Allen County, Indiana Genealogy

1. April 16, 2014 post by Hofer and Davis, Inc. Land Surveyors on Facebook:

   You never know what you might find while out and about surveying! Money, jewelry, marbles, gun casings and if you are walking a farm field in Indiana, arrowheads! These are from the World Famous Hofer and Davis,Inc. LAND SURVEYORS "Wall of Fame" most can be attributed to the "keen eye" of William S. "Bill" Davis.

   April 16, 2023 share to True Fort Wayne Indiana History on Facebook:

   Some of these are marked with where they were found, like Carroll High School and Tower Heights.

2. 

   Early Peoples of Indiana is a 77 page document an Archaeology Publication by the Division of Historic Preservation and Archaeology (DHPA) of the Indiana Department of Natural Resources by James R. Jones III, Ph.D. and Amy L. Johnson revised in 2016. Discussed on their Indiana Department of Natural Resources on Facebook.

   November 8, 2023 post by Indiana Division of Historic Preservation & Archaeology on Facebook:

   During November’s Native American Heritage Month we encourage you to check out Early Peoples of Indiana at EARLY PEOPLES OF INDIANA. This booklet was first published by the DHPA in 1999 and has been revised and updated several times since. This is our most requested archaeology outreach product, and much has been discovered, and learned, since the original. This document is designed to provide an introduction to the rich, varied, and complex nature of the precontact cultures who once inhabited Indiana, as well as early historic peoples in our state. #INArchaeo #INDHPA

3. The Miami Tribe of Oklahoma wants the Fort Wayne City Council to rescind its decision to declare July 16 as Gen. “Mad” Anthony Wayne Day. The Fort Wayne City Council approved the creation of “Mad” Anthony Wayne Day last month in a 6-3 vote. During discussion, Councilman Glynn Hines, D-6th, opposed the resolution because of how Wayne and the U.S. government treated Native Americans. The resolution was sponsored by Councilman Jason Arp, R-4th. Hines was joined by Councilmen John Crawford, R-at large, and Russ Jehl, R-2nd, in opposition to the resolution. The Miami Tribe, which operates a cultural resources extension office in Fort Wayne, found Arp’s presentation erroneous and inaccurate, according to Julie Olds, the tribe’s cultural resources officer. “Lots of cities have founders’ days, and that’s understood,” Olds said. “What was unnecessary was the attempt at history that was made, the errors that were presented, and that the presentation was not required to be fact-checked, from what we could tell.” Copied from a longer article Tribe asks to void day for Wayne by Dave Gong published March 26, 2019 on APNews.com.
4. City to recognize Native Americans Resolution in response to 'Mad' Anthony Day by Dave Gong published November 20, 2019 in The Journal Gazette newspaper. For more information see Anthony Wayne Day.

5. Author Charlie Savage is a Fort Wayne native, and a genuinely nice guy. He wrote this piece five years ago:

   Posted by General "Mad" Anthony Wayne Organization, Inc on Saturday, April 26, 2025

   Saturday, April 26, 2025 post by the General "Mad" Anthony Wayne Organization, Inc on Facebook:

   Author Charlie Savage is a Fort Wayne native, and a genuinely nice guy. He wrote this piece five years ago:

   When the Culture Wars Hit Fort Wayne A quiet Indiana city declared a holiday to celebrate its founder. In the age of Trump, nothing is ever that simple. Charles Savage July 31, 2020 on Politico.

   The Fort Wayne Native is a Pulitzer Prize-winning journalist and Washington correspondent for The New York Times. He is also the author of Power Wars and Takeover.

   A couple of paragraphs referencing the Treaty of Greenville:

   Coming to recognize that even if the tribes defeated Wayne, white Americans would just keep coming, Little Turtle now proposed seeking a diplomatic solution. But the consensus of the confederation’s other leaders was to keep fighting. In August 1794, at Fallen Timbers, Wayne’s troops routed them. Then, as Wayne reported to Knox, his men marched up the Maumee River along dozens of miles of evacuated native settlements that amounted to one continuous town, “laying waste [to] the villages and corn-fields,” until they reached its headwaters—where Kekionga remained in ruins from Harmar’s attack—and built Fort Wayne.

