Boone County was created on April 1, 1830 and was formed from Adams New Purchase and Wabash New Purchase. The Adams New Purchase: Begun in 1827, Adams was the new name for the Delaware New Purchase. The Adams Purchase existed until 1844, when it became the counties of Adams, Clinton, Grant, Huntington, Jay, and Wells, and portions of the counties of Boone, Carroll, Tipton, and Wabash. The County was named for frontiersman Daniel Boone.
The County Seat is Lebanon . Lebanon wasn't always the County Seat. The first courts were held in Jamestown, which remained the seat of justice until the removal to Lebanon. An act of the Legislature on January 21, 1832, provided commissioners to relocate the County Seat to Lebanon. As the first Courthouse was completed in 1833, it is presumed that the formal transfer of the County Seat occurred that year. Lebanon was laid out in 1832 and the first settler was A. H. Longley. By 1849 it contained eighty dwelling houses, four of brick and 76 frame, with a population of 500. See also County History for more historical details.
Boone County is divided into 12 Civil Townships as follows: Center, Clinton, Eagle, Harrison, Jackson, Jefferson, Marion, Perry, Sugar Creek, Union, Washington and Worth.
Cities, Towns and Communities include Advance, Big Springs, Dover, Elizaville, Elmwood, Fayette, Gadsden, Hazelring, Herr, Jamestown, Lebanon, Max, Mechanicsburg, Milledgeville, New Brunswick, Northern Meadows, Northfield, Northfield Village, Pike, Rosston, Royalton, Russell Lake, Shannondale, Shepherd, Stringtown, Thorntown, Terhune, Ulen, Waugh, Whitestown and Zionsville.
Indiana Newspaper Holdings for Boone County: The county newspaper holdings are under regular revision, as new microfilm holdings are added. These files are not up to date; there are continuous updates and corrections.
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. Courthouse destroyed by Fire in Oct. 1856, Practically all records lost
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 Boone County Courthouse History
Boone County Clerk has Marriage Records from 1831 , Probate Records from 1846 and Court Records from 1846 and is located at 212 Courthouse Square, Lebanon, IN 46052-2195;
(765) 482-3510 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.
Boone County Recorder has Land Records from 1856 and is located at 209 Courthouse Square, Lebanon, IN 46052; 765-482-3070. 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.
Boone County Health Department has Birth / Death Records from 1882 and is located at 116 W. Washington Street, B202, Lebanon, IN 46052; (765) 482-3942
Below is a list of online resources for Boone County Court Records. Email us with websites containing Boone County Court Records by clicking the link below:
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.
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.
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
Below is a list of online resources for Boone County Vital Records. Email us with websites containing Boone County Vital Records by clicking the link below:
Search the Social Security Death Index for FREE - Search over 82 million death records and get genealogical information crucial to your family research. New content added weekly! Most comprehensive SSDI site online!
Research Death records In The World's Largest Newspaper Archive at NewpaperArchive.com! - Find thousands of historical Indiana newspaper articles about deaths. Search for local articles about an old family friend that died many years ago or a celebrity that committed suicide. Historical newspapers contain a wealth of information about the deceased.
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.
Below is a list of online resources for Boone County Census Records. Email us with websites containing Boone 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.
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 Boone County Maps. Email us with websites containing Boone County Maps by clicking the link below:
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 Boone County Military Records. Email us with websites containing Boone County Military Records by clicking the link below:
Southern Claims Commission from the State of Indiana (The National Archives): View, Print Copy & Save Original Documents In the 1870s, southerners claimed compensation from the U.S. government for items used by the Union Army, ranging from corn and horses, to trees and church buildings.
Revolutionary War Rolls, 1775-1783 (The National Archives): View, Print Copy & Save Original Documents in NARA publication M246 include muster rolls, payrolls, strength returns, and other miscellaneous personnel, pay, and supply records of American Army units, 1775-83.
Indiana World War II Servicemen: Database to locate information about Indiana men and women who served in World War II who were mentioned in one of the Indianapolis daily newspapers during the war.
