Boone County, Indiana
History, Records, Facts and Genealogy

See Also Indiana Land Records, Marriage Records, Court & Probate Records

Researchers often overlook the importance of court records, probate records, and land records as a source of family history information.

NOTE: The date listed for each category of record is the earliest record known to exist in that county. It does not indicate that there are numerous records for that year and certainly does not indicate that all such events that year were actually registered. Courthouse destroyed by Fire in Oct. 1856, Practically all records lost. See also the Boone County Courthouse History.

Boone County Clerk has Marriage Records from 1831 , Probate Records from 1846 and Court Records from 1846 and is located at 212 Courthouse Square, Lebanon, IN 46052-2195; (765) 482-3510

The Clerk of the Circuit Court is a ministerial officer who is the custodian of the Clerk's record and seal, issues process, accepts filings of commencement of actions in litigation, enters judgments and orders of the court, receives money in his official capacity, makes certified copies of record, issues many miscellaneous licenses, and keeps a record of all wills and matters of trust in probate proceedings.

Boone County Recorder has Land Records from 1856 and is located at 209 Courthouse Square, Lebanon, IN 46052; 765-482-3070.

The county recorder's function is to maintain permanent public records involving a wide variety of instruments. These documents detail transactions involving real estate, mining, personal property, mortgages, liens, leases, subdivision plats, military discharges, personal bonds, etc. Generally, all of these instruments are recorded either for giving legal public notice of their existence or for safekeeping and future reference. The recorder maintains and preserves all legal documents affecting title to real property.

Records of county taxes were kept as early at 1842, although most were discarded. Remaining ones would be at the county courthouse. National Archives-Great Lakes Region has records of the Internal Revenue Service for Indiana for 1867 to 1873. These are tax assessment records, arranged by district and then chronologically.

Boone County Health Department has Birth / Death Records from 1882 and is located at 116 W. Washington Street, B202, Lebanon, IN 46052; (765) 482-3942

Below is a list of online resources for Boone County Court Records. Email us with websites containing Boone County Court Records by clicking the link below:

• Order County Court, Civil or Criminal Records Online
• Bureau of Land Management (BLM)
• Indianapolis Newspaper Index, 1848-1991: Select articles from 1848-1888 Indianapolis daily newspapers; heavily focused on deaths and marriages. Select articles from 1898-1991 about people, places, events, and topics in Indianapolis and the state of Indiana. Extremely limited for deaths; no coverage of marriages.  Card file also available in the Microforms Area, second floor.
• Reference & Government Services CD Collection: Database to allow searching of the hundreds of CDs from the federal government and other sources, part of the collections of the Reference & Government Services Division.
• Boone County, Indiana Court Books at Amazon.com
• Court, Land, Wills & Financial - Court records are an often overlooked, yet very valuable tool for finding information to assist you in your research. Land records, such as deeds, allow you to tie an ancestor to a specific place at a point in time. Other court records like those dealing with finances and estates often list related family members or give interesting details like the total value of property owned by your ancestors to add interest to your family history.
• Immigration & Emigration - As our ancestors moved from one country to another, details about their lives were recorded on passenger lists and government documents. Immigration and emigration records can help you learn where your ancestors originally came from, where they went, when they left, who they traveled with, and more.
• Search Land Patents at Gov-Records.com
• Search Property Records at Gov-Records.com

See Also Vital Records in Indiana

Birth, marriage, and death records are connected with central life events. They are prime sources for genealogical information.

Indiana State Department of Health Vital Records office is located at 6 West Washington Street, Indianapolis, Indiana 46204. The office is open for walk-in requests from 9:00 a.m. to 2:00 p.m., E.S.T., Monday through Friday (excluding official State Holidays). They have the following records:

