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 |
Indiana County Record Description & Facts |
||||||||||||||
 |
||||||||||||||
| Census Records | Court & Probate Records | Church & Cemetery Records | Land Records | Military Records | Vital Records |
||||||||||||||
|
||||||||||||||
Indiana Census Records - Federal Population Schedules that exist for Indiana are 1820, 1830, 1840, 1850, 1860, 1870, 1880, 1890 (fragment, see below), 1900, 1910, 1920 and 1930. In 1820 Daviess County is missing. Poor weather and impassable trails during the enumeration of the 1850 U.S. census in Indiana caused many rural families to be missed. The agriculture schedule of that year was, however, taken at a different time of the year, and most of the rural residents were included in that enumeration.
There are Industry and Agriculture Schedules availible for the years 1850, 1860, 1870 and 1880. Slave Schedules exist for 1850 & 1860. The Mortality Schedules for the years 1850, 1860, 1870 and 1880. Union Veterans Schedules were conducted in 1890. Territorial and State Schedules: Census for Indiana Territory for 1807, compiled by Rebah Fraustein, was published by the Indiana Historical Society in 1980. No other state censuses exist, although state enumerations of males (without names) above age 21 were taken at various intervals beginning in 1820.
Excerpts From the Book "Family History Made Easy"
Since 1790, the U.S. government has taken a nationwide population count every ten years. Unique in scope and often surprisingly detailed, the census population schedules created from 1790 to 1920 are among the most used of records created by the federal government. Over the course of two centuries the United States has changed significantly, and so has the census. From the six basic questions asked in the 1790 census, the scope and categories of information have changed and expanded dramatically. Early censuses were essentially basic counts of inhabitants; but as the nation grew, so did the need for statistics that would reflect the characteristics of the people. In 1850, the focus of the census was radically broadened. Going far beyond the vague questions previously asked of heads of households, the 1850 census enumerators were instructed to ask the age, sex, color, occupation, birthplace, and other questions regarding every individual in every household. Succeeding enumerations solicited more information; by 1920, census enumerators asked twenty-nine questions of every head of household and almost as many questions of everyone else in the residence. (Only a very small segment of the 1890 census remains; a fire in the Commerce Department destroyed the vast majority of the original records for that year. Because of privacy considerations, census records less than seventy-two years old are not available to the general public; thus, the 1920 census is the most recent available to the public.) Few, if any, records reveal as many details about individuals and families as do the U.S. federal censuses. The population schedules are successive “snapshots” of Americans that depict where and how they were living at particular periods in the past. Once home sources and library sources have been exhausted, the census is often the best starting point for further genealogical research. Statewide indexes are available for almost every census; they are logical tools for locating individuals whose precise place of residence is unknown. While some inaccuracies are to be expected in census records, they still provide some of the most fascinating and useful pieces of personal history to be found in any source. If nothing else, census records are important sources for placing individuals in specific places at specific times. Additionally, information found in the census will often point to other sources critical to complete research, such as court, land, military, immigration, naturalization, and vital records. The importance of census records does not diminish over time in any research project. It is always wise to return to these records as discoveries are made in other sources because, as you discover new evidence about individuals, some information that seemed unrelated or unimportant in a first look at the census may take on new importance. When you can’t find family, vital, or religious records, census records may be the only means of documenting the events of a person’s life. Vital registration—the official recording of births, deaths, and marriages—did not begin until around 1920 in many areas of the United States, and fires, floods and other disasters since have destroyed some official government records. When other documentation is missing, census records are frequently used by individuals who must prove their age or citizenship status (or that of their parents) for Social Security benefits, insurance, passports, and other important reasons. How to Find Census Records Starting With the Census |
||||||||||||||
|
||||||||||||||
Indiana Court Records - Indiana settlers wanted a government that was simple, democratic, and located close to the people. The county courthouse became the axis of politics and government that included a sheriff, coroner, circuit court clerk, recorder, and three county commissioners. The legal system was made up of a state supreme court, numerous circuit courts, and township justices of the peace`` who had jurisdiction for petty crimes and civil cases involving less than $50
Indiana Probate Records - The court jurisdiction responsible for probate changed a half dozen times in Indiana's history before finally settling in the county's circuit court. Thankfully, location of the records has remained with the clerk of the circuit court, although they are often stored in the county clerk's office. The records include wills, probate records, administration of estates, letters of administration, inventories of decedent's personal property, final record books, adoption papers, guardianship records, civil court records, records of minors, records of the insane, and naturalization records and proceedings. A state-wide index to wills, Indiana Wills Index through 1880, 2 vols. (Indianapolis, Ind.: Ye Olde Genealogie Shoppe, 1983) is available.
