Jefferson County, Indiana Genealogy
Guide to Jefferson 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
Jefferson County was named in honor of Thomas Jefferson, principal draftsman of the Northwest Ordinance and the third president of the United States from 1801 through 1809.[2] It is located in the southeastern area of the state.[3]
County Courthouse
Jefferson County Courthouse
300 E Main St #203
Madison, IN 47250
Phone: 812-265-8921
County Website
Jefferson County Health Department
715 Green Road
Madison, IN 47250
Phone Number: 812-273-1942
Fax: 812-273-1955
Health Department
County Health Dept has birth, death and burial records.
County Clerk has marriage, divorce, probate, and court records.
County Recorder has land 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.
Jefferson 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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2009 Courthouse damaged by fire 20 May 2009. 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
- Denny Family Bible Records at Indiana State Library Digital Collections
- McKay Family Bible Records at Indiana State Library Digital Collections
- Records and Histories at INGenWeb
Biographies
Business, Commerce, and Occupations
Cemeteries
Census Records
For tips on accessing Jefferson County census records online, see: Indiana Census.
| Historical populations | ||
|---|---|---|
| Census | Pop. | %± |
| 1820 | 8,038 | — |
| 1830 | 11,465 | 42.6% |
| 1840 | 16,614 | 44.9% |
| 1850 | 23,916 | 44.0% |
| 1860 | 25,036 | 4.7% |
| 1870 | 29,741 | 18.8% |
| 1880 | 25,977 | −12.7% |
| 1890 | 24,507 | −5.7% |
| 1900 | 22,913 | −6.5% |
| 1910 | 20,483 | −10.6% |
| 1920 | 20,709 | 1.1% |
| 1930 | 19,182 | −7.4% |
| 1940 | 19,912 | 3.8% |
| 1950 | 21,613 | 8.5% |
| 1960 | 24,061 | 11.3% |
| 1970 | 27,006 | 12.2% |
| 1980 | 30,419 | 12.6% |
| 1990 | 29,797 | −2.0% |
| 2000 | 31,705 | 6.4% |
| 2010 | 32,428 | 2.3% |
| Source: "Wikipedia.org". | ||
- Index to Defective, Dependent & Delinquent Census for Jefferson County at Indiana Genealogical Society ($)
- Early Settlers of Jefferson County at Indiana Genealogical Society ($)
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
United Church of Christ
- 1837-1935 - St. John's United Church of Christ, Madison, Baptism Index 1837-1935 in International Genealogical Index at FamilySearch. Batch C725141 .[8]
- 1837-1935 - St. John's United Church of Christ, Madison, Marriage Index 1837-1935 in International Genealogical Index at FamilySearch. Batch M725141 .[8]
Court Records
- 1811-1819 Record, 1811-1819(*); Circuit Court at FamilySearch Catalog — index & images
- 1812-1818 Civil Order Book, 1812-1818(*); Court of Common Pleas at FamilySearch Catalog — index & images
- 1818-1954 Indiana Court Cases at MyHeritage — index ($)
- Jefferson County Court Records at Indiana's Gore
Directories
- 1970-2024 United States, Residence Database, 1970-2024 at FamilySearch — How to Use this Collection; index, coverage may vary
- Directory of Businesses in Jefferson County (1858) at Indiana Genealogical Society ($)
Emigration and Immigration
Ethnic, Political, and Religious Groups
Funeral Homes
- Morgan and Nay Funeral Centre in Hanover and Madison.
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 Jefferson 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 Jefferson 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 Historical Souvenir for the Counties of Clark, Crawford, Harrison, Floyd, Jefferson, Jennings, Scott and Washington, Indiana. 1969, 1972. Compiled and published by John M. Gresham & Company. Evansville, Indiana : Unigraphic. Online at: FamilySearch Digital Library, Hathitrust, Internet Archive; At various libraries (WorldCat). Some versions may be reprints of original publication: Chicago [Illinois] : Chicago Printing Company, 1889.
Maps and Gazetteers
for more resources
- Historic Indiana Maps at IUPUI University Library
- Old Antique Atlases & Maps of Indiana
- 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
- African American Veterans in Jefferson County, Indiana (1890) at Indiana Genealogical Society ($)
Civil War
Civil War service men from Jefferson 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 Jefferson County.
