Decatur County, Indiana Genealogy: Difference between revisions
m (Text replacement - "{{FamilySearch Centers Intro}}" to "{{Family History Centers Intro}}") |
m (Adding Links to Populated Places) |
||
| Line 41: | Line 41: | ||
The county was named for Commodore Stephen Decatur, Jr., naval officer in the First and Second Barbary Wars, and in the War of 1812. Decatur was mortally wounded in a duel in 1820. The county seat is Greensburg and the county was organized in 1822.<ref>Genealogy Trails History Group, “Decatur County, Indiana Genealogy and History”, http://genealogytrails.com/ind/decatur/ accessed 3/02/2017.</ref> | The county was named for Commodore Stephen Decatur, Jr., naval officer in the First and Second Barbary Wars, and in the War of 1812. Decatur was mortally wounded in a duel in 1820. The county seat is Greensburg and the county was organized in 1822.<ref>Genealogy Trails History Group, “Decatur County, Indiana Genealogy and History”, http://genealogytrails.com/ind/decatur/ accessed 3/02/2017.</ref> | ||
The County is located in the South-east part of the state.<ref>Wikipedia contributors, "Decatur County," in ''Wikipedia: the Free Encyclopedia'', https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Decatur_County,_Indiana accessed 3/02/2017.</ref> | The County is located in the South-east part of the state.<ref>Wikipedia contributors, "Decatur County," in ''Wikipedia: the Free Encyclopedia'', https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Decatur_County,_Indiana accessed 3/02/2017.</ref> | ||
==== Populated Places ==== | |||
For a complete list of populated places, including small neighborhoods and suburbs, visit [https://indiana.hometownlocator.com/counties/cities,cfips,031,c,decatur.cfm HomeTown Locator]. The following are the most historically and genealogically relevant populated places in this county:<ref>Wikipedia contributors, "Decatur County, Indiana," in ''Wikipedia: the Free Encyclopedia'', https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Decatur_County%2C_Indiana, accessed 06 December 2019.</ref> | |||
{{Populated places | |||
<!--cities column-------------------> | |||
| cities-col1=<div> | |||
*[https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Greensburg,_Indiana Greensburg] | |||
</div> | |||
| cities-col2=<div></div> | |||
| cities-col3=<div></div> | |||
<!--towns column-------------------> | |||
| towns-col1=<div> | |||
*[https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Millhousen,_Indiana Millhousen] | |||
*[https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/New_Point,_Indiana New Point] | |||
</div> | |||
| towns-col2=<div> | |||
*[https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/St._Paul,_Indiana St. Paul] | |||
</div> | |||
| towns-col3=<div> | |||
*[https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Westport,_Indiana Westport] | |||
</div> | |||
<!--unincorp column-------------------> | |||
| unincorp-col1=<div> | |||
*[https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Milford,_Decatur_County,_Indiana Milford] | |||
</div> | |||
| unincorp-col2=<div></div> | |||
| unincorp-col3=<div></div> | |||
<!--census column-------------------> | |||
| census-col1=<div> | |||
*[https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Clarksburg,_Indiana Clarksburg] | |||
</div> | |||
| census-col2=<div> | |||
*[https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lake_Santee,_Indiana Lake Santee] | |||
</div> | |||
| census-col3=<div></div> | |||
<!--townships column-------------------> | |||
| townships-col1=<div> | |||
*[https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Adams_Township,_Decatur_County,_Indiana Adams] | |||
*[https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Clay_Township,_Decatur_County,_Indiana Clay] | |||
*[https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Clinton_Township,_Decatur_County,_Indiana Clinton] | |||
</div> | |||
| townships-col2=<div> | |||
*[https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fugit_Township,_Decatur_County,_Indiana Fugit] | |||
*[https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jackson_Township,_Decatur_County,_Indiana Jackson] | |||
*[https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Marion_Township,_Decatur_County,_Indiana Marion] | |||
</div> | |||
| townships-col3=<div> | |||
*[https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Salt_Creek_Township,_Decatur_County,_Indiana Salt Creek] | |||
*[https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sand_Creek_Township,_Decatur_County,_Indiana Sand Creek] | |||
*[https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Washington_Township,_Decatur_County,_Indiana Washington] | |||
</div> | |||
}} | |||
==== Neighboring Counties ==== | ==== Neighboring Counties ==== | ||
Revision as of 10:59, 6 December 2019
Guide to Decatur County, Indiana ancestry, family history, and genealogy birth records, marriage records, death records, census records, family history, and military records.