Excerpts From the Book "Family History Made Easy"
American court files mirror U.S. history. Buried away in courthouses and archives everywhere are the dreams and frustrations of millions of citizens. The chances are great that your ancestors have left a detailed record of at least some aspects of their lives in court records. Most of us don’t think of court records as the rich source of personal history that they are. But America’s English heritage established a tradition of court processes in which the people have a right to participate actively—and we always have. With relative freedom from royal supervision and with court enforcement of religious as well as civil laws, American courts tried many matters that were not subject to court action in other parts of the British empire and that are now considered too minor to warrant criminal action. When a person dies, every state has laws that provide for public supervision over the estate that is left, whether or not there is a will. The term “probate records” broadly covers all the records produced by these laws, although, strictly speaking, “probate” applies only when there is a will. Family historians use probate case files far more than any other kind of court record. Probate case files are logical sources because they tend to include so much personal data, and because Americans have depended on the courts to settle their estates since North America was colonized. According to Val Greenwood in his Researcher’s Guide to American Genealogy, “All records which relate to the disposition of an estate after its owner’s death are referred to as probate records. These are many and varied in both content and value, but basically, they fall into two main classes: testate and intestate” (page 255). Probate case files generally provide names, addresses, and biographical data for the deceased, but frequently provide the same information for other relatives named in the papers. Relationships, maiden names of wives, married names of daughters, past residences, and place of origin in a native country are just a few of the details that can be discovered in probate files. And probate files can be found in courthouses and archives across the United States. When requesting probate information from the county clerk, it is important not to limit yourself by asking for a person’s “will.” The clerk will usually take you at your word and not copy other papers in the probate file that may have equally important information if there is no will. Even if your ancestor is not mentioned in a probate case, consider all of the other procedures which might have resulted in him or her appearing in court records:
|
||||||||||||||
|
||||||||||||||
Indiana Church Records - Although there was a Jesuit priest in Vincennes by 1749, the Catholic religion in Indiana declined in the late 1700s. Catholics in Vincennes and Fort Wayne were reorganized in the 1830s, and Irish and German immigrants added to the religion's numbers in the mid-1800s.
However, it was Protestantism that conformed to and enhanced the frontier existence of Indiana. The predominant denominations were Methodists, Baptists, and Presbyterians. A large group of Quakers migrated to the Whitewater Valley from North Carolina. German settlement areas were often Lutheran, but German-Americans established the United Brethren churches in Indiana. The Christian Church (Disciples of Christ) was created in the state in the early 1800s. By the mid-1800s, there were significant numbers of Jewish families in Indiana, most of them in the larger cities. Of the predominant Protestant body, the Methodist denomination was the largest. The circuit rider, bringing religion to the scattered pioneers in their log cabins, and the camp meeting, with its religious fervor and social aspect, were precisely appropriate to that time and place. 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) Indiana Cemetery Records - 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. In the 1940s, the American Legion and the Indiana Adjutant General's Office were responsible for the "Veteran's Grave Registration File." The State Archives hold the original card file; it has been duplicated on thirteen microfilm reels. Included are soldiers buried in Indiana who fought in wars prior to and including World War I, and it includes fifty-one of the ninety-two counties. Cemetery records and gravestone inscriptions are a rich source of information for family historians. Cemetery and other sources of information associated with death include:
|
||||||||||||||
|
||||||||||||||
Indiana Land Records - Indiana is a public-domain state. Following a 1795 treaty with the native residents, the first strip of land was surveyed in southeastern Indiana. In 1801 the Cincinnati Land Office was opened, the first such office to serve Indiana. Vincennes opened in 1807. Five additional land offices opened as demand increased, principally, following the conclusion of the War of 1812: Jeffersonville (1807), Brookville (1819 - moved to Indianapolis in 1825), Terre Haute (1820 - moved to Crawfordsville before 1828), Fort Wayne (1823), and LaPorte (1833 - moved to Winamac in 1839). Registers are available on microfilm at Indiana State Archives, Allen County Public Library and through FHL. Although not all are indexed, some have been published. Land was usually sold for under $2 per acre, was frequently sold at public auction, and could be purchased on an installment basis. Land patents were issued by the United States government when the total purchase price had been paid. Frequently, the documents recorded at the land offices included the purchaser's "outside of Indiana" residence. Original land records for the years 1805-76, plus microfilmed copies, are at the Indiana State Library, Archives Division.
