Elkhart County, Indiana Genealogy

United States Indiana Elkhart County

Guide to Elkhart County Indiana genealogy. Birth records, marriage records, death records, census records, family history, and military records.

Elkhart County, Indiana
Map
Location of Indiana in the U.S.
Facts
Founded	January 29, 1830
County Seat	Goshen
Courthouse
Address	Elkhart County Courthouse Courthouse Square Goshen, IN 46526-3297 Phone: 219.535.6430
Template:Adoption Indiana Genealogical Society

Historical Facts

Neighboring Counties

• Parent Counties: Formed from Adams New Purchase (Allen/Delaware/Randolph) in 1835
  
• County Seat: Decatur
  
• Neighboring Counties: Elkhart County, Indiana Genealogy residents may also have records in
  St. Joseph (northeast) · Lagrange (east) · Noble (southeast) · Kosciusko (south) · Marshall (southwest) · St. Joseph (west) · Cass (northwest)
  

Resources

Cemeteries

Saint Vincent De Paul Cemetery, Elkhart BillionGraves

Census Records

For tips on accessing Elkhart County, Indiana Genealogy census records online, see: Indiana Census.

• Index to Defective, Dependent & Delinquent Census for Elkhart County, Indiana (1880) (members only database, Indiana Genealogical Society)

Church Records

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

Additional church records can sometimes be found using search phrases such as Elkhart 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).

Directories

• Directory of Businesses in Elkhart County, Indiana (1858, 1868) (members only database, Indiana Genealogical Society)

Histories

Dean K. Garber, Ivan Nunemaker, History of Elkhart County, Indiana : together with sketches of its cities, villages and townships, educational, religious, civil, military and political history; portraits of prominent persons, and biographies of representative citizens.(Chicago : C. C. Chapman, 1881.) 977.281 H2b FHLCollection  INTERNET ARCHIVE  web site

Local Histories

Local histories are available for Elkhart County, Indiana Genealogy. County histories may include biographies; church, school and government histories; and military information.

• Every Name Index to History of Elkhart County, Indiana. Every Name Index compiled by Cathy L. O'Connor, 2007; original text by Charles C. Chapman & Co., 1881; reproduction by Unigraphic, Inc., 1971.  EveryNameIndex.com

• O'Connor, Cathy L. Every Name Index to History of Elkhart County, Indiana, Together with Sketches of Its Cities, Villages and Townships, Educational, Religious, Civil, Military, and Political History, Portraits of Prominent Persons, and Biographies of Representative Citizens, (by Chas. C. Chapman & Co., 1881. Edwardsburg, Mich: Cathy L. O'Connor, 2007.) FHL Book 977.281 H2h other libraries   FamilySearch Digital Library

For more information about local histories, see the wiki page section Indiana Local Histories.

Land and Property

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

Additional land records can sometimes be found using search phrases such as Elkhart 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

• Family Maps of Elkhart County, Indiana Genealogy (land patent maps) at HistoryGeo.com ($). Free surname search.

Military Records

Civil War

Civil War service men from Elkhart 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 Elkhart County

• 1st Regiment, Indiana Heavy Artillery, Company A
• 2nd Regiment, Indiana Cavalry, Company M
• 9th Regiment, Indiana Infantry, Company C, and Reorganized Companies C, and F
• 12th Regiment, Indiana Cavalry, Companies D, and I
• 13th Regiment, Indiana Infantry, Reorganized D, and E
• 19th Regiment, Indiana Infantry, Company G
• 21st Battery, Indiana Light Artillery
• 23rd Battery, Indiana Light Artillery
• 29th Regiment, Indiana Infantry, Company B
• 30th Regiment, Indiana Infantry, Company K, and Reorganized C
• 44th Regiment, Indiana Infantry, Company I
• 48th Regiment, Indiana Infantry, Companies A, G, H, and I
• 74th Regiment, Indiana Infantry, Companies E, G, and I
• 88th Regiment, Indiana Infantry, Company I
• 100th Regiment, Indiana Infantry, Company D
• 129th Regiment, Indiana Infantry, Company E
• 136th Regiment, Indiana Infantry (100 days, 1864), Company K
• 142nd Regiment, Indiana Infantry, Company D
• 152nd Regiment, Indiana Infantry, Companies A, and E
• 155th Regiment, Indiana Infantry, Company F

Civil War Book

•  "Military History", Chaper 10, in Dean K. Garber, Ivan Nunemaker, History of Elkhart County, Indiana :(Chicago : C. C. Chapman, 1881.) page 537-575, 977.281 H2b FHLCollection  INTERNET ARCHIVE web site
  

• "Military History" Chapter 11 in O'Connor, Cathy L. Every Name Index to History of Elkhart County, Indiana, Together with Sketches of Its Cities, Villages and Townships, Educational, Religious, Civil, Military, and Political History, Portraits of Prominent Persons, and Biographies of Representative Citizens, (by Chas. C. Chapman & Co., 1881. Edwardsburg, Mich: Cathy L. O'Connor, 2007.),(page 535-574, Regiment, Companies), 977.281 H2h FHL US/CAN Book FHL Collection other libraries   FamilySearch Digital Library

Probate Records

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 Elkhart County courthouse. For more information, see Indiana Probate Records.

Finding More Probate Records

Additional probate records can sometimes be found using search phrases such as Elkhart 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

Repositories

Courthouse

Elkhart County Courthouse
Courthouse Squqre
Goshen, IN 46526-3297
Phone:. 219.535.6430

County Health Department has birth and death records.
County Clerk has marriage, divorce, probate and county Courtrecords from 1830.
County Recorder has land records.

Family History Centers

• South Bend Indiana Family History Center

For additional nearby Family History Centers, search online in the [Family History Center directory].

School Records

• Alumni of Middlebury High School (1886-1916) ($, Indiana Genealogical Society)
• Students of Elkart High Schoo (1937) ($, Indiana Genealogical Society)

Taxation

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.

Vital Records

Marriage Records

• Indiana Marriages, 1802-1892 - Ancestry.con $
  
• Indiana Marriages, 1780-1992  - FamilySearch
  
• Indiana Marriage, 1811-1959  - FamilySearch
  

Death Records

• Indiana State Digital Achives for Death, E-Publication, Instiution, Military, Misc Historical, Naturalization Records can be searched by person name (accessed 26 May 2011)
  
• Indiana, Death Index, 1882-1920 - FamilySearch

Finding Vital Records at Other Repositories

Additional vital records can sometimes be found using search phrases such as Elkhart 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).

Web Sites

• EveryNameIndex.com   Free online genealogy indexes for those big old county histories.
• USGenWeb project. May have maps, name indexes, history or other information for this county. Select the state, then the county.
• Family History Library Catalog
• Elkhart County, Indiana 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)