SEARCH Other States
| AL | AZ | AR | CA | CO | CT |
| DE | FL | GA | ID | IL | IN |
| IA | KS | KY | LA | MA | MD |
| ME | MI | MN | MO | MS | MT |
| NE | NV | NH | NJ | NM | NY |
| NC | ND | OH | OK | OR | PA |
| RI | SC | SD | TN | TX | UT |
| VA | VT | WA | WV | WI | WY |
Spencer 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 | |
||||||||
|
||||||||
Spencer County was created on February 1, 1818 and was formed from Perry and Warrick Counties. The County was named for Capt. Spier Spencer, killed at the Battle of Tippecanoe in 1811. The County Seat is Rockport and derives its name from the hanging rock, known to boatmen at the "Lady Washington Rock." In 1849 it contained good county buildings, a County Seminary in which there were usually 30 students, a Methodist Church and 200 houses (only seven of which were brick) and 600 inhabitants. See also County History for more historical details. Counties adjacent to Spencer County are Dubois County (north), Perry County (east), Hancock County, Kentucky (southeast), Daviess County, Kentucky (south), Warrick County (west). Spencer County is divided into 9 Civil Townships as follows: Carter, Clay, Grass, Hammond, Harrison, Huff, Jackson, Luce and Ohio. Cities, Towns and Communities include Africa, Buffaloville, Centerville, Chrisney, Clay City, Dale, Enterprise, Eureka, Evanston, Fulda, Gentryville, Grandview, Hatfield, Kennedy, Lamar, Lake Mill, Liberal, Lincoln City, Mariah Hill, Maxville, Midway, New Boston, Newtonville, Patronville, Pueblo, Reo, Richland City, Ritchie, Rock Hill, Rockport, St. Meinrad, Sand Ridge, Santa Claus, Schley and Silverdale.
|
||||||||
|
||||||||
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 Spencer County Courthouse History Spencer County Clerk has Marriage Records from 1818 , Probate Records from 1818 and Court Records from 1818 and is located at 200 Main St., P.O. Box 12, Rockport, IN 47635; 812-649-6027 (phone), 812-649-6030 (fax) Spencer County Recorder has Land Records from 1818 and is located at Courthouse, 200 Main Street,
Rockport, IN 47635;
(812)649-6013.
Spencer County Health Department has Birth / Death Records from 1882 and is located at Courthouse, First Floor, Rockport, IN 47635; (812) 649-4441 Ext 10 Below is a list of online resources for Spencer County Court Records. Email us with websites containing Spencer County Court Records by clicking the link below:
|
||||||||
|
||||||||
Below is a list of online resources for Spencer County Vital Records. Email us with websites containing Spencer County Vital Records by clicking the link below:
|
||||||||
|
||||||||
Countywide Records: Federal Population Schedules that exist for Spencer 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 Spencer 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 Spencer County Census Records. Email us with websites containing Spencer County Census Records by clicking the link below:
|
||||||||
|
||||||||
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 Spencer County Maps. Email us with websites containing Spencer County Maps by clicking the link below: |
||||||||
|
||||||||
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 Spencer County Military Records. Email us with websites containing Spencer County Military Records by clicking the link below:
|
||||||||
|
||||||||
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 Spencer County Tax Records. Email us with websites containing Spencer County Tax Records by clicking the link below: |
||||||||
|
||||||||
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 Spencer County Genealogical Addresses. Email us with websites containing Spencer County Genealogical Addresses by clicking the link below:
|
||||||||
|
||||||||
There are many churches and cemeteries in Spencer County. Some transcriptions are online. A great site is the Spencer 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 Spencer County Cemetery & Church Records. Email us with websites containing Spencer County Cemetery & Church Records by clicking the link below:
|
||||||||
|
||||||||
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 Spencer County Family Trees, web forums and other family type information. Email us with websites containing Spencer County Family Trees, web forums and other family type information by clicking the link below:
|
||||||||
|
||||||||
1849 Adams County Retrospect - Based on "Indiana Gazetteer," published by E. Chamberlain Spencer County, organized in 1818, was named in honor of Captain Spier Spencer, of Harrison County, who fell it the Battle of Tippecanoe. It is bounded north by Dubois, east by Perry, south by the Ohio River, and west by Warrick, and it contains 410 square miles. The civil townships are Luce, Ohio, Grass, Jackson, Hammond, Huff, Harrison and Carter. The population in 1830 was 3,187, in 1840, 6,305, and at this time [1849] about 9,000. The south part of the county is level, the middle undulating, and the northeastern hilly. The soil for the most part is a rich black loam with an under soil of yellow clay mixed with sand, though in places steep hills or extensive flats do not encourage agricultural improvements. The prevailing timber is oak, hickory, ash, poplar, black gum, walnut, sugar, beech, and sassafras, with an undergrowth of dogwood, spice and pawpaw. Large crops of corn are raised on the extensive river bottoms, and in the interior, corn, wheat, rye, oats, grass and tobacco. There are in the county eight gristmills, eight sawmills, thirty stores, ten groceries, five warehouses, one printing office, three lawyers, nine physicians, fifteen preachers, and quite a small proportion of mechanics. The surplus produce, consisting of corn, wheat, hay, oats, tobacco, hogs, cattle and horses, is estimated to be worth $150,000 annually. There is a great abundance of stone coal found in the county. The taxable land amounts to 156,159 acres. 