Private land claims, which are first-title deeds surveyed outside the regular federal system of townships and ranges, also existed in Indiana. The legal description of these lands are in lot numbers assigned by the governor. The parcels of land are frequently long and narrow, giving each owner access to an adjacent river or road. Patents, copies of tract books, and township plats are available through the BLM Eastern States Office. Land-entry case files are at the National Archives. National Archives/Great Lakes Region has records of the General Land Office for Indiana 1808-76. This includes the cash certificate books denoting completion of purchase of land from the federal government. They are arranged chronologically by land office. A grant of land was provided for George Rogers Clark and his men for their service in the Revolutionary War. The property was situated in what is now Scott, Floyd, and Clark counties. Clarksville, established in 1784 on the northern bank of the Ohio River and within the grant, was the first American town to be laid out in the northwest. Most land owned by individuals prior to 1800 was either in Clark's Grant or at Vincennes. At Vincennes, between 1779 and 1783, the court would grant land, usually 400 acres, to every American immigrant who wanted property. The recorder's office of the county courthouses has grantor and grantee indexes, land transfers, deeds, titles, mortgages (and releases and assignments of mortgages), and tract books of original land purchases from the U.S. government. The tract books include name of purchaser, purchase date, location (section number, township, and range), and number of acres. Excerpts From the Book "Family History Made Easy"
U.S. House of Representative Private Claims, Vol. 1, Vol. 2 or Vol. 3 The right to own land has always been one of the great incentives for living in the United States. Yet researchers often overlook the importance of land records as a source of family history information. Written evidence of people’s entitlement goes back in time further than virtually any other type of record family historians might use. Land records meet the needs of researchers in different ways and contain a variety of genealogical and historical data. They are a major source of information for many family histories and provide primary source material for local history as well. They are closely related to probate and other official court records and should be investigated in connection with them. Land and property are leading issues in the settlement of estates, and the majority of civil cases in the courts deal with real and personal property. Although land records rarely yield vital statistics, in many instances they provide the only proof of family relationships. Often they include the names of heirs of an estate (including daughters’ married names and a widow’s subsequent married name) and refer to related probates and other court cases by number and court name. In some places where other records are scarce, the land records take on extra importance. Occasionally these documents disclose former residences and more often provide the new address of the grantors or heirs at the time of the sale of the property. Land records provide two types of important evidence for the family historian. First, they often document family relationships. Second, they place individuals in a specific time and place, allowing the researcher to sort people and families into neighborhoods and closely related groups. One of land records’ most important qualities is that they are sometimes the only records that allow us to distinguish one person of a common name from another. The National Archives has bounty-land warrant files, donation land entry files, homestead application files, and private land claim files relating to the entry of individual settlers on land in the public land states. There are no land records for the original thirteen states or for Maine, Vermont, West Virginia, Kentucky, Tennessee, Texas, and Hawaii. Records for these states are maintained by state officials, usually in the state capital. Searching for the record of a particular land grant from the federal government requires contacting both the Bureau of Land Management (BLM) and the National Archives (NARA). |
||||||||||||||
|
||||||||||||||
The Indiana State Archives, holds the following military records of interest to the genealogist:
The archives also has card files on Indiana Militia (1877-96), Mexican War Volunteer Index, Black Hawk War Militia Index, Gold Star Roll of Honor for 1914-18, Indiana Spanish-American War Volunteers microfilmed registration cards, and Registers of Visitors to the National Encampment of the Grand Army of the Republic at Indianapolis (4-9 September 1893). This repository has service records for all veterans who applied for the Indiana State Bonus for World War II and Korea; these records are restricted.
