Sullivan County, Indiana Genealogy
Guide to Sullivan County, Indiana ancestry, genealogy and family history, birth records, marriage records, death records, census records, and military records.
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County Information[edit | edit source]
Description[edit | edit source]
Sullivan County was named for Daniel Sullivan, who is said by some to have been a Revolutionary War general killed by Native Americans while carrying a dispatch between Fort Vincennes and Louisville. The county is located in the west-central area of the state.[2]
County Courthouse[edit | edit source]
Sullivan County Courthouse
100 Courthouse Square #304
Sullivan, IN 47882
Phone: 812-268-4657
County Website
Sullivan County Health Department
27 S. Main St.
Sullivan, IN 47882
Health Officer: Michael Gamble, MD, MBA
Phone: 812-268-0224
Fax: 812-268-0423
Email: healthadministrator@sullivancounty.in.gov
Health Department
County Clerk has marriage, divorce, probate and court records from 1850. [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.
Sullivan County, Indiana Record Dates[edit | edit source]
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 | 1850 | 1880 | 1850 | 1850 | 1850 | 1807 |
Record Loss[edit | edit source]
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February 1850 -- Courthouse burned and all records except wills from 1841 were destroyed. For suggestions about research in places that suffered historic record losses, see:
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Boundary Changes[edit | edit source]
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Populated Places[edit | edit source]
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 | ||
| Townships | ||
| Ghost towns | ||
History Timeline[edit | edit source]
Resources[edit | edit source]
Bible Records[edit | edit source]
- Sullivan County Indiana, Family Bibles/ Stories at Genealogy Trails
Biographies[edit | edit source]
Business, Commerce, and Occupations[edit | edit source]
Cemeteries[edit | edit source]
Census Records[edit | edit source]
For tips on accessing Sullivan County census records online, see: Indiana Census.
| Historical populations | ||
|---|---|---|
| Census | Pop. | %± |
| 1820 | 3,498 | — |
| 1830 | 4,630 | 32.4% |
| 1840 | 8,315 | 79.6% |
| 1850 | 10,141 | 22.0% |
| 1860 | 15,064 | 48.5% |
| 1870 | 18,453 | 22.5% |
| 1880 | 20,336 | 10.2% |
| 1890 | 21,877 | 7.6% |
| 1900 | 26,005 | 18.9% |
| 1910 | 32,439 | 24.7% |
| 1920 | 31,630 | −2.5% |
| 1930 | 28,133 | −11.1% |
| 1940 | 27,014 | −4.0% |
| 1950 | 23,667 | −12.4% |
| 1960 | 21,721 | −8.2% |
| 1970 | 19,889 | −8.4% |
| 1980 | 21,107 | 6.1% |
| 1990 | 18,993 | −10.0% |
| 2000 | 21,751 | 14.5% |
| 2010 | 21,475 | −1.3% |
| Source: "Wikipedia.org". | ||
- Index to Defective, Dependent & Delinquent Census for Sullivan County, Indiana (1880) at Indiana Genealogical Society ($)
Church Records[edit | edit source]
Most church records are held by individual churches. For contact information, check a phone directory, such as SearchBug or Dex Knows. Some denominations are gathering their records into a central repository.
For more information about these major repositories, see Indiana Church Records.
List of Churches and Church Parishes
Court Records[edit | edit source]
- 1818-1954 Indiana Court Cases at MyHeritage — index ($)
- 1850-1921 Civil Order Books, Circuit Court, Sullivan County, Indiana, 1850-1921(*); Circuit Court at FamilySearch Catalog — index & images
- 1850-1960 Indiana, Sullivan County, State Index, 1850-1960(*); Clerk of the Circuit Court at FamilySearch Catalog — index & images
- 1853-1873 Court of Common Pleas Complete Civil Order Books, Sullivan County, Indiana, 1853-1873(*); Court of Common Pleas at FamilySearch Catalog — index & images
- 1882-1894 Indiana, Sullivan County, Court Records, 1882-1894(*); Clerk of the Circuit Court at FamilySearch Catalog — images
- 1900-1960 Indiana, Sullivan County, Inventory Records, 1900-1960(*); Clerk of the Circuit Court at FamilySearch Catalog — images
- 1925-1959 Indiana, Sullivan County, Civil Court Dockets, 1925-1959(*); Clerk of the Circuit Court at FamilySearch Catalog — images
Directories[edit | edit source]
- 1970-2024 United States, Residence Database, 1970-2024 at FamilySearch — How to Use this Collection; index, coverage may vary
- Abstracts from the Leading Citizens and Farmers Directory, Sullivan Co., Indiana, Published by the Sullivan Times Company(*) at FamilySearch Catalog — index & images
- Directory of Businesses in Sullivan County, Indiana (1868) at Indiana Genealogical Society ($)
- Farmers of Sullivan County, Indiana (1896) at Indiana Genealogical Society ($)
- Sullivan County, Indiana Index of Names of Persons and of Firms. 1981. Compiled by Judy Pirtle. Sullivan County, Indiana : Sullivan County Historical Society. Online at: FamilySearch Digital Library.
