Bremer County, Iowa Genealogy

United States

Iowa

Bremer County

Guide to Bremer County, Iowa ancestry, genealogy and family history, birth records, marriage records, death records, census records, and military records.

Iowa Online Genealogy Records

County Facts County seat: Waverly Organized: 15 August 1853 Parent County(s): Unorganized territority Neighboring Counties Black Hawk • Buchanan • Butler • Chickasaw • Fayette • Floyd See County Maps Courthouse Location Map

County Information

Description

Bremer County was named for Fredrika Bremer and is located in northeastern Iowa.

County Courthouse

Bremer County Courthouse
415 E Bremer Ave
Waverly, IA 50677
Phone: 319-352-5661
Bremer County Website

Bremer County, Iowa Record Dates

Information for this chart was taken from various sources, often containing conflicting dates. This information should be taken as a guide and should be verified by contacting the county and/or the state government agency.

Known Beginning Dates for Government County Records
Birth*	Marriage	Death*	Court	Land	Probate	Census
1800s	1800s	1800s	1853	1800s	1852	1847
* Statewide registration started for births in July 1880 and for deaths January 1891. General compliance by 1924.

Record Loss

There is no known history of courthouse disasters in this county.

Boundary Changes

1851 Bremer County was created 15 January 1851 from unorganized territory. Organized: 15 August 1853 County seat: Waverly Iowa Individual County Chronologies - Newberry Library list of all boundary changes by county Iowa Historical Borders - Map at Newberry Library Atlas of Historical County Boundaries; Also at: mapofus.org - animated maps illustrating Iowa county boundary changes

Populated Places

For a complete list of populated places, including small neighborhoods and suburbs, visit HomeTown Locator. The following are the most historically and genealogically relevant populated places in this county:

Cities
Denver Frederika Janesville	Plainfield Readlyn Summer	Tripoli Waverly
Unincorporated communities
Bremer Horton	Klinger Siegel	Waverly Junction
Townships
Dayton Douglas Franklin Frederika Fremont	Jackson Jefferson Lafayette Le Roy Maxfield	Polk Summer No. 2 Warren Washington

History Timeline

• Bremer County was attached to Delaware, Buchanan, and Black Hawk Counties.

Resources

Bible Records

Listed below are resources for Bible records specific to Bremer County. To find more resources, go to the Iowa Bible Records page.

• Coburn Family Bible Records at Bible Records.com

Biographies

• Bremer County, Iowa Biographies Project at RootsWeb — links to biographies and local histories
  

Business, Commerce, and Occupations

• Iowa, State Employees at MyHeritage — index & images ($)

Cemeteries

Cemeteries of Bremer County, Iowa online and in print
Tombstone Transcriptions Online	BillionGraves Find a Grave IA Tombstone Transcription Project IAGenWeb Iowa Gravestone Photo Project Iowa WPA Graves USGenWeb Archives Iowa, Church and Civil Deaths (cemetery records), incomplete
Tombstone Transcriptions in Print (Often more complete)	FamilySearch Library WorldCat
List of Cemeteries in the County	FamilySearch Places Find a Grave
See Iowa Cemeteries for more information.

Census Records

Iowa recorded not only federal, but state censuses for several in-between years as well. For more information, see the very informative Iowa Census article.

Historical populations
Census	Pop.	%±
1860	4,915	—
1870	12,528	154.9%
1880	14,081	12.4%
1890	14,630	3.9%
1900	16,305	11.4%
1910	15,843	−2.8%
1920	16,728	5.6%
1930	17,046	1.9%
1940	17,932	5.2%
1950	18,884	5.3%
1960	21,108	11.8%
1970	22,737	7.7%
1980	24,820	9.2%
1990	22,813	−8.1%
2000	23,325	2.2%
2010	24,276	4.1%
Source: "Wikipedia.org".

State Census

• 1885 Iowa State Census, 1885 at FamilySearch — How to Use this Collection; index & images
• 1895 Iowa State Census, 1895 at FamilySearch — How to Use this Collection; index & images
• 1905 Iowa State Census, 1905 at FamilySearch — How to Use this Collection; index & images (individual cards, not family context)
• 1915 Iowa State Census, 1915 at FamilySearch — How to Use this Collection; index & images
• 1925 Iowa State Census, 1925 at FamilySearch — How to Use this Collection; index & images

Church Records

Most church records are held by individual churches. Some denominations are gathering their records into a central repository. For more information about these major repositories, see Iowa Church Records.

