THE BRICK WALL
PROTOCOLGENEALOGY · BEYOND THE SEARCH BOX
BRICK WALL PROTOCOL / FREE GUIDES

Cass County:
Track Logansport families through places and probate.

Use local history collections, library databases and estate indexes while keeping museum access separate from research appointments.

Addresses and access notes ↓

Cass County, Indiana: repository locations and selected major roadsUS 24US 351,4LogansportN ↑≈ 5 miles
Selected repository locations for present-day orientation. Numbers match the research stops below. Select a marker to open its stop. Locations are approximate, not entrances or driving directions. Grouped numbers identify nearby repositories; use the address key for individual locations.

Explore local streets and repository locations ↗

Not sure where to begin? Build a free three-step research plan → Choose your question, period and records already checked.

Explore records coverage by year ↓

Additional collection references

How to search and interpret selected collections ↓

Share this county guide

Know someone researching here? Share this to help them find their next source.

Share on Facebook ↗

PLAN YOUR RESEARCH ROUTE

Match the stops to the repository

Several stops can lead to the same repository. Maps show selected verified locations, not every guide stop or every community represented in the records. Use each stop’s access instructions, including for online and out-of-county collections. Check access before traveling.

  • Stop 1, Stop 4: Cass County Historical Society, Castaldi Family History Center
    421 E. Broadway Street, Logansport, IN 46947

    Request a research appointment at 421 E. Broadway. Supply names, dates and a specific school, business or place, and ask what relevant archival material is available before traveling.

    Repository information · Map position source
  • Stop 5: Episcopal Diocese of Northern Indiana Archives, online
    See access instructions Not plotted.

    Use the bibliography links on the parish page to reach the digitized volumes. Browse to the relevant section and cite the volume and page, including witnesses and sponsors where recorded.

    Repository information
  • Stop 6: DePauw University Archives and Special Collections
    See access instructions Not plotted.

    Quote collection identifier LOC-2011-1180 when asking the university archives about the relevant series, retrieval and copying. The catalog marks the collection open for research.

    Repository information
  • Stop 7: Indiana Historical Society, William Henry Smith Memorial Library
    See access instructions Not plotted.

    Request SC 0726 and identify the desired item. Ask the library about a copy or reading-room consultation; the guide does not promise online images.

    Repository information
Other guide stops not shown on this map

These stops may be online collections, shared repositories or locations not yet confirmed for mapping. Follow the collection’s access instructions.

Map sources and limits

County outlines: U.S. Census Bureau 2024 cartographic boundaries . Selected major roads: 2024 TIGER/Line primary and secondary roads . Public repository addresses checked against the sources above, with approximate Census geocoder positions. Unmatched addresses and out-of-county repositories are listed in the key rather than assigned a guessed position. Markers identify contact locations, not collection coverage. Historical boundaries, township lines and current traffic conditions are not shown. Prepared November 4, 2026.

Sources checked October 25, 2026. Additional collection descriptions and access instructions checked November 4, 2026. Earlier repository corrections retained. Selected dates do not imply complete coverage.

Start with one connection.

Bring a person, a place, approximate years, and one question. A township, congregation, school, or employer may reveal records a surname search misses. The custodian can be outside the county.

STOP 01 / Logansport

Cass County Historical Society: Castaldi Family History Center

Begin with the research center rather than the exhibit floor.

The society locates its library and Castaldi Family History Center at the Cass County Museum, separate from the Long Home Museum’s artifact displays.

Research details & a question to ask

How to begin

Use the society’s research-appointment route and describe the family, date range and topic. Confirm the research location and available materials before visiting.

A question you can ask

Which library or archival material addresses this family’s Logansport connection?

Keep in mind

The public overview does not supply a detailed archival inventory. Exhibit subjects do not guarantee employee, canal-worker or military personnel records.

STOP 02 / Logansport and Galveston

Logansport-Cass County Public Library genealogy portal

Check access before planning a database search.

The library’s genealogy portal offers Ancestry Library Edition and HeritageQuest, with a separate remote HeritageQuest route.

Research details & a question to ask

How to begin

Use Ancestry onsite. The remote HeritageQuest link requires a library card number; ask staff which local materials can supplement database results.

A question you can ask

Can staff help locate a local source that supports this database result?

Keep in mind

Database access is not evidence of a complete county collection. Subscription availability and remote eligibility can change.

STOP 03 / Indianapolis and online

Indiana State Library county research guide

Take a title and date range to the catalog.

The guide lists Declarations of Intent Book 1, Tract Books 1–2, Index to Estates, 1829–1900, and Index to Probate Records, 1830–1852.

Research details & a question to ask

How to begin

Use the county guide to identify a title, then check the library catalog and ask staff about consultation or copies before traveling.

A question you can ask

Which estate index points to the complete proceedings for this person?

