Lake County, Indiana Genealogy
Guide to Lake County, Indiana ancestry, genealogy and family history, birth records, marriage records, death records, census records, family history, and military records.
|
| ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Contents
- 1 County Information
- 2 Resources
- 2.1 Bible Records
- 2.2 Biographies
- 2.3 Business, Commerce, and Occupations
- 2.4 Cemeteries
- 2.5 Census Records
- 2.6 Church Records
- 2.7 Court Records
- 2.8 Directories
- 2.9 Emigration and Immigration
- 2.10 Ethnic, Political, and Religious Groups
- 2.11 Funeral Homes
- 2.12 Genealogies
- 2.13 Guardianship
- 2.14 Land and Property Records
- 2.15 Local Histories
- 2.16 Maps and Gazetteers
- 2.17 Migration
- 2.18 Military Records
- 2.19 Naturalization and Citizenship
- 2.20 Newspapers
- 2.21 Obituaries
- 2.22 Other Records
- 2.23 Periodicals
- 2.24 Probate Records
- 2.25 School Records
- 2.26 Social Security Records
- 2.27 Tax Records
- 2.28 Vital Records
- 3 Research Facilities
- 4 Societies
- 5 Websites
- 6 Research Guides
- 7 References
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]
|
There is no known history of courthouse disasters in this county. |
Boundary Changes[edit | edit source]
|
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]
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, Google Books; At various libraries (WorldCat). Reprint. Originally published: Chicago : Lewis Publishing Co., 1904. Index: Every Name Index, compiled by Cathy L. O'Connor, 2007.
- 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, Google Books, 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 ($)
Church Records[edit | edit source]
Most church records are held by individual churches. For contact information, check a phone directory, such as SearchBug or Dex Knows. Some denominations are gathering their records into a central repository. For more information about these major repositories, see Indiana Church Records.
Ward and Branch Records of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints
- Gary
- South Shore
Court Records[edit | edit source]
Directories[edit | edit source]
Emigration and Immigration[edit | edit source]
- 1945-1956 Indiana, Gary and East Chicago Crew Lists, 1945-1956 at FamilySearch - How to Use This Collection
Ethnic, Political, and Religious Groups[edit | edit source]
Funeral Homes[edit | edit source]
Genealogies[edit | edit source]
Guardianship[edit | edit source]
Land and Property Records[edit | edit source]
Land and property records can place an ancestor in a particular location, provide economic information, and reveal family relationships. Land records include: deeds, abstracts and indexes, mortgages, leases, grants and land patents. See Indiana Land and Property for additional information about early Indiana land grants and patents.
After land was transferred from the government to private ownership, subsequent transactions were recorded at the Lake County courthouse, where records are currently housed.
Local Histories[edit | edit source]
Local histories are available for Lake County. County histories may include biographies; church, school and government histories; and military information. For more information about local histories, see Indiana Local Histories.
- Counties of Porter and Lake, Indiana: Historical and Biographical. 1882. Editors: Weston A. Goodspeed, historical editor; Charles Blanchard, biographical editor. Chicago: F.A. Battey. Online at: FamilySearch Digital Library, Hathitrust, Internet Archive, Ancestry ($); 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, Google Books; At various libraries (WorldCat). Reprint. Originally published: Chicago : Lewis Publishing Co., 1904. Index: Every Name Index, compiled by Cathy L. O'Connor, 2007.
- Lake County, Indiana, from 1834 to 1872. 1873. Ed. Timothy Horton Ball. Chicago : J.W. Goodspeed. Online at: FamilySearch Digital Library, Hathitrust, Internet Archive, Google Books; 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 - Google Books, Internet Archive; At various libraries (WorldCat).
- Transcribed Lake County History Books - GenealogyTrails
Maps and Gazetteers[edit | edit source]
for more resources
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. FHL US/CAN Film 934910 Item 3 FHL Collection; online at:FamilySearch Digital Library; INTERNET ARCHIVE
World War I
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.
Obituaries[edit | edit source]
Other Records[edit | edit source]
Voting Records
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.
- 1798-1999 Indiana Wills and Probate Records 1798-1999 at Ancestry $
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 ($) — index, click here for more information.
Tax Records[edit | edit source]
Indiana tax records complement land records and can be used in place of censuses or to supplement the years between censuses. Because only persons who owned taxable property were listed, many residents were not included in tax lists. There may also be gaps of several years in the tax records of some counties. For more information see the wiki page Indiana Taxation.
Vital Records[edit | edit source]
Vital records consist of birth, death, marriage and divorce records. Indiana law in 1882 required registration of births and deaths in counties. The Indiana Department of Health has birth records filed after October 1907 and death records filed after January 1900 for deaths. Copies may be obtained from the county health department or the Indiana State Division of Vital Records.
Birth[edit | edit source]
Marriage[edit | edit source]
- 1780-1992 Indiana Marriages, 1780-1992 at FamilySearch - How to Use this Collection
- 1800s-2007 Indiana, United States Marriages at FindMyPast ($)
- 1802-1892 Indiana Marriages, 1802-1892 at Ancestry $
- 1811-2007 Indiana Marriages, 1811-2007 at FamilySearch - How to Use this Collection
Death[edit | edit source]
- 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
Family History Centers[edit | edit source]
Family History 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 family history center.
Local Centers and Libraries
Libraries[edit | edit source]
Listed below are libraries in Lake County. For state-wide genealogical societies, see Indiana Archives and Libraries.
Lake County Public Library
1919 West 81st Avenue
Merrillville, IN 46410-5488
Phone: 219-769-3541
Website
Lake county has 9 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.
Northwest Indiana Genealogical Society
P.O. Box 595
Griffith, IN 46319
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.
- EveryNameIndex.com for Indiana Free online genealogy indexes for county histories. Select a county.
- Lake County, Indiana Genealogy and Family History (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.
- Lake County, Indiana (Genealogy Trails)
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); FHL Book 973 D27e 2002.
- ↑ Handybook for Genealogists: United States of America, 10th ed. (Draper, Utah: Everton Pub., 2002), Indiana.At various libraries (WorldCat); FHL Book 973 D27e 2002.
- ↑ Handybook for Genealogists: United States of America, 10th ed. (Draper, Utah: Everton Pub., 2002), Indiana.At various libraries (WorldCat); FHL 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.
