Mahaska County, Iowa Genealogy

United States

Iowa

Mahaska County

Guide to Mahaska 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: Oskaloosa Organized: March 1, 1844 Parent County(s): Keokuk and Non-county area 3 Neighboring Counties Jasper • Keokuk • Marion • Monroe • Poweshiek • Wapello See County Maps Courthouse Location Map

County Information

Description

Mahaska County was named for Chief Mahaska of the Iowa tribe and is located in southeastern Iowa.

County Courthouse

Mahaska County Courthouse
106 S 1st St
Oskaloosa, IA 52577
Phone: 641-673-4940
Mahaska County Website

Mahaska 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	1844	1880	1844	1845	1844	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

1843--Mahaska County was created 17 February 1843 from Keokuk and Non-county area 3. 1844 Organized 1 March 1844. County seat: Oskaloosa 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
Barnes City Beacon Eddyville Fremont	Keomah Village Leighton New Sharon	Oskaloosa Rose Hill University Park
Unincorporated communities
Cedar Hopewell	Indianapolis	Lacey
Townships
Adams Black Oak Cedar East Des Moines Garlield Harrison	Jefferson Lincoln Madison Monroe Pleasant Grove Prairie	Richland Scott Spring Creek Union West Des Moines White Oak

Resources

Bible Records

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

• Stringfellow Bible at Bible Records Online

Biographies

• The History of Mahaska County, Iowa: Containing a History of the County, its Cities, Towns, &c., a Biographical Directory of its Citizens, Portraits of Early Settlers and Prominent Men, &c.. Des Moines, IA: Union Historical Company, 1878. Online at: FamilySearch Digital Library, Internet Archive, HathiTrust, Ancestry ($).
• Past and Present of Mahaska County, Iowa: Together With Biographical Sketches of Many of its Prominent and leading Citizens and Illustrious Dead. By Manoah Hedge. Chicago, IL: S. J. Clarke Publishing Co., 1906. Online at: FamilySearch Digital Library, Internet Archive, HathiTrust.
• Portrait and Biographical Album of Mahaska County, Iowa: Containing Full Page Portraits and Biographical Sketches of Prominent and Representative Citizens of the County. Chicago, IL: Chapman Brothers, 1887. Online at: FamilySearch Digital Library, Internet Archive, HathiTrust, Ancestry ($).
• Proud Mahaska: 1843-1900. By Semira A. Phillips. Oskaloosa, IA: Herald Print, 1900. Online at: FamilySearch Digital Library.

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

Business, Commerce, and Occupations

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

Cemeteries

Cemeteries of Mahaska County, Iowa online and in print
Tombstone Transcriptions Online	BillionGraves Find a Grave IA Tombstone Transcription Project Iowa Gravestone Photo Project Mahaska County Cemeteries at IAGenWeb 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	5,989	—
1860	14,816	147.4%
1870	22,508	51.9%
1880	25,202	12.0%
1890	28,805	14.3%
1900	34,273	19.0%
1910	29,860	−12.9%
1920	26,270	−12.0%
1930	25,804	−1.8%
1940	26,485	2.6%
1950	24,672	−6.8%
1960	23,602	−4.3%
1970	22,177	−6.0%
1980	22,867	3.1%
1990	21,532	−5.8%
2000	22,335	3.7%
2010	22,381	0.2%
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
• Mahaska County Churches, at IAGenWeb

Court Records

• 1844-1926 District Court Records, 1844-1926(*); District Court at FamilySearch Catalog — images
• 1851-1864 County Court Record, 1851-1864(*); County Court at FamilySearch Catalog — images
• 1868-1887 Circuit Court Records, 1868-1887(*); 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

Funeral Homes

• Bates Funeral Chapel in Oskaloosa
  
• Eddyville Funeral Chapel in Eddyville
  
• Fremont Funeral Chapel in Fremont
  
• Langkamp Funeral Chapel and Crematory in Oskaloosa
  

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

• 1845-1932 Deeds to lands and town lots, 1845-1932 at FamilySearch Catalog - images
• 1861-1991 Real estate transfers, 1861-1991 at FamilySearch Catalog - images
• 1875-1901 Miscellaneous records, 1875-1901 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 Mahaska County, which may include biographies, church, school and government history, and military information. For more information about local histories, see Iowa Local Histories.

• History of Mahaska, County (Iowa). By Manoah Hedge. Oskaloosa, Iowa: Oskaloosa Herald, 1905. Online at: FamilySearch Digital Library.
• The History of Mahaska County, Iowa. Des Moines, IA: Union Historical Company, 1878. Online at: FamilySearch Digital Library, Internet Archive, HathiTrust, Ancestry ($).
• History of Scott Township, Mahaska County, Iowa. By Robert I. Garden. Oskaloosa, IA: Globe Press, 1907. Online at: FamilySearch Digital Library.
• Past and Present of Mahaska County, Iowa. By Manoah Hedge. Chicago, IL: S. J. Clarke Publishing Co., 1906. Online at: FamilySearch Digital Library, Internet Archive, HathiTrust.
• Proud Mahaska: 1843-1900. 1900. Semira A. Phillips. Oskaloosa, IA: Herald Print. Online at: FamilySearch Digital Library.
• Roustabout's History of Mahaska County. By Phil Hoffman. 1916. Online at: FamilySearch Digital Library, HathiTrust.
• Mahaska County Histories, at IAGenWeb