| Decatur County, Indiana | |
| Map | |
 Location of Indiana in the U.S. | |
| Facts | |
| Founded | 1821, |
|---|---|
| County Seat | December |
| Courthouse | |
| Address | Decatur County Courthouse 150 Courthouse Square Suite 5 Greensburg, In 47240 Phone: 812-663-8223 |
Historical Facts[edit | edit source]
| Birth* | Marriage | Death* | Court | Land | Probate | Census |
| 1882 | 1822 | 1882 | 1822 | 1822 | 1822 | 1807 |
Description[edit | edit source]
The county was named for Commodore Stephen Decatur, Jr., naval officer in the First and Second Barbary Wars, and in the War of 1812. Decatur was mortally wounded in a duel in 1820. The county seat is Greensburg and the county was organized in 1822.[4] The County is located in the South-east part of the state.[5]
Populated Places[edit | edit source]
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:[6]
| Cities | ||
| Towns | ||
| Unincorporated communities | ||
| Census-designated places | ||
| Townships | ||
Neighboring Counties[edit | edit source]
Rush • Franklin • Ripley • Jennings • Bartholomew • Shelby
The county is named after U.S. naval officer Stephen Decatur (1779-1820).[7]
Boundary Changes[edit | edit source]
For animated maps illustrating Indiana County boundary changes, "Rotating Formation Indiana County Boundary Maps" (1790-1873) may be viewed for free at the MapofUS.org website.
Record Loss[edit | edit source]
There is no known history of courthouse disasters in this county.
Resources[edit | edit source]
Bible Records[edit | edit source]
Biographies[edit | edit source]
- A Genealogical and Biographical Record of Decatur County, Indiana. 1900. Chicago [Illinois] : Lewis Publishing Company. Online at: Hathitrust; Internet Archive; Google Books; At various libraries (WorldCat).
Business Records[edit | edit source]
Cemeteries[edit | edit source]
| Tombstone Transcriptions Online | Tombstone Transcriptions in Print | List of Cemeteries in the county |
| Findagrave.com | Family History Library | Findagrave.com |
| INGenWeb | WorldCat | Billion Graves |
| INGenWeb Archives | ||
| Tombstone Project | ||
| Billion Graves | ||
| See Indiana Cemeteries for more information. | ||
Census Records[edit | edit source]
For tips on accessing Decatur County, Indiana Genealogy census records online, see: Indiana Census.
Index to Defective, Dependent & Delinquent Census for Decatur County, Indiana (1880) (members only database, Indiana Genealogical Society)
Church Records[edit | edit source]
Most church records are held by individual churches. For contact information, check a phone directory, such as SearchBug or Dex Knows. Some denominations are gathering their records into a central repository. For more information about these major repositories, see Indiana Church Records.
For more information about these major repositories, see Indiana Church Records.
Finding More Church Records[edit source]
Additional church records can sometimes be found using search phrases such as Decatur County, Indiana Genealogy Church Records in online catalogs like:
- WorldCat (For instructions see WorldCat Online Catalog).
- FamilySearch Catalog (For instructions see FamilySearch Catalog Place-name Search).
Court Records[edit | edit source]
Directories[edit | edit source]
- Directory of Businesses in Decatur County, Indiana (1858, 1868) (members only database, Indiana Genealogical Society)
Emigration and Immigration[edit | edit source]
Ethnic and Religious Groups[edit | edit source]
African American
- African Methodist Episcopal Church (Greensburg, Indiana) (Added Author), Negro Cemetery (Clarksburg, Indiana) (Added Author), Decatur County (Indiana). Historian (Added Author), Black history, Decatur County, Indiana,'(Salt Lake City, Utah : Filmed by the Genealogical Society of Utah, 1987 ) FHL US/CAN Film 1531735 Item 18 {FHL|454999|item|disp=FHL Collection}}
- Baldwin, Jane (Main Author), Baker, Ray Stannard, b. 1870 (Added Author), A history of the Negro in Decatur County, Indiana, (Salt Lake City, Utah : Filmed by the Genealogical Society of Utah, 1987) FHL US/CAN Film 1531732 Item 6 FHL Collection
Gazetteers[edit | edit source]
Genealogies[edit | edit source]
Histories[edit | edit source]
Local Histories[edit | edit source]
Local histories are available for Decatur County, Indiana Genealogy. County histories may include biographies; church, school and government histories; and military information.
Online County Histories
- Atlas of Decatur Co., Indiana. 1976. Knightstown, Indiana : Bookmark. (Reprint of original published: Chicago : J. H. Beers, 1882.) Online at: FamilySearch Digital Library; At various libraries (WorldCat).
- History of Decatur County, Indiana. 2 Vols. By Lewis A. Harding. 1915. Indianapolis: B. F. Bowen. Online at: FamilySearch Digital Library; Hathitrust; Internet Archive - Vol. 1; Internet Archive - Vol. 2; Google Books; At various libraries (WorldCat). Index: Every Name Index to History of Decatur County, Indiana. Every Name Index compiled by Cathy L. O'Connor, 2007; original text by Lewis A. Harding, Editor; published by B. F. Bowen, 1915. EveryNameIndex.com
For more information about local histories, see the wiki page section Indiana Local Histories.
