The following organizations have major collections or services for genealogical researchers:
The National Archives at Kansas City, Missouri has the records of regional federal courts and offices for Iowa, Kansas, Missouri, and Nebraska, including:
A large Chicago repository with genealogies, local histories, censuses, military, land, indexes, vital records, court, and tax records
some from Iowa, the Mississippi Valley, eastern seaboard, Canada, and the British Isles.
[3] They have over 17,000 printed genealogies. The collection is noteworthy for its colonial America, especially New England holdings. They have church, town, and county histories from all parts of the United States, Canada, and the British Isles. This includes a comprehensive set of New England town histories, and strong collection of county histories from the Midwest and Mid-Atlantic states. Their Civil War unit histories collection is one of the best.
[4] This library has research guides on various subjects related to genealogy and library holdings cataloged from 1978. See
The State Historical Society of Iowa, formerly known as Iowa Historical Society or Iowa State Department of History and Archives has two centers. One is in Des Moines, the other in Iowa City. The Centers have many similar collections, and they share a website and a catalog. The centers are:
Not a repeat of Des Moines—this is an outstanding set of records for genealogists.
[6] The Special Collections rooms of the facilities include manuscript records of the state, government records, photographs, newspapers, and more. They also have family histories in book and manuscript form.
The State Archives of Iowa contains records of enduring value created or collected by Iowa state agencies. These materials document all facets of the state’s history. The following are some groups of state and local government records which may be of particular interest for family historians:
*General history books for Iowa and other states; city directories; plat maps; cemetery surveys; biographies and memoirs; school yearbooks; selected government documents; and extensive genealogy resources are available in the libraries; periodicals.
*Photo Collections - about a half million from daguerreotype to digital. A webpage has been created on the Flickr's photo-sharing site to showcase some representative portions of the holding.
*Newspapers from hundreds of communities from all of Iowa’s 99 counties from 1836 to the present. The collection features several foreign language and special interest newspapers published in Iowa.
*County government records: including marriage, birth and death records, naturalization papers and land deeds. Microfilm copies of many of these county records are available in the libraries’ reading rooms.
*Manuscript, Audio-Visual and Map Collections: including collections of personal papers; records of organizations an extensive photograph collections; and maps.
Census materials. Both state and federal from 1840 through 1930. Special schedules: Mortality, agricultural, industrial, and social census records for selected years.
*Digital Collections: Maps, children's diaries, photographs, and more.
Publications of State Historical Society of Iowa
*Annuls of Iowa
*Iowa Historical Record
*Iowa Journal of History
*Palimpsest
Iowa Genealogical Society
Iowa Genealogical Society
628 E. Grand
Des Moines, IA 50309
Telephone: 515-276-0287
Website
Email
Many of the works found here are cannot be found anywhere else, including published genealogies, periodicals, histories, county indexes and unpublished family histories. This is one of the largest societies in America with important publications of indexes, abstracts, and county records from all over Iowa. They have also collected material from states contributing to Iowa's population such as Illinois, Indiana, Ohio, New York, and New England.
[6]To learn more about the history and record-keeping systems of Iowa counties, use the 11 inventories of county archives published by the Historical Records Survey from 1938 to 1942. They are available for Carroll, Cherokee, Dallas, Dubuque, Ida, Jasper, Montgomery, Polk, Sac, Taylor, and Woodbury Counties. The FamilySearch Library has all of these, except for Carroll and Sac counties.
Historical Records Survey (Iowa)State Library of Iowa
State Library of Iowa
Ola Babcock Miller Building
1112 E. Grand Ave.
Des Moines, IA 50319-0233
Phone: (515)281-4105 1-800-248-4483
Fax: (515)281-6191
Website
Website, Iowa Digital Archives
They have the largest collection of books and periodicals in Iowa, including county histories, and biographies.
[6]But from their
website:
Genealogy Information: Iowa Library Services does not have genealogy materials.Regional Archives
Burlington Public Library
Burlington Public Library
210 Court Street
Burlington, IA 52601-1647
Phone: (319)753-1647
Fax: (319)753-5316
Website
Website, Genealogy, Burlington Public Library
This is a good solid regional genealogical resource library including sources related to the migration of Germans, Dutch, and French. Located on the Mississippi River, they have many river boat, and river traffic related sources.
[6]
Davenport Public Library
Davenport Public Library
321 Main Street
Davenport, Iowa 52801
Phone: 563-326-7832
Fax: 563-326-7809
TDD/TTY: 563-326-7843
Special Collections 563-326-7902
Website
Richardson Sloane Special Collections
*Obituaries
*Scott County Marriage Certificates: Index, pre 1836-c1925
*Marriage Announcement Index
*Gazette (Davenport Daily Gazette:
*1856 Census
*1885 Census
*1925 Iowa State Census
*Civil War Enlistments
*Mortality Schedule Index
Fort Madison Public Library
1920 Avenue E
Fort Madison, IA 52627
Ph: (319) 372-5721
Fax: (319) 372-5726
Website
This little rural library has a regional-size genealogy collection including books, manuscripts, surname folders, pedigree charts, special name indexes, and genealogical periodicals. This is a good all-around genealogical facility.
[6]Grout Museum of History and Science Library
Grout Museum District
503 South St.
Waterloo, IA 50701
Phone:319-234-6357
Website
Emai
This huge library is also a resource for genealogists with ancestors who lived beyond the borders of just Iowa. They have a very large family folder collection, guides and indexes to cemeteries, and county histories.
[6]Iowa State University Library
Iowa State University
Ames, Iowa 50011
Phone:515-294-4111
Website
Email
Huge book collection including many county histories. They also have a great newspaper archives and good map collection.
[6]Marshalltown Public Library
105 West Boone Street
Marshalltown, IA 50158
Phone: 641-754-5738
Fax: 641-754-5708
Website
Email
They have a good regional genealogy section and DAR collection of printed genealogies, periodicals, newspaper archives, and family folders with coverage beyond Iowa's borders.
[6]University of Iowa Main Library
100 Main Library (LIB)
125 West Washington St.
Iowa City, IA 52242-1420
Phone:(319) 335-5299 (Service Desk)
Phone:(319) 335-5867 (Administration)
Fax:(319) 335-5900)
Website
Email
They are strong on rare books, manuscripts, histories, oral histories, and have one of the largest German language book collections in America. They also have very large book, and periodical collections, with good newspapers, and ethnic resources.
[6]Iowa Online Records
Links to online databases and indexes that may include vital records, biographies, cemeteries, censuses, histories, immigration records, land records, maps, military records, naturalizations, newspapers, obituaries, or probate records.
For Further Reading
- A 1978 project by the Iowa State Historical Society created inventories for 13 additional counties. The FamilySearch Library has copies of these inventories for Allamakee, Dubuque, Franklin, Iowa, Osceola, and Ringgold Counties.
- To find other archives and libraries with collections of Iowa records, look in the directories and information listed in the Archives and Libraries and Iowa Societies.
- Inventories of archives and library collections can be found by using the Places search of the FamilySearch Catalog to find more records under:
United States, Iowa - Archives and Libraries
United States, Iowa, [County] - Archives and Libraries
References
| Links to Iowa-related articles |
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| | Topics | | | | Counties | | | | Extinct Co. | | | Major
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