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, Mahaska County at Ancestry ($) - index.
• 1875 Mahaska County 1875 Plat Maps at Beforetime.net
• 1885-1948 Fire Insurance Maps for Mahaska County, Iowa at Library of Congress - various years between 1885 and 1948.
• 1895 Monroe Township 1895 Plat Map at Beforetime.net
• 1904-2007 Mahaska County 1904-2007 at Historic Map Works - may include names of land-owners.
• 1905 Atlas of Mahaska County, Iowa, 1905(*); at FamilySearch Catalog — images.
• 1905 Mahaska County 1905 Plat Maps at Beforetime.net
• 1913 Mahaska County 1913 Plat Maps at Beforetime.net
• 1914 Mahaska County 1914 Plat Maps at Beforetime.net
• 1920 Mahaska County 1920 Plat Maps at Beforetime.net
• IAGenWeb - Mahaska County.
• Iowa Digital Library, Mahaska County at Iowa University Libraries.
• Mahaska County Maps at FamilySearch Catalog.
• The Iowa Heritage Digital Collections, Mahaska County at State Library of Iowa.
• FamilySearch Places: Map of cities and towns in this county - How to Use FS Places.
• Mahaska County Maps, at IAGenWeb

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
• Mahaska 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

Civil War service men in Mahaska 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:

- 3rd Regiment, Iowa Infantry, Company H

- 7th Regiment, Iowa Infantry, Company C

- 8th Regiment, Iowa Infantry, Company H

- 15th Regiment, Iowa Infantry, Company C

- 18th Regiment, Iowa Infantry, Company D and K

- 47th Regiment, Iowa Infantry (100 days, 1864), Company I

Naturalization and Citizenship

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

Online Naturalization Indexes and Records

• 1844-1926 District Court Records, 1844-1926(*); District Court at FamilySearch Catalog —index, images
• 1859-1990 United States, Iowa Naturalization Records, 1859-1990 at FamilySearch — How to Use this Collection; index & images
• 1871-1930 Naturalization Records, 1871-1930(*); District Court at FamilySearch Catalog —index, images
• 1881-1920 Mahaska County, Iowa Naturalization Books, 2, 3, and 4 (1881-1920)(*); Iowa Genealogical Society at FamilySearch Catalog — images
• Mahaska County, Iowa Early Naturalization Records(*); Iowa Genealogical Society at FamilySearch Catalog — images

Newspapers

• 1800s-Current Iowa, U.S., Newspapers.com™ Stories and Events Index, 1800's-Current at Ancestry — index & images ($)
• 1950-1965 Oskaloosa Daily Herald. 1950, 1957, 1960, and 1965. Oskaloosa, IA, USA. Online at Ancestry ($)

Obituaries

Mahaska County Obits, IAGenWeb Project

Other Records

Mahaska County Docs, IAGenWeb Project

Mahaska County Queries, 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 ($)
• 1844-1881 Mahaska County, Iowa Probates and Guardianships, 1844-1881(*); at FamilySearch Catalog - images
• 1844-1926 District Court Records, 1844-1926(*); District Court at FamilySearch Catalog - index & images
• 1844-1937 Probate Records, 1844-1937(*); Circuit Court at FamilySearch Catalog - index & images
• 1848-1900 Records of Wills in Mahaska Co., Iowa to 1900(*); at FamilySearch Catalog - images
• 1851-1939 Will Records, 1851-1939(*); District Court at FamilySearch Catalog - index & images
• 1868-1887 Circuit Court Records, 1868-1887(*); 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

Mahaska 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

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

• 1906-1937 Divorce Records, 1906-1937(*) at FamilySearch Catalog — images

Research Facilities

Archives

Listed below are archives in Mahaska 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

• Oskaloosa Iowa FamilySearch Center
• Ottumwa Iowa FamilySearch Center
• Red Rock Iowa FamilySearch Center
• Iowa Genealogical Society Library - an affiliate library

Libraries

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

Oskaloosa Public Library
301 South Market Street
Oskaloosa, IA 52577
Phone: 641-673-0441
Email: opl@oskaloosalibrary.org
Website
Facebook

Wilcox Library
William Penn University
201 Trueblood Avenue
Oskaloosa, IA 52577
Phone: 641-673-1096
Website

Museums

Nelson Pioneer Farm and Museum
2211 Nelson Lane
P.O. Box 578
Oskaloosa, IA 52577
Phone: 641-672-2989
Email: curator@nelsonpioneer.org
Website

Societies

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

KEO-MAH Genealogical Society
209 A Ave East
Oskaloosa, IA 52577-2807
Phone: 641-673-9373
Email: keomahgenealogy@mahaska.org
Website
Facebook

Mahaska County Historical Society
2211 Nelson Lane
P.O. Box 578
Oskaloosa, IA 52577
Phone: 641-672-2989
Email: curator@nelsonpioneer.org
Website

Websites

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