Buchanan County, Iowa Genealogy
Guide to Buchanan County, Iowa ancestry, family history, and genealogy birth records, marriage records, death records, census records, family history, and military records.
| Buchanan County, Iowa | |
| Map | |
 Location in the state of Iowa | |
 Location of Iowa in the U.S. | |
| Facts | |
| Founded | December 21, 1837 |
|---|---|
| County Seat | Independence |
| Courthouse | |
| Address | Buchanan County Courthouse 210 N. 5th Ave NE Independence, IA 50644-1959 Phone:(319) 334-2196 Buchanan County Website |
Contents
- 1 County Information
- 2 County Courthouse
- 3 History
- 4 Places/Localities
- 5 Resources
- 6 Societies and Libraries
- 7 References
County Information[edit | edit source]
Description[edit | edit source]
The County was named for US president James Buchanan. The County has Independence as its seat and the County was created 1837. The County is located in the northeast area of the state.[1]
Buchanan County, Iowa Record Dates[edit | edit source]
| Birth* | Marriage | Death* | Court | Land | Probate | Census |
| 1880 | 1848 | 1880 | 1845 | 1846 | 1845 | 1847 |
County Courthouse[edit | edit source]
Clerk District Court has Birth and Death Records from 1880, Marriage Records from 1848, Divorce, Probate and Clerk Records from 1845.
History[edit | edit source]
Parent County[edit | edit source]
1837--Buchanan County was created 21 December 1837 from Dubuque County. It was attached to Dubuque and Delaware Counties prior to organization 4 October 1847. County seat: Independence[3]
Boundary Changes[edit | edit source]
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[edit | edit source]
There is no known history of courthouse disasters in this county.
Places/Localities[edit | edit source]
Town/city records in the FamilySearch Catalog
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:[4]
| Cities | ||
| Unincorporated communities | ||
|
||
| Townships | ||
Neighboring Counties[edit | edit source]
Benton • Black Hawk • Bremer • Clayton • Delaware • Fayette • Linn
Resources[edit | edit source]
Biographies[edit | edit source]
- Many Biography records for Buchanan County have been microfilmed or abstracted. Some of those copies are available at the Family History Library in Salt Lake City. For a listing of their holdings, see the topic details from their catalog.
- History of Buchanan County, Iowa : with illustrations and biographical sketches. at Ancestry.com ($)
Burials[edit | edit source]
WPA 1930's Graves Registration Survey
Cemeteries[edit | edit source]
| 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 | FamilySearch Places | |
| Tombstone Project | ||
| Iowa Gravestones | ||
| Billion Graves | ||
| See Iowa Cemeteries for more information. | ||
- 1796-1988 - Iowa, Buchanan County Obituaries and Cemetery Records, ca.1796-1988 at FamilySearch — index and images
- Littleton, Buchanan County, Iowa Cemetery Index
- Buchanan County, Iowa Cemeteries
- The Tombstone Transcripton Project
- Many Cemetery records for Buchanan County have been microfilmed or abstracted. Some of those copies are available at the Family History Library in Salt Lake City. For a listing of their holdings, see the topic details from their catalog.
Census[edit | edit source]
| Historical populations | ||
|---|---|---|
| Census | Pop. | %± |
| 1850 | 517 | — |
| 1860 | 7,906 | 1429.2% |
| 1870 | 17,034 | 115.5% |
| 1880 | 18,546 | 8.9% |
| 1890 | 18,997 | 2.4% |
| 1900 | 21,427 | 12.8% |
| 1910 | 19,748 | −7.8% |
| 1920 | 19,890 | 0.7% |
| 1930 | 19,550 | −1.7% |
| 1940 | 20,991 | 7.4% |
| 1950 | 21,927 | 4.5% |
| 1960 | 22,293 | 1.7% |
| 1970 | 21,746 | −2.5% |
| 1980 | 22,900 | 5.3% |
| 1990 | 20,844 | −9.0% |
| 2000 | 21,093 | 1.2% |
| 2010 | 20,958 | −0.6% |
| Source: "Wikipedia.org". | ||
Iowa recorded not only the federal census but state census through out the years too. The state census contains very valuable genealogical information. Where the census information can be found, what years it was taken, mortality schedules, census substitutions and much more is discussed in the very informative Iowa Census article.
United States Census
- United States Census, 1850
- 1852 State Special Census of Iowa, Buchanan County.
- United States Census, 1860
- United States Census, 1870
- 1880 Census Buchanan County, Independence Mental Institution
- United States Census, 1880
- United States Census, 1900
State Census
- 1895 - Iowa State Census, 1895 at FamilySearch — index and images
- 1905 - Iowa State Census, 1905 at FamilySearch — index and images
- 1915 - Iowa State Census, 1915 at FamilySearch — index and images
- 1925 - Iowa State Census. 1925 at FamilySearch — index and images
Church[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 Iowa Church Records.
List of Churches and Church Parishes
Lutheran[edit | edit source]
Aurora
- Records of the American Lutheran Church, Aurora, in Evangelical Lutheran Church in America database at Archives.com ($).
