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

Kosciusko County was created on June 1, 1837 and was formed from Unorganized Land . The County was named for Tadeusz Kościuszko, a Polish ally of the Americans during the Revolutionary War.

The County Seat is Warsaw, was named in honor of the capital of General Kosciusko's native land. By 1849 it contained good county buildings, two commodious churches and had a population of 400. In 1836, courts were held in Leesburg, which was larger than Warsaw, but the town was never officially designated Seat of Justice. See also County History for more historical details.

Counties adjacent to Kosciusko County are Elkhart County (north), Noble County (northeast), Whitley County (southeast), Wabash County (south), Fulton County (southwest), Marshall County (west).

Kosciusko County is divided into 17 Civil Townships as follows: Clay, Etna, Franklin, Harrison, Jackson, Jefferson, Lake, Monroe, Plain, Prairie, Scott, Seward, Tippecanoe, Turkey Creek, Van Buren, Washington and Wayne

Cities, Towns and Communities include Atwood, Bayfield, Beaver Dam, Burket, Claypool, Clunette, Gravelton, Hastings, Leesburg, Mentone, Milford, Millwood, Monoquet, Oswego, North Webster, Packerton, Pierceton, Sidney, Silver Lake, Syracuse, Warsaw, Wawasee, Winona Lake, and Wooster.

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Records at the Kosciusko 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 Kosciusko County Courthouse History

   Kosciusko County Clerk has Marriage Records from 1830 , Probate Records from 1836 and Court Records from ? and is located at 121 North Lake Street, Warsaw, IN 46580; (574)372-2334 Fax (574)372-2338
   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.

   Kosciusko County Recorder has Land Records from 1834 and is located at #14 Courthouse, 100 West Center, Warsaw, IN 46580; (574)372-2362.
   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.

   Kosciusko County Health Department has Birth / Death Records from 1882 and is located at 100 West Center Street, Warsaw, IN 46580-2846; (574) 372-2349

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

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Kosciusko 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 Kosciusko County, Indiana are 1840, 1850, 1860, 1870, 1880, 1900, 1910, 1920 and 1930. Other Federal Schedules to look at when researching your Family Tree in Kosciusko 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 Kosciusko County Census Records. Email us with websites containing Kosciusko 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.
  • Kosciusko County, Indiana Census Books at Amazon.com

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

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Kosciusko 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 Kosciusko County Military Records. Email us with websites containing Kosciusko County Military Records by clicking the link below:

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Kosciusko 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 Kosciusko County Tax Records. Email us with websites containing Kosciusko County Tax Records by clicking the link below:

  • Kosciusko County, Indiana Tax Books at Amazon.com

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

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Kosciusko 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 Kosciusko County. Some transcriptions are online. A great site is the Kosciusko 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 Kosciusko County Cemetery & Church Records. Email us with websites containing Kosciusko 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 Kosciusko County Family Trees, web forums and other family type information. Email us with websites containing Kosciusko 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

Kosciusko County, named after the Polish soldier and patriot, who had served in the American Army in the Revolutionary War, was organized in the year 1836. It is bounded on the north by Elkhart, east of Noble and Whitley, south by Wabash and Miami, and west by Fulton and Marshall counties, being twenty-seven miles from north to south, and twenty-one from east to west, and containing 567 square miles. The civil division into townships are as follows: Scott, Jefferson, Van Buren, Turkey Creek, Tippecanoe, Prairie, Plain, Washington, Harrison, Wayne, Franklin, Clay and Jackson. The population in 1840 was 4,170; at this time [1849] it exceeds 11,000. The face of the country is, for the most part, gently undulating. About two-thirds of the county are covered with good timber, and it has generally a very rich soil. One half of the balance is "oak openings," Without underbrush, easily, cleared, and perhaps half of it good for wheat, the remainder less productive. The remaining one-sixth is dry and wet prairie, of which the Turkey Creek Prairie, comprising an area of ten sections, is among the most fertile and beautiful land in the State, all in a high state of cultivation. The soil is best adapted to wheat, oats and corn, in the order named. There were sent to market last year about 1,500 hogs, 400,000 bushels of wheat, and other articles to the value of about $5,000. When properly improved, Kosciusko must become one of the best counties in the State. Hitherto, its recent settlement and distance from markets, has prevented the production of much surplus. If the Peru and Indianapolis Railroad should be extended north, or one of the eastern lines pass through this county is coming west, the benefits would be felt at once. Near the head of Tippecanoe, Turkey Creek, and other streams, there are quite a number of beautiful lakes, covering, in all, probably 25,000 acres. They abound in fish, and supply abundant and constant water power on the streams that run from them. There are in the county eight gristmills, fifteen sawmills, six lawyers, sixteen physicians, and preachers either of the Baptist, Methodist, or Presbyterians in most of the neighborhoods. The taxable land in the county amounts to 278,038 acres.

