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Clay County History and Information
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Clay County Facts

Clay County was created on April 1, 1825 and was formed from Owen, Putnam, Vigo and Sullivan Counties. The County was named for Kentucky Congressman and U.S. Speaker of the House Henry Clay.

The County Seat is Brazil. Brazil has not always been the County Seat. Bowling Green, which was laid out in 1825, was selected as the first County Seat and held that distinction for fifty years until November 30, 1851, when the Courthouse and all the records were burned and a fight was begun to select a new location for the County Seat, Bellaire being the chief contender. On February 23, 1853, the advocates of relocation got an act through the Legislature providing commissioners to select and locate a new seat of justice, and for the second time Bowling Green was selected. In 1872, the County Seat was ordered removed to Brazil, as a result of a petition on the part of those favoring that place, and the formal transfer was made January 26, 1877.

Five buildings have served as Courthouse: first at Bowling Green, 20 x 30 hewn log, 1827; second at Bowling Green, 40 x 50 brick, 1839, burned 1851; third at Bowling Green, completed 1853; fourth, records were moved to a brick building in Brazil, 1877; present building in Brazil, built 1912-14, the Corner Stone being laid by the Grand Lodge F & A M of the State of Indiana. In 1849 Bowling Green contained a brick Courthouse, a County Seminary, two hotels, four stores, 100 houses and 300 inhabitants while Brazil was just a small village fortuitously located on the National Road. See also County History for more historical details.

Counties adjacent to Clay County are Parke County (north), Putnam County (northeast), Owen County (southeast), Greene County (south), Sullivan County (southwest), Vigo County (west).

Clay County is divided into 11 Civil Townships as follows: Brazil, Cass, Dick Johnson, Harrison, Jackson, Lewis, Perry, Posey, Sugar Ridge, Van Buren and Washington.

Cities, Towns and Communities include Asherville, Bee Ridge, Billtown, Bowling Green, Brazil, Carbon, Cardonia, Centerpoint, Clay City, Clovrland, Coalmont, Cory, Eel River, Harmony, Hickory Island, Hoffman Crossing, Lancaster, Martz, Old Hill, Perth, Poland, Pontiac, Purdy Hill, Saline City, Six Points, Staunton and Turner.

 

There are free downloadable and printable forms to help with your research. These include U.S. Census Extraction Forms, U.K. Census Extraction Forms, Research Calendar, Ancestral Chart, Research Extract, Correspondence Record , Family Group Sheet , Source Summary Form.

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Records at the Clay 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. Courthouse destroyed by Fire in Nov. 1851, All records lost except Recorder's records

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 Clay County Courthouse History

   Clay County Clerk has Marriage Records from 1851 , Probate Records from 1873 and Court Records from ? and is located at 609 East National Avenue, Brazil, IN 47834; (812)448-9024, mbrown@claynet.com
   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.

   Clay County Recorder has Land Records from 1825 and is located at 609 East National Avenue, Brazil, IN 47834; (812)448-9005, (812)446-5095 Fax, jdierdorf@ticz.com.
   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.

   Clay County Health Department has Birth / Death Records from 1882 and is located at Courthouse, 609 E National Ave, Brazil, IN 47834; (812) 448-9021

Below is a list of online resources for Clay County Court Records. Email us with websites containing Clay 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.
  • Clay 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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Clay 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.

Some documents are just too important to wait 6 weeks for. With VitalChek Express Certificate Service you won’t have to. Birth, Marriage, Divorce & Death Certificates Signed. Sealed. Delivered. Often in as few as three business days!

  • 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
      • Click Here to Search the Social Security Death Index for FREE
  • 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.

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

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

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

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

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

  • Clay County, Indiana Tax Books at Amazon.com

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

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

Clay County, named after the great patriot and statesman, was organized in 1825. It lies south of Parke, west of Putnam and Owen, north of Greene and east of Sullivan and Vigo counties. It is thirty miles in length from north to south, in the middle sixteen miles, and at each end only ten miles wide, containing 360 square miles. The county is divided into nine townships, to-wit: Lewis, Harrison, Perry, Washington, Posey, Jackson, Cass, Van Buren and Dick Johnson.

The population in 1830 was 1,616, in 1840, 5,567, at present [1849] it amounts to about 7,000, and it is now rapidly increasing by German immigration. Eel River and its branches are the only streams of consequence in the county. The face of the country is generally level, the most of it has a good soil, and the usual kinds of timber common in the west predominate in all but the southwestern part of the county, where there are many clay prairies, some dry and others wet.

