indiana Maps at IUPUI University Library
- Old Antique Atlases & Maps of Indiana
- Library of Congress Map Collection
- David Rumsey Map Collection
- FamilySearch Places: Map of cities and towns in this county - How to Use FS Places
Migration
Military Records
- Military Record Series Index at Indiana Digital Archives
Civil War
Civil War service men from LaPorte County served in various regiments. Men often joined a company (within a regiment) that originated in their county. Listed below are companies that were specifically formed in LaPorte County.
- 1st Regiment, Indiana Heavy Artillery, Company B
- 4th Regiment, Indiana Cavalry, Company E
- 4th Battery, Indiana Light Artillery
- 5th Battery, Indiana Light Artillery (Simonson's)
- 5th Regiment, Indiana Cavalry (90th Regiment, Indiana Volunteers), Company K
- 9th Regiment, Indiana Infantry, Companies B, F, and Reorganized Company B, F, G, and H
- 12th Regiment, Indiana Cavalry, Companies A, F, G, and M
- 13th Regiment, Indiana Infantry, Reorganized Company C
- 15th Regiment, Indiana Infantry, Company G
- 20th Regiment, Indiana Infantry, Company E
- 21st Battery, Indiana Light Artillery
- 29th Regiment, Indiana Infantry, Company C, G, H, and I
- 30th Regiment, Indiana Infantry, Reorganized Company C
- 35th Regiment, Indiana Infantry, Company I
- 73rd Regiment, Indiana Infantry, Companies B, and K
- 87th Regiment, Indiana Infantry, Companies G, H, and I
- 109th Regiment, Indiana Infantry, Companies B, and H
- 128th Regiment, Indiana Infantry, Companies C, E, H, and I
- 138th Regiment, Indiana Infantry (100 days, 1864), Companies B, and D
- 151st Regiment, Indiana Infantry, Companies A, E, and K
- 155th Regiment, Indiana Infantry, Companies B, and G
- 28th US Colored Troops, Addition Recruits for Colored Troops
Civil War Books:
- History of LaPorte County, Indiana, and its townships, towns and cities. 1976. By Jasper Packard. Evansville, Ind: Unigraphic. Online at: FamilySearch Digital Library. Military Record, Chapter 25.
- The War For The Union in History of LaPorte County, Indiana: together with sketches of its cities, villages, and townships, educational, religious, civil, military, and political history; portraits of prominent persons and biographies of representative citizens. History of Indiana embracing accounts of the pre-historic races, aborigines, French, English and American conquests, and a general review of its civil, political and military history. 1880. Chicago, Illinois : Chas. C. Chapman & Co. FS Library film 934912, item 1. Online at: Internet Archive.
Civil War Databases
- Residents of LaPorte County Who Served in the 9th Indiana Infantry (1861-1865) at Indiana Genealogical Society ($)
World War I
- 1919 Indiana, World War I, Enrollment Cards, 1919 at FamilySearch - How to Use this Collection
Naturalization and Citizenship
- Naturalization Record Series (for this county) at Indiana Digital Archives. Search by names.
Newspapers
Indiana newspapers may contain genealogical value including obituaries, births, marriages, deaths, anniversaries, family gatherings, family travel, achievements, business notices, engagement information, and probate court proceedings.
For more Indiana newspaper information see the wiki page Indiana Newspapers.
- 1800s-Current Indiana, U.S., Newspapers.com™ Stories and Events Index, 1800's-Current at Ancestry — index & images ($)
- 1800s-1999 U.S., Newspapers.com Marriage Index, 1800s-1999 at Ancestry - index ($)
- The La Porte County Herald Argus, City of La Porte and surrounding area
- The Michigan City News-Dispatch, Michigan City and surrounding area
- Hoosier State Chronicles
Obituaries
- 1880-Onward Indiana, LaPorte County Obituaries at MyHeritage — index & images ($)
- 1887-2011 Web: Michigan City, Indiana, U.S., Obituary Index, 1887-2011 at Ancestry ($), index
Other Records
Periodicals
Probate Records
In most counties in Indiana, probate records have been kept by the county clerk of the circuit court. They include wills, fee books, claim registers, legacy records, inheritance records, probate ticklers, and dockets. The records are available at the LaPorte County courthouse. For more information, see Indiana Probate Records.
Online Probate Indexes and Records
- 1798-1999 Indiana Wills and Probate Records 1798-1999 at Ancestry ($)
- 1832-1922 Court Records, 1832-1922(*); Circuit and Probate Court at FamilySearch Catalog — index & images
- 1834-1978 Estate Indexes, 1834-1978(*); Circuit Court at FamilySearch Catalog — index & images
- 1844-1921 Will Records, 1844-1921(*); Circuit Court at FamilySearch Catalog — index & images
- 1853-1926 Partition Records, 1853-1926(*); Circuit Court at FamilySearch Catalog — index & images
- 1863-1870 LaPorte Co., Indiana, Abstract of Wills from Book A., 1863-1870(*); at FamilySearch Catalog — images
- 1899-1920 Probate Records of La Porte County, Indiana, 1899-1920(*); Superior Court at FamilySearch Catalog — index & images
- Full-Text Search - Wills and Probate Records at FamilySearch - index & images; dates, records, and places vary; How to Search
School Records
- Students and Teachers of LaPorte High School (1939, 1943) at Indiana Genealogical Society ($)
Social Security Records
- 1935-2014 United States Social Security Death Index at FamilySearch - How to Use this Collection; index. Also at Ancestry, findmypast, Fold3, GenealogyBank, MyHeritage, and Steve Morse. Click here for more information.
- 1936-2007 U.S., Social Security Applications and Claims Index, 1936-2007 at Ancestry ($) — index, click here for more information.
