Indiana Local History <-> Genealogy 
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LaPorte County, Indiana History <-> Genealogy - 1875 Map


LAPORTE COUNTY, Indiana
History <-> Genealogy

*First created in 1832.
* County seat: La Porte.
Located in northern Indiana, with Lake Michigan and the state of Michigan it's northern boundaries.
*Cities, Towns & Communities include: Alida, Andry, Beattys Corner, Birchim, Byron, Callao (historical) , Chambers Landing P.O. (historical), Davis, Door Village, Duneland Beach, Durham, Fish Lake, Hanna, Haskell, Hesston, Hicks, Hillside, Holmsville, Hudson Lake, Joprice (historical), Kankakee P.O. (historical), Kingsbury, Kingsford Heights, La Crosse, Lalimere, Lake Park, La Porte, Long Beach, Magee, Merrick, Michigan City, Michigan Shores, Mill Creek, Monroe Manor, Morgan Station (historical), Oakwood, Orchard Highlands, Otis, Pinhook, Pinola, Rolling Prairie, Rozelle (historical), Runnymede, Salem Heights, Schimmels (historical; also referred to as Schimmelsville), Smith, South Center, South LaPorte, South Wanatah, Springfield, Springville, Stillwell, Summit, Thomaston, Tracy, Trail Creek, Union Center, Union Mills, Wanatah, Washington Park, Waterford, Wellsboro, Westville, and Wilders .
Please note:  Though the information on this web page is believed to be correct, the possibility of error remains.  Please notify the webmaster should an error be found.
 

 

Surrounding Counties:
WNW = Lake Michigan          N =  Berrien County, Michigan
W = Porter County, IN      LAPORTE COUNTY     E = St. Joseph County, IN
                                           S= Starke County, IN
See the History <-> Genealogy State Selection Index Page to visit research links for Michigan. 

LAPORTE COUNTY, INDIANA
Established in 1832, from unorganized land and St. Joseph County ; County seat is LaPorte.

+ MAPS + TOWNS + TOWNSHIPS + NEIGHBORING COUNTIES +
+ CHURCHES + CEMETERIES + MUSEUMS and HISTORIC SITES +
+ NEWS & NEWSPAPERS +
+ COMMERCE, TOURISM & ONLINE COMMUNITY   +
+ HISTORY & GENEALOGY: Articles & Online Databases + BIOGRAPHIES +
+ NATIVE AMERICAN: THE PEOPLE + NATURE +
+ ARCHIVES & LIBRARIES for Further Research +
+ COUNTY GOVERNMENT & Vital Records +
+ PROFESSIONAL HISTORICAL GENEALOGY RESEARCH+


MAPS
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  • Interactive Census Bureau Map of LaPorte County, Indiana
  • 1875 Map of LaPorte County, Indiana, by Higgins Belden & Co. (see citation )
  • 1895 Map of LaPorte County, Indiana , by Pam Rietsch at: prietsch@ismi.net
  • Use the query form, at USGS, to map features including cemeteries, churches, populated places, and more.  Please note that the map town listed with a feature may be used as a map reference for the site, and may not be the town where the feature is actually located...Select a map to see the location of the actual feature.  This database may not be complete, and, as with any database, there may be errors.

NATIVE AMERICAN
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     The Early History of La Porte County, by F. E. Schultz, posted online at The La Porte County Historical Society website, reports that: "Before 1830, all of La Porte and Starke Counties were a part of the Pottawatomie Nation."  The Pottawatomie were relocated, in 1838, to Osage County, Kansas ; this relocation being referred to as "the March of Death".
     William G. Cutler's, History of the State of Kansas , first published in 1883 by A. T. Andreas, Chicago, IL, includes a chapter which reports of the " Indian History of Kansas ",  and specifically relates the settlement of the Pottawatomies (Pattawatimus or Brave Men) in Kansas as follows:
     "...By treaty of February 11, 1837, the United States agreed to convey "to the
       Pottawatomies of Indiana a tract of country on the Osage River, southwest of the Missouri River, sufficient in extent and adapted to their habits and wants."
       "The tract selected was in the southwest part of what is now Miami County. The
       Pottawatomies of the Woods and the Mission Band settled on this tract, made many improvements, and remained nine years, when the United States granted to the tribe the tract bought from the Kanzas Indians. The two bands disposed of their lands on the Osage and in Iowa, for the sum of $850,000, and in 1847 removed to the new reservation. The treaties were made June 7 and 17, and the tract granted is described as "a tract of land containing 576,000 acres, being thirty miles square, and being the eastern part of the lands ceded to the United States by the Kansas tribe of Indians, January 14, 1846, adjoining the Shawnees on the south, and the Delawares and Shawnees on the east, on both sides of the Kansas." This tract comprised a part of the present counties of Pottawatomie, Wabaunsee, Jackson and Shawnee."