Land and Property[edit | edit source]
Land and property records can place an ancestor in a particular location, provide economic information, and reveal family relationships. Land records include: deeds, abstracts and indexes, mortgages, leases, grants and land patents.
After land was transferred from the government to private ownership, subsequent transactions were recorded at the courthouse, where records are currently housed.
See Indiana Land and Property for additional information about early Indiana land grants and patents.
Finding More Land Records[edit source]
Additional land records can sometimes be found using search phrases such as Decatur County, Indiana Genealogy Probate Records in online catalogs like:
- WorldCat (For instructions see WorldCat Online Catalog).
- FamilySearch Catalog (For instructions see FamilySearch Catalog Place-name Search).
Maps[edit | edit source]
for more resources
- Old Antique Atlases & Maps of Indiana
- Family Maps of Decatur County, Indiana Genealogy (land patent maps) at HistoryGeo.com ($). Free surname search.
Military Records[edit | edit source]
- List of Pensioners on the Roll January 1, 1883 Decatur County, Indiana (Source:Internet Archive)
Civil War[edit | edit source]
Civil War service men from Decatur 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 in Decatur County.
- 7th Regiment, Indiana Cavalry, Company I
- 7th Regiment, Indiana Infantry, Companies B, F, and Reorganized Companies D, E, G
- 13th Regiment, Indiana Infantry, Reorganized H
- 20th Battery, Indiana Light Artillery
- 20th Regiment, Indiana Infantry, Reorganized Companies E, and G
- 30th Regiment, Indiana Infantry, Reorganized Company A
- 37th Regiment, Indiana Infantry, Companies E, and H
- 52nd Regiment, Indiana Infantry, Company A, and D
- 59th Regiment, Indiana Infantry, Company E
- 74th Regiment, Indiana Infantry, Company F
- 83rd Regiment, Indiana Infantry, Company E
- 89th Regiment, Indiana Infantry, Companies H, I, and K
- 93rd Regiment, Indiana Infantry, Company D
- 123rd Regiment, Indiana Infantry, Companies A, B, C, D, H, and I
- 134th Regiment, Indiana Infantry (100 days, 1864), Companies B, C, D, and E
- 146th Regiment, Indiana Infantry, Companies A, E, G, and H
- 156th Regiment, Indiana Infantry, Company C
Civil War Books
- "Civil War," in "Military Record," Chapter 17 of Harding, Lewis A. 1915. History of Decatur County, Indiana its people, industries and institutions, with biographical sketches of representative citizens and genealogical records of many of the old families. (Indianapolis: B. F. Bowen.) (page 420-464, Regiment, Companies, Name's) 977.216 H2h v. 1, 977.216 H2h v. 2 FHL US/CAN Book FHL Collection other library Vol. 1 INTERNET ARCHIVE, Vol.2 INTERNET ARCHIVE eBooksRead
World War I (The Great War), 1914-1918[edit | edit source]
- History of Decatur County's part in the World War, 1914-1918 (Source: Internet Archive)
- World War I Draft Registration Cards, 1917-1918 Decatur County (Source: Explore Ancestry for free) ($)
- 1919 - Indiana, World War I, Enrollment Cards, 1919 at FamilySearch — index and images
World War II, 1941-1945[edit | edit source]
- Decatur County, Indiana World War II Casualties, Army and Army Air Corps (Source: AccessGenealogy) (above was copy from Linkpendium)
Naturalization and Citizenship[edit | edit source]
Newspapers[edit | edit source]
Obituaries[edit | edit source]
Occupations[edit | edit source]
- Doctors of Decatur County (1821-1915) ($, Indiana Genealogical Society)
Probate Records[edit | edit source]
In most counties in Indiana, probate records have been kept by the county clerk of the circuit court. They include wills, fee books, claim registers, legacy records, inheritance records, probate ticklers, and dockets. The records are available at the Decatur County courthouse. For more information, see Indiana Probate Records. Online Records
- 1798 – 1999 Indiana Wills and Probate Records 1798-1999 at Ancestry.com — index and images $
Finding More Probate Records[edit source]
Additional probate records can sometimes be found using search phrases such as Decatur County, Indiana Genealogy Probate Records in online catalogs like:
- WorldCat (For instructions see WorldCat Online Catalog).
- FamilySearch Catalog (For instructions see FamilySearch Catalog Place-name Search).
- South Bend Area Genealogical Society: Wills Index 1830-1971 for St. Joseph County
Public Records[edit | edit source]
School Records[edit | edit source]
Voter Registration[edit | edit source]
Repositories[edit | edit source]
Courthouse[edit | edit source]
Decatur County Courthouse
150 Courthouse Square Suite 5
Greensburg, In 47240
Phone: 812-663-8223
County Clerk has marriage record from 1822,
divorce, probate and court records.
