Story County, Iowa Genealogy

United States Iowa Story County

Guide to Story County Iowa genealogy. Birth records, marriage records, death records, census records, family history, and military records.

Story County, Iowa
Map
Location in the state of Iowa
Location of Iowa in the U.S.
Facts
Founded	January 13, 1846
County Seat	Nevada
Courthouse

History

Parent County

1846--Story County was created 13 January 1846 from unorganized territory. It was attached to Boone, Polk, and Linn Counties prior to organization 1June 1853. County seat: Nevada

Record Loss

January 1, 1864 -- Courthouse burned and many records were damaged.

For further information on researching in burned counties, see the following:

• Burned Counties Research in FamilySearch Wiki
• Michael John Neill, Burned Counties in Family History Circle

Places/Localities

Neighboring Counties

Boone | Hamilton | Hardin | Jasper | Marshall | Polk

Resources

Cemeteries

• Palestine Cemetery, Huxley BillionGraves

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.

The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints

LDS Ward and Branch Records

• Ames

Lutheran

Ames

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

Bethania

• Records of the Bethania (Bethany) Lutheran Church, Kelley, in Evangelical Lutheran Church in America database at Archives.com ($).

Gilbert

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

Roland

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

Slater

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

Story City

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

Story County

• Records of the American Lutheran Church, Story 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 Story 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.

Maps

Military

Civil War

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

- 3rd Regiment, Iowa Infantry, Company E

- 13th Regiment, Iowa Infantry, Company E

- 23rd Regiment, Iowa Infantry, Company A

Newspapers

• Roland Historical Society Archives, Story County (1895-1975)

• 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. This database is free at some libraries.

Probate

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.

Societies and Libraries

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

• Ames Iowa Family History Center 2524 Hoover Ave., Ames, IA 50010 United States Location Map

Web Sites

• Family History Library Catalog
• Story County, Iowa Genealogy and Family History (Linkpendium)