- 1st Regiment, Indiana Heavy Artillery, Company L
- 3rd Regiment, Indiana Cavalry, Company E
- 6th Regiment, Indiana Infantry, Companies A, K, E, and Reorganized Company A, E, F, and K
- 7th Regiment, Indiana Cavalry, Company M
- 8th Regiment, Indiana Cavalry, Company H
- 10th Regiment, Indiana Cavalry, Company H
- 12th Regiment, Indiana Infantry, Company C
- 13th Regiment, Indiana Infantry, Company D, and Reorganized Companies B, C, D, and E
- 20th Regiment, Indiana Infantry, Reorganized Companies D, and F
- 51st Regiment, Indiana Infantry, Company B
- 82nd Regiment, Indiana Infantry, Companies A, B, C, G, and K
- 91st Regiment, Indiana Infantry, Company I
- 93rd Regiment, Indiana Infantry, Companies C, and E
- 128th Regiment, Indiana Infantry, Company A
- 132nd Regiment, Indiana Infantry (100 days, 1864), Company D
- 137th Regiment, Indiana Infantry (100 days, 1864), Companies B, F, and I
- 139th Regiment, Indiana Infantry (100 days, 1864), Company K
- 149th Regiment, Indiana Infantry, Company D
- 28th US Colored Troops, Company E, and Addition Recruits for Colored Troop
Civil War books and articles:
- "Recollections of Morgan's Raid", from the journal of Melvin C. Robertson. (Indiana Magazine of History, Vol. 28, no. 2 (June 1932): 116-137.)[9]
- "Reminiscences of the Burning of Columbia, South Carolina", by Michael C. Garber, Jr.(Indiana Magazine of History, Vol. 11, no. 4 (December 1915): 285-300.)[10]
World War I
- 1919 Indiana, World War I, Enrollment Cards, 1919 at FamilySearch - How to Use this Collection
World War II
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 ($)
- Hoosier State Chronicles
Obituaries
Other Records
Periodicals
Probate Records
In most counties in Indiana, probate records have been kept by the county clerk of the circuit court. They include wills, fee books, claim registers, legacy records, inheritance records, probate ticklers, and dockets. The records are available at the Jefferson County courthouse. For more information, see Indiana Probate Records.
Online Probate Indexes and Records
- 1798-1999 Indiana Wills and Probate Records 1798-1999 at Ancestry ($)
- 1811-1832 Wills, Probates, and Appraisals of Estates, 1811-1832(*); County Clerk at FamilySearch Catalog — index & images
- 1811-1884 Wills of Jefferson County, Indiana, 1811-1884(*); at FamilySearch Catalog — images
- 1811-1940 Probate Records, 1811-1940(*); Circuit Court at FamilySearch Catalog — index & images
- 1853-1924 Wills, 1853-1924(*); Probate 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
- Directory of Teachers for Jefferson County (1936) at Indiana Genealogical Society ($)
Social Security Records
- 1935-2014 United States Social Security Death Index at FamilySearch - How to Use this Collection; index. Also at Ancestry, findmypast, Fold3, GenealogyBank, MyHeritage, and Steve Morse. Click here for more information.
- 1936-2007 U.S., Social Security Applications and Claims Index, 1936-2007 at Ancestry ($) — 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.
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 ($)
Divorce
Research Facilities
Archives
Listed below are archives in Jefferson 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
- New Albany Indiana FamilySearch Center
- North Vernon Indiana FamilySearch Center
- Bartholomew County Public Library - an affiliate library.
- Jackson County Indiana Public Library - an affiliate library.
- Lawrenceburg Public Library District - an affiliate library.
Libraries
Listed below are libraries in Jefferson County. For state-wide genealogical societies, see Indiana Archives and Libraries.
Duggan Library
Hanover College, Archives and Special Collections
121 Scenic Drive
Hanover, IN 47243
Phone: 812-866-7165
Email: library@hanover.edu
Website
Jefferson County Public Library - Hanover Branch
273 N Madison Ave
Hanover, IN 47243
Phone: 812-866-1470
Email: contact@mjcpl.org
Website
Museums
Societies
Listed below are societies in Jefferson County. For state-wide genealogical societies, see Indiana Societies.
Jefferson County Genealogical Society
PO Box 651
Madison, IN 47250
Email: JCGS@cinergymetro.net
Facebook
Website
Jefferson County Historical Society
615 W First St
Madison, IN 47250
Phone: 812-265-2335
Email: info@jchshc.org
Facebook
Website
Websites
- 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
- Indiana Genealogical Society Databases Free and Members-only. Scroll the list.
- Resources on IndianasGore
- 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
- ↑ 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.
- ↑ Genealogy Trails History Group, “Jefferson County, Indiana Genealogy and History”, http://genealogytrails.com/ind/jefferson/ accessed 3/29/2017.
- ↑ Wikipedia contributors, "Jefferson County," in Wikipedia: the Free Encyclopedia, https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jefferson_County,_Indiana 3/29/2017.
- ↑ 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, "Jefferson County, Indiana" in Wikipedia: the Free Encyclopedia at http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jefferson_County,_Indiana (accessed 10 May 2012).
- ↑ Wikipedia contributors, "Jefferson County, Indiana," in Wikipedia: the Free Encyclopedia, https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jefferson_County,_Indiana, accessed 16 December 2019.
- ↑ 8.0 8.1 Genealogical Society of Utah, Parish and Vital Records List (July 1998). Microfiche. Digital version at https://www.familysearch.org/wiki/en/images/8/8d/Igiindianah.pdf.
- ↑ Indiana Magazine of History Archives, https://scholarworks.iu.edu/journals/index.php/imh/issue/archive, accessed 28 Apr 2019.
- ↑ Indiana Magazine of History Archives, https://scholarworks.iu.edu/journals/index.php/imh/issue/archive, accessed 28 Apr 2019.