They Went That-a-Way From LaPorte County, Indiana Updated July 16, 2008 ====================================================

Where in the world did those ancestors and folks go, when some of them left La Porte County, Indiana? Join the fun; help others find their ancestors. Here's how you do it.

Born in 1903 and celebrating her 105th birthday out in Arizona where she is living after moving there from LaPorte County. What is her name?
Catherine (Kaupke) Peterson Mehan. Her parents were Louis L and Lydia (Linton) Kaupke who were married Pulaski County, Indiana. Catherine graduated from Rolling Prairie High School in 1921. She married Carl O Peterson in LaPorte County 15 June 1926.   Her current name is Catherine Mehan (second marriage). She lived in La Porte for 69 years, moving to Arizona in 1978. She taught home economics and grade school for 10 years in La Porte. Her husband, Carl, owned a sheet-metal and heating business where she also worked. She has a daughter, Barbara (Peterson) Lachapelle, 77, who lives in Florida. Catherine currently lives in the Sierra Winds retirement community in Peoria, AZ. Thank you Robert Mickelson for sending us much of this information.

Type 1 to 3 paragraphs for this page stating who the ancestors were in La Porte County and where their kin went once they left here. Or you can do like George Parker did below and send us a brief biography. Our group of volunteers will also be adding some destinations in the next several months.
Then email us your paragraphs or brief biographies to laportecountyin@yahoo.com

If the search engine has brought you to this page, then hold down your ctrl and 'f' keys and a pop up box will appear. Type in the name you are looking for and hit enter. It should take you to that name.

Nelson F. Ward and Marsilva (aka Sylvia or Mersylvia) Concannon (She being the daugher of James and Sarah Concannon) were united in marriage in LaPorte County, IN on 12 June 1862. The remained in Wanatah and appear there in the 1870 census, he as a Physician and Marsillva (sp) as keeping house. Her sister Elizabeth Concannon is living with them and teaching school. She is 29 years of age. In the 1880 census, we still find them in Wanatah area and now they have an 8 years old daughter, named, Edith Gracie - born July of 187?. Marsilva is now also practicing as a doctor.
  By1885 they have moved on to Wysies Village, Butler County, NE and can be found there in the state census.
By the time the 1900 Federal Census is taken, Both Nelson and his wife are living in Turkey Creek, Franklin County, Nebraska and are boarding, they are both physicians. Mrs. Ward reports that she has had 3 children, one of which (Edith Gracie) is the only one that survives.

  Edith marries a Frank Barrows (born in Missouri in September of 1871) he is shown as a painter and she a physician. In the 1900 census, they are living in Wyandotte County, KS.
By the 1910 census, Edith Shows she and her daughter living in Sheridan County, Wyoming, she stated that she has been married for 18 years; but Frank is not with them in this census.
  Mr and Mrs. Nelson are living in the Big Horn County of WY in the 1910 census. IN 1920 Nelson is widowed and living in the same county . He is 83 years of age and in this census, Edith Grace, just uses her middle name of Grace Barrow. She is divorced and 44 years of age. Her daughter Corrine ? Barrow Sharp shows that she is married and living with them. She is 18 years of age and states she was born in Nebraska.
  

Michigan CityDispatch, 10 August 1899
Found Dead in Chicago, August Johnson, of Pinhook, near Westville, recently disappeared, leaving no trace of his whereabouts. Advices received from Chacago say that the body of a man supposed to be Johnson is at a morgue in that city awaiting further identification.

Antone Boeckling and his family lived in Michigan City, Indiana. Antone wife, Elizabeth Schmidt Boeckling, is buried in Greenwood Cemetery as is he, after his death (8 Feb 1917) he was brought back to Indiana for burial.   Antone and Elizabeth were wed in LaPorte Co., IN 10 Aug 1861. After his wife's death, Atone went to Marion Co, Indiana and then on to Sandusky, Erie County, OH where we also find his eldest son, George A. Boekling. G. A. Beckling - "Born to German immigrants in Indiana in 1862, George A. Boeckling was a salesman and real estate agent. In 1897 he became general manger of the newly formed Cedar Point Pleasure Resort Company. Under Boeckling’s leadership, Cedar Point was transformed from a summer picnic area to a thriving amusement park with wide appeal." Per the June 2007 Sandusky Blog Spot. Drop by the Sandusky Library either via the Internet or in person.

