Harrison County, Iowa Genealogy

United States

Iowa

Harrison County

Guide to Harrison County, Iowa ancestry, genealogy and family history, birth records, marriage records, death records, census records, and military records.

Iowa Online Genealogy Records

County Facts County seat: Logan Organized: March 7, 1853 Parent County(s): Pottawattamie, Non-County Area 11 Neighboring Counties Crawford • Monona • Pottawattamie • Shelby • Burt (NE) • Washington (NE) See County Maps Courthouse Location Map

County Information

Description

Harrison County was named for William Henry Harrison and is located in south-central Iowa.

County Courthouse

Harrison County Courthouse
111 N 2nd Ave
Logan, IA 51546
Phone: 712-644-2750
Harrison County Website

Harrison County, Iowa 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.

Known Beginning Dates for Government County Records
Birth*	Marriage	Death*	Court	Land	Probate	Census
1880	1853	1880	1850	1853	1869	1847
* Statewide registration started for births in July 1880 and for deaths January 1891. General compliance by 1924.

Record Loss

1854 Courthouse was destroyed by fire in September; all county records were lost. For suggestions about research in places that suffered historic record losses, see: Burned Counties. By Michael John Neill at 24-7 Family History Circle. When the Records are Gone. By Arlene Eakle at Arlene Eakle's Tennessee Blog. Burned Counties Research in the FamilySearch Research Wiki. List of counties in the United States with Record Loss

Boundary Changes

Parent Counties: Created from Pottawattamie County and Non-County Area 11, January 15, 1851. Organized Date: March 7, 1853. County seat: Logan Iowa Individual County Chronologies - Newberry Library list of all boundary changes by county Iowa Historical Borders - Map at Newberry Library Atlas of Historical County Boundaries; Also at: mapofus.org - animated maps illustrating Iowa county boundary changes

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:

Cities
Dunlap Little Sioux Logan Magnolia	Missouri Valley Modale Mondamin	Persia Pisgah Woodbine
Townships
Allen Boyer Calhoun Cass Cincinnati Clay Douglas	Harrison Jackson Jefferson La Grange Lincoln Little Sioux Magnolia	Morgan Raglan St. Johns Taylor Union Washington

Resources

Bible Records

Listed below are resources for Bible records specific to Harrison County. To find more resources, go to the Iowa Bible Records page.

Biographies

• History of Harrison County, Iowa, Including a Condensed History of the State...Together With Sketches of Its Pioneers. By Joe H. Smith. Des Moines, IA: Iowa Printing Company, 1888. Online at: Internet Archive.
• History of Harrison County, Iowa, Its People, Industries and Institutions: With Biographical Sketches. By Charles W. Hunt & Will Leach Clark. Indianapolis, IN: B.F. Bowen Publisher, 1915. Online at: FamilySearch Digital Library, Internet Archive.
• History of Harrison County, Iowa Containing Full Page Portraits and Biographical Sketches of Prominent and Representative Citizens. Chicago, IL: National Publishing Co., 1891. Online at: Internet Archive. Every-name index to the 1891 History of Harrison County, Iowa. Online at: FamilySearch Digital Library.
• Harrison County, Iowa Biographies Project at RootsWeb — links to biographies and local histories
  

Business, Commerce, and Occupations

• Iowa, State Employees at MyHeritage — index & images ($)

Cemeteries

Cemeteries of Harrison County, Iowa online and in print
Tombstone Transcriptions Online	BillionGraves Find a Grave IA Tombstone Transcription Project IAGenWeb Iowa Gravestone Photo Project USGenWeb Archives WPA 1930's Graves Registration Survey Iowa, Church and Civil Deaths (cemetery records), incomplete
Tombstone Transcriptions in Print (Often more complete)	FamilySearch Library WorldCat
List of Cemeteries in the County	FamilySearch Places Find a Grave
See Iowa Cemeteries for more information.

Census Records

Iowa recorded not only federal, but state censuses for several in-between years as well. For more information, see the very informative Iowa Census article.

Historical populations
Census	Pop.	%±
1860	3,621	—
1870	8,931	146.6%
1880	16,649	86.4%
1890	21,356	28.3%
1900	25,597	19.9%
1910	23,162	−9.5%
1920	24,488	5.7%
1930	24,897	1.7%
1940	22,767	−8.6%
1950	19,560	−14.1%
1960	17,600	−10.0%
1970	16,240	−7.7%
1980	16,348	0.7%
1990	14,730	−9.9%
2000	15,666	6.4%
2010	14,928	−4.7%
Source: "Wikipedia.org".

State Census

• 1885 Iowa State Census, 1885 at FamilySearch — How to Use this Collection; index & images
• 1895 Iowa State Census, 1895 at FamilySearch — How to Use this Collection; index & images
• 1905 Iowa State Census, 1905 at FamilySearch — How to Use this Collection; index & images (individual cards, not family context)
• 1915 Iowa State Census, 1915 at FamilySearch — How to Use this Collection; index & images
• 1925 Iowa State Census, 1925 at FamilySearch — How to Use this Collection; index & images

Church Records

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.

