Union County, Iowa Genealogy
Guide to Union County, Iowa ancestry, family history, and genealogy birth records, marriage records, death records, census records, family history, and military records.
| Union County, Iowa | |
| Map | |
 Location in the state of Iowa | |
 Location of Iowa in the U.S. | |
| Facts | |
| Founded | January 15, 1851 |
|---|---|
| County Seat | Creston |
| Courthouse | |
 | |
Contents
County Information[edit | edit source]
Description[edit | edit source]
The County was named for the Union that people wanted to preserve. The County has Creston as its seat and the County was created 1853. The County is located in the southwest area of the state. [1]
Union County, Iowa Record Dates[edit | edit source]
| Birth* | Marriage | Death* | Court | Land | Probate | Census |
| 1880 | 1856 | 1880 | 1880 | 1854 | 1880 | 1847 |
County Courthouse[edit | edit source]
History[edit | edit source]
Parent County[edit | edit source]
1851--Union County was created 15 January 1851 from Pottawattamie County and from non-county area which, in 1846, was in Clarke County until that county's boundaries changed in 1847 (shrinking along with neighboring Lucas County).[3] County seat: Creston [4]
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]
1893 Fire destroyed the courthouse.
For suggestions about research in places that suffered historic record losses, see:
- Burned Counties. By Michael John Neill at 24-7 Family History Circle.
- When the Records are Gone. By Arlene Eakle at Arlene Eakle's Tennessee Blog.
- Burned Counties Research in the FamilySearch Research Wiki.
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:[5]
| Cities | ||
| Unincorporated communities | ||
| Census-designated places | ||
| Townships | ||
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Neighboring Counties[edit | edit source]
Adair • Adams • Clarke • Decatur • Madison • Ringgold • Taylor
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 |
| Iowa Gravestones | FamilySearch Places | |
| Billion Graves | ||
| See Iowa Cemeteries for more information. | ||
- Inscriptions Found on Tombstones and Monuments in Early Latter-day Saint Burial Grounds Ancestry.com (Free)
Census[edit | edit source]
| Historical populations | ||
|---|---|---|
| Census | Pop. | %± |
| 1860 | 2,012 | — |
| 1870 | 5,986 | 197.5% |
| 1880 | 14,980 | 150.3% |
| 1890 | 16,900 | 12.8% |
| 1900 | 19,928 | 17.9% |
| 1910 | 16,616 | −16.6% |
| 1920 | 17,268 | 3.9% |
| 1930 | 17,435 | 1.0% |
| 1940 | 16,280 | −6.6% |
| 1950 | 15,651 | −3.9% |
| 1960 | 13,712 | −12.4% |
| 1970 | 13,557 | −1.1% |
| 1980 | 13,858 | 2.2% |
| 1990 | 12,750 | −8.0% |
| 2000 | 12,309 | −3.5% |
| 2010 | 12,534 | 1.8% |
| 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]
Directories[edit | edit source]
- Creston, Iowa Directory, 1889 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.
Local Histories[edit | edit source]
Local histories are available for Union 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.
- Illustrated centennial sketches, map and directory of Union County, Iowa. Creston, Iowa : C. J. Colby, 1876. Online at: FamilySearch Digital Library, Internet Archive, HathiTrust; At various libraries(WorldCat).
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- Mount Pisgah: history of a temporary settlement of the "Mormons" while on their westward journey. By Andrew Jenson. Online at: FamilySearch Digital Library.
Maps[edit | edit source]
for more resources
- Old Antique Atlases & Maps of Iowa
- David Rumsey Map Collection is a large online collection of rare, old, antique historical atlases, globes, maps, charts plus other cartographic treasures. This Collection features the city of Creston.
- FamilySearch Places:Cities and Towns- How to Use FS Places
Migration[edit | edit source]
Early migration routes to and from Union County, Iowa Genealogy for European settlers included:
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- Mormon Trail 1846 from Nauvoo, Illinois to Salt Lake City, Utah[6]
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 Union 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 Union County, Iowa Genealogy:
- - 29th 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.
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 ($) — index and images
Death[edit | edit source]
- 1850-1990 - Iowa, Deaths and Burials 1850-1990 at FamilySearch
- 1880-1992 - Iowa, County Death Records, 1880-1992 at FamilySearch — index
- 1900-1939 Iowa Death Index, 1900-1939 at MyHeritage ($) — 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]
Union County Genealogical Society
Matilda Gibson Memorial Library
200 W. Howard Street
Creston, IA 50801
Website
Union County Historical Society
c/o Marcella Howe
1101 N. Vine
Creston, IA 50801
Museum Location: McKinley Park, Creston, Iowa
Telephone:641-782-8159
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]
- Union County, IA History, Records, Facts and Genealogy
- Iowa Genealogy Network Group on Facebook
- FamilySearch Catalog
- Union County, Iowa Genealogy and Family History (Linkpendium)
References[edit | edit source]
- ↑ Wikipedia contributors, "Union, Iowa," in Wikipedia: the Free Encyclopedia, "https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Union_County,_Iowa."
- ↑ Handybook for Genealogists: United States of America, 10th ed. (Draper, Utah: Everton Pub., 2002), Union 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.
- ↑ FamilyHistory101.com: "Iowa County Formation Maps"; interactive map of county formation and organization. Online at http://www.familyhistory101.com/maps/ia_cf.html
- ↑ The Handybook for Genealogists: United States of America,10th ed. (Draper, UT:Everton Publishers, 2002).
- ↑ Wikipedia contributors, "Union County, Iowa," in Wikipedia: the Free Encyclopedia, https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Union_County,_Iowa, accessed 31 October 2019.
- ↑ National Park Service, "Auto Tour Route Maps" in Mormon Pioneer National Historic Trail at http://www.nps.gov/mopi/planyourvisit/maps.htm (accessed 18 July 2011).
