Monroe County, Indiana Genealogy
Guide to Monroe 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
Monroe County was named for James Monroe, fifth President of the United States, who was serving at the time the county was organized. It is located in the south-central area of the state.[3]
County Courthouse
Monroe County Courthouse
301 N. College Avenue
PO Box 547
Bloomington, IN 47402-0547
Phone: 812-349-2600
County Website
Monroe County Health Department
119 W. 7th Street
Bloomington, IN, 47404
Health Administrator: Penny Caudill
Phone: 812-349-2543
Fax: 812-339-6481
Email: pcaudill@co.monroe.in.us
Health Department
County clerk has marriage, divorce and court records from 1818, probate records from 1831.
County Health Department has birth, death and burial records from 1882.
County Recorder has land records. [4]
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.
Monroe 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 | 1818 | 1882 | 1818 | 1817 | 1831 | 1807 |
Record Loss
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There is no known history of courthouse disasters in this county. |
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:[8]
| Cities | ||
| Towns | ||
| Unincorporated communities | ||
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| Census-designated places | ||
| Townships | ||
History Timeline
Resources
Bible Records
- How to Use the Emery Bible Index at Monroe County History Center
- Martin-Blankenship Family Bible Records at Indiana State Library Digital Collections
- The Bible of Edith Matson Stanger at USGenWeb Archives
Biographies
Business, Commerce, and Occupations
Cemeteries
Census Records
For tips on accessing Monroe County census records online, see: Indiana Census.
| Historical populations | ||
|---|---|---|
| Census | Pop. | %± |
| 1820 | 2,679 | — |
| 1830 | 6,577 | 145.5% |
| 1840 | 10,143 | 54.2% |
| 1850 | 11,286 | 11.3% |
| 1860 | 12,847 | 13.8% |
| 1870 | 14,168 | 10.3% |
| 1880 | 15,875 | 12.0% |
| 1890 | 17,673 | 11.3% |
| 1900 | 20,873 | 18.1% |
| 1910 | 23,426 | 12.2% |
| 1920 | 24,519 | 4.7% |
| 1930 | 35,974 | 46.7% |
| 1940 | 36,534 | 1.6% |
| 1950 | 50,080 | 37.1% |
| 1960 | 59,225 | 18.3% |
| 1970 | 84,849 | 43.3% |
| 1980 | 98,785 | 16.4% |
| 1990 | 108,978 | 10.3% |
| 2000 | 120,563 | 10.6% |
| 2010 | 137,974 | 14.4% |
| Source: "Wikipedia.org". | ||
- Index to Mortality Schedule for Monroe County (1860) at Indiana Genealogical Society ($)
- Index to Defective, Dependent & Delinquent Census for Monroe County (1880) at Indiana Genealogical Society ($)
- Index to Census of Males for Clear Creek Township, Monroe County (1919) at Indiana Genealogical Society ($)
Church Records
Most church records are held by individual churches. For contact information, check a phone directory, such as SearchBug or Dex Knows. Some denominations are gathering their records into a central repository.
For more information about these major repositories, see Indiana Church Records.
List of Churches and Church Parishes
Court Records
- 1818-1954 Indiana Court Cases at MyHeritage — index ($)
- 1896-1951 Coroner's Records, 1896-1951(*); Coroner at FamilySearch Catalog — index & images
- Index to Court Records for Monroe County (1818-1875) at Indiana Genealogical Society
Directories
- 1970-2024 United States, Residence Database, 1970-2024 at FamilySearch — How to Use this Collection; index, coverage may vary
Emigration and Immigration
Ethnic, Political, and Religious Groups
African American
- 28th US Colored Troops, Addition Recruits for Colored Troop
- African American Veterans in Monroe County, Indiana (1890) at Indiana Genealogical Society ($)
Funeral Homes
- Allen Funeral Home and Crematory in Bloomington.
- Chandler Funeral Home-Ellettsville Chapel in Ellettsville.
- Day and Deremiah-Frye Funeral Home in Bloomington.
- Indiana Green Burials in Bloomington.
- The Funeral Chapel in Bloomington.
- Victoria Grace Funeral Home and Memory Chapel in Stanford.
Genealogies
Guardianship
Land and Property Records
Land and property records can place an ancestor in a particular location, provide economic information, and reveal family relationships. Land records include: deeds, abstracts and indexes, mortgages, leases, grants and land patents. See Indiana Land and Property for additional information about early Indiana land grants and patents.
After land was transferred from the government to private ownership, subsequent transactions were recorded at the Monroe County courthouse, where records are currently housed.
Online Land Indexes and Records
- Earliest Landowners in Monroe County at Indiana Genealogical Society
- Several online indices for land records in the 1800s are available online at Monroe County History Center.
- Full-Text Search - Land Records at FamilySearch - index & images; dates, records, and places vary; How to Search
Local Histories
Local histories are available for Monroe County. County histories may include biographies; church, school and government histories; and military information. For more information about local histories, see Indiana Local Histories.
