Floyd County was created on January 2, 1819 and was formed fromClark and Harrison Counties. The County was named foreither Col. John Floyd of Virginia or for either early settler Davis Floyd or early settler John Floyd.
The County Seat is New Albany. An act of the Legislature January 10, 1823, tried unsuccessfully to relocate the County Seat. See also County History for more historical details.
Floyd County is divided into 5 Civil Township as follows: Franklin, Georgetown, Greenville, Lafayette and New Albany. Cities, Towns and Communities include Duncan, Floyds Knobs, Galena, Georgetown, Greenville and New Albany.
Indiana Newspaper Holdings for Floyd 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.
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 Floyd County Courthouse History
Floyd County Clerk has Marriage Records from 1819 , Probate Records from 1819 and Court Records from 1819 and is located at 311 West First Street, Room 235, New Albany, IN 47150 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.
Floyd County Recorder has Land Records from 1819 and is located at PO Box 878,
New Albany, IN 47150;
(812)948-5430. 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.
Floyd County Health Department has Birth / Death Records from 1882 and is located at 1917 Bono Road,
New Albany, IN 47150;
(812) 948-4726
Below is a list of online resources for Floyd County Court Records. Email us with websites containing Floyd 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 Floyd County Vital Records. Email us with websites containing Floyd 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 Floyd County Census Records. Email us with websites containing Floyd 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 Floyd County Maps. Email us with websites containing Floyd 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 Floyd County Military Records. Email us with websites containing Floyd 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 Floyd County Tax Records. Email us with websites containing Floyd 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 Floyd County Genealogical Addresses. Email us with websites containing Floyd County Genealogical Addresses by clicking the link below:
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 Floyd County Cemetery & Church Records. Email us with websites containing Floyd 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 Floyd County Family Trees, web forums and other family type information. Email us with websites containing Floyd 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
Floyd County was organized in 1819, and was named after Colonel John Floyd, of the distinguished Virginia family of that name, who had been killed by the Indians on the opposite side of the river.
It is bounded on the south by the Ohio River, on the west by Harrison, on the north by Washington and on the east by Clark counties, and contains about 150 square miles. It is divided into five civil townships, viz: New Albany, Lafayette, Greenville, Georgetown and Franklin. The population in 1830 was 6,363, in 1840, 9,454, and at this time [1849] about 13,500. A range of hills called "the knobs," from one to three miles in width, run through the county from north to south, coming to the Ohio River a short distance below New Albany. They present a very uneven surface, and are composed of slate, clay, soft sandstone and iron ore. Above the clay and ore is a stratum of freestone, valuable for the purposes of building, and on the pinnacles a stratum of limestone of building, and on the pinnacles a stratum of limestone, which becomes very thick as the country on the west falls of nearly level. East of the "knobs," and in part of the country west, the land is either level or gently undulating, but the general character of the county is hilly and the soil poor, with the exception of some tracts of very good land. The timber varies according to the varieties of soil and surface. Much of it has first-rate timber, peculiarly excellent for the construction of Steamboats. On the knobs, the white, black and chestnut oaks are abundant, and in some places pine. In the west part of the county are poplar, chestnut, beech and sugar tree, and in the bottoms of the Ohio and Silver Creek, the timber common in similar situations. Much of the county is well adapted to the cultivation of corn and grass, and to raising hogs, horses, cattle and sheep. The principal manufactories are a bagging manufactory, which cost originally about $50,000, three foundries and steam engine manufactories, on a large scale, one brass foundry, and usually from five to ten steamboats are built, and twice that number repaired, annually. There are in the county eleven grist and nine sawmills, mostly propelled by steam, about 130 stores and groceries, fourteen lawyers, eighteen physicians, fifteen ministers, two printing offices, and at least 500 mechanics and artisans. As New Albany, the County Seat, contains more than half the population of the county, the reader will turn to that for further information.
The taxable land is 85,691 acres.
