Polk County, Iowa Genealogy

United States Iowa Polk County

Guide to Polk County Iowa genealogy. Birth records, marriage records, death records, census records, family history, and military records.

Polk County, Iowa
Map
Location in the state of Iowa
Location of Iowa in the U.S.
Facts
Founded	January 13, 1846
County Seat	Des Moines
Courthouse

History

Parent County

1846--Polk County was created 13 January 1846 from unorganized territory. County seat:  Des Moines

Places/Localities

Neighboring Counties

Boone | Dallas | Jasper | Madison | Marion | Story | Warren

Resources

Cemeteries

1. I have photos of all headstones in the Oralabor Cemetery in Ankeny, Polk County, Iowa as of 2008.  If you need one looked up please e-mail me at:E-Mail Me  Please provide a surname, christian name and DOD if you have it.

• Glendale Cemetery, Des Moines BillionGraves

Church

Most church records are held by individual churches. Some denominations are gathering their records into a central repository. For more information about these major repositories, see Iowa Church Records.

LDS Ward and Branch Records

• Des Moines

Directories

Fold3.com ($) has Des Moines City Directories 1881-1913 (2 yrs. missing) and miscellaneous years going back to 1866 available online.

Land

Land and property records can place an ancestor in a particular location, provide economic information, and reveal family relationships. They include: deeds, abstracts and indexes, mortgages, leases, grants and land patents.

See Iowa Land and Property for information about early Iowa land grants. After land was transferred to private ownership, transactions were usually recorded and housed at the county courthouse.

Local Histories 

Local histories are available for Polk County, Iowa Genealogy. County histories may include biographies, church, school and government history, and military information. For more information about local histories, see the wiki page section Iowa Local Histories.

• History of Polk County, Iowa: A History of the County, its Cities, Towns, etc.
  

Union Historical Company, 1880

http://books.google.com/books?id=dHkUAAAAYAAJ&pg=PA749&dq=butler+co+iowa&lr=&as_brr=1&client=firefox-a#PPR4,M1

Maps

• View historic Polk County, Iowa maps in the David Rumsey Map Collection.
• Township Map of 1875 Polk County, Iowa with enlarged views of each township (My Genealogy Hound)

Military

Civil War

Regiments. Service men in Polk County, Iowa Genealogy 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 Polk County, Iowa Genealogy:

- 2nd Regiment, Iowa Cavalry, Company D

- 4th Regiment, Iowa Infantry, Company E

- 10th Regiment, Iowa Infantry, Companies A and K

- 13th Regiment, Iowa Infantry, Company E

- 15th Regiment, Iowa Infantry, Company B

- 16th Regiment, Iowa Infantry, Company K

- 17th Regiment, Iowa Infantry, Companies B and K

- 18th Regiment, Iowa Infantry, Company I

- 23rd Regiment, Iowa Infantry, Companies A, B, C and E

- 47th Regiment, Iowa Infantry (100 days, 1864), Company F

Naturalization and Citizenship

• Iowa. District Court (Polk County). Naturalization Records, 1907–1927. Salt Lake City, Utah: Genealogical Society of Utah, 1977. FHL films 1015201–17 item 2.
• Iowa. District Court. (Polk County). Index to Naturalization, 1852–1884. Salt Lake City, Utah: Genealogical Society of Utah, 1977. FHL film 1015217 item 1.

Newspapers

• Altoona Public Library Archives, Polk County (1876-2000)
• Johnston Historical Society Archive, Polk County (1970-2007)
• NewspaperArchive.com ($) has historical newspapers online including Des Moines newspapers that covered local news on Polk County residents. This database is free at some libraries.

• Roland Historical Society Archives, Story County (1895-1975)
• Warren County Newspapers (1855-1896)

Taxation

Iowa tax records complement land records and can supplement the years between censuses. Iowa's unique Old Age Assistance tax gives names, addresses and birth years. There may be gaps of several years. For more information, see the wiki page Iowa Taxation.

Vital Records 

Vital Records consist of births, marriages, divorces, and deaths recorded by civil officials on registers, certificates, and other documents. Copies or extracts may be purchased from the Iowa Department of Public Health or the County Clerk's office. See also Iowa Vital Records.

Societies and Libraries

Family History 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

• Des Moines Iowa Family History Center 3301 Ashworth Rd., West Des Moines, IA 50265 United States Location Map

Web Sites

• Family History Library Catalog
• Polk County, Iowa Genealogy and Family History (Linkpendium)

This website requires a paid subscription for full access. Some subscription websites are available for free at your local FamilySearch Center or Affiliate Library.