- Counties of Morgan, Monroe, and Brown, Indiana : Historical and Biographical. 1884. Edited by Charles Blanchard. Chicago: F.A. Battey & Co. Online at: FamilySearch Digital Library, Hathitrust, Internet Archive, Ancestry ($); At various libraries (WorldCat).
- History of Lawrence and Monroe Counties, Indiana : Their People, Industries and Institutions. 1914. Indianapolis : B.F. Bowen. Online at: FamilySearch Digital Library, Hathitrust, Internet Archive, Ancestry ($); At various libraries (WorldCat).
- Index to History of Harrodsburg (1964) at Indiana Genealogical Society
- Index to History of Stinesville (1955) at Indiana Genealogical Society
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
War of 1812
- Hopkins, T. M. "Reminiscences of Col. John Ketcham of Monroe County, Indiana" (Salt Lake City, Utah 1989) available online at: FamilySearch Digital Library
Mexican-American War
Civil War
Civil War service men from Monroe 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 Monroe County.
- 9th Battery, Indiana Light Artillery
- 10th Regiment, Indiana Cavalry, Company I
- 14th Regiment, Indiana Infantry, Company K
- 18th Regiment, Indiana Infantry, Company H
- 22nd Regiment, Indiana Infantry, Company I
- 31st Regiment, Indiana Infantry, Company G
- 38th Regiment, Indiana Infantry, Company G
- 50th Regiment, Indiana Infantry, Company D
- 52nd Regiment, Indiana Infantry, Reorganized Company E
- 54th Regiment, Indiana Infantry, Company A
- 67th Regiment, Indiana Infantry , Company B
- 82nd Regiment, Indiana Infantry, Companies D, and F
- 93rd Regiment, Indiana Infantry, Company F
- 97th Regiment, Indiana Infantry, Company C
- 110th Regiment, Indiana Infantry, Company D
- 112th Regiment, Indiana Infantry, Company A
- 117th Regiment, Indiana Infantry (6 months, 1863-4), Company I
- 133rd Regiment, Indiana Infantry (100 days, 1864), Company K
- 137th Regiment, Indiana Infantry (100 days, 1864), Company K
- 145th Regiment, Indiana Infantry, Companies A, D, and E
- 28th US Colored Troops, Addition Recruits for Colored Troop
Civil War Books:
- "Military History" in Blanchard, Charles. Counties of Morgan, Monroe, and Brown, Indiana. Historical and Biographical. (Chicago: F.A. Battey Co, 1884.) page 413-451, available online at: FamilySearch Digital Library;Internet Archive
Civil War Databases
- Index to Civil War Soldiers' Discharge Papers at Indiana Genealogical Society
- Index to Draft Enrollment List for Monroe County, Indiana (1862) at Indiana Genealogical Society
Pension Files
- William M. Alexander Civil War Pension File at INGenWeb
- List of Pensioners on the Roll January 1, 1883 Monroe County, Indiana available online at: FamilySearch Digital Library; Internet Archive
- African American Veterans in Monroe County, Indiana (1890) at Indiana Genealogical Society ($)
World War I
- 1919 Indiana, World War I, Enrollment Cards, 1919 at FamilySearch - How to Use this Collection
- Gold Star Honor Roll A Record of Indiana Men and Women who Died in World War I - 1914-1918 at Genealogy Trails History Group
- Index to World War I Soldiers' Discharge Papers at Indiana Genealogical Society
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 ($)
- 1800s-1999 U.S., Newspapers.com Marriage Index, 1800s-1999 at Ancestry - index ($)
- 1927-1930 Deaths in the Bloomington Weekly Star at Indiana Genealogical Society
- Hoosier State Chronicles
Obituaries
- 1824-Onward Indiana, Monroe County Obituaries at MyHeritage — index ($)
- Monroe County Obituary Index at The Monroe County Public Library
Other Records
Periodicals
Probate Records
In most counties in Indiana, probate records have been kept by the county clerk of the circuit court. They include wills, fee books, claim registers, legacy records, inheritance records, probate ticklers, and dockets. The records are available at the Monroe County courthouse. For more information, see Indiana Probate Records.
Online Probate Indexes and Records
- 1798-1999 Indiana, Wills and Probate Records 1798-1999 at Ancestry ($)
- 1818-1904 Monroe County, Indiana Will Records, 1818-1904, Books, 1-5. By Slevin, Ruth M. Kokomo, Indiana : Selby Publishing and Printing, 1988. Online at: FamilySearch Digital Library.