Board of Health has birth and death records. [8]
Archives[edit | edit source]
Libraries[edit | edit source]
Museums[edit | edit source]
Societies[edit | edit source]
Historical Society of Decatur Inc.
PO Box 143
Greensburg, IN 47240
Telephone Number: 812-663-2832
Website
Decatur County Historical Society
PO Box 163
Greensburg, IN 47240
Tri-Genealogical Society
23184 Pocket Road West
Batesville, IN 47006
Family History Centers[edit | edit source]
Template:Family History Centers Intro
For additional nearby Family History Centers, search online in the family history center directory.
School Records[edit | edit source]
- Directory of Teachers for Decatur County (1936) ($, Indiana Genealogical Society)
Taxation[edit | edit source]
Indiana tax records complement land records and can be used in place of censuses or to supplement the years between censuses. Because only persons who owned taxable property were listed, many residents were not included in tax lists. There may also be gaps of several years in the tax records of some counties. For more information see the wiki page Indiana Taxation.
For more information see the wiki page Indiana Taxation.
Finding More Tax Records[edit source]
Additional tax records can sometimes be found using search phrases such as Decatur County, Indiana Genealogy Tax Records in online catalogs like:
- WorldCat (For instructions see WorldCat Online Catalog).
Vital Records[edit | edit source]
Vital records consist of birth, death, marriage and divorce records. Indiana law in 1882 required registration of births and deaths in counties. The Indiana Department of Health has birth records filed after October 1907 and death records filed after January 1900 for deaths. Copies may be obtained from the county health department or the Indiana State Division of Vital Records.
Birth Records[edit | edit source]
Marriage Records[edit | edit source]
- 1800s-2007 - Indiana, United States Marriages at FindMyPast — index $
- 1780-1992 Indiana Marriages, 1780-1992 - FamilySearch
- 1802-1892 Indiana Marriages, 1802-1892 - Ancestry.com $
- 1811-2007 Indiana Marriages, 1811-2007 at FamilySearch — index and images
Death Records[edit | edit source]
- 1882-1920 Indiana, Death Index, 1882-1920 at FamilySearch Historical Records - Index only
- 1899-2011 Indiana, Death Certificates, 1899-2011 at Ancestry - ($), index and images
- Indiana State Digital Archives
Finding Vital Records at Other Repositories
Additional vital records can sometimes be found using search phrases such as Decatur County, Indiana Genealogy Vital Records in online catalogs like:
- WorldCat (For instructions see WorldCat Online Catalog).
- FamilySearch Catalog (For instructions see FamilySearch Catalog Place-name Search).
Websites[edit | edit source]
- Decatur County, IN History, Records, Facts and Genealogy
- Indiana Genealogy Network Community on Google+
- Indiana Genealogy Network Group on Facebook
- EveryNameIndex.com Free online genealogy indexes for those big old county histories.
- USGenWeb project page for Decatur County. May have maps, name indexes, history or other information for this county..
- Decatur County, Indiana Genealogy and Family History (Linkpendium)
Places[edit | edit source]
References[edit | edit source]
- ↑ Handybook for Genealogists: United States of America, 10th ed. (Draper, Utah: Everton Pub., 2002), Decatur County, Indiana. Page 211-218 At various libraries (WorldCat); FHL Book 973 D27e 2002; Alice Eichholz, ed. Ancestry’s Red Book: American State, County, and Town Sources, Third ed. (Provo, Utah: Ancestry, 2004), 208-211.
- ↑ The Handybook for Genealogists: United States of America,10th ed. (Draper, UT:Everton Publishers, 2002).
- ↑ Wikipedia contributors, "Decatur County, Indiana" in Wikipedia: the Free Encyclopedia at http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Decatur_County,_Indiana (accessed 2 August 2013).
- ↑ Genealogy Trails History Group, “Decatur County, Indiana Genealogy and History”, http://genealogytrails.com/ind/decatur/ accessed 3/02/2017.
- ↑ Wikipedia contributors, "Decatur County," in Wikipedia: the Free Encyclopedia, https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Decatur_County,_Indiana accessed 3/02/2017.
- ↑ Wikipedia contributors, "Decatur County, Indiana," in Wikipedia: the Free Encyclopedia, https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Decatur_County%2C_Indiana, accessed 06 December 2019.
- ↑ "List of counties in Tennessee", Wikipedia.
- ↑ Handybook for Genealogists: United States of America, 10th ed. (Draper, Utah: Everton Pub., 2002), Decatur County, Indiana 212 At various libraries (WorldCat); FHL Book 973 D27e 2002.