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 Boone County Tax Records. Email us with websites containing Boone 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 Boone County Genealogical Addresses. Email us with websites containing Boone County Genealogical Addresses by clicking the link below:
Boone County Historical Society,
P.O. Box 141,
Lebanon, IN 46052
Indiana State Library,
Attn: (Division or Staff Name),
140 North Senate Avenue,
Indianapolis, IN 46204-2296
Loan Desk and General Inquiries: 317-232-3675,
ind@statelib.lib.in.us
Genealogy Division: 317-232-3689,
genealogy@statelib.lib.in.us
Indiana Newspapers & Periodicals Records - Newspapers and periodicals are the diaries of local communities. They are excellent sources of family history details - often recorded nowhere else. Look for obituaries, marriages, legal notices, and more found in our Historical Newspaper Archives.
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.
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 Boone County Cemetery & Church Records. Email us with websites containing Boone County Cemetery & Church Records by clicking the link below:
Find Obituaries in The World's Largest Newspaper Archive at NewpaperArchive.com! - Find thousands of Indiana obituaries to help you research your family history. Search for a Indiana newspaper obituary about your ancestor or a celebrity. Begin your search today and find death notices and funeral announcements printed in newspapers from Indiana.
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 Boone County Family Trees, web forums and other family type information. Email us with websites containing Boone County Family Trees, web forums and other family type information by clicking the link below:
Genealogy Encyclopedia: General Abbreviations, Early Illnesses, Nickname Meanings, Worldwide Epidemics, Early Occupations, Common Terms, Censuses Explained, Free Genealogical Forms
Nichols and Related Families of Alabama, Arkansas, Georgia, Florida, Kentucky, Louisiana, Mississippi, Missouri, North Carolina, South Carolina, Tennessee, Texas, and Virgina.
Indiana Family & Local History Records - The Family & Local Histories Collection lets you read journals, memoirs, and other first-hand historical narratives right on your computer. Gathered from some of the world's finest libraries, these materials may provide hard-to-find town, county, and state information; tax records and wills; military, church, and court records; as well as photographs, stories, and maps.
1849 Adams County Retrospect - Based on "Indiana Gazetteer," published by E. Chamberlain
Boone County is bounded north by Clinton, east by Hamilton, south by Marion and Hendricks, and west by Montgomery. It is twenty-four miles long from east to west, and seventeen miles wide, and contains 408 square miles. The southeastern, western and northwestern portions are agreeably undulating; the interior generally level. The county was organized in 1830, and was named after the celebrated Daniel Boone, whose love of forest life, enterprise and disinterestedness were prototypes of much that is still admirable in western manners. The population of the county was 622 in 1830, 8,121 in 1840, and at this time at least 14,000. It is divided into eleven civil townships, Marion, Clinton, Washington, Sugar Creek, Jefferson, Center, Union, Eagle, Perry, Harrison and Jackson.
The soil in most parts of the county is a black loam, usually several feet in depth, on a stratum of clay, and in some places of sand or coarse gravel. It is very fertile and well adapted for the production of wheat, corn, oats, grass, and all kinds of vegetables. There is no part of the State where the timber is heavier or of a better quality. It is not uncommon to see, on a single acre, 100 oak trees averaging four feet in diameter, and from 80 to 120 feet in height. The other forest trees which are most common, are ash, walnut, poplar, beech, sugar tree, lynn, etc. The only prairies are Smith's, Hagan's and Eel, which are small and wet, except a portion of Hagan's, which is dry and agreeably undulating. They may all be drained with a little ditching, and made dry enough for tillage.
The principal kinds of surplus produce are wheat, corn, beef, pork, honey, etc., and cattle, hogs, horses and mules are driven to market. The annual value of the exports is estimated at $150,000, which consists of 100,000 bushels of wheat, 5,000 of corn, 10,000 hogs, 2,000 cattle, 200 horses and 150 mules. There are in the county twenty physicians, six Ministers of the Gospel, eighteen churches of various denominations, about twenty taverns, sixteen saddle and harness makers, twenty shoemakers, thirty carpenters, sixteen cabinet makers, ten coopers, five wagon makers, twenty-five blacksmiths, eight tanners and curriers, five brick layers, two tinners, one potter and six tailors; eight grist mills, ten sawmills, one woolen factory, propelled by water, and one steam sawmill. All building materials, except rock, are abundant and of an excellent quality.