- 1818-1920 Probate Order Books, 1818-1920(*); Circuit Court at FamilySearch Catalog — index & images
- 1818-1924 Will Records, 1818-1924(*); Circuit Court at FamilySearch Catalog — index & images
- 1843-1863 Final Record, Vol. B-D, 1843-1863(*); Court of Common Pleas at FamilySearch Catalog — index & images
- 1844-1873 Court Records, 1844-1873(*); Court of Common Pleas at FamilySearch Catalog — index & images
- 1847-1937 Court Records, 1847-1937(*); Circuit Court at FamilySearch Catalog — index and images
- 1881-1915 Inventories of Personal Estate, 1881-1915(*); Circuit Court at FamilySearch Catalog — index & images
- Index to Will Records for Monroe County (1818-1904) at Indiana Genealogical Society ($)
- Full-Text Search - Wills and Probate Records at FamilySearch - index & images; dates, records, and places vary; How to Search
School Records
- Students and Teachers of Bloomington High School (1913) at Indiana Genealogical Society ($)
- Index of Alumni of Smithfield Schools (1913-1939) at Indiana Genealogical Society ($)
- Index to Yearbook of Smithville High School (1936-1974) at Indiana Genealogical Society
Social Security Records
- 1935-2014 United States Social Security Death Index at FamilySearch - How to Use this Collection; index. Also at Ancestry, findmypast, Fold3, GenealogyBank, MyHeritage, and Steve Morse. Click here for more information.
- 1936-2007 U.S., Social Security Applications and Claims Index, 1936-2007 at Ancestry ($) — 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.
- Index to Tax Duplicates for Monroe County (1842 and 1865) at Indiana Genealogical Society
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 ($)
- 1800-2007 Indiana, United States Marriages at Findmypast ($)
- 1802-1892 Indiana, Compiled Marriages, 1802-1892 at Ancestry
- 1811-1959 Indiana, Marriages, 1811-1959 at MyHeritage - index & images ($)
- 1811-2007 Indiana Marriages, 1811-2007 at FamilySearch - How to Use this Collection
Death
- Pre-1882 WEB: Indiana, Deaths, Pre-1882 at Ancestry - index, (Free collection)
- 1750-1993 Indiana Deaths and Burials, 1750-1993 at FamilySearch - How to Use this Collection
- 1882-Onward Indiana, Monroe County Deaths at MyHeritage — index & images ($)
- 1882-2016 Monroe County Monroe County IN Death Records Index 1882-2016 at Monroe County History Center
- 1882-1920 Indiana, Death Index, 1882-1920 at FamilySearch - How to Use this Collection
- 1882-1920 Monroe County Deaths at INGenWeb
- 1899-2011 Indiana, Death Certificates, 1899-2011 at Ancestry
Divorce
Research Facilities
Archives
Listed below are archives in Monroe 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
- Bedford Indiana FamilySearch Center
- Bloomington Indiana FamilySearch Center
- Linton Indiana FamilySearch Center
- Martinsville Indiana FamilySearch Center
- Monroe County History Center - an affiliate library.
- Monroe County Public Library - Elletsville Branch - an affiliate library.
- Monroe County Public Library - Main - an affiliate library.
Libraries
Listed below are libraries in Monroe County. For state-wide genealogical societies, see Indiana Archives and Libraries.
Monroe County Public Library
303 E Kirkwood Ave
Bloomington, IN 47408
Phone: 812-349-3050
Email: community@monroe.lib.in.us
Facebook
Website
Museums
Monroe County History Center
202 E 6th St
Bloomington, IN 47408
Phone: 812-332-2517
Email: admin@monroehistory.org
Facebook
Website
Societies
Listed below are societies in Monroe County. For state-wide genealogical societies, see Indiana Societies.
Monroe County Historical Society
202 E 6th St
Bloomington, IN 47408
Phone: 812-332-2517
Website
- Research appointments are recommended.
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 Select a county.
- INGenWeb. May have maps, name indexes, history or other information for this county.
- Monroe County History Center has a number of databases and area photographs that contain a wealth of information.
- 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.FS Library Book 973 D27e 2002.
- ↑ Wikipedia contributors, "Monroe County," in Wikipedia: the Free Encyclopedia, https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Monroe_County,_Indiana (accessed 29 Mar 2017).
- ↑ Wikipedia contributors, "Monroe County," in Wikipedia: the Free Encyclopedia, https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Monroe_County,_Indiana (accessed 29 Mar 2017).
- ↑ Handybook for Genealogists: United States of America, 10th ed. (Draper, Utah: Everton Pub., 2002), Indiana. FS Library Book 973 D27e 2002.
- ↑ Handybook for Genealogists: United States of America, 10th ed. (Draper, Utah: Everton Pub., 2002), Indiana. FS Library Book 973 D27e 2002.
- ↑ Wikipedia contributors, "Monroe County," in Wikipedia: the Free Encyclopedia, https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Monroe_County,_Indiana (accessed 29 Mar 2017).
- ↑ Handybook for Genealogists: United States of America, 10th ed. (Draper, Utah: Everton Pub., 2002), Indiana. FS Library Book 973 D27e 2002.
- ↑ Wikipedia contributors, "Monroe County, Indiana," in Wikipedia: the Free Encyclopedia, https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Monroe_County%2C_Indiana (accessed 27 December 2019).