Jones County, Iowa Genealogy

United States

Iowa

Jones County

Guide to Jones 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: Anamosa Organized: June 1, 1839 Parent County(s): Dubuque Neighboring Counties Cedar • Clinton • Delaware • Dubuque • Jackson • Linn See County Maps Courthouse Location Map

County Information

Description

Jones County was named for George Wallace Jones and is located in eastern Iowa.

County Courthouse

Jones County Courthouse
500 West Main Street
Anamosa, IA 52205
Phone: 319-462-4341
Jones County Courthouse

Jones 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
1880	1840	1880	1848	1864	1840	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

Parent Counties: Created from Dubuque County December 21, 1837. Organized Date: June 1, 1839. County seat: Anamosa 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
Anamosa Cascade Martelle	Monticello Morley Olin	Onslow Oxford Junction Wyoming
Unincorporated communities
Canton Center Junction	Fairview	Langworthy
Census-designated places
Center Junction	Stone City
Townships
Cass Castle Grove Clay Fairview Greenfield Hale	Jackson Lovell Madison Monticello Oxford	Richland Rome Scotch Grove Washington Wayne

Resources

Bible Records

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

• Jones County Bible Records at USGenWeb Iowa Archives

Biographies

• The History of Jones County, Iowa: containing a History of the County, Its Cities, Towns &c., Biographical Sketches of Citizens. Chicago, IL: Western Historical Company, 1879. Online at: FamilySearch Digital Library, HathiTrust.
• History of Jones County, Iowa, Past and Present. By Robert McClain Corbit. Chicago, IL: S.J. Clarke Publishing, 1910. 2 volumes. Online at: Vol. I - FamilySearch Digital Library, HathiTrust; Vol. II - FamilySearch Digital Library, Internet Archive, HathiTrust. Vol. I contains history; Vol. II contains biographies.
• Portrait and Biographical Record of Dubuque, Jones and Clayton Counties, Iowa: Containing Biographical Sketches of Prominent and Representative Citizens of the Counties. Chicago, IL: Chapman Publising Co. 1894. Online at: FamilySearch Catalog - images, Internet Archive, Ancestry ($).

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

Business, Commerce, and Occupations

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

Cemeteries

Cemeteries of Jones County, Iowa online and in print
Tombstone Transcriptions Online	BillionGraves Find a Grave IA Tombstone Transcription Project 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.	%±
1850	3,007	—
1860	13,306	342.5%
1870	19,731	48.3%
1880	21,052	6.7%
1890	20,233	−3.9%
1900	21,954	8.5%
1910	19,050	−13.2%
1920	18,607	−2.3%
1930	19,206	3.2%
1940	19,950	3.9%
1950	19,401	−2.8%
1960	20,693	6.7%
1970	19,868	−4.0%
1980	20,401	2.7%
1990	19,444	−4.7%
2000	20,221	4.0%
2010	20,638	2.1%
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

Lutheran

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

Court Records

• 1837-1947 Justice of the Peace Records, 1837-1947(*); Justice of the Peace Court at FamilySearch Catalog — images
• 1841-1932 Court Records, 1841-1932(*); District Court at FamilySearch Catalog — images
• 1848-1862 Judges Minute Book, 1848-1862(*); County Court at FamilySearch Catalog — images
• 1851-1883 Court Records, 1851-1883(*); Circuit Court at FamilySearch Catalog — images
• 1898- 1972 Alphabetical Listing of Justice of the Peace and Notarial Records, 1898- 1972(*); Justice of the Peace Court at FamilySearch Catalog — images
• 1901-1939 Affidavits, 1903-1935; Index 1901-1939(*); County Recorder at FamilySearch Catalog — index & images

Directories

• 1893 Plat Book of Jones County, Iowa Atlas(*) at FamilySearch Catalog — images
• 1970-2024 United States, Residence Database, 1970-2024 at FamilySearch — How to Use this Collection; index, coverage may vary

Funeral Homes

• Dawson Funeral Services in Olin, Oxford and Wyoming
  
• Goettsch Funeral Home in Anamosa and Monticello
  
• Kramer Funeral Home in Monticello
  

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

• 1838-1896 Surveyor's record, 1838-1896 at FamilySearch Catalog - images
• 1841-1993 Land records, 1841-1993; indexes, 1842-1970 at FamilySearch Catalog - index & 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 Jones County, which may include biographies, church, school and government history, and military information. For more information about local histories, see Iowa Local Histories.