Boone County is situated on the ridge or what were formerly called the dividing swamps between White Lick and Walnut Fork of the Eel River which empty in to the former, and Big Raccoon and Sugar Creek, which empty into the latter. All these streams are quite large and important near their mouths; but they are very sluggish near their sources, and are there not well adapted to move machinery, though the former and the latter have some very good water privileges, yet still far from sufficient for public use, especially in dry seasons.
The heavy timber, level surface and porous soil of Boone County were not very attractive to the agriculturist at the first settlement, and accordingly the pursuit of game and the collection of skins, furs and wild honey, were reckoned far more important than any kind of farming. The only real necessaries for a family were then thought to be two rifles, powder and lead, a barrel of salt, a camp kettle and a couple of dogs. Deer, turkeys, bears and wolves were abundant, and the latter often came into the very dooryards of the settler and took away his pigs and poultry. The only currency was the skis of deer, raccoons, minks and wild honey, and even as late as 1841, the trade in these articles was over $5,000 a year. It is said that in these early times a traveler from Cincinnati, in company with a resident of the county, fell in with a man whose horse was so covered and loaded with skins of "varmints," as to almost hide both horse and rider, and the only information he could get was that this was the Collector of the county, returning to the county seat with his "funds," from one of the townships. At any rate, the story found its way into the newspapers, and those who gave full credit to the statement must have supposed the Collector of Boone had an odd set of customers to collect his "poll taxes" from. The coonskins, it was said, were for State, the deer for county revenue, and the mink for change. About the same time it was said that one of the Judges, who, for want of other accommodations, had taken his luncheon to Court, was supposed at a distance to be reading a newspaper, when, on nearer approach, it was ascertained that he was only eating a large buckwheat pancake.
There are few if any counties in the State where greater alterations have taken place within the lat ten years; for many of the swamps have disappeared and first-rate farms may now be found in every neighborhood. The opening of the Wabash and Erie Canal, and the proposed continuation of the Madison and Indianapolis Railroad to Lafayette, which is now in progress, is giving live and energy to the industry and enterprise of the citizens.
This county was once the abode and hunting ground of the Eel River tribe of the Miami Indians; here were their wigwams, their fields, and the graves of their fathers and their brave warriors. In 1819, Thorntown had a population of 400 Indians and a few French traders, and the large reserve at this place was not finally purchased until 1828, nor did they remove entirely until about 1835. Nearly all traces of this Indian population are now obliterated, and except the marks on the trees in their sugar camps, nothing they have done remains to bear witness of their ever having existed.
The whole number of acres of taxable land in the county is 255,000, and there are no longer any lands of the United States or Indiana reservations here.
1938 Adams County Retrospect - Based on "Indiana Review," published by the State Legislature
Boone County, one of Indiana's central counties, has twelve townships covering 427 square miles. It was the habitation of the Eel River Tribe of Miami Indians . In 1819 Thorntown had a population of 400 Indians and a few French traders. The large reserve at this place was not purchased until 1828, nor did the Indians remove until 1835.
The county was organized in 1830 and Lebanon named as County Seat. The incorporated towns are Advance, 358; Jamestown, 552; Thorntown, 1,325; Zionsville, 1,131, and Ulen, 74. Boone County's total population in 1890 was 26,572; 1900, 26,321; 1910, 24,673; 1920, 23,575; 1930, 22,290.
Lebanon, the county's only incorporated city, is located twenty-eight miles northwest of Indianapolis and is served by two railroads. The 1930 census gave Lebanon's population as 6,645. Among the city's chief industries are saw and planing mills, furniture, canning, and glove factories, a milk condensary and creamery separator, steel wheel works, and the Hicks School Bus and Body Company.
