Wayne County, Indiana Genealogy
Guide to Wayne 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]
Wayne County was named for Gen. "Mad" Anthony Wayne, an officer during the Revolutionary War. Wayne is mainly remembered for his service in the 1790s in the Northwest Indian War, which included many actions in Indiana and Ohio. The county is located in the east-central part of the state.[1]
County Courthouse[edit | edit source]
Wayne County Courthouse
301 E Main
Richmond, IN 47374
Phone: 765-973-9220
County Website
Wayne County Health Department
100 S 5th Street
Richmond, IN 47374
Health Officer: David Jetmore, MD
Phone: 765-973-9245
Fax: 765-973-9361
Email: cstinson@co.wayne.in.us
Health Department
County Clerk has marriage records from 1810, divorce and court records from 1873 and probate records from 1818.
City-County Health Officer has birth, death and burial records. [2]
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.
Wayne 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 | 1810 | 1882 | 1873 | 1816 | 1818 | 1807 |
Record Loss[edit | edit source]
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There is no known history of courthouse disasters in this county. |
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:[5]
| Cities | ||
| Towns | ||
| Unincorporated communities | ||
| Townships | ||
History Timeline[edit | edit source]
Resources[edit | edit source]
Bible Records[edit | edit source]
- Cochrane Family Bible Record ay Indiana State Library Digital Collections
- Hinkle Family Bible Records at Indiana State Library Digital Collections
- Lincoln-Mason Family Bible Records at Indiana State Library Digital Collections
- Wayne County Bibles at USGenWeb Archives
Biographies[edit | edit source]
Book Abstracts and Indexes
- Fox, Henry Clay. Memoirs of Wayne County and the City of Richmond, Indiana: From the Earliest Historical Times Down to the Present, Including a Genealogical and Biographical Record of Representative Families in Wayne County. (La Crosse WI: Brookhaven Press, 2004.). Available at: Vol 1 FamilySearch Digital Library, HathiTrust; Vol 2 FamilySearch Digital Library.
- Biographical and Genealogical History of Wayne, Fayette, Union and Franklin Counties, Indiana. (Indianapolis, Ind: Frederic Luther Co, 1980). Available at: Vol. 1 FamilySearch Digital Library, Internet Archive; Vol. 2 FamilySearch Digital Library, Internet Archive
Business, Commerce, and Occupations[edit | edit source]
Cemeteries[edit | edit source]
Census Records[edit | edit source]
For tips on accessing Wayne County census records online, see: Indiana Census.
| Historical populations | ||
|---|---|---|
| Census | Pop. | %± |
| 1820 | 12,119 | — |
| 1830 | 18,571 | 53.2% |
| 1840 | 23,290 | 25.4% |
| 1850 | 25,320 | 8.7% |
| 1860 | 29,558 | 16.7% |
| 1870 | 34,048 | 15.2% |
| 1880 | 38,613 | 13.4% |
| 1890 | 37,628 | −2.6% |
| 1900 | 38,970 | 3.6% |
| 1910 | 43,757 | 12.3% |
| 1920 | 48,136 | 10.0% |
| 1930 | 54,809 | 13.9% |
| 1940 | 59,229 | 8.1% |
| 1950 | 68,566 | 15.8% |
| 1960 | 74,039 | 8.0% |
| 1970 | 79,109 | 6.8% |
| 1980 | 76,058 | −3.9% |
| 1990 | 71,951 | −5.4% |
| 2000 | 71,097 | −1.2% |
| 2010 | 68,917 | −3.1% |
| Source: "Wikipedia.org". | ||
- Early Settlers of Wayne County at Indiana Genealogical Society ($)
- Index to Defective, Dependent & Delinquent Census for Wayne County (1880) at Indiana Genealogical Society ($)
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
Lutheran
- Records of St. John Lutheran Church, Richmond, in Evangelical Lutheran Church in America database at Archives.com ($).