MUSEUMS & HISTORIC SITES
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   1201 East 1000 N - LaPorte, IN 46350   Phone: (219) 778-2783.


CHURCHES
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  • USGS : Maps of LaPorte County Indiana features - including cemeteries , churches , populated places and more.  Please note that the map town listed with a feature may be used as a map reference for the site, and may not be the town where the feature is actually located...Select a map to see the location of the actual feature.  This database may not be complete, and, as with any database, there may be errors.
  • Local Catholic Church History & Genealogy Research Guide & Worldwide Directory + Indiana*  Page.


CEMETERIES
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·         Indiana State Library.    140 North Senate Avenue - Indianapolis, IN 46204-2296

o        Indiana Cemetery Locator Database

  • USGenWeb for LaPorte County, Indiana:
  • USGS : Maps of LaPorte County Indiana features - including cemeteries , churches , populated places and more.  Please note that the map town listed with a feature may be used as a map reference for the site, and may not be the town where the feature is actually located...Select a map to see the location of the actual feature.  This database may not be complete, and, as with any database, there may be errors.
  • The Political Graveyard : for LaPorte County, Indiana created and maintained by Lawrence Kestenbaum - a web site about U.S. political history, politicians and cemeteries.

 

COMMERCE, TOURISM & ONLINE COMMUNITY
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NATURE
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NEWS & NEWSPAPERS
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·         Indiana State Library.    140 North Senate Avenue - Indianapolis, IN 46204-2296

o        Newspaper Holdings: Holdings by county (in Indianapolis)

BIOGRAPHIES
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HISTORY <-> GENEALOGY: Articles and Online Databases
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   6440 E. 30th Street - Indianapolis, IN 46219   Phone: (317) 591-5222

·         Indiana State Library.    140 North Senate Avenue - Indianapolis, IN 46204-2296

o        Online Databases

o        Indiana Cemetery Locator Database

o        Indiana Biography Index (published before 1990)

o        Indiana Biography Index (published since 1990)

o        Index of Indiana Marriages Through 1850.

o        Index of Indiana Marriages, 1993 through 2000

o        Newspaper Holdings: Holdings by county (in Indianapolis)

o        Images of Indiana: 92 Counties // from Adams to Whitley

o        Indiana Public Libraries

o        Map of Indiana Libraries.

o        WWII Servicemen Database

o        Indiana Plat Books

o        Vital Information Exchange (VINE)

·         1880 Census Index, by familysearch.org

·         1820 Indiana Census Index, by Lori!

ARCHIVES & LIBRARIES for Further Research
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   LaPorte County Complex -  809 State Street - LaPorte, IN  46350-3329
        Phone: (219) 326-6808 ext. 276  and  E-mail: lpcohist@csinet.net

   Box 156 - Wanatah, IN 46390-0156.
   "...formed by a group of concerned citizens from the areas of Cass, Clinton and Dewey Townships in LaPorte County (IN) and Morgan, Essex and Washington Townships in Porter County (IN)..."

   One Library Plaza,  Michigan City, IN 46360  Phone: (219) 873-3044.

  • Westville - New Durham Township Public Library

   153 Main Street - P.O. Box 789 - Westville, IN  46391-0789   Phone:  (219) 785-2015.

  • Wanatah Public Library

  104 North Main Street - P.O. Box 299 - Wanatah, IN  46390-0299
   Phone: (219) 733-9303.

"We also have an extensive genealogy research department, which includes resources such as Indiana census microfilm, the local newspaper on microfilm dating back over 100 years, local school yearbooks, city directories, and more..."