The National Archives/Great Lakes Region holds Records of the Selective Service Board (1917-19) for Indiana. Included are Index to Delinquent and Deserter Forms (incomplete for some areas) and docket books of registrants, arranged within state by county and division. Search Revolutionary War 1775-83 Service Records, Rejected Pensions, Loyalists Records, 1775-1783 Pay Rolls, Courts-Martial, Officers, Pension Index, 1841 Pensioner Census
Search Civil War Soldiers, Service Records, Regiments, General Officers, Battle Summaries, Pension Index: 1861-1934, CSA Field Officers and the War of the Rebellion
The site U.S. Wars list conflicts dating from earliest to 1865. Wars covered that are availibele are:
Excerpts From the Book "Family History Made Easy"
Military records have originated at the federal, state, and local levels. Whether created in time of war or in time of peace, these records provide unique facts and insights into the lives of men and women who have served in the military forces of the United States. Almost every American family, in one generation or another, has seen one or more of its members serve in America’s armed forces. From regimental histories, which provide blow-by-blow accounts of a unit’s participation in military actions, to the personal details contained in the service and pension files of individual men and women, military records provide valuable information concerning a large and significant portion of the American population. And because military records have been preserved and made available at and through a number of research institutions, much information awaits the well-prepared researcher. How to Find Military Records When and where did the individual live? Did the family keep evidence of military service? Certificates, letters, journals, diaries, scrapbooks, newspaper clippings, photographs, medals, swords, and other memorabilia kept in private collections may provide the basic facts needed to begin searching in military record collections. Military Time Lines Evidence of Military Service in Hometown Records Military History In addition to the standard histories, local public libraries and historical societies usually preserve and make available other types of publications that document the military history of the geographical areas they serve. Historical agencies collect biographies, letters, diaries, journals, and all sorts of memorabilia from military units and servicemen and -women. The personal accounts found in some collections are a fascinating means of stepping back in time. Firsthand accounts afford a better understanding of the day-to-day drudgery, loneliness, fears, and satisfactions of military life. Evidence of Military Service in Cemeteries Evidence of Military Service in Court Records Military Records in the National Archives A wonderful array of federal military records are available in major libraries and archives and through microfilm rental programs. (Heritage Quest, a division of AGLL, Inc., PO Box 329, Bountiful, UT 84011-0329, is a source of rental microfilms.) With sufficient identifying information, you may request a search of the registers of enlistments or the compiled military service records. The minimum information required for a search is (1) the soldier’s full name, (2) the war in which he or she served or period of service, and (3) the state from which he or she served. For the Civil War, you must also indicate whether the person served in Union or Confederate forces. A separate copy of the form must be used for military service, pension, and bounty-land warrant applications. Submit requests for information about individuals who served in the military before World War I on NATF form 80 (Order for Copies of Veterans Records). Write to the National Archives and Records Administration, General Reference Branch, Washington, DC 20408 to obtain copies of NATF form 80. Always ask for “all records” for an individual. Make requests for information about U.S. Army officers separated from the service after 1912 on standard form 180 (Request Pertaining to Military Records) and send it to the Military Personnel Records Center, 9700 Page Boulevard, St. Louis, MO 63132. U.S. Military Records Records of state militias and the National Guard |
||||||||||||||
|
||||||||||||||
Indiana Vital Records - The first law regulating marriages in Indiana occurred in 1788, but marriage licenses became mandatory in 1800. The statutes of the Northwest Territory required that (1) the banns be read fifteen days before the marriage; (2) the male be seventeen years of age; and (3) the female be fourteen years of age.
Marriage licenses and certificates have been issued by and kept at the county clerk's office, beginning with the formation of each respective county to the present. Both marriage applications, beginning in 1906 (with additional family information) or marriage transcripts (1882) may have been used in various counties. Prior to 1940 it was necessary for a couple to obtain a license from the county in which the female resided. If an Indiana ancestor's marriage record cannot be located in that state, check the Cincinnati marriage records; this area was a “Gretna Green” (no-questions-asked marriage locale) for Ohio, Kentucky, and Indiana. Statewide collection of marriages from the counties did not begin until 1958. The Indiana Marriage Index, compiled by the State Board of Health, Division of Vital Records, 1330 West Michigan St., Indianapolis, 46207, begins in 1958. Marriages are indexed by bride and groom, indicating county of license, marriage and date. Annual indexes for 1958-1965 are in book form; 1966-1981 are on microfilm, available at the Indiana State Archives, Indiana Commission on Public Records (see Archives, Libraries and Societies). Birth and Death records were recorded by the county health office beginning in 1882 where they remain before mandatory recording with the state board of health began in October 1907 for births and January 1900 for deaths. Certified copies may be obtained from either the county health department of the Division of Vital Records. The WPA began to index vital records, county-by-county, for the entire state, but the agency was abolished before the project was completed. Only 68 of the 92 counties had their birth and death records (1882-1920) and marriages (generally 1850-1920) collected. The completed county indexes are available in print at the Indiana State Library and Allen County Public Library (see Archives, Libraries and Societies) among others. Several more recent projects have involved indexing marriage records for the state before 1955. Indiana Marriages Thru 1820: In the Counties of Washington, Jefferson, Clark, Scott, Jackson, Jennings, Switzerland, Ripley (Indianapolis: Researchers of Indianapolis, 1981) and The Hoosier Genealogist, which frequently publishes marriage abstracts, are two such projects. Divorce records are kept in the office of the circuit court. Since Indiana had no residency requirements until 1859, it is very possible to find divorce records for numerous individuals from other states in the Indiana files. Ordering Vital Records Online - Getting documents by mail can take a long as six weeks or more. Through VitalChek Express Certificate Service you can get Birth, Marriage, Divorce & Death Certificates Signed, Sealed, & Delivered in as few as three business days!