Court Records[edit | edit source]
- 1814-1827 Court Records, 1814-1827(*); Circuit Court at FamilySearch Catalog — index & images
- 1818-1954 Indiana Court Cases at MyHeritage — index ($)
Directories[edit | edit source]
- 1883 Richmond, Indiana, City Directory, 1883 at MyHeritage — index & images ($)
- 1886 Richmond, Indiana, City Directory, 1886 at MyHeritage — index & images ($)
- 1888-1889 Richmond, Indiana, City Directory, 1888 - 1889 at MyHeritage — index & images ($)
- 1890-1891 Richmond, Indiana, City Directory, 1890 - 1891 at MyHeritage — index & images ($)
- 1903 Polk Richmond, Indiana, City Directory, 1903 at MyHeritage — index & images ($)
- 1907 Richmond, Indiana, And Wayne County, Indiana, City Directory, 1907, Part 2 at MyHeritage — index & images ($)
- 1910 Richmond, Indiana, City Directory, 1910 at MyHeritage — index & images ($)
- 1910 Polk Richmond, Indiana, City Directory, 1910, Part 2 at MyHeritage — index & images ($)
- 1970-2024 United States, Residence Database, 1970-2024 at FamilySearch — How to Use this Collection; index, coverage may vary
- Directory and Soldiers' Register of Wayne County, Indiana(*) at FamilySearch Catalog — images
- Directory and Soldiers' Register of Wayne County, Indiana(*) at FamilySearch Catalog — images
- Directory of Selected Residents of Wayne County (1876) at Indiana Genealogical Society ($)
- Starr's Mercantile Directory : The Business Men's Ready Reference Book, Wayne County, Indiana(*) at FamilySearch Catalog — images
- Urquhart's Directory of Richmond and Wayne County : Containing a List of the Inhabitants, Their Residence and Occupation, a Classified Commercial Directory, a Complete Record of Churches, Schools, Secret and Benevolent Societies, City and County Officers, Courts, etc.(*) at FamilySearch Catalog — images
Emigration and Immigration[edit | edit source]
Ethnic, Political, and Religious Groups[edit | edit source]
Funeral Homes[edit | edit source]
- Community Family Funeral Home in Richmond.
- Culberson Funeral Home in Hagerstown.
- Doan-Mills Funeral Home in Centerville and Richmond.
- Marshall and Erlewein Funeral Home and Crematory in Dublin.
- Riggle-Waltermann Mortuary in Richmond.
- Smith-McQuiston and Webster Funeral Home in Fountain City.
- Stegall-Berheide-Orr Funeral Home and Cremation Service in Richmond.
- Waskom Capitol Hill Chapel in Cambridge City.
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 Wayne 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 Wayne 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 Wayne County, Indiana, from Its First Settlement to the Present Time. 1872. By Andrew W. Young. Cincinnati, Ohio : R. Clarke. Online at: FamilySearch Digital Library, Hathitrust, Internet Archive, Ancestry ($); At various libraries (WorldCat).
- History of Wayne County, Indiana. 1884. Chicago, Illinois : Inter-state Pub. Online at: Vol. 1 - FamilySearch Digital Library, Internet Archive; Vol. 2 - FamilySearch Digital Library, Internet Archive; Vols. 1 & 2 - Ancestry ($); At various libraries (WorldCat).
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
Civil War
Civil War service men from Wayne 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 Wayne County.
- 2nd Regiment, Indiana Cavalry, Companies C, and F
- 3rd Battery, Indiana Light Artillery
- 5th Regiment, Indiana Cavalry (90th Regiment, Indiana Volunteers), Company B
- 7th Regiment, Indiana Cavalry, Companies E, and H
- 8th Regiment, Indiana Infantry, Companies A, C, H, I, and Reorganized Companies C, and D
- 9th Regiment, Indiana Cavalry, Company C
- 11th Regiment, Indiana Infantry, Reorganized Company I
- 13th Battery, Indiana Light Artillery
- 13th Regiment, Indiana Infantry, Reorganized Company K
- 16th Regiment, Indiana Infantry, Company B
- 19th Regiment, Indiana Infantry, Company B
- 20th Battery, Indiana Light Artillery
- 36th Regiment, Indiana Infantry, Companies F, and I
- 57th Regiment, Indiana Infantry, Companies B, C, D, and I
- 69th Regiment, Indiana Infantry, Companies D, and D
- 78th Regiment, Indiana Infantry (60 days, 1862), Company F
- 84th Regiment, Indiana Infantry, Companies C, and I
