Howard County, Indiana Genealogy
Guide to Howard County, Indiana ancestry, genealogy and family history, birth records, marriage records, death records, census records, and military records.
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County Information[edit | edit source]
Description[edit | edit source]
Howard County was named for Tilghman Howard. It is located in the central area of the state.[1]
County Courthouse[edit | edit source]
Howard County Courthouse
104 N Buckeye St
PO Box 9004
Kokomo, IN 46904
Phone: 765-456-2204
County Website
Howard County Health Department
120 East Mulberry Street
Kokomo, IN, 46901
Health Officer: Don Zent, MD
Phone Number: 765-456-2403
Fax: 765-456-2417
Email: webmaster@howardcountyin.gov
Health Department
County Clerk has marriage, divorce, probate and court records from 1844.
County Recorder has land records.
County Health Dept has birth, death and burial records.
Health Department has birth records and death records.
Copies may be obtained from the county health department or the Indiana State Division of Vital Records.
Howard County, Indiana Record Dates[edit | edit source]
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 |
| 1875 | 1844 | 1875 | 1844 | 1846 | 1844 | 1807 |
Record Loss[edit | edit source]
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There is no known history of courthouse disasters in this county. |
Boundary Changes[edit | edit source]
|
Populated Places[edit | edit source]
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:[5]
| Cities | ||
| Towns | ||
| Unincorporated communities | ||
| Census-designated places | ||
| Townships | ||
History Timeline[edit | edit source]
Resources[edit | edit source]
Bible Records[edit | edit source]
- Bible Records at Howard County Indiana Memory Project
Biographies[edit | edit source]
- Biographical and Genealogical History of Cass, Miami, Howard and Tipton Counties, Indiana. 2 volumes. 1898. Chicago, Illinois : Lewis Pub. Co. Online at: Vol. 1 - FamilySearch Digital Library, Vols. 1 & 2 - Hathitrust; At various libraries (WorldCat).
- Indiana Biography Index at Indiana State Library
Business, Commerce, and Occupations[edit | edit source]
Cemeteries[edit | edit source]
Census Records[edit | edit source]
For tips on accessing Howard County census records online, see: Indiana Census.
| Historical populations | ||
|---|---|---|
| Census | Pop. | %± |
| 1850 | 6,657 | — |
| 1860 | 12,524 | 88.1% |
| 1870 | 15,847 | 26.5% |
| 1880 | 19,584 | 23.6% |
| 1890 | 26,186 | 33.7% |
| 1900 | 28,575 | 9.1% |
| 1910 | 33,177 | 16.1% |
| 1920 | 43,965 | 32.5% |
| 1930 | 46,696 | 6.2% |
| 1940 | 47,752 | 2.3% |
| 1950 | 54,498 | 14.1% |
| 1960 | 69,509 | 27.5% |
| 1970 | 83,198 | 19.7% |
| 1980 | 86,896 | 4.4% |
| 1990 | 80,827 | −7.0% |
| 2000 | 84,964 | 5.1% |
| 2010 | 82,752 | −2.6% |
| Source: "Wikipedia.org". | ||
- Index to Mortality Schedule (1860) at Indiana Genealogical Society ($)
- Index to Defective, & Dependent Delinquent Census (1880) at Indiana Genealogical Society ($)
Church Records[edit | edit source]
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[edit | edit source]
- 1818-1954 Indiana Court Cases at MyHeritage — index ($)
- 1844-1920 Howard Circuit Court, Civil Order Books, 1844-1920(*); Circuit Court at FamilySearch Catalog — index & images
- 1846-1872 Civil Complete Record, 1846-1872, Howard County, Indiana(*); Circuit Court at FamilySearch Catalog — images
- 1856-1877 Howard Court of Common Pleas Civil Order Books, 1856-1877(*); Court of Common Pleas at FamilySearch Catalog — index & images
- 1897-1909 Howard County, Indiana Superior Court Order Books, 1897-1909(*); Superior Court at FamilySearch Catalog — images
- Complete Record, Common Pleas Court, Howard County, Indiana(*); Court of Common Pleas at FamilySearch Catalog — index & images
- General Index of Guardianships, Howard County, Indiana(*); Circuit Court at FamilySearch Catalog — index & images
Directories[edit | edit source]
- 1910 Kokomo City Directory And Howard County Gazetteer, 1910 at MyHeritage — index & images ($)
- 1970-2024 United States, Residence Database, 1970-2024 at FamilySearch — How to Use this Collection; index, coverage may vary
- Directory of Businesses (1858) at Indiana Genealogical Society ($)
Emigration and Immigration[edit | edit source]
Ethnic, Political, and Religious Groups[edit | edit source]
African American
- 28th US Colored Troops, Company F, and Addition Recruits for Colored Troops
Funeral Homes[edit | edit source]
- Ellers Mortuary and Cremation Center in Kokomo.
