LaPorte County, Indiana Genealogy

Guide to LaPorte County, Indiana ancestry, family history, and genealogy birth records, marriage records, death records, census records, family history, and military records. Indiana Online Genealogy Records

Historical Facts

 * Parent Counties: Formed from St. Joseph county, and unorganized territory in 1832
 * County Seat: La Porte

Description
The county was named La porte means "the door" or "the port" in French. The County Seat is La Porte and was founded April 1, 1832. It is located in the North-central area of the state.

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:

Neighboring Counties
Porter •  Jasper  •  Starke  •  St. Joseph  •  Berrien

Boundary Changes
For animated maps illustrating Indiana County boundary changes, "Rotating Formation Indiana County Boundary Maps" (1790-1873) may be viewed for free at the MapofUS.org website.

Record Loss
There is no known history of courthouse disasters in this county.

Cemeteries

 * LaPorte County INGenWeb
 * Greenwood Cemetery, Michigan City
 * Springville Cemetery, Springville
 * Rolling Prarie Cemetery, Rolling Prarie
 * St John Kanty Cemetery, Galena Township
 * Pine Lake Cemetery, Laporte
 * St Stanislaus, Michigan City
 * Swan Lake, Michigan City

Census Records

 * Index to Mortality Schedule for LaPorte County (1860) (members only database, Indiana Genealogical Society)
 * Index to Defective, Dependent &amp; Delinquent Census for LaPorte County, Indiana (1880) (members only database, Indiana Genealogical Society)

Court Records
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 LaPorte.

Directories

 * Directory of Businesses in LaPorte County, Indiana (1868) (members only database, Indiana Genealogical Society)

Local Histories

 * History of La Porte County, Indiana. 1974. Evansville, Indiana : Unigraphic. Online at: FamilySearch Digital Library, Hathitrust, Internet Archive, Google Books. Digital images of original published: Evansville, Indiana : Unigraphic, 1974. 914 p. Reprint of the 1880 ed. published by C. Chapman, Chicago. Index - Every Name Index to History of La Porte County, Indiana. Compiled by Cathy L. O'Connor, 2007.
 * History of LaPorte County, Indiana and its Townships, Towns and Cities. 1976. By Jasper Packard. Evansville, Indiana : Unigraphic. Online at: FamilySearch Digital Library, Hathitrust; . Reprint of original published: LaPort [Ind.] : E. Taylor, 1876.
 * 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, Google Books;.

Maps

 * Old Antique Atlases & Maps of Indiana
 * Maps and Gazetteers - Linkpendium
 * Library of Congress Map Collection
 * 1866 Map of La Porte County (Plat Map)
 * 1869 Bird's Eye View of Michigan City
 * David Rumsey Map Collection
 * 1874 Atlas of La Porte County (59 images/maps)
 * 1876 City Maps of La Porte and Michigan City
 * 1876 Map of La Porte County

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 


 * "Military Record" Chapter 25 in Packard, Jasper. 1976. History of LaPorte County, Indiana, and its townships, towns and cities. (Evansville, Ind: Unigraphic.), (page 195-400; Regiment, Companies, Name's); 977.291 H2p FHL US/CAN Book   other libraries Digital version at FamilySearch Digital Library


 * "The War For The Union" in History of La Porte 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, an a general review of its civil, political and military history. (2004. La Crosse, WI: Brookhaven Press.), (page 198-246; history of Regiment),977.291 H2h FHL US/CAN Book other libraries   Google books   INTERNET ARCHIVE

Civil War Databases 


 * Residents of LaPorte County Who Served in the 9th Indiana Infantry (1861-1865) ($, Indiana Genealogical Society)

World War I

 * 1919 - at FamilySearch — index and images

Newspapers
The Herald Argus, City of LaPorte and surrounding area

Michigan City News Dispatch, Michigan City and surrounding area

Probate Records
Online Records
 * 1798 – 1999 Indiana Wills and Probate Records 1798-1999 at Ancestry.com — index and images $

Courthouse
LaPorte County Courthouse 813 Lincoln Way LaPorte, IN 46350 Phone: 219-326-6808 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.

Libraries

 * LaPorte County Public Library, City of LaPorte (Branch locations throughout county)


 * Michigan City Public Library, Michigan City

Societies
LaPorte County Genealogical Society members have indexed and abstracted a variety of local records, which may be available for purchase ($) at their website Facebook Home

Marriage Index, LaPorte Co., IN 1921 - 1925 Marriage Index, LaPorte Co., IN 1926 - 1930 Index to 1870 Census, La Porte Co., IN Compiled by Betty Newland Warner Index to 1880 Census, LaPorte Co., IN Declaration of Intentions &amp; Final Papers 1833 thru July 1854 Declaration of Intentions 22 Aug 1854 – 02 May 1870 Declaration of Intentions 02 May 1870 – April 1894 Declaration of Intentions 27 April 1894 – March 1918 Declaration of Intentions Aug 29 1913 – 29 June 1929 Superior Ct., Michigan City Declaration of Intentions March 1918 – June 1929 Superior Ct., Michigan City 12 April 1912 – 23 December 1920 Second Papers Oct 1854 – Apr 1903 State of Indiana vs. (Defendants) 1837-1850 LaPorte County Circuit Court Cases State of Indiana vs. Defendants 1851-1872 Divorce Book #1 - 1833-1860 Divorce Book #2 - 1861-1875

Family History Centers

 * Valparaiso Indiana Family History Center

For additional nearby Family History Centers, search online in the family history center directory.

School Records

 * Students and Teachers of LaPorte High School (1939) ($, Indiana Genealogical Society)

Social Security Records

 * 1935-2014 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.

Vital Records

 * Vital Records - Linkpendium


 * Indiana State Digital Archives

Marriage Records

 * 1800s-2007 - Indiana, United States Marriages at FindMyPast — index $


 * 1780-1992 - FamilySearch


 * 1802-1892 Indiana Marriages, 1802-1892 - Ancestry.com $


 * 1811-2007 at FamilySearch — index and images

Death Records

 * 1750-1993 at FamilySearch — index, some images
 * 1882-1920 at FamilySearch Historical Records - Index only
 * 1899-2011 Indiana, Death Certificates, 1899-2011 at Ancestry - ($), index and images
 * Indiana State Digital Archives
 * Death Notices &amp; Obituaries Contributed for the LaPorte County Indiana - GenWeb

Websites

 * La Porte County, IN History, Records, Facts and Genealogy
 * Indiana Genealogy Network Group on Facebook
 * USGenWeb project. May have maps, name indexes, history or other information for this county.
 * Cemetery and Research Association Of LaPorte County, Indiana
 * LaPorte County, Indiana Genealogy and Family History (Linkpendium)
 * EveryNameIndex.com. Free online genealogy indexes for those big old county histories.