   After a difficult winter, tribal leaders agreed to sign a landmark treaty ending the war. Wayne demanded that the natives cede most of what is now the state of Ohio along with key tracts further west like the future downtowns of Chicago, Detroit, and Fort Wayne. He promised the rest of the territory would remain Indian land forever—hence “Indiana.”

6. Buried Concerns City's treatment of Miamis' grave sites, remains traces century of evolving thought by Charlie Savage published August 16, 2020 in The Journal Gazette newspaper. Charlie Savage is a Fort Wayne native and Pulitzer Prize-winning journalist discussing the 100s of Native Americans buried in the "Indian Burial Ground" located around the Little Turtle burial location now a small park surrounded by older homes built in the early 1900s. He has references to earlier newspaper articles that we hope to eventually add to this page and our Indian Burial Grounds page. This article was discussed on the ACGSI Facebook page August 16, 2020. Under Read More points to Some of the historical materials mentioned in this account can be viewed at Excerpts about a Miami burial ground in the Spy Run District from a 1903 Journal Gazette article and several other newspaper articles through 2016.

7. January 8, 2020 post by Hofer and Davis, Inc. Land Surveyors on Facebook:

   For "Wall of Fame" Wednesday we share another page from the 1967 coloring book HISTORIC FORT WAYNE IN PICTURES by the ALLEN COUNTY - FORT WAYNE HISTORICAL SOCIETY, INC.

   [ Although the Indians had lived in peace and friendship with the French, the arrival of the English marked the beginning of troubled times. The English newcomers realized the importance of winning the Indians to their side if they were to gain contorl of the land around the threee rvers. The Indians were given guns and amunition and many deserted their French friends to aid the British. Thus it was that the French Post Miami was burned by the Indians in 1747. ]

The Buried History of Fort Wayne and Culture War by Charlie Savage, a Fort Wayne native and one-time Journal Gazette intern, is a Pulitzer Prize-winning reporter for the New York Times, posted September 26, 2020 on his website CharlieSavage.com. His opening sentence was: Over the course of about 15 months in 2019-20, I developed a special side project: a deep look at a political and culture-war fight that broke out in my hometown of Fort Wayne, Indiana, last year, over creating a new honor for the town’s namesake, who conquered the Native American tribes in the Midwest and opened it up for white settlement. See our Anthony Wayne page for more.
The 2020 newspaper article Buried Concerns above has links to the newspaper articles and more used as sources online titlesd Spy Run burial grounds Links within the online pdf go to: 1903 Journal Gazette article p. 1; 1910 Fort Wayne News article p. 3; 1912 (March) Fort Wayne Sentinel article p. 4; 1912 (August) Journal Gazette article p. 6; 1923 Fort Wayne News-Sentinel article p. 7; 1912 (Sept) Indiana Quarterly Review of History article p. 8; 1959 Jacob Stouder compendium p. 13; 1960 JG article on Little Turtle Memorial dedication p. 26; 2016 FW History Center inventory of Little Turtle grave items p. 27; 2016 Federal Register notice of FW History Center intent to give grave items to Miami Tribe p. 30.
How can Fort Wayne improve its remembrance of the Miami people? We ask a tribe representative by Joshua Schipper | Wednesday, December 22, 2021 in Input Fort Wayne.
Accuracy describes the problems with fair and balanced discussions of Fort Wayne history referring to the articles above, and on Anthony Wayne Day with 33 total references to her sources by Fort Wayne native Kara Hackett Managing Editor of Input Fort Wayne published February 22, 2022 on Input Fort Wayne.
Kara Hackett of Input Fort Wayne has published this essay pegged in part to my two 2020 articles about the real versus sanitized history of Anthony Wayne, the Miami Tribe, 19th Century Fort Wayne, the Little Turtle Memorial, etc.
Notes in part that the City Council has still not taken steps to correct the falsehood in its General 'Mad' Anthony Wayne Day resolution about the battle of Stony Point (which Jason Arp appears to have cribbed from the fictionalized version in an episode of the AMC show "Turn: Washington's Spies") or to accurately label what the Little Turtle Memorial park and surrounding portion of the Spy Run neighborhood actually was - a blocks-spanning tribal cemetery, not just one person's grave. 
Shared by Charlie Savage April 25, 2022 on True Fort Wayne Indiana History on Facebook.
A May 10, 2022 post by Charlie Savage on True Fort Wayne Indiana History on Facebook stated: A friendly acquaintance from the time I was an intern at The Journal Gazette 25 years ago gave me this old book about Allen County history [History of Allen County, Indiana 1880], saying he thought I would appreciate it because of the deep dives I have done on the late 18th and early 19th century periods. It just came in the mail. Lots to go through but I did a preliminary scan of a section about the remnants of the Mound Builders and the Miami Tribe and found a reference to the big burial ground under the Spy Run neighborhood that I am interested in. The last two paragraphs just after that, more or less celebrating as God-ordained the wiping out of native peoples and white supremacy, is over the top, but doubtless representative of its age. The section was written by R. S. Robertson who wrote a couple of early books about Allen County while the last two paragraphs are on page 46. The post generated many interesting comments.

