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Hancock County History and Information |
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County History |
Court Records |
Vital Records |
CENSUS Records |
TAX Records |
Military Records |
Church & Cemetery | Maps & Atlases | Genealogy Addresses | Genealogy Related Sites | |
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Hancock County was created on March 1, 1828 and was formed from Madison County. The County was named for president of the Continental Congress John Hancock. The County Seat is Greenfield and was first settled in 1828 by Meek and Spillman. By 1849 it contained the Court House and county offices, County Seminary and sixty dwelling houses with 300 inhabitants. See also County History for more historical details. Counties adjacent to Hancock County are Madison County (north), Henry County (east), Rush County (southeast), Shelby County (south), Marion County (west), Hamilton County (northwest). Hancock County is divided into 9 Civil Townships as follows: Blue River, Brandywine, Brown, Buck Creek, Center, Green, Jackson, Sugar Creek and Vernon. Cities, Towns and Communities include Finly, Fortville, Gem, Greenfield, Maxwell, McCordsville, Mohawk, Mt. Comfort, New Palestine, Shirley, Spring Lake Park, Wilkinson and Willow Branch.
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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 Hancock County Courthouse History Hancock County Clerk has Marriage Records from 1828 , Probate Records from 1828 and Court Records from 1827 and is located at Courthouse,
9 East Main, Room 201,
Greenfield, IN 46140;
(317) 462-1109 Hancock County Recorder has Land Records from 1827 and is located at Courthouse,
Room 204,
Greenfield IN 46140;
(317) 462-1142.
Hancock County Health Department has Birth / Death Records from 1882 and is located at Courthouse, Room 105, 110 South State Street, Suite A, Greenfield, IN 46140. Below is a list of online resources for Hancock County Court Records. Email us with websites containing Hancock County Court Records by clicking the link below:
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Below is a list of online resources for Hancock County Vital Records. Email us with websites containing Hancock County Vital Records by clicking the link below:
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Countywide Records: Federal Population Schedules that exist for Hancock 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 Hancock 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 Hancock County Census Records. Email us with websites containing Hancock County Census Records by clicking the link below:
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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 Below is a list of online resources for Hancock County Maps. Email us with websites containing Hancock County Maps by clicking the link below: |
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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 Hancock County Military Records. Email us with websites containing Hancock County Military Records by clicking the link below:
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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 Hancock County Tax Records. Email us with websites containing Hancock County Tax Records by clicking the link below: |
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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 Hancock County Genealogical Addresses. Email us with websites containing Hancock County Genealogical Addresses by clicking the link below:
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There are many churches and cemeteries in Hancock County. Some transcriptions are online. A great site is the Hancock 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 Hancock County Cemetery & Church Records. Email us with websites containing Hancock County Cemetery & Church Records by clicking the link below:
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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 Hancock County Family Trees, web forums and other family type information. Email us with websites containing Hancock County Family Trees, web forums and other family type information by clicking the link below:
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1849 Adams County Retrospect - Based on "Indiana Gazetteer," published by E. Chamberlain Hancock County, named after John Hancock, was organized in 1828. It is bounded on the north by Hamilton and Madison, on the east by Henry and Rush, on the south by Shelby, and on the west by Marion, and it contains 307 square miles. It is divided into the following townships, viz: Blue River, Brandywine, Brown, Buck Creek, Center, Green, Harrison, Jackson, Jones, Sugar Creek, Union and Vernon. The population in 1830 was 1,569, in 1840, 7,535, and at this time [1849] is about 9,500. The surface of the country is generally level, though it becomes gently undulating in the vicinity of the streams. The timber is of a good quality, such as is usually found in the level parts of the State, and the soil uniformly rich, though some portions of the county require draining before they can be cultivated to advantage. The staple products are wheat, corn, and grass, of which a considerable surplus, as well as of hogs cattle and horses, are raised for exportation. The estimated value of the surplus is $75,000 annually. There are in the county twenty stores, eighteen mills, propelled by water, one woolen factory, one printing office, five lawyers, fourteen physicians, thirteen preachers, and the usual proportion of carpenters, smiths, coopers, wheelwrights, etc., and twelve churches, mostly belonging to the Methodists and Baptists. The taxable land amounts to 192,146 acres. 