Lake County, Indiana Genealogy
Guide to Lake County, Indiana ancestry, genealogy and family history, birth records, marriage records, death records, census records, and military records.
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County Information[edit | edit source]
Description[edit | edit source]
Lake County was named for its location on Lake Michigan.[2] It is located in the northwestern corner of the state.[3]
County Courthouse[edit | edit source]
Lake County Courthouse
2293 N Main Street
Crown Point, IN 46307
Phone: 219-755-3000
County Website
Lake County Health Department
2900 West 93rd Ave.
Crown Point, IN, 46307
Health Officer: Chandana Vavilala, MD
Phone Number: 219-755-3655
Fax: 219-755-3668
Email: doffinx@lakecountyin.org
Health Department
County Health Department has birth and death records.
Clerk Circuit Court has marriage, divorce, probate and court records from 1837.
County Recorder has land Records. [4]
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.
Lake County, Indiana Record Dates[edit | edit source]
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 | 1837 | 1882 | 1837 | 1837 | 1837 | 1807 |
Record Loss[edit | edit source]
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There is no known history of courthouse disasters in this county. |
Boundary Changes[edit | edit source]
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Populated Places[edit | edit source]
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:[8]
| Cities | ||
| Towns | ||
| Unincorporated communities | ||
| Census-designated places | ||
| Townships | ||
History Timeline[edit | edit source]
Resources[edit | edit source]
Bible Records[edit | edit source]
- Ellis Family Bible Records at Indiana State Library Digital Collections
- Lake County, Indiana Family Bibles and Records at Genealogy Trails
Biographies[edit | edit source]
- Encyclopedia of Genealogy and Biography of Lake County, Indiana: with a Compendium of History 1834-1904. 1974. Ed. by T.H. Ball. Evansville, Indiana : Unigraphic. Online at: FamilySearch Digital Library, Hathitrust, Internet Archive; At various libraries (WorldCat). Reprint. Originally published: Chicago : Lewis Publishing Co., 1904.
- A Standard History of Lake County, Indiana, and the Calumet Region. 2 volumes - vol. 2 contains biographical material. 1915. Edited by William Frederick Howat. Chicago, Illinois : Lewis Pub. Co. Online at: Vol. 2 - FamilySearch Digital Library, Internet Archive; At various libraries (WorldCat).
- Indiana Biography Index at Indiana State Library
Business, Commerce, and Occupations[edit | edit source]
Cemeteries[edit | edit source]
| |
Census Records[edit | edit source]
For tips on accessing Lake County census records online, see: Indiana Census.
| Historical populations | ||
|---|---|---|
| Census | Pop. | %± |
| 1840 | 1,468 | — |
| 1850 | 3,991 | 171.9% |
| 1860 | 9,145 | 129.1% |
| 1870 | 12,339 | 34.9% |
| 1880 | 15,091 | 22.3% |
| 1890 | 23,886 | 58.3% |
| 1900 | 37,892 | 58.6% |
| 1910 | 82,864 | 118.7% |
| 1920 | 159,957 | 93.0% |
| 1930 | 261,310 | 63.4% |
| 1940 | 293,195 | 12.2% |
| 1950 | 368,152 | 25.6% |
| 1960 | 513,269 | 39.4% |
| 1970 | 546,253 | 6.4% |
| 1980 | 522,965 | −4.3% |
| 1990 | 475,594 | −9.1% |
| 2000 | 484,564 | 1.9% |
| 2010 | 496,005 | 2.4% |
| Source: "Wikipedia.org". | ||
- Index to Defective, Dependent & Delinquent Census for Lake County, Indiana (1880) at Indiana Genealogical Society ($)
- Register of Farms in Lake County, Indiana (1914-1966) at Indiana Genealogical Society ($)
- Residents of Gary, Lake County, Indiana (1909) at Indiana Genealogical Society ($)
Church Records[edit | edit source]
Most church records are held by individual churches. For contact information, check a phone directory, such as SearchBug or Dex Knows. Some denominations are gathering their records into a central repository.