Keep in mind

Published indexes and abstracts are finding aids. Follow their references to the underlying records; the list is not exhaustive.

STOP 04 / Cass County Historical Society, Castaldi Family History Center

Castaldi research appointments and local-history collections

Read the collection in context.

The society places its library and family-history center in the Cass County Museum, distinct from the Long Home Museum exhibits.

Research details & a question to ask

How to begin

Request a research appointment at 421 E. Broadway. Supply names, dates and a specific school, business or place, and ask what relevant archival material is available before traveling.

A question you can ask

Which original item covers this place and year, and how can I consult it?

Keep in mind

No detailed public holdings inventory or comprehensive coverage dates were verified. Canal, railroad and military exhibits do not prove surviving personnel records.

STOP 05 / Episcopal Diocese of Northern Indiana Archives, online

Trinity Episcopal vestry minutes and surviving parish registers

Read the collection in context.

The diocesan archive links vestry minutes for 1841–1855 and parish registers for 1866–1879 and 1880–1930. It explicitly identifies the 1841–1865 parish register as lost.

Research details & a question to ask

How to begin

Use the bibliography links on the parish page to reach the digitized volumes. Browse to the relevant section and cite the volume and page, including witnesses and sponsors where recorded.

A question you can ask

Which original item covers this place and year, and how can I consult it?

Keep in mind

Vestry minutes are not a substitute for a missing sacramental register. The linked files were identified from the archival index; individual pages were not inspected in this review.

STOP 06 / DePauw University Archives and Special Collections

First United Methodist Church records, LOC-2011-1180

Read the collection in context.

The university finding aid describes First United Methodist Church, Logansport, records dated 1884–2022. The congregation was formerly Broadway Methodist Church.

Research details & a question to ask

How to begin

Quote collection identifier LOC-2011-1180 when asking the university archives about the relevant series, retrieval and copying. The catalog marks the collection open for research.

A question you can ask

Which original item covers this place and year, and how can I consult it?

Keep in mind

1884–2022 is the collection span, not proof of continuous membership or baptismal records. Confirm the required record type and year before a visit.

STOP 07 / Indiana Historical Society, William Henry Smith Memorial Library

A graduation program and teacher license in Laura Heddens papers

Read the collection in context.

Laura Heddens papers, SC 0726, include a Logansport High School commencement program dated June 23, 1882, a commencement essay and a Fulton County teaching license dated May 31, 1884.

Research details & a question to ask

How to begin

Request SC 0726 and identify the desired item. Ask the library about a copy or reading-room consultation; the guide does not promise online images.

A question you can ask

Which original item covers this place and year, and how can I consult it?

Keep in mind

This is one personal collection, not a complete run of school records. The license concerns Fulton County, so it should not be treated as evidence of Cass County teaching.

Leave a trail another researcher can follow.

Save the repository, collection title, dates, volume, page or item identifier, link, and the date you consulted it. Follow an index to the original record when possible. Keep uncertain names and inferred relationships visibly separate from what the source states.

Return to the Indiana county map · Explore Ohio collections

Corrections or a useful collection? hello@brickwallprotocol.com

CASS COUNTY / SELECTED RECORDS COVERAGE

Which collections cover your years?

Use these dated holdings to choose a next search. This is a selection of cataloged collections, not a complete inventory of Cass County records.

A range is a lead, not a guarantee. Bars show the dates stated by the cited catalog or inventory. They do not establish uninterrupted coverage, complete reporting or online image access. Unmarked years mean not represented in this selection, not that records were destroyed. Indexes and abstracts still need to be followed to the underlying record.

Sources reviewed October 26, 2026. Blue shows cataloged holdings; rust identifies indexes or compiled publications where the source specifies them. Read the format label and access notes for each row.

inventory overview bounds

Marriage microfilm holdings

Listed years: 1829–2002.

Source, access and coverage limits

Open the inventory and match the year to a specific item, title and call number. Ask the Indiana State Library about viewing the microfilm or any digital counterpart. The overview may combine indexes and record volumes; its bounds do not promise an uninterrupted series.

Keep in mind: Selected Indiana State Library holdings. Microfilm overview bounds can include indexes and multiple volumes; consult item-level entries for gaps. These are not countywide survival dates or an assurance of online images.

inventory overview bounds

Deeds microfilm holdings

Listed years: 1829–1904.

Source, access and coverage limits

Open the inventory and match the year to a specific item, title and call number. Ask the Indiana State Library about viewing the microfilm or any digital counterpart. The overview may combine indexes and record volumes; its bounds do not promise an uninterrupted series.

Keep in mind: Selected Indiana State Library holdings. Microfilm overview bounds can include indexes and multiple volumes; consult item-level entries for gaps. These are not countywide survival dates or an assurance of online images.

inventory overview bounds

Wills microfilm holdings

Listed years: 1831–1925.

