Tama County, Iowa Genealogy

United States Iowa Tama County

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

Tama County, Iowa
Map
Location in the state of Iowa
Location of Iowa in the U.S.
Facts
Founded	February 17, 1843
County Seat	Toledo
Courthouse

History

Parent County

1843--Tama County was created 17 February 1843 from Benton County. It was attached to Benton and Linn Counties prior to organization 4 July 1853. County seat:  Toledo

Tama is pronounced Tayma. The first a rhymes with the a in day not with the a in cat. I learned this from the people in met in Tama county.

Boundary Changes

For animated maps illustrating Iowa County boundary changes, "Rotating Formation Iowa County Boundary Maps" (1816-1872) may be viewed for free at the MapofUS.org website.

Record Loss

For a list of record loss in Iowa Counties see: Iowa Counties with Burned Courthouses

Places/Localities

Neighboring Counties

Benton | Black Hawk | Grundy | Iowa | Jasper | Marshall | Poweshiek

Resources

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.

Lutheran

St. Paul's Lutheran Church

• Records of the St. Paul's Lutheran Church, Tama County, in Evangelical Lutheran Church in America database at Archives.com ($).

Traer

• Records of the American Lutheran Church, Traer, in Evangelical Lutheran Church in America database at Archives.com ($).

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 Tama 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.

Maps

• Old Antique Atlases & Maps of Iowa
• Iowa USGS Topographic
  Choose Airport, Bridge, Building, Cemetery, Church, Civil, Hospital, Lake, Locale, Park, Populated Place, Post Office, School, Stream, Summit, Trail
  http://www.topozone.com/states/Iowa.asp?county=Tama
  

Military

Civil War

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

- 10th Regiment, Iowa Infantry, Company C

- 14th Regiment, Iowa Infantry, Company G

- 24th Regiment, Iowa Infantry, Company E

- 28th Regiment, Iowa Infantry, Company F

Newspapers

• NewspaperArchive.com ($) has historical newspapers online including Waterloo newspapers that may have included Tama County residents. This database is free at some libraries.

Probate

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.

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

See also a List of Iowa Archives, Libraries, Publications, Historical & Genealogical Societies

Family History Centers

• Introduction to LDS Family History Centers

Web Sites

• Tama County, IA History, Records, Facts and Genealogy
• Iowa Genealogy Network Community on Google+
• Iowa Genealogy Network Group on Facebook
• Family History Library Catalog
• Tama 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.