- Shirley and Stout, Hasler and Stout, Stout and Son Funeral Homes in Greenville, Kokomo and Russiaville.
- Sunset Memory Garden Funeral Home and Cemetery in Kokomo.
Genealogies[edit | edit source]
Guardianship[edit | edit source]
Land and Property Records[edit | edit source]
Land and property records can place an ancestor in a particular location, provide economic information, and reveal family relationships. Land records include: deeds, abstracts and indexes, mortgages, leases, grants and land patents. See Indiana Land and Property for additional information about early Indiana land grants and patents.
After land was transferred from the government to private ownership, subsequent transactions were recorded at the Howard County courthouse, where records are currently housed.
Online Land Indexes and Records
- Full-Text Search - Land Records at FamilySearch - index & images; dates, records, and places vary; How to Search
Local Histories[edit | edit source]
Local histories are available for Howard County. County histories may include biographies; church, school and government histories; and military information. For more information about local histories, see Indiana Local Histories.
- Counties of Howard and Tipton, Indiana: Historical and Biographical. 1976. Edited by Charles Blanchard. Evansville, Indiana : Unigraphic. Online at: FamilySearch Digital Library, Hathitrust, Internet Archive, Ancestry ($); At various libraries (WorldCat). Reprint. Originally published: Chicago : F. A. Battey, 1883.
- History of Howard County, Indiana. 2 volumes. 1909. By Jackson Morrow. Indianapolis: B.F. Bowen. Online at: Vol. 1 - FamilySearch Digital Library, Internet Archive; Vol. 2 - Internet Archive; At various libraries (WorldCat). Vol. 1 contains history; vol. 2 contains biographies.
Maps and Gazetteers[edit | edit source]
for more resources
- Historic Indiana Maps at IUPUI University Library
- Old Antique Atlases & Maps of Indiana
- Historic Indiana Atlases for Howard County at University Library (IUPUI)
- FamilySearch Places: Map of cities and towns in this county - How to Use FS Places
Migration[edit | edit source]
Military Records[edit | edit source]
- Military Record Series Index at Indiana Digital Archives
- African American Veterans in Howard County, Indiana (1890) at Indiana Genealogical Society ($)
Civil War
Civil War service men from Howard 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 Howard County.
