Emmet County, Iowa Genealogy

United States

Iowa

Emmet County

Guide to Emmet 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: Estherville Organized: 07 February 1859 Parent County(s): Unorganized territory Neighboring Counties Clay • Dickinson • Kossuth • Palo Alto • Martin (MN) See County Maps Courthouse Location Map

County Information

Description

Emmet County was named for Robert Emmet and is located in northwestern Iowa.

County Courthouse

Emmet County Website
609 1st Avenue North
Estherville, Iowa 51334
Phone: 712-362-6099
Emmet County Website

Emmet 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
1883	1890	1890	1859	1876	1885	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--Emmet County was created 15 January 1851 from unorganized territory. It was attached to Bonne and Webster Counties prior to organization 7 February 1859. County seat: Estherville 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
Armstrong Dolliver	Estherville Gruver	Ringsted Wallingford
Unincorporated communities
Forsyth Gridley Halfa	Hoprig Huntington Island Grove	Maple Hill Raleigh
Townships
Armstrong Grove Center Denmark Ellsworth	Emmett Estherville High Lake Iowa Lake	Jack Creek Lincoln Swan Lake Twelve Mile Lake

Resources

Bible Records

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

Biographies

• Emmet County History and Biographies of Families living in the County Prior to 1946. Shawnee Mission, KS: Inter-Collegiate Press, 1976. Online at: FamilySearch Digital Library.
• History of Emmet County and Dickinson County, Iowa . Chicago, IL: The Pioneer Publishing Company, 1917. Online at: Vol. I - FamilySearch Digital Libary, Internet Archive, HathiTrust; Vol. II - FamilySearch Digital Library, Internet Archive, HathiTrust.

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

Business, Commerce, and Occupations

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

Cemeteries

Cemeteries of Emmet County, Iowa online and in print
Tombstone Transcriptions Online	BillionGraves Find a Grave IA Tombstone Transcription Project Emmet County Cemeteries at IAGenWeb Iowa Gravestone Photo Project USGenWeb Archives WPA 1930's Graves Registration Survey 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	105	—
1870	1,392	1225.7%
1880	1,550	11.4%
1890	4,274	175.7%
1900	9,936	132.5%
1910	9,816	−1.2%
1920	12,627	28.6%
1930	12,856	1.8%
1940	13,406	4.3%
1950	14,102	5.2%
1960	14,871	5.5%
1970	14,009	−5.8%
1980	13,336	−4.8%
1990	11,569	−13.2%
2000	11,027	−4.7%
2010	10,302	−6.6%
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.

• 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
  
• FamilySearch Places
• Emmet County Early Churches at IAGenWeb

Lutheran

• 1781-1969 U.S., Evangelical Lutheran Church in America Church Records, 1781-1969 at Ancestry — index & images ($)

Court Records

• 1859-1913 Judgment Docket, 1859-1913, A - Z of Emmet County, Iowa(*); at FamilySearch Catalog — images
• 1906-1986 Divorce Record, 1906-1986(*); Clerk of the District Court at FamilySearch Catalog — images

Directories

• 1970-2024 United States, Residence Database, 1970-2024 at FamilySearch — How to Use this Collection; index, coverage may vary

• The Northern Vindicator's Directory of Esterville and Emmet County(*) at FamilySearch Catalog — images
• Emmet County Various Directories at IAGenWeb

Emigration and Immigration

Emmet County Danish Immigrants at IAGenWeb

Funeral Homes

• Henry-Olson-Fuhrman Funeral Home and Crematory in Armstrong and Estherville
  

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

• 1876-1904 Transfer of lands, 1876-1904 at FamilySearch Catalog - images
• 1876-1961 Land deed record, 1876-1961; general index, 1876-1904 at FamilySearch Catalog - images
• 1877-1907 Town lot deed record, 1877-1907; general index, 1877-1905 at FamilySearch Catalog - images
• 1884-1941 Homestead record, 1884 - 1941 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 Emmet County, which may include biographies, church, school and government history, and military information. For more information about local histories, see Iowa Local Histories.

• Emmet County History and Biographies of Families living in the County Prior to 1946. Shawnee Mission, KS: Inter-Collegiate Press, 1976. Online at: FamilySearch Digital Library.
• History of Emmet County and Dickinson County, Iowa . Chicago, IL: The Pioneer Publishing Company, 1917. Online at: Vol. I - FamilySearch Digital Libary, Internet Archive, HathiTrust; Vol. II - FamilySearch Digital Library, Internet Archive, HathiTrust.

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, Emmet County at Ancestry ($) - index.
• 1904-2007 Emmet County 1904-2007 at Historic Map Works - may include names of land-owners.
• 1897-1920 Fire Insurance Maps for Emmet County, Iowa at Library of Congress - various years between 1897 and 1920.
• Emmet County Maps at FamilySearch Catalog.
• Emmet County Maps at IAGenWeb
• Iowa Digital Library, Emmet County at Iowa University Libraries.
• Standard Atlas of Emmet County, Iowa(*); at FamilySearch Catalog — images.
• The Iowa Heritage Digital Collections, Emmet 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
• Emmet County Military Tributes at IAGenWeb

Civil War

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

Naturalization and Citizenship

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

Online Naturalization Indexes and Records

• 1859-1990 United States, Iowa Naturalization Records, 1859-1990 at FamilySearch — How to Use this Collection; index & images
• 1870-1930 Naturalization Record, 1870-1930(*); District Court at FamilySearch Catalog — images

Newspapers

• 1800s-Current Iowa, U.S., Newspapers.com™ Stories and Events Index, 1800's-Current at Ancestry — index & images ($)

Obituaries

Emmet County Obituaries, IAGenWeb Project

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 ($)
• 1877-1986 Probate Records, 1877-1944; General Index, 1877-1986(*); District Court at FamilySearch Catalog - index & images
• Full-Text Search - Wills and Probate Records at FamilySearch - index & images; dates, records, and places vary; How to Search

School Records

Emmet County School Records at IAGenWeb

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
• Emmet County Birth Records at IAGenWeb

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
• Emmet County Marriages at IAGenWeb

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 Emmet 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

• Spencer Iowa FamilySearch Center
• Storm Lake Iowa FamilySearch Center
• Waseca County Historical - an affiliate library

Libraries

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

Estherville Public Library
613 Central Avenue
Estherville, IA 51334
Phone: 712-362-7731
Email: info@estherville.lib.ia.us
Website
Facebook

Museums

Emmet County Historical Society Museum
1720 3rd Avenue South
Estherville, IA 51334
Phone: 712-362-2750
Facebook

Societies

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

Emmett County Genealogical Society, IAGenWeb Project
c/o Estherville Public Library
613 Central Avenue
Estherville, IA 51334-2294
Website

The Emmet County Historical Society
1720 3rd Avenue South
P.O. Box 101
Estherville, IA 51334-0101
Phone: 712-362-2750
Facebook

Websites

• Emmet County at Cyndi's List - a comprehensive, categorized & cross-referenced list of links that point you to genealogical research sites online
• Emmet County at Genealogy Trails - volunteer transcriptions of genealogical and historical data
• Emmet County at Iowa USGenWeb - free online resources for genealogical research
• Emmet 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.