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• Birth Certificates: The Division of Vital Records and Statistics maintains birth records that occur in Indiana since Oct 1907 to the present. Prior to October 1907, records of birth are filed only with the local health department in the county where the birth actually occurred.
  • Cost: Initial search and one certified copy or certification of the record or No Record Statement is $10.00 and $4.00 for each additional copy. Make your check or money order payable to "Indiana State Department of Health". Enclose a business-size self-addressed envelope. If no record is found or no copy is made, state law requires that we keep check amount for a searching fee. Please do not send cash in the mail.
  • Processing Time: 5 weeks when ordered by MAIL. You can also order Order Electronically and get the certificates much quicker by ordering HERE.
• Death Certificates: The Division of Vital Records and Statistics maintains death records that occur in Indiana since 1900 to the present. Prior to 1900, records of death are filed only with the local health department in the county where the death actually occurred. For deaths occurring from 1900 to 1917, the city and/or county of death is required in order to locate the record.
  • Cost: Initial search and one certified copy or certification of the record or No Record Statement is $8.00 and $4.00 for each additional copy. Make your check or money order payable to "Indiana State Department of Health". Enclose a business-size self-addressed envelope. If no record is found or no copy is made, state law requires that we keep check amount for a searching fee. Please do not send cash in the mail.
  • Processing Time: 5 weeks when ordered by MAIL. You can also order Order Electronically and get the certificates much quicker by ordering HERE.
• Marriage Certificates: Certified copies of marriage certificates are not available from the State Health Department. They are available from the Clerks of the Circuit Court in the county where the marriage was granted. Fees vary.
• Divorce Certificates: Certified copies of divorce certificates are not available from the State Health Department. They are available from the County Clerk in the county where the divorce was granted. Fees vary.
• Ordering Vital Records Online- You can also order Order Electronically Online to obtain a certified copy of a birth, marriage, death or divorce record with a credit or debit card and get the certificates within 2-5 days by ordering from VitalChek Express Certificate Service

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Below is a list of online resources for Boone County Vital Records. Email us with websites containing Boone County Vital Records by clicking the link below:

• Vital Records from Archives.com: Birth Records, Marriage Records, Divorce Records and Death Records
• VitalChek Express Certificate Service. - Some documents are just too important to wait six weeks for. With VitalChek Express Certificate Service you won’t have to. VitalChek is the fast and convenient way to order certified government-issued vital records online. They make it easy for you to purchase the documents to which you are legally entitled. Beware of other online services that do not have relationships directly with the agencies that store your vital records. VitalChek's order process usually takes less than 10 minutes --And you can select express courier service for even faster delivery when time is running out.
• Click Here to Search the Social Security Death Index for FREE - Search over 82 million death records and get genealogical information crucial to your family research. New content added weekly! Most comprehensive SSDI site online!
• Research Death records In The World's Largest Newspaper Archive at NewpaperArchive.com! - Find thousands of historical Indiana newspaper articles about deaths. Search for local articles about an old family friend that died many years ago or a celebrity that committed suicide. Historical newspapers contain a wealth of information about the deceased.
• Indiana Marriages Database: Database for Indiana marriages through 1850
• Indiana Marriages Database: Database for Indiana marriages 1993 through 2002
• Indiana Births, 1880-1920: This database indexes births for thirty-one of the counties indexed by the WPA.
• Indiana Deaths, 1882-1920: This data set contains the WPA's indexes to the death records of most of the counties that they completed.
• Indiana Marriage Collection, 1800-1941: This database is a collection of Indiana marriage indexes covering various years and counties.
• Indiana Marriages to 1850: This database of Indiana marriages to 1850 contains nearly 200,000 names.
• Indiana Marriages, 1802-1892: This database is an index to individuals who were married in Indiana between 1802 and 1892.
• Boone County, Indiana Birth, Marriage & Death Books at Amazon.com
• Birth, Marriage & Death - Vital records (births, deaths, marriages, and divorces) mark the milestones of our lives and are the foundation of family history research. Vital records, usually kept by a civic authority, can give you a more complete picture of your ancestor, help you distinguish between two people with the same name, and help you find links to a new generation.
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See Also Research In Census Records & Statewide Records that exist for Indiana

Few, if any, records reveal as many details about individuals and families as do government census records. Substitute records can be used when the official census is unavailable

Countywide Records: Federal Population Schedules that exist for Boone County, Indiana are 1830, 1840, 1850, 1860, 1870, 1880, 1900, 1910, 1920 and 1930. Other Federal Schedules to look at when researching your Family Tree in Boone County, Indiana are Industry and Agriculture Schedules availible for the years 1850, 1860, 1870 and 1880. The Mortality Schedules for the years 1850, 1860, 1870 and 1880. There are free downloadable and printable Census forms to help with your research. These include U.S. Census Extraction Forms and U.K. Census Extraction Forms.

