Cass County was created on April 13, 1829 and was formed from Unorganized Land. The County was named for Lewis Cass, Governor of Michigan Territory. Cass was Secretary of State just prior to the outbreak of the Civil War. The County Seat is Logansport . See also County History for more historical details.
Cass County is divided into 14 Civil Townships as follows: Adams, Bethlehem, Boone, Clay, Clinton, Deer Creek, Eel, Harrison, Jackson, Jefferson, Miami, Noble, Tipton and Washington. Cities, Towns and Communities include Adamsboro, Anoka, Clymers, Danes, Deacon, Galveston, Hoovers, Kenneth, Lake Ciott, Lincoln, Logansport, Lucerne, New Waverly, Onward, Poundstone Corner, Royal Center, Twelve Mile, Walton and Young America.
Indiana Newspaper Holdings for Cass County: The county newspaper holdings are under regular revision, as new microfilm holdings are added. These files are not up to date; there are continuous updates and corrections.
PLEASE READ!! Please call the clerk's department to confirm hours, mailing address, fees and other specifics before visiting or requesting information because of sometimes changing contact information.
NOTE: The date listed for each category of record is the earliest record known to exist in that county. It does not indicate that there are numerous records for that year and certainly does not indicate that all such events that year were actually registered.See also the Cass County Courthouse History
Cass County Clerk has Marriage Records from 1829 , Probate Records from 1829 and Court Records from 1829 and is located at 103 Cass County Government Building, Logansport, IN 46947; (574)753-7740; (574)722-1556 Fax, [EMAIL] The Clerk of the Circuit Court is a ministerial officer who is the custodian of the Clerk's record and seal, issues process, accepts filings of commencement of actions in litigation, enters judgments and orders of the court, receives money in his official capacity, makes certified copies of record, issues many miscellaneous licenses, and keeps a record of all wills and matters of trust in probate proceedings.
Cass County Recorder has Land Records from 1830 and is located at 102 Cass County Government Building,
Logansport, IN 46947; (574)753-7810; (574)735-0712 Fax, [EMAIL] . The county recorder's function is to maintain permanent public records involving a wide variety of instruments. These documents detail transactions involving real estate, mining, personal property, mortgages, liens, leases, subdivision plats, military discharges, personal bonds, etc. Generally, all of these instruments are recorded either for giving legal public notice of their existence or for safekeeping and future reference. The recorder maintains and preserves all legal documents affecting title to real property.
Cass County Health Department has Birth / Death Records from 1882 and is located at 1201 Michigan Avenue, Suite 230,
Logansport, IN 46947;
(574) 753-7761
Below is a list of online resources for Cass County Court Records. Email us with websites containing Cass County Court Records by clicking the link below:
Indianapolis Newspaper Index, 1848-1991: Select articles from 1848-1888 Indianapolis daily newspapers; heavily focused on deaths and marriages. Select articles from 1898-1991 about people, places, events, and topics in Indianapolis and the state of Indiana. Extremely limited for deaths; no coverage of marriages. Card file also available in the Microforms Area, second floor.
Reference & Government Services CD Collection: Database to allow searching of the hundreds of CDs from the federal government and other sources, part of the collections of the Reference & Government Services Division.
Indiana Immigration & Emigration Records - Immigration records help the family historian to understand the movements of their ancestry as they relocated to different parts of the world.
Click Here to Search Indiana Birth, Marriage & Death Records! - Birth, marriage, and death records are connected with central life events. They are prime sources for genealogical information. Look also for baptism, christening, and burial records in this collection.
Birth Certificates:
The Division of Vital Records and Statistics maintains birth records that occur in Indiana since Oct 1907 to the present.
Prior to October 1907, records of birth are filed only with the local health department in the county where the birth actually occurred.
Cost: Initial search and one certified copy or certification of the record or No Record Statement is $10.00 and $4.00 for each additional copy.
Make your check or money order payable to "Indiana State Department of Health". Enclose a business-size self-addressed envelope. If no record is found or no copy is made, state law requires that we keep check amount for a searching fee. Please do not send cash in the mail.
In Person:
The ISDH Vital Records office is located at 6 West Washington Street, Indianapolis, Indiana 46204. The office is open for walk-in requests from 10:00 a.m. to 2:00 p.m., E.S.T., Monday through Friday (excluding official State Holidays). The cost for the first certificate is $10.00 and $4.00 for each additional copy. Average wait time is less than an hour.