For more information about these major repositories, see Indiana Church Records.
List of Churches and Church Parishes
Ward and Branch Records of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints
- Gary
- South Shore
Court Records[edit | edit source]
- 1818-1954 Indiana Court Cases at MyHeritage — index ($)
- Abstract of Title : Lake County, Indiana; Volumes 147-1139(*); Allman-Gary Title Company at FamilySearch Catalog — images
- Abstract of Title : Lake County, Indiana; Volumes 285-986(*); Allman-Gary Title Company at FamilySearch Catalog — images
Directories[edit | edit source]
- 1889-1890 The Hammond Historical Society Presents the First City Directory for the Following Cities : Hammond, Indiana; East Chicago, Indiana; Hegewisch, Illinois; Burnham, Illinois; West Hammond, Illinois (now Calumet City), 1889-1890(*) at FamilySearch Catalog — images
- 1970-2024 United States, Residence Database, 1970-2024 at FamilySearch — How to Use this Collection; index, coverage may vary
Emigration and Immigration[edit | edit source]
- 1945-1956 Indiana, Gary and East Chicago Crew Lists, 1945-1956 at FamilySearch - How to Use This Collection
Ethnic, Political, and Religious Groups[edit | edit source]
Funeral Homes[edit | edit source]
- Acevez Funeral Home in East Chicago.
- Baran Funeral Home in Whiting.
- Bocken Funeral Home in Hammond.
- Burdan Funeral Home and Crematory in Cedar Lake.
- Burns Funeral Home and Crematory in Crown Point and Hobart.
- Calumet Park Funeral Chapel and Crematory in Merrillville.
- Castle Hill Funeral Home in Calumet and Dyer.
- Chapel Lawn Funeral Home and Memorial Gardens in Crown Point.
- Divinity Funeral Home and Cremation Services in East Chicago.
- Elmwood Funeral Chapel and Crematory in Cedar Lake and St. John.
- Fagen-Miller Funeral Homes in Dyer, Highland and St. John.
- Fife Funeral Home and Cremation Services in East Chicago.
- Geisen Funeral Homes in Crown Point and Merrillville.
- Guy and Allen Funeral Directors in Gary.
- Hillside Funeral Home and Cremation Center in Highland.
- Kish Funeral Home in Munster.
- Kuiper Funeral Home in Highland.
- LaHayne Funeral Home in Hammond.
- Lakeshore Funeral Services Inc. in Gary.
- Lincoln Ridge Funeral Home in Crown Point.
- Memory Lane Funeral Home in Crown Point.
- Oleska-Pastrick Funeral Home in East Chicago.
- Rees Funeral Homes and Cremation Services in Hobart and Lake Station.
- Ridgelawn Funeral Home in Gary.
- Sheets Funeral Home and Cremation Services in Lowell.
- Smith, Bizzell and Warner Funeral Home in Gary.
- Smits Funeral Homes Ltd. in Dyer.
- Solan Pruzin Funeral Home and Crematory in Hammond and Schererville.
- White Funeral Home and Cremation Services in Griffith.
Genealogies[edit | edit source]
Guardianship[edit | edit source]
Land and Property Records[edit | edit source]
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 Lake 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[edit | edit source]
Local histories are available for Lake County. County histories may include biographies; church, school and government histories; and military information. For more information about local histories, see Indiana Local Histories.
- Counties of Porter and Lake, Indiana: Historical and Biographical. 1882. Editors: Weston A. Goodspeed, historical editor; Charles Blanchard, biographical editor. Chicago: F.A. Battey. Online at: FamilySearch Digital Library, Hathitrust, Internet Archive, Ancestry ($); At various libraries (WorldCat).
- Encyclopedia of Genealogy and Biography of Lake County, Indiana: with a Compendium of History 1834-1904. 1974. Ed. by T.H. Ball. Evansville, Indiana : Unigraphic. Online at: FamilySearch Digital Library, Hathitrust, Internet Archive; At various libraries (WorldCat). Reprint. Originally published: Chicago : Lewis Publishing Co., 1904.
