Churches of Allen County, Indiana

Our pages give a brief overview of early churches with histories that start before 1920 in Allen County, Indiana. Some of these older churches no longer exist, some changed their names, and others merged into other churches. There is a short history on each church, a list of what records the church keeps, and how you may obtain these records. Many churches records have been copied and are available at the The Genealogy Center at the Allen County Public Library in Fort Wayne, Indiana. They have a twenty-page list of publications in their collection called ALLEN COUNTY, INDIANA, CONGREGATIONAL RECORDS, HISTORIES, AND DIRECTORIES, IN THE GENEALOGY CENTER COLLECTION ALLEN COUNTY PUBLIC LIBRARY General and Denominational Histories on their website. A Church Burial Records Index is also at the ACPL Genealogy Center. Please Contact Allen INGenWeb for additions or corrections. Their is a growing list of Church records in the Members Only section Records page on the ACGSI.org . All indexed names can be found using the Search box at the top of any page.

Religion in the American colonies Feay Wayne-30 Oct 2009-001 21-page paper in the Quest Club Papers at the Allen County Public Library.

Fort Wayne is often called a City of Churches.

Fort Wayne a City of Churches page 10 of Fort Wayne Up to Date 1894 on Archive.org

  1. Fort Wayne a confluence of faiths by Michael Spath, D.Min., Ph.D. at IPFW published August 9, 2009 in The Journal Gazette newspaper now on the Internet Archive Wayback Machine.
  2. Tours of historic churches with details maybe found on the Fort Wayne City of Churches Tour page on Facebook.
  3. One community, many faiths by Cindy Larson The News-Sentinel newspaper May 6, 2013.
  4. Fort Wayne: A City of Faiths? Known as the City of Churches, the city also is home to many non-Christian faiths by Kevin Kilbane October 9, 2017 in The News-Sentinel newspaper.
  5. More than a 'City of Churches' by Sarah Allen published March 21, 2018 on Input Fort Wayne.
  6. City of Churches list on Wikipedia, The Free Encyclopedia.
  7. Gallup Politics lists the United States as 70% religious with Indiana as 43% very religious for 2012 from Mississippi Maintains Hold as Most Religious U.S. State February 13, 2013.
  8. December 25, 2023 post by WANE 15 on Facebook:

    Fort Wayne has 360 churches within its city limits.

    Many of these are downtown, and the reason for the high concentration of churches dates back more than 150 years.

    City of Churches: The history and significance of churches in Fort Wayne

    City of Churches on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/citychurches is discussed in the article.

See why Fort Wayne is the City of Churches! January 17, 2021 Jake in Fort Wayne on YouTube
With over 360 churches in Fort Wayne the nickname "City of Churches" is well deserved. We toured 3 of the popular and visually impressive that are all located in downtown Fort Wayne! We give you an insider's look at St. Peter's Catholic Church, the Cathedral of the Immaculate Conception, and St Paul's Evangelical Lutheran Church. While they're all beautiful, they all have unique and timeless features that make them a favorite for weddings, parishioners, locals, and tourists. Don't let Covid-19 keep you from seeing your favorite churches this year and enjoy!

PrimeTime39 - October 11, 2019 Season 2019 Episode 31 | 27m 33s Associated Churches 75th Anniversary. Guest - Roger Reece and Kelley Bawmann. This area’s only in-depth, live, weekly news, analysis and cultural update forum, PrimeTime 39 airs Fridays at 7:30pm. This program is hosted by PBS39’s President/General Manager Bruce Haines. 

Indiana Church Records Dec 19, 2022 by Allen County Public Library on YouTube
The Genealogy Center This talk will examine the historical records of a variety of denominations that existed in Indiana in the nineteenth century. Though most of the examples are from Indiana, the talk will have applications for other states where those denominations also existed and where the records were similar. Presented by John Beatty. Handout: https://static.libnet.info/frontend-i...

