Local History & Genealogy

Indiana Room Collection photo 1
Indiana Room Collection photo 2 showing book shelves
Indiana Room Collection showing books on shelf

Indiana Room Collection

Explore the beautiful and historic Indiana Room at the Main Library. With bricks and keystones exposed from the original Carnegie Library, which opened in 1920, these walls are filled with state, regional, and local history connecting us all to our roots.

  • Use the digital microfilm machines to research regional newspapers dating back to the late 1800s.
  • Search through plat books, atlases, and historical maps

Explore Digital Resources

Similar to the collection located in the historic Indiana Room at the Main Library, customers are able to explore all types of local and genealogy history, 24 hours a day/7 days a week through the digital collection.

Browse local high school yearbooks dating back to 1902, see how property lines and geographic areas have shifted with the digital maps, and read stories of local history that make up the patchwork of our community.

Online Resources

Family Search

Family Search logo

Discover your family’s story through historical records.​

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Find a Grave

Find a Grave logo

Find the graves of ancestors, create virtual memorials or add photos, virtual flowers and a note to a loved one’s memorial. Search or browse cemeteries and grave records for every-day and famous people from around the world.

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Hoosier State Chronicles

Hoosier State Chronicles logo

Hoosier State Chronicles is operated by the Indiana State Library and funded by the U.S. Institute of Museum and Library Services under the provisions of the Library Services and Technology Act. We seek to provide free, online access to high quality digital images of Indiana’s historic newspapers by digitizing our collection, and assisting other organizations in making their collections digitally available.

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Indiana Memory

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Indiana Memory is a collaborative effort to provide access to the wealth of primary sources in Indiana libraries, archives, museums and other cultural institutions. It is a gateway to Indiana’s history and culture found in digitized books, manuscripts, photographs, newspapers, maps and other media. As a portal to the collections, Indiana Memory assists individuals to locate materials relevant to their interests and to better appreciate the connections between those materials.

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INSPIRE

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This resource is Indiana’s Virtual Library. It offers access to over 40 databases covering subjects like biographies, magazine and scholarly journal articles, newspapers articles (most recent 30 days), poetry, and short stories. Access this database 24/7 from wherever you have Internet access, at no cost, as long as you have your library card barcode number and PIN.

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LPCPL Digital Collection

LPCPL logo

Explore historical documents and images from La Porte County, Indiana. New items are added regularly. The electronic versions of these documents are provided by LPCPL and/or the transcribers for nonprofit or personal use. Commercial use requires express written consent.

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Research Your Family History

Genealogy and local history resources are available in our collections. Our research staff can teach you how to use these resources to their fullest potential. The largest collection of resources is located in the Indiana Room at the Main Library. For more information please call the Information Desk at 219-362-6156 ext. 101 or email help@laportelibrary.org

Staff can help you with your research and locate genealogical records or obituaries.

Online Research Request Form