• 1845-1987 Iowa, Church and Civil Deaths, 1845-1987 at FamilySearch — How to Use this Collection; index & images; selected counties, incomplete; includes, death, church, and cemetery records
  
• FamilySearch Places

The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints
Ward and Branch Records

• Harris Grove

Lutheran

• 1781-1969 U.S., Evangelical Lutheran Church in America Church Records, 1781-1969 at Ancestry — index & images ($)

Directories

• 1902 Standard Atlas of Harrison County, Iowa(*) at FamilySearch Catalog — images
• 1905 Directory of Harrison County, Iowa at FamilySearch Digital Library. Also at: [https://www.myheritage.com/research/collection-58494/directory-of-harrison-county-iowa-1905?s=275764761 MyHeritage ($).
• 1970-2024 United States, Residence Database, 1970-2024 at FamilySearch — How to Use this Collection; index, coverage may vary

Funeral Homes

• Fouts Funeral Home in Dunlap and Woodbine
  
• Hennessey Funeral Home in Missouri Valley
  
• Logan Memorial Chapel in Logan
  
• Logan Memorial Chapel in Pisgah
  

Land and Property Records

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.

Online Land Indexes and Records

• 1854-1936 Deed records, 1854-1936 at FamilySearch Catalog - index & images
• 1854-1945 Town lot deed records, 1854-1945 at FamilySearch Catalog - index & images
• 1856-1882 Original entries, 1856-1882 at FamilySearch Catalog - images
• 1871-1968 Homesteads, 1871-1968 at FamilySearch Catalog - images
• Full-Text Search - Land Records at FamilySearch - index & images; dates, records, and places vary; How to Search

Local Histories

Local histories are available for Harrison County, which may include biographies, church, school and government history, and military information. For more information about local histories, see Iowa Local Histories.

• History of Harrison County, Iowa. By Joe H. Smith. Des Moines, IA: Iowa Printing Company, 1888. Online at: Internet Archive.
• History of Harrison County, Iowa, Its People, Industries and Institutions: With Biographical Sketches. By Charles W. Hunt & Will Leach Clark. Indianapolis, IN: B.F. Bowen Publisher, 1915. Online at: FamilySearch Digital Library, Internet Archive.
• History of Harrison County, Iowa. Chicago, IL: National Publishing Co., 1891. Online at: Internet Archive. Every-name index to the 1891 History of Harrison County, Iowa. Online at: FamilySearch Digital Library.
• Pioneer History of Harris Grove, 1851-1861. By Horace H. McKenney. Logan, IA: Democrat Printers, 1861. Online at: FamilySearch Digital Library.

Maps and Gazetteers

County and state maps, historical and more current, are valuable research tools. For online maps and collections in libraries and societies, see Iowa Maps. Historical maps may be especially useful.

Click a neighboring county
for more resources

• 1860-1918 U.S., Indexed County Land Ownership Maps, 1860-1918, Harrison County at Ancestry ($) - index.
• 1875-2007 Harrison County 1875-2007 at Historic Map Works - may include names of land-owners.
• 1886-1934 Fire Insurance Maps for Harrison County, Iowa at Library of Congress - various years between 1886 and 1934.
• Harrison County Maps at FamilySearch Catalog.
• IAGenWeb - Harrison County.
• Illustrated Atlas of Harrison County, Iowa(*); at FamilySearch Catalog — images.
• Iowa Digital Library, Harrison County at Iowa University Libraries.
• Standard Atlas of Harrison County, Iowa(*); at FamilySearch Catalog — images.
• The Iowa Heritage Digital Collections, Harrison County at State Library of Iowa.
• FamilySearch Places: Map of cities and towns in this county - How to Use FS Places.

Military Records

Multiple Wars

• 1835-1998 Iowa, Armed Forces Grave Registrations, ca. 1835-1998 at FamilySearch — How to Use this Collection; index only
• 1862-1910 Iowa, Records of Persons Subject to Military Duty, 1862-1910 at FamilySearch — How to Use this Collection; index & images

Civil War

• 1861-1949 Iowa, Grand Army of the Republic Membership Records, 1861-1949 at FamilySearch — How to Use this Collection; index & images

Civil War service men in Harrison 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 here:

- 15th Regiment, Iowa Infantry, Company H

- 29th Regiment, Iowa Infantry, Company C

Naturalization and Citizenship

Please see the Iowa Naturalization and Citizenship page for state-wide information.

Online Naturalization Indexes and Records

• 1859-1990 United States, Iowa Naturalization Records, 1859-1990 at FamilySearch — How to Use this Collection; index & images
• 1869-1930 Naturalization Records, 1869-1930(*); Clerk of the District Court at FamilySearch Catalog — 3 indexes, images

Newspapers

• 1800s-Current Iowa, U.S., Newspapers.com™ Stories and Events Index, 1800's-Current at Ancestry — index & images ($)

Probate Records

In most counties in Iowa, probate records have been kept by the county judge. They include wills, fee books, claim registers, legacy records, inheritance records, probate ticklers, and dockets. The records are available at the county courthouse.