8. State of Indiana Native American Indian Affairs Commission posted September 3, 2022 has many videos on Facebook. Page states: State agency supporting cultural awareness and opportunities for Native Americans in Indiana. Website: www.in.gov/inaiac/ states: The Indiana Native American Indian Affairs Commission studies and makes recommendations to appropriate federal, state and local governmental agencies in areas of Employment, Education, Health, Housing and Civil Rights.

9. November 2, 2023 post by the Smithsonian Magazine on Facebook:

   The map first functioned as a “resource pointed at settlers and non-Indigenous people to, in a not-too-confrontational way, start thinking about Indigenous history.”

   This Interactive Map Shows Which Indigenous Lands You Live On The nonprofit behind the tool wants people to learn the history of the spaces they inhabit, Jacquelyne Germain, October 13, 2022 at Smithsonian Magazine.

10. 13 Steps To Help Find Your Native American Ancestors November 4, 2022. Does your family have a story indicating that you have a Native American ancestor? Here’s how you can use your DNA to help you determine your ancestry. Many families in North and South America have similar stories. However, some people whose families don’t have those stories could receive a surprise when they discover through DNA testing that they, too, have Native American ancestry. Native American Resources To Help You Learn More. Roberta Estes writes at DNAeXplain and provides Native American resources. Her book, DNA for Native American Genealogy, includes tribes and geographical locations, both modern and ancient, associated with known haplogroups. And How to Use DNA Testing to Uncover Your Native American Ancestry by Janine Cloud posted November 22, 2022 in the Native American folder at FamilyTreeDNA blog. DNA for Native American Genealogy, by Roberta Estes, earns Strong Endorsement from National Genealogical Society Quarterly posted March 13, 2023 by Genealogical Publishing.
11. See Thanksgiving on 1863 Timeline.

12. November 25, 2021 post by the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America on Facebook:

    Today, as family and friends gather across the nation, it is important for us to remember that for many people this is a day of mourning. As you give thanks for the blessings in your life, take some time to better understand the truths about this holiday and the Wampanoag people, learn about the Indigenous people on whose land you are gathered (www.native-land.ca), and practice a land acknowledgement (https://elca.org/.../American-Indian-and-Alaska-Native).

    We are a church that has repudiated the Doctrine of Discovery and these actions can serve as the first steps in your journey toward truth and healing for Indigenous people and our church.

13. November 17, 2022 post by Input Fort Wayne on Facebook:

    As Thanksgiving approaches, some Americans might have mixed feelings about the holiday. While it can be an occasion to gather and reflect with family and friends, some find themselves grappling with inaccurate and harmful folklore of “pilgrims and Indians,” masking the harsh reality of U.S. history.

