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

Posey County was created on November 1, 1814 and was formed from Warrick County. The County was named for Thomas Posey, a governor of Indiana Territory.

The County Seat is Mount Vernon. Mt. Vernon wasn't always the County Seat. The first location was at Blackford, in the northeastern corner of Marrs Township, the town being named after Judge Isaac Blackford, a famous lawyer in Indiana for more than forty years. In 1817, it was removed to Springfield, near the town of Harmonie, where Frederick Rapp and his colony of Rappites lived. The legislative act of February 12, 1825 moved the County Seat to Mt. Vernon. First settled in 1803 by Andrew McFadin, the town site long ago known as McFadin's Bluff. By 1849 Mt. Vernon contained substantial buildings for the Courthouse and public offices, two good hotels and about 200 houses with 1,000 inhabitants. See also County History for more historical details.

Counties adjacent to Posey County are Gibson County (north), Vanderburgh County (east), Henderson County, Kentucky (southeast), Union County, Kentucky (south), Gallatin County, Illinois (southwest), White County, Illinois (west).

Posey County is divided into 10 Civil Towhships as follows: Bethel, Black, Center, Harmony, Lynn, Marrs, Point, Robb, Robinson and Smith.

Cities, Towns and Communities include Barrett, Bufkin, Caborn, Cynthiana, Erwin, Farmersville, Grafton, Griffin, Hepburn, Heusler, Hovey, Lamott, Mt. Vernon, New Baltimore, New Harmony, Oliver, Phillip Station, Poseyville, Prairie, Rapture, Rogers, Saint Phillip, Solitude, Springfield, Stewartsville, Upton, Wadesville, Wellborn, and West Franklin.

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Records at the Posey 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 Posey County Courthouse History

   Posey County Clerk has Marriage Records from 1814 , Probate Records from 1815 and Court Records from 1815 and is located at 300 W. Main Street, PO BOX 606 (mailing address), Mount Vernon, IN 47620; Pho: (812) 838-1306, Fax: (812) 838-1339
   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.

   Posey County Recorder has Land Records from 1812 and is located at 300 W. Main Street, PO BOX 9 (mailing address), Mount Vernon, IN 47620; Pho: (812) 838-1314.
   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.

   Posey County Health Department has Birth / Death Records from 1882 and is located at Coliseum Building, 126 East Third Street, Mount Vernon, IN 47620; (812) 838-1328

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

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Posey 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 Posey 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 Posey 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 Posey County Census Records. Email us with websites containing Posey 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.
  • Posey County, Indiana Census Books at Amazon.com

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

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

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

  • Posey County, Indiana Tax Books at Amazon.com

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

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

Posey County, organized in 1814, was named in honor of Governor Thomas Posey, who was appointed Governor of the Indiana Territory to succeed General Harrison. It is the extreme southwest county in the State, containing about 420 square miles, and is bounded on the north by Gibson, on the east by Vanderburgh, on the south by the Ohio, and on the west by the Wabash. Posey is divided into the following townships, viz: Point, Black, Marrs, Robinson, Lynn, Harmony, Bethel, Smith and Robb. The population in 1830 was 6,883, in 1840, 9683, and at this time [1849] about 13,000. The surface of the country on the Ohio and Wabash, with the exception of the bluffs commencing at Mount Vernon and extending four miles below, is flat bottomland, subject to yearly overflows, varying from half to two miles in width. The bottom near New Harmony is about three miles wide. The interior of the country is undulating or rolling, and some parts are comparatively hilly, but upon the whole, lies remarkably well, for all agricultural purposes. The only prairie in the county is about three miles in length and one in breadth, and there are, properly speaking, no barrens, though the soil is thin in places, and near the junction of the rivers there are so many ponds and so much low ground that it cannot be improved to advantage. The bottomlands comprise about a sixth, and the forestlands three-fifths of the whole. The soil, in the bottoms, is a rich, sandy loam, formed from the deposit of the rivers; that in the interior is mostly a dark, rich loam, resting upon a yellow clay formation. It is best adapted to corn and grasses, though fine crops of wheat, oats, etc., are annually raised in various portions of the county. The timber is mostly of a good quality, consisting of the different kinds of oak, walnut, poplar, cherry, ash, pecan, hickory, beech and sugar, and coal is found in abundance. The surplus articles exported are estimated at $350,000 annually, and they consist of about 2,000,000 lbs. Of pork, 600,000 bushels of corn, livestock, and such other agricultural products as are common in the west.

