Lake County, Indiana Records

Lake County, Indiana (Map It) was created on February 15, 1837 from Porter County and Newton County. Lake County was named for its location on Lake Michigan.

Lake County is bordered by  Cook County, Illinois (west and north, in Lake Michigan), Porter County (east), Jasper County (southeast), Newton County (south), Kankakee County, Illinois (southwest), Will County, Illinois (west).

Lake County Cities and Towns include  Crown Point, East Chicago, Gary, Hammond, Hobart, Lake Station, Whiting, Cedar Lake, Dyer, Griffith, Highland, Lowell, Merrillville, Munster, New Chicago, Schererville, Schneider, St. John , Winfield .

Lake County Townships include  Calumet, Cedar Creek, Center, Eagle Creek, Hanover, Hobart, North, Ross, St. John, West Creek, Winfield. See Map of Lake County Townships.

MapGeeks.org has is a collection of old Indiana maps.

Lake County, Indiana Courthouse Records

The Lake County Courthouse is located in Crown Point, Indiana. Learn More About State of Indiana Court, Tax, Land and Probate Records.

The Clerk's Office DOES NOT DO RESEARCH. Most staff will assist people in finding the materials, but it is up to the individual to do the research.

The following dates indicates what vital, land, probate, and court records are in Lake county. The date listed for each record is usually the earliest registration filed. The date does not indicate that there are alot records for that year and does not mean that all such events were actually filed with the clerk.

• Lake County Clerk has Marriage Records from 1837, Probate Records from 1837 and Court Records from 1837. The County Clerk responsiblities include administering Court Records of all Court Cases, prepares the Court's permanent historical record, performs marriage ceremonies, process marriage applications and issue marriage licenses, processes and distributes documents for court cases, and keeps a record of all wills and matters of trust in probate proceedings.
• Lake County Recorder has Land Records from 1837. The County Recorder maintains, preserves and Records Deeds, Mortgages, Assignments, Releases, Powers of Attorney, Real Estate Contracts, Annexations, Trustee Elections, Affidavits, Final Decrees, Surveys, Federal Tax Liens, Mechanics Liens, Military Discharges, Articles of Incorporation, Cemetery Deeds, Bonds, Plats, Condominiums, Firms Doing Business Under Assumed Names, Delinquent Sewer Liens, and Miscellaneous Instruments.
• Lake County Treasurer's Office is responsible for collecting taxes. The treasurer also receives distributions of local income and other taxes that are collected by the state such as real estate tax, personal property tax, mobile home tax, state assessed tax, and the following miscellaneous taxes: auto excise tax, inheritance tax, and innkeeper's tax.
• Lake County Department of Health has Birth & Death Records from 1882. The County Department of Health maintains and provides Certified Birth and Death Records.

Lake County, Indiana Census Records

• Learn More: State of Indiana Census Records
• U.S. Federal Population Schedules: 1840, 1850, 1860, 1870, 1880 (free index), 1890 (fragmented), 1900, 1910, 1920, 1930, 1940
• U.S. Census Reconstructed Records: None
• State Population Schedules: None
• U.S. Federal Census Mortality Schedules: 1850, 1860, 1870 and 1880
• Selected U.S. Federal Census Agriculture Schedules: 1850, 1860, 1870 and 1880
• Selected U.S. Federal Census Industry Schedules: 1850, 1860, 1870 and 1880
• Union Veterans Schedules: 1890

Lake County, Indiana Vital Records

• Learn More: State of Indiana Vital Records
• Birth Records: from October 1907 to present. 
• Marriage Records: from 1958 to present. 
• Death Records: from January 1900 to present.
• Divorce Records: None. See the  County Clerk.
• Locations: Indiana State Department of Health, 2 North Meridian Street, Indianapolis, IN 46204; PH: (317) 233-1325
• Vital Records Online: USAVital or Social Security Death Index
• Vital Records by Mail: Birth Certificate, Marriage Certificate, Death Certificate Applications.

Lake County, Indiana Resources

• State of Indiana Archives and Societies
• RAOGK Volunteers for Indiana
• Lake County Historian, Bruce L. Woods, LCHS, Courthouse Square, Suite 202, Crown Point, IN 46307; Work Phone: (219) 662-3975
• Lake County Historical Society and Museum
• Northwest Indiana Genealogical Society
• Buckley Homestead County Park
• Dyer Historical Society
• East Chicago Historical Society, 2401 E. Columbus Drive, East Chicago, IN 46312-2936; Phone: (219) 397-2453
• Gary Historical & Cultural Society
• Griffith Historical Society
• Hammond Historical Society
• Hammond Public Library
• Hessville Historical Society, 7205 Kennedy Ave., Hammond, IN 46323-2228
• Highland Historical Society
• Hobart Historical Society, P.O. Box 24, Hobart, IN 46342-0024; Phone: (219) 942-0970
• Lake of the Red Cedars Museum
• Lake Station Historical Society
• Merrillville-Ross Township Historical Society
• Munster Historical Society
• Schererville Historical Society, 10 E. Joliet St., Schererville, IN 46375-2011; Phone: (219) 322-1699
• South Lake County Agricultural Historical Society
• Three Creeks Historical Association
• Whiting-Robertsdale Historical Society
• Lake County, Indiana Message Boards

Lake County, Indiana External Links

• Indiana Historical Newspapers - Newspapers.com
• Lake County, Indiana Books - Amazon
• Internet Archives online books for Lake County
• Lake County Newspaper Holdings at the Indiana State Library
• Lake Co., Indiana - FindaGrave
• Indiana Indexed Historical Records - Familysearch
• Lake County, Indiana Links - Cyndi's List
• Historical Newspapers from Indiana (1817 - 1930)
• Lake Co. INGenweb
• Lake County, Indiana Ancestry Database Collections
• Lake County, Indiana Military Records