Johnson County was created on May 5, 1823 and was formed from Delaware New Purchase. The Delaware New Purchase: Set up in 1820, portions were set apart as the entire counties of Allen, Bartholomew, Hamilton, Henry, Johnson, Marion, Rush, and Shelby. Parts of the counties of Delaware, Hendricks, Madison, and Morgan also were located in the Delaware Purchase. In 1827, the name of the tract was changed to the Adams New Purchase. The County was named for John Johnson, a judge of the Indiana Supreme Court.
The County Seat is Franklin, was laid out in 1822 and the first settlers were Samuel Herriott, George King, John Smiley and W. G. Springer. By 1849 it was the site of Franklin College, had four good churches (one for each of the denominations of the Old and New School Presbyterians, Baptists and Methodists), a County Seminary, about 250 houses and a population of 1,750. Also in 1949, a "plank" road was underway to the bluffs of the White River and was projected to extend to Mooresville. See also County History for more historical details.
Johnson County is divided into 9 Civil Townships as follows: Blue River, Clark, Franklin, Hensley, Needham, Nineveh, Pleasant, Union and White River.
Cities, Towns and Communities include Amity, Anita, Banta, Bargersville, Bluff Creek, Bud, Critchfield, Edinburgh, El Dorado, Frances, Franklin, Frances, Greenwood, Hendricks, Hopewell, Imperial Hills, Kinder, McCarty, Mt. Pleasant, Needham, New Whiteland, Nineveh, Old Bargersville, Princes Lakes, Providence, Reds Corner, Rocklane, Samaria, Smith Valley, Stones Crossing, Trafalgar, Urmeyville, Waterloo and Whiteland.
Indiana Newspaper Holdings for Johnson 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 May 1849 and Dec. 1874, Records that survived: marriages from 1830, "complete" court records from 1823; recorder's entry book from 1822 and deeds and deed indexes from 1824
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 Johnson County Courthouse History
Johnson County Clerk has Marriage Records from 1830 , Probate Records from 1821 and Court Records from ? and is located at Johnson County Courthouse, 1st Floor, Franklin Indiana 46131; (317) 346-4450, Fax (317) 736-3749 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.
Johnson County Recorder has Land Records from 1825 and is located at Courthouse Annex Building, 86 W. Court Street, P.O. Box 475 Franklin IN 46131; (317) 346-4385. 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.
Johnson County Health Department has Birth / Death Records from 1882 and is located at 86 West Court Street, Franklin, IN 46131; (317) 346-4365
Below is a list of online resources for Johnson County Court Records. Email us with websites containing Johnson 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 Johnson County Vital Records. Email us with websites containing Johnson 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 Johnson County Census Records. Email us with websites containing Johnson 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 Johnson County Maps. Email us with websites containing Johnson 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 Johnson County Military Records. Email us with websites containing Johnson 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 Johnson County Tax Records. Email us with websites containing Johnson 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 Johnson County Genealogical Addresses. Email us with websites containing Johnson 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 Johnson County Cemetery & Church Records. Email us with websites containing Johnson 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 Johnson County Family Trees, web forums and other family type information. Email us with websites containing Johnson 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
Johnson County, named in honor of the Hon. John Johnson, one of the first judges of the Supreme Court of the State, was organized in 1823. It is bounded on the north by Marion, east by Shelby, south by Bartholomew and Brown, and west by Morgan, being twenty miles from north to south, and sixteen from east to west. It is divided into eight townships, viz: Franklin, Blue River, Nineveh, Hensley, Union, White River, Pleasant and Clark. The population in 1830 was 4,130, in 1840 9,352, and at this time [1849] 11,000. The southwest corner of the county is quite hilly, the south and southeast pleasantly undulating, the other parts of it mostly level; but there is no barren land, and with drainage, every acre, not covered by the streams, may be cultivated to advantage. The soil is generally a rich, black loam, mixed with sand, the timber of a good quality. The agricultural improvements within the first five years are very creditable to the people of the county. The following articles were exported in 1848, viz: 142,000 bushels of corn, 310,000 bushels of wheat, 20,000 do. Oats, 9691 hogs, 600 cattle, 149 mules, 161,000 pounds of bacon, and barley, corn meal, flax seed, tow linen, etc., to the value of $3,3000, making the whole exports about $320,000.
There are in the county thirty-one stores, six groceries, ten warehouses, seven gristmills, eleven sawmills, six of them propelled by water, five carding machines, 155 mechanics, five lawyers, twenty-one physicians, twenty-nine preachers, twenty-two churches, mostly belonging to the Baptists, Methodists, and Presbyterians. There are 680 acres of land belonging to the United States; the balance is subject to taxation.
Edinburgh is a flourishing town, containing about 100 houses and 490 inhabitants, situated in the southeast corner of Johnson County, on the east bank of Blue River, and where the Madison and Indianapolis Railroad crosses that stream, and the Shelbyville Branch Railroad comes in. William Hunt, W. R. Hensley, John Adams, Israel Watts, Lewis Bishop and Alexander Thompson settled Edinburgh in 1821. It is thirty miles southeast of Indianapolis, ten from Franklin, fifty-six northwest of Madison, and sixteen southwest of Shelbyville. The health of the place was not good for many years after its first settlement, but at present there is not much complaint in this respect, and Edinburgh, from the great fertility of the country around it, and from the water power in the vicinity, has now become a very important point.
