Patricia Harris Genealogist of the Year 2012

At the La Porte County Genealogical Society's annual dinner meeting December 11, Patricia Harris was named the society's Genealogist of the Year. Harris is one of two still-active charter members of the society, a past president and current board member, a volunteer at Michigan City Public Library, an authority on Catholic records and Polish research, and the author of a number of historical and genealogical publications including Camp Anderson 1863-1864: Michigan City's Civil War Camp.

The award was presented by Fern Eddy Schultz following a convivial dinner at the Western Inn. Besides Schultz, the awards committee includes Dorothy Palmer and chairman Gloria Arndt. (Photo: Schultz, Harris.)

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. The January 8 meeting will be a sharing time with members and guests bringing in favorite artifacts, stories, or research wins to tell about.

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.