Processing Time: 5 weeks when ordered by MAIL or 2-5 Days when you order ELECTRONICALLY
Death Certificates: The Division of Vital Records and Statistics maintains death records that occur in Indiana since 1900 to the present. Prior to 1900, records of death are filed only with the local health department in the county where the death actually occurred.
For deaths occurring from 1900 to 1917, the city and/or county of death is required in order to locate the record.
Cost: Initial search and one certified copy or certification of the record or No Record Statement is $8.00 and $4.00 for each additional copy.
Make your check or money order payable to "Indiana State Department of Health". Enclose a business-size self-addressed envelope. If no record is found or no copy is made, state law requires that we keep check amount for a searching fee. Please do not send cash in the mail.
In Person:
The ISDH Vital Records office is located at 6 West Washington Street, Indianapolis, Indiana 46204. The office is open for walk-in requests from 10:00 a.m. to 2:00 p.m., E.S.T., Monday through Friday (excluding official State Holidays). The cost for the first certificate is $8.00 and $4.00 for each additional copy. Average wait Time is less than an hour.
Processing Time: 5 weeks when ordered by MAIL or 2-5 Days when you order ELECTRONICALLY
Marriage Certificates: Certified copies of marriage certificates are not available from the State Health Department. They are available from the Clerks of the Circuit Court in the county where the marriage was granted. Fees vary.
Divorce Certificates: Certified copies of divorce certificates are not available from the State Health Department. They are available from the County Clerk in the county where the divorce was granted. Fees vary.
Order Online: You can also order Order Electronically and get the certificates within 2-5 days by ordering below
Below is a list of online resources for Cass County Vital Records. Email us with websites containing Cass County Vital Records by clicking the link below:
Search the Social Security Death Index for FREE - Search over 82 million death records and get genealogical information crucial to your family research. New content added weekly! Most comprehensive SSDI site online!
Research Death records In The World's Largest Newspaper Archive at NewpaperArchive.com! - Find thousands of historical Indiana newspaper articles about deaths. Search for local articles about an old family friend that died many years ago or a celebrity that committed suicide. Historical newspapers contain a wealth of information about the deceased.
Click Here to Search Indiana Voter Lists & Census Records! - Few, if any, records reveal as many details about individuals and families as do government census records. Substitute records can be used when the official census is unavailable.
Below is a list of online resources for Cass County Census Records. Email us with websites containing Cass County Census Records by clicking the link below:
Indiana Census, 1790-1890: This collection contains the following indexes: 1790 (Northwest Territory) Federal Census Index; 1807 State Census Index; 1810 Wayne County Census Index; 1812 Census Index; 1820 Federal Census Index; 1830 Federal Census Index; 1840 Federal Census Index; 1840 Pensioners List; 1850 Federal Census Index; 1860 Federal Census Index; 1870 Federal Census Index; 1890 Veterans Schedule.
Genealogy Atlas has images of old American atlases during the years 1795, 1814, 1822, 1823, 1836, 1838, 1845, 1856, 1866, 1879 and 1897 for Ohio and other states.
You can view rotating animated maps for Indiana showing all the county boundaries for each census year overlayed with past and present maps so you can see the changes in county boundaries. You can view a list of maps for other states at Census Maps
You can view rotating animated maps for Indiana showing all the county boundary changes for each year overlayed with past and present maps so you can see the changes in county boundaries. You can view a list of maps for other states at County Maps
Below is a list of online resources for Cass County Maps. Email us with websites containing Cass County Maps by clicking the link below:
Click Here to Search Indiana Military Records! - Military and civil service records provide unique facts and insights into the lives of men and women who have served their country at home and abroad.
The uses and value of military records in genealogical research for ancestors who were veterans are obvious, but military records can also be important to re-searchers whose direct ancestors were not soldiers in any war. The fathers, grandfathers, brothers, and other close relatives of an ancestor may have served in a war, and their service or pension records could contain information that will assist in further identifying the family of primary interest. Due to the amount of genealogical information contained in some military pension files, they should never be overlooked during the research process. Those records not containing specific genealogical information are of historic value and should be included in any overall research design.
Below is a list of online resources for Cass County Military Records. Email us with websites containing Cass County Military Records by clicking the link below:
Southern Claims Commission from the State of Indiana (The National Archives): View, Print Copy & Save Original Documents In the 1870s, southerners claimed compensation from the U.S. government for items used by the Union Army, ranging from corn and horses, to trees and church buildings.
