African Americans in Indiana Before the Civil War

Over 10,000 African Americans lived in Indiana in 1860. Some of them lived in thriving African American settlements such as Cabin Creek in Randolph County. Among its residents was Peter Ladd, a landowner and farmer who lived to the remarkable age of 96 years old. Drawing on land records, census records, newspapers, and other research, this session will discuss Indiana’s early African American settlers. Attendees will come away with historical insights and practical strategies and resources for researching African Americans who lived in Indiana before the Civil War.