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

Kosciusko is one of the counties located in the northern Indiana Lake Region. Essentially it is an agricultural county, having some of the best soil in the northern part of the state. Part of its land is underlaid with large deposits of marl.

Named in honor of the Polish soldier and patriot, Thaddeus Kosciusko, who joined forces with the United States in the American Revolution, General Kosciusko was commander-in-chief of the ill-fated rebellion in Poland in 1794 and upon entering the American Army, became aide-decamp of George Washington. Kosciusko was a personal friend of Thomas Jefferson, and upon his departure for his native country, on his last visit in 1789, he made Jefferson executor of his will. In it he authorized Jefferson to dispose of his properties in America and to use the proceeds for buying the freedom of as many Negro slaves as possible and educating them "… in trades or otherwise, and in having them instructed for their new condition in the duties of morality which make them good neighbors, good fathers or mothers, and in their duties as citizens…"

In area this is one of the largest counties in the state, with a total of 541 square miles in its seventeen townships. The incorporated city is Warsaw, having a population of 5,730; towns: Syracuse, 1,190; Pierceton, 878; Milford, 869; Mentone, 704; Winona Lake, 454; Silver Lake, 443; Etna Green, 371; Leesburg, 371; Burket, 247; Sidney, 182, and North Webster, 187. Kosciusko County's population in 1890 was 28,645; 1900, 29,109; 1910, 27,936; 1920, 27,120; 1930, 27,488.

Warsaw is forty miles northwest of Fort Wayne and is served by two main railroads. The city has a number of industries, including metal and woodworking plants, foundries, factories for the manufacture of furniture, baskets, cut glass, paper boxes, brake linings, and overalls.

The Winona Assembly, adjoining Warsaw, has a summer population of from 5,000 to 25,000. This was formerly the home of Winona College and Winona College of Agriculture, as well as an extensive summer school that at one time was the largest in the United States. These, however, are no longer in existence. Indiana University now holds summer classes there.

There is an interesting marker in the Carnegie Library of Warsaw, a fireplace, in memory of Rachel Felkner, the first white child born in the county.

Dotted with thirty-seven beautiful lakes, including the famous Lake Wawasee, the most popular of the summer resort spots, which is the largest in the state. Although most widely known by its present name, it has been called Nine-Mile and Turkey Creek. The historic Tippecanoe River has its source in the county from the lake of the same name. Another river, the Eel, traverses the extreme southern part of the county. The Tippecanoe serves as an outlet for nearly all the lakes in the county. As has been the case with so many of our forested lands, the valuable hardwood timberland of Kosciusko County has been deforested to a great extent.

The county had thirty-three manufacturing establishments according to figures of the 1935 federal census. There were 712 wage earners employed on pay rolls of $579,436. The value of the products was $2,869,118.

Kosciusko County had 3,370 farms averaging 95.5 acres each. The value of these was $17,062,739. A total of 94,035 head of livestock was reported. The total county tax valuation in 1936 was $39,755,817.

Courthouse History

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