- Lake County, Indiana, from 1834 to 1872. 1873. Ed. Timothy Horton Ball. Chicago : J.W. Goodspeed. Online at: FamilySearch Digital Library, Hathitrust, Internet Archive; At various libraries (WorldCat).
- A Standard History of Lake County, Indiana, and the Calumet Region. 2 volumes - vol. 1 contains history. 1915. Edited by William Frederick Howat. Chicago, Illinois : Lewis Pub. Co. Online at: Vol. 1 - Internet Archive; At various libraries (WorldCat).
- Transcribed Lake County History Books - GenealogyTrails
Maps and Gazetteers[edit | edit source]
for more resources
- Historic Indiana Maps at IUPUI University Library
- Old Antique Atlases & Maps of Indiana
- FamilySearch Places: Map of cities and towns in this county - How to Use FS Places
Migration[edit | edit source]
Military Records[edit | edit source]
- Military Record Series Index at Indiana Digital Archives
- Our Civil War Dead - INGenWeb, under Military
- Indiana Civil War Medal of Honor Recipients - INGenWeb, under Military
Civil War
Civil War service men from Lake 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 Lake County.
- 5th Regiment, Indiana Cavalry (90th Regiment, Indiana Volunteers), Company I
- 7th Regiment, Indiana Cavalry, Company G
- 9th Regiment, Indiana Infantry, Reorgainized Company E, and H
- 12th Regiment, Indiana Cavalry, Company G
- 13th Regiment, Indiana Infantry Company K
- 20th Regiment, Indiana Infantry, Company B, and Reorganized Company K
- 24th Battery, Indiana Light Artillery
- 73rd Regiment, Indiana Infantry, Company A
- 99th Regiment, Indiana Infantry, Company A
- 100th Regiment, Indiana Infantry, Company G
- 151st Regiment, Indiana Infantry, Company E
- 155th Regiment, Indiana Infantry, Company G
Civil War Books:
- "Our War Record and Progress1860-1869" Chapter 6 in Ball, T. H. (Timothy Horton), 1826-1913. Lake County, Indiana, from 1834 to 1872. 2007. FS Library US/CAN Film 934910 Item 3 FS Library Collection; online at:FamilySearch Digital Library; INTERNET ARCHIVE
World War I
- 1919 Indiana, World War I, Enrollment Cards, 1919 at FamilySearch - How to Use this Collection
Naturalization and Citizenship[edit | edit source]
- Naturalization Record Series (for this county) at Indiana Digital Archives. Search by names.
Newspapers[edit | edit source]
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 ($)
- Hoosier State Chronicles
Obituaries[edit | edit source]
Other Records[edit | edit source]
Voting Records
- 1850-1931 Indiana, Voter Registers, 1850-1931 at FamilySearch — How to Use this Collection; index & images
- 1890-1892 Qualified Electors in Lake County, Indiana, 1890-1892 at Indiana Genealogical Society ($)
Periodicals[edit | edit source]
Probate Records[edit | edit source]
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 Lake 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 ($)
- Full-Text Search - Wills and Probate Records at FamilySearch - index & images; dates, records, and places vary; How to Search
School Records[edit | edit source]
- Graduates of Hammond High School (1926, 1934, 1941, 1952) at Indiana Genealogical Society ($)
- Students and Teachers of Washington High School, East Chicago (1929) at Indiana Genealogical Society ($)
Social Security Records[edit | edit source]
- 1935-2014 United States Social Security Death Index at FamilySearch - How to Use this Collection; index. Also at Ancestry, findmypast, Fold3, GenealogyBank, MyHeritage, and Steve Morse. Click here for more information.
- 1936-2007 U.S., Social Security Applications and Claims Index, 1936-2007 at Ancestry ($) — 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[edit | edit source]
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[edit | edit source]
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[edit | edit source]
Marriage[edit | edit source]
- 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[edit | edit source]
- 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[edit | edit source]
Research Facilities[edit | edit source]
Archives[edit | edit source]
Listed below are archives in Lake County. For state-wide archival repositories, see Indiana Archives and Libraries.