   One Library Plaza,  Michigan City, Indiana 46360.

LaPorte County Cemetery List by township

  • Barker Mansion (built in 1857) & Civic Center: "...former residence of local millionaire-industrialist, John H. Barker, who built the Haskell & Barker Railroad Car Company, which later became Pullman-Standard..."
  • Hesston Steam Museum : "...a unique outdoor museum featuring one of the most varied collections of steam equipment of its kind in the country..."

   1201 East 1000 N - LaPorte, IN 46350   Phone: (219) 778-2783.

 

COUNTY GOVERNMENT & Vital Records
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   County Complex, 4th Floor  -LaPorte, IN 46350-3485  Phone: (219) 326-6808.
  To obtain a copy of your own birth certificate, send a letter requesting your birth certificate, and include the following information in the letter, with a money-order for the fee of $3.00 (checks are NOT acceptable, and will be returned):
Your full name at birth
The Date of your birth
The location of your birth
Your father's name and state of his birth
Your mother's maiden name and state of her birth
A photocopy of a picture ID, such as your driver's license, to verify your own identity.
Your Social Security number.
Your original SIGNATURE must be included in the letter.

Courthouse - 813 Lincolnway, Suite 105 - La Porte, IN 46350

Phone: (219) 326-6808 (LaPorte);   Phone:  (219) 874-5611 (Michigan City)

LaPorte County Communities

Cass Township communities include:  Callao (historical), Rozelle (historical), Joprice (historical), Morgan Station (historical), South Wanatah and Wanatah.  Thomaston is located at the corner boundaries of Hannah, Cass and Prairie Townships.  Schimmels [historical; also referred to as Schimmelsville] was situated at/near the Dewey and Cass townships line.
Cass Township Research Contacts and Links
The Early Development and History of Cass Township, LaPorte County, Indiana

The Early Development and History of Cass Township, LaPorte County, Indiana
by Ann Mensch.