1938 Adams County Retrospect - Based on "Indiana Review," published by the State Legislature Spencer County was the boyhood home of Abraham Lincoln and a tract of 100 acres has been set aside in Lincoln City, marking the place. Here is the Lincoln State Park and the Nancy Hanks Lincoln Memorial. Two monuments mark her grave at the crown of the hill. There are several other Lincoln markers and memorials in Spencer County. Spencer County is also noted as the site of St. Meinrad's Abbey .The name, which this institution of piety and learning bears, is taken from the holy man and hermit St. Meinrad, born in the year 797, a member of the noble house of Hohenzollern (the same that today in the person of Emperor William II rules in Germany). For years, he lived as a hermit in a life of prayer and penance at a spot, which today is the world-renowned place of pilgrimage in Switzerland - Maria Einsiedeln (Our Lady of the Hermits). There he died as a martyr in the year 861, being slain by two robbers, who falsely thought that the holy man had concealed in his hut rich gifts received from the pilgrims. Although aware of the impending danger, he nevertheless extended to them the hospitality of his humble cell, thus falling a victim to this own charity. It was by this famous Abbey of Einsiedeln in Switzerland that the Abbey of St. Meinrad in Spencer County, Indiana, was founded. In 1852, the Rev. Joseph Kundeck, of Jasper, Indiana, upon the urgent request of Bishop de Saint Palais, of Vincennes, Indiana, secured from Einsiedeln several Benedictine recruits for the American missions - the Rev. Bede O'Connor and the Rev. Ulrich Christin, who arrived in New York January 31, 1853. Shortly after, more recruits were sent from the motherhouse, and on March 21, 1854, full possession was taken of the new Benedictine colony established at St. Meinrad. The Rev. Kundeck dedicated the little log cabin, held solemn celebration of high mass in the open air, and preached to the throng that had gathered from all directions. Soon frame buildings and a church were erected; missions, together with a school (college and seminary), were begun; and by reinforcement of members, the new settlement was able, in 1866, to count in its family twenty religieux, all ready to sacrifice their time, their strength and even their lives for the good cause. Many were the hardships and struggles during these years; but in spite of all adversity, the Benedictine colony progressed so satisfactorily that it was deemed feasible to have it elevated by Rome to the title of an independent Abbey, with all rights and privileges; this was effected on September 30, 1870. The Rev. Martin Marty, up to this time Prior, became its first Abbot; but in 1880 he was appointed Bishop of all the Dakotas, where he accomplished an immense amount of good work for the Indian cause, settling many a difference between the Indians and the government. He died as Bishop of St. Cloud in 1896. With this elevation to the title and rank of an Abbey, a period of great activity set in for the institution under the leadership of Abbot Marty. In 1872, the cornerstone of the new Abbey building was laid, and in 1874, the community abandoned their old frame buildings and occupied their new stately edifice constructed of sandstone from its own quarry. The successor of Abbot Marty was Abbot Fintan (1880-1898), under whose administration the large and spacious college building of stone was erected; he also founded a new Benedictine colony at St. Benedict's in the State of Arkansas, and one at St. Joseph's in the State of Louisiana. Affairs had thus made marked progress in St. Meinrad. Its mission, as well as college and seminary, were in a flourishing condition; the institution enjoyed a great increase of members not only in the community, but also in all departments of the student body; when of a sudden, on September 2, 1887, at the noon hour, a terrific disaster fell upon the Abbey, bringing gloom and desolation with it. On that day the Abbey buildings, church, library, college, seminary and all workshops were destroyed by fire. What had taken many years of labor and self-sacrifice to build up, an unexpected conflagration of an hour or two turned into a waste of smoldering ruins. The community immediately set to work for the reconstruction of the new Abbey buildings, and on the second anniversary day of the fire, September 2, 1889, the new Abbey was ready for occupancy. In 1898, after the death of Abbot Fintan, the third incumbent of the abbatial chair was elected, the choice falling upon the rector of the seminary - Reverend Athanasius Schmitt, O.S.B. His chief aim was to erect a church large enough to accommodate choir members, priests, clerics, brothers, students of the college, philosophers, theologians and a large number of lay people. This church is a huge