Marlene Polster
County Genealogist
1437 W 97th Ave
Crown Point, IN 46307
Phone: 219-776-4997
Email: lakecogen@sbcglobal.net
FamilySearch Centers[edit | edit source]
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
- Chicago Heights Illinois FamilySearch Center
- Chicago Illinois FamilySearch Center
- Chicago Illinois Hyde Park FamilySearch Center
- Griffith Indiana FamilySearch Center
- Orland Park Illinois FamilySearch Center
- Valparaiso Indiana FamilySearch Center
- Westchester Illinois FamilySearch Center
- Gary Public Library - an affiliate library.
- Hammond Public Library - an affiliate library.
- Lake County Public Library - an affiliate library.
Libraries[edit | edit source]
Listed below are libraries in Lake County. For state-wide genealogical societies, see Indiana Archives and Libraries.
Hammond Public Library
564 State Street
Hammond, IN 46320
Phone: 219-931-5100
Email: hpl@hammond.lib.in.us
Facebook
Website
Lake County Public Library
1919 West 81st Avenue
Merrillville, IN 46410-5488
Phone: 219-769-3541
Email: webmaster@lcplin.org
Facebook
Website
Multiple branch locations
Museums[edit | edit source]
Lake County Historical Museum
Old Lake County Courthouse
Courthouse Square, Suite 202
Crown Point, IN 46307
Phone: 219-662-3965
Website
Societies[edit | edit source]
Listed below are societies in Lake County. For state-wide genealogical societies, see Indiana Societies.
Gary Historical and Cultural Society, Inc.
PO Box 64603
Gary, IN 46401
Phone: 219-985-1315
Email: ghcsin@yahoo.com
Website
Griffith Historical Society
201 S Broad St
Griffith, IN 46319
Phone: 219-924-9701
Facebook
Website
Highland Indiana Historical Society
2450 Lincoln St
Highland, IN 46322
Email: highlandhistory@sbcglobal.net
Facebook
Hobart Historical Society
706 E 4th St
Hobart, IN 46342
Phone: 219-942-0970
Email: hobarthistory@gmail.com
Facebook
Lake Station Historical Society
2400 Central Ave
Lake Station, IN 46405-2233
Phone: 219-962-2001
Email: linderlee7@aol.com
Facebook
Merrillville Ross Township Historical Society
13 W 73rd Ave
Merrillville, IN 46410
Phone: 219-756-2042
Email: merrillvillehistory.org
Website
Miller Historical Society
264 N Lake St
Miller, IN 46403
Email: MillerHistoricalSociety@Gmail.com
Facebook
Website
Northwest Indiana Genealogical Society
PO Box 595
Griffith, IN 46319
Email: nwigsweb@gmail.com
Facebook
Website
Whiting-Robertsdale Historical Society
1610 119th St
Whiting, IN 46394
Phone: 219-659-8129
Email: puccini99@aol.com
Website
Websites[edit | edit source]
- 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.
- INGenWeb, Lake County. May have maps, name indexes, history or other information for this county.
- Lake County, Indiana Genealogy and Family History (Linkpendium)
- Lake County, Indiana (Genealogy Trails)
- 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[edit | edit source]
References[edit | edit source]
- ↑ The Handybook for Genealogists: United States of America,10th ed. (Draper, UT:Everton Publishers, 2002).
- ↑ Genealogy Trails History Group, “Lake County, Indiana Genealogy and History”, http://genealogytrails.com/ind/lake/ 3/29/2017.
- ↑ Wikipedia contributors, "Lake County," in Wikipedia: the Free Encyclopedia, https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lake_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, "Lake County, Indiana" in Wikipedia: the Free Encyclopedia at http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lake_County,_Indiana (accessed 10 May 2012).
- ↑ Wikipedia contributors, "Lake County, Indiana," in Wikipedia: the Free Encyclopedia, https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lake_County,_Indiana, accessed 18 December 2019.