Source, access and coverage limits

Open the inventory and match the year to a specific item, title and call number. Ask the Indiana State Library about viewing the microfilm or any digital counterpart. The overview may combine indexes and record volumes; its bounds do not promise an uninterrupted series.

Keep in mind: Selected Indiana State Library holdings. Microfilm overview bounds can include indexes and multiple volumes; consult item-level entries for gaps. These are not countywide survival dates or an assurance of online images.

inventory overview bounds

Probates microfilm holdings

Listed years: 1829–1918.

Source, access and coverage limits

Open the inventory and match the year to a specific item, title and call number. Ask the Indiana State Library about viewing the microfilm or any digital counterpart. The overview may combine indexes and record volumes; its bounds do not promise an uninterrupted series.

Keep in mind: Selected Indiana State Library holdings. Microfilm overview bounds can include indexes and multiple volumes; consult item-level entries for gaps. These are not countywide survival dates or an assurance of online images.

Confirm the historical jurisdiction as well as the date. A record may be held outside today’s county, and an inventory’s ending year does not mean recordkeeping stopped.

Check historical jurisdiction → · Find collections for my years →

FOLLOW THE COLLECTION

Additional collection references

Official catalog descriptions checked October 25, 2026. These notes identify research routes, not completed name-level searches.

Barnett family correspondence, about 1849–1890

Letters include family news from Logansport. Most were written by Maria Barnett to her son George and his family.

How to begin: Consult the chronological finding aid and ask IHS for M0733 and the relevant year folder.

What remains uncertain: A family-specific collection, not a county-wide surname index. Letters also originated outside the county; establish the writer and location for each item.

BEFORE YOU SEARCH

Understand the collection. Choose your next step.

Two selected collections, with practical ways to search and interpret the result. These are research suggestions, not findings about a particular person.

  1. Choose a source
  2. Check its limits
  3. Search and record
  4. Follow the next lead
Selected local collection

Trinity Episcopal parish registers

What it can tell you
A parish register can document church events and associated people outside civil registration.

Selected listed years: 1866–1930

Date overlap is a lead, not a guarantee of complete coverage.

How to search, request and interpret this collection

Coverage and gaps
Vestry minutes are not a substitute for a missing sacramental register. The linked files were identified from the archival index; individual pages were not inspected in this review. Two listed volumes: 1866–1879 and 1880–1930; earlier register 1841–1865 reported lost.

How to search
Browse the appropriate event section and record the volume, page, date and any sponsors or witnesses.

How to retrieve it
Use the diocesan archive links for the 1866–1879 and 1880–1930 parish registers.

Practical access
Use the bibliography links on the parish page to reach the digitized volumes. Browse to the relevant section and cite the volume and page, including witnesses and sponsors where recorded.

If nothing turns up
The earlier 1841–1865 register is reported lost. A missing entry in surviving volumes does not rule out another congregation or an unrecorded event.

Read the collection source ↗

Source review: 2026-11-04; repository description checked, individual entries not inspected. Search and interpretation suggestions are BWP guidance.

Then try this

Compare church events with civil and family records.

Follow this research route →

Match collections to your research years →

Selected local collection

Logansport High School commencement program in Heddens papers

What it can tell you
A program in a personal collection may preserve a school event missing from general indexes.

Selected listed years: 1882

Date overlap is a lead, not a guarantee of complete coverage.

How to search, request and interpret this collection

Coverage and gaps
This is one personal collection, not a complete run of school records. The license concerns Fulton County, so it should not be treated as evidence of Cass County teaching. Single June 23, 1882 program; SC 0726.

How to search
Inspect the June 23, 1882 program for its actual participants and distinguish them from essay authors or later annotations.

How to retrieve it
Request Laura Heddens papers, SC 0726, from the Indiana Historical Society and specify the commencement program.

Practical access
Request SC 0726 and identify the desired item. Ask the library about a copy or reading-room consultation; the guide does not promise online images.

If nothing turns up
This is one program, not an enrollment register or complete yearbook run. An absent name does not prove nonattendance.

Read the collection source ↗

Source review: 2026-11-04; repository description checked, individual entries not inspected. Search and interpretation suggestions are BWP guidance.

Then try this

Look for corroborating school or newspaper coverage of the event.

Follow this research route →

Match collections to your research years →

HELP KEEP THIS GUIDE USEFUL

Know a collection we should include?

Suggest a correction, an overlooked collection or an updated access detail. An official link or source helps us check it before making a change. Please leave out private family documents and sensitive personal information.

Suggest a correction or collection

Opens your email app with the guide name and link filled in. Prefer webmail? Email hello@brickwallprotocol.com and include this page’s title or URL.

THE BRICK WALL PROTOCOL ON YOUTUBE

A short video. A new direction.

Watch the Short. Open the protocol. Follow the evidence.

▷   Subscribe on YouTube ↗