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Newton County History and Information |
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County History |
Court Records |
Vital Records |
CENSUS Records |
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Newton County was created on December 9, 1859 and was formed from Jasper County. The County was named for Sgt. John Newton, who served under Francis Marion in the Revolutionary War. Newton County was last of Indiana's 92 counties to be established and began its official existence December 9, 1859. It was first organized by the act of 1838 and later joined to Jasper County and continued as a part of that county for twenty years, when the commissioners of Jasper County made the final border defining the boundaries of the new county. The County Seat is Kentland. From that period there were many efforts made to relocate the County Seat until the election held June 19, 1900, when Kentland was made the permanent County Seat. See also County History for more historical details. Counties adjacent to Newton County are Lake County (north), Jasper County (east), Benton County (south), Iroquois County, Illinois (west), Kankakee County, Illinois (northwest). Newton County is divided into 10 Civil Townships as follows: Beaver, Colfax, Grant, Iroquois, Jackson, Jefferson, Lake, Lincoln, McClellan and Washington. Cities, Towns and Communities include Ade, Beaver City, Brook, Conrad, Enos, Foresman, Goodland, Iroquois River, Kentland, Lake Village, Morocco, Mt. Ayr, Newton, Pembroke, Percy Junction, Perkins, Roselawn, and Thayer.
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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 Newton County Courthouse History Newton County Clerk has Marriage Records from 1860 , Probate Records from 1860 and Court Records from 1860 and is located at 201 N. 3rd Street, PO BOX 49 (mailing address), Kentland, IN 47951; Pho: (219) 474-6081, Fax: (219) 474-5749 Newton County Recorder has Land Records from 1860 and is located at Rm 104 Courthouse Square ,
Kentland IN 47951;
(219) 474-6081 .
Newton County Health Department has Birth / Death Records from 1882 and is located at 4117 S 240 W Suite #500, Morocco, IN 47963; 219-285-2052, fax is 219-285-0646 Below is a list of online resources for Newton County Court Records. Email us with websites containing Newton County Court Records by clicking the link below:
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Below is a list of online resources for Newton County Vital Records. Email us with websites containing Newton County Vital Records by clicking the link below:
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Countywide Records: Federal Population Schedules that exist for Newton County, Indiana are 1860, 1870, 1880, 1900, 1910, 1920 and 1930. Other Federal Schedules to look at when researching your Family Tree in Newton County, Indiana are Industry and Agriculture Schedules availible for the years 1860, 1870 and 1880. The Mortality Schedules for the years 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 Newton County Census Records. Email us with websites containing Newton 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 Newton County Maps. Email us with websites containing Newton 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 Newton County Military Records. Email us with websites containing Newton 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 Newton County Tax Records. Email us with websites containing Newton 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 Newton County Genealogical Addresses. Email us with websites containing Newton County Genealogical Addresses by clicking the link below:
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There are many churches and cemeteries in Newton County. Some transcriptions are online. A great site is the Newton 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 Newton County Cemetery & Church Records. Email us with websites containing Newton 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 Newton County Family Trees, web forums and other family type information. Email us with websites containing Newton County Family Trees, web forums and other family type information by clicking the link below:
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1879 Adams County Retrospect - Based on "Indiana Gazetteer," published by E. Chamberlain Newton was one of the last counties organized in the State. Until erected into a separate jurisdiction, it was included in Jasper County, for civil and judicial purposes. In December 1857, a petition for the establishment of a proposed new county west of Jasper was presented to the Board of Commissioners at Renssalaer, and a committee of freeholders was appointed to establish the boundaries. This committee made a report in March 1858, which, however, was not certified to the Secretary of State until 1859. Thomas R. Barker, who was also an old resident, was appointed Sheriff to organize the new county and administer the oath of office to the first officers, April 21, 1860. They met for this purpose at Kent, now known as Kentland. At that time there were but two buildings in the place. The list of officers who qualified themselves for the discharge of their duties was as follows: Commissioners, William Russell, Michael Coffelt and Thomas R. Barker (who was also organizing Sheriff); Zachariah Spitler, Clerk; Alexander