One of Lebanon's interesting features is the Courthouse, believed to be the only public building in the world with a meridian line running through the center. This Courthouse has eight of the largest one-piece monolithic limestone columns ever quarried and cut by hand. They are more than 38 feet in length and weigh approximately thirty-four tons each. The city has two parks, the Memorial and South Side.
Boone County's most important products are those of its dairies. In these and the growing of the corn the county has the widespread fame.
The late former Governor, Samuel Ralston, one of the most beloved figures of Indiana, came from Boone County. For several years Ralston was a schoolteacher in Lebanon and later served as School Superintendent. Among others listed as notables in the county's history were A. M. French, the man who named the city; B. Longley, first resident of the city; Doctor Levi; S. S. Brown; J. S. Forsythe; Jonathan H. Rose, and William H. Smith. The almost complete destruction of records of Boone County in 1856 makes it almost impossible to obtain more than fragmentary information of the county's early history.
The Lebanon Pioneer, founded in 1852, has long enjoyed the distinction of being one of the outstanding country newspapers.
According to 1935 federal census figures, Boone County had twenty manufacturing establishments employing 358 wage earners, on payrolls of $293,365. The value of the products was $2,054,047. Among the chief industries is the Hicks Body Company, Lebanon, builders of school bus bodies.
The county had 2,723 farms averaging 94.5 acres each. The value of these was $17,702,606. A total of 116,664 head of livestock was reported.
The Boone County tax valuation for the year 1936 was $28,477,210.
Courthouse History
The present Courthouse, which was completed and dedicated July 4, 1912, is build of Bedford limestone and one of the features is the dome, which is the second in size in the state, being fifty feet in diameter. The north and south entrances are each adorned by four columns 35 feet 3 inches in length, 52 inches in diameter and the base and 48 inches at the tip. These columns were said to be [in 1915] the largest one-piece columns in the United States.
Lebanon is on its fourth courthouse since being named the Boone County seat in 1832. And while the current building is a neoclassical gem, had its predecessor survived, it would be the only Gothic Revival courthouse in Indiana.
William Tinsley, architect of Christ Church Cathedral in Indianapolis and Wabash College’s Center Hall, designed the 1857 Gothic Revival Boone County courthouse. Perhaps it was because the courthouse more closely resembled a church or college rather than a seat of government, or maybe the county simply outgrew the structure, but for whatever reason, the commissioners sold the building to a local contractor for $15 in 1909 and demolition ensued.
The current courthouse, designed by Hammond architect Joseph T. Hutton, proudly displays its governmental majesty through the classical details of a Greek temple: an enormous pediment with the allegorical figures of Agriculture, Justice, and Industry carved in limestone; and eight solid limestone columns each measuring 35 feet 5½ inches tall. Workers shipped the roughly cut columns to Lebanon by train where skilled carvers completed them on site. Indiana: A New Historical Guide credits the columns as likely being the largest single-piece pillars in the nation. The courthouse sits on a Shelbyville Square with streets intersecting each other at the corners of the square.
Construction of the present courthouse occurred between 1909 and 1911. County dignitaries formally dedicated the structure on July 4, 1912 with a speech by Indianapolis resident and former United States Vice President Charles W. Fairbanks. Among Fairbanks’ comments were words that still resonate with Indiana residents:
The people will reverence [the courthouse] because it will link them with the past; they will perceive in it the splendid contribution which you their fathers have made to them and emphasize their duty to build also for the future. They will behold in it one of the rich trophies of civil liberty.
Among the architectural highlights of the courthouse is the magnificent dome capped by a four-sided clock tower. The interior of the courthouse is lit by the brilliance of the dome’s stained glass ceiling. At 84 feet high and 52 feet wide, the dome is the second largest such structure in the state behind the dome of the West Baden Springs Hotel in Orange County.5 A 1990s renovation uncovered equally beautiful stained glass ceilings in the courtrooms and offices of the third floor and returned original paint colors to the decorative plaster