    Diane Hunter, pictured on the right, is a member of the Miami Tribe of Oklahoma, based in northeastern Oklahoma, who acts as its Historic Preservation Officer. She poses with fellow tribe members Dani Tippmann, center, and Claudia Hedeen, left, on Miami Tribal property in Fort Wayne.

    The Miami people, originally native to the Fort Wayne area, were forcefully resettled by the U.S. government in northeastern Oklahoma, eastern Kansas, and northern Indiana. Several members, like Hunter, remain active in their communities and connected to their native lands.

    Hunter does celebrate Thanksgiving, but prefers to fixate on shared values during the holiday, while also correcting fictional historic accounts. For Fort Wayne and all U.S. residents, Hunter says it’s important to view the day through an objective lens, remembering that Thanksgiving, as a U.S. holiday, came out of an American Civil War-era effort to create unity in the country. It was during a more recent chapter in our country’s history that we began to whitewash, or soften, some of the more uncomfortable parts of our nation’s origin story.

    “It was only in the mid-20th century that the focus turned to myths of pilgrims and Indians,” she says. “It is long past time to stop telling that myth, especially around Thanksgiving. Instead, people should learn and tell the more accurate story of early Europeans on Native land.”

    We learn more about their perspective on the link our bio, along with ways to adopt a more regenerative, earth-honoring lifestyle. #fortwayne #fortwayneindiana

    Rethinking Thanksgiving: Restorative ways to process a complicated holiday in Fort Wayne by Lauren Caggiano | Wednesday, November 16, 2022 in Input Fort Wayne.

14. November 24, 2022 post by Myaamia Center on Facebook:

    nahi wiihsiniko pileewa akiišikomi, ‘eat well on Turkey Day!’ The staff at the Myaamia Center hopes everyone has a safe and enjoyable weekend. Check out this post on Aacimotaatiiyankwi to learn terms for talking about Turkey Day in Myaamiaataweenki, the ‘Miami language’ and access additional resources about the Thanksgiving holiday.

    pileewa akiišikomi (Turkey’s Day) posted by George Ironstrack on November 25, 2015 at Aacimotaatiiyankwi.

15. November 9, 2023 post by the U.S. Census Bureau  on Facebook:

    American Indians and Alaska Natives were often overlooked by our nation’s first enumerations. Efforts to make our data more inclusive began in the late 19th century.

    Today, #CensusData and records tell the story of our nation’s growing #AmericanIndian and #AlaskaNative population. 

    Learn more this American Indian and Alaska Native Heritage Month: U.S. Census Bureau History: American Indians and Alaska Natives

    #WeTheData #CensusHistory #CensusData #AIAN #AmericanIndians #AlaskaNatives #NativeAmerican #NativeAmericanHeritageMonth #AIANHeritageMonth

16. January 2, 2024 post by Myaamia Center on Facebook:

    wiiyaakiteeheelo weehki-kihkatwe, ‘Happy New Year!' Yesterday, many of us celebrated the Gregorian New Year. For Myaamiaki, the year is based on the lunar calendar, reflecting the moon cycles. This means the Lunar New Year celebration is typically around the end of January or early February. This year, it will take place on February 11th. Check out Aacimotaatiiyankwi to learn more about the lunar calendar:

17. Traditional Knowledge ranges from medicinal properties of plants and insights into the value of biological diversity to...

    Posted by Smithsonian Magazine on Wednesday, February 21, 2024

    February 21, 2024 post by the Smithsonian Magazine on Facebook:

    Traditional Knowledge ranges from medicinal properties of plants and insights into the value of biological diversity to caribou migration patterns and the effects of intentional burning of the landscape to manage particular resources.

    [ lots of interesting comments worth reading to the original Facebook post ]

    When Scientists “Discover” What Indigenous People Have Known For Centuries When it supports their claims, Western scientists value what Traditional Knowledge has to offer. If not, they dismiss it

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