• The History of Jones County, Iowa. Chicago, IL: Western Historical Company, 1879. Online at: FamilySearch Digital Library, HathiTrust.
• History of Jones County, Iowa, Past and Present. By Robert McClain Corbit. Chicago, IL: S.J. Clarke Publishing, 1910. 2 volumes. Online at: Vol. I - FamilySearch Digital Library, HathiTrust; Vol. II - FamilySearch Digital Library, Internet Archive, HathiTrust. Vol. I contains history; Vol. II contains biographies.

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, Jones County at Ancestry ($) - index.
• 1875-2007 Jones County 1875-2007 at Historic Map Works - may include names of land-owners.
• 1883-1943 Fire Insurance Maps for Jones County, Iowa at Library of Congress - various years between 1883 and 1943.
• IAGenWeb - Jones County.
• Iowa Digital Library, Jones County at Iowa University Libraries.
• Jones County Maps at FamilySearch Catalog.
• Map of Jones County, Iowa(*); at FamilySearch Catalog — images.
• New Sectional Atlas of Jones County, Iowa(*); at FamilySearch Catalog — images.
• Plat Book of Jones County, Iowa Atlas(*); at FamilySearch Catalog — images.
• The Iowa Heritage Digital Collections, Jones 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

Civil War

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

Civil War service men in Jones 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 here:

- 1st Regiment, Iowa Cavalry, Company G

- 9th Regiment, Iowa Infantry, Company B and D

- 14th Regiment, Iowa Infantry, Company H

Naturalization and Citizenship

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

Online Naturalization Indexes and Records

• 1858-1941 Naturalization Records, 1858-1941; Index, 1860-1904(*); District Court at FamilySearch Catalog — images
• 1859-1990 United States, Iowa Naturalization Records, 1859-1990 at FamilySearch — How to Use this Collection; index & images

Newspapers

• 1800s-Current Iowa, U.S., Newspapers.com™ Stories and Events Index, 1800's-Current at Ancestry — index & images ($)
• 1865-2004 Ross & Elizabeth Baty Public Library Archives, Jones County has the Monticello Express (1865-2004) available online.
• 1865 and 1965 The Monticello Express. 1865 and 1965. Monticello, IA, USA. Online at Ancestry ($)
• 1871-1872' The Wyoming Journal. 1871-72. Wyoming, IA, USA. Online at Ancestry ($)

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 ($)
• 1844-1965 Probate Records, 1844-1965; Index, 1844-1955(*); 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

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

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

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 ($)

Divorce

• 1850-1935 Jones County, Iowa, Divorce Records, 1850-1935; Index, 1898-1935(*) at FamilySearch Catalog — images

Research Facilities

Archives

Listed below are archives in Jones 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

• Cedar Rapids Iowa FamilySearch Center
• Dubuque Iowa FamilySearch Center
• Iowa City Iowa FamilySearch Center
• African American Museum Of Iowa - an affiliate library
• Genealogical Society of Linn County Iowa dba Cedar Rapids Area Genealogy Library - an affiliate library

Libraries

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

Ross & Elizabeth Baty Monticello Public Library
205 E Grand Street
Monticello, IA 52310
Phone: 319-465-3354
Text: 319-820-2859
Website

Anamosa Library & Learning Center
600 E 1st Street
Anamosa, IA 52205
Phone: 319-462-2183
Website

Museums

Monticello Heritage and Cultural Center
211 North Sycamore Street
Monticello, IA 52310
Phone: 319-651-0061
Website

Societies

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

Jones County Genealogical Society
P.O. Box 174
Anamosa, IA 52205
Website

Jones County Historical Society
13838 Edinburgh Rd
Scotch Grove, IA 52310
Email: IAJCHS@aol.com
Website

Websites

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

This table contains the dates the local or state government began recording in the county or county equivalent. Use substitute records for earlier dates. If you believe there is an error, email us at wikisupport@familysearch.org.

County boundary maps are currently unavailable. Download information instead.

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Due to contractual agreements, some images and/or databases on FamilySearch.org may only be viewed at a FamilySearch Center or FamilySearch Affiliate Library.

Users should verify which locations and dates are included in this collection.

“Current” indicates records are available as recently as privacy laws allow. This date can change from year to year. To determine the exact dates available, contact the respective organization/repository.

FamilySearch affiliate libraries may have access to center-only databases, but do not always have all services normally provided by a FamilySearch center.