Below is a list of online resources for Boone County Census Records. Email us with websites containing Boone County Census Records by clicking the link below:

• Census Records at Archives.com
• Indiana Census, 1790-1890: This collection contains the following indexes: 1790 (Northwest Territory) Federal Census Index; 1807 State Census Index; 1810 Wayne County Census Index; 1812 Census Index; 1820 Federal Census Index; 1830 Federal Census Index; 1840 Federal Census Index; 1840 Pensioners List; 1850 Federal Census Index; 1860 Federal Census Index; 1870 Federal Census Index; 1890 Veterans Schedule.
• Boone County, Indiana Census Books at Amazon.com
• Census & Voter Lists - A census is an official list of the people in a particular area at a given time, while voter lists show those who were registered to vote in a certain area. The valuable information found on census records helps you to understand your family in their time and place. Voter Lists serve as a confirmation of residence in between the years that the census was taken.

See Also Research In State Map Collections

Maps are an invaluable part of family history research, especially if you live far from where your ancestor lived. Because political boundaries often changed, historic maps are critical in helping you discover the precise location of your ancestor's hometown, what land they owned, who their neighbors were, and more.

Genealogy Atlas has images of old American atlases during the years 1795, 1814, 1822, 1823, 1836, 1838, 1845, 1856, 1866, 1879 and 1897 for Ohio and other states.

You can view rotating animated maps for Indiana showing all the county boundaries for each census year overlayed with past and present maps so you can see the changes in county boundaries. You can view a list of maps for other states at Census Maps

You can view rotating animated maps for Indiana showing all the county boundary changes for each year overlayed with past and present maps so you can see the changes in county boundaries. You can view a list of maps for other states at County Maps

Below is a list of online resources for Boone County Maps. Email us with websites containing Boone County Maps by clicking the link below:

• The USGenWeb Archives Digital Map Library
• Perry-Castañeda Library Map Collection: Indiana Maps
• Boone County, Indiana Map Books at Amazon.com
• Maps, Atlases & Gazetteers - Maps are an invaluable part of family history research, especially if you live far from where your ancestor lived. Because political boundaries often changed, historic maps are critical in helping you discover the precise location of your ancestor's hometown, what land they owned, who their neighbors were, and more.

See Also Military Records in Indiana

Military and civil service records provide unique facts and insights into the lives of men and women who have served their country at home and abroad.

The uses and value of military records in genealogical research for ancestors who were veterans are obvious, but military records can also be important to re-searchers whose direct ancestors were not soldiers in any war. The fathers, grandfathers, brothers, and other close relatives of an ancestor may have served in a war, and their service or pension records could contain information that will assist in further identifying the family of primary interest. Due to the amount of genealogical information contained in some military pension files, they should never be overlooked during the research process. Those records not containing specific genealogical information are of historic value and should be included in any overall research design.

Below is a list of online resources for Boone County Military Records. Email us with websites containing Boone County Military Records by clicking the link below:

• Indiana Society of Daughters of the American Revolution
• National Society of Daughters of the American Revolution,
• Indiana Society of Sons of the American Revolution,
• National Society of Sons of the American Revolution, 1000 South Fourth Street, Louisville, Kentucky 40203; (502) 589-1776
• Southern Claims Commission from the State of Indiana (The National Archives): View, Print Copy & Save Original Documents In the 1870s, southerners claimed compensation from the U.S. government for items used by the Union Army, ranging from corn and horses, to trees and church buildings.
• Organization Index to Pension Files of Veterans Who Served Between 1861 and 1900 from the State of Indiana (The National Archives): View, Print Copy & Save Original Pension applications for service in the U.S. Army between 1861 and 1917, grouped according to the units in which the veterans served.
• Revolutionary War Rolls, 1775-1783 (The National Archives): View, Print Copy & Save Original Documents in NARA publication M246 include muster rolls, payrolls, strength returns, and other miscellaneous personnel, pay, and supply records of American Army units, 1775-83.
• Compiled Service Records of Soldiers Who Served in the American Army During the Revolutionary War (The National Archives): View, Print Copy & Save Original Documents in NARA publication M881. Compiled service records of soldiers who served in the American Army during the Revolutionary War, 1775-1783.
• Revolutionary War Pension and Bounty-Land Warrant Application Files (The National Archives): View, Print Copy & Save Original Revolutionary War Pension and Bounty-Land Warrant Application Files, from NARA publication M804.
• Indiana World War II Servicemen: Database to locate information about Indiana men and women who served in World War II who were mentioned in one of the Indianapolis daily newspapers during the war.
• Boone County, Indiana Military Books at Amazon.com
• Military - The men and women called to serve their country in military duty are a source of pride to their families and to their nation. Now, with databases containing more than 16 million names and thousands of government records available to search, researching your veteran ancestors has become easier than ever before.

