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Greene County History and Information
County History | Court Records | Vital Records | CENSUS Records | TAX Records | Military Records | Church & Cemetery |
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Greene County Facts

Greene County was created on February 5, 1821 and was formed from Sullivan County and Unorganized Land. The County was named for Gen. Nathanael Greene, who commanded the southern theater in the Revolutionary War, eventually forcing Cornwallis to retreat to Yorktown.

The County Seat is Bloomfield. Bloomfield has not always been the County Seat. The first County Seat was located at Burlington. The locating commissioners had selected this site March 10, 1821, and Thomas Bradford, Frederick Shepherd and Zebulon Hogue had donated the land. It became necessary to relocate in 1824 for the reason that an adequate supply of water was not obtainable at this point. At this time, not a vestige remains of this former County Seat. Peter C. Van Slyke, a wealthy landowner, offered to donate the land for the location of a County Seat, which the commissioners accepted, and Bloomfield came into being. The first sale of lots was set for April 22, 1824, and a log Court House built that summer of "hewed logs, 26 by 20 feet, one story and a half high, with one door and one window, with twelve lights in it (8 by 16) in the lower story, with a good poplar plank floor ... to be covered with shingles" was in use; by 1849 the town of Bloomfield had a population of about 200 inhabitants. See also County History for more historical details.

Counties adjacent to Greene County are Clay County (north), Owen County (north), Monroe County (east), Lawrence County (southeast), Martin County (south), Daviess County (south), Knox County (southwest), Sullivan County (west).

Greene County is divided into 15 Civil Townships as follows: Beech Creek, Cass, Center, Fairplay, Grant, Highland, Jackson, Jefferson, Richland, Smith, Stafford, Stockton, Taylor, Washington and Wright.

Cities, Towns and Communities include Beehunter, Bloomfield, Bushrod, Cincinnati, Doans, Dresden, Elliston, Hobbieville, Ilene, Jasonville, Koleen, Latta, Linton, Lyons, Marco, Midland, Mineral, Newark, Newberry, Plummer, Rincon, Scotland, Solsberry, Sponsler, Switz City, Tulip, Vicksburg, Victoria and Worthington.

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Records at the Greene County Courthouse

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

PLEASE READ!! Please call the clerk's department to confirm hours, mailing address, fees and other specifics before visiting or requesting information because of sometimes changing contact 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. See also the Greene County Courthouse History

   Greene County Clerk has Marriage Records from 1821 , Probate Records from 1823 and Court Records from ? and is located at PO Box 229, Bloomfield, IN 47424 ; (812)384-8532, (812)384-2018, Clerk@co.greene.in.us
   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.

   Greene County Recorder has Land Records from 1822 and is located at PO Box 309, Bloomfield IN 47424 ; 812-384-2020.
   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.

Search Online Click Here to Search Indiana Court, Land, Wills & Financial Records! - Researchers often overlook the importance of court records, probate records, and land records as a source of family history information.

   Greene County Health Department has Birth / Death Records from 1882 and is located at 217 East Spring Street, Suite 1, Bloomfield, IN 47424; (812) 384-4496.

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

  • 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.
  • Greene County, Indiana Court Books at Amazon.com
  • Indiana Immigration & Emigration Records - Immigration records help the family historian to understand the movements of their ancestry as they relocated to different parts of the world.

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Greene County Vital Records

See Also Vital Records in Indiana

Search Online Click Here to Search Indiana Birth, Marriage & Death Records! - Birth, marriage, and death records are connected with central life events. They are prime sources for genealogical information. Look also for baptism, christening, and burial records in this collection.
  • 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.
    • In Person: The ISDH Vital Records office is located at 6 West Washington Street, Indianapolis, Indiana 46204. The office is open for walk-in requests from 10:00 a.m. to 2:00 p.m., E.S.T., Monday through Friday (excluding official State Holidays). The cost for the first certificate is $10.00 and $4.00 for each additional copy. Average wait time is less than an hour.
    • Processing Time: 5 weeks when ordered by MAIL or 2-5 Days when you order ELECTRONICALLY
  • 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.
    • In Person: The ISDH Vital Records office is located at 6 West Washington Street, Indianapolis, Indiana 46204. The office is open for walk-in requests from 10:00 a.m. to 2:00 p.m., E.S.T., Monday through Friday (excluding official State Holidays). The cost for the first certificate is $8.00 and $4.00 for each additional copy. Average wait Time is less than an hour.
    • Processing Time: 5 weeks when ordered by MAIL or 2-5 Days when you order ELECTRONICALLY
  • 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.
  • Order Online: You can also order Order Electronically and get the certificates within 2-5 days by ordering below
    Birth Certificates
         		Death Certificates
         		Marriage Certificates
         		Divorce Records

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

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Greene County Census Records

See Also Research In Census Records

Search Online Click Here to Search Indiana Voter Lists & Census Records! - 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 Greene 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 Greene 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.

  See Also Statewide Records that exist for Indiana

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

  • 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.
  • Greene County, Indiana Census Books at Amazon.com

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Greene County Maps & Atlases

   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 Greene County Maps. Email us with websites containing Greene County Maps by clicking the link below:

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Greene County Military Records

See Also Military Records in Indiana

Search Online Click Here to Search Indiana Military Records! - 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 Greene County Military Records. Email us with websites containing Greene County Military Records by clicking the link below:

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Greene County Tax Records

See Also Research In Tax Records

   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.