structure of solid stone masonry built in the pure Romanesque style of architecture, 200 feet long by 72 feet wide, with two beautiful towers containing a chime of six bells. These towers are covered with copper shingles, whilst the roofing of the church proper is of slate. The magnificent art glass windows were imported from Munich, Germany. The high altar, a unique, gorgeous structure of Italian marble and fire-gilt bronze, hails likewise form the art studios of Germany and Italy. Beneath the chancel, there is a crypt containing four different grottoes; these grottoes are built of natural stone obtained from a cave in Ohio. The church contains fourteen altars, with baptismal chapel and a chapel of Our Lady near the entrance. The mammoth double organ is an instrument of 55 registers and 3,015 pipes. After completion of the beautiful church a new four-story library 125 feet by 30 feet and a new seminary 200 feet by 40 feet, five stories high, built entirely of sandstone (form the monastery's own quarry), reinforced concrete and with tile roofs were added; also a reinforced concrete water tank, containing 500,000 gallons of water for supply and fire protection purposes was erected. The membership of the Abbey at present (1915) is as follows: Priests, fifty-five; clerics, twelve lay brothers, forty; students of the college, 120; of the seminary, seventy, besides workingmen and employees, averaging about 300 all in all. A Benedictine family is an industrious colony in itself, with agricultural facilities and practically all kinds of trades represented in the lay-brethren, to-wit: carpenters, blacksmiths, wagon makers, gardeners, butchers, shoemakers, tailors, bookbinders, cooks, electricians, tinners, mechanics, painters, scientists, musicians, etc., and is again proof, as in the past centuries, that such settlements become centers of industry, art, science, learning and piety. All of which naturally will exercise an influence upon its surroundings. St. Meinrad's College, which was first opened for the education of young men on January 1, 1857, has developed since its establishment into an institution with three distinct departments and facilities: St. Meinrad's Seminary, St. Meinrad's College, and Jasper College. The three departments of this institution are conducted by the Fathers of the Benedictine Order, and are connected with the Abbey of St. Meinrad: the first two (for ecclesiastical students) at St. Meinrad, Indiana, the last named (for secular students) at Jasper, Indiana. All three departments were incorporated in the year 1890 under the title of "St. Meinrad's Abbey," subject to the laws of incorporation of the State of Indiana, and empowered to confer collegiate degrees until recent years. Spencer is one of the southern counties bordering the Ohio River. It is noted for its large tobacco crops, although corn and other agricultural products also are raised on the rich river bottomlands. In the northern part large beds of coal are found, and some mining is done. It has an area of 403 square miles, divided into nine townships. The incorporated city is Rockport, 2,396; towns: Dale, 770; Grandview, 588; Chrisney, 414, and Gentryville, 271. The county population in 1890 was 22,060; 1900, 22,407; 1910, 20,676; 1920, 18,400; 1930, 16,713. Rockport is an Ohio River town located thirty miles from Evansville, and is served by one railroad. It is most important as the center of a great tobacco-growing district. Its manufactures include strawboard, school desks, buttons, boxes, egg cases, chairs, and furniture. One of the most interesting features of Rockport is the historic flatboat landing, where biennially the Indiana Lincoln Memorial Association produces the pageant "When Lincoln Went Flatboating From Rockport." Among other points of interest in Rockport is Sargent's Inn, built in 1832. Lincoln was a guest here in 1844, when he was elector for Clay. At Rocky Side Park there is a marble slab in a rock cave at the site of the home of Spencer County's first white family, who came in 1807. At the town of Grandview, five miles northeast of the County Seat, are several markers erected by the Lincoln Trail Club. One marks the site of an old blockhouse fort. In front of the public library is a series of plates giving the route traveled by Lincoln between Grandview and Lincoln City. At New Hope, which is two miles north of Grandview, a marker has been placed near the site of the old Bayse store where Lincoln traded. In Lincoln City are two other markers in addition to the Memorial Area and Lincoln State Park. One, a monument on the grounds of the public school, marks the site of the cabin home of Thomas Lincoln, father of the Great Emancipator. In Old Pigeon Cemetery is a monument at the grave of Sarah Lincoln Grigsby. East of Lincoln City is St. Meinrad, home of the famous abbey. This institution is one of Spencer County's most notable points of artistic interest. Spencer County had fifteen manufacturing establishments, according to the figures of the 1935 federal census. Ninety-four wage earners were employed on payrolls totaling $61,974. The value of the products was $608,874. The county had 2,221 farms averaging 101.3 acres each. The value of these was $6,796,852. A total of 40,666 head of livestock was reported. The county's tax valuation for 1936 was $9,130,520. ? |
||||||||
|
||||||||