Frontier faith : the story of the pioneer congregations of Fort Wayne, Indiana, 1820-1860 by George Ross Mather ; with illustrations by Kenneth B. Dutton. Fort Wayne, Ind. : Allen County-Fort Wayne Historical Society, 1992, 341 pages on Archive.org, 277.7274 M42F at the Allen County Public Library.

October 13, 2023 post by Hoosier History Live on Facebook:

Oct. 14, 2023 show “Frontier conflicts about religion in pioneer Indiana” Our guest Randy Mills, a retired professor and author, will tell us about the various reasons why the churches and communities in the West (including Indiana at that time) became divided by their counterparts in the East due to the education level of ministers, money distribution, and more. Listen Sat. Oct 14, 2023 from noon to one ET at WICR 88.7 fm in Indianapolis, stream at www.hoosierhistorylive.org, or download the WICR HD1 app on your phone or computer and stream live from anywhere.

A podcast recording generally appears a week or so later on their Archives page.

Many of these churches included their histories in the 2006 publication History of Fort Wayne & Allen County, Indiana 1700-2005 Volume 2 starting on page 122. You can request Lookups from our Volunteers or purchase the $124..95 two volume set at The History Center. There is an Index to History of Fort Wayne & Allen County, Indiana, 1700-2005 to the two-volume History of Fort Wayne & Allen County, Indiana, 1700-2005 (Evansville, Indiana: M.T. Publishing Company, 2006) at the The Genealogy Center at the Allen County Public Library in Fort Wayne, Indiana. Copies are available at The History Center.

The first church services where held in 1822 in the fort, and the first church was built in 1831. If the church has a web site the denomination name is the link, or the church name on the township page.

Churches rarely maintain records of births and deaths. Churches often maintain registers of sacrament - baptisms, marriages, confirmations, and burials. Many early church records are coming online and links will be found in the township pages. The Genealogy Center at the Allen County Public Library in Fort Wayne, Indiana has an Allen County Congregational Pathfinder discussing local churches and points to their pathfinder Allen County Congregations pdf file.

Many local churches have German origins and had German services in the Fort Wayne area until World War I. Most changed to English services after World War II according to the history of the Indiana District of the Lutheran Church-Missouri Synod.

Romanian Heritage. The first Romanian Church in Fort Wayne was St. Michael and Gabriel established in 1910 and was located “pe Lunca” presently the location of Slater Steel. The immigrants started their journeys from the hills and cities of Transylvania then part of Romania a part of the Habsburg Empire. They grew up near Sibiu or Brasov, Sighisoara or Fagarasi. Many of them went to work at the GE, for Josyln Steel or for city government. A photo and longer post May 23, 2010 discussed this church onthe original Great Memories and History of Fort Wayne, Indiana page on Facebook.

A circuit rider in early Indiana by Robinson, Reuben D; Public Library of Fort Wayne and Allen County, 1954, on Archive.org.
The Foreword states: In the early days on the frontier, the spiritual needs of the settlers were served by circuit riders. These itinerant preachers traveled from one settlement to another usually on horseback. Among the circuit riders in early Indiana was Elder Reuben D. Robinson of the Methodist church. The following interview iith Elder Robinson, reprinted from an Indianapolis paper, appeared in the Fort Wayne Sentinel on December 28, 1880.

The 1889 book by Brant and Fuller Valley of the Upper Maumee discusses township churches beginning on page 456 of this Google book.