- 1st Regiment, Indiana Heavy Artillery Companies K, and L
- 5th Regiment, Indiana Cavalry (90th Regiment, Indiana Volunteers), Company A
- 6th Regiment, Indiana Infantry, Company D
- 8th Regiment, Indiana Cavalry, Company D
- 11th Regiment, Indiana Cavalry, Companies E, and F
- 13th Regiment, Indiana Cavalry, Company G
- 13th Regiment, Indiana Infantry, Company E, and Reorganized Company E
- 17th Battery, Indiana Light Artillery
- 20th Regiment, Indiana Infantry, Reorganized Company G
- 34th Regiment, Indiana Infantry, Company H
- 51st Regiment, Indiana Infantry, Company D
- 57th Regiment, Indiana Infantry, Company G
- 75th Regiment, Indiana Infantry, Company C
- 89th Regiment, Indiana Infantry, Company D
- 99th Regiment, Indiana Infantry, Company I
- 100th Regiment, Indiana Infantry, Company K
- 106th Regiment, Indiana Infantry, Company H
- 108th Regiment, Indiana Infantry, Companies G, and I
- 111th Regiment, Indiana Infantry, Company E
- 118th Regiment, Indiana Infantry (6 months, 1863-4), Company D
- 130th Regiment, Indiana Infantry, Company A
- 135th Regiment, Indiana Infantry (100 days, 1864), Company I
- 137th Regiment, Indiana Infantry (100 days, 1864), Company C
- 142nd Regiment, Indiana Infantry, Company I
- 147th Regiment, Indiana Infantry, Company F
- 153rd Regiment, Indiana Infantry, Companies H, and I
- 155th Regiment, Indiana Infantry, Company F
- 28th US Colored Troops, Company F, and Addition Recruits for Colored Troops
Civil War Books:
- Howard in The Civil War" in History of Howard County, Indiana. 2 Vols. By Jackson Morrow. 1909. Indianapolis: B.F. Bowen. Online at: Vol.1 - FamilySearch Digital Library,Internet Archive; Vol. 2 - Internet Archive.
- Russiaville in the Civil War : a Civil War history of Honey Creek Township, Howard County, Indiana and its residents. c2001. By Kent A. Smith. Kokomo, Indiana : Old Richardville Publications. FS Catalog book 977.285/R1 M2s.
World War I
- 1919 Indiana, World War I, Enrollment Cards, 1919 at FamilySearch - How to Use this Collection
Naturalization and Citizenship[edit | edit source]
- Naturalization Record Series (for this county) at Indiana Digital Archives. Search by names.
Newspapers[edit | edit source]
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 ($)
- Hoosier State Chronicles
Obituaries[edit | edit source]
- 1834-2024 Web: Cass, Howard, Miami Counties, Indiana, U.S., Obituary Index, 1834-2024 at Ancestry — index & images ($)
- 1894-Onward Indiana, Howard, Miami and Cass County Obituaries at MyHeritage — index ($)
Other Records[edit | edit source]
Periodicals[edit | edit source]
Probate Records[edit | edit source]
In most counties in Indiana, probate records have been kept by the county clerk of the circuit court. They include wills, fee books, claim registers, legacy records, inheritance records, probate ticklers, and dockets. The records are available at the Howard County courthouse. For more information, see Indiana Probate Records.
Online Probate Indexes and Records
- 1798-1999 Indiana Wills and Probate Records 1798-1999 at Ancestry ($)
- 1844-1870 Abstracts of Wills and Administration Accounts, Howard County, Indiana, 1844-1870(*); at FamilySearch Catalog — index & images
- 1844-1921 Probate Order Books, 1844-1921(*); Probate Court at FamilySearch Catalog — images
- 1845-1853 Probate Complete Record, 1845-1853, Howard County, Indiana(*); Probate Court at FamilySearch Catalog — images
- 1855-1875 Partition Records, Howard County, Indiana, 1855-1875(*); Court of Common Pleas at FamilySearch Catalog — index & images
- Howard County, Indiana Will Records(*); Circuit 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[edit | edit source]
- Students of Greentown High School (1921) at Indiana Genealogical Society ($)
- Teachers of Greentown High School (1921) at Indiana Genealogical Society ($)
- Students of Kokomo High School (1931-1933) at Indiana Genealogical Society ($)
- Teachers of Kokomo High School (1931-1933) at Indiana Genealogical Society ($)
Social Security Records[edit | edit source]
- 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 ($) — index, click here for more information.
