Warren County was created on March 1, 1827 and was formed from Wabash New Purchase and Unorganized Land. The Wabash New Purchase: Begun in 1820, this tract lasted until 1835 and then became all of White County and portions of the counties of Boone, Carroll, Fountain, Hendricks, Jasper, Montgomery, Morgan, Parke, Putnam, Tippecanoe, Vermillion, and Warsaw. The County was named for Dr. Joseph Warren, killed at the Battle of Bunker Hill, in which he fought as a private, because his commission as a General had not yet taken effect.
The County Seat is Williamsport. Williamsport wasn't always the County Seat. The first seat of justice of Warren County was located at Warrentown, two miles up the river from Williamsport. For reasons unknown, this site proved unsatisfactory and the Legislature on January 22, 1829, passed an act for the relocation of the County Seat. On the second Monday of June 1830, locating commissioners met at Warrentown, and after a liberal donation of land by William Harrison, selected the present site of Williamsport for the new County Seat. First settled in 1829 by Wm. Harrison, J. J. McAlilly, James H. Buell and Thomas Gilbert, by 1849 Williamsport contained 100 houses and 400 inhabitants. See also County History for more historical details.
Warren County is divided into 12 Civil Townships as follows: Adams, Jordan, Kent, Liberty, Medina, Mound, Pike, Pine, Prairie, Steuben, Warren and Washington. Cities, Towns and Communities include Chatterton, Judyville, Kramer, Marshfield, Pine Village, Sloan, State Line, Tab, Williamsport and Winthrop.
Indiana Newspaper Holdings for Warren 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. The Courthouse at Williamsport was destroyed by fire on Sunday, January 20, 1907. All the records but those of the commissioners were saved.
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 Warren County Courthouse History
Warren County Clerk has Marriage Records from 1827 , Probate Records from 1829 and Court Records from 1828 and is located at 125 North Monroe Street, # 11, Williamsport, IN 47993; Pho: (765) 762-3510, Fax: (765) 762-7251 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.
Warren County Recorder has Land Records from 1830 and is located at 125 North Monroe Street, Williamsport, IN 47993; (765) 762-3510 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.
Warren County Health Department has Birth / Death Records from 1882 and is located at 210 South Perry Street, Attica, IN 47918; (765) 762-3035
Below is a list of online resources for Warren County Court Records. Email us with websites containing Warren 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 Warren County Vital Records. Email us with websites containing Warren 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 Warren County Census Records. Email us with websites containing Warren 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 Warren County Maps. Email us with websites containing Warren 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 Warren County Military Records. Email us with websites containing Warren 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 Warren County Tax Records. Email us with websites containing Warren 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 Warren County Genealogical Addresses. Email us with websites containing Warren County Genealogical Addresses by clicking the link below:
Warren County Historical Society, P.O. Box 176, Williamsport, IN 47993
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 Warren County Cemetery & Church Records. Email us with websites containing Warren 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 Warren County Family Trees, web forums and other family type information. Email us with websites containing Warren 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
Warren County, organized in 1828, was named in honor of General Joseph Warren, of the Revolutionary War, who fell in the Battle of Bunker's Hill. It is bounded north by Benton, east and southeast by Tippecanoe and Fountain, south by Vermillion, and west by the State of Illinois, and it contains about 360 square miles. The civil townships are Medina and Pine in the north; Mound and Steuben in the south, and Warren, Washington, Liberty and Pike in the center. The population in 1830 was 2,834, in 1840, 5,646, and at this time [1849] is about 8,000.
On the river there is an average width of bottom for half a mile, then come the bluffs from 60 to 200 feet in height, very much broken and precipitous, then follows a gently ascending and undulating surface to the Illinois line. The strip of timber along the river averages six miles in width, being much the heaviest near the river, and it runs out into points on the prairies along the borders of the creeks, and there are also occasional groves in the prairies. At least half the county is prairie, consisting of arms of the Grand Prairie, which have uniformly a rich loamy soil, generally sandy. About half the timbered land is either so hilly or so poor, as not to be profitable for farming; the balance of the timberland has a rich soil.
The surplus products are wheat, corn oats and grass, and pork, beef cattle, horses and mules estimated to be worth $200,000 annually, and the amount must soon be largely increased. There are in the county 13 sawmills, six gristmills, three woolen factories, 14 stores, six warehouses, two groceries, five lawyers, 13 physicians, 14 preachers of the Gospel, 25 carpenters, 45 blacksmiths, 15 saddlers, eight shoemakers, 25 tanners, 14 wagon makers and eight cabinetmakers. There are also nine churches, of which four belong to the Methodists, two to the United Brethren, one to the Campbellites, one to the Baptists and one to the Newlights.
The taxable land in the county amounts to 179,893 acres, and about 30,000 acres still belong to the United States.
Near Williamsport is a remarkable fall. The water of Fall Branch is precipitated over a perpendicular rock 70 feet, into a wild glen, surrounded with steep rock, pine trees, etc. A pathway appears to have been made by some convulsion of nature, by which persons can descend in single file to a platform half way down the precipice, and there have a good view of the scene.
There is a Chalybeate spring in a deep ravine below Williamsport, much resorted to by invalids. The Grand Prairie, and much other wild and romantic scenery within on hour's ride, must make the place very pleasant as an occasional residence. Schoonover's Hotel also affords other inducements.
1938 Adams County Retrospect - Based on "Indiana Review," published by the State Legislature
About half of Warren County was once heavily timbered and is traversed by streams and dotted with hills. The remainder is rolling prairie lying on the edge of what is known as the Grand Prairie. The northwest portion of the county is characterized by rich, black loam, which produces an abundant supply of corn, oats, and hay. In the southeast part, along the Wabash River and its Tributaries, clay predominates, and corn, wheat, timothy, and clover are the principal crops. Large deposits of gravel for cement are found along the river. Some high quality coal has also been mined in Warren County.
Warren is one of the western counties, which form par of the Illinois line. The Wabash River forms its entire southeastern border. The county has an area of 368 square miles and is divided into twelve townships.
The incorporated towns of Warren County are Williamsport, population 1,053; West Lebanon, 595; Pine Village, 323, and State Line, 165. Total county population in 1890 was 10,955; 1900, 11,371; 1910, 10,899; 1920, 9,699; 1930, 9,167.
Williamsport is located on the Wabash River, twenty-five miles southwest of Lafayette, and is served by one railroad. Its importance is as a center for the county's grain, dairying, livestock, and poultry interests.
There are a number of places of scenic beauty in Warren County, one of the most unusual being a waterfall, which falls over a perpendicular rock into a wild glen. At the Courthouse in Williamsport are two World War Memorials, one a bronze tablet and the other a service flag listing the names of the men in the county that served in the war.
Warren County had one manufacturing establishment, according to 1935 federal census figures.
The county had 1,300 farms averaging 166 acres each and having a total value of $12,718,631. A total of 45,903 head of livestock was reported. The total county tax valuation for 1936 was $15,296,080.