See Also Other Indiana Genealogical Addresses

The Repositories in this section are Archives, Libraries, Museums, Genealogical and Historical Societies. Many County Historical and Genealogical Societies publish magazines and/or news letters on a monthly, quarterly, bi-annual or annual basis. Contacting the local societies should not be over looked. State Archives and Societies are usually much larger and better organized with much larger archived materials than their smaller county cousins but they can be more generalized and over look the smaller details that local societies tend to have. Libraries can also be a good place to look for local information. Some libraries have a genealogy section and may have some resources that are not located at archives or societies. Also, take a special look at any museums in the area. They sometimes have photos and items from years gone by as well as information of a genealogical interest. All these places are vitally important to the family genealogist and must not be passed over.

Below is a list of online resources for Boone County Genealogical Addresses. Email us with websites containing Boone County Genealogical Addresses by clicking the link below:

• Search for Local Indiana Researchers or Earn Money by becoming a Local Indiana Researcher!
• Boone County Historical Society, P.O. Box 141, Lebanon, IN 46052
• Indiana Libraries: Database to allow searching for Indiana's public libraries.
• National Archives - Great Lakes Region (Chicago), 7358 South Pulaski Road, Chicago, Illinois 60629-5898; 773-948-9001; E-mail: chicago.archives@nara.gov (Maintains retired records from Federal agencies and courts in Illinois, Indiana, Michigan, Minnesota, Ohio, and Wisconsin.) General Information Leaflet
• Indiana State Archives, 6440 E. 30th St., Indianapolis, IN 46219; (317) 591-5222, [EMAIL]
• Indiana State Library, Attn: (Division or Staff Name), 140 North Senate Avenue, Indianapolis, IN 46204-2296; Loan Desk and General Inquiries: 317-232-3675, ind@statelib.lib.in.us; Genealogy Division: 317-232-3689, genealogy@statelib.lib.in.us
• Indiana Genealogical Society, P.O. Box 10507, Fort Wayne IN 46852
• Indiana Historical Society, 450 W. Ohio St, Indianapolis,IN 46202; 1-800-447-1830 or 317-232-1882
• Newspapers & Periodicals - The Newspapers & Periodicals Collection lets you discover a wealth of information about your ancestors from many historical newspapers, magazines, and other periodicals. These types of sources can often supplement public records and provide information that is not recorded anywhere else. Here, you can learn more about your ancestor's possible daily activities by placing them in the context of their time.
• Directories & Member Lists - Directories and member lists are typically compilations of information about people who belonged to various associations and groups or lived within city boundaries. They can be thought of as the predecessors to the modern-day phone book and usually list names, addresses, and sometimes the occupations of your ancestors.
• Indiana Genealogical Society Books at Amazon.com

See Also Church & Cemetery Records in Indiana

Obituaries can vary in the amount of information they contain, but many of them are genealogical goldmines, including information such as names, dates, places of birth and death, marriage information, and family relationships.

There are many churches and cemeteries in Boone County. Some transcriptions are online. A great site is the Boone County Tombstone Transcription Project.

Baptist records are found at Franklin College (in Franklin); Methodist at DePauw University (in Greencastle); Mennonite at Goshen College (in Goshen); Presbyterian at Hanover College (in Hanover); Disciples of Christ at their historical society in Nashville, Tennessee; and French Catholic at Vincennes University in the Byron R. Lewis Collection. There are also Catholic church histories and records at the Catholic Archives, University of Notre Dame, South Bend, Indiana. Quaker records are at Earlham College (at Richmond).

The commissioner's office of each Indiana county may have burial records for soldiers, sailors, and marines. If available, the records should include name, age, date of enlistment, discharge date, and death date. Records begin about 1862.

The Indiana State Library holds records of inscriptions from some Indiana cemeteries. The "Indiana Cemetery Locator File," compiled by the Genealogy Division, is an alphabetical listing of cemeteries, indicating the location in the state and the designation in the Genealogy Division of the Indiana State Library where inscriptions may be found.