Revolutionary War Rolls, 1775-1783 (The National Archives): View, Print Copy & Save Original Documents in NARA publication M246 include muster rolls, payrolls, strength returns, and other miscellaneous personnel, pay, and supply records of American Army units, 1775-83.
Indiana World War II Servicemen: Database to locate information about Indiana men and women who served in World War II who were mentioned in one of the Indianapolis daily newspapers during the war.
Records of county taxes were kept as early at 1842, although most were discarded. Remaining ones would be at the county courthouse. National Archives-Great Lakes Region has records of the Internal Revenue Service for Indiana for 1867 to 1873. These are tax assessment records, arranged by district and then chronologically.
Below is a list of online resources for Cass County Tax Records. Email us with websites containing Cass County Tax Records by clicking the link below:
The Repositories
in this section are Archives, Libraries, Museums, Genealogical
and Historical Societies. Many County Historical and Genealogical
Societies publish magazines and/or news letters on a monthly,
quarterly, bi-annual or annual basis. Contacting the local societies
should not be over looked. State Archives and Societies are
usually much larger and better organized with much larger archived
materials than their smaller county cousins but they can be
more generalized and over look the smaller details that local
societies tend to have. Libraries can also be a good place to
look for local information. Some libraries have a genealogy
section and may have some resources that are not located at
archives or societies. Also, take a special look at any museums
in the area. They sometimes have photos and items from years
gone by as well as information of a genealogical interest. All
these places are vitally important to the family genealogist
and must not be passed over.
Below is a list of online resources for Cass County Genealogical Addresses. Email us with websites containing Cass County Genealogical Addresses by clicking the link below:
Indiana State Library,
Attn: (Division or Staff Name),
140 North Senate Avenue,
Indianapolis, IN 46204-2296
Loan Desk and General Inquiries: 317-232-3675,
ind@statelib.lib.in.us
Genealogy Division: 317-232-3689,
genealogy@statelib.lib.in.us
Indiana Newspapers & Periodicals Records - Newspapers and periodicals are the diaries of local communities. They are excellent sources of family history details - often recorded nowhere else. Look for obituaries, marriages, legal notices, and more found in our Historical Newspaper Archives.
Click Here to Search Indiana Obituary Records! - This database is a compilation of obituaries published in U.S. newspapers, collected from various online sources. Obituaries can vary in the amount of information they contain, but many of them are genealogical goldmines, including information such as names, dates, places of birth and death, marriage information, and family relationships.
The commissioner's office of each Indiana county may have burial records for soldiers, sailors, and marines. If available, the records should include name, age, date of enlistment, discharge date, and death date. Records begin about 1862.
The Indiana State Library holds records of inscriptions from some Indiana cemeteries. The "Indiana Cemetery Locator File," compiled by the Genealogy Division, is an alphabetical listing of cemeteries, indicating the location in the state and the designation in the Genealogy Division of the Indiana State Library where inscriptions may be found.
Below is a list of online resources for Cass County Cemetery & Church Records. Email us with websites containing Cass County Cemetery & Church Records by clicking the link below:
Find Obituaries in The World's Largest Newspaper Archive at NewpaperArchive.com! - Find thousands of Indiana obituaries to help you research your family history. Search for a Indiana newspaper obituary about your ancestor or a celebrity. Begin your search today and find death notices and funeral announcements printed in newspapers from Indiana.
Click Here to Search Indiana Family Tree Records! - The use of published genealogies, electronic files containing genealogical lineage, and other compiled sources can be of tremendous value to a researcher.
When view family trees online or not, be sure to only take the info at face value and always follow up with your own sources or verify the ones they provide. Below is a list of online resources for Cass County Family Trees, web forums and other family type information. Email us with websites containing Cass County Family Trees, web forums and other family type information by clicking the link below:
Genealogy Encyclopedia: General Abbreviations, Early Illnesses, Nickname Meanings, Worldwide Epidemics, Early Occupations, Common Terms, Censuses Explained, Free Genealogical Forms
Nichols and Related Families of Alabama, Arkansas, Georgia, Florida, Kentucky, Louisiana, Mississippi, Missouri, North Carolina, South Carolina, Tennessee, Texas, and Virgina.
Indiana Family & Local History Records - The Family & Local Histories Collection lets you read journals, memoirs, and other first-hand historical narratives right on your computer. Gathered from some of the world's finest libraries, these materials may provide hard-to-find town, county, and state information; tax records and wills; military, church, and court records; as well as photographs, stories, and maps.