Rev. Frederick Patterson Cummins AKA in LaPorte Co., histories as F.P. Cummins (see - http://www.dunelady.com/laporte/all_histories.htm )
Frederick married his brother Richard S. Cummins' widow, Francis A. (Walker) Cummins in 1835 in Shelby Co., IN.   F P Cummins also appears in the 1850 La Porte Co., IN census and in the 1860 census, the following appears: 1860 census - Frederick P Cummin La Porte, La Porte, IN 48 abt 1812 Pennsylvania Male, d Franes a Cummin La Porte, La Porte, IN 40 abt 1820 Indiana Female; Richard N Cummin La Porte, La Porte, IN 20 abt 1840 Indiana Male,;John N Cummin La Porte, La Porte, IN 17 abt 1843 Indiana Male;   Francis E Cummin La Porte, La Porte, IN 15 abt 1845 Indiana Female,: May E Cummin La Porte, La Porte, IN 12 abt 1848 Indiana Female;  Henry A ?Cummin La Porte, La Porte, IN 7 abt 1853 Indiana Male; Caroline R Cummin La Porte, La Porte, IN 5 abt 1855 Indiana Female     Frederick P Cummins moved out of county shortly after the 1870 census was taken and his obit can be found in "THE JOURNAL" - Crawfordsville, In, Jan. 29, 1874. OBITUARY
  Francis, his wife, later died on 15 July 1895 in Indianapolis, IN at age 75.   Of the children, Richard W, became a minister and eventually went to Montana. John N, went to Elkhart, Frances married a Johnston, Carrie R married Francies T. Holliday, and May E. married Edwin J Swan.

Elias Hollandsworth married Phoebe C Linard in Laporte County on the 24th of September 1853, she being the daughter of Joseph Linard.  Phoebe would have a total of 11 children of which 9 made it to adulthood and outlived their parents. (See Union Mills Cemetery, this county for additional dates and info on Elias and Phoebe.)
Elias and Phoebe had one daughter Elizabeth in about 1854-55 while still living in Indiana. They then packed up and went to Lockwin, Brown County, Kansas. Known children born in Kansas were Joseph born the 24th of October, 1857, Ira born in about 1860 would later go to Adams County, Nebraska; John Wm b abt 1866, Daniel 1864 and George .Then the family moved on to Cedar County, Missouri where Mary A, was born Mar 24, 1868.
  Elias came back to LaPorte County sometime before Hal was born about 1873. Then Ella and Belle joined the family too.
  Mary would marry Oscar Chambers and remain in LaPorte County. Ella married a Horatio Koontz , they lived in Elkhart Co., IN. And Belle married Jessie Holderman and went to St. Joseph County, IN. Please note the obituaries we have on line for some of these descendants.

Eli Lightfoot was born in Ohio 21 Aug, 1815. Eli arrived in the LaPorte Co., Indiana and Berrien County, Michigan area in the mid 1840's. With him was his wife Ruth and several children. Ruth died sometime after 1849 when Prudence was born.
Eli then married Harriet Smith 26 Mar 1861 in this county.

Children by Eli and Ruth were:
Thomas b. abt 1834 in He married Catherine Heathman from Berrien Co., Michigan went West to Iowa for a while and returned to possibly return to Michigan
Other children of Eli born in Ohio were::
Margaret b. 1835 and m. George Row, she died young and is buried in Rolling Prairie Cemetery, Rolling Prairie, Indiana.
Rebbecca J b. about 1837 m. Elijah Qualls 1861 in Berrien Co., MI.
Samantha b. about 1839 ,
Simeon b. about 1842 m. Nancy A. Hawley. Simeon served in the Civil War.
Born in Indiana were the following
Annonius(sp) he was born about 1845.
Malinda b. about 1847 m. Justice Hale 15 Nov 1862 In LaPorte County.
Prudence about 1849. She married William F. Smith and went to Iowa.
After the death of Ruth - Eli married Harriet Smith and they had 3 recorded children.
They headed to Marshall County Indiana where Edward and Gilbert were born. Then they must have traveled on through Missouri where Ada (Adeline) was born in abt 1873. Harriet can be found living as a widow in the Dakota territory in the 1880 census. She is a widow.
Some of the family members listed above returned to the Berrien County and LaPorte County area after trying their luck out West.

