Monroe County, Iowa Genealogy
Guide to Monroe County, Iowa ancestry, family history, and genealogy birth records, marriage records, death records, census records, family history, and military records.
| Monroe County, Iowa | |
| Map | |
 Location in the state of Iowa, United States Genealogy | |
 Location of Iowa in the U.S. | |
| Facts | |
| Founded | February 17, 1843 |
|---|---|
| County Seat | Albia |
| Courthouse | |
 | |
County Information[edit | edit source]
Description[edit | edit source]
The County was named for James Monroe, fifth President of the United States. The County has Albia as its seat and the County was created 1843. The County is located in the south central area of the state.[1]
Monroe County, Iowa Record Dates[edit | edit source]
| Marriage | Court | Land | Probate | Census | ||
| 1880 | 1845 | 1880 | 1845 | 1847 | 1845 | 1847 |
County Courthouse[edit | edit source]
Quick Facts[edit | edit source]
Parent County[edit | edit source]
1843 Monroe County was created 17 February 1843 from unorganized territory. It was formerly Kishkekosh County, and renamed to Monroe 1 August 1846. It was attached to Wapello and Jefferson Counties prior to organization 1 July 1845. County seat: Albia [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 | ||
| Ghost towns | ||
Neighboring Counties[edit | edit source]
Appanoose • Davis • Lucas • Mahaska • Marion • Wapello • Wayne
Resources[edit | edit source]
African American[edit | edit source]
Gradwohl, David M.and Nancy M. Osborn Exploring Buried Buxton: archaeology of an abandoned Iowa coal mining town with a large Black population ; 1st ed. Ames:Iowa State university Press, 1984. 207 p. F629.B98 G73 1984
Biography[edit | edit source]
- Biographical and genealogical history of Appanoose and Monroe Counties, Iowa at Ancestry.com ($)
Cemeteries[edit | edit source]
| Tombstone Transcriptions Online | Tombstone Transcriptions in Print | List of Cemeteries in the county |
| Findagrave.com | Family History Library | Findagrave.com |
| IAGenWeb | WorldCat | Billion Graves |
| IAGenWeb Archives | FamilySearch Places | |
| Tombstone Project | ||
| Iowa Gravestones | ||
| Billion Graves | ||
| See Iowa Cemeteries for more information. | ||
Census[edit | edit source]
| Historical populations | ||
|---|---|---|
| Census | Pop. | %± |
| 1850 | 2,884 | — |
| 1860 | 8,612 | 198.6% |
| 1870 | 12,724 | 47.7% |
| 1880 | 13,719 | 7.8% |
| 1890 | 13,666 | −0.4% |
| 1900 | 17,985 | 31.6% |
| 1910 | 25,429 | 41.4% |
| 1920 | 23,467 | −7.7% |
| 1930 | 15,010 | −36.0% |
| 1940 | 14,553 | −3.0% |
| 1950 | 11,814 | −18.8% |
| 1960 | 10,463 | −11.4% |
| 1970 | 9,357 | −10.6% |
| 1980 | 9,209 | −1.6% |
| 1990 | 8,114 | −11.9% |
| 2000 | 8,016 | −1.2% |
| 2010 | 7,970 | −0.6% |
| Source: "Wikipedia.org". | ||
State Census
- 1895 - Iowa State Census, 1895 at FamilySearch — index and images
- 1905 - Iowa State Census, 1905 at FamilySearch — index and images
- 1915 - Iowa State Census, 1915 at FamilySearch — index and images
- 1925 - Iowa State Census. 1925 at FamilySearch — index and images
Church[edit | edit source]
Most church records are held by individual churches. Some denominations are gathering their records into a central repository. For more information about these major repositories, see Iowa Church Records.
List of Churches and Church Parishes
Court[edit | edit source]
Genealogy[edit | edit source]
- Biographical and genealogical history of Appanoose and Monroe Counties, Iowa at Ancestry.com ($)
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.