There are in the county seven stores, four lawyers, twelve physicians, twelve preachers, four grist and sawmills, and the usual proportion of the different mechanical trades. The surplus articles for exportation are wheat, hogs, cattle and horses. There is a good Court House and County Seminary at Bowling Green, and the county is divided into school districts, in each of which a school is kept a portion of the year. There are numerous beds of coal, of a good quality and easy of access, in the county, and also much iron ore. The completion of the Cross Cut Canal in the south part of the county, and of the Terre Haute and Indianapolis Railroad in the north, both which are now in progress, will add much to the general wealth and prosperity.

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

Clay County has eleven townships with a total area of 361 square miles, located in the western part of the state, west and south of Indianapolis. The incorporated city is Brazil, 8,744; towns: Clay City, 859; Knightsville, 704; Staunton, 482; Carbon, 476, and Center Point, 372. Total county population, 1890, 30,536; 1900, 34,385; 1910, 32,535; 1920, 29,293; 1930, 26,479.

Brazil is located sixteen miles east of Terre Haute and is served by three railroads. The chief manufactures are: engines, mining fans, mining machinery, bricks, turrets, furniture, pipes, and pianos. Tile and clay products also form an important part of industrial activities.

Among the memorials is a museum in the Courthouse, and on the grounds two Spanish-American War cannons, presented by the United States Department of War and dedicated to the soldiers of the war. Of historical interest in Forest Park, in which is a log cabin built in 1856, moved to its present location by the Clay County Historical Society and dedicated to all pioneer citizens of the county.

In the town of Harmony is the McKinley Inn, built in 1834 and restored and marked by a grandson of McKinley in 1928. It is said that President Van Buren stopped here. Four miles north of Clay City on the Mrs. Jacob Luther farm is "Discovery Tree," which marks the site where Daniel Harris' grave is five miles north of Clay City in the cemetery bearing his name.

According to figures of the 1935 federal census, Clay County had twenty-three manufacturing establishments employing 408 wage earners on pay rolls of $326,191. Value of the products was $1,402,390.

There were 2,510 farms averaging 80.5 acres each, and valued at $8,263,193; 41,817 head of livestock was reported.

Total county tax valuation for 1936 was $17,811,815.

Courthouse History

Architects of early 20th century courthouses embraced the elegance and authority displayed in the NeoClassical style. From heavy pediments to monumental columns, the hallmarks of the NeoClassical style command respect befitting the ancient Greek temples that inspired them. Such is the case with the Clay County Courthouse designed by John W. Gaddis and constructed 1912-1914.

The Vincennes, Indiana architect designed the building with a symmetry that balances one bay on each side of a large central bay. The central bay is crowned with a broken pediment supported by both Corinthian columns and pilasters. Gaddis also intended for each pediment to include a clock, surrounded by a carved relief. However, budget cuts eliminated the clocks from the original construction. They were finally installed in the 1990s thanks to funding assistance from the Clay County Civic Memorial Foundation.

While the Clay County Courthouse is located within a Shelbyville Square plan, there’s a good reason why the building is not located in the center of the block. After moving the county seat from Bowling Green to Brazil commissioners constructed a new courthouse in 1877. They left the earlier courthouse in place during the construction of the current one. Local history has it that the buildings were so close to each other that employees passed many of the county records through the window of the old building to the new building.1

In 1986 an Indianapolis-based decorative painting firm restored the stencils surrounding the interior of the courthouse dome. At the same time a stained glass specialist repaired the dome’s glass thanks to the effort (and financial support) of a group of Clay County elected officials and employees. While the glass was being repaired a mural was discovered and restored to its original appearance. A plaque commemorating this restoration can be found on the first floor near the rotunda. Also in the 1980s, the Circuit courtroom underwent a significant restoration. A dropped ceiling was removed to reveal a beautiful vaulted ceiling and a small stained glass dome surrounded by intricate molding. Subsequent renovations in 1998-99 repaired the wood sash windows and upgraded the HVAC system.

Visitors to the Clay County Courthouse will note an unusual building on the northwest side of the square. The small octagonal building, clad in locally manufactured glazed tile, is a World War II memorial dedicated by Clay County American Legion Post 2.

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