     When La Porte County was established, in 1832, the area south of the southern boundary of Clinton Township, which included the present Cass Township, was part of Starke County , Indiana.  The Early History of La Porte County , by F. E. Schultz, posted online at The La Porte County Historical Society website, it is reported that: "the people living in that area had difficulty getting across the Kankakee River to go to Knox (the county seat of Starke County) to pay their taxes, having to go east as far as Lemon's Bridge. They asked to be annexed to La Porte County and this was done January 28, 1842."  The area first being called Van Buren Township.
     Due to the very wet condition of Cass township, it was not until 1839-40 that any settlers made homes there.  Among the early settlers of Cass township were:  Abraham EARHART; James and Thomas CONCANNON; William SMITH; William BATTERSON; John WILLS and his sons Charles, John and David, all of whom reportedly came to Cass township from Wills township; Isham CAMPBELL; Adam LEEPER; Bishop BROCKWAY; E. V. WATERS; James and Richard CANNON; Augustus W. VAIL; Hon. Edward EVANS; L. M. SHURTE and S. B. RUNDLETT.
     Towns and settlements began to spring up as the township was settled.  The earliest settlements including Callao or Morgan Station, Joprice or South Wanatah, and Wanatah.
     Callao (also spelled as Calloa) was situated on the Pittsburg, Fort Wayne and Chicago Railroad.  It was laid off and platted in 1859, by William A. TAYLOR, one of the first merchants and the first postmaster; later this office was held by A. W. VAIL and then Charles SCARBOROUGH.  Callao was laid out and several houses were built in it before the railroad was completed, the citizens anticipating that the depot would certainly be located there.  William A. TAYLOR and William McLANE put up warehouses there and purchased considerable grain.  An attempt was made to build a steam mill, but the proprietor died and the work was not completed.  A Methodist church was erected there in 1858 or 1859.  The settlement also included other signs of a town, such as: a blacksmith shop, a hotel, and a resident physician.
     To the great mortification of the citizens of Callao, the depot was located a half mile to the west, at Morgan Station, where a village soon sprang up.  The post office was moved to that location in the spring of 1861, and building after building soon followed, with the last to be removed being W. A. TAYLOR's store house, until by December, 1861, Callao was entirely vacated.
     Morgan Station, however, began to flourish.  At the beginning of 1862, it had two dry-goods stores, one hotel, several grocery stores, and other stores and shops usually associated with such a settlement, and a flourishing business was done there.  However, by 1904, only a few houses remained; the people preferring to go to Wanatah, which became the larger center.  It was reportedly a case of "the larger fish eating up the little ones".
     In 1859, a village called Rozelle was started about a mile south of Wanatah.  Joseph UNRUH had a store there, but moved both stock and buildings to Wanatah, and nothing remained of the village by 1904.  The New York, Chicago and St. Louis Railroad crossed the Monon at this point, but the town of Wanatah had been started and it was too late to form a town a mile south of it.  That place was later called Joprice.
     Wanatah had great promise from the first.  It is situated in the open prairie, on Hog Creek, at the junction of the Monon and the Pittsburg, Fort Wayne and Chicago railroads.  When the latter road was completed Joseph UNRUH moved his store to the place and used the building also as a dwelling, and even as a hotel.
     Wanatah was laid out by T. A. E. CAMPBELL, Ruel STARR and Joseph and William UNRUH, and the plat was recorded on September 7, 1865.  It began to grow as soon as there was a prospect of the Pennsylvania Railroad crossing at that point.  It soon had hotels, a flouring mill, dry-goods and grocery stores, drug stores, boot and shoe shops, blacksmith and wagon repair shops, harness, butcher, millinery and tailor shops, hay presses, etc., etc.  It was a busy place from the first.  Before other railroads came and made shipping stations at other points, Wanatah was the shipping center of a very wide region of country.  Sometimes there would be a procession of wagons a mile long waiting there to unload their grain.
      By 1904, Wanatah had no elevator, grain and other articles were loaded directly into the car, and one of the former dealers stated that he had loaded as many as nine cars of wheat in a day at Wanatah.
     By that time, Wanatah had a weekly paper, the Wanatah Mirror, in addition to a good schoolhouse, which did high school work including 12th grade; five churches representing the Roman Catholics, the Episcopal Methodists, the Disciples, the German Methodists, and the German Lutherans; four general stores, one drug store and grocery; two other groceries; two meat markets; and a large roller-process flouring mill, which was reportedly one of the best in the state, turning out most excellent flour.  Wanatah was also a great market for hay, with the surrounding prairie country producing immense quantities of hay, which was pressed and shipped away.  The mere wire for bailing this hay was sold there by the carload.  Wanatah was indeed one of the busiest centers in La Porte County by 1904.
     Among the moving spirits in the evelopment of Cass township may be named the following:  Peter WOODIN was reportedly the first permanent settler in the township, who aided in its organization and laid out its first road, a familiar friend with the Native Americans, a California gold-seeker, and who died int he township at the advanced age of ninety-one years of age.
Henry BOWMAN was a farmer, well read in German literature, who came to Cass township from Otis and from Porter County.
James O. BURNER was a dealer in drugs, medicines and agricultural implements at Wanatah.
Robert GILLHAM, A. J. SHURTE, William SMITH and James WILSON were farmers.
William KIMBALL was a railroad section hand, conductor and later a farmer.
John N. McCURDY was a grain dealer who became the county recorder ca. 1904.
Francis McCURDY was a resident of Wanatah.
Dr. John F. TILDEN was a physician, farmer, and the first doctor to locate in Cass township.
Nelson WARD was a physician and surgeon, at Wanatah, whose wife also graduated in medicine.
Jeremiah WILLSON came first to Hudson township, in 1831, then relocated to Clinton and later to Cass township.  He was described as "a strong and rugged personality".
The Bureau of Land Management reports Land Patent entries for 1 man who appears to have held land in Cass Township as follows:
     Thomas Barnes PATTERSON, of La Porte County, Indiana:  issued 10 Aug 1837 at La Porte land office, doc. no. 9652 , for 280 acres, in the E 1/2 of the NE 1/4 of section 32, which appears to have been Clinton Township, La Porte county; and the SE 1/4 of section 4, and the SE 1/4 of the SW 1/4 of section 5 (the latter two reported to be in the 2nd PM, T34N, R4W of Starke county, Indiana) .