Independence
- Records of the American Lutheran Church, Independence, in Evangelical Lutheran Church in America database at Archives.com ($).
Court[edit | edit source]
- Many Court records for Buchanan County have been microfilmed or abstracted. Some of those copies are available at the Family History Library in Salt Lake City. For a listing of their holdings, see the topic detailsfrom their catalog.
- Many Guardianship records for Buchanan County have been microfilmed or abstracted. Some of those copies are available at the Family History Library in Salt Lake City. For a listing of their holdings, see the topic details from their catalog.
Land[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.
See Iowa Land and Property for additional information about early Iowa land grants. After land was transferred to private ownership, subsequent transactions were usually recorded at the county courthouse, where records are currently housed.
- Many Plat Book records for Buchanan County have been microfilmed or abstracted. Some of those copies are available at the Family History Library in Salt Lake City. For a listing of their holdings, see the topic details from their catalog.
- Many Land and Property records for Buchanan County have been microfilmed or abstracted. Some of those copies are available at the Family History Library in Salt Lake City. For a listing of their holdings, see the topic details from their catalog.
Local Histories [edit | edit source]
Local histories are available for Buchanan 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.
- Many Local History records for Buchanan County have been microfilmed or abstracted. Some of those copies are available at the Family History Library in Salt Lake City. For a listing of their holdings, see the topic details from their catalog.
- Garfield, James A. History of Buchanan County, Iowa : with illustrations and biographical sketches. Cleveland, Ohio : Williams Bros., 1881.
- Online at FamilySearch (Free)
- Church, Harry. History of Buchanan County, Iowa, and its people. Chicago, Illinois : S. J. Clarke Pub. Co., 1914.
- Vol 1 Online at FamilySearch (Free)
- Vol 2 Online at FamilySearch (Free)
- History of Buchanan County, Iowa : with illustrations and biographical sketches. at Ancestry.com ($)
- History of Buchanan County, Iowa, and its people at Ancestry.com ($)
Maps[edit | edit source]
for more resources
- Old Antique Atlases & Maps of Iowa
- Buchanan County, Iowa Cemetery Maps
- 1875 Maps of Buchanan County
- Many Map records for Buchanan County have been microfilmed or abstracted. Some of those copies are available at the Family History Library in Salt Lake City. For a listing of their holdings, see the topic details from their catalog.
- FamilySearch Places:Cities and Towns- How to Use FS Places
Military[edit | edit source]
- Buchanan County Military Page
- World War II Honor List of Dead and Missing for Buchanan County, Iowa
- Many Military records for Buchanan County have been microfilmed or abstracted. Some of those copies are available at the Family History Library in Salt Lake City. For a listing of their holdings, see the topic details from their catalog.
- Many Military World War, 1914-1918 records for Buchanan County have been microfilmed or abstracted. Some of those copies are available at the Family History Library in Salt Lake City. For a listing of their holdings, see the topic details from their catalog.
- 1835-1998 - Iowa, Armed Forces Grave Registrations, ca. 1835-1998 at FamilySearch — index
- 1861-1949 - Iowa, Grand Army of the Republic Membership Records, 1861-1949 at FamilySearch — index and images
- 1862-1910 - Iowa, Records of Persons Subject to Military Duty, 1862-1910 at FamilySearch — index
Civil War[edit | edit source]
Regiments. Service men in Buchanan 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 Buchanan County, Iowa Genealogy:
- - 4th Regiment, Iowa Cavalry, Company B
- - 5th Regiment, Iowa Infantry, Company E
- - 6th Regiment, Iowa Cavalry, Company G
- - 27th Regiment, Iowa Infantry, Companies C and H
- - 47th Regiment, Iowa Infantry (100 days, 1864), Company D
- - 27th Regiment, Iowa Infantry, Company C
:- 27th Regiment, Iowa Infantry, Company H
:- 47th Regiment, Iowa Infantry (100 days, 1864), Company D
:- 4th Regiment, Iowa Cavalry,
:- 5th Regiment, Iowa Infantry, Company E
:- 6th Regiment, Iowa Cavalry, Company G
Naturalization and Citizenship[edit | edit source]
- 1859-1990 - United States, Iowa Naturalization Records, 1859-1990 at FamilySearch — index and images
- Many Naturalization and Citizenship records for Buchanan County have been microfilmed or abstracted. Some of those copies are available at the Family History Library in Salt Lake City. For a listing of their holdings, see the topic details from their catalog.
Newspapers[edit | edit source]
- NewspaperArchive.com ($) has historical newspapers online including Cedar Rapids newspapers and Waterloo newspapers that may have included Buchanan County residents. This database is free at some libraries.
- Bulletin Journal. 1947, 1955, 1962, 1966 Independence, IA, USA Online at: Ancestry.com ($)
- Winthrop News. 1957 Winthrop, IA, USA Online at: Ancestry.com ($)
Obituaries[edit | edit source]
- 1796-1988 - Iowa, Buchanan County Obituaries and Cemetery Records, ca.1796-1988 at FamilySearch — index and images
- Buchanan County, Iowa Obituaries
- Many Obituary records for Buchanan County have been microfilmed or abstracted. Some of those copies are available at the Family History Library in Salt Lake City. For a listing of their holdings, see the topic details from their catalog.
