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Whitley County is a rural county in the U.S. state of Indiana. As of the 2020 United States census, the population was 34,191. Whitley County is the 49th largest county in Indiana. The county seat (and only incorporated city) is Columbia City. The county has the highest county number (92) on Indiana license plates, as it is alphabetically the last in the state's list of counties. It is part of the Fort Wayne Metropolitan Statistical Area and the Fort Wayne–Huntington–Auburn Combined Statistical Area.
[edit] History
Indiana was granted statehood near the end of 1816. On 7 February 1835, the state legislature approved an omnibus bill that authorized the creation of thirteen counties, including Whitley. It was named for Col. William Whitley, who was killed in the Battle of the Thames in the War of 1812. The first non-Native American settlers arrived in the area during that year, as a result of the end of the Black Hawk War and completion of the Erie Canal. They were from New England - "Yankee" settlers, descendents of the English Puritans who settled New England in the colonial era. They were primarily members of the Congregational Church though due to the Second Great Awakening many of them had converted to Methodism and some had become Baptists before coming to Indiana. Whitley County government was organized in 1838. In the late 1870s immigrants began arriving from Germany and Ireland.[1] [edit] Timeline
[edit] Population History
[edit] CemeteriesCemeteries of Whitley County, Indiana, United States [edit] Research TipsGenealogical Society of Whitley County has a large number of free online vital and legal record indexes, cemetery transcriptions, and even some original documents. A good place to start is by doing a search of their site for a family name. A Survey of Historic Sites and Structures for Whitley County is freely available online from the Indiana State Library. The local Peabody Public Library is a great place to start your in-person research. [edit] External links
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