1849 Adams County Retrospect - Based on "Indiana Gazetteer," published by E. Chamberlain
Cass County, named after the Hon. Lewis Cass, was organized in 1829, and contains 420 square miles. It is bounded north by the counties of Pulaski and Fulton, east by Miami, south by Howard and Carroll, and west by Carroll and White. It is divided into fifteen townships, of which Bethlehem, Adams, Clay, Harrison, Noble, Jefferson, Miami, Eel and Boone lie north of the Wabash River, and Clinton Washington, Tipton, Deer Creek, and Jackson, which lie south of the river. The population of the county in 1830 was 1,154; in 1840 it was 5,480, and it is now [1849] about 10,500. The boarders of the Wabash and Eel rivers are undulating or hilly, the other parts of the county level. All the south part is heavily timbered bottoms or table land, the center is mostly bottom or high bluff land, and the north is principally prairie. The latter is best adapted to wheat and small grain, the bottoms for corn, and the high timbered lands for a fair crop of any kind of grain or grass.
There are in the county fifteen sawmills, six flouring mills, one of which can manufacture 1,000 bushels of wheat a day, an extensive saleratus factory, fourteen dry goods stores, six grocery and provision stores, seven warehouses, twelve lawyers, nine ministers of the Gospel, twelve physicians, twenty-seven blacksmiths, twenty-eight shoemakers, eighteen tailors, eight saddlers, then cabinet makers, fifty carpenters, six wagon makers, four tanners, three gunsmiths, tow chair makers, two hatters, etc.
The Wabash and Eel rivers run swiftly through the county, have high banks and solid rock bottoms, and afford an immense amount of waterpower that will hereafter be brought into use. Twelve Mile, Pipe and Crooked creeks are also excellent mill streams, with similar advantages on a smaller scale.
Iron ore is found in abundance in the marshes in the north part of the county, and also in the Logansport bluffs. Building stone, of the best quality, is abundant, and the Courthouse, County Seminary and Old School Presbyterian Church, are fine structures built of stone, and would appear well in any of the western cities. The amount of produce exported form the county annually is estimated to be worth $250,000. The articles consist of 25,000 barrels of flour, 50,000 bushels of wheat and corn, pork, oats, potatoes, etc. The amount of taxable land in the county is 200,063 acres. There is yet 63,500 acres not taxable, comprising that part of the Miami Reserve which has been sold within five years, or which still belongs to the United States.
The only lakes in the county are Georgetown Lake, near that place, Fletcher's Lake, in the north part of the county, and Twin Lakes, near the center. None of them exceed a square mile in size.
In a prairie southeast of Logansport, there is a spring that boils up from the center of a mound, six feet above the level surface of the prairie. Three miles below Logansport, is a stream that turns a sawmill on the top of a bluff 150 feet high, then pitches down the whole distance with but few interruptions. This stream has its source only a mile and a half in the rear of the bluff. The town of Kenapacomequa, or l'Anguille, the French name, or Old Town, was destroyed by General Wilkinson in August 1791, as is heretofore stated in the historical part of the General View of the State, stood on the north bank of the Eel River, six miles northeast of Logansport. It was once a considerable town, and extended for two miles and a half along the stream. It was then called a village of the Kickapoos.
1849 Retrospect of Logansport
Based on "Indiana Gazetteer," published by E. Chamberlain
Logansport, the County Seat of Cass County, is situated in the forks of the Wabash and Eel River, in latitude 40 deg. 45 min. and in longitude 9 deg. 16 min. west. It was first settled in 1829 by G. McBean, J. H. Kintner, D. Patrick, James Smith, C. Carter, H. Todd, J. and C. Vigus, General J. Tipton (who was the principal proprietor), J. B. Duret and others. The whole number of buildings at this time [1849] in Logansport is 373, of which twenty-nine are of stone, forty-eight of brick, and 296 of timber. The population is [1849] about 2,700. The Courthouse, built of cut stone, is one of the finest buildings in the west. Three of the Churches, the Old School Presbyterian, the Episcopalian and the Catholic, are fine stone buildings, and the Methodists and New School Presbyterians also have good churches there.
The favorable situation of Logansport for trade and business, the immense amount of water power there, and the fertile country in the vicinity, must make it among the best towns in Indiana. While the Miami Reserve, lying immediately south of the Wabash, was held by the Indians, the town, situated by the Indian trade, improved for a time beyond the country; but at this time, both are improving rapidly. Logansport is seventy miles north of Indianapolis, forty-two east north-east of Lafayette, twenty-three south of Rochester, and eighteen west of Peru.
