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Caption: Adams County Poor House
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LOCAL NOTES:
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Newspaper
article from The Democrat 2 Feb 1871
"The County Alms-House Its General Condition--
The Number and Character of its Inmates"
With a detailed description of the
Huntington County Infirmary,
including names and profiles of 13 inmates. |
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Notes from Kurt Garner
(Wythougan Valley Preservation Council)
regarding
Marshall County Home
-- Which has been at risk for demolition, but now seems to have been
preserved through a very resourceful plan! |
from "History of Clay County, Indiana"; Blanchard;
1884 
"The first poor farm, located two and a half miles northwest of Bowling
Green, was purchased from a Mr. Blunk, at the March term of the Commissioners'
Court, 1856, for $2,100.25. The present poor farm, lying two miles southwest of
Bowling Green, was purchased from James and Smith Campbell, in January, 1875,
for $7,900. The contract for the present buildings was let to Slocum & Co.,
in December, 1875, for $10,857.96. These buildings were completed and occupied
the following year."
Submitted by: Jeanette S. French jfrench1@earthlink.net
Source: Owen County Indiana ~ a history ~ 1994
"The Owen County Home in Clay Township on State
Road 43 was built in 1878. An earlier facility, known as the County Asylum or
Poor Farm, was built about 1860 two miles down river from Spencer on State Road
67. It was a two story frame building, large enough, but by 1878 not large
enough. The County traded that former Tornmy Howe farm for 395 acres known as
the Col. John Franklin farm and let a contract to William F. Mcgenhardt to build
a brick County Asylum for a cost of $8,000. The earlier house is still standing
in good repair, and is the home of Bill Edwards. The outward appearance of the
1878 brick County Home, a pleasant well-maintained facility, has changed little
over the years. The property no longer functions as a working farm, and the barn
and other outbuildings have been torn down. Sixteen people reside at the County
Home in 1994."
As of today, 12-20-2000, the home is still active. The county just authorized
maintaining the home after much "debate"! See attached picture.
(Scroll up to top of page.)
Bob Hubbard arrowkeeper@home.com
Obituary which appeared in the McHerald XIV-4, Shoals, 14 April 1881
"Isaac Henson of Martin
Couny, IN, one of the pioneers of Martin Co., died Monday night at the
poor farm. According to his statement he was one hundred and
two years old. He liked to talk about his early life and of his hunting
expeditions when bears were plenty."
Pat Saupe psaupe@seidata.com
See the historical notes for the Grant County poorhouse by clicking
on the link below (under CEMETERIES)
This one is so GREAT! (Wish we had this for every single
poorhouse!)
And students at Turkey Run JHS did this! Let's hear it for dedicated
teachers--like Karen Zach-- and the students they inspire to understand
and respect their history!
http://www.wico.net/~zacho/Parke%20county%20Indiana%20Poor%20Farm%20Index.htm#poor
Parke County Indiana Poor Asylum INDEX
Click here to see (off-site) a WONDERFUL research project on the Henry
County Paupers' Asylum -- complete with photos, original historical
documents, and much more!
(Click on the link to the left that says County Home.)
History of Scott County Poor Farm -- Lexington
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HISTORY:
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Click here to read the excerpt
dealing with Indiana
copied from a U.S. Government Report
summarizing various state poor laws in 1904. |
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This is a scan of a rather lengthy description of poor laws in Indiana
as of 1904, but it is well worth taking time to read. PHL |
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NOTES FROM READERS:
"The Danville 'Poorhouse' listed on your website is still
standing in Danville, IN in Hendricks County. It is still used as the
county home. I look at it every day as I drive through town."
Lori Craighead LORIA1001@msn.com
"The Vigo County "poorhouse" became a
nursing home (same building) until it was closed (within the past 15/20
yrs.) Building was in bad shape and couldn't meet codes, so it was torn
down and there is a modern nursing home located there now. It is on Maple Ave
between 19th and Fruitridge Ave. Not sure of the exact address nor of the name.
Sure that there would be information at the Vigo County Library on this County
Home."
M. Campell campbell@comwares.net
"The Clay county poor farm was west of Bowling
Green about two miles, on the South side on us 46.
It is being used today as a nursing home.
My great grandfather was the superintendent in the early 1900s."
Thomas Lincoln Newport GAPONY@aol.com
"An ancestor, John Shanks, was supposedly a "keeper of the poor
house" in Carroll County, Indiana. Wondering if anyone has
information about a poor house in this county?"
Cindy Home [cindyg@olynet.com
]
" I am wondering if you have any information on the OWEN
county, Indiana poor house (farm). Our ggrandfather Francis (Frank)Marion
Turley,Sr.was supposed to have died there but I have never been able to
get any info on this. Any help would be appreciated."
Bessie Turley turley@usit.net
"I know of a Poorhouse and it's cemetery here in Northeast Indiana. It
was called the Adams County Poor Farm, aka Poor Farm or County Farm. The
building is still standing but the cemetery is made into just a lawn now with
trees. You can't even tell that there was once a burial ground there. The
cemetery supposedly runs along the side of the rode and up beside the Poor
Farm."
Trina Bogle Floyd707@aol.com
[Note: Trina referred us to a webpage about this cemetery at http://www.rootsweb.com/~inpcrp/HallofShame/adamscopoorfarmcem.html
It is a good write-up; unfortunately the author's e-mail address no longer
works. If someone knows how to reach her, please let us know so we can contact
her. Trina did, however, send us the list of names of people buried in that
cemetery which the author sent to her. You will find a link to that list at the
bottom of this page in the section for Cemeteries. PHL ]
Recollections
of the Jackson County Poorhouse
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RECORDS:
Kosciusko County, Indiana County
Farm Records 1879 - 1953
This is a huge database -- "Over 1500 records covering individuals
at the County Farm (also known as the County Infirmary)" on the
Kosciusko County GenWeb site at http://www.rootsweb.com/~inkosciu/cofarm.htm
[ We know how much work this must have been for Sue Zellers and wish to offer
our sincere thanks! In many ways, this format (an alphabetized list) offers
many more context clues and is for that reason much more useful than a simple
searchable database.]
Article
from The HOOSIER GENEALOGIST, 1989, "The Union County
Poorhouse in the 1860 Census."
List
of residents of the Greene County Poorhouse in the 1860
Census
List
of residents of the Randolph County Poorhouse in the 1870 Census
List
of residents of the Union County Poorhouse in the 1860
Census
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CEMETERIES:
Henry County Paupers' Asylum burials
(Click first on the link to the left that says County Home, then on the link
that says Last Burials at HCPA.)Adams County Poorhouse Cemetery List
(See article
by the person who was the source of this list.)
Grant County Poorhouse Cemetery List
(Mount Hope Cemetery)
"Wayne Township Cemeteries, Allen County Indiana" was
published by Allen County Genealogical Society, Ft. Wayne, IN. 1982 It
includes the Allen County Poor Farm cemetery.
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We are hoping to build this base of information about poorhouses in INDIANA through the helpful participation of readers. All are requested to submit items of interest by sending
e-mail to The Poorhouse Lady.
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