Franklin County, Indiana Genealogy
Guide to Franklin 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
Franklin County was named in honor of the distinguished Benjamin Franklin.[1] It is located in the east-central area of the state.[2]
County Courthouse
Franklin County Courthouse
634 Main Street
Brookville, IN 47012-1405
Phone: 765-647-3322
County Website
Franklin County Health Department
1010 Franklin Ave. Ste. 210
Brookville, IN, 47012
Health Officer: Darrell Brimhall, MD
Phone Number: 765-647-4322
Fax: 765-647-5248
Health Department
County Clerk has marriage, divorce, probate and court records from 1811.
County Recorder has land records from 1811.
County Health Department has birth and death records from 1882.
Public Library has cemetery records from from 1817 and naturalization records from 1820. [3]
Health Department has birth records and death records.
Franklin 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 | 1811 | 1882 | 1811 | 1811 | 1811 | 1807 |
Record Loss
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Feb. 1852 Franklin County courthouse was destroyed by fire, but no records 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
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:[7]
| Cities | ||
| Towns | ||
| Census-designated places | ||
| Townships | ||
History Timeline
Resources
Bible Records
Biographies
Business, Commerce, and Occupations
Occupations
- Roster of Civilian Conservation Corps, Brookville (1938) at Indiana Genealogical Society ($)
Cemeteries
Census Records
For tips on accessing Franklin County census records online, see: Indiana Census.
| Historical populations | ||
|---|---|---|
| Census | Pop. | %± |
| 1820 | 10,763 | — |
| 1830 | 10,190 | −5.3% |
| 1840 | 13,349 | 31.0% |
| 1850 | 17,968 | 34.6% |
| 1860 | 19,549 | 8.8% |
| 1870 | 20,223 | 3.4% |
| 1880 | 20,092 | −0.6% |
| 1890 | 18,366 | −8.6% |
| 1900 | 16,388 | −10.8% |
| 1910 | 15,335 | −6.4% |
| 1920 | 14,806 | −3.4% |
| 1930 | 14,498 | −2.1% |
| 1940 | 14,412 | −0.6% |
| 1950 | 16,034 | 11.3% |
| 1960 | 17,015 | 6.1% |
| 1970 | 16,943 | −0.4% |
| 1980 | 19,612 | 15.8% |
| 1990 | 19,580 | −0.2% |
| 2000 | 22,151 | 13.1% |
| 2010 | 23,087 | 4.2% |
| Source: "Wikipedia.org". | ||
- Index to Mortality Schedule (1860) at Indiana Genealogical Society ($)
- Index to Defective, Dependent & Delinquent Census (1880) at Indiana Genealogical Society ($)
- Franklin County Census Records - INGenWeb
Church Records
Most church records are held by individual churches. For contact information, check a phone directory, such as SearchBug or Dex Knows. Some denominations are gathering their records into a central repository.
For more information about these major repositories, see Indiana Church Records.
List of Churches and Church Parishes
- Members of Big Cedar Grove Baptist Church (1817-1835) at Indiana Genealogical Society ($)
Court Records
- 1811-1813 Territorial Court of Oyer and Terminer, 1811-1813, Franklin County, Indiana(*); Territorial Court of Oyer and Terminer at FamilySearch Catalog — images
- 1811-1814 Court Records, 1811-1814(*); Court of Common Pleas at FamilySearch Catalog — images
- 1811-1814 Minutes of Court Proceedings, 1811-1814(*); Court of Common Pleas at FamilySearch Catalog — images
- 1811-1814 Territorial Court of Common Pleas, 1811-1814, Franklin County, Indiana(*); Territorial Court of Common Pleas at FamilySearch Catalog — images
- 1811-1815 Issue Docket, Minute Book, Record; 1811-1815(*); Court of Common Pleas at FamilySearch Catalog — index & images
- 1811-1816 Fee Book, 1811-1816(*); Circuit Court at FamilySearch Catalog — index & images
- 1811-1816 Minute Book and Reference Docket, 1811-1816(*); Circuit Court at FamilySearch Catalog — index & images
- 1811-1825 Court Records, 1811-1825(*); Court of Common Pleas and Circuit Court at FamilySearch Catalog — index & images
- 1811-1837 Order Books, 1811-1837(*); Circuit Court at FamilySearch Catalog — index & images
- 1814-1817 Civil Court Order Book, 1814-1817, Franklin County, Indiana(*); Circuit Court at FamilySearch Catalog — images
- 1814-1845 Court Records, 1814-1845(*); Circuit Court at FamilySearch Catalog — images
- 1815-1865 Franklin County, Indiana Miscellaneous Records, ca. 1815-1865(*); Circuit and Probate Court at FamilySearch Catalog — images
- 1818-1875 Court Civil Order Books, 1815-1922, and Complete Civil Order Books, 1818-1875, Franklin County, Indiana](*); Circuit Court at FamilySearch Catalog — index & images
- 1818-1954 Indiana Court Cases at MyHeritage — index ($)
- 1825-1826 Fee Book, 1825-1826(*); Clerk of the Circuit Court at FamilySearch Catalog — images
- 1853-1859 Partition Records, Civil, 1853-1859(*); Court of Common Pleas at FamilySearch Catalog — index & images
- 1853-1872 Franklin Court of Common Pleas Complete Civil Order Books, 1853-1872(*); Court of Common Pleas at FamilySearch Catalog — index & images
- 1853-1873 Franklin Court of Common Pleas Civil Order Books, 1853-1873(*); Court of Common Pleas at FamilySearch Catalog — index & images
- 1862-1873 Partition Records, 1862-1873(*); Circuit Court at FamilySearch Catalog — images
Directories
- 1970-2024 United States, Residence Database, 1970-2024 at FamilySearch — How to Use this Collection; index, coverage may vary
- Directory of Businesses in Franklin County (1858, 1868) at Indiana Genealogical Society ($)
- Directory of Selected Residents of Franklin County (1876) at Indiana Genealogical Society ($)
Emigration and Immigration
Ethnic, Political, and Religious Groups
Funeral Homes
- Cook Rosenberger Funeral Home in Brookville.
