Iowa Vital Records

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County Records of Births and Deaths

A few counties in Iowa began to register vital statistics during the 1870s, but most county records began in 1880, when a state law took effect requiring counties to register births and deaths. This law was generally complied with by 1924. In the 1940s, many people applied for delayed birth certificates in order to be eligible for Social Security benefits.

The Iowa GenWeb page offers a chart of each Iowa county, and the dates that they began keeping birth, marriage and death records. Many of the counties have transcribed records available at the site if you click on the county name from the chart.

Births

Birth records contain much information for family historians. Because births are recorded near the time of the event, they are considered a primary source. In birth records, you generally find the date and place of birth; name and sex of the child; name, residence, race, age, birthplace, and occupation of the father and mother; the mother’s maiden name; number of children born to the mother; number of living children; and physician’s certificate. For more information on birth records see the Birth records page.

Deaths

Death records are also a valuable source. Often, they give: date, place, and cause of death, name, residence, sex, race, marital status, age, occupation and birth place of the deceased, date and place of burial, name and birth place of father, and maiden name and birth place of mother.

These birth and death records are maintained by the clerk of the district court of the respective county. There are some death indexes that are very helpful.

State Records of Births and Deaths

The state has copies of birth records beginning in July 1880 and copies of death records beginning in January 1891. Copies are available to immediate family members only. You will need to state your relationship to the individual whose record you want and the reason you want the information. To request copies or information about fees and restrictions, contact:

Iowa Department of Public Health
Vital Records Bureau
Lucas State Office Building
321 East 12th Street
Des Moines, IA 50319-0075
Telephone: 515-281-4944
Fax: 515-281-4529

Click here for current fees and lists of services.

Coroner's Records

Coroners investigated deaths that were not attended by a physician and determined the cause of the death. The coroner of each county kept records of his findings. Some of these records began as early as 1855. The County Coroner’s Office was established by the Iowa State Constitution. The coroner’s records may provide the name of the deceased person, his or her age, the cause of death, the parents’ names, and circumstances of the death. Some of these records are available at the Family History Library such as Coroner's Reports, 1855–1959.

Marriage

Iowa county marriage records have been kept since about 1835. These marriage records may provide names, ages, races, residences, occupations, birthplaces, maiden name of wife, marriage date and place, parents’ names, and the name of person who performed the marriage. Some certificates give the number of times the groom has been married. For more information about marriage records see the United States Marriage Records page.

You may obtain copies of the original records by contacting the clerk of the district court in the county where the license was issued. Many marriage records have been transcribed and published by the Daughters of the American Revolution (DAR) and other organizations. See the Bible Records page for information on the DAR collection.

Some early Iowa marriages pre-1850 have been transcribed.

Many eloping couples went to Keokuk, Lee County, Iowa to be married, there was no waiting period between the time of issuing a license and the performance of the marriage. Keokuk is located on the Mississippi; making it accessible to those traveling the river.

Family History Library

The Family History Library has some county birth and death records on microfilm to the early 1940s.

Birth, marriage, death, and coroner’s records and indexes for most Iowa counties are listed in the Locality Search of the Family History Library Catalog under:

IOWA - VITAL RECORDS

IOWA, [COUNTY] - VITAL RECORDS

IOWA, [COUNTY], [TOWN] - VITAL RECORDS

The Iowa Department of Public Health has copies of marriage records from July 1880. They have an index to records after 1916.

Divorce Records

For divorce records see the "Iowa Divorce Records" page. More information about divorce records in the United States can be found on the Divorce records page.

Inventory of Vital Records

For more information about the history and availability of vital records in Iowa up to 1941, see: Guide to Public Vital Statistics in Iowa

Bibliography

Microfilmed copies of marriage records from many counties can be found at the The Family History Library, such as:

• Iowa Marriages, Early to 1850: A Research Tool

Two partial indexes list early records of marriages in 39 Iowa counties. These indexes are:

• Iowa Marriages, Early to 1850: A Research Tool

• Marriage Records Early-1850 This disc also contains marriages in Arkansas, California, Louisiana, Minnesota, Missouri, Oregon, and Texas.

The following book indexes marriages in 24 counties:

• Iowa Marriages Before Statehood, 1835–1846

Records of 11 counties are given in the following collection:

• Iowa Marriages, ca. 1844–1900. Contains marriage abstracts and newspaper marriage notices for Buena Vista, Chickasaw, Des Moines, Floyd, Freemont, Greene, Mills, Osceola, Plymouth, Pottawattamie, and Story Counties.