1938 Adams County Retrospect - Based on "Indiana Review," published by the State Legislature
The Eel and Wabash Rivers unite near the center of Cass County, furnishing an abundance of power for water works, electricity, and the factories in the city of Logansport. Also furnished by those streams is an inexhaustible supply of limestone, gravel, and sand. The gravel and sand are of superior quality for building purposes and road making. In different parts of the county is found clay of high quality for making brick.
The incorporated towns are: Galveston, 666; Royal Center, 777, and Walton, 685. The county's population for 1890 was 31,153; 1900, 34,545; 1910, 36,368; 1920, 38,333; 1930, 34,518.
Logansport, the only incorporated city, is located seventy-five miles northwest of Indianapolis on the Wabash River. It has a population of 18,508 and is served by to main railroads. Among Logansport's industries are the manufactures of automobiles, automobile bodies, water wheels, electric car trucks, electric refrigerators, castings, machinery, paper, woolen goods, furniture, barrels, motors, electric irons, radiators, overalls, harness, and fire extinguishers. It is an important shipping point for grain, lumber, and livestock. According to figures of the 1935 federal census, this city had twenty-eight manufacturing establishments employing 1,120 wage earners on pay rolls of $982,887. The value of the products was $5,434,005.
Logansport is one of the recognized art centers of the state and is known as "The City of Bridges." One of the city's outstanding buildings is the Carnegie Public Library, of Greek classic architectural style.
An outstanding point of interest in Cass County is the residence if Judge Biddle on Biddle's Island. The island was purchased in 1832 in a government land sale by General John Tipton, who built a house for Doctor Lytle. When Judge Biddle purchased it in 1867, he added wings and furnishings expressive of his literary and artistic taste. The beautiful setting appealed so greatly to Judge Biddle that he engaged a pioneer artist, George B. Winters, to make a folio of watercolor sketches showing views of the island.
At the Wabash Railroad station there is a bronze tablet indicating the site of the first cabin erected in the county. There are numerous markers and memorials to persons and events of historical significance. In Logansport there are a number of old churches and old residences of historical and artistic note. Contained in many of these residences are antiques of great value. Logansport State Hospital is located here.
At Olde Towne, six miles from Logansport on the Adamsboro Road, is a stone marker at the site of the Olde Towne Battle. It was here that the town of Kenopaconequa or l'Anguille, the French name, or Old Town, which was destroyed by General Wilkinson August 8, 1791. The village stood on the north bank of Eel River, six miles northeast of Logansport and extended for two miles and a half along the stream. It was then called a village of the Kickapoos.
Noble Township, which was named for Noah Noble, who was at that time Governor of Indiana, is known for its river scenery, ravines, and woods. In the township is located the Doctor G. N. Fitch farm. The house is built on a bluff and is surrounded by a stone wall 600 feet long and 24 feet high. On the farm is Fitch's Glen, with limestone canyons, falls, and a cave. The William T. Watts home in the township was erected in 1802.
Cass County has a number of notables. Foremost among them as General John Tipton, who did more for the upbuilding of the city and county in its early days than any other man. He came to Logansport as an Indian agent and participated in many of the treaties between the Federal Government and the Indians. When the Pottawattomie Indians were removed from this section in 1838 they objected to leaving, but Captain Tipton raised a company of Cass County men and started them on their way. This prompt action checked what might have been an insurrection. Tipton later became a member of the United States Senate.
Doctor G. N. Fitch also became a member of the United States Senate and House of Representatives. In 1856, he was a presidential elector. David Curtis, who also represented the state in the United States Senate, was a resident of Logansport for several years. Judge William Z. Stuart became Judge of the Supreme Court, as did Judge Horace P. Biddle. Judge Moses B. Lairy was a member of the State Appellate Court. Rufus Magee, who was once the editor of the Logansport Pharos and an attorney of the county, was from 1885 to 1889 the Minister to Norway and Sweden.
According to 1935 federal census figures, Cass County had thirty-eight manufacturing establishments employing 1,457 wage earners on pay rolls of $1,193,620. The value of the products was $6,292,531.
The county had 2,345 farms averaging 105.9 acres each. The value of these was $14,844,434; 82,713 head of livestock was reported.
Cass County's tax valuation for 1936 was $42,551,210.