- Meyers Funeral Home in Batesville.
- Phillips and Meyers Funeral Home in Brookville.
- Weigel Funeral Home in Batesville.
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 Franklin 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 Franklin County. County histories may include biographies; church, school and government histories; and military information. For more information about local histories, see Indiana Local Histories.
- Biographical and Genealogical History of Wayne, Fayette, Union and Franklin Counties, Indiana. 1899. Chicago : Lewis. Online at: Vol. 1 - FamilySearch Digital Library, Internet Archive; Vol. 2 - FamilySearch Digital Library, Internet Archive, Hathitrust; At various libraries (WorldCat).
- History of Franklin County, Indiana. 1915. By August J. Reifel. Indianapolis, Ind: B.F. Bowen. Online at: FamilySearch Digital Library, Hathitrust, Internet Archive; At various libraries (WorldCat).
Maps and Gazetteers
for more resources
- Historic Indiana Maps at IUPUI University Library
- Old Antique Atlases & Maps of Indiana
- Maps of Franklin County Location - INGen Web
- 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
- Franklin County Military Records - INGenWeb
Civil War
Civil War service men from Franklin 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 in Franklin County
- 4th Regiment, Indiana Cavalry, Company B
- 7th Regiment, Indiana Cavalry, Company G
- 13th Regiment, Indiana Infantry, Company C, and Reorganized Company A
- 18th Regiment, Indiana Infantry, Company F
- 37th Regiment, Indiana Infantry, Company B, and Reoganized B
- 52nd Regiment, Indiana Infantry, Companies F, anf H
- 68th Regiment, Indiana Infantry, Companies A, C, G, H, and I
- 83rd Regiment, Indiana Infantry, Company K
- 123rd Regiment, Indiana Infantry, Companies B, D, I, and K
- 134th Regiment, Indiana Infantry (100 days, 1864), Company H
- 139th Regiment, Indiana Infantry (100 days, 1864), Company B
- 146th Regiment, Indiana Infantry, Company I
- 148th Regiment, Indiana Infantry, Companies A, and B
Civil War Books:
- "Civil War" in "Military History of Franklin County" Chapter 12 of Reifel, August J. History of Franklin County, Indiana, her people, industries and institutions : with biographical sketches of representative citizens and genealogical records of old families. (Indianapolis, Ind: B.F. Bowen, 1915.) FS Library film 934904, item 3. Online at: FamilySearch Digital Library ; Internet Archive
World War I
- 1919 Indiana, World War I, Enrollment Cards, 1919 at FamilySearch - How to Use this Collection
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 ($)
- Hoosier State Chronicles
Obituaries
Other Records
Diaries
Jerome Wiley's Journal Franklin County, Indiana 1841-1891
Periodicals
Probate Records
In most counties in Indiana, probate records have been kept by the county clerk of the circuit court. They include wills, fee books, claim registers, legacy records, inheritance records, probate ticklers, and dockets. The records are available at the Franklin County courthouse. For more information, see Indiana Probate Records.
Online Probate Indexes and Records
- 1798-1999 Indiana Wills and Probate Records 1798-1999 at Ancestry ($)
The following Franklin County probate records have been indexed and abstracted:
- Franklin County Inventories provides transcribed probate inventories indexed by date.
- The University of Mary Washington has indexed and transcribed probate inventories for Dearborn, Franklin, and Ripley counties.
