Webster County, Iowa Genealogy

United States

Iowa

Webster County

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

Webster County, Iowa
Map
Location in the state of Iowa
Location of Iowa in the U.S.
Facts
Founded	January 15, 1851
County Seat	Fort Dodge
Courthouse

County Information

Webster County, Iowa Record Dates

Beginning Dates for Major County Records
Birth	Marriage	Death	Census	Land	Probate
1880	1853	1880	1840	1856	1855

History

Parent County

1851--Webster County was created 15 January 1851 from Yell and Risley Counties. The named changed to Webster County 22 January 1853.  County seat: Fort Dodge

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

There is no known history of courthouse disasters in this county.

Places/Localities

Neighboring Counties

Boone • Calhoun • Greene • Hamilton • Humboldt • Pocahontas • Wright

Template:IAWebster County, Iowa Clickable Neighbors

Resources

Cemeteries

Tombstone Transcriptions Online	Tombstone Transcriptions in Print	List of Cemeteries in the county
Findagrave.com	Family History Library	Findagrave.com
IAGenWeb	WorldCat	Billion Graves
Iowa Gravestones
Billion Graves
See Iowa Cemeteries for more information.

Census

State Census

• 1895 - Iowa State Census, 1895 at FamilySearch — index and images
• 1905 - Iowa State Census, 1905 at FamilySearch — index and images
• 1915 - Iowa State Census, 1915 at FamilySearch — index and images
• 1925 - Iowa State Census. 1925 at FamilySearch — index and images

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

Badger Lutheran Church, Fort Dodge

• Records of the Badger Lutheran Church, Fort Dodge, in Evangelical Lutheran Church in America database at Archives.com ($).

Callender

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

Fort Dodge

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

Webster County

• Records of the American Lutheran Church, Webster County, 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 Webster 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.

• Biographical Record and Portrait Album of Webster and Hamilton Counties, Iowa. Chicago, IL, USA: Lewis Publishing, 1888. Ancestry.com

Maps

• Old Antique Atlases & Maps of Iowa

Military

• 1835-1998 - Iowa, Armed Forces Grave Registrations, ca. 1835-1998 at FamilySearch — index
• 1861-1949 - Iowa, Grand Army of the Republic Membership Records, 1861-1949 at FamilySearch — index and images

Newspapers

Additional newspapers abstracts can sometimes be found using search phrases such as Webster County, Iowa Genealogy newspapers in online catalogs like:

• WorldCat
• FamilySearch. Do a Webster County, Iowa Genealogy Place-name search for these and other records in the FamilySearch Catalog (For instructions see, FamilySearch Catalog Place-name Search).

• 1949 — Fort Dodge Messenger And Chronicle at Ancestry.com ($) — Fort Dodge, Iowa

Probate

Online Probate Records

• 1758 - 1997 Iowa Wills and Probate Records 1758-1997 at Ancestry.com — index and images $

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.

Births

• 1850-1939 - Iowa, Delayed Birth Records, 1850-1939 at FamilySearch — index and images

Marriages

• 1838-1934 - Iowa, County Marriages, 1838-1934 at FamilySearch — index and images

Deaths

• 1850-1990 - Iowa, Deaths and Burials 1850-1990 at FamilySearch
• 1880-1992 - Iowa, County Death Records, 1880-1992 at FamilySearch — index
  
• 1921-1940 - Iowa, Death Records, 1921-1940 at FamilySearch — index and images

Societies and Libraries

Webster County (Iowa) Genealogical Society
Fort Dodge Public Library
424 Central Avenue
Room 134
Fort Dodge, IA 50501
Telephone:515-302-9854
E-mail: webcoiagenies@gmail.com
Website

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

• Fort Dodge Iowa Family History Center 1426 N 32nd St, Fort Dodge, IA 50501 United States Location Map

Websites

• Webster County, IA History, Records, Facts and Genealogy
• Iowa Genealogy Network Community on Google+
• Iowa Genealogy Network Group on Facebook

 FamilySearch Catalog

Webster 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.

Family History Library (FHL); now called, FamilySearch Library (FSL)