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Pike County History and Information
County History | Court Records | Vital Records | CENSUS Records | TAX Records | Military Records | Church & Cemetery |
Maps & Atlases | Genealogy Addresses | Genealogy Related Sites |

Pike County Facts

Pike County was created on February 1, 1817 and was formed from ? . The County was named for Zebulon M. Pike, mostly famous for the Pike Expedition, exploring the southwest portion of the Louisiana Purchase. Pike also fought at the Battle of Tippecanoe, and was killed in the War of 1812.

The County Seat is Petersburg. Laid out in 1817, and named after Peter Brenton, who made the principal donation for the purpose of obtaining the County Seat, the first settlers were John McIntire, Thomas C. Stewart, Peter Brenton, Thomas Mead, Thomas Case, JOhn Finn, and others. By 1849 it contained seven stores, two groceries, three taverns, two churches, 100 dwelling houses (of which only five were brick), and a population of 450. See also County History for more historical details.

Counties adjacent to Pike County are Daviess County (northeast), Dubois County (east), Warrick County (south), Gibson County (west), Knox County (northwest).

Pike County is divided into 9 Civil Townships as follows: Clay, Jefferson, Lockhart, Logan, Madison, Marion, Monroe, Patoka and Washington.

Cities, Towns and Communities include Alford, Algiers, Arda, Ashby, Ayrshire, Bowman, Cato, Chandler, Coats Spring, Coe, Enos Corner, Glezen, Hartwell Junction, Littles, Otwell, Petersburg, Pikeville, Spurgeon, Stendal, Survant, Velpen, Whiteoak and Winslow.

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Records at the Pike 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 Pike County Courthouse History

   Pike County Clerk has Marriage Records from 1817 , Probate Records from 1817 and Court Records from 1817 and is located at 801 Main Street, Petersburg, IN 47567; (812)354-6025
   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.

   Pike County Recorder has Land Records from 1817 and is located at 801 Main Street, Petersburg, IN 47567; (812)354-6747.
   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.

   Pike County Health Department has Birth / Death Records from 1882 and is located at 801 Main St., Petersburg, IN 47567; (812) 354-8796

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

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Pike 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 Pike County, Indiana are 1820, 1830, 1840, 1850, 1860, 1870, 1880, 1900, 1910, 1920 and 1930. Other Federal Schedules to look at when researching your Family Tree in Pike 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 Pike County Census Records. Email us with websites containing Pike 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.
  • Pike County, Indiana Census Books at Amazon.com

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

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

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

  • Pike County, Indiana Tax Books at Amazon.com

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

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

Pike County, organized in 1817, was named in honor of General Zebulon M. Pike, who fell at the capture of York, April 27, 1813. It is bounded north by White River, which separates it from Knox and Daviess, east by Dubois, south by Warrick and Gibson, and west by Gibson, and it contains 337 square miles. The civil townships are Jefferson, Washington, Madison, Clay, Patoka, Monroe and Logan. The population in 1830 was 2,464, in 1840, 4,769, and at this time [1849] about 6,500. The face of the country is either level or gently rolling. In the western part of the county the soil is generally a rich, dark loam, with a mixture of sand, and the large bottoms, which compose about one-sixth of the county, are as fertile as any part of the State, and probably no larger crops of corn are raised in any part of the west. Walnut, hickory, pecan, poplar, cottonwood, ash and elm are the prevailing timber. In the eastern part of the county there is more sand, the soil is much poorer, and the prevailing timber is oak, hickory, gum, sassafras and dogwood. The surplus products are corn, wheat, oats, pork, beef, horses, the annual value of which is estimated at $150,000.

There are in the county five sawmills, six gristmills, one carding machine, sixteen stores and groceries, three lawyers, ten physicians, eight preachers, tow Methodist one Cumberland Presbyterian and three Baptist Churches, and two others which are used in common by different denominations. The different mechanics are blacksmiths five, carpenters thirteen, masons four, coopers four, wagon-makers four, tanners three, saddlers two, millwrights two, carders and tinners one each. There is a great abundance of good coal in the county. Water power for mills is deficient, but both White River and Patoka may at times be navigated, and the Canal, which will soon be completed, ought to encourage great and rapid improvements.

The lands subject to taxation amount to 88,900 acres, and 123,000 acres still belong to the United States.

Two miles southwest from Petersburgh is a mound apparently artificial, which is about 70 feet in height, 20 or 30 feet across the top, and so steep that wagons can with difficulty ascend it. It is apparently an Indian place of burial, for human bones in great abundance are found here. It is now used by the settlers for a burying ground.

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

Pike is one of the southeastern counties and is characteristic of the section. Its land is rolling or hilly, underlaid with veins of bituminous coal. Most of the soil is fertile and adaptable to diversified agriculture, including melons and fruit. The chief waterway, the Patoka River, and other streams provide rich bottomlands.

Pike County is outstanding in the production of livestock and coal, of which it produces half of Indiana's output. The county is also rich in oil and natural gas.

Pike County is made up of nine townships covering an area of 338 square miles. The incorporated city is Petersburg, 2,609; towns: Winslow, 1,175, and Spurgeon, 375. The total county population in 1890 was 18,544; 1900, 20,486; 1910, 19,684; 1920, 18,864; 1930, 16,361.

Petersburg serves as center of the rich farm district, shipping a great supply of the poultry and poultry products as well as cattle. The city is served by one railroad.

There are a number of points of artistic interest in Petersburg. One is the former Blythewood Seminary, built in 1832, formerly an educational institution for young women of southern Indiana, in charge of Reverend A. B. Hendricks. A residence of note is the Isaac Coleman home, where an authentic Stradivarius violin made in 1716 was owned by Coleman, one of the old-time violinists. The late David Ingler, the county's oldest violinist, owned another Stradivarius. A number of oil paintings, some more than 125 years old distinguish other residences of Petersburg. One of the most interesting residences is that of Samuel Dillin, where a collection by Hugh Dillin, boy collector, contains more than 1,500 specimens of the Stone Age, found locally, in the vicinity of the mounds.

The largest of the Pike County Mounds is located a quarter-mile from the city. One of the chief attractions of Petersburg is Memorial Park, containing sixty acres, and a lake, donated by the Hornaday Family.

Among the county's points of interest: White Oak Springs, first settlement in the county, occupied about 1800; a fort was built here in 1803; the Lincoln Memorial Bridge across White River, connecting Knox and Pike Counties; and the Memorial Bridge between Pike and Daviess Counties, replacing the ferry, which operated there for over a century, dedicated to the World War heroes. A number of other memorials are in the county. Two of these, in Petersburg, are in memory of Emily Thornton, who established the Thornton Orphans' Home. The county is also the site of a State Forest.

The notables of this county have been Franklin P. Sawyer, first school teacher, County Treasurer, Probate Judge, and an Indiana University Trustee; John W. Foster, the soldier and statesman who became U. S. Secretary of State, and Minister to Mexico, Spain, and China; George H. Proffit, state and national legislator and Minister to Brazil; Thomas L. Higsen, prominent as a presidential nominee on the Independent Ticket in 1916; Peter Brenton, donor of the land upon which Petersburg was laid out; Major John M. McIntire of the War of 1812; and M. McStoops, notable as a collector of historical and political antiques.

According to reports of the 1935 federal census, Pike County had nine manufacturing establishments employing thirty-four wage earners on payrolls of $2,0,224. Value of the manufactured products was $123,327.

The county had 2,073 farms averaging 77.2 acres, and valued at $4,645,988. A total of 36,518 head of livestock was reported. The total county tax valuation for 1936 was $9,674,820.

Courthouse History

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