Low Cemetery Tour Will Be the June 2013 LPCGS Meeting

At 6 pm Tuesday, June 11, La Porte County Genealogical Society members Gloria Arndt and Dorothy Palmer will lead a tour of Low Cemetery at 600 West Johnson Road. Anyone interested is welcome to attend.

La Porte County pioneer John Van Meter (1837) created the cemetery by setting aside one acre of his land for a burial ground, first known as Coolspring Cemetery, then Midway Cemetery, and now Low Cemetery. Fifteen known Civil War soldiers and one Revolutionary War soldier are buried there. Gloria and Dorothy will introduce members and friends to several cemetery residents, including Mary Low Mudge (1843-1924), Charles Otis Low (1841-1902), Ebenezer Palmer (1792-1845), Francis "Fanny" Crozier Palmer (1794-1845), Israel Shreve (1815-1865), and Samuel Fritz (1819-1880).  After the tour the group will adjourn to a nearby restaurant for supper.

Except for this annual tour, the society meets at 7 pm on the second Tuesday of each month, weather permitting. The public is welcome at all meetings. For more information about the society's activities in awards, research, publication, and records preservation, visit our web site at http://www.rootsweb.ancestry.com/~inlcigs/.

Also at our web site, those who believe they have La Porte County ancestors (and can prove it!) can find information on how to apply for First Families of La Porte (before December 1840), Pioneer Families (1841-1860), Settler Families (1861-1880), and Civil War Families (1861-1865). You can also read or search back issues of the society's newsletter, December 2005 through December 2009, including genealogical and historical information from members' research and abstracting work in local records, on our blog at http://lpcgs.blogspot.com/2010/08/la-porte-county-genealogical-society.html.

May meeting -- learn about the County Recorder's office

The County Recorder is responsible for preserving many important historical records, especially those involving property ownership. On Tuesday, May 14, the La Porte County Genealogical Society will hear from our county recorder Barbara Dean on record preservation, how it affects us, and what she is doing about it. According to the official web site, "The county recorder's function is to maintain permanent public records involving a wide variety of instruments. These documents detail transactions involving real estate, mining, personal property, mortgages, liens, leases, subdivision plats, military discharges, personal bonds, etc."

The society meets at 7 pm on the second Tuesday of each month at the Swanson Center, weather permitting -- except that June will be our annual cemetery tour. The public is welcome at all meetings. For more information about the society's activities in awards, research, publication, and records preservation, visit our web site at http://www.rootsweb.ancestry.com/~inlcigs/.

Also at our web site, those who believe they have La Porte County ancestors (and can prove it!) can find information on how to apply for First Families of La Porte (before December 1840), Pioneer Families (1841-1860), Settler Families (1861-1880), and Civil War Families (1861-1865). You can also read or search back issues of the society's newsletter, December 2005 through December 2009, including genealogical and historical information from members' research and abstracting work in local records, on our blog at http://lpcgs.blogspot.com/2010/08/la-porte-county-genealogical-society.html.

Genealogy meeting wrap-up and bus trip deadline March 21

Foreshadowing next month's bus trip to the Allen County Public Library Genealogy Center in Fort Wayne, at the La Porte County Genealogical Society meeting March 12 Harold Henderson explained the many ways to prepare to get the most out of this nationally famous library. There is no one single place where you can search to find everything they have.

The bus trip will be Wednesday, April 10, but would-be travelers should get their $21 payment and signup in to Patricia Harris by March 21 at 504 Greenwood Ave., Michigan City, IN 46360-5426. Departures from both Michigan City and La Porte; back in time for supper. Questions? Call 219-872-3273.

The society's next meeting will be April 9, the evening before the bus trip, when president Alan Zeller will describe his experiences with FamilySearch's new Family Tree.

The genealogy society meets at the Swanson Center for Older Adults, 910 State Street, La Porte, on the second Tuesday of each month at 7 pm. The public is welcome at all meetings. Membership dues are $10 individual, $12 family.

For those who believe they have early La Porte County ancestors (and can prove it!), July 31, 2013 is the deadline to apply for one or more residency certificates. Our web site at http://www.rootsweb.ancestry.com/~inlcigs/categories.htm has information . There's information on how to apply for First Families of La Porte (before December 1840), Pioneer Families (1841-1860), Settler Families (1861-1880), and Civil War Families (1861-1865).

You can also read or search back issues of the society's newsletter, December 2005 through December 2009, including genealogical and historical information from members' research and abstracting work in local records, on our blog at http://lpcgs.blogspot.com.

Find Your Family in Fort Wayne

Did you know that we live two hours from the best genealogy library this side of Salt Lake City? The Allen County Public Library Genealogy Center in Fort Wayne offers a huge collection of microfilms, books, periodicals, and city directories in which to find your family history, plus a friendly and knowledgeable staff of genealogist-librarians.

Harold Henderson has been researching there for years and will offer advice on how to prepare and get the most out of your visit, at the La Porte County Genealogical Society meeting 7 pm Tuesday, March 12, at the Swanson Center for Older Adults, 910 State Street, La Porte. (Hint: this library has more than one catalog.) 

