Polk County, Iowa Genealogy

United States Iowa Polk County

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

Polk County, Iowa
Map
Location in the state of Iowa
Location of Iowa in the U.S.
Facts
Founded	January 13, 1846
County Seat	Des Moines
Courthouse

County Information

Polk County, Iowa Record Dates

Beginning Dates for Major County Records
Birth	Marriage	Death	Census	Land	Probate
1880	1846	1880	1840	1846	1846

History

Parent County

1846--Polk County was created 13 January 1846 from unorganized territory. County seat:  Des Moines

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

Town/city records in the FamilySearch Catalog

• Allen Township
• Ankeny
• Avon
• Bloomfield Township
• Bondurant
• Clay Township
• Crocker Township
• Des Moines
• Des Moines Township
• Grimes
• Jefferson Township
• Mitchellville
• Pleasant Grove
• Runnells
• Valley Junction
• West Des Moines

Neighboring Counties

Boone • Dallas • Jasper • Madison • Marion • Story • Warren

Template:IAPolk County, Iowa Clickable Neighbors

Resources

Biographies

• Portrait and biographical album of Polk County, Iowa : containing full page portraits and biographical sketches of prominent an at Ancestry.com ($)

Cemeteries

1. I have photos of all headstones in the Oralabor Cemetery in Ankeny, Polk County, Iowa as of 2008.  If you need one looked up please e-mail me at:E-Mail Me  Please provide a surname, christian name and DOD if you have it.

• Glendale Cemetery, Des Moines BillionGraves

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

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.

LDS Ward and Branch Records

• Des Moines

Directories

Fold3.com ($) has Des Moines City Directories 1881-1913 (2 yrs. missing) and miscellaneous years going back to 1866 available online.

• R.L. Polk & Co.'s Des Moines City and Valley Junction directory for the year commencing December 1st, 1915 Des Moines, Iowa: R.L. Polk & Co., 1915. Online at: Ancestry.com ($)
• R.L. Polk & Co.'s Des Moines City and Valley Junction directory for the year commencing December 1, 1912 Des Moines, Iowa: R.L. Polk & Co., c1912. Online at: Ancestry.com ($)

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 Polk 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.

• Annals of Polk County, Iowa : and city of Des Moines at Ancestry.com $

• Centennial history of Polk County, Iowa. By J. M. Dixon. Des Moines : State Register, 1876. Online at: FamilySearch Digital Library, Internet Archive, HathiTrust; At various libraries (WorldCat)Centennial history of Polk County, Iowa at Ancestry.com $

• Historical Polk County ... By Writers' Program (Iowa). [S.l. : s.n., 1940?]. Online at: FamilySearch Digital Library; At various libraries (WorldCat).

• The history of Polk County, Iowa : containing a history of the county, its cities, towns, etc.. Des Moines, Ia. : Union Historical Co., 1880. Online at: FamilySearch Digital Library, Internet Archive, Google Books; At various libraries (WorldCat).

• Des Moines, the pioneer of municipal progress and reform of the middle West : together with the history of Polk County, Iowa, the largest, most populous and most prosperous county in the state of Iowa. By Johnson Brigham. Chicago, Illinois : S. J. Clarke Pub. Co., 1911. Online at: FamilySearch Digital Library, HathiTrust, Google Books; At various libraries (WorldCat).

• Pioneers of Polk County, Iowa, and reminiscences of early days. By Lorenzo F. Andrews. Des Moines [Iowa] : Baker-Trisler Co., 1908. Online at: Vol. 1 FamilySearch Digital Library, Internet Archive, Vol. 2 FamilySearch Digital Library, Internet Archive; At various libraries (WorldCat).

• Resources and industries of Des Moines and Polk County, Iowa : showing the trade and commerce, railroads, business, manufacturing, mining interests, etc., of Iowa's capital and metropolis, the great railroad center of the Northwest, also containing short sketches of the towns of Polk County. By Joseph P.Bushnell. Des Moines, Iowa : J.P. Bushnell, 1885. Online at: FamilySearch Digital Library.

• Roster of the Ohiowa Association : living in Polk county and Ohioans and their descendants who are eligible to membership. By John L. Crawford. [s.l.] : The Association, 1908. Online at: FamilySearch Digital Library; At various libraries (WorldCat).