The Catholic Church in Fort Wayne by Public Library of Fort Wayne and Allen County,1961, on Archive.org

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  1. Allen County Methodist Church Records at The Genealogy Center.
  2. Associated Churches Ministries of Fort Wayne & Allen County.
  3. Church Archives Locations (Various Denominations) list on Franklin County, INGenWeb.
  4. Catholic Church Parish Records for Diocese of Fort Wayne-South Bend are at FamilySearch.org from the article Major Catholic Collections Online by Sara Allen in Genealogy Gems: News from the Allen County Public Library at Fort Wayne, No. 222, August 31, 2022
  5. Sweet, W. W. (1914). Early Methodist Circuits in IndianaIndiana Magazine of History. View the 10 page pdf: EARLY METHODIST CIRCUITS IN INDIANA WILLIAM W. SWEET, Professor of History, DePauw University, Volume 10, Issue 4, December 1914, in Indiana Magazine of History journal in the archives at Indiana University Scholarworks. Read online in JSTOR.
  6. The Methodists by Tom Castaldi, local historian published May 17, 2016 on History Center Notes & Queries blog.
  7. The Heroic Women of Early Indiana Methodism: An Address Delivered Before the Indiana Methodist Historical Society by Goodwin, T. A. (Thomas Aiken), 1818-1906 a Project Gutenberg online book.
  8. Modern Day Monks Create Biblical Masterpiece video by Indiana NewsCenter. They’re the most valuable books on the planet, illuminated bibles, hand printed, hand decorated by medieval monks 6 to 800 years ago…expressions of faith that are priceless works of art. Archived on the Internet Archive Wayback Machine.
  9. Milan Township historically significant structures on Wikipedia.

Archive.org Books

  1. A circuit rider in early Indiana (1954) - Robinson, Reuben D, reprinted from an Indianapolis newspaper, it appeared in the Fort Wayne Sentinel newspaper December 28, 1880
  2. A mission to the Indians, from the Indian committee of Baltimore Yearly Meeting, to Fort Wayne, in 18O4 - Hopkins, Gerard T; Never offered for sale, but presented to Friends and others interested in Indian affairs. cf. Field, T. W. An essay towards an Indian bibliography. After receiving farming implements from the Friends, Miami Chief Little Turtle and Pottawottamie Chief Five Medals request assistance to teach the Indians farming. This is the account of that mission to Fort Wayne in 1804.
  3. Consecration and dedication of the Scottish Rite Cathedral, Valley of Fort Wayne, Indiana, Tuesday, Wednesday, Thursday, November 16, 17, 18, 1909
  4. First annual catalogue and year-book of the Indiana State Conference of the Christian denomination, and of the district conferences in the state of Indiana (1881) - Indiana State Christian Conference, [Formation of the] Indiana State Christian Conference -- Constitution -- Annual conference address -- Union Christian College -- Union Miami Reserve Conference -- Southern Indiana Conference -- Western Indiana Conference -- Eel River Conference -- Eastern Indiana Conference -- North Western Indiana Conference -- Central Indiana Conference -- A list of ministers -- Summing up and remarks / Peter Winebrenner
  5. Program and directory (1916) - Fort Wayne Ministerial Association
  6. Religious manuscripts old and new - Grimshaw, Ivan Gerould. "Seventh Annual Spring Exhibit of Religious Books, 1961."
  7. The Three R's of Researching Roman Catholic Church Records by Lisa Alzo May 14, 2013 on Archives.com.
  8. Tridentine Mass at Sacred Heart In Fort Wayne August 6, 2009 - Manga1, This is the first half of a Tridentine Latin Mass on the fest day of the transfiguration which is was also my 29 th birthday. Mass is with Father George Gabbet FSSP, At the Saint Mother Thodora Gurrin Latin Mass Society in Fort Wayne Indiana.

FW Churches.com lists current churches.

