Greene County, Iowa Genealogy
Guide to Greene County, Iowa ancestry, family history, and genealogy birth records, marriage records, death records, census records, family history, and military records.
| Greene County, Iowa | |
| Map | |
 Location in the state of Iowa | |
 Location of Iowa in the U.S. | |
| Facts | |
| Founded | January 15, 1851 |
|---|---|
| County Seat | Jefferson |
| Courthouse | |
 | |
Contents
County Information[edit | edit source]
Description[edit | edit source]
The County was named for Nathanael Greene. The County has Jefferson as its seat and the County was created 1851. The County is located in the centre area of the state.[1]
Greene County, Iowa Record Dates[edit | edit source]
| Birth* | Marriage | Death* | Court | Land | Probate | Census |
| 1880 | 1854 | 1880 | 1880 | 1854 | 1854 | 1847 |
County Courthouse[edit | edit source]
History[edit | edit source]
Parent County[edit | edit source]
1851--Greene County was created 15 January 1851 from unorganized territory. It was attached to Dallas County prior to organization 25 August 1853. County seat: Jefferson [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]
Boone • Calhoun • Carroll • Dallas • Guthrie • Webster
Resources[edit | edit source]
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. | ||
Census[edit | edit source]
| Historical populations | ||
|---|---|---|
| Census | Pop. | %± |
| 1860 | 1,374 | — |
| 1870 | 4,627 | 236.8% |
| 1880 | 12,727 | 175.1% |
| 1890 | 15,797 | 24.1% |
| 1900 | 17,820 | 12.8% |
| 1910 | 16,023 | −10.1% |
| 1920 | 16,467 | 2.8% |
| 1930 | 16,528 | 0.4% |
| 1940 | 16,599 | 0.4% |
| 1950 | 15,544 | −6.4% |
| 1960 | 14,379 | −7.5% |
| 1970 | 12,716 | −11.6% |
| 1980 | 12,119 | −4.7% |
| 1990 | 10,045 | −17.1% |
| 2000 | 10,366 | 3.2% |
| 2010 | 9,336 | −9.9% |
| Source: "Wikipedia.org". | ||
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. 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
- Records of the St. Peter Lutheran Church, Greene County, in Evangelical Lutheran Church in America database at Archives.com ($).
Court[edit | edit source]
Land[edit | edit source]
Land and property records can place an ancestor in a particular location, provide economic information, and reveal family relationships. They include: deeds, abstracts and indexes, mortgages, leases, grants and land patents.
See Iowa Land and Property for information about early Iowa land grants. After land was transferred to private ownership, transactions were usually recorded and housed at the county courthouse.
Local Histories [edit | edit source]
Local histories are available for Greene County, Iowa Genealogy. County histories may include biographies, church, school and government history, and military information. For more information about local histories, see the wiki page section Iowa Local Histories.
- Biographical and historical record of Greene and Carroll Counties, Iowa :. Chicago, Illinois : Lewis Pub. Co., 1887.
- Online at FamilySearch (Free) and at Internetarchive (Free)
- Stillman, E. B. Past and present of Greene County, Iowa : together with biographical sketches of many of its prominent and leading citizens and illustrious dead. Chicago : S.J. Clarke, 1907.
- Online at FamilySearch (Free)
- Past and present of Greene County, Iowa at Ancestry.com ($)
Maps[edit | edit source]
for more resources
- Old Antique Atlases & Maps of Iowa
- FamilySearch Places:Cities and Towns- How to Use FS Places
Military[edit | edit source]
- 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 Greene 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 Greene County, Iowa Genealogy:
- - 10th Regiment, Iowa Infantry, Company H
Naturalization and Citizenship[edit | edit source]
- 1859-1990 - United States, Iowa Naturalization Records, 1859-1990 at FamilySearch — index and images
Newspapers[edit | edit source]
NewspaperArchive.com ($) has a large collection of digitized Iowa newspapers online. This database is sometimes free at libraries.
- The Jefferson Bee.1952, 1955, 1957-59, 1961, and 1964. Jefferson, IA, USA. Online at: Ancestry.com ($)
- The Jefferson Herald. 1952 and 1954-55. Jefferson, IA, USA. Online at: Ancestry.com ($)
Probate[edit | edit source]
Online Probate Indexes and 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.
Taxation[edit | edit source]
- 1934-1958 - Iowa, Old Age Tax Assistance Records, 1934-1958 at FamilySearch — index
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[edit | edit source]
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.
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
- 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
Societies and Libraries[edit | edit source]
Greene County Genealogical Society
P.O. Box 133
Jefferson, IA 50129-0133
E-mail: sross@netins.net
Website
Greene County Historical Society Museum
219 East Lincoln Way
Jefferson, IA 50129
Telephone:(515)386-8544 - Voice Mail
E-mail: gchsmuseum@windstream.net
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 Affiliate Libraries
Websites[edit | edit source]
- Greene County, IA History, Records, Facts and Genealogy
- Iowa Genealogy Network Group on Facebook
- FamilySearch Catalog
- Greene County, Iowa Genealogy and Family History (Linkpendium)
- Greene County IAGenweb Project
- Greene County Iowagravestones Photo Project
- WPA Graves Registration Survey for Greene County, IA
References[edit | edit source]
- ↑ Wikipedia contributors, "Greene, Iowa," in Wikipedia: the Free Encyclopedia, "https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Greene_County,_Iowa."
- ↑ Handybook for Genealogists: United States of America, 10th ed. (Draper, Utah: Everton Pub., 2002), Greene 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, "Greene County, Iowa," in Wikipedia: the Free Encyclopedia, https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Greene_County,_Iowa#Cities_and_towns, accessed 7 September 2019.