Sharp, Auditor; Samuel McCullough, Treasurer; Elijah I. Shriver, Sheriff; A. W. Shideler, Surveyor. There was much dispute as to the time when Newton should begin its independent career as a county, and a long discussion ensued by reason of this misunderstanding as to whether Jasper or Newton were entitled to certain taxes. This was finally settled by arbitration. The Commissioners appointed by Governor Willard to locate the seat of justice for Newton County filed their report December 12, 1859, with the Secretary of State. From this it appears that but three of the members met for the performance of their duties, namely, L. Dunlap, Joseph Allen and Samuel H. Owen. There were a number of places offered the Commissioners for a county seat. The contest lay principally between Morocco, Brook and Kent. The former were more centrally located, but Kent, being on the line of the Logansport, Peoria & Burlington Railroad, then, as now, the only line in the county, carried the day. Alexander J. Kent, a large land owner in the county and in the vicinity of the newly selected county seat, donated 160 acres of land for a Poor Farm, a large square for a courthouse in the new town itself, and gave $500 in cash; besides, which $245 was also donated by others. Efforts have at times been made to secure a relocation of the county seat at Brook and Morocco; the last of these was made in 1873, but all have proved unsuccessful. The county buildings consist of a courthouse, on the east side of the courthouse park, and a smaller building used for offices. The courthouse was erected in 1860, at a cost of about $1,800, and answers the purposes for which it was built, perhaps, as well as a much more expensive structure. The few prisoners so unfortunate as to become entangled in the meshes of the law are at present sent to Tippecanoe County, as Newton owns no jail of its own. 1938 Adams County Retrospect - Based on "Indiana Review," published by the State Legislature Newton County is the home of the internationally famous humorist, George Ade, whose residence is in Brook. Near that town, too, was the birthplace of ex-Governor McCray, who owns a stock farm in the county now. This, the Orchard Lake Stock Farm, is the home of the finest herd of Hereford Cattle in the world. "Perfection Fairfax," the world famous "King of Hereford Sires," was bred on this farm. The county falls into three natural subdivisions, the Valley of Iroquois, the Beaver Creek Valley and Lake Basin, and the Kankakee Valley. Its soil is quite fertile, producing some of the state's best crops of corn, oats, and hay. The county also has a notable production of small fruits, vegetables, and melons. One of the most unusual quarries to be found is near Kentland. It is peculiar in that it stands on the edge instead of lying flat. Its stone is considered the finest road-building limestone in the state. This is one of the northwestern counties, bordering on the state of Illinois, and Lake County to the north. It has an area of 405 square miles divided into ten townships. The incorporated towns are Kentland, 1,355; Morocco, 1,006; Goodland, 978; Brook, 815, and Mt. Ayr, 216. Newton County population, 1890, 8,803; 1900, 10,448; 1910, 10,504; 1920, 10,144; 1930, 9,841. Kentland is located fifty-seven miles west of Logansport and is served by two railroads. It is chiefly important as a producer of excellent road construction stone and as the center of a rich agricultural district. Goodland, the other agricultural center, is also served by to railroads, as is Morocco. One of the county's most unusual points of interest is "Bogus Island," located about two miles north of the village of Enos, a half mile west of State Highway 41. It is an island of sand rising abruptly out of the bed of the old lake. This island was the rendezvous for a band of counterfeiters, horse thieves, and other outlaws a hundred years ago. Because at the time it was covered with thick brush and surrounded by water so as to make unexpected attack impossible, it harbored many a refugee. According to figures of the 1935 federal census this county had nine manufacturing townships employing thirty-seven wage earners. Payrolls for these totaled were $1,082,404. The county had 957 farms averaging 238.8 acres each, largest in the state. The value of these was $11,474,402. A total of 40,308 head of livestock was reported. The total tax valuation for the county as of 1936 was $17,939,970. It’s not unusual for locals to try to move the seat of a county courthouse. After all the county seat brings recognition, commerce, and hopefully prosperity. But after nine attempts to remove the county seat from Kentland, the Indiana Supreme Court put an end to the squabble. After 40 years of controversy, the State Supreme Court ruled in 1904 that the courthouse would remain in Kentland. While the courthouse stayed in Kentland, the State Supreme Court noted in its decision
On April 3, 1905 Newton County commissioners voted to replace the original 1860 courthouse. Architect Joseph T. Hutton of Hammond designed the new building. Its understated simplicity reflects the Neoclassical style. Limestone trim subtly accents the buff brick walls while the pediment recalls the ancient temples of Greece. During the construction of the building in 1906, the county cleared the surrounding land of additional buildings, to create a Shelbyville Square for the courthouse. |
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