You can save on gas and enjoy a sociable trip by signing up for the society's annual April bus excursion to the library. Information and a reservation form are on our web site at http://www.rootsweb.ancestry.com/~inlcigs/printable.pdf

The society meets at 7 pm on the second Tuesday of each month at the Swanson Center, weather permitting. The public is welcome at all meetings. For more information about the society's activities in awards, research, publication, and records preservation, visit our web site at http://www.rootsweb.ancestry.com/~inlcigs/.

Also at our web site, those who believe they have La Porte County ancestors (and can prove it!) can find information on how to apply for First Families of La Porte (before December 1840), Pioneer Families (1841-1860), Settler Families (1861-1880), and Civil War Families (1861-1865). You can also read or search back issues of the society's newsletter, December 2005 through December 2009, including genealogical and historical information from members' research and abstracting work in local records, on our blog at http://lpcgs.blogspot.com/2010/08/la-porte-county-genealogical-society.html.

April 13 Civil War genealogy talks

The following is not a La Porte County Genealogical Society event, but it's free, it's nearby, and it may be of interest to members and friends. All times in this post only are Eastern Time.

Saturday, April 13, at the Colfax Auditorium in the main library at 304 South Main Street in South Bend, Amy Johnson Crow will give two talks on researching our Civil War ancestors:

10 am: “Answering the Call: Researching Civil War Ancestors Before and During the
War,” and

11:30 am: “Discharged: Researching Civil War Ancestors After the War.”

The talks are co-sponsored by the library and the South Bend Area Genealogical Society.

Amy Johnson Crow, MLIS, CG, is a Genealogical Content Manager with Archives.com. She is a researcher, author, editor, and database developer. She is a former editor of the Ohio Civil War Genealogy Journal.

February 2013 meeting -- auction

Do you have too much genealogy "stuff" in your house? If so, bring the extras to the La Porte County Genealogical Society's meeting 7 pm Tuesday, February 12, at the Swanson Center for Older Adults, 910 State Street, La Porte. Your trash may be someone else's treasure, and vice versa. The society will hold an informal auction of the books, magazines, and other materials, and hopefully everyone will leave better off. President Alan Zeller will serve as auctioneer.

The society meets at 7 pm on the second Tuesday of each month at the Swanson Center, weather permitting. The public is welcome at all meetings. For more information about the society's activities in awards, research, publication, and records preservation, visit our web site at http://www.rootsweb.ancestry.com/~inlcigs/.

It's not too late to sign up for our annual April bus trip to the world-famous genealogy collection at Fort Wayne's Allen County Public Library. Information and a reservation form are on our web site at http://www.rootsweb.ancestry.com/~inlcigs/printable.pdf

Also at our web site, those who believe they have La Porte County ancestors (and can prove it!) can find information on how to apply for First Families of La Porte (before December 1840), Pioneer Families (1841-1860), Settler Families (1861-1880), and Civil War Families (1861-1865). You can also read or search back issues of the society's newsletter, December 2005 through December 2009, including genealogical and historical information from members' research and abstracting work in local records, on our blog at http://lpcgs.blogspot.com/2010/08/la-porte-county-genealogical-society.html.

La Porte County January meeting wrapup

Sixteen members and friends attended the La Porte County Genealogical Society meeting Tuesday, January 8. Pictures, books, artifacts, and stories were shared, including:
* finding relatives through the Find A Grave web site,
* the "dry flood" of the Illinois River in 1943 in Beardstown, and using public events to date undated private letters,
* mementoes of Rolling Prairie and Michigan City,
* several Michigan City families and Civil War veterans,
* an unexpected Irish cousin, and
* the still-unfolding story of the medical school in La Porte in the 1840s (also known as La Porte University), the first in Indiana. Many of its faculty came from western New York and after the school here disbanded, they seeded the first medical schools in Illinois, Iowa, Wisconsin, and California.

Future meetings of the group will have the following programs:

February 12 -- an informal auction of everyone's contributed genealogy "trash and treasures," as an aid to housecleaning and to the society's budget.

March 12 -- Harold Henderson will tell how to find your way around the Allen County Public Library Genealogy Center's web site and the library itself, in preparation for our annual April bus trip. This is the best place to research genealogy between the East Coast and Salt Lake City -- don't miss out!

April 9 -- Audrey Kinezian will speak on genealogy resources for Starke County.

April 10 -- Annual bus trip to Allen County Public Library. Reservation forms will be available soon, cost is $21 per person.

May 14 -- to be announced.

June 11 -- Gloria Arndt and Dorothy Palmer will guide the annual cemetery tour, this time meeting 6 pm at Low Cemetery on Johnson Road, and sharing a supper afterwards.

Weather permitting, the genealogy society meets at the Swanson Center for Older Adults, 910 State Street, La Porte, on the second Tuesday of each month at 7 pm. The public is welcome at all meetings. Membership dues are $10 individual, $12 family.

For those who believe they have early La Porte County ancestors (and can prove it!), July 31, 2013 is the deadline to apply for one or more residency certificates. Our web site at http://www.rootsweb.ancestry.com/~inlcigs/categories.htm has information . There's information on how to apply for First Families of La Porte (before December 1840), Pioneer Families (1841-1860), Settler Families (1861-1880), and Civil War Families (1861-1865).

You can also read or search back issues of the society's newsletter, December 2005 through December 2009, including genealogical and historical information from members' research and abstracting work in local records, on our blog at http://lpcgs.blogspot.com.