List of Churches and Church Parishes

• FamilySearch Places

Lutheran

• U.S., Evangelical Lutheran Church in America Church Records, 1781-1969 at Ancestry ($)
• 1845-1987 Iowa, Church and Civil Deaths, 1845-1987 at FamilySearch — How to Use this Collection; index & images; selected counties, incomplete; includes, death, church, and cemetery records
  

Court Records

• 1853-1866 Court Records, 1853-1866(*); County Court at FamilySearch Catalog — images
• 1854-1862 Court Records, 1854-1862(*); District Court at FamilySearch Catalog — images
• 1880-1948 index 1880-1948(*); County Recorder at FamilySearch Catalog — index & images
• 1881-1927 Miscellaneous Records, 1881-1927(*); County Recorder at FamilySearch Catalog — images
• 1906-1921 Justice's Docket, 1906-1921(*); Justice of the Peace Court at FamilySearch Catalog — images

Directories

• 1894 Plat Book of Bremer County, Iowa(*) at FamilySearch Catalog — images
• 1970-2024 United States, Residence Database, 1970-2024 at FamilySearch — How to Use this Collection; index, coverage may vary

Funeral Homes

• Becker and Son Funeral Homes in Sumner and Tripoli
• Kaiser Corson Funeral Homes, Inc. in Denver, Readlyn and Waverly
• S. K. Rogers Funeral Home in Sumner

Land and Property Records

Land and property records can place an ancestor in a particular location, provide economic information, and reveal family relationships. They include: deeds, abstracts and indexes, mortgages, leases, grants and land patents.

See Iowa Land and Property for information about early Iowa land grants. After land was transferred to private ownership, transactions were usually recorded and housed at the county courthouse.

Online Land Indexes and Records

• 1863-1945 Tax sale deed record, 1863-1945 at FamilySearch Catalog - images
• Full-Text Search - Land Records at FamilySearch - index & images; dates, records, and places vary; How to Search

Local Histories

Local histories are available for Bremer County, which may include biographies, church, school and government history, and military information. For more information about local histories, see Iowa Local Histories.

• History of Bremer County, Iowa. 2 volumes. By J.F. Grawe. Chicago: S.J. Clarke Pub. Co., 1914. Online at: Vol. I — FamilySearch Digital Library; Vol. II - FamilySearch Digital Library; At various libraries (WorldCat).
• History of Butler and Bremer Counties, Iowa. Springfield, Illinois: Union Pub. Co., 1883. Online at: FamilySearch Digital Library, Internet Archive, Ancestry ($); At various libraries (WorldCat).
• Pioneer Days of Bremer County, Iowa. By W.V. Lucas. Waverly, Iowa: Waverly Democrat, 1918. Online at: FamilySearch Digital Library.

Maps and Gazetteers

County and state maps, historical and more current, are valuable research tools. For online maps and collections in libraries and societies, see Iowa Maps. Historical maps may be especially useful.

Click a neighboring county
for more resources

• 1860-1918 U.S., Indexed County Land Ownership Maps, 1860-1918, Bremer County at Ancestry ($) - index.
• 1875-2007 Bremer County 1875-2007 at Historic Map Works - may include names of land-owners.
• 1885-1935 Fire Insurance Maps for Bremer County, Iowa at Library of Congress - various years between 1885 and 1935.
• Atlas of Bremer County, Iowa(*); at FamilySearch Catalog — images.
• Bremer County Maps at FamilySearch Catalog.
• IAGenWeb - Bremer County.
• Iowa Digital Library, Bremer County at Iowa University Libraries.
• Plat Book of Bremer County, Iowa(*); at FamilySearch Catalog — images.
• The Iowa Heritage Digital Collections, Bremer County at State Library of Iowa.
• FamilySearch Places: Map of cities and towns in this county - How to Use FS Places

Military Records

Multiple Wars

• 1835-1998 Iowa, Armed Forces Grave Registrations, ca. 1835-1998 at FamilySearch — How to Use this Collection; index only
• 1862-1910 Iowa, Records of Persons Subject to Military Duty, 1862-1910 at FamilySearch — How to Use this Collection; index & images

Civil War

• 1861-1949 Iowa, Grand Army of the Republic Membership Records, 1861-1949 at FamilySearch — How to Use this Collection; index & images

Civil War service men in Bremer County served in various regiments. Men often joined a company (within a regiment) that originated in their county. Listed below are companies that were specifically formed here:

- 9th Regiment, Iowa Infantry, Company G

Naturalization and Citizenship

Please see the Iowa Naturalization and Citizenship page for state-wide information.