Franklin, the County Seat of Johnson County, is situated on the north side of Young's Creek, just above its junction with Hurricane, near the center of the county, on the Madison and Indianapolis Railroad, sixty-six miles northwest of Madison and twenty southeast of Indianapolis. It was laid out in 1822, and the first settlers were Samuel Herriott, George King, John Smiley and W. G. Springer. Franklin is the site of Franklin College, a flourishing institution under the control of the Baptists; it has four good churches, one for each of the denominations of the Old and New School Presbyterians, Baptists and Methodists; it has a fine building erected for a County Seminary, and about 250 houses, and a population of 1,750. A plank road is now in progress from Franklin to the bluffs of White River, which will probably be extended to Mooresville.
1938 Adams County Retrospect - Based on "Indiana Review," published by the State Legislature
At one time Johnson County was known as the greatest corn-producing county in the world, its fine quality grain winning more prizes in national contests than any county in the United States. Its soil is made up of glacial drift and in portions is more than 200 feet deep.
In location, Johnson County is one of the group forming the heart of the state, being directly south of and bordering Marion County. It is made up of nine townships, embracing a total area of 322 square miles. The incorporated cities are Franklin, 5,682; Edinburg, 2,209, and Greenwood, 2,377; towns: Whiteland, 419, and Bargersville, 282. The county population, 1890, 19,561; 1900, 20,223; 1910, 20,394; 1920, 20,739; 1930, 21,706.
Franklin is situated twenty miles south of Indianapolis and is served by two railroads. Among its industries are grain elevators, flour, saw, and planing mills, canneries, the manufacture of builders' supplies, galvanized tanks, office desks, porch furniture, underwear, paint, and veneer. Also located in Franklin is the Indiana Masonic Home.
The city is best known as the home of Franklin College, which was chartered in 1835 under the name of the Indiana Baptist manual Labor Institute. It was organized at a meeting of Baptists in Indianapolis, held in the First Baptist Church, June 5, 1834. Instructions began in the summer of 1837, and the school was opened in a wooden building costing $350. While the industrial element was prominent, literary and philosophical interests, which were in mind from the beginning, soon predominated, and in 1845 the institution was chartered under the name of Franklin College. In the beginning, only male students were received. In 1842 a department for young ladies was established and the college has continued on a co-educational basis ever since. At the outbreak of the Civil War, the students volunteered practically in a body and the school was closed. Because of financial difficulties, a stock company took over the school in 1872 and continued in charge until 1908, when the college was reorganizes. In 1913, the college completed the largest financial campaign in its history, raising $250,000 as an additional endowment fund. A large part of this amount was given by the General Education Board of New York City, being the third appropriation, which that board had made to Franklin College. It has been admitted to the Carnegie Foundation, which is a marked recognition of its standard of scholarship.
There are a number of memorials in the County Seat. On the grounds of the courthouse are two memorials to those serving in the Civil War-a monument to the soldiers and a fountain to the soldiers and sailors. Also on the grounds are three bronze tablets in memory of the heroes of the Spanish-American War. In the City Park is a memorial to the pioneers, Hugh Williams and his wife Artemisia. The Alexander Hamilton chapter of the D. A. R. has placed a boulder with bronze plate in memory of the soldiers of the Revolutionary War. The World War men are remembered with two small markers: one, a bronze tablet to the Gold Star men, is at Franklin College; the other, in form of two bronze tablets, is at the entrance to the Masonic Home.
An interesting marker is found at Hopewell Manse. It is a stone, containing a copper box, at the entrance of the house, and in it is contained the names, letters, and messages of four young men who left Hopewell in 1857 to establish churches in Kansas. This was placed by three members of the original party.
In Greenwood is the Polk Memorial Community House, presented to the Community by James T. and Laura Burdick Polk in 1919.
The man most important to the history of Johnson County was George King, for it was he who led the movement for the new county, procured the site on which Franklin stands, and donated the necessary land to the county.
Johnson County had thirty-one manufacturing establishments, according to the federal census figures of 1935. A total of 1,569 wage earners were employed on pay rolls totaling $1,152,581. Total value of manufactured products was $7,301,812.
The county had 1,994 farms averaging 96.1 acres each. The value of these was $13,491,217. A total of 73,266 head of livestock was reported.
Total county tax valuation for the year of 1936 was $25,987,610.
Courthouse History
The Johnson County Courthouse, constructed 1879-1882, is an eclectic mix of architectural styles that defies a simple description. Among its details are elements borrowed from the Neo-Classical and Beaux Arts Classical styles. The designer, architect George W. Bunting, has been referred to as “…the most prolific designer of county courthouses to reside in Indiana.” Bunting's structure succeeded four previous Johnson County Courthouses. The current building replaced an 1849 structure designed by Edwin May, architect of the Indiana State House. Like so many early courthouses, fire devastated May's design in 1874. A temporary frame structure housed the courthouse functions during the construction of the present building.
The strong classical details of the courthouse such as the pediments, modillions, columns and pilasters define the building. Horizontal bands of limestone create a striking contrast to the red brick construction. The obligatory clock tower is visible for miles, but in Johnson County, four corner towers also keep watch over the courthouse square. Franklin's square is known as a Harrisonburg plan—Lake and Vanderburgh counties display the only other examples in Indiana. This plan combines the Shelbyville and Philadelphia squares whereby allowing streets to intersect at the corners, as well as in the middle of the north and south sides.