- 1936-2007 United States, Social Security Numerical Identification Files (NUMIDENT), 1936-2007 at FamilySearch - How to Use this Collection; index
Tax Records[edit | edit source]
Indiana tax records complement land records and can be used in place of censuses or to supplement the years between censuses. Because only persons who owned taxable property were listed, many residents were not included in tax lists. There may also be gaps of several years in the tax records of some counties. For more information see the wiki page Indiana Taxation.
Vital Records[edit | edit source]
Vital records consist of birth, death, marriage and divorce records. Indiana law in 1882 required registration of births and deaths in counties. The Indiana Department of Health has birth records filed after October 1907 and death records filed after January 1900 for deaths. Copies may be obtained from the county health department or the Indiana State Division of Vital Records.
- The Howard County Memory Project website has digitized collections, such as marriage records, newspaper collections, etc. for genealogy and local history researchers.
Birth[edit | edit source]
Marriage[edit | edit source]
- 1780-1992 Indiana Marriages, 1780-1992 at FamilySearch - How to Use this Collection; Also at: MyHeritage ($)
- 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 ($)
- 1811-2007 Indiana Marriages, 1811-2007 at FamilySearch - How to Use this Collection
Death[edit | edit source]
- Pre-1882 WEB: Indiana, Deaths, Pre-1882 at Ancestry - index, (Free collection)
- 1750-1993 Indiana Deaths and Burials, 1750-1993 at FamilySearch - How to Use this Collection
- 1882-1920 Indiana, Death Index, 1882-1920 at FamilySearch - How to Use this Collection
- 1899-2011 Indiana, Death Certificates, 1899-2011 at Ancestry ($)
Divorce[edit | edit source]
Research Facilities[edit | edit source]
Archives[edit | edit source]
Listed below are archives in Howard County. For state-wide archival repositories, see Indiana Archives and Libraries.
FamilySearch Centers[edit | edit source]
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
- Kokomo Indiana FamilySearch Center
- Marion Indiana FamilySearch Center
- Kokomo-Howard County Public Library - an affiliate library.
- Marion Public Library - an affiliate library.
Libraries[edit | edit source]
Listed below are libraries in Howard County. For state-wide genealogical societies, see Indiana Archives and Libraries.
Kokomo-Howard County Public Library
220 N Union Street
Kokomo, IN 46901-4614
Phone: 765-457-3242
Email: info@khcpl.org
Website
Museums[edit | edit source]
Societies[edit | edit source]
Listed below are societies in Howard County. For state-wide genealogical societies, see Indiana Societies.
Greentown Historical Society
103 E Main St
PO Box 313
Greentown, IN 46936
Phone: 765-628-3800
Email: greentownhistory@comcast.net
Facebook
Website
Howard County Genealogical Society
220 N Union
PO Box 176
Kokomo, IN 46903-0176
Howard County Historical Society and Museum
1200 W Sycamore St
Kokomo, IN 46901-4386
Phone: 765-452-4314
Email: info@howardcountymuseum.org
Facebook
Website
Russiaville Historical Society Inc
483 E Main St
PO Box 221
Russiaville, IN 46979
Email: russiavillehistory@gmail.com
Websites[edit | edit source]
- Indiana Digital Archives Search by name in all records or specific collections
- Indiana Historical Society Digital Collections Extensive - keyword searches suggested
- Indiana Memory Click the map or select a statewide collection
- List of indexes and databases at Indiana State Library
- Howard County, Indiana Linkpendium
- Indiana Genealogical Society Databases Free and Members-only. Scroll the list.
- 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[edit | edit source]
References[edit | edit source]
- ↑ Wikipedia contributors, "Howard County," in Wikipedia: the Free Encyclopedia, https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Howard_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.
- ↑ Wikipedia contributors, "Howard County, Indiana" in Wikipedia: the Free Encyclopedia at http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Howard_County,_Indiana (accessed 10 May 2012).
- ↑ Wikipedia contributors, "Howard County, Indiana," in Wikipedia: the Free Encyclopedia, https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Howard_County%2C_Indiana, accessed 13 December 2019.