Facts on Birth Records - Most early birth records contain very little biographical information. Typical early New England town and church records, for example, give little information beyond the name of the child, date and place of birth, and parents’ names. Some localities listed only the name of the father. While early birth records can be discouragingly lacking in information, by the mid-nineteenth century birth records in the United States began to include more information. Even though births were not widely recorded during the early years of America’s existence, the records that do exist may be the only source of a birth date for an individual and should always be consulted. Delayed births are also important vital registrations that you should consider for obtaining biographical information. When Social Security benefits were instituted in 1937, individuals claiming benefits had to document their birth even if the state of their birth did not require registration when they were born. Individuals who were not registered with state or county agencies at the time of their birth often applied for a delayed birth registration. Obtaining passports, insurance, and other benefits also required proof of age. Applications were accompanied with full name, address, and date and place of birth; father’s name, race, and place of birth; and evidence to support the facts presented. The evidence could be in the form of a baptismal certificate, Bible record, school record, affidavit from the attending physician or midwife, application for an insurance policy, birth certificate of a child, or an affidavit from a person having definite knowledge of the facts. Delayed birth records are usually filed and indexed separately from regular birth registrations, and it may be necessary to request a separate search for them. Indiana Births, 1880-1920: This database indexes births for thirty-one of the counties indexed by the WPA. Search All U.S and Foriegn Birth, Marriage and Death Records Order Birth Certificates Online Facts on Marriage Records - Because of the importance of the legal distribution and control of property, most states and counties began to record marriages before births and deaths. The recording of a marriage is a two-step process. Traditionally, couples apply for a license to marry, and the applications are usually filed loose among other applications or in bound volumes. Marriage returns are filed once the marriage has taken place. The latter document is the proof of a marriage (not the license application). Marriage applications are often filled out by both the bride and groom and typically contain a significant amount of genealogical information. They may list full names of the bride and groom, their residences, races, ages, dates and places of birth, previous marriages, occupations, and their parents’ names, places of birth, and occupations. Marriage certificates are issued by counties after the marriage ceremony is completed, and these are usually found among family items. While the certificates tend to have less biographical data than the application, the name of the individual officiating at the wedding may lead you to religious records by revealing the denomination. The religious records, in turn, may reveal the names of witnesses and other useful information. Early American records sometimes include marriage bonds, which served as a protection for the future children of the marriage. A bond obligated a prospective groom to pay the bond if he were discovered to be a bigamist or imposter or otherwise ineligible to contract a valid marriage. As long as the marriage was legal, the bond was void. Bonds generally include the groom’s name, name of the surety, the sum, and the date of the agreement. Order Marriage Certificates Indiana Marriage Collection, 1800-1941: This database is a collection of Indiana marriage indexes covering various years and counties. Indiana Marriages to 1850: This database of Indiana marriages to 1850 contains nearly 200,000 names. Indiana Marriages, 1802-1892: This database is an index to individuals who were married in Indiana between 1802 and 1892. Search U.S. and International Marriage Records, 1560-1900 Search County Marriage Records Facts on Death Records - Early death records in the United States provide little more than the name of the deceased, the date of death, and the place of death. Obituaries and cemetery, court, and other records often provide more information about the deceased than do most official death records created before the last quarter of the 1800s. By 1900 death records included more details. They often include the name of the deceased; date, place, and cause of death; age at the time of death; place of birth; parents’ names; occupation; name of spouse; name of the person giving the information; the informant’s relationship to the deceased; the name and address of the funeral director; and the place of burial. Race is listed in some records, and modern death certificates generally include a Social Security number. Indiana Deaths, 1882-1920: This data set contains the WPA's indexes to the death records of most of the counties that they completed. Order Death Certificates Online Find Obituaries in The World's Largest Newspaper Archive at NewpaperArchive.com! Search America's Obituaries (1977 to current) at Genealogybank.com |
||||||||||||||
|
||||||||||||||
