Lyon County, Iowa Genealogy

United States

Iowa

Lyon County

Guide to Lyon 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: Rock Rapids Organized: January 1, 1872 Parent County(s): Buncombe, Woodbury Neighboring Counties O'Brien • Osceola • Sioux • Lincoln (SD) • Minnehaha (SD) • Nobles (MN) • Rock (MN) See County Maps Courthouse Location Map

County Information

Description

Lyon County was named for Nathaniel Lyon and is located in northwestern Iowa.

County Courthouse

Lyon County Courthouse
206 South Second Avenue
Rock Rapids, IA 51246
Phone: 712-472-8530
Lyon County Website

Lyon 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	1880	1880	1880	1880	1880	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--Lyon County was created 15 January 1851 as Buncombe County. The name was changed to Lyon in 11 September 1862. It was attached to Woodbury County prior to organization 1 January 1872. County seat: Rock Rapids 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
Alvord Doon George	Inwood Larchwood Lester	Little Rock Rock Rapids
Unincorporated communities
Beloit Edna	Granite	Klondike
Townships
Allison Centennial Cleveland Dale Doon Elgin	Garfield Grant Larchwood Liberal Logan Lyon	Midland Richland Riverside Rock Sioux Wheeler

Resources

Bible Records

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

Biographies

• Compendium of History, Reminiscence and Biography of Lyon County, Iowa. Chicago, IL: George A Ogle & Co., 1905. Online at: Family Search Catalog - images, HathiTrust.
• Early History of Lyon County. By George Monlux. Rock Rapids, IA: G. Monlux, 1909. Online at: FamilySearch Digital Library.

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

Business, Commerce, and Occupations

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

Cemeteries

Cemeteries of Lyon County, Iowa online and in print
Tombstone Transcriptions Online	BillionGraves Find a Grave IA Tombstone Transcription Project Lyon County Cemetery Transcriptions at IAGenWeb Iowa Gravestone Photo Project USGenWeb Archives Iowa, Church and Civil Deaths (cemetery records), incomplete
Tombstone Transcriptions in Print (Often more complete)	WorldCat
List of Cemeteries in the County	FamilySearch Places Find a Grave
See Iowa Cemeteries for more information.

• ca.1800-ca.2000 Iowa, Lyon County, Cemetery Records, ca.1800- ca.2000 at FamilySearch — How to Use this Collection; index & images

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.	%±
1870	221	—
1880	1,968	790.5%
1890	8,680	341.1%
1900	13,165	51.7%
1910	14,624	11.1%
1920	15,431	5.5%
1930	15,293	−0.9%
1940	15,374	0.5%
1950	14,697	−4.4%
1960	14,468	−1.6%
1970	13,340	−7.8%
1980	12,896	−3.3%
1990	11,952	−7.3%
2000	11,763	−1.6%
2010	11,581	−1.5%
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
• Lyon County Churches at IAGenWeb

Lutheran

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

Directories

• 1911 Standard Atlas of Lyon County, Iowa : Including a Patron's Directory(*) 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

• Jurrens Funeral Home in George, Larchwood, Little Rock and Rock Rapids
  

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

• 1866-1931 Transfer of lands and lots, 1866 - 1931 at FamilySearch Catalog - index & images
• 1868-1937 Deed records, 1868 - 1937 at FamilySearch Catalog - images
• 1871-1930 Town lot deed records, 1871-1930; Index 1872-1905 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 Lyon County, which may include biographies, church, school and government history, and military information. For more information about local histories, see Iowa Local Histories.

• Early History of Lyon County. By George Monlux. Rock Rapid, IA: G. Monlux, 1909. Online at: FamilySearch Digital Library.
• Historical Sketch of Lyon County, Iowa. By S.C. Hyde. Sioux City, IA: Perkins Brother Printers and Binders, 1873. Online at: FamilySearch Digital Library, Internet Archive.
• Northwestern Iowa, Its History and Traditions, Comprising the Counties of ...Lyon. By Arthur Francis Allen. Chicago, IL: S.J. Clarke Publishing Co., 1927. Online at: Vol. III - 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, Lyon County at Ancestry ($) - index.
• 1904-2007 Lyon County 1904-2007 at Historic Map Works - may include names of land-owners.
• 1868-1917 Fire Insurance Maps for Lyon County, Iowa at Library of Congress - various years between 1868 and 1917.
• Lyon County Maps at IAGenWeb
• Iowa Digital Library, Lyon County at Iowa University Libraries.
• Lyon County Maps at FamilySearch Catalog.
• Standard Atlas of Lyon County, Iowa(*); at FamilySearch Catalog — images.
• The Iowa Heritage Digital Collections, Lyon 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
• Lyon County Military Records 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
• 1872-1954 Naturalization Records, 1872-1954(*); 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

• Lyon 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 ($)
• 1872-1949 Probate Records, 1872-1949(*); District Court at Family Search Catalog - index & images
• 1873-1925 Will Records, 1873-1925(*); District Court at Family Search Catalog - index & images
• Full-Text Search - Wills and Probate Records at FamilySearch - index & images; dates, records, and places vary; How to Search

School Records

• Lyon 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
• Lyon 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
• Lyon 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 ($)
• Lyon County Death Records at IAGenWeb

Research Facilities

Archives

Listed below are archives in Lyon 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

• Sioux Falls South Dakota FamilySearch Center
• Spencer Iowa FamilySearch Center
• Yankton South Dakota Community Library - an affiliate library

Libraries

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

Rock Rapids Public Library
102 South Greene Street
Rock Rapids, IA 51246
Phone: 712-472-3541
Email: rrlib@premieronline.net
Website

Museums

Lyon County Historical Society Museum Complex
Rock Rapids, IA
Phone: 712-472-2016
Email: lyoncountyiahistoricalsociety@gmail.com
Facebook

Societies

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

Lyon County Historical Society
Rock Rapids, IA
Phone: 712-472-2016
Email: lyoncountyiahistoricalsociety@gmail.com
Facebook

Websites

• Lyon County at Cyndi's List - a comprehensive, categorized & cross-referenced list of links that point you to genealogical research sites online
• Lyon County at Genealogy Trails - volunteer transcriptions of genealogical and historical data
• Lyon County at Iowa USGenWeb - free online resources for genealogical research
• Lyon 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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To access available information, first log into FamilySearch.

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.