Shelby County, Indiana Genealogy
Guide to Shelby 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
Shelby County was named for Gen. Isaac Shelby, who defeated the British at the Battle of Kings Mountain in the Revolutionary War. Shelby then became the first Governor of Kentucky. During the War of 1812, he led the army of Kentucky into Canada, and defeated the British at the decisive Battle of the Thames in 1813. The county is located in the central area of the state.[2]
County Courthouse
Shelby County Courthouse
407 S Harrison Street
P.O. Box 198
Shelbyville, IN 46176-2161
Phone: 317-392-6320
County Website
Shelby County Health Department
1600 East State Road 44, Suite B
Shelbyville, IN, 46176
Health Officer: Chris Loman, MD
Phone: 317-392-6470
Fax: 317-392-6472
Email: Shelby_Health@hotmail.com
Health Department
County Health Department had birth, death and burial records.
County Clerk has marriage, divorce, probate and court record.
County Auditor has land 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.
Shelby 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 | 1822 | 1882 | 1822 | 1822 | 1822 | 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:[7]
| Cities | ||
| Towns | ||
| Unincorporated communities | ||
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| Townships | ||
History Timeline
Resources
Bible Records
- Bible Record for Shelby Co. In., Sidney Turner Bible Record at USGenWeb Archives
- Index of Bible Records at ShelbyCountyIndiana.org
Biographies
Business, Commerce, and Occupations
Cemeteries
Census Records
For tips on accessing Shelby County census records online, see: Indiana Census.
| Historical populations | ||
|---|---|---|
| Census | Pop. | %± |
| 1830 | 6,295 | — |
| 1840 | 12,005 | 90.7% |
| 1850 | 15,502 | 29.1% |
| 1860 | 19,569 | 26.2% |
| 1870 | 21,892 | 11.9% |
| 1880 | 25,257 | 15.4% |
| 1890 | 25,454 | 0.8% |
| 1900 | 26,491 | 4.1% |
| 1910 | 26,802 | 1.2% |
| 1920 | 25,982 | −3.1% |
| 1930 | 26,552 | 2.2% |
| 1940 | 25,953 | −2.3% |
| 1950 | 28,026 | 8.0% |
| 1960 | 34,093 | 21.6% |
| 1970 | 37,797 | 10.9% |
| 1980 | 39,887 | 5.5% |
| 1990 | 40,307 | 1.1% |
| 2000 | 43,445 | 7.8% |
| 2010 | 44,436 | 2.3% |
| Source: "Wikipedia.org". | ||
- Index to Defective, Dependent & Delinquent Census for Shelby County, Indiana (1880) at Indiana Genealogical Society ($)
Church Records
Most church records are held by individual churches. For contact information, check a phone directory, such as SearchBug or Dex Knows. Some denominations are gathering their records into a central repository.
For more information about these major repositories, see Indiana Church Records.
List of Churches and Church Parishes
Court Records
- 1818-1954 Indiana Court Cases at MyHeritage — index ($)
- 1822-1921 Shelby Circuit Court Civil Order Books, 1822-1921(*); Circuit Court at FamilySearch Catalog — index & images
- 1823-1893 Shelby Circuit Court Complete Records, 1823-1893(*); Circuit Court at FamilySearch Catalog — index & images
- 1853-1873 Shelby Court of Common Pleas Complete Records, 1853-1873(*); Court of Common Pleas at FamilySearch Catalog — index & images
- 1911-1912 Shelby Superior Court Civil Order Books, 1911-1912(*); Superior Court at FamilySearch Catalog — index & images
- 1915-1938 Indiana, Shelby County, Will Records, 1915-1938(*); Clerk of the Circuit Court at FamilySearch Catalog — images
- Court Records Shelby County, Indiana 1822 to 1862. 1974. By Holmes, Maurice. Shelby County, Indiana : Shelby County, Indiana. Online at: FamilySearch Digital Library.
- Shelby Circuit Court Index to Suits Decided(*); Circuit Court at FamilySearch Catalog — index & images
Directories
- 1970-2024 United States, Residence Database, 1970-2024 at FamilySearch — How to Use this Collection; index, coverage may vary
- Directory of Businesses in Shelby County, Indiana (1868) at Indiana Genealogical Society ($)
- Early Settlers of Shelby County at Indiana Genealogical Society ($)
Emigration and Immigration
Ethnic, Political, and Religious Groups
Funeral Homes
- Bell Mortuaries and Crematory in Fountaintown.
- Eskew-Eaton Funeral Home in Edinburgh.