Online Probate Indexes and Records

• 1758-1997 Iowa, U.S., Wills and Probate Records, 1758-1997 at Ancestry — index & images ($)
• 1853-1940 Probate Records, 1853-1940(*); Clerk of the Probate 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

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 & images ($)
• 1936-2007 United States, Social Security Numerical Identification Files (NUMIDENT), 1936-2007 at FamilySearch - How to Use this Collection; index

Tax Records

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.

Online Tax Indexes and Records

• 1934-1958 Iowa, Old Age Tax Assistance Records, 1934-1958 at FamilySearch — How to Use this Collection; index & images

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.

Birth

• 1850-1939 Iowa, Delayed Birth Records, 1850-1939 at FamilySearch — How to Use this Collection; index & images
• 1880-1935 Iowa, County Births, 1880-1935 at FamilySearch — How to Use this Collection; index & images
• 1921-1942 Iowa, Birth Records, 1921-1942 at FamilySearch — How to Use this Collection; index & images
• 1921-1947 Iowa, Birth and Stillbirth Records, 1921-1947 at FamilySearch — How to Use this Collection; index & images, coverage may vary

Marriage

• 1518-1996 Iowa, United States Marriages at Findmypast — index ($)
• 1809-1992 Iowa, Marriages, 1809-1992 at MyHeritage — index ($)
• 1836-1926 Iowa, Marriages, 1836 - 1926 at MyHeritage — index ($)
• 1838-1934 Iowa, County Marriages, 1838-1934 at FamilySearch — How to Use this Collection; index & images
• 1880-1951 Iowa, U.S., Marriage Records, 1880-1951 at Ancestry — index & images ($)
• 1941-1951 Iowa, Marriage Records, 1941-1951 at FamilySearch — How to Use this Collection; index & images

Death

• 1845-1987 Iowa, Church and Civil Deaths, 1845-1987 at FamilySearch — How to Use this Collection; index & images; selected counties, incomplete; includes, death, church, and cemetery records
  
• 1850-1990 Iowa Deaths and Burials, 1850-1990 at FamilySearch — How to Use this Collection; index and some images; Also at: MyHeritage($)
• 1880-1992 Iowa, County Death Records, 1880-1992 at FamilySearch — How to Use this Collection; index & images
• 1888-1904 Iowa, Death Records, 1888-1904 at FamilySearch — How to Use this Collection; index and images, coverage may vary
• 1900-1939 Iowa Death Index, 1900-1939 at MyHeritage — index ($)
• 1904-1951 Iowa, Death Records, 1904-1951 at FamilySearch — How to Use this Collection; index & images
• 1920-1967 Iowa, U.S., Death Records, 1920-1967 at Ancestry — index & images ($)

Research Facilities

Archives

Listed below are archives in Harrison County. For state-wide library facilities, see Iowa 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

• Blair Nebraska FamilySearch Center
• Council Bluffs Iowa FamilySearch Center
• Logan Iowa FamilySearch Center
• Omaha Nebraska FamilySearch Center
• Danish Immigrant Museum - an affiliate library

Libraries

Listed below are libraries in Harrison County. For state-wide library facilities, see Iowa Archives and Libraries.

Missouri Valley Public Library
420 East Huron Street
Missouri Valley, IA 51555
Phone: 712-642-4111
Website

Woodbine Carnegie Public Library
58 5th Street
Woodbine, IA 51579
Email: woodbinepublib@gmail.com
Website

Museums

Harrison County Historical Village & Iowa Welcome Center
2931 Monroe Avenue
Missouri Valley, IA 51555
Phone: 712-642-2114
Website

Societies

Listed below are societies in Harrison County. For state-wide genealogical societies, see Iowa Societies.

Harrison County Genealogical Society
212 Lincoln Way
Woodbine, IA 51579
Phone: 712-647-2593
Website

Websites

• Harrison County at Cyndi's List - a comprehensive, categorized & cross-referenced list of links that point you to genealogical research sites online
• Harrison County at Genealogy Trails - volunteer transcriptions of genealogical and historical data
• Harrison County at Iowa USGenWeb - free online resources for genealogical research
• Harrison County at Iowa USGenWeb Archives - free online data for genealogical research
• State Historical Society of Iowa — select from research collection topics
• State Library of Iowa — electronic depository of documents intended for the general public produced by Iowa agencies
• The Iowa Heritage Digital Collection — digital images from a variety of Iowa cultural institutions
• 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.

This table contains the dates the local or state government began recording in the county or county equivalent. Use substitute records for earlier dates. If you believe there is an error, email us at wikisupport@familysearch.org.

County boundary maps are currently unavailable. Download information instead.

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Users should verify which locations and dates are included in this collection.

“Current” indicates records are available as recently as privacy laws allow. This date can change from year to year. To determine the exact dates available, contact the respective organization/repository.

FamilySearch affiliate libraries may have access to center-only databases, but do not always have all services normally provided by a FamilySearch center.