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

  • Greene County, Indiana Tax Books at Amazon.com

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Greene County Genealogical Addresses

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 Greene County Genealogical Addresses. Email us with websites containing Greene County Genealogical Addresses by clicking the link below:

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Greene County Church & Cemeteries

See Also Church & Cemetery Records in Indiana

Search Online Click Here to Search Indiana Obituary Records! - This database is a compilation of obituaries published in U.S. newspapers, collected from various online sources. 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 Greene County. Some transcriptions are online. A great site is the Greene 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 Greene County Cemetery & Church Records. Email us with websites containing Greene County Cemetery & Church Records by clicking the link below:

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Family Trees & Genealogy Tidbits

Search Online Click Here to Search Indiana Family Tree Records! - 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 Greene County Family Trees, web forums and other family type information. Email us with websites containing Greene County Family Trees, web forums and other family type information by clicking the link below:

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County History

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

Greene County, named for General Greene, of Revolutionary memory, was organized in 1821. It is bounded on the north by Clay and Owen, east by Monroe and Lawrence, south by Martin and Daviess, and west by Sullivan, and is thirty miles in length from east to west, and eighteen in width. The civil townships are Richland, Plummer, Jackson, Center, Buck Creek, Highland, Eel River, Fairplay, Smith, Wright, Stockton and Washington. The population in 1830 was 4,253, in 1840, 8,321, and at this time [1849] about 11,500. It is estimated that one sixth of the county is barrens, one-tenth prairie, one twentieth river bottoms and the balance upland with timber. The soil is sandy near the river and very rich, and portions of the west are sandy; the other parts of the county have a clay soil, which varies very much in quality. The timber is oak, sugar, walnut, beech, cherry, persimmon, etc., and the surplus products are wheat, corn, pork and tobacco, which are exported to the amount of $100,000 annually. There are in the county fifteen stores, besides groceries, which are numerous, ten saw and gristmills, five lawyers, ten physicians, eight preachers, and seven Baptist, Methodist and Presbyterian churches. Coal and iron ore are found in great abundance, and of good quality. When the canal, which passes through the center of the county, is completed, as it will be in 1851, this part of the country will improve far beyond what it has ever yet done.

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

Greene County, the fourth largest county in the state, has an area of 543 square miles. A number of creeks traverse the county and the west fork of the White River flows entirely across it from north to south. The eastern part of the county is of rough and broken surface, while the western is mostly rolling prairie and drained marsh land which is quite fertile. Underlying the entire western section are extensive coalfields. Some coal is found in the eastern half, but the chief resources are iron ore and minerals. Notable among Greene County agricultural products is its fruit.

Greene County is one of the southwestern group. Its territory embraces fifteen townships. The incorporated cities are: Linton, 5,085, and Jasonville, 3,536; towns: Bloomfield, 2,298; Lyons, 806; Newberry, 366; Worthington, 1,687, and Switz City, 450. The population in 1890 was 24,379; 1900, 28,530; 1910, 36,873; 1920, 36,770; 1930, 31,481.

Linton is in the center of the bituminous coalfields and approximately 2.9 miles southwest of the nation's center of population. Jasonville, in the northwest corner of the county, is also located among the coalfields. Worthington is the agricultural center of Greene County.

There are several notable features of Greene County. At Jasonville is located the Shakamak State Park on a beautiful 1,000-acre tract. This park is situated where the county lines of Greene, Clay, and Sullivan meet. In Worthington is the birthplace of the artist, Samuel Richards. Three miles south of this town is a sycamore tree, which is the largest broad-leaved tree in the United States.

According to the 1935 federal census, Greene County had twenty manufacturing establishments employing 425 wage earners on pay rolls totaling $311,856. The value of the products was $1,220,817.

Greene County had 3,251 farms averaging 91 acres each. These were valued at $8,977,804. A total of 54,053 head of livestock was reported.

The county's tax valuation for 1936 was $17,642,495.

Courthouse History

The Greene County Courthouse shares a dubious distinction of being one of the few “headless” Indiana courthouses. Having fallen victim to disrepair, the courthouse lost its tower in the 1950s. Similarly, courthouses in Benton, Montgomery, Grant, and Randolph counties also saw the removal of their crowning highlights either through fire or neglected maintenance. Nevertheless, the Greene County Courthouse is an important architectural example of the work of architect George Bunting, and maintains other elements of its original classical design. A prolific courthouse designer in Indiana and Michigan, Bunting’s Greene County building is one of only six remaining in our state.

The Johnson County Courthouse, also designed by George Bunting, provides a glimpse into the original appearance of the Greene County seat. Prior to its 1954 renovation, the Greene County Courthouse had corner pavilions and a bell tower with a pyramidal shaped roof—a scaled-down, less ornate version of that seen in Johnson County.

In spite of the detail lost in the removal of the corner towers and Mansard roof, the 1885 Greene County Courthouse exemplifies Neoclassical architecture. Brick pilasters emulate the columns commonly associated with classical structures. Limestone pediments once crowned the pilasters giving the building an imposing temple-like look. The rusticated limestone raised basement and steps leading up to the first level remind visitors and employees that this is a place of importance.

Commissioners debated the fate of the courthouse in the late 1990s, but ultimately financed a renovation of the historic building and construction of an addition for desperately needed space. The construction and renovation were not without controversy. Delays caused by structural cracks in the historic building led to renewed calls for its demise. Wisdom prevailed, however, and the addition opened in September 2006. Renovation of the historic structure will conclude in spring 2007.

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