- Freeman Family Funeral Homes and Crematory in Morristown and Shelbyville.
- Glenn E. George and Son Funeral Home in Shelbyville.
- Murphy-Parks Funeral Services in Shelbyville.
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 Shelby County courthouse, where records are currently housed.
Online Land Indexes and Records
- Full-Text Search - Land Records at FamilySearch - index & images; dates, records, and places vary; How to Search
Local Histories
Local histories are available for Shelby County. County histories may include biographies; church, school and government histories; and military information. For more information about local histories, see Indiana Local Histories.
- Chadwick's History of Shelby County, Indiana. 1909. By Edward H. Chadwick. Indianapolis, Indiana : B.F. Bowen. Online at: FamilySearch Digital Library; Internet Archive, Ancestry ($); At various libraries (WorldCat).
- History of Shelby County, Indiana. 1968. Knightstown, Indiana : Eastern Indiana Pub. Co. Online at: FamilySearch Digital Library, Hathitrust, Internet Archive; At various libraries (WorldCat). Reprint of original published: Chicago, Illinois : Brant & Fuller, 1887.
Maps and Gazetteers
for more resources
- Old Antique Atlases & Maps of Indiana
- Townships and Neighboring Counties at ShelbyCountyIndiana.org
- Historic Indiana Maps at IUPUI University Library
- 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
- 1883 - List of Pensioners on the Roll January 1, 1883 Shelby County, Indiana. Online at: FamilySearch Digital Library; Internet Archive
Civil War
Civil War service men from Shelby 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 Shelby County.
- 1st Regiment, Indiana Heavy Artillery, Companies L, and M
- 2nd Battery, Indiana Light Artillery
- 7th Regiment, Indiana Cavalry, Company I
- 7th Regiment, Indiana Infantry, Company C
- 8th Regiment, Indiana Cavalry, Companies L, and M
- 9th Regiment, Indiana Infantry, Reorganized Company D
- 9th Regiment, Indiana Cavalry, Company H
- 11th Regiment, Indiana Infantry, Reorganized Company I
- 13th Regiment, Indiana Cavalry, Company I
- 16th Regiment, Indiana Infantry, Companies A, and H
- 18th Regiment, Indiana Infantry, Company K
- 20th Battery, Indiana Light Artillery
- 30th Regiment, Indiana Infantry, Reorganized Company E
- 33rd Regiment, Indiana Infantry, Company D
- 51st Regiment, Indiana Infantry, Company F, and I
- 52nd Regiment, Indiana Infantry, Company E
- 70th Regiment, Indiana Infantry, Companies B, and F
- 76th Regiment, Indiana Infantry (30 days, 1862), Company F
- 79th Regiment, Indiana Infantry, Company E
- 100th Regiment, Indiana Infantry, Company K
- 132nd Regiment, Indiana Infantry (100 days, 1864) Company E
- 146th Regiment, Indiana Infantry, Companies A, and F
- 148th Regiment, Indiana Infantry, Companies C, D, and G
- 28th US Colored Troops, Addition Recruits for Colored Troops
Civil War Books:
- Military History Chapter 5 in History of Shelby County, Indiana: from the earliest time to the present, with biographical sketches, notes, etc., together with a short history of the Northwest, the Indiana Territory, and the State of Indiana. (1974. Tucson, Arizona: Americana Unlimited.) Available online at: FamilySearch Digital Library and Internet Archive
- Military History Chapter 10 in Chadwick, Edward H. Chadwick's History of Shelby County, Indiana. 1908. (Indiana. Evansville, Ind: Unigraphic, 1977) Available online at: FamilySearch Digital Library
World War I
- 1914-1918 WWI Roll of Honor Men and Women who Died in the Service of the United States and the Allied Nations in the World War 1914-1918 at Genealogy Trails History Group
- 1917-1918 World War I Draft Registration Cards, 1917-1918 at Ancestry
- 1919 Indiana, World War I, Enrollment Cards, 1919 at FamilySearch - How to Use this Collection
World War II, 1941-1945
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 ($)
- 1804-2010 Hoosier State Chronicles 1804-2011
- 1866-1886 Selected Extracts from Newspapers in Shelby County, Indiana (1866-1886) at Indiana Genealogical Society ($)
- Newspaper Articles about Shelby County, Indiana, Residents at ShelbyCountyIndiana.org
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 Shelby 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 ($)
- 1822-1918 Probate Records, 1822-1918(*); Circuit Court at FamilySearch Catalog — index & images
- 1822-1921 Probate Records, 1822-1921(*); Circuit Court at FamilySearch Catalog — index & images
- 1836-1940 Index to Guardianships and Estates Settled, 1836-1940(*); Circuit Court at FamilySearch Catalog — index & images
- 1854-1936 Indiana, Shelby County, Probate Records, 1854-1936(*); Clerk of the Circuit Court at FamilySearch Catalog — images
- 1915-1938 Indiana, Shelby County, Will Records, 1915-1938(*); Clerk of the Circuit Court at FamilySearch Catalog — images
- Full-Text Search - Wills and Probate Records at FamilySearch - index & images; dates, records, and places vary; How to Search
School Records
- 1936 Directory of Teachers of Shelby County (1936) at Indiana Genealogical Society ($)
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 ($) — index, click here for more information.
