Marion County, Indiana Genealogy

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Guide to Marion County, Indiana ancestry, genealogy and family history, birth records, marriage records, death records, census records, and military records.

County Facts
County seat: Indianapolis
Organized: December 31, 1821
Parent County(s): Delaware New Purchase
Neighboring Counties
BooneHamiltonHancockShelbyJohnsonMorganHendricks
See County Maps
Courthouse
Indiana, Marion County Courthouse.png
Location Map
Indiana, Marion County Locator Map.png

County Information

Description

Marion County is named after "The Swamp Fox" Revolutionary War Brigadier General Francis Marion (1732-1795).[1] It is located in the central area of the state.[2]

County Courthouse

Marion County Courthouse
200 E. Washington Street
Indianapolis, IN 46204
Phone: 317-327-4740
County Website

Marion County Health Department
3838 N. Rural Street
Indianapolis, IN, 46205
Health Officer: Virginia Caine, MD
Phone Number: 317-221-2000
Fax: 317-221-2307
Email: HealthDept@MarionHealth.org
Health Department

CountyClerk has marriage and divorce records.
County Recorder has birth, death and land records.
Probate Court has probate records.[3]
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.

Marion 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.

Known Beginning Dates for Government County Records[4]
Birth* Marriage Death* Court Land Probate Census
1882 1822 1882 1822 1822 1822 1807
*Statewide registration for births in 1907 and deaths in Oct 1899. General compliance by 1917.

Record Loss

There is no known history of courthouse disasters in this 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:[7]

Cities
Towns
Townships


History Timeline

Resources

Bible Records

Biographies

  • Pictorial and Biographical Memoirs of Indianapolis and Marion County, Indiana: Together with Biographies of Many Prominent Men of Other Portions of the State, Both Living and Dead. (Tucson, Arizona: Americana Unlimited, 1974.) Online at: FamilySearch Digital Library.
  • Nowland, John H. B. Sketches of Prominent Citizens of 1876: with a Few of the Pioneers of the City and County Who Have Passed Away. (1876.) Online at: FamilySearch Digital Library; Internet Archive.

Business, Commerce, and Occupations

Occupational Records

Cemeteries

Cemeteries of Marion County, Indiana online and in print
Tombstone Transcriptions Online
Tombstone Transcriptions in Print (Often more complete)
List of Cemeteries in the County
See Indiana Cemeteries for more information.

Census Records

For tips on accessing Marion County census records online, see: Indiana Census.

Historical populations
Census Pop.
1830 7,192
1840 16,080 123.6%
1850 24,103 49.9%
1860 39,855 65.4%
1870 71,939 80.5%
1880 102,782 42.9%
1890 141,156 37.3%
1900 197,227 39.7%
1910 263,661 33.7%
1920 348,061 32.0%
1930 422,666 21.4%
1940 460,926 9.1%
1950 551,777 19.7%
1960 697,567 26.4%
1970 792,299 13.6%
1980 765,233 −3.4%
1990 797,159 4.2%
2000 860,454 7.9%
2010 903,393 5.0%
Source: "Wikipedia.org".
  • United States. Names of Persons Enumerated in Marion County, Indiana, at the Fifth Census Eighteen Hundred and Thirty. (Indianapolis: E.J. Hecker, printer and publisher, 1908.) Online at: FamilySearch Digital Library.

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

The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints
Ward and Branch Records of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints

  • Indianapolis
  • Indianapolis Dist
  • Indianapolis N.
  • Indianapolis S.

Lutheran
aka Evangelical

  • Records of the American Lutheran Church, Indianapolis, in Evangelical Lutheran Church in America database at Archives.com ($).

Court Records

Directories

Holds several city directories in their library.

Emigration and Immigration

Ethnic, Political, and Religious Groups

African American

Funeral Homes

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 Marion County courthouse, where records are currently housed.

Online Land Indexes and Records


Local Histories

Local histories are available for Marion County. County histories may include biographies; church, school and government histories; and military information. For more information about local histories, see Indiana Local Histories.

Maps and Gazetteers

Boone CountyHamilton CountyHancock CountyShelby CountyJohnson CountyMorgan CountyHendricks CountyIN MARION.PNG
Click a neighboring county
for more resources

Migration

Military Records

Civil War
Civil War service men from Marion 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 Marion County.

World War I

World War II

Naturalization and Citizenship

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.

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 Marion County courthouse. For more information, see Indiana Probate Records.

Online Probate Indexes and Records


School Records

Social Security Records

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

Death

Divorce

Research Facilities

Archives

Listed below are archives in Marion 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

Libraries

Listed below are libraries in Marion County. For state-wide genealogical societies, see Indiana Archives and Libraries.

Museums

Societies

Listed below are societies in Marion County. For state-wide genealogical societies, see Indiana Societies.

Franklin Township Historical Society
6510 S Franklin Rd
PO Box 39015
Indianapolis, IN 46239
Email: franklintownshiphistory@gmail.com
Facebook
Website

Genealogical Society of Marion County
9370 E Washington St
Indianapolis, IN 46229
Phone: 317-891-4762
Email: Info@GenealogyIndy.org
Facebook
Website

Irvington Historical Society
5350 University Ave
Indianapolis, IN 46219
Phone: 317-602-2962
Email: bonathompsonbookstore@gmail.com
Facebook
Website

Websites

Research Guides

References

  1. "Francis Marion" Wikipedia.
  2. Wikipedia contributors, "Marion County," in Wikipedia: the Free Encyclopedia, https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Marion_County,_Indiana 3/29/2017.
  3. 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.
  4. 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.
  5. 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.
  6. Wikipedia contributors, "Marion County, Indiana" in Wikipedia: the Free Encyclopedia at http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Marion_County,_Indiana (accessed 10 May 2012).
  7. Wikipedia contributors, "Marion County, Indiana," in Wikipedia: the Free Encyclopedia, https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Marion_County,_Indiana, accessed 24 December 2019.