Other Information

December 8, 2023 post by the Indiana State Library on Facebook:

Read about William Wade Hinshaw, genealogist, opera singer and Valparaiso University graduate: Opera was his life, but genealogy was his swan song: William Wade Hinshaw #Indiana #opera #genealogy

  1. Indiana Lutheran Church Records and Histories list at Genealoger.com archived at the Internet Archive Wayback Machine.
  2. Churches in Fort Wayne on Facebook
  3. Baptist Churches in Fort Wayne on Facebook
  4. Catholic Churches in Fort Wayne on Facebook
  5. Fort Wayne: A City of Faiths? Known as the City of Churches, the city also is home to many non-Christian faiths by Kevin Kilbane published Octobery 9, 2017 in The News-Sentinel newspaper archived on Internet Archive Wayback Machine.
  6. Lutheran Churches in Fort Wayne on Facebook
  7. Methodist Churches in Fort Wayne on Facebook. United Methodist Church in Indiana splits by Rosa Salter Rodriguez posted November 19, 2022 in The Journal Gazette newspaper. Scores of Indiana congregations left the United Methodist Church on Saturday, concluding years of dispute over the denomination’s stand on homosexuality. About 80 congregations statewide are disaffiliating, according to a list read during the online meeting. About 1,000 congregations make up the Indiana Conference. About 300 of the denomination’s 30,000 congregations nationwide were approved to leave earlier this year, according to the Associated Press.
  8. Religion in Indiana at the Indiana State Library Digital Collection
  9. United States Church Records at FamilySearch.org

Videos

ARCH Preserving Our Churches published Mar 13, 2018 by Access Fort Wayne on YouTube.
Cornelia Schulz and Charles Pratt give an ARCH lecture about taking caring care of our architectural heritage focusing on churches here in Northeast Indiana. If you want to find out more about ARCH visit archfw.org.

February 10, 2024 post by Historic 07 District - Fort Wayne on Facebook:

In a little under a week, Lent begins, when Christians prepare for the celebration of Easter by fasting and praying for approximately 40 days. In many Christian communities, it starts with Ash Wednesday, with burnt palm leaves from the prior Palm Sunday being used to mark the forehead with the sign of the cross. In the City of Churches, it seems fitting to highlight our neighborhood's connection to one of the few US Catholic Saints. Today is the story of a Sister, Catholic education, and a small chapel on Arlington.

Today's story begins in France in the late 1700s when Christians were heavily persecuted. Ann-Thérèse Guérin was born to a naval officer under Napoleon Bonaparte, Laurent, and Isabelle. Tragedy struck, though, when her father was murdered, forcing Ann-Thérèse to raise her sister and take care of her grieving mother. Ann-Thérèse spent the next decade supporting her family, forgoing the inner desire to enter the religious life.

Once she became a Sister, she was asked by Bishop Brute to join other sisters in starting a congregation in the wilderness of Indiana. In 1840, she and five sisters traveled by boat for two months and many weeks by carriage, eventually arriving in remote Vigo County. There, Sister Guérin founded the Sisters of Providence, which became pivotal for the proliferation of Catholic education across the Midwest.

It was through this mission of education that Saint Theodora Guérin was able to impact our local community. The Sisters of Providence were responsible for leading Central Catholic, had those who taught at the newly formed Bishop Luers High School, Saint Patrick's Catholic Church on Harrison, and were part of the group that helped establish the school at St. John the Baptist Catholic Church and School on Fairfield. Fort Wayne and the 07 truly became one of the few areas in the country with the lasting impact of a Saint.

This lasting impact can also be found in a small Arlington Avenue chapel called Guérin Chapel. In the late 1930s, the Sisters of Providence maintained a convent on the grounds of Saint John the Baptist Church, and a chapel was built in honor of their foundress, Saint Theodore Guérin.

The First African-American Woman To Pastor In Fort Wayne: A very wise woman once said, that people catch visions in...

Posted by The Waynedale News on Saturday, February 24, 2024

February 24, 2024 post by The Waynedale News on Facebook:

The First African-American Woman To Pastor In Fort Wayne:
A very wise woman once said, that people catch visions in three different ways. There are those that will receive the vision and move on it. There are those who will receive the vision and sit on it.

. .

Keep reading from the Fort Wayne Ink Spot: The First African-American Woman To Pastor In Fort Wayne

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Page updated: March 10, 2024