Brown County, Indiana Genealogy
Guide to Brown County, Indiana ancestry, genealogy and family history, birth records, marriage records, death records, census records, and military records.
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County Information
Description
Brown County was named for Gen. Jacob Brown, who defeated the British at the Battle of Sackett's Harbor in the War of 1812.[1] The county is located in the south-central area of the state.[2]
County Courthouse
Brown County Courthouse
Main St and Van Buren Street
Nashville, IN 47448
Phone: 812-988-5510
County Website
Brown County Health Department
201 Locust Lane, P.O. Box 281
Nashville, IN, 47448
Health Officer: Norman Oestrike, MD
Phone Number: 812-988-2255
Fax: 812-988-5601
Email: bchealth@browncounty-IN.us
Health Department
County Health Department has birth and death records from 1882.
County Clerk has marriage and probate and court records from 1836 divorce records from 1850, court ordered birth records from 1942.
County Recorder has land records from 1874. [3]
Health Department has birth records and death records filed.
Copies may be obtained from the county health department or the Indiana State Division of Vital Records.
Brown County, Indiana 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.
| Birth* | Marriage | Death* | Court | Land | Probate | Census |
| 1882 | 1836 | 1882 | 1836 | 1874 | 1836 | 1807 |
Record Loss
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Courthouse destroyed by fire in 1873, all records except some clerk's files were lost. For suggestions about research in places that suffered historic record losses, see:
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Boundary Changes
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Populated Places
| Towns | ||
| Unincorporated communities | ||
| Census-designated places | ||
| Townships | ||
| Ghost towns | ||
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History Timeline
Resources
Bible Records
Biographies
Business, Commerce, and Occupations
Occupations
- Roster of Civilian Conservation Corps, Nashville, Brown County, Indiana (1938) at Indiana Genealogical Society ($)
Cemeteries
Census Records
For tips on accessing Brown County census records online, see: Indiana Census.
| Historical populations | ||
|---|---|---|
| Census | Pop. | %± |
| 1840 | 2,364 | — |
| 1850 | 4,846 | 105.0% |
| 1860 | 6,507 | 34.3% |
| 1870 | 8,681 | 33.4% |
| 1880 | 10,264 | 18.2% |
| 1890 | 10,308 | 0.4% |
| 1900 | 9,727 | −5.6% |
| 1910 | 7,975 | −18.0% |
| 1920 | 7,019 | −12.0% |
| 1930 | 5,168 | −26.4% |
| 1940 | 6,189 | 19.8% |
| 1950 | 6,209 | 0.3% |
| 1960 | 7,024 | 13.1% |
| 1970 | 9,057 | 28.9% |
| 1980 | 12,377 | 36.7% |
| 1990 | 14,080 | 13.8% |
| 2000 | 14,957 | 6.2% |
| 2010 | 15,242 | 1.9% |
| Source: "Wikipedia.org". | ||
- Index to Defective, Dependent, Delinquent Census (1880) at Indiana Genealogical Society ($)
Church Records
Most church records are held by individual churches. For contact information, check a phone directory, such as SearchBug or Dex Knows. Some denominations are gathering their records into a central repository.
For more information about these major repositories, see Indiana Church Records.
List of Churches and Church Parishes
Court Records
- 1818-1954 Indiana Court Cases at MyHeritage — index ($)
- 1837-1923 Brown County, Indiana, Court Records, 1837-1923, and Indexes to Suits (no dates)(*); Circuit and Supreme Court, Court of Common Pleas at FamilySearch Catalog — index & images
- Brown County, Indiana, Circuit Court Records, Civil and Criminal, 1836 to 1945, Index. 1993. By Helen H Reeve. Brown County, Indiana : Brown County, Indiana. Online at: FamilySearch Digital Library.
- Index to Insanity Records for Brown County, Indiana (1848-1941) at Indiana Genealogical Society ($)
Directories
- 1970-2024 United States, Residence Database, 1970-2024 at FamilySearch — How to Use this Collection; index, coverage may vary
- Directory of Businesses (1868) at Indiana Genealogical Society ($)
Emigration and Immigration
Ethnic, Political, and Religious Groups
Funeral Homes
- 1891-1975 Selected Records, Funeral Homes of Columbus, Indiana : Barkes, Inlow & Weaver, 1935-1949; Hathaway-Myers, 1907-1975; Reed-Jewell, 1891-1975(*); at FamilySearch Catalog — images
- Bond-Mitchell Funeral Home in Nashville.
