Ihrie, Bob

Died July 1, 2015. A gentle spirit who will be remembered for his kindness by Terry Doran published July 23, 2015 in The News-Sentinel newspaper.

Indiana State Police

May 18, 2023 post by The Journal Gazette on Facebook:

Indiana State Police Fort Wayne Post 22 honors those who died in the line of duty.

State police host annual memorial for fallen officers Devan Filchak May 18, 2023 The Journal Gazette newspaper.

In Memoriam list at the Indiana State Police.

Inskeep, Richard

Died January 8, 2017, born in Bluffton, in 1949 married Harriett Simmons niece of Journal Gazette co-publisher Virgil Simmons, three sons, Joe, Tom, and Steve, six grandchildren and one great-grandchild. Richard G. Inskeep · 1991 Indiana Journalism Hall of Fame. See Richard G. Inskeep obituary on Legacy.com, and Longtime JG publisher Richard Inskeep dies published January 8, 2014 and Visitation Saturday for ex-JG publisher January 10, 2014 in The Journal Gazette newspaper.

Irish People

Irish heritage in Indiana posted March 17, 2018 on Archives of Hoosier History Live podcast on Saturdays, noon to 1 p.m. ET on WICR 88.7 FM. The introduction begins with: It's not blarney: Of all the European ethnic heritage groups that found a new home in Indiana during the 19th century, the Irish are the second largest, outnumbered only by the Germans. For our show about Irish immigration to the Hoosier state, what more ideal day than St. Patrick's Day to spotlight the significant links between the Emerald Isle and Indiana? According to the book The Irish in America (Hyperion, 1997), Irish immigrants quickly became the "muscle power" of the American labor force, particularly after the infamous potato famine began in 1845. Even before that devastating blight spurred an emigrant exodus, Irish-born brawn in Indiana was helping build the Old National Road, the Wabash and Erie Canal and other canals. As early as 1832, canal companies based on the East Coast were specifically recruiting Irish immigrants to come to the Hoosier state, according to Peopling Indiana: The Ethnic Experience (Indiana Historical Society Press, 1996). Irish Immigrants Left Their Mark Building the Wabash-Erie Canal by Joshua Schipper | Oct 4, 2022 | on  Fort Wayne Media Collaborative.

See Irishtown on our Places page and our Wabash & Erie Canal page.

January 7, 2022 post by The History Center on Facebook:

Irish immigrants played an important role in settling the Indiana frontier, since the beginning of the 19th century. Many of the earliest settlers were native-born Americans of Irish descent, scornful of the English and proudly considered themselves Irish. Of the early Irish immigrants to Fort Wayne, many called themselves “Scotch-Irish” - a phrase created to easily distinguish the Irish Protestants from the Irish Catholics. These Scotch-Irish were descendants of the settlers (planters) from the Plantation of Ulster in Ireland. The plantation system was a form of organized colonization of Ireland by the British government in the 1600s. These early Scots-Irish settlers came to the area voluntarily, seeking permanent settlements for themselves and their families, increased economic prospects, and an opportunity to assist in the growth of their Presbyterian faith. Native Irish immigration to Fort Wayne initially was slow, due to several reasons. They, unlike their Protestant Irish counterparts, were more connected to their native soil. The other reason was the decades of repression and disenfranchisement by the Penal Laws of Great Britain. Consequently, they looked upon their departure from Ireland not as a voluntary immigration, but as an involuntary exile by a repressive government. The Irish immigrants to Fort Wayne, whether Catholic or Protestant, were influential in the establishment and growth of our community. #sociallyhistory

This is the January edition of the History Center’s new initiative, “Fabric of the Fort: Our Tapestry of Human Heritage,” which will explore and interpret the history of nine traditionally under-represented socio-cultural groups from our collective past through a series of nine monthly temporary displays and digital presentations from October 2021 to June 2022.

July 12, 2023 post by the Indiana Historical Bureau on Facebook:

#OTD in 1835, two factions of Irish immigrants—the Corkonians and Fardowns—who had been constructing the Wabash and Erie Canal, skirmished at Lagro. The militia was called in and arrested those laborers who had not already dispersed. According to historian Jay M. Perry, “The Irish War stemmed from real and perceived grievances related to laborers’ economic concerns.” He expounded that “members had organized themselves into protective associations aimed at securing and defending the economic interests of their membership, namely preserving access to employment on the nation’s canals and railroads. Violence and intimidation, their key tools in achieving these goals, periodically resulted in brawls like the one on the Wabash and Erie [Canal].” Learn more: Canals & Conflict: How Irish Immigrants Built and Battled on the Wabash & Erie Canal

The image of canal workers below is courtesy of Indiana Public Media.

Isaacs, Russ

A 38-year career as a teacher, coach and administrator at Snider High School was inducted into the Indiana Football Hall of Fame. See Russ Isaacs: Up Close (VIDEOS & PHOTOS) by Tommy Schoegler and Eric Dutkiewicz of 21AliveNews.compublished June 10, 2014. Throwback Thursday: Snider’s Russ Isaacs by Glenn Marini published August 27, 2015 on CBS WANE-TV NewsChannel 15.

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