- Indexes names of persons and firms from a number of books (see page 2).
Emigration and Immigration[edit | edit source]
Ethnic, Political, and Religious Groups[edit | edit source]
Funeral Homes[edit | edit source]
- Brust Funeral Home in Sullivan.
- Holmes Memorial Chapel in Sullivan.
- Newkirk's Funeral Home in Dugger.
Genealogies[edit | edit source]
Guardianship[edit | edit source]
Land and Property Records[edit | edit source]
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 Sullivan 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[edit | edit source]
Local histories are available for Sullivan County. County histories may include biographies; church, school and government histories; and military information. For more information about local histories, see Indiana Local Histories.
- History of Greene and Sullivan Counties, State of Indiana. 1983. Newell, Iowa : Bireline. Online at: FamilySearch Digital Library, Hathitrust, Internet Archive, Ancestry ($); At various libraries (WorldCat). Reprint of original published: Chicago : Goodspeed Bros., 1884. Index: Index of History of Greene and Sullivan Counties, Indiana, 1884. By Neda Caperton. Online at: FamilySearch Digital Library.
- A History of Sullivan County, Indiana . 2 volumes. 1986. Edited by Thomas J. Wolfe. Evansville, Indiana : Whipporwill Publications. Online at: Vol. 1 - FamilySearch Digital Library, Vol. 2 - FamilySearch Digital Library, Vol. 1 & 2 - Hathitrust, Vol. 1 - Internet Archive, Vol. 2 - Internet Archive; At various libraries (WorldCat). Reprint of original published: New York : The Lewis Publishing Company, 1909. Vol. 1 contains historical material; vol. 2 contains biographies.
Maps and Gazetteers[edit | edit source]
for more resources
- Old Antique Atlases & Maps of Indiana
- Historic Indiana Maps at IUPUI University Library
- FamilySearch Places: Map of cities and towns in this county - How to Use FS Places
Migration[edit | edit source]
Military Records[edit | edit source]
- Military Record Series Index at Indiana Digital Archives
Mexican War
Mexican War Articles
- Buley, R. C., Indiana In The Mexican War. Indiana Magazine of History 15, no. 3 (1919): 260-92. Online at: Indiana University Press
- Johnson, Tyler Vincent, "That spirit of chivalry": Tennessee and Indiana volunteers in the Mexican War. Masters Theses, University of Tennessee, Knoxville, 2003. Online at: Trace: Tennessee Research and Creative Exchange
Civil War
Civil War service men from Sullivan 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 Sullivan County.
- 1st Regiment, Indiana Heavy Artillery, Companies D, K, and L
- 2nd Regiment, Indiana Cavalry, Company I
- 6th Regiment, Indiana Cavalry, Company I
- 11th Regiment, Indiana Cavalry, Company G
- 11th Regiment, Indiana Infantry, Reorganized Company F
- 13th Battery, Indiana Light Artillery
- 13th Regiment, Indiana Infantry, Reorganized Company F
- 16th Regiment, Indiana Infantry, Reorganized Company K
- 17th Regiment, Indiana Infantry, Company I
- 31st Regiment, Indiana Infantry, Company D
- 43rd Regiment, Indiana Infantry, Company E
- 51st Regiment, Indiana Infantry, Company K
- 59th Regiment, Indiana Infantry, Company C
- 80th Regiment, Indiana Infantry, Company K
- 85th Regiment, Indiana Infantry, Company H
- 97th Regiment, Indiana Infantry, Companies B, E, and I
- 115th Regiment, Indiana Infantry (6 months, 1863-4), Company F
- 120th Regiment, Indiana Infantry, Company G
- 137th Regiment, Indiana Infantry (100 days, 1864), Company G
- 142nd Regiment, Indiana Infantry, Company H
- 149th Regiment, Indiana Infantry, Company E, G, and K
- 156th Regiment, Indiana Infantry, Company E
Civil War Books:
- Booth, Louise. Waiting for the Moment. (Villa Park, Calif: D.R. Booth Associates, 1983.) Online at: FamilySearch Digital Books
- County Military History Chapter 8 (Part III) in History of Greene and Sullivan Counties, State of Indiana; Newell, Iowa: Bireline, 1983. Reprint of original published: Chicago : Goodspeed Bros., 1884. 1 v. Online at: FamilySearch Digital Library
World War I
- 1919 Indiana, World War I, Enrollment Cards, 1919 at FamilySearch - How to Use this Collection
Naturalization and Citizenship[edit | edit source]
- Naturalization Record Series (for this county) at Indiana Digital Archives. Search by names.