Cass Township Research Contacts and Links

  104 North Main Street - P.O. Box 299 - Wanatah, IN  46390-0299
   Phone: (219) 733-9303.


Center Township communities include:  Oakwood, Summit and the City of LaPorte.

Clinton Township communities include:  Alida and Haskell.

 


Cool Spring Township communities include:  Beattys Corner, Orchard Highlands and Waterford.

 


Dewey Township [Township 33N, Range 4W of the 2nd Principal Meridian] communities include:  La Crosse, Runnymede, and Wilders.  Schimmels [historical; also referred to as Schimmelsville] was situated at/near the Dewey and Cass townships line.
Dewey Township Research Contacts and Links
The Early Development and History of Dewey Township, LaPorte County, Indiana

The Early Development and History of Dewey Township, LaPorte County, Indiana
by Ann Mensch.

     When La Porte County was established, in 1832, the area south of the southern boundary of Clinton Township, which included the present Dewey Township, was part of Starke County , Indiana.  The Early History of La Porte County , by F. E. Schultz, posted online at The La Porte County Historical Society website, it is reported that: "the people living in that area had difficulty getting across the Kankakee River to go to Knox (the county seat of Starke County) to pay their taxes, having to go east as far as Lemon's Bridge. They asked to be annexed to La Porte County and this was done January 28, 1842."  The area first being called Van Buren Township.
     Dewey township was originally in great part flooded at every rise of the Kankakee river, on which account it did not settle as rapidly as some other LaPorte county townships.  But there were some who appreciated its advantages as a grazing country, and among the early settlers were George P. SHIMMEL, Jacob SCHAUER, Lewis and Michael BESLER (BEASLER), James LOUGEE, Elias OSBORN and Patrick and Richard HUNCHEON.
     By 1904, the two centers of settlement of Dewey township were La Crosse and Wilder's Station.  The former was well situated at the junction of five railroads:  the Monon; Eastern Illinois; Pere Marquette; Pennsylvania; and the Chicago, Cincinnati and Louisville Railroad.  One of the assets seured in the purchase of the Huncheon tract by the Illinois syndicate was the site on which the present town of LaCrosse is built.  It was the plan of the gentlemen composing the sydicate to ultimately make this place one of consequence.  However, it is reported that a Mr. TUESBURG wisely stated that it was the purpose to bring all of the farm lands to a perfect state of cultivation before the town would be allowed to boom much.  The thought was that when the vast territory, which was still being opened and settled at the turn of the century, would be fully occupied, there would be afforded a substantial trade in all legitimate lines, which would go a long way toward supporting a good sized community.
     One of the first moves of the syndicate was to build a fine brick schoolhouse, for which a half an acre of land was set apart.  In 1904, the Methodist Episcopal Church worshipped in the upper hall of that building.
     In 1904, the town was described, by Rev. E. D. DANIELS, as follows:
     "...From this little town many farms are managed.  Recently, Bailey & Bunnel, grain dealers of Wanatah, at an expense of $16,000, have put up a first-class elevator with a capacity of sixty-five thousand bushels of corn.  Here, on the 31st of last December (ca. 31 Dec 1903), a sad accident occurred.  John AIGNER, of Aigner Brothers, who were doing the mason work, had gone to the upper part of the building on the inside with one of the carpenters to see how the work was progressing.  While the carpenter's back was turned he heard some one falling, and on going down to investigate he found Aigner lying on the bottom floor.  Calling others they examined the body and found that life was extinct.  The fall had broken both arms and one leg besides otherwise bruising the body in a horrible manner.  It is estimated that he fell about thirty-five feet."
     "Besides the elevator, LaCrosse has about thirty-five dwellings, two general stores, one saloon, and a new hotel made of artificial stone, which presents a fine appearance.  The hotel has many rooms and is furnished with modern conveniences.  Plans have just been drawn for two or three new houses and two new stores.  Physicians, druggists and others are locating there, and it looks as though the place would grow even before the time comes for the land companies to boom it..."