James Marion Parker  who served as a Civil War Veteran from LaPorte County, headed west with his family. Read part of that account here as presented by George and Betty Parker

Sovereign Families of Laporte County and beyond
The Sovereign family groups migrated to the US and then some went up to Canada . It is interesting to note that both Abram and Rufus, respond in the 1880 census, that their parents were born in New Jersey and themselves in Canada. There appears to be 4 main households of Sovereigns that came to LaPorte County, some as early as the 1841. Because of proximity, I believe that Rufus, William and Abram Sovereign were brothers. But Lewis Sovereign, the doctor, comes from Canada and then lives in Elkhart Co., Indiana. In later years he moves to LaPorte County and Illinois and is buried in Greenwood Cemetery, this county. Berrien County has a history on Lewis and his son, therefore we won't repeat it here.
Abram Sovereign - First appears in the 1850 LaPorte Co., Indiana Fed. Census. He married Annis, the widow of Horace B. Hibbard who died in LaPorte Co., IN about 1838. Abram & Annis were married in Berrien Co., Michigan 21 Jan 1841. Abram and Annis (b. 1804 in CT) must have divorced. Abraham married Eunice (Tabor) Pitcher in La Porte Co., IN 29 March 1865. Eunice Tabor was previously married to Alonzo Pitcher who was died in Chattanooga, Tennessee 11 Oct 1863. Alonzo and Eunice had one child, Chester Ellery.
Abram and family can be found in the 1870 census in Caldwell Co., Missouri where he moved. They have small children in the household. In the 1880 census and the copy I was able to obtain, the census page has been pasted with the wrong given names. But if you look in Caldwell County, Missouri, you will find Abram along with his age, wife's age and age of two older children on the previous page where Nellie Sovereign and other siblings born in the 1870's are listed along with a step-son, Ellery Pitcher - stepson. Abram died 2 June 1899 and is buried in Hume Cemetery., Hume, Bates County, MO. Age at death was 79 yrs, 1 mo 12 days.
William Sovereign - Born about 1826 in Canada. He married Sarah. There appears to be some romanticism involved in the family lore here. William and Sarah had 6 children and in the 1900 census, Sarah states that 4 of the 6 children she gave birth to are living. In 1850 William is living with brother Abram Sovereign. In 1860 William is now married to Sarah and they are living in the New Durham, Westville area in Laporte County. William states on the census that Abram and Jane are both b. Indiana. It is possible that William did return to Canada, for whatever reason and then returned to Indiana with his wife and young children. But the conflict comes in the fact that for two census the children are shown as being born in Indiana. Then after William's death in Jefferson County, Iowa 19 Mar 1865, Sarah responds to the census that the children are all born in Canada. Sarah married Ichabod Richmond after William had been killed when struck and killed by lightening. Four of their children were Abram, Francis Jane. (who married Merlin Sparks) Mary E., and Emma O. who was deaf and mute. William's son, Abram, married Ella A Sherman in Knox Co., NE 22 Sep 1878 and later moved to Antelope Co., NE. They all lived in Nebraska for most of their lives.
Rufus Sovereign - Of the other 3 Sovereign family groups, Rufus Sovereign, born in Canada 10 July 1828, was the only one to remain in Indiana. He lived in New Durham Township, LaPorte County and just across the line into Jackson Twp, Porter Co., Indiana. He married Nancy Rogers on 6 October 1851, she being born Kentucky 11 Mar 1830. They are both buried in Westville Cemetery this county.

Lemore born abt 1852 went on to Nebraska and perhaps Canada.,
Leander b. 6 Mar 1855) went to Arkansas where he married in 1893.
Bertha married William Lahayn and lived most of her life in Porter Co., Ind. She died 1945.
Theodocia b. abt 1860 married William J Smith in Porter Co., Indiana in 1884,
and Marian F. (born and died December of 1873)

Wedge family notes:
William P. Wedge (born 1810 NY) is on the 1860 Census of New Durham Township, Laporte Couunty, Indiana, with his wife Annis and child Rosa (Rosella Elizabeth). Neighboring family is his son Ezra Bates Wedge and wife Mary Elizabeth Michaels. They lived in Pierpont, Ashtabula County, Ohio in 1850.
  Ezra died in the Civil War at Wanatah on 13 January 1864 at his fathers house. His wife lived in Winfield, Lake County, Indiana at that time. Mary Elizabeth Wedge remarried a Moses Cooper, she is again widowed on the 1880 census of Porter County Indiana.
  William P. Wedge and Annis moved to Eaglesville, Harrison County, Missouri and is listed as a Minister on the 1870 Census there. William and Annis both died in Harrison County Missour in the 1870's.
  Rosella Elizabeth Wedge married Jesse Carter and died at Platsburg, Missouri.
  Ezra Wedge had two children, John Henry Wedge and Amelia M. Wedge. John Henry Wedge married 1. Hannah Dunnaway 2. Margaret Ann Baskins in Arkansas. Amelia M. Wedge married 1. David Pittman 2. William Henry Buckley. Lived in Arkansas, Missouri and Oklahoma. Contributed by: Wanda Wedge Greathouse