- 1936-2007 United States, Social Security Numerical Identification Files (NUMIDENT), 1936-2007 at FamilySearch - How to Use this Collection; index
Tax Records
Indiana tax records complement land records and can be used in place of censuses or to supplement the years between censuses. Because only persons who owned taxable property were listed, many residents were not included in tax lists. There may also be gaps of several years in the tax records of some counties. For more information see the wiki page Indiana Taxation.
Vital Records
Vital records consist of birth, death, marriage and divorce records. Indiana law in 1882 required registration of births and deaths in counties. The Indiana Department of Health has birth records filed after October 1907 and death records filed after January 1900 for deaths. Copies may be obtained from the county health department or the Indiana State Division of Vital Records.
Birth
Marriage
- 1780-1992 Indiana Marriages, 1780-1992 at FamilySearch - How to Use this Collection; Also at: MyHeritage ($)
- 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
- 1882-1920 Indiana, Death Index, 1882-1920 at FamilySearch - How to Use this Collection
- 1899-2011 Indiana, Death Certificates, 1899-2011 at Ancestry
Divorce
Research Facilities
Archives
Listed below are archives in Shelby 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
- Columbus Indiana FamilySearch Center
- Indianapolis Indiana FamilySearch Center
- Wallace Avenue Indiana FamilySearch Center
- White River Indiana FamilySearch Center
- Bartholomew County Public Library - an affiliate library.
- Greensburg-Decatur County Public Library - an affiliate library.
- Shelby County Public Library - an affiliate library.
Libraries
Listed below are libraries in Shelby County. For state-wide genealogical societies, see Indiana Archives and Libraries.
Museums
Grover Center: Museum and Historical Society
52 W Broadway
Shelbyville, IN 46176
Phone: 317-392-4634
Email: office@grovercenter.org
Facebook
Website
The History Museum
808 W Washington St
South Bend, IN 46601
Phone: 574-235-9664
Email: info@historymuseumsb.org
Website
Societies
Listed below are societies in Shelby County. For state-wide genealogical societies, see Indiana Societies.
Grover Center: Museum and Historical Society
52 W Broadway
Shelbyville, IN 46176
Phone: 317-392-4634
Email: office@grovercenter.org
Facebook
Website
Shelby County Historical Society
52 W Broadway
Shelbyville, IN 46176
Phone: 317-392-4634
Email: director@grovermuseum.org
Facebook
Shelby County Indiana Genealogical Society
33 W Washington St
PO Box 43
Shelbyville, IN 46176
Phone: 317-746-4615
Email: shelbycoingenealogicalsociety@gmail.com
Facebook
South Bend Area Genealogical Society
PO Box 11
Notre Dame, IN 46556
Phone: 574-707-2688
Email: webmaster@sbags.org
Website
Websites
- South Bend Area Genealogical Society "Serving South Bend, Mishawaka and Surrounding Areas"
- Shelby County, Indiana Genealogy and Family History (Linkpendium)
- Shelby County, Indiana Family History and Genealogy Indiana Comprehensive Genealogy Database
- 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
- Every Name Index.com Online indexes for county histories. Select a county
- USGenWeb, Shelby County
- INGenWeb, Shelby County
- 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.At various libraries (WorldCat); FS Library Book 973 D27e 2002.
- ↑ Wikipedia contributors, "Shelby County," in Wikipedia: the Free Encyclopedia, https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Shelby_County,_Indiana accessed 04/03/2017.
- ↑ 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.
- ↑ 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.
- ↑ 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.
- ↑ Wikipedia contributors, "Shelby County, Indiana" in Wikipedia: the Free Encyclopedia at http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Shelby_County,_Indiana (accessed 10 May 2012).
- ↑ Wikipedia contributors, "Shelby County, Indiana," in Wikipedia: the Free Encyclopedia, https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Shelby_County,_Indiana, accessed 05 January 2020.