Genealogies
Guardianship
Land and Property Records
Land and property records can place an ancestor in a particular location, provide economic information, and reveal family relationships. Land records include: deeds, abstracts and indexes, mortgages, leases, grants and land patents. See Indiana Land and Property for additional information about early Indiana land grants and patents.
After land was transferred from the government to private ownership, subsequent transactions were recorded at the Brown County courthouse, where records are currently housed.
Online Land Indexes and Records
- Full-Text Search - Land Records at FamilySearch - index & images; dates, records, and places vary; How to Search
Local Histories
Local histories are available for Brown County. County histories may include biographies; church, school and government histories; and military information. For more information about local histories, see Indiana Local Histories.
- Counties of Morgan, Monroe, and Brown, Indiana. 1884. Charles Blanchard, Editor. Chicago, Illinois : F.A. Battey. Online at: FamilySearch Digital Library, Hathitrust, Internet Archive, Ancestry ($); At various libraries (WorldCat).
Maps and Gazetteers
for more resources
- Old Antique Atlases & Maps of Indiana
- Brown County, Indiana: Maps and Gazetteers - Linkpendium
- FamilySearch Places: Map of cities and towns in this county - How to Use FS Places
Migration
Military Records
- Military Record Series Index at Indiana Digital Archives
Civil War
Civil War service men from Brown County served in various regiments. Men often joined a regiment or a company (within a regiment)that originated in their county. Listed below are the military units that were formed in or had many men from Brown County.
- 22nd Regiment, Indiana Infantry, Company B
- 82nd Regiment, Indiana Infantry, Companies D, and H
- 120th Regiment, Indiana Infantry, Companies I, and K
- 145th Regiment, Indiana Infantry, Company K
Civil War Books:
- Indiana Genealogical Society. Indiana Veterans Enrollment List. 1890 Brown County. [Indiana]: (Indiana Genealogical Society, 2006.) CD-ROM no. 4168 Computer US/CAN DesktopFS Library Collection other library
- "Military History" in Blanchard, Charles. Counties of Morgan, Monroe, and Brown, Indiana. Historical and Biographical. (Chicago: F.A. Battey & Co, 1884.) page 703-713,977.2 FamilySearch Digital Book; other library INTERNET ARCHIVE
World War I
Naturalization and Citizenship
- Naturalization Record Series (for this county) at Indiana Digital Archives. Search by names.
Newspapers
Indiana newspapers may contain genealogical value including obituaries, births, marriages, deaths, anniversaries, family gatherings, family travel, achievements, business notices, engagement information, and probate court proceedings.
For more Indiana newspaper information see the wiki page Indiana Newspapers.
- 1800s-Current Indiana, U.S., Newspapers.com™ Stories and Events Index, 1800's-Current at Ancestry — index & images ($)
- 1800s-1999 U.S., Newspapers.com Marriage Index, 1800s-1999 at Ancestry - index ($)
- Hoosier State Chronicles
Obituaries
- Brown County, Indiana Obituary and Death Notice Collection Free from GenealogyBuff.com. Obits and death notices from Various Funeral Homes in the Hamblen, Nashville, and Helmsburg areas.
Other Records
Periodicals
Probate Records
In most counties in Indiana, probate records have been kept by the county clerk of the circuit court. They include wills, fee books, claim registers, legacy records, inheritance records, probate ticklers, and dockets. The records are available at the Brown County courthouse. For more information, see Indiana Probate Records.
Online Probate Indexes and Records
- 1798-1999 Indiana Wills and Probate Records 1798-1999 at Ancestry ($)
- 1836-1945 Brown County, Indiana, Abstracts of Probate Records, 1836-1945. By Reeve, Helen H. Nashville, Indiana : Brown County Historical Society. 1992. Online at: FamilySearch Digital Library
- 1837-1877 Probate Records 1837-1957 ; Index 1856-1877(*); Circuit Court at FamilySearch Catalog — index & images
- 1845-1914 Brown County, Indiana Will Records, Books A and B, 1845-1914. By Slevin, Ruth M. Brown County, Indiana : Brown County, Indiana. 1972. Online at: FamilySearch Digital Library
- 1853-1855 Record of Sale Bills, Vol. A, 1853-1855(*); Court of Common Pleas at FamilySearch Catalog — index & images
- Index of Estates(*); Circuit Court at FamilySearch Catalog — images
- Full-Text Search - Wills and Probate Records at FamilySearch - index & images; dates, records, and places vary; How to Search
School Records
Social Security Records
- 1935-2014 United States Social Security Death Index at FamilySearch - How to Use this Collection; index. Also at Ancestry, findmypast, Fold3, GenealogyBank, MyHeritage, and Steve Morse. Click here for more information.