Below is a list of online resources for Boone County Cemetery & Church Records. Email us with websites containing Boone County Cemetery & Church Records by clicking the link below:

• Cemetery Records at Archives.com
• Find Obituaries in The World's Largest Newspaper Archive at NewpaperArchive.com! - Find thousands of Indiana obituaries to help you research your family history. Search for a Indiana newspaper obituary about your ancestor or a celebrity. Begin your search today and find death notices and funeral announcements printed in newspapers from Indiana.
• Obituary Records at Archives.com
• America's Obituaries (1977 to current) at Genealogybank.com - Obituaries contain helpful information such as names, dates, places of birth, death, marriage and family information. Over 28 million obituaries make this the most complete collection from the 20th and 21st centuries - includes over 1,100 U.S. newspapers. New content added daily!
• Indiana Pioneer Cemeteries Restoration Project
• Boone County, Indiana Cemetery Books at Amazon.com
• Boone County, Indiana Church Books at Amazon.com

 

The use of published genealogies, electronic files containing genealogical lineage, and other compiled sources can be of tremendous value to a researcher.

When view family trees online or not, be sure to only take the info at face value and always follow up with your own sources or verify the ones they provide. Below is a list of online resources for Boone County Family Trees, web forums and other family type information. Email us with websites containing Boone County Family Trees, web forums and other family type information by clicking the link below:

• Search 60 Years Of Everton Data : For the first time ever you can get access to more than 150,000 pedigree files and family group sheets from Evertons. Learn More
• Sites on USGenweb: [ Boone County ] [ Indiana ] [ Main Page ]
• Search the Family Tree DNA Project- Use DNA testing to break through your genealogical barriers!
• The Indiana Family Group Sheet Project
• Boone County INGenWeb Archives
• [GenForum Message Boards] [Rootsweb Message Boards]
• Genealogy Encyclopedia: General Abbreviations, Early Illnesses, Nickname Meanings, Worldwide Epidemics, Early Occupations, Common Terms, Censuses Explained, Free Genealogical Forms
• Nichols and Related Families of Alabama, Arkansas, Georgia, Florida, Kentucky, Louisiana, Mississippi, Missouri, North Carolina, South Carolina, Tennessee, Texas, and Virgina.
• Family Trees - Ancestry has thousands of family trees shared by other members. They can help you identify how ancestors are related and give you clues about birth, marriage, and death information. Family trees are an excellent resource for filling in gaps in your research or even to simply know where to begin.
• Pictures - One of the more exciting discoveries in doing family history research is finding a photograph of your ancestors or their residence. Finding historic postcard photos and drawings of towns and important events throughout history can also give you a visual look into your ancestors lives.
• Reference Materials & Finding Aids - Reference materials, including dictionaries, encyclopedias, and other how-to books, can be tremendously helpful in finding and interpreting historical documents. Many of these books can help you learn where to look for more information and how to use what you've already found to uncover more clues.
• Boone County, Indiana Family Books at Amazon.com

 

1849 Adams County Retrospect - Based on "Indiana Gazetteer," published by E. Chamberlain

Boone County is bounded north by Clinton, east by Hamilton, south by Marion and Hendricks, and west by Montgomery. It is twenty-four miles long from east to west, and seventeen miles wide, and contains 408 square miles. The southeastern, western and northwestern portions are agreeably undulating; the interior generally level. The county was organized in 1830, and was named after the celebrated Daniel Boone, whose love of forest life, enterprise and disinterestedness were prototypes of much that is still admirable in western manners. The population of the county was 622 in 1830, 8,121 in 1840, and at this time at least 14,000. It is divided into eleven civil townships, Marion, Clinton, Washington, Sugar Creek, Jefferson, Center, Union, Eagle, Perry, Harrison and Jackson.

The soil in most parts of the county is a black loam, usually several feet in depth, on a stratum of clay, and in some places of sand or coarse gravel. It is very fertile and well adapted for the production of wheat, corn, oats, grass, and all kinds of vegetables. There is no part of the State where the timber is heavier or of a better quality. It is not uncommon to see, on a single acre, 100 oak trees averaging four feet in diameter, and from 80 to 120 feet in height. The other forest trees which are most common, are ash, walnut, poplar, beech, sugar tree, lynn, etc. The only prairies are Smith's, Hagan's and Eel, which are small and wet, except a portion of Hagan's, which is dry and agreeably undulating. They may all be drained with a little ditching, and made dry enough for tillage.