Probate[edit | edit source]
Online Probate Records
- 1758 - 1997 Iowa Wills and Probate Records 1758-1997 at Ancestry.com — index and images $
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.
The FamilySearch Catalog lists films of probate records. To find the records for this county, use the Place Search for Iowa - Buchanan - Probate records.
- Many Probate records for Buchanan County have been microfilmed or abstracted. Some of those copies are available at the Family History Library in Salt Lake City. For a listing of their holdings, see the topic details from their catalog..
Schools[edit | edit source]
Taxation[edit | edit source]
- 1862 - Buchanan County Tax Roll 1862
- 1934-1958 - Iowa, Old Age Tax Assistance Records, 1934-1958 at FamilySearch — index
Many Taxation records for Buchanan County have been microfilmed or abstracted. Some of those copies are available at the Family History Library in Salt Lake City. For a listing of their holdings, see the topic details from their catalog.
Vital Records[edit | edit source]
Vital Records consist of births, adoptions, marriages, divorces, and deaths recorded on registers, certificates, and documents. A copy or an extract of most original records can be purchased from the Iowa Department of Public Health or the County Clerk's office of the county where the event occurred. See also How to order Iowa Vital Records or order electronically online.
Births[edit | edit source]
- 1850-1939 - Iowa, Delayed Birth Records, 1850-1939 at FamilySearch — index and images
- 1921-1942 - Iowa, Birth Records, 1921-1942 at FamilySearch — index and images
Marriages[edit | edit source]
- 1518-1996 - Iowa, United States Marriages at FindMyPast — index $
- 1809-1992 Iowa, Marriages, 1809-1992 at MyHeritage ($) — index
- 1836-1926 Iowa, Marriages, 1836 - 1926 at MyHeritage ($) — index
- 1838-1934 - Iowa, County Marriages, 1838-1934 at FamilySearch — index and images
- 1848-1858 - Buchanan County, Iowa Marriages Book 1 1848-1858
- 1854-1910 - Buchanan County, Iowa Marriages 1854-1910
- 1880-1951 Iowa, Marriage Records, 1880-1951 at Ancestry.com ($) — index and images
Deaths[edit | edit source]
- 1850-1990 - Iowa, Deaths and Burials 1850-1990 at FamilySearch - index
- 1880-1992 - Iowa, County Death Records, 1880-1992 at FamilySearch — index
- 1900-1939 Iowa Death Index, 1900-1939 at MyHeritage ($) — index
- 1904-1951 - Iowa, Death Records, 1904-1951 at FamilySearch — index and images
- 1920-1967 Iowa, Death Records, 1920-1967 at Ancestry.com ($) — index and images
- Many Vital records for Buchanan County have been microfilmed or abstracted. Some of those copies are available at the Family History Library in Salt Lake City. For a listing of their holdings, see the topic details from their catalog.
Societies and Libraries[edit | edit source]
Buchanan County Genealogical Society
103 4th Ave. SE
Independence, IA 50644
Telephone:319-334-9333
E-mail: buchanancoia@yahoo.com
Website
Buchanan County Iowa Historical Society
P.O. Box 321
Independence, Iowa 50644
Telephone:319-334-4616
E-mail: bchs.lkh@gmail.com
Website
Independence Public Library
805 1st Street East
Independence, IA 50644
Telephone:319-334-2470
E-mail: indylib@indytel.com
Website
Family History Centers[edit | edit source]
Family History 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 family history center.
Local Centers and Libraries
Websites[edit | edit source]
 |
Check back often with these websites. Internet offerings are growing at record rates. Local societies and libraries may know of other websites. |
| State Historical Society of Iowa | Free | Select from research collection topics |
| The Iowa Heritage Digital Collection | Free | digital images from a variety of Iowa cultural institutions - results of "buchanan county" in the search box |
| State Library of Iowa | Free | electronic depository of documents intended for the general public produced by Iowa agencies - results of "buchanan county" in the 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 |
| 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 |
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. |
| GeneaBloggers | enter "Iowa" in search box to see list and links to Iowa blogs | |
| list of groups from "Iowa Genealogy" search | ||
| genealogy.com | Iowa Genealogy Forum | |
| ancestry.com | Buchanan Hawk County Message Board | |
References[edit | edit source]
- ↑ Wikipedia contributors, "Buchanan, Iowa," in Wikipedia: the Free Encyclopedia, "https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Buchanan_County,_Iowa.
- ↑ Handybook for Genealogists: United States of America, 10th ed. (Draper, Utah: Everton Pub., 2002), Buchanan County, Iowa. Page 230-238 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), 222-225.
- ↑ The Handybook for Genealogists: United States of America,10th ed. (Draper, UT:Everton Publishers, 2002).
- ↑ Wikipedia contributors, "Buchanan County, Iowa," in Wikipedia: the Free Encyclopedia, https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Buchanan_County,_Iowa, accessed 24 August 2019.