- 105th Regiment, Indiana Infantry, Company F
- 106th Regiment, Indiana Infantry, Companies C, D, F, G, and I
- 108th Regiment, Indiana Infantry, Company K
- 124th Regiment, Indiana Infantry, Companies B, H, and K
- 133rd Regiment, Indiana Infantry (100 days, 1864), Company A
- 140th Regiment, Indiana Infantry, Company H
- 147th Regiment, Indiana Infantry, Companies C, and I
- 152nd Regiment, Indiana Infantry, Company G
- 156th Regiment, Indiana Infantry, Company B
- 28th US Colored Troops, Company E, and Addition Recruits for Colored Troops
- African American Veterans in Wayne County, Indiana (1890) at Indiana Genealogical Society ($)
Civil War Books:
- History of Wayne County, Indiana, from Its First Settlement to the Present Time: with Numerous Biographical and Family Sketches. 2007, Young, Andrew W.; ("War History", page 126-137, no Regiment or Companies); Available at: FamilySearch Digital Library
- Memoirs of Wayne County and the City of Richmond, Indiana: From the Earliest Historical Times Down to the Present, Including a Genealogical and Biographical Record of Representative Families in Wayne County. (La Crosse WI: Brookhaven Press, 2004.), Fox, Henry Clay. ("Military Matters," Vol 1, Chapter 14, page 215-230, no Regiment or Companies), Available at: FamilySearch Digital Library, HathiTrust
- Directory and soldiers' register of Wayne County, Indiana. 1865. Power, J.C., Editor. Available at: FamilySearch Digital Library, Internet Archive
Pension Records
- List of Pensioners on the Roll January 1, 1883, United States Pension bureau. Available at: Internet Archive
World War I
- 1917-1918 World War I Draft Registration Cards, 1917-1918 at Ancestry ($)
- 1919 Indiana, World War I, Enrollment Cards, 1919 at FamilySearch - How to Use this Collection
World War II
Naturalization and Citizenship[edit | edit source]
- Naturalization Record Series (for this county) at Indiana Digital Archives. Search by names.
Newspapers[edit | edit source]
Indiana newspapers may contain genealogical value including obituaries, births, marriages, deaths, anniversaries, family gatherings, family travel, achievements, business notices, engagement information, and probate court proceedings.
For more Indiana newspaper information see the wiki page Indiana Newspapers.
- 1800s-Current Indiana, U.S., Newspapers.com™ Stories and Events Index, 1800's-Current at Ancestry — index & images ($)
- 1800s-1999 U.S., Newspapers.com Marriage Index, 1800s-1999 at Ancestry - index ($)
- 1804-2010 Hoosier State Chronicles 1804-2011
Obituaries[edit | edit source]
Other Records[edit | edit source]
Periodicals[edit | edit source]
Probate Records[edit | edit source]
In most counties in Indiana, probate records have been kept by the county clerk of the circuit court. They include wills, fee books, claim registers, legacy records, inheritance records, probate ticklers, and dockets. The records are available at the Wayne County courthouse. For more information, see Indiana Probate Records.
Online Probate Indexes and Records
- 1798-1999 Indiana Wills and Probate Records 1798-1999 at Ancestry ($)
- 1812-1813 Will of Jacob Little Senior : Wayne County, Territory of Indiana; The Little Bit : The Official Publication of the Family of Captain Daniel Little, Esqire, Inc. - V.4, No.1 (Spring 1981). By Little, Lawrence L. n.p. : Family of Captain Daniel Little, Esq., 1981. Online at: FamilySearch Digital Library.
- 1812-1920 Will Records, 1812-1920(*); Circuit Court at FamilySearch Catalog — index & images
- 1816-1960 Index to Estate Records, 1816-1960(*); County Court at FamilySearch Catalog — index & images
- 1818-1873 Probate Court Orders Books, 1818-1845, 1848-1873(*); Circuit Court at FamilySearch Catalog — index & images
- 1818-1921 Probate Records, 1818-1921(*); Circuit Court at FamilySearch Catalog — index & images
- 1845-1848 Will of Peter Little, Wayne County Indiana; The Little Bit : The Official Publication of the Family of Captain Daniel Little, Esqire, Inc. - V.5, No.1 (Spring 1982). By Little, Lawrence L.. n.p. : Family of Captain Daniel Little, Esq., 1982. Online at: FamilySearch Digital Library.
