Sources checked October 25, 2026. Additional collection descriptions and dates checked November 4, 2026. Earlier valid guide content retained; date spans do not guarantee complete holdings.
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 / ValparaisoLarry J. Clark Genealogy Center
A county-focused collection includes more than family histories.
The library system describes yearbooks, microfilm, indexes and official county court records, with selected historical material also digitized through Internet Archive.
Research details & a question to ask
How to begin
Check the genealogy center’s own hours, which differ from branch hours, and ask about the specific court series or school year before visiting.
A question you can ask
Which court series or index covers this named case?
Keep in mind
Selected digitization does not mean all court records are searchable online. Confirm record dates and format with staff.
STOP 02 / Chesterton / DunelandDuneland History Center: local archives and undertaker index
An undertaker’s entry can lead beyond an obituary.
The center, formerly Westchester Township History Museum, provides an index to Lundberg and Flynn-Lundberg undertaker records for 1885–1942. Its archives also describe Prairie Club material and Chesterton Tribune photographs.
Research details & a question to ask
How to begin
Use the index to identify a name and date, then request the underlying entry or arrange research access.
A question you can ask
Can I obtain the complete undertaker entry and clarify any added notation?
Keep in mind
The index distinguishes added information and uncertain readings. Dates in remarks are not necessarily death or burial dates.
STOP 03 / Indianapolis / statewideIndiana State Library: Porter County holdings
Turn a county index into a precise request for the underlying record.
Selected holdings include naturalization indexes covering 1854–1955 and 1849–1955, plus wills for 1839–1880.
Research details & a question to ask
How to begin
Open the county guide, copy the title and call number, then check the catalog or ask the library about format and access before visiting.
A question you can ask
Which court and original naturalization record does the index identify?
Keep in mind
These are selected library holdings, often indexes or transcripts. A listed date range does not guarantee every event survives or that original images are online.
STOP 04 / Calumet Regional ArchivesWestchester Township survey maps and surveyor notes
CRA021 Box 2 folder 11c lists Westchester Township survey maps and notes for 1830 and 1834.
Research details & a question to ask
How to begin
Request this exact folder from IU Northwest in Gary; finding aid available online.
A question you can ask
Which item or series covers my person, community and year, and how can I consult it?
Keep in mind
Two cataloged years, not continuous 1830–1834 coverage. The item is described as a book; verify original versus compiled/reproduced status with staff.
STOP 05 / Calumet Regional ArchivesPorter plat books, school annuals and town ephemera
CRA021 includes plat books 1966–1971, 1973–1974, 1976–1982 and 1992; Westchester Middle School yearbooks 1993–1994; Burns Harbor newsletters 2000.
Research details & a question to ask
How to begin
Cite CRA021 and requested item/year to staff before visiting.
A question you can ask
Which item or series covers my person, community and year, and how can I consult it?
Keep in mind
Selected items. Overall collection span 1830–2013 must not be presented as continuous records coverage.
STOP 06 / Duneland History CenterDuneland local-business and community archives
Pratt archives contain maps, telephone books and newspapers; Richardson sanctuary papers/artifacts extend through 2005; Prairie Club papers, photos and scrapbooks relate to dunes activity.
Research details & a question to ask
How to begin
Make a research appointment; materials stay in building. Research help is free, copying may cost. Digitized photographs linked from center page.
A question you can ask
Which item or series covers my person, community and year, and how can I consult it?
Keep in mind
Collection-specific start dates are not supplied. Prairie Club activity 1908–1960s is not a verified holdings range. Retain existing undertaker 1885–1942 entry and its ambiguous-date warning.
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.
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