DeKalb County, Indiana Genealogy
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Guide to DeKalb County, Indiana ancestry, family history, and genealogy birth records, marriage records, death records, census records, family history, and military records.
| DeKalb County, Indiana | |||||||
| Map | |||||||
 Location of Indiana in the U.S. | |||||||
| Facts | |||||||
| Founded | 1835 | ||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| County Seat | Auburn | ||||||
| Courthouse | |||||||
| Address | DeKalb County Courthouse 100 S Main Street PO Box 810 Auburn, IN 46706 Phone: 219.925.2112 | ||||||
| |||||||
Contents
- 1 Historical Facts
- 2 Resources
- 2.1 Bible Records
- 2.2 Biographies
- 2.3 Business Records
- 2.4 Cemeteries
- 2.5 Census Records
- 2.6 Church Records
- 2.7 Court Records
- 2.8 Directories
- 2.9 Emigration and Immigration
- 2.10 Ethnic and Religious Groups
- 2.11 Gazetteers
- 2.12 Genealogies
- 2.13 Histories
- 2.14 Land and Property
- 2.15 Maps
- 2.16 Military Records
- 2.17 Naturalization and Citizenship
- 2.18 Newspapers
- 2.19 Obituaries
- 2.20 Probate Records
- 2.21 Voter Registration
- 2.22 Repositories
- 2.23 School Records
- 2.24 Taxation
- 2.25 Vital Records
- 2.26 Websites
- 3 Places
- 4 References
Historical Facts[edit | edit source]
| Birth* | Marriage | Death* | Court | Land | Probate | Census |
| 1882 | 1837 | 1882 | 1837 | 1837 | 1855 | 1807 |
- Parent Counties: Formed in 1835 from unorganized territory (Allen/LaGrange)[2]
- County Seat: Auburn [3]
Description[edit | edit source]
The county was named for the heroic General Johann de Kalb, a Continental Army officer from Bavaria, who was fatally wounded at the Battle of Camden, South Carolina. It's county seat is Auburn and was founded 1837. It is located in the Northeast area of the state.[4]
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 | ||
| Towns | ||
| Unincorporated communities | ||
| Townships | ||
Neighboring Counties[edit | edit source]
Steuben • La Grange • Noble • Steuben • Allen • Williams • Defiance
The county is named after Revolutionary War hero Johann de Kalb (1721-1780), a German baron.[6]
Boundary Changes[edit | edit source]
For animated maps illustrating Indiana County boundary changes, "Rotating Formation Indiana County Boundary Maps" (1790-1873) may be viewed for free at the MapofUS.org website.
Record Loss[edit | edit source]
1913 -- 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
Resources[edit | edit source]
Bible Records[edit | edit source]
Biographies[edit | edit source]
Business Records[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 |
| INGenWeb | WorldCat | Billion Graves |
| Billion Graves | ||
| See Indiana Cemeteries for more information. | ||
- Index of Christian Union Cemetery (free, Indiana Genealogical Society)
- Index of Corunna Cemetery (free, Indiana Genealogical Society)
Census Records[edit | edit source]
For tips on accessing DeKalb County, Indiana Genealogy census records online, see: Indiana Census.
- Index to Mortality Schedule (1860) ($, Indiana Genealogical Society)
- Index to Defective, Dependent & Delinquent Census for DeKalb County (1880) ($, Indiana Genealogical Society)
Church Records[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 Indiana Church Records.
Finding More Church Records[edit source]
Additional church records can sometimes be found using search phrases such as DeKalb County, Indiana Genealogy Church Records in online catalogs like:
- WorldCat (For instructions see WorldCat Online Catalog).
- FamilySearch Catalog (For instructions see FamilySearch Catalog Place-name Search).
Court Records[edit | edit source]
Directories[edit | edit source]
- Directory of Businesses in DeKalb County, Indiana (1868) (members only database, Indiana Genealogical Society)
Emigration and Immigration[edit | edit source]
Ethnic and Religious Groups[edit | edit source]
Gazetteers[edit | edit source]
Genealogies[edit | edit source]
Histories[edit | edit source]
Local Histories[edit | edit source]
Local histories are available for DeKalb County, Indiana Genealogy. County histories may include biographies; church, school and government histories; and military information.
History of DeKalb County, Indiana: Together with Sketches of Its Cities, Villages and Towns, Educational, Religious, Civil, Military, and Political History, Portraits of Prominent Persons, and Biographies of Representative Citizens. (Knightstown, Ind: The Bookmark, 1978.), 977.277 H2b FHL Collection other library Internet Archive
DeKalb County Historical Society (Ind.). 1885 History of De Kalb County, Indiana: Together with Sketches of Its Cities, Villages and Towns, Educational, Religious, Civil, Military, and Political History, Portraits of Prominent Persons, and Biographies of Representative Citizens : with New Index.( Knightstown, Ind: The Bookmark, 1978.) , 977.277 H2hi FHL Collection other library Internet Archive
For more information about local histories, see the wiki page section Indiana Local Histories.
Land and Property[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.
After land was transferred from the government to private ownership, subsequent transactions were recorded at the courthouse, where records are currently housed.
See Indiana Land and Property for additional information about early Indiana land grants and patents.
Finding More Land Records[edit source]
Additional land records can sometimes be found using search phrases such as DeKalb County, Indiana Genealogy Probate Records in online catalogs like:
- WorldCat (For instructions see WorldCat Online Catalog).
- FamilySearch Catalog (For instructions see FamilySearch Catalog Place-name Search).
Maps[edit | edit source]
Click a neighboring county
for more resources
for more resources
Military Records[edit | edit source]
Civil War[edit | edit source]
Civil War service men from DeKalb County 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 DeKalb County.