History[edit | edit source]
Local histories are available for Monroe 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 Genealogical History of Appanoose and Monroe Counties, Iowa
- An illustrated history of Monroe County, Iowa: a complete civil, political, and military history of the county, from its earliest period of organization down to 1896.. By Frank Hickenlooper. Albia, Iowa: [s.n.], 1896. Online at: FamilySearch Digital Library, HathiTrust, Google Books; At various libraries (WorldCat).
- An illustrated history of Monroe County, Iowa : a complete civil, political, and military history of the county, from its earle at Ancestry.com ($)
- Monroe County history, Iowa at Ancestry.com ($)
Maps[edit | edit source]
for more resources
- Old Antique Atlases & Maps of Iowa
- David Rumsey Map Collectioon is a large online collection of rare, old, antique historical atlases, globes, maps, charts plus other cartographic treasures. This Collection features the city of Avery.
- 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 Monroe 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 Monroe County, Iowa Genealogy:
- - 6th Regiment, Iowa Infantry, Company E
- - 8th Regiment, Iowa Infantry, Company I
- - 17th Regiment, Iowa Infantry, Company H
- - 22nd Regiment, Iowa Infantry, Company D
- - 46th Regiment, Iowa Infantry (100 days, 1864), Company G
- - 1st Regiment, Iowa Cavalry, 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 ($) has a large collection of digitized Iowa newspapers online. This database is sometimes free at libraries.
- The Monroe County News. 1951-59, 1961-63, 1966-68, and 1970-71. Albia, IA, USA. Online at: Ancestry.com ($)
- Iowa, Monroe County, Card index of births, deaths & marriages from newspaper clippings, 1898-2015 — index and images
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.
- 1898-2015 - Iowa, Monroe County, Card index of births, deaths & marriages from newspaper clippings, 1898-2015 at FamilySearch — index and images
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 ($) — index and images
Societies and Libraries[edit | edit source]
Monroe County Genealogical Society
C/O Albia Public Library
203 Benton Ave E
Albia, IA 52531-2036
Monroe County Historical Society & Museum
114 A Ave. East
Albia, Iowa 52531
Telephone:641-932-7046
Family History Centers[edit | edit source]
Family History Center and Affiliate Library Locator map - search for local Family History Centers or Affiliate Libraries
- Family History Centers provide one-on-one assistance, free access to center-only databases, and to premium genealogical websites.
- FamilySearch Affiliate Libraries have access to most center-only databases, but may not always have full services normally provided by a family history center.
Local Centers and Affiliate Libraries
Websites[edit | edit source]
 |
Check back often with these websites. Internet offerings are growing at record rates. Local societies and libraries may know of other websites. |
| State Historical Society of Iowa | Free | Select from research collection topics |
| The Iowa Heritage Digital Collection | Free | digital images from a variety of Iowa cultural institutions - results of "monroe county" in the search box |
| State Library of Iowa | Free | electronic depository of documents intended for the general public produced by Iowa agencies - results of "monroe county" in the search box |
| IAGenWeb | Free | Data may be submitted by individuals or complete transcriptions |
| USGenWeb Archives | Free | Data may be submitted by individuals or may be complete transcriptions |
| genealogytrails.com | Free | Data may be submitted by individuals or complete transcriptions |
| [1] [2][3] FamilySearch | Free | Births, 1880-1935; Deaths 1880-1992; Marriages, 1838-1934; all indexes |
| RootsWeb Resources | Free | Data may be submitted by individuals or may be complete transcriptions |
| Linkpendium | Free | Click links. Some sites they link to may have fees ($) |
| CyndisList | Free | Click links. Some sites they link to may have fees ($) |
| Monroe County IA Genealogy (ldsgenealogy.com) | Free | Click links. Some sites they link to may have fees ($) |
| 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 | IA Genealogy Forum | |
| ancestry.com | Monroe County Message Board | |
References[edit | edit source]
- ↑ Wikipedia contributors, "Monroe, Iowa," in Wikipedia: the Free Encyclopedia, "https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Monroe_County,_Iowa."
- ↑ Handybook for Genealogists: United States of America, 10th ed. (Draper, Utah: Everton Pub., 2002), Monroe 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, "Monroe County, Iowa," in Wikipedia: the Free Encyclopedia, https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Monroe_County,_Iowa#Communities, accessed 17 October 2019.