The principal kinds of surplus produce are wheat, corn, beef, pork, honey, etc., and cattle, hogs, horses and mules are driven to market. The annual value of the exports is estimated at $150,000, which consists of 100,000 bushels of wheat, 5,000 of corn, 10,000 hogs, 2,000 cattle, 200 horses and 150 mules. There are in the county twenty physicians, six Ministers of the Gospel, eighteen churches of various denominations, about twenty taverns, sixteen saddle and harness makers, twenty shoemakers, thirty carpenters, sixteen cabinet makers, ten coopers, five wagon makers, twenty-five blacksmiths, eight tanners and curriers, five brick layers, two tinners, one potter and six tailors; eight grist mills, ten sawmills, one woolen factory, propelled by water, and one steam sawmill. All building materials, except rock, are abundant and of an excellent quality.

Boone County is situated on the ridge or what were formerly called the dividing swamps between White Lick and Walnut Fork of the Eel River which empty in to the former, and Big Raccoon and Sugar Creek, which empty into the latter. All these streams are quite large and important near their mouths; but they are very sluggish near their sources, and are there not well adapted to move machinery, though the former and the latter have some very good water privileges, yet still far from sufficient for public use, especially in dry seasons.

The heavy timber, level surface and porous soil of Boone County were not very attractive to the agriculturist at the first settlement, and accordingly the pursuit of game and the collection of skins, furs and wild honey, were reckoned far more important than any kind of farming. The only real necessaries for a family were then thought to be two rifles, powder and lead, a barrel of salt, a camp kettle and a couple of dogs. Deer, turkeys, bears and wolves were abundant, and the latter often came into the very dooryards of the settler and took away his pigs and poultry. The only currency was the skis of deer, raccoons, minks and wild honey, and even as late as 1841, the trade in these articles was over $5,000 a year. It is said that in these early times a traveler from Cincinnati, in company with a resident of the county, fell in with a man whose horse was so covered and loaded with skins of "varmints," as to almost hide both horse and rider, and the only information he could get was that this was the Collector of the county, returning to the county seat with his "funds," from one of the townships. At any rate, the story found its way into the newspapers, and those who gave full credit to the statement must have supposed the Collector of Boone had an odd set of customers to collect his "poll taxes" from. The coonskins, it was said, were for State, the deer for county revenue, and the mink for change. About the same time it was said that one of the Judges, who, for want of other accommodations, had taken his luncheon to Court, was supposed at a distance to be reading a newspaper, when, on nearer approach, it was ascertained that he was only eating a large buckwheat pancake.

There are few if any counties in the State where greater alterations have taken place within the lat ten years; for many of the swamps have disappeared and first-rate farms may now be found in every neighborhood. The opening of the Wabash and Erie Canal, and the proposed continuation of the Madison and Indianapolis Railroad to Lafayette, which is now in progress, is giving live and energy to the industry and enterprise of the citizens.

This county was once the abode and hunting ground of the Eel River tribe of the Miami Indians; here were their wigwams, their fields, and the graves of their fathers and their brave warriors. In 1819, Thorntown had a population of 400 Indians and a few French traders, and the large reserve at this place was not finally purchased until 1828, nor did they remove entirely until about 1835. Nearly all traces of this Indian population are now obliterated, and except the marks on the trees in their sugar camps, nothing they have done remains to bear witness of their ever having existed.

The whole number of acres of taxable land in the county is 255,000, and there are no longer any lands of the United States or Indiana reservations here.

1938 Adams County Retrospect - Based on "Indiana Review," published by the State Legislature

Boone County, one of Indiana's central counties, has twelve townships covering 427 square miles. It was the habitation of the Eel River Tribe of Miami Indians . In 1819 Thorntown had a population of 400 Indians and a few French traders. The large reserve at this place was not purchased until 1828, nor did the Indians remove until 1835.

The county was organized in 1830 and Lebanon named as County Seat. The incorporated towns are Advance, 358; Jamestown, 552; Thorntown, 1,325; Zionsville, 1,131, and Ulen, 74. Boone County's total population in 1890 was 26,572; 1900, 26,321; 1910, 24,673; 1920, 23,575; 1930, 22,290.