Woodin, Peter - Peter Woodin originated from Oswego County, New York. He was born there 20 Aug 1804 and was probably the son of Amos Woodin. In the 1830 census he and his new bride, Margaret Bias or Bials, can be found in Panama, Washtenaw, Michigan Territory, where two of his daughters, Sally M. and Helen M are born. And by 1837 Peter and family are in Starke County, Indiana, in the portion of the county which will be later known as Van Buren and then incorporated into Cass Township, LaPorte County, Indiana. At least three more children were born, Charles M, born 1839, Emily May 1843 and Peter Eudorous born December 1847.
Helen M Wooden m. Charles M Rowley after the death of Charles Rowley. She married Zephaniah T. Horine 25 June 1870 and they later divorced. He went to Kansas and she stayed in La Porte County. Helen had two children, Daniel and Noah Rowley. Both are buried in Hanna Cemetery, as is she under her married name of Rowley.
Emily first married Chandler Palmer. She then married Lewis Howland and she d. Feb 1936 in Grand Isle, NE.

KRUSEMARCK - Chicago Daily Tribune, Chicago, IL 30 Dec 1928 Obituary KRUSEMARCK--Dr. Charles Krusemarck, aged 74, Dec. 18, at his home in La Porte, Ind. Beloved husband of Ida M., fond father of the late Charles and Orville Krusemarck and Herbert of La Porte, Ind. Services Monday, 2 p.m. from chapel, 124 E. 22d-st. Internment Oakwoods cemetery. Los Angeles papers please copy.

Leopold Low - 1914-01-07 Chicago Tribune (IL) - LOW - Edition: Chicago Tribune - Leopold Low, at La Porte, Ind., Jan. 6, in his 74th year, fond husband of Ester Cohen Low and father of Nathan H. Low and Milton H. Low, Lucile Low, and Mrs. William De Vide. Burial at Patton cemetery, La Porte, Thursday, Jan. 8, at 2 p.m. New York city and Ligonier, Ind., papers please copy. Record Number: 19140107dn016

Mrs. Elizabeth Smith - 1916-03-19 Chicago Tribune (IL) LAPORTE NEGRESS, FIGURE IN GUNNESS CASE, DIES. Her Story, Like Another Section of the "Spoon River Anthology; Comes to Its End. Edition: Chicago Tribune La Porte, Ind., March 18.--Whatever secrets of the Gunness case she may have known were carried to the grave by Mrs. Elizabeth Smith, a Negress, who died today, aged 75. She left several thousand dollars in a local bank, and she owned eight houses. When in her teens Elizabeth Umpsteadt was known as the Negro beauty of northern Indiana. A prominent La Porte lawyer half a century ago gave her a note for $600 to educate their child. Later he became converted at a revival and publicly confessed his relations with her. For thus publicly drawing attention to their affair the Negro girl horsewhipped him before a crowd in the public square. When Ray Lamphere was arrested for setting fire to the Gunness house near La Porte early in the morning of April 28, 1908, it became known he had left Mrs. Smith's home at 3 o'clock in the morning. The fire resulted in the burning to death of Mrs. Gunness and her three children and the discovery a few days later that Mrs. Gunness had murdered a dozen people and had buried them on her farm. Record Number: 19160319ob002

Damon Gray - 1918-08-01 Chicago Tribune (IL) AMERICAN OVERSEAS CASUALTIES ARMY CASUALTIES Edition: Chicago Tribune WASHINGTON, D. C., July St.--Today's casualty list of the American army in France contained 194 names, bringing the total overseas army casualties to 12,522. DIED OF WOUNDS. LIEUTENANTS. Damon Gray, La Porte, Ind.

McCOLLUM - 1918-04-09 Chicago Tribune (IL) McCOLLUM Edition: Chicago Tribune Walter McCollum, April 5, La Porte, Ind. Interment Rosehill April 9, 4:30 p.m. Windham, Conn., papers please copy. Record Number: 19180409dn022

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