- 1936-2007 U.S., Social Security Applications and Claims Index, 1936-2007 at Ancestry ($) — index, click here for more information.
- 1936-2007 United States, Social Security Numerical Identification Files (NUMIDENT), 1936-2007 at FamilySearch - How to Use this Collection; index
Tax Records
Indiana tax records complement land records and can be used in place of censuses or to supplement the years between censuses. Because only persons who owned taxable property were listed, many residents were not included in tax lists. There may also be gaps of several years in the tax records of some counties. For more information see the wiki page Indiana Taxation.
- Tax List of Brown County, Indiana (1848, 1858, 1864, 1875, 1890) at Indiana Genealogical Society ($)
Vital Records
Vital records consist of birth, death, marriage and divorce records. Indiana law in 1882 required registration of births and deaths in counties. The Indiana Department of Health has birth records filed after October 1907 and death records filed after January 1900 for deaths. Copies may be obtained from the county health department or the Indiana State Division of Vital Records.
Birth
Marriage
- 1780-1992 Indiana Marriages, 1780-1992 at FamilySearch - How to Use this Collection; Also at: MyHeritage ($)
- 1800s-2007 Indiana, United States Marriages at Findmypast $
- 1811-1959 Indiana, Marriages, 1811-1959 at MyHeritage - index & images ($)
- 1811-2007 Indiana Marriages, 1811-2007 at FamilySearch - How to Use this Collection
Death
- Pre-1882 WEB: Indiana, Deaths, Pre-1882 at Ancestry - index, (Free collection)
- 1750-1993 Indiana Deaths and Burials, 1750-1993 at FamilySearch- How to Use this Collection
- 1882-1920 Indiana, Death Index, 1882-1920 at FamilySearch - Index only - How to Use this Collection
- 1899-2011 Indiana, Death Certificates, 1899-2011 at Ancestry ($)
Divorce
Research Facilities
Archives
Listed below are archives in Brown County. For state-wide archival repositories, see Indiana 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
- Bedford Indiana FamilySearch Center
- Bloomington Indiana FamilySearch Center
- Columbus Indiana FamilySearch Center
- Indianapolis Indiana FamilySearch Center
- Martinsville Indiana FamilySearch Center
- Brown County Public Library - an affiliate library
- Johnson County Museum of History Public Library - an affiliate library
- Monroe County History Center - an affiliate library
Libraries
Listed below are libraries in Brown County. For state-wide genealogical societies, see Indiana Archives and Libraries.
Museums
Societies
Listed below are societies in Brown County. For state-wide genealogical societies, see Indiana Societies.
Brown County Genealogy Society
PO Box 1202
Nashville, IN 47448-1202
Phone: 812-597-5636
Email: radunn1953@aol.com
Facebook
Website
Brown County Historical Society
90 E Gould Street
PO Box 668
Nashville, IN 47448-0668
Phone: 812-988-2899
Email: admin@browncountyhistorycenter.org
Facebook
Website
Websites
- Indiana Digital Archives Search by name in all records or specific collections
- Indiana Historical Society Digital Collections Search by county or keyword
- Indiana Memory Click the map or select a statewide collection
- List of indexes and databases at Indiana State Library
- Indiana Genealogical Society Databases Free and Members-only. Select a county
- USGenWeb project. May have maps, name indexes, history or other information for this county. Select the state, then the county.
- Brown County, Indiana Genealogy and Family History (Linkpendium)
- 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.
Research Guides
References
- ↑ Genealogy Trails History Group, “Brown County, Ohio Genealogy and History”, http://genealogytrails.com/ind/brown/ accessed 3/01/2017.
- ↑ Wikipedia contributors, "Brown County," in Wikipedia: the Free Encyclopedia, https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Brown_County,_Indiana accessed 3/01/2017.
- ↑ Handybook for Genealogists: United States of America, 10th ed. (Draper, Utah: Everton Pub., 2002), Indiana.At various libraries (WorldCat); FS Library Book 973 D27e 2002.
- ↑ Handybook for Genealogists: United States of America, 10th ed. (Draper, Utah: Everton Pub., 2002), Indiana.At various libraries (WorldCat); FS Library Book 973 D27e 2002.
- ↑ Handybook for Genealogists: United States of America, 10th ed. (Draper, Utah: Everton Pub., 2002), Indiana.At various libraries (WorldCat); FS Library Book 973 D27e 2002.
- ↑ Wikipedia contributors, "Brown County, Indiana" in Wikipedia: the Free Encyclopedia at http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Brown_County,_Indiana (accessed 10 May 2012).