- 1857-1904 Probate Partition Record of Real Estate, 1857-1904(*); Circuit Court at FamilySearch Catalog — index & images
- 1857-1905 Partition Records, Division of Lands of Deceased Persons, 1857-1905(*); Court of Common Pleas at FamilySearch Catalog — index & images
- 1859-1874 Partition Record, 1859-1874(*); Circuit Court at FamilySearch Catalog — index & images
- 1872-1899 Probate Real Estate Record, 1872-1899(*); Circuit Court at FamilySearch Catalog — index & images
- 1873-1916 Probate Records Order Books, 1873-1916(*); Circuit Court at FamilySearch Catalog — images
- Early Wayne County, Indiana Probate and Will Index : Probate Prior to 1855, Wills Prior to 1860. By Dean, Arnold L. Richmond, Indiana : ALDean Enterprises, 1995. Online at: FamilySearch Digital Library.
- Index to Estates, Wayne County, Indiana(*); Superior 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[edit | edit source]
- Teachers of Wayne County, Indiana (1940) at Indiana Genealogical Society ($)
- Alumni of Hagerstown High School (1881-1932) at Indiana Genealogical Society ($)
- Students and Teachers of Hagerstown High School (1917, 1921-23, 1926, 1933, 1944-45, 1949) at Indiana Genealogical Society ($)
- Students and Teachers of Morton High School, Richmond (1928) at Indiana Genealogical Society ($)
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 ($) — index, click here for more information.
- 1936-2007 United States, Social Security Numerical Identification Files (NUMIDENT), 1936-2007 at FamilySearch - How to Use this Collection; index
Tax Records[edit | edit source]
Indiana tax records complement land records and can be used in place of censuses or to supplement the years between censuses. Because only persons who owned taxable property were listed, many residents were not included in tax lists. There may also be gaps of several years in the tax records of some counties. For more information see the wiki page Indiana Taxation.
Vital Records[edit | edit source]
Vital records consist of birth, death, marriage and divorce records. Indiana law in 1882 required registration of births and deaths in counties. The Indiana Department of Health has birth records filed after October 1907 and death records filed after January 1900 for deaths. Copies may be obtained from the county health department or the Indiana State Division of Vital Records.
Birth[edit | edit source]
Marriage[edit | edit source]
- 1780-1992 Indiana Marriages, 1780-1992 at FamilySearch - How to Use this Collection; Also at: MyHeritage ($)
- 1800-2007 Indiana, United States Marriages at Findmypast ($)
- 1802-1892 Indiana, Compiled Marriages, 1802-1892 at Ancestry ($)
- 1811-1903 Indiana, Wayne County Marriage Licenses at MyHeritage — index ($)
- 1811-1959 Indiana, Marriages, 1811-1959 at MyHeritage - index & images ($)
- 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 ($)
Divorce[edit | edit source]
Research Facilities[edit | edit source]
Archives[edit | edit source]
Listed below are archives in Wayne 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
- Oxford Ohio FamilySearch Center
- Richmond Indiana FamilySearch Center
- Franklin County Public Library - an affiliate library.
- Preble County District Library - Ohio - an affiliate library.
- Union County Public Library - an affiliate library.
Libraries[edit | edit source]
Listed below are libraries in Wayne County. For state-wide genealogical societies, see Indiana Archives and Libraries.
Museums[edit | edit source]
Wayne County Historical Museum
1150 N A St
Richmond, IN 47374
Phone: 765-962-5756
Email: office@wchmuseum.org
Website
Societies[edit | edit source]
Listed below are societies in Wayne County. For state-wide genealogical societies, see Indiana Societies.
The Clay Township Historical and Preservation Society
19 Pearl St
PO Box 5
Greens Fork, IN 47345
Phone: 765-886-5166
Email: jaynebeers@yahoo.com
Website
Wayne County Genealogical Society
PO Box 2599
Richmond, IN 47375-2599
Phone: 765-277-9606
Email: wcgs2599@yahoo.com
Research Only Email: wcgsresearch@yahoo.com
Website
Whitewater Valley Genealogical Association
PO Box 941
Connersville, IN 47331
Email: wvgenealogy@gmail.com
Website
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
- Every Name Index.com Online indexes for county histories. Select a county
- Wayne County Resources on IndianasGore
- USGenWeb, Wayne County
- INGenWeb, Wayne County
- Wayne County, Indiana Genealogy and Family History (Linkpendium)
- 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]
- ↑ Wikipedia contributors, "Wayne County," in Wikipedia: the Free Encyclopedia, https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wayne_County,_Indiana accessed 04/05/2017.
- ↑ 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, "Wayne County, Indiana," in Wikipedia: the Free Encyclopedia, https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wayne_County,_Indiana, accessed 15 January 2020.