Online Naturalization Records

• 1854-1862 Court Records, 1854-1862(*); District and County Courts at FamilySearch Catalog — some indexes, images
• 1859-1990 United States, Iowa Naturalization Records, 1859-1990 at FamilySearch — How to Use this Collection; index & images
• 1873-1947 Naturalization Records, 1873-1947(*); District and County Courts at FamilySearch Catalog — some indexes, images

Newspapers

• 1800s-Current Iowa, U.S., Newspapers.com™ Stories and Events Index, 1800's-Current at Ancestry — index & images ($)
• 1956 Bremer County Independent and Waverly Republican (Waverly, Iowa) at Ancestry — index & images ($)
• 1976 Plainfield News (Plainfield, Iowa) at Ancestry — index & images ($)
• 1881-2008 Sumner Public Library Archives, Bremer County has the Sumner Gazette (1881-2008) available online. Requires log-in.
• Historical Iowa Newspapers at NewspaperArchive ($) This database is sometimes free at libraries.

Probate Records

In most counties in Iowa, probate records have been kept by the county judge. They include wills, fee books, claim registers, legacy records, inheritance records, probate ticklers, and dockets. The records are available at the county courthouse.

Online Probate Indexes and Records

• 1758-1997 Iowa, U.S., Wills and Probate Records, 1758-1997 at Ancestry — index & images ($)
• 1852-1927 Probate Records, 1852-1927(*); District Court at FamilySearch Catalog - index & images
• 1880-1948 Miscellaneous Records, 1881-1927; Index 1880-1948(*); County Recorder at FamilySearch Catalog - index & images
• Full-Text Search - Wills and Probate Records at FamilySearch - index & images; dates, records, and places vary; How to Search

Social Security Records

• 1935-2014 United States Social Security Death Index at FamilySearch — How to Use this Collection; index. Also at Ancestry, findmypast, Fold3, GenealogyBank, MyHeritage, and Steve Morse. Click here for more information.
• 1936-2007 U.S., Social Security Applications and Claims Index, 1936-2007 at Ancestry — index & images ($)
• 1936-2007 United States, Social Security Numerical Identification Files (NUMIDENT), 1936-2007 at FamilySearch - How to Use this Collection; index

Tax Records

Iowa tax records complement land records and can supplement the years between censuses. Iowa's unique Old Age Assistance tax gives names, addresses and birth years. There may be gaps of several years. For more information, see the wiki page Iowa Taxation.

Online Tax Indexes and Records

• 1934-1958 Iowa, Old Age Tax Assistance Records, 1934-1958 at FamilySearch — How to Use this Collection; index & images

Vital Records

Vital Records consist of births, marriages, divorces, and deaths recorded by civil officials on registers, certificates, and other documents. Copies or extracts may be purchased from the Iowa Department of Public Health or the County Clerk's office. See also Iowa Vital Records.

Birth

• 1850-1939 Iowa, Delayed Birth Records, 1850-1939 at FamilySearch — How to Use this Collection; index & images
• 1880-1935 Iowa, County Births, 1880-1935 at FamilySearch — How to Use this Collection; index & images
• 1921-1942 Iowa, Birth Records, 1921-1942 at FamilySearch — How to Use this Collection; index & images
• 1921-1947 Iowa, Birth and Stillbirth Records, 1921-1947 at FamilySearch — How to Use this Collection; index & images, coverage may vary

Marriage

• 1518-1996 Iowa, United States Marriages at Findmypast — index ($)
• 1809-1992 Iowa, Marriages, 1809-1992 at MyHeritage — index ($)
• 1836-1926 Iowa, Marriages, 1836 - 1926 at MyHeritage — index ($)
• 1838-1934 Iowa, County Marriages, 1838-1934 at FamilySearch — How to Use this Collection; index & images
• 1880-1951 Iowa, U.S., Marriage Records, 1880-1951 at Ancestry — index & images ($)
• 1941-1951 Iowa, Marriage Records, 1941-1951 at FamilySearch — How to Use this Collection; index & images