- 1936-2007 United States, Social Security Numerical Identification Files (NUMIDENT), 1936-2007 at FamilySearch - How to Use this Collection; index
Tax Records
Indiana tax records complement land records and can be used in place of censuses or to supplement the years between censuses. Because only persons who owned taxable property were listed, many residents were not included in tax lists. There may also be gaps of several years in the tax records of some counties. For more information see the wiki page Indiana Taxation.
Vital Records
Vital records consist of birth, death, marriage and divorce records. Indiana law in 1882 required registration of births and deaths in counties. The Indiana Department of Health has birth records filed after October 1907 and death records filed after January 1900 for deaths. Copies may be obtained from the county health department or the Indiana State Division of Vital Records.
Birth
Marriage
- 1780-1992 Indiana Marriages, 1780-1992 at FamilySearch - How to Use this Collection; Also at: MyHeritage ($)
- 1800s-2007 Indiana, United States Marriages at Findmypast $
- 1802-1892 Indiana Marriages, 1802-1892 at Ancestry ($)
- 1811-1959 Indiana, Marriages, 1811-1959 at MyHeritage - index & images ($)
- 1811-2007 Indiana Marriages, 1811-2007 at FamilySearch - How to Use this Collection
Death
- Pre-1882 WEB: Indiana, Deaths, Pre-1882 at Ancestry - index, (Free collection)
- 1750-1993 Indiana Deaths and Burials, 1750-1993 at FamilySearch - How to Use this Collection
- 1882-1920 Indiana, Death Index, 1882-1920 at FamilySearch - How to Use this Collection
- 1899-2011 Indiana, Death Certificates, 1899-2011 at Ancestry ($)
Divorce
Research Facilities
Archives
Listed below are archives in LaPorte County. For state-wide archival repositories, see Indiana Archives and Libraries.
Harold Henderson, CG (SM), County Genealogist
1355 W Springville Rd
La Porte, IN 46350-8344
Phone: 219-324-2620
Email: librarytraveler@gmail.com
FamilySearch Centers
FamilySearch Center and Affiliate Library Locator map - search for local FamilySearch Centers or Affiliate Libraries
- FamilySearch Centers provide one-on-one assistance, free access to center-only databases, and to premium genealogical websites.
- FamilySearch Affiliate Libraries have access to most center-only databases, but may not always have full services normally provided by a FamilySearch center.
Local Centers and Affiliate Libraries
- Griffith Indiana FamilySearch Center
- Valparaiso Indiana FamilySearch Center
- Michigan City Public Library - an affiliate library.
- Valparaiso Public Library/Porter County Public Library System - an affiliate library.
Libraries
Listed below are libraries in LaPorte County. For state-wide genealogical societies, see Indiana Archives and Libraries.
LaPorte County Public Library
904 Indiana Ave
La Porte, IN 46350
Phone: 219-362-6156
Email: help@laportelibrary.org
Website
Michigan City Public Library
100 E 4th Street
Michigan City, IN 46360
Phone: 219-873-3042
Email: refdesk@mclib.org
Facebook
Website
Museums
LaPorte County Historical Society Museum
2405 Indiana Ave, Suite 1
La Porte, IN 46350
Phone: 219-324-6767
Email: info@laportecountyhistory.org
Facebook
Website
Societies
Listed below are societies in LaPorte County. For state-wide genealogical societies, see Indiana Societies.
LaPorte County Indiana Genealogical Society
904 Indiana Ave
PO Box 365
La Porte, IN 46352
Facebook
Website
Wanatah Historical Society
PO Box 156
Wanatah, IN 46390-0156
Phone: 219-733-2822, 219-733-2865 or 219-733-2927
Email: whistsoc@frontier.com
Website
Websites
- Indiana Digital Archives Search by name in all records or specific collections
- Indiana Historical Society Digital Collections Extensive - keyword searches suggested
- Indiana Memory Click the map or select a statewide collection
- List of indexes and databases at Indiana State Library
- Indiana Genealogical Society Databases Free and Members-only. Scroll the list.
- USGenWeb project. May have maps, name indexes, history or other information for this county.
- Cemetery and Research Association Of LaPorte County, Indiana
- LaPorte County at Linkpendium.
- FamilySearch Catalog – The FamilySearch catalog contains descriptions and access information for all genealogical materials (including books, online materials, microfilm, microfiche, and publications) in their collection. Use Historical Records to search for specific individuals in genealogical records.
Research Guides
References
- ↑ The Handybook for Genealogists: United States of America,10th ed. (Draper, UT:Everton Publishers, 2002).
- ↑ Wikipedia contributors, "LaPorte County," in Wikipedia: the Free Encyclopedia, https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/LaPorte_County,_Indiana 3/29/2017.
- ↑ Handybook for Genealogists: United States of America, 10th ed. (Draper, Utah: Everton Pub., 2002), Indiana.At various libraries (WorldCat); FS Library Book 973 D27e 2002.
- ↑ Handybook for Genealogists: United States of America, 10th ed. (Draper, Utah: Everton Pub., 2002), Indiana.At various libraries (WorldCat); FS Library Book 973 D27e 2002.
- ↑ Handybook for Genealogists: United States of America, 10th ed. (Draper, Utah: Everton Pub., 2002), Indiana.At various libraries (WorldCat); FS Library Book 973 D27e 2002.
- ↑ Wikipedia contributors, "LaPorte County, Indiana" in Wikipedia: the Free Encyclopedia at http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/LaPorte_County,_Indiana (accessed 10 May 2012).
- ↑ Wikipedia contributors, "LaPorte County, Indiana," in Wikipedia: the Free Encyclopedia, https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/LaPorte_County,_Indiana, accessed 18 December 2019.