Allen County, Indiana Genealogy

South Part of the West Part of Fort Wayne, Indiana. Section 15 shows the Allen County Farm 130 acres, County Asylum near a Toll Gate on Little River Turnpike and County Orphans Home south of Little River Turnpike along the St. Marys River on page 32 of the Standard atlas of Allen County, Indiana : including a plat book of the villages, cities and townships of the county ... patrons directory, reference business directory ... by Geo. A. Ogle & Co. cn, Publication date 1898 at Archive.org or Fort Wayne - South, West Allen County 1898 at Historic Map Works.

Map posted and discussed in a May 13, 2024 post on True Fort Wayne Indiana History on Facebook .

Page 525, 1892 Allen County Orphans' Home in The pictorial history of Fort Wayne, Indiana : a review of two centuries of occupation of the region about the head of the Maumee River by Griswold, B. J. (Bert Joseph), 1873-1927; Taylor, Samuel R., Mrs, Publication date 1917 on Archive.org

The Allen County Orphans' Home once stood where Indian Village Park sits today. This, as the name states, was a home...

Posted by Historic 07 District - Fort Wayne on Saturday, August 20, 2022

August 20, 2022 post by Historic 07 District - Fort Wayne on Facebook:

The Allen County Orphans' Home once stood where Indian Village Park sits today. This, as the name states, was a home for children who would be placed with willing parents. Today is a short history of this orphanage.

In 1894 a private, non-profit, charitable corporation was formed by the citizens of Fort Wayne. This voluntary association had shareholders, each of whom paid $1 per share to support what would become the "Allen County Orphans' Home." Seeking a location, the Board led by Thomas Ellison worked with the County to construct a building on the grounds of the then-current poor farm. Ellison, a prominent city attorney, served as an Indiana state senator from 1896 to 1899, helping to author many Indiana laws requiring care for dependent children.

From November 19, 1894, to April 1, 1920, the expense of maintaining and operating the home for orphans was borne and met by association. The amounts paid to the association by the County for the care of children were barely sufficient and were sometimes insufficient to meet the cost of food alone. To pay all the expenses of maintaining the home, the voluntary association was accustomed to soliciting contributions and help from the public. Unfortunately, it became too much to bear, and the Orphans' Home ceased operations by ceding maintenance and control to the Allen County Board of Commissioners.

Shortly after, in 1925, the City and Suburban Building Company purchased the land, which included the poor farm and orphanage. Eventually, while building Indian Village, the Company traded the 10.5-acre area back to the County in exchange for the city funding the swinging suspension bridge across the St. Mary's River. The only known remains of the original orphanage are the brick buildings in the Indian Village Park today and the Waynedale United Methodist Church. The Church purchased one of the buildings, dismantled it, and used the bricks for their future congregation in Waynedale around 1927.

Information From:

In re Lowe's Est., 117 Ind. App. 554, 70 N.E.2d 187 (1946)

Allen County Genealogical Society of Indiana

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[ Some of this information is in the legal case Most Reverend Noll v. Lincoln National Bank & Trust Co., 117 Ind. App. 554 (1946) Dec. 12, 1946 · Appellate Court of Indiana · No. 17, 422 117 Ind. App. 554 In re Lowe's Estate Most Reverend John F. Noll, etc., et al. v. The Lincoln National Bank and Trust Co. of Ft. Wayne, etc., et al. Rehearing Denied March 6, 1947. Transfer Denied October 8, 1947. at Caselaw Access Project at Harvard Law School. ]

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The Allen County Asylum A, 10-11 is item #74, and Allen County Orphan's Home B-C, 10-11 is item #88 on Griswold's birdseye view of the city of Fort Wayne, Indiana indexed for ready reference zoomable map at the The Library of Congress with a closeup image posted August 20, 2022 posted by Randy Harter, Fort Wayne historian and author on Historic 07 District - Fort Wayne on Facebook post. It is also online as Griswold's birdseye view of the city of Fort Wayne, Indiana indexed for ready reference by Griswold, B. J. (Bert Joseph), 1873-1927; Hixon, W. W Publication date 1907 on Archive.org. Both Birdseye maps are found on our Maps page.

See Fort Wayne Orphan Home, Twenty-Fifth Anniversary, 1908 at The Genealogy Center at the Allen County Public Library in Fort Wayne, Indiana.

See orphan search results at the Allen County Public Library Digital Collections at the Allen County Public Library. Catholic Orphan Home for Girls (St. Vincent Villa Catholic Orphanage?) and Fort Wayne Orphan Home of the Reformed Church appear and need clarification as to where and if any other names?

See also Allen County Children's Home, Allen County Poor Farm, Fort Wayne Children's Home, Fort Wayne Developmental Center, and St. Vincent Villa Catholic Orphanage.

Indiana Orphanages by Indiana Genealogical Society, Inc. April 3, 2023 on YouTube
Apr 3, 2023 #familyhistory #genealogy #indiana This was an IGS Facebook Live Event from February 2022. We discussed Indiana orphanages with Diane Steproe. As an experienced genealogist and researcher, Diane has extensive knowledge of the history and genealogy of Indiana orphanages. During our discussion, we learned about these institutions, as well as the impact orphanages had on Indiana's social history. Don't miss this insightful conversation with Diane Steproe! The Indiana Genealogical Society is proud to host the IGS Facebook Live events, which are held on the first Tuesday of every month. For updates on our upcoming events, please visit our Facebook page at @indianagensoc. And if you have ancestors from Indiana, be sure to check out our website at www.indgensoc.org for more resources and information on how to connect with your Hoosier roots.

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