1938 Adams County Retrospect - Based on "Indiana Review," published by the State Legislature Originally Hancock County was part of Madison County. Due to its central location, just east of Marion, and to the fact that its soil is fertile, with land flat or gently rolling, Hancock might be considered as one of Indiana's representative counties. Its size, 307 square miles, is about average and in many things the county follows the best traditions of the state. There are nine townships with Greenfield holding the designation as County Seat. The incorporated city is Greenfield, 4,188; towns: Fortville, 1,289; McCordsville, 313; Eden, 85; Wilkinson, 316; Mohawk, 100; Maxwell, 350; Mount Comfort, 100; Charlottesville, 900; New Palestine, 456; Shirley, 761; Carrollton, 89, and Spring Lake, 69. Carrollton was designated by James Whitcomb Riley, Indiana's famed poet, as the "Little Town of Tailholt." Hancock County's population in 1890 was 17,829; 1900, 19,189; 1910, 19,030. In 1930 it was 16,605. Latest commercial figures list four manufacturing establishments employing 190 wage earners on total annual pay rolls of about $100,000. Milling and printing are the chief industries. Greenfield is best known to the world as the birthplace of the Hoosier Poet, James Whitcomb Riley. The old Riley homestead has recently been remodeled, and restored as nearly as possible to the same condition as when occupied by the poet in his boyhood days. It is now maintained as a shrine to his memory and attracts visitors from all parts of the country as well as many foreign lands, as Riley's reputation for quaint portrayal and glorification of his state is worldwide. The Riley Recreational Park on the east side of the city is traversed by Brandywine Creek. This stream and its "Old Swimming Hole," served as inspiration for some of Riley's poetry. The "Old Swimming Hole" is located a few rods north of the Brandywine Bridge. An important point of interest is the Eli Lily Biological Laboratories, just west of Greenfield. This concern's products are sold all over the world. The laboratory is a vital part of the company, which is an outstanding leader in research, test, and manufacture of those supplies that have meant so much to medical and pharmaceutical progress. Among Hancock County's outstanding citizens are Appellate Judge Edward W. Felt, the present attorney General of Indiana, Omar Stokes Jackson, and Doctor Oscar Heller. Figures from the 1935 federal census list nineteen manufacturing establishments in this county. A total of 257 wage earners were employed, earning $168,717. The value of the county's manufactured products was $1,389,156. There were 1,988 farms averaging 94.4 acres each. Their value was $14,017,251. A total of 70,834 head of livestock were reported. The total tax valuation as of 1936 was $25,517,950. Sitting a proud distance back from the National Road/US 40, the Hancock County Courthouse commands respect with its Roman arches and heavy stonework—both characteristic of the Romanesque Revival style. Carved stone grotesques in the form of monkeys, dogs and other creatures keep watch over all who enter. On the interior the courthouse resembles a Gothic cathedral with its ribbed ceiling, fan vaulting, and plaster cherubs. Standing on the north side of the courthouse lawn is Greenfield’s favorite son, James Whitcomb Riley. The bronze sculpture by Hoosier artist Myra Reynolds Richards was dedicated in 1918. Because the north side of the courthouse is located along busy US 40, motorists seldom take the time to drive around the square. Nonetheless, the Hancock County Courthouse is designed in the popular Shelbyville plan, with the streets intersecting at each corner of the square. Fort Wayne architects, Wing & Mahurin, designed the Hancock County Courthouse that was constructed from 1896-97. It’s no coincidence that the courthouses in Hancock and Starke counties resemble each other; both were designed by Wing & Mahurin. In 1896 construction costs for the courthouse were just over $250,000. The current restoration effort includes restoring the decorative domed ceiling of the third floor courtroom and upgrading mechanical systems. The bond issue to pay for the courthouse restoration was approximately $5 million. The Hancock County Courthouse was listed in the National Register of Historic Places in 1985. |
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