There are in the county 28 mills, four distilleries doing a large business, two printing offices, a well managed County Seminary, district schools in most of the districts, nine lawyers, 18 physicians, 10 preachers, and the usual proportion of mechanics. Working Men's Institutes have been established at Mount Vernon and New Harmony. The latter is liberally endowed and has a fine library. Lectures upon scientific subjects are delivered at stated times to the members, and occasionally to the public generally. Mr. McClure and the Owen family have done much to promote the prosperity of this society. The taxable land amounts to 195,807 acres.

About two miles above Mount Vernon, on the river bluff, are several mounds covering from one-fourth to one acre each, and from 15 to 60 feet in height, which, when opened, are found to contain human bones, and Indian pipes and weapons. On the Wabash, 12 miles from its mouth, is a mound called the "Bone Bank," in which have been found Indian vases, urns, and detached bones of the Mastodon, or some animal of immense size. Three miles above Mount Vernon and tow from the Ohio, is a causeway over two miles in length and several feet in height, now used as a part of the public highway, which is evidently the work of a generation long since passed away. Some suppose it to have been designed for a fortification, and the formation favors the opinion. At any rate, it must have required much time and immense labor for its construction.

There is a large amount of bottomlands on the Ohio and Wabash, which are so low that they have been considered of little value, but the most of them will hereafter be dyked and become very valuable, and at no distant day, Posey will be one of the richest counties in the state.

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

Posey is the extreme southwestern county of Indiana. On the west the Wabash River separates it from the state of Illinois, and on the south the Ohio River separates it from Kentucky. Most of the land is level, or slightly rolling, with a few small hills. The soil is well adapted to the growing of all grains, vegetables, and melons.

In the early history of Indiana, Posey County was the site of one of the most remarkable sociological experiments in the world. This was at New Harmony, where the great Scotch philanthropist, Robert Owen, began his idealistic community enterprise.

The county covers 402 square miles and is divided into ten townships. Its incorporated city is Mount Vernon, 5,033; towns: New Harmony, 1,022; Poseyville, 810, and Cynthiana, 556. Total county population, 1890, 21,529; 1900, 22,333; 1910, 21,670; 1920, 19,334; 1930, 17,853.

Mount Vernon is on the Ohio River, twenty miles west of Evansville, and is served by two railroads as well as the steamboats plying the river. As a shipping point and trade center, it is quite important. Its industries include flour, paper, and sawmills, foundries, and canning factories.

One of Mount Vernon's outstanding points of interest is its World War Memorial Building erected by Posey County. Another is the Masonic Temple, of the historical significance because it was once the home of Governor Alvin P. Hovey. There is a soldiers' and sailors' monument in the County Seat, dedicated in 1908.

New Harmony was founded in 1814 by George Rapp and his band of German followers and purchased in 1824 by Robert Owen. The city is one of the state's recognized art centers, rich in cultural and esthetic history. Among the points of outstanding interest are The Art Gallery and Museum of the Working Men's Institute, organized in 1838. Contained here is a geological and historical collection. The Institute's Library, also founded in 1838, contains a comprehensive collection of material pertaining to local history. In the Murphy Gallery, also part of the Institute, are notable paintings purchased in Europe upon organization in 1840.

The Old Fauntleroy Home, which was erected by the followers of Rapp in 1815, is known as the birthplace of the famous Minerva Club, the first woman's club in the United States to have a written constitution. It was purchased in 1924 and maintained as a shrine for clubwomen by the Indiana Federation of Clubs. There are several buildings and markers of various types in memory of the founders of New Harmony. One Rappite Dwelling No. 10 stands unchanged since 1815.

Probably the most outstanding residence is the home of Mrs. Aline Owen Neal. It was originally the laboratory in which David Dale Owen, who, at the time he occupied it, was U. S. Geologist. It was here he worked out his theories of architecture, which assisted him in planning the Smithsonian Institution. In the home also are contained some original drawings by pupils of Raphael.

A notable memorial is to be found in Maple Hill Cemetery, a monument to Joseph Neef. Neef, at one time an officer under Napoleon Bonaparte, introduced the Pestalozzian system of education to America.

Men outstanding in the county, in addition to those mentioned were William Maclure, Thomas Say, Frederick Rapp, Robert Dale Owen, as well as other members of the talented Owens, and Dr. Edward Murphy.

This county had a total of seventeen manufacturing establishments, according to figures of the 1935 federal census. A total of 650 wage earners were employed on payrolls of $449,092. The value of the products was $3,332,532.

The county had 1,795 farms averaging 131.1 acres each. These farms were valued at $9,306,178. A total of 57,860 head of livestock was reported. The county's tax valuation as of 1936 was $15,514,227.

Courthouse History

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