Newspapers[edit | edit source]
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 ($)
- 1804-2010 Hoosier State Chronicles 1804-2011
Obituaries[edit | edit source]
- 1870-1905 Index to Obituaries for Sullivan County (1870-1905) at Indiana Genealogical Society
Other Records[edit | edit source]
Periodicals[edit | edit source]
Probate Records[edit | edit source]
In most counties in Indiana, probate records have been kept by the county clerk of the circuit court. They include wills, fee books, claim registers, legacy records, inheritance records, probate ticklers, and dockets. The records are available at the Sullivan County courthouse. For more information, see Indiana Probate Records.
Online Probate Indexes and Records
- 1798-1999 Indiana, Wills and Probate Records 1798-1999 at Ancestry ($)
- 1837-1960 Indiana, Sullivan County, Probate Estates, 1837-1960(*); Clerk of the Circuit Court at FamilySearch Catalog — index & images
- 1850-1921 Probate Records, 1850-1921(*); Circuit and Probate Court, and Court of Common Pleas at FamilySearch Catalog — index & images
- 1850-1940 Index to Will Books for Sullivan County (1850-1940) at Indiana Genealogical Society
- 1922-1939 Indiana, Sullivan County, Wills, 1922-1939(*); 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[edit | edit source]
- 1911-1924 Alumni of New Lebanon High School (1911-1924) at Indiana Genealogical Society ($)
- 1925 Students of New Lebanon High School (1925) at Indiana Genealogical Society ($)
Social Security Records[edit | edit source]
- 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 ($) — index, click here for more information.
- 1936-2007 United States, Social Security Numerical Identification Files (NUMIDENT), 1936-2007 at FamilySearch - How to Use this Collection; index
Tax Records[edit | edit source]
Indiana tax records complement land records and can be used in place of censuses or to supplement the years between censuses. Because only persons who owned taxable property were listed, many residents were not included in tax lists. There may also be gaps of several years in the tax records of some counties. For more information see the wiki page Indiana Taxation.
Vital Records[edit | edit source]
Vital records consist of birth, death, marriage and divorce records. Indiana law in 1882 required registration of births and deaths in counties. The Indiana Department of Health has birth records filed after October 1907 and death records filed after January 1900 for deaths. Copies may be obtained from the county health department or the Indiana State Division of Vital Records.
Birth[edit | edit source]
Marriage[edit | edit source]
- 1780-1992 Indiana Marriages, 1780-1992 at FamilySearch - How to Use this Collection; Also at: MyHeritage ($)
- 1800s-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 ($)
- 1811-2007 Indiana Marriages, 1811-2007 at FamilySearch - How to Use this Collection
Death[edit | edit source]
- Pre-1882 WEB: Indiana, Deaths, Pre-1882 at Ancestry - index, (Free collection)
- 1750-1993 Indiana Deaths and Burials, 1750-1993 at FamilySearch - How to Use this Collection
- 1882-1920 Indiana, Death Index, 1882-1920 at FamilySearch - How to Use this Collection
- 1899-2011 Indiana, Death Certificates, 1899-2011 at Ancestry ($)
- 1916-1917 Index to Coroner's Inquest Records (1916-1917) at Indiana Genealogical Society
- 1925 Deaths in Sullivan City Coal Mine Disaster (1925) at Indiana Genealogical Society
Divorce[edit | edit source]
Research Facilities[edit | edit source]
Archives[edit | edit source]
Listed below are archives in Sullivan County. For state-wide archival repositories, see Indiana Archives and Libraries.
FamilySearch Centers[edit | edit source]
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
- Linton Indiana FamilySearch Center
- Terre Haute Indiana FamilySearch Center
- Vincennes Indiana FamilySearch Center
- Knox County Public Library - Indiana - an affiliate library.
- Monroe County Public Library - Elletsville Branch - an affiliate library.
- Sullivan County Public Library - an affiliate library.
Libraries[edit | edit source]
Listed below are libraries in Sullivan County. For state-wide genealogical societies, see Indiana Archives and Libraries.
Sullivan County Public Library
100 S Crowder St
Sullivan, IN 47882
Phone: 812-268-4957
Email: dadams@sullivan.lib.in.us
Website
Museums[edit | edit source]
Sullivan County History Museum
Sullivan County Historical Society
10 S Court Street
Sullivan, IN 47882
Phone: 812-268-4957
Email: dadams@sullivan.lib.in.us
Facebook
Societies[edit | edit source]
Listed below are societies in Sullivan County. For state-wide genealogical societies, see Indiana Societies.
Websites[edit | edit source]
- 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
- USGenWeb, Sullivan County
- INGenWeb, Sullivan 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[edit | edit source]
References[edit | edit source]
- ↑ 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, "Sullivan County," in Wikipedia: the Free Encyclopedia, https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sullivan_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, "Sullivan County, Indiana" in Wikipedia: the Free Encyclopedia at http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sullivan_County,_Indiana (accessed 10 May 2012).
- ↑ Wikipedia contributors, "Sullivan County, Indiana," in Wikipedia: the Free Encyclopedia, https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sullivan_County,_Indiana, accessed 09 January 2020.