Lebanon, the county's only incorporated city, is located twenty-eight miles northwest of Indianapolis and is served by two railroads. The 1930 census gave Lebanon's population as 6,645. Among the city's chief industries are saw and planing mills, furniture, canning, and glove factories, a milk condensary and creamery separator, steel wheel works, and the Hicks School Bus and Body Company.

One of Lebanon's interesting features is the Courthouse, believed to be the only public building in the world with a meridian line running through the center. This Courthouse has eight of the largest one-piece monolithic limestone columns ever quarried and cut by hand. They are more than 38 feet in length and weigh approximately thirty-four tons each. The city has two parks, the Memorial and South Side.

Boone County's most important products are those of its dairies. In these and the growing of the corn the county has the widespread fame.

The late former Governor, Samuel Ralston, one of the most beloved figures of Indiana, came from Boone County. For several years Ralston was a schoolteacher in Lebanon and later served as School Superintendent. Among others listed as notables in the county's history were A. M. French, the man who named the city; B. Longley, first resident of the city; Doctor Levi; S. S. Brown; J. S. Forsythe; Jonathan H. Rose, and William H. Smith. The almost complete destruction of records of Boone County in 1856 makes it almost impossible to obtain more than fragmentary information of the county's early history.

The Lebanon Pioneer, founded in 1852, has long enjoyed the distinction of being one of the outstanding country newspapers.

According to 1935 federal census figures, Boone County had twenty manufacturing establishments employing 358 wage earners, on payrolls of $293,365. The value of the products was $2,054,047. Among the chief industries is the Hicks Body Company, Lebanon, builders of school bus bodies.

The county had 2,723 farms averaging 94.5 acres each. The value of these was $17,702,606. A total of 116,664 head of livestock was reported.

The Boone County tax valuation for the year 1936 was $28,477,210.

Courthouse History

The present Courthouse, which was completed and dedicated July 4, 1912, is build of Bedford limestone and one of the features is the dome, which is the second in size in the state, being fifty feet in diameter. The north and south entrances are each adorned by four columns 35 feet 3 inches in length, 52 inches in diameter and the base and 48 inches at the tip. These columns were said to be [in 1915] the largest one-piece columns in the United States.

Lebanon is on its fourth courthouse since being named the Boone County seat in 1832. And while the current building is a neoclassical gem, had its predecessor survived, it would be the only Gothic Revival courthouse in Indiana.

William Tinsley, architect of Christ Church Cathedral in Indianapolis and Wabash College’s Center Hall, designed the 1857 Gothic Revival Boone County courthouse. Perhaps it was because the courthouse more closely resembled a church or college rather than a seat of government, or maybe the county simply outgrew the structure, but for whatever reason, the commissioners sold the building to a local contractor for $15 in 1909 and demolition ensued.

The current courthouse, designed by Hammond architect Joseph T. Hutton, proudly displays its governmental majesty through the classical details of a Greek temple: an enormous pediment with the allegorical figures of Agriculture, Justice, and Industry carved in limestone; and eight solid limestone columns each measuring 35 feet 5½ inches tall. Workers shipped the roughly cut columns to Lebanon by train where skilled carvers completed them on site. Indiana: A New Historical Guide credits the columns as likely being the largest single-piece pillars in the nation. The courthouse sits on a Shelbyville Square with streets intersecting each other at the corners of the square.

Construction of the present courthouse occurred between 1909 and 1911. County dignitaries formally dedicated the structure on July 4, 1912 with a speech by Indianapolis resident and former United States Vice President Charles W. Fairbanks. Among Fairbanks’ comments were words that still resonate with Indiana residents:

The people will reverence [the courthouse] because it will link them with the past; they will perceive in it the splendid contribution which you their fathers have made to them and emphasize their duty to build also for the future. They will behold in it one of the rich trophies of civil liberty.

Among the architectural highlights of the courthouse is the magnificent dome capped by a four-sided clock tower. The interior of the courthouse is lit by the brilliance of the dome’s stained glass ceiling. At 84 feet high and 52 feet wide, the dome is the second largest such structure in the state behind the dome of the West Baden Springs Hotel in Orange County.5 A 1990s renovation uncovered equally beautiful stained glass ceilings in the courtrooms and offices of the third floor and returned original paint colors to the decorative plaster

• Map of Indiana Historical Markers