New Albany, either the first or second town [in 1849], as to population, in the State, and the County Seat of Floyd County, is beautifully situated on the Ohio River, two miles below the Falls, in lat. 38 deg. 18 min. north, and longitude 8 deg. 49 min. west. It was laid out in the summer of 1813, by Joel, Nathaniel and Abner Scribner, with wide streets, running nearly east and west, parallel with the river, and others crossing them at right angles, the most of which have been well McAdamized, and the sidewalks paved. In 1834, the population of New Albany was estimated at 2,500, in 1840, it was 4,226, and at this time it is over 7000. The number of houses is about 1,200, of which one-fourth are brick. Steamboat building and repairing is carried on to a large extent there, and in the different kinds of mechanical business connected with it, about 500 hands are constantly employed. There are in the city three iron foundries and machine shops, on a large scale, for the manufacture of steam engines and other machinery, one brass foundry, one patent bagging factory for the manufacture of hempen clothes, which cost $50,000, a marine railway, which cost $40,000. There are also in New Albany two printing offices, a branch of the State Bank, about 120 stores and groceries, two Methodist, two Presbyterian, one Catholic, one Christian, one Episcopalian, one Lutheran and three Baptist Churches, and the means to facilitate the instruction of the young and the communication of knowledge, are highly creditable to the public spirit and liberality of the citizens. Anderson's Collegiate Institute, chartered by the Legislature, the Old School Presbyterian Theological Seminary, two large District schools, built at the public expense, at a cost of $12,000, a city school, endowed by the original proprietors, and a large number of private schools are in operation, and all generally well conducted. The Railroad to Salem, and intended to be carried still further, will soon add largely to the business and prosperity of New Albany. The enterprise, industry, morality and public spirit, which have heretofore contributed so much to its growth, will not fail to carry it onward hereafter.
1938 Adams County Retrospect - Based on "Indiana Review," published by the State Legislature
Runing through Floyd County are Indiana's famous "Knobs." These knobs are a range of hills from one to three miles in width and are one of the state's outstanding natural features. The county has the broken surface typical of the region, though north of the hills is level ground suitable for agriculture. On the slopes of the hills are large fruit orchards and the southern part is the most fertile region in the county. Limestone of finest quality is found in the Silver Hills, and quarrying has been done extensively for a number of years.
Floyd County is next to the smallest in the state area in area, covering but 148 square miles in the five townships. The incorporated city is New Albany, 25,819; towns: Georgetown, 374, and Greenville, 257. The county population for 1890 was 29,458; 1900, 30,118; 1910, 30,293; 1920, 30,661; 1930, 34,655.
New Albany is directly opposite Louisville, Kentucky, and connected with it by a bridge. Five main railroads and numerous riverboats serve this thriving industrial city. New Albany had forty-six manufacturing establishments, according to 1935 federal census figures, and employed 2,386 wage earners. These employees were paid $1,925,195. The value of the products was $7,423,164. Among the city's industries are rolling mills; furniture and edge tool factories; tanneries; flour, woolen, cotton, and planing mills; engine, stove, stave, and boiler works; machine shops; fertilizer plants; and a hardwood lumber mill. New Albany is the plywood center of the world. Formerly the city built many steamboats, outstanding among these, the "Robert E. Lee." The fact that it was a shipbuilding town is reflected in the architectural style of the old residences, many of which were owned by operators and employees of the shipyards. Many of the homes are still in use.
New Albany is replete with points of artistic interest. The Courthouse, of Greek classic style, was built in 1865. The building is in the public square now known as Scribner House, home of Joel Scribner, the city's founder, was built in 1814, and still stands today. This home is now owned by a chapter of the Daughters of the American Revolution. A memorial to the men of Floyd County who died in the World War is found in the form of a bronze tablet in the Carnegie Library.
At least seven of the city's fine churches were built before 1860 and are used by congregations today. The dozens of fine residences give the city a distinctive beauty. As is the case in most places flavored with the mellowness of the remains of bygone days, many of these homes contain antiques and coverlets of artistic note, as well as some valuable collections of books. New Albany has three art schools, and an art colony has been established. In Fairview Cemetery is a monument to the Floyd County men who fought in the Mexican War. Two other monuments in the cemetery are highlights upon the important personages in the county's history. One of these is to Ashbel P. Willard, one of Indiana's early governors.
Funds for the erection of a monument to Michael C. Kerr were provided by the General Assembly of 1927. Kerr at one time was Speaker of the United States House of Representatives.
New Albany is so located that it serves as one of the principle gateways between North and South, and the bridge connecting it with Louisville is one of the largest river bridges in the United Sates.
At Georgetown is the largest railway tunnel in the state.
Floyd County had fifty-one manufacturing establishments according to the report of 1935. A total of $1,994,421 was paid to the 2,447 wage earners. The value of the industrial output was $8,012,596.
The county had 1,266 farms averaging 59.7 acres each. These were valued at $4,481,820. A total of 12,039 head of livestock was reported.
Total county tax valuation for 1936 was $21,157,710.