Death

• 1845-1987 Iowa, Church and Civil Deaths, 1845-1987 at FamilySearch — How to Use this Collection; index & images; selected counties, incomplete; includes, death, church, and cemetery records
  
• 1850-1990 Iowa Deaths and Burials, 1850-1990 at FamilySearch — How to Use this Collection; index and some images; Also at: MyHeritage($)
• 1880-1992 Iowa, County Death Records, 1880-1992 at FamilySearch — How to Use this Collection; index & images
• 1888-1904 Iowa, Death Records, 1888-1904 at FamilySearch — How to Use this Collection; index and images, coverage may vary
• 1900-1939 Iowa Death Index, 1900-1939 at MyHeritage — index ($)
• 1904-1951 Iowa, Death Records, 1904-1951 at FamilySearch — How to Use this Collection; index & images
• 1920-1967 Iowa, U.S., Death Records, 1920-1967 at Ancestry — index & images ($)

Research Facilities

Archives

Listed below are archives in Bremer County. For state-wide library facilities, see Iowa Archives and Libraries.

FamilySearch Centers

FamilySearch Center and Affiliate Library Locator map - search for local FamilySearch Centers or Affiliate Libraries

• FamilySearch Centers provide one-on-one assistance, free access to center-only databases, and to premium genealogical websites.
• FamilySearch Affiliate Libraries have access to most center-only databases, but may not always have full services normally provided by a FamilySearch center.
  

Local Centers and Affiliate Libraries

• Cedar Falls/Waterloo Iowa FamilySearch Center
• Mason City Iowa FamilySearch Center
• African American Museum Of Iowa - an affiliate library
• Genealogical Society of Linn County, Iowa - an affiliate library

Libraries

Listed below are libraries in Bremer County. For state-wide library facilities, see Iowa Archives and Libraries.

Tripoli Public Library
101 4th Avenue SW
P.O. Box 430
Tripoli, IA 50676
Phone: 319-882-4807
Email: director@tripoli.lib.ia.us
Website

Waverly Public Library
1500 W Bremer Ave
Waverly, IA 50677
Phone: 319-352-1223
Email: waverly@waverly.lib.ia.us
Website

Museums

The Bremer County Historical Society Museum
402 W Bremer Ave
Waverly, IA 50677
Email: bremercountyhistoricalsociety@gmail.com
Website

Societies

Listed below are societies in Bremer County. For state-wide genealogical societies, see Iowa Societies.

Bremer County Iowa Genealogical Society
426 Washington St
Waverly, IA 50677-9033
Website

The Bremer County Historical Society Museum
402 W Bremer Ave
Waverly, IA 50677
Email: bremercountyhistoricalsociety@gmail.com
Website

Websites

• Bremer County at Cyndi's List - a comprehensive, categorized & cross-referenced list of links that point you to genealogical research sites online
• Bremer County at Genealogy Trails - volunteer transcriptions of genealogical and historical data
• Bremer County at Iowa USGenWeb - free online resources for genealogical research
• Bremer County at Iowa USGenWeb Archives - free online data for genealogical research
• State Historical Society of Iowa — select from research collection topics
• State Library of Iowa — electronic depository of documents intended for the general public produced by Iowa agencies
• The Iowa Heritage Digital Collection — digital images from a variety of Iowa cultural institutions
• FamilySearch Catalog – The FamilySearch catalog contains descriptions and access information for all genealogical materials (including books, online materials, microfilm, microfiche, and publications) in their collection.  Use Historical Records to search for specific individuals in genealogical records.

This table contains the dates the local or state government began recording in the county or county equivalent. Use substitute records for earlier dates. If you believe there is an error, email us at wikisupport@familysearch.org.

County boundary maps are currently unavailable. Download information instead.

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To access available information, first log into FamilySearch.

Due to contractual agreements, some images and/or databases on FamilySearch.org may only be viewed at a FamilySearch Center or FamilySearch Affiliate Library.

Users should verify which locations and dates are included in this collection.

“Current” indicates records are available as recently as privacy laws allow. This date can change from year to year. To determine the exact dates available, contact the respective organization/repository.

FamilySearch affiliate libraries may have access to center-only databases, but do not always have all services normally provided by a FamilySearch center.