- 1811-1820 Inventories of Estates, 1811-1820(*); Franklin County (Indiana). County Clerk at FamilySearch Catalog — index & images
- 1811-1837 Order Books, 1811-1837(*); Indiana. Circuit Court (Franklin County) at FamilySearch Catalog — index and images
- 1811-1839 Probate Fee Book, 1831-1839; Estate Inventory, 1811-1831(*); Franklin County (Indiana). County Clerk at FamilySearch Catalog — images
- 1811-1920 Probate Order Books, 1811-1920(*); Indiana. Probate Court (Franklin County) at FamilySearch Catalog — index & images
- 1813-1826 Will and Probate Records, 1813-1826(*); Franklin County (Indiana). County Clerk at FamilySearch Catalog — index & images
- 1813-1925 Will Records, 1813-1925(*); Indiana. Circuit Court (Franklin County) at FamilySearch Catalog — Index and images
- 1814-1821 Wills, 1814-1821(*); Franklin County (Indiana). County Clerk at FamilySearch Catalog — index & images
- 1815-1865 Franklin County, Indiana Miscellaneous Records, ca. 1815-1865(*); Indiana. Circuit Court (Franklin County) at FamilySearch Catalog — images
- 1815-1875 [Court Civil Order Books, 1815-1922, and Complete Civil Order Books, 1818-1875, Franklin County, Indiana](*); Indiana. Circuit Court (Franklin County) at FamilySearch Catalog — index & images
- 1830-1869 Complete Probate Order Book, 1830-1869(*); Indiana. Probate Court (Franklin County) at FamilySearch Catalog — index & images
- 1860-1872 Partition Records, 1860-1872(*); Indiana. Court of Common Pleas (Franklin County) at FamilySearch Catalog — index & images
- Franklin County, Indiana Will Records 1813-1936, vol. 1. By Slevin, Ruth M. Salt Lake City, Utah : Digitized by the Genealogical Society of Utah. Online at: FamilySearch Digital Library.
- Franklin County, Indiana Will Records 1813-1936, vol. 2. By Slevin, Ruth M. Salt Lake City, Utah : Digitized by the Genealogical Society of Utah. Online at: FamilySearch Digital Library.
- Franklin County, Indiana Will Records 1813-1936, vol. 3. By Slevin, Ruth M. Salt Lake City, Utah : Digitized by the Genealogical Society of Utah. Online at: FamilySearch Digital Library.
- 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 ($) — index, click here for more information.
- 1936-2007 United States, Social Security Numerical Identification Files (NUMIDENT), 1936-2007 at FamilySearch - How to Use this Collection; index
Tax Records
Indiana tax records complement land records and can be used in place of censuses or to supplement the years between censuses. Because only persons who owned taxable property were listed, many residents were not included in tax lists. There may also be gaps of several years in the tax records of some counties. For more information see the wiki page Indiana Taxation.
Vital Records
Vital records consist of birth, death, marriage and divorce records. Indiana law in 1882 required registration of births and deaths in counties. The Indiana Department of Health has birth records filed after October 1907 and death records filed after January 1900 for deaths. Copies may be obtained from the county health department or the Indiana State Division of Vital Records.
- Franklin County Vital Record - INGenWeb
Birth
Marriage
- 1780-1992 Indiana Marriages, 1780-1992 at FamilySearch - How to Use this Collection; Also at: MyHeritage ($)
- 1800s-2007 Indiana, United States Marriages at Findmypast $
- 1802-1892 Indiana Marriages, 1802-1892 at Ancestry ($)
- 1811-1959 Indiana, Marriages, 1811-1959 at MyHeritage - index & images ($)
- 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 - How to Use this Collection
- 1899-2011 Indiana, Death Certificates, 1899-2011 at Ancestry ($)
- Deaths at Indiana Masonic Home (1930-1931) Indiana Genealogical Society $
Divorce
Research Facilities
Archives
Listed below are archives in Franklin 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
- Batesville Indiana FamilySearch Center
- Fairfield/Hamilton Ohio FamilySearch Center
- Oxford Ohio FamilySearch Center
- Franklin County Public Library - an affiliate library.
- Greensburg-Decatur County Public Library - an affiliate library.
- Lawrenceburg Public Library District - West Harrison Branch - an affiliate library.
- Union County Public Library - an affiliate library.
Libraries
Listed below are libraries in Franklin County. For state-wide genealogical societies, see Indiana Archives and Libraries.
Museums
Societies
Listed below are societies in Franklin County. For state-wide genealogical societies, see Indiana Societies.
Franklin County Historical Society
PO Box 342
Brookville, IN 47012-0342
Email: FranklinCountyHistSoc@gmail.com
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
- Resources on IndianasGore
- USGenWeb project. May have maps, name indexes, history or other information for this county.
- Franklin 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, “Franklin County, Indiana Genealogy and History”, http://genealogytrails.com/ind/franklin/ accessed 3/28/2017.
- ↑ Wikipedia contributors, "Franklin County," in Wikipedia: the Free Encyclopedia, https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Franklin_County,_Indiana 3/28/2017.
- ↑ 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.
- ↑ August J. Reifel, History of Franklin County Indiana Her People, Industries and Institutions. (Indianapolis: B.F. Bowen Company, Inc., 1915), pages 78-79
- ↑ Wikipedia contributors, "Franklin County, Indiana" in Wikipedia: the Free Encyclopedia at http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Franklin_County,_Indiana (accessed 10 May 2012).
- ↑ Wikipedia contributors, "Franklin County, Indiana," in Wikipedia: the Free Encyclopedia, https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Franklin_County%2C_Indiana, accessed 09 December 2019.