     Among the most noted characters of Dewey township was Patrick HUNCHEON, who was educated for business.  He manufactured and repaired cars at Adrian, Michigan, until the Lake Shore road reached LaPorte, then engaged in the same business in the railroad shops there, then at Bloomington, Illinois.  He then returned, and in connection with his brother, became a large land owner in the Kankakee valley.  He and his brother owned thousands of acres which were later purchased by the LaCrosse Land Company.
     The settlement of Wilder Station, now known as "Wilders", is situated just a little more than three miles south of LaCrosse, at what was earlier the junction of the Monon and the New York, Lake Erie and Western railroads.  Here there were, in 1904, "some ten or fifteen houses, a store, a saloon, and a school".  Additionally, at that time the Standard Oil pipe line crossed the township a little to the south of Wilder.
     The communities of LaCrosse, Wilders, and Runnymede, are shown on present-day (ca. 2000) maps, and, not surprisingly, all 3 of these are on current railroad routes.
     Another community which apparently existed in earlier days in Dewey township, may have fallen victim to the location of the railroad routes.  Alerding's book: The Diocese of Fort Wayne, 1857--September 22--1907, A Book of Historical Reference, 1669-1907, presents a history of the Catholic Church of St. Martin's, in Schimmels, which appears to have been a community located in Dewey township in 1907.    Alerding states the following:  "Schimmels, formerly known as Schimmelsville, is situated about two miles north of Lacrosse.  In the year 1856, Mass was said for the first time in the house of Joseph PREIS, Sr., by an old German priest, Rev. Andrew TUSCH.  The congregation was organized in 1859, by Rev. Martin SHERER, pastor at Laporte.  The present church was built by him, in 1860."  The land for St. Martin's Church was reportedly donated by Daniel CALLAHAN who relocated to Toledo, Ohio, and Patrick and Richard HUNCHEON donated a few acres for a cemetery.  The congregation of St. Martin's was apparently served by pastors who resided in several nearby towns, including: Laporte, San Pierre, and Wanatah.  Presently, the St. Martin of Tours Catholic Church is reported to have a postal address of LaCrosse, Indiana.
     While attempting to identify the precise location of the community of Schimmels, several LaPorte County atlases, of various eras, were consulted, including 1862, 1874, and 1904, but none were found which identified the location of the community called "Schimmels" to which Alerding referred.  However, a clue may be gleaned from the Higgins and Belden atlas: An Historical Atlas of LaPorte Co., Indiana, which identified one of the land owners, in the northern tier of Dewey township, as G. P. SCHIMMEL.  G. P. SCHIMMEL held several tracts of land in sections 4 and 5 of this township.  These tracts also meet the location description in Alerding's history, being a couple of miles north of LaCrosse.  It, therefore,  seems reasonable to assume that the area of SCHIMMEL's land may have been occasionally referred to as "Schimmels" or "Schimmelsville", as this would have been a common method of naming a location.
     Other land owners shown, on the 1874 atlas, in this area of sections 4 and 5 are found the names of C. WAGNER, C. W. RUDOLPH, A. MACKLER, C. HENNING, M. J. CALLAHAN, F. KLOTT, F. W. KRUGER, and G. MILDRADT.  It appears that this small area, in northern Dewey township, situated at the Dewey and Cass townships boundary, about 2 miles north of the present town of La Crosse, was once referred to as Schimmels or Schimmelsville; probably after one of the early settlers: George P. Schimmel.
     The Bureau of Land Management reports Land Patent entries for 3 men who appear to have held land in Dewey Township as follows:
     Jacob HITTEL, of Butler County, Ohio:  issued 10 Apr 1843 at La porte land office (document image reports 25 June 1841, T33N, R4E), doc. no. 12003 , for 40 acres, in the SE 1/4 of the SW 1/4 of section 7.
     Henry C. KLINGER, of Preble County, Ohio:  issued 2 Jul 1877 at Winamac land office, doc. no. 12617 , for 95.8 acres, in the N 1/2 of the NW 1/4 of section 6.
     William SANALER (LARRABEE?), of Putnam County, Indiana:  issued 3 Jun1856 at Winamac land office, doc. no. 21932 , for 45.12 acres, in the SW 1/4 of the SW 1/4 of section 7.

Dewey Township Research Contacts and Links

   16 East Main - P.O. Box 300 - La Crosse, IN  46348-0300   Phone:  (219) 754-2606.


Galena