Maps

• Old Antique Atlases & Maps of Iowa
• View historic Polk County, Iowa maps in the David Rumsey Map Collection.
• Township Map of 1875 Polk County, Iowa with enlarged views of each township (My Genealogy Hound)

Military

Civil War

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

- 2nd Regiment, Iowa Cavalry, Company D

- 4th Regiment, Iowa Infantry, Company E

- 10th Regiment, Iowa Infantry, Companies A and K

- 13th Regiment, Iowa Infantry, Company E

- 15th Regiment, Iowa Infantry, Company B

- 16th Regiment, Iowa Infantry, Company K

- 17th Regiment, Iowa Infantry, Companies B and K

- 18th Regiment, Iowa Infantry, Company I

- 23rd Regiment, Iowa Infantry, Companies A, B, C and E

- 47th Regiment, Iowa Infantry (100 days, 1864), Company F

- 10th Regiment, Iowa Infantry, Company A
:- 10th Regiment, Iowa Infantry, Company K
:- 13th Regiment, Iowa Infantry, Company E
:- 15th Regiment, Iowa Infantry, Company B
:- 16th Regiment, Iowa Infantry, Company K
:- 17th Regiment, Iowa Infantry, Company B
:- 17th Regiment, Iowa Infantry, Company K
:- 18th Regiment, Iowa Infantry, Company I
:- 23rd Regiment, Iowa Infantry, Company A
:- 23rd Regiment, Iowa Infantry, Company B
:- 23rd Regiment, Iowa Infantry, Company C
:- 23rd Regiment, Iowa Infantry, Company E
:- 2nd Regiment, Iowa Cavalry, Company D
:- 2nd Regiment, Iowa Infantry, Company D
:- 47th Regiment, Iowa Infantry (100 days, 1864), Company F
:- 4th Regiment, Iowa Infantry, Company E

Naturalization and Citizenship

• Iowa. District Court (Polk County). Naturalization Records, 1907–1927. Salt Lake City, Utah: Genealogical Society of Utah, 1977. FHL films 1015201–17 item 2.
• Iowa. District Court. (Polk County). Index to Naturalization, 1852–1884. Salt Lake City, Utah: Genealogical Society of Utah, 1977. FHL film 1015217 item 1.

Newspapers

• Altoona Public Library Archives, Polk County (1876-2000)
• Johnston Historical Society Archive, Polk County (1970-2007)
• NewspaperArchive.com ($) has historical newspapers online including Des Moines newspapers that covered local news on Polk County residents. This database is free at some libraries.

• Roland Historical Society Archives, Story County (1895-1975)
• Warren County Newspapers (1855-Present)
• Des Moines Daily Leader. 1901-02. Des Moines, IA, USA. Online at: Ancestry.com ($)

Probate

Online Probate Records

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

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.

Marriages

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

Deaths

• 1880-1992 Iowa, County Death Records, 1880-1992 at FamilySearch — index
  

Societies and Libraries

Iowa Genealogical Society
628 E Grand Ave
Des Moines IA 50309-1924
Telephone:515-276-0287
E-mail: igs@iowagenealogy.org
Website

State Historical Society Research Center
600 E Locust St.
Des Moines, IA 50319
Telephone:515-281-6200
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

• Des Moines Iowa Family History Center 3301 Ashworth Rd., West Des Moines, IA 50265 United States Location Map

Websites

Check back often with websites. Local societies and libraries may know of other websites.

Sites with online indexes or images of records
State Historical Society of Iowa	Free	list and links to data and "hard copy" material from "polk county" placed in search box
IAGenWeb Project	Free	Data may be submitted by individuals or complete transcriptions
USGenWeb Archives	Free	Data may be submitted by individuals or may be complete transcriptions
[1] [2][3] FamilySearch	Free	Births, 1880-1935; Deaths 1880-1992; Marriages, 1838-1934; all indexes
FamilySearch	Free	Iowa, Polk County Probate Records, 1914-1924; browse images

Sites that search for links pertaining to Polk County, Iowa Genealogy
RootsWeb Resources	Free	Data may be submitted by individuals or may be complete transcriptions
Linkpendium	Free	Click links. Some sites they link to may have fees ($)
CyndisList	Free	Click links. Some sites they link to may have fees ($)
StateofUS.com	Free	family history resources and government records

Major catalogs for hard copy collections of Polk County, Iowa Genealogy Books, microfilm, or manuscripts of genealogical records
FamilySearch Catalog	Select topics. To select towns, add a comma to the search box.
WorldCat	To find nearby libraries that have specific items, see WorldCat Online Catalog.
Allen County Public Library	located in Indiana They are heavily involved in digitizing.
See also local libraries and Iowa Archives and Libraries

Social networking sites pertaining to Polk County, Iowa Genealogy
GeneaBloggers	enter "Iowa" in search box to see list and links to Iowa blogs
Google+	list of groups from "iowa genealogy" search
Facebook	list of groups from "Iowa Genealogy" search
genealogy.com	Polk County, IA Genealogy Forum
ancestry.com	Polk County Message Board

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)