- 9th Regiment, Indiana Infantry, Company G
- 12th Regiment, Indiana Cavalry, Companies B, C, and I
- 13th Regiment, Indiana Infantry, Reorganized Companies B, D
- 30th Regiment, Indiana Infantry, Company H, and Reorganized Companies C, and D
- 44th Regiment, Indiana Infantry, Company K
- 88th Regiment, Indiana Infantry, Company A, and H
- 100th Regiment, Indiana Infantry, Companies A, and K
- 118th Regiment, Indiana Infantry (6 months, 1863-4), Company F
- 129th Regiment, Indiana Infantry, Company A
- 142nd Regiment, Indiana Infantry, Companies A, and D
Civil War Books
Sliger, Reba. Veterans' Cards for Veterans of DeKalb County Who Served in the Civil, Spanish-American, Mexican Wars: Copied from Records at the DeKalb County Courthouse,( Auburn, Indiana. Auburn, IN: The Chapter, 1990.) 977.277 M2s FHL Collection other library Internet Archive
"Military History" Chaper 5 in History of DeKalb County, Indiana: Together with Sketches of Its Cities, Villages and Towns, Educational, Religious, Civil, Military, and Political History, Portraits of Prominent Persons, and Biographies of Representative Citizens. (Knightstown, Ind: The Bookmark, 1978.), page 90-117, 977.277 H2b FHL Collection other library Internet Archive
"The War for the Union," Chaper 5 in DeKalb County Historical Society (Ind.). 1885 History of De Kalb County, Indiana: Together with Sketches of Its Cities, Villages and Towns, Educational, Religious, Civil, Military, and Political History, Portraits of Prominent Persons, and Biographies of Representative Citizens : with New Index.( Knightstown, Ind: The Bookmark, 1978.) page 333-400, 977.277 H2hi FHL Collection other library Internet Archive
Hobson, Margaret. "The Iron Men of Indiana's 44th Regiment, Book 1: Biographies and Statistics" This book contains a complete list of DeKalb County men in the 44th Indiana.
World War I (The Great War), 1914-1918[edit | edit source]
- 1919 - Indiana, World War I, Enrollment Cards, 1919 at FamilySearch — index and images
World War II, 1941-1945[edit | edit source]
Naturalization and Citizenship[edit | edit source]
Newspapers[edit | edit source]
The Garrett Clipper: Obituary database from 1975 through January, 2012 provided courtesy of the Garrett Public Library.
Obituaries[edit | edit source]
Probate Records[edit | edit source]
In most counties in Indiana, probate records have been kept by the county clerk of the circuit court. They include wills, fee books, claim registers, legacy records, inheritance records, probate ticklers, and dockets. The records are available at the county courthouse.
Online Records
- 1798 – 1999 Indiana Wills and Probate Records 1798-1999 at Ancestry.com — index and images $
Finding More Probate Records[edit source]
Additional probate records can sometimes be found using search phrases such as DeKalb County, Indiana Genealogy Probate Records in online catalogs like:
- WorldCat (For instructions see WorldCat Online Catalog).
- FamilySearch Catalog (For instructions see FamilySearch Catalog Place-name Search).
- South Bend Area Genealogical Society: Wills Index 1830-1971 for St. Joseph County
Public Records[edit | edit source]
School Records[edit | edit source]
- Directory of Teachers (1936) (members only database, Indiana Genealogical Society)
Voter Registration[edit | edit source]
Repositories[edit | edit source]
Courthouse[edit | edit source]
De Kalb County Courthouse
100 S Main Street PO Box 810
Auburn, IN 46706
Phone: 219.925.2112
County Health Department has birth and death records.
County Clerk has marriage and court records from 1837,
probate records from 1855 and school records 1903-1932.
County recorder has land records. [7]
Archives[edit | edit source]
Libraries[edit | edit source]
Museums[edit | edit source]
Societies[edit | edit source]
DeKalb County Indiana
PO Box 6085
Auburn, IN 46706
E-mail: rozwells@sbcglobal.net
Facebook
Dekalb County Historical Society
PO Box 686
Auburn, IN 46706
DeKalb County Historical Society
201 E. Main St.
Butler, IN 46721-1409
Telephone Number: 260-868-0979
DeKalb Genealogical Society
c/o Eckhart Public Library
603 S. Jackson Dtreet
Auburn, IN 46706
Facebook
Garrett Historical Society
PO Box 225
Garrett, IN 46738-0225
Telephone Number: 260-357-5575
Willennar Genealogy Center
700 S. Jackson St.
Auburn, IN 46706-2267
Telephone Number: 260-925-2414 Ext 420
Fax: 260-925-3635
E-mail: genealogy@epl.lib.in.us
Website
Family History Centers[edit | edit source]
Family History Centers provide one-on-one assistance and free access to premium genealogical websites. In addition, many centers have free how-to genealogy classes.
- For current information about a center near you, go to the Family History Center Map
For additional nearby Family History Centers, search online in the family history center directory.
School Records[edit | edit source]
- Directory of Teachers (1936) (members only database, Indiana Genealogical Society)
Taxation[edit | edit source]
Indiana tax records complement land records and can be used in place of censuses or to supplement the years between censuses. Because only persons who owned taxable property were listed, many residents were not included in tax lists. There may also be gaps of several years in the tax records of some counties.
For more information see the wiki page Indiana Taxation.
Finding More Tax Records[edit source]
Additional tax records can sometimes be found using search phrases such as DeKalb County, Indiana Genealogy Tax Records in online catalogs like:
- WorldCat (For instructions see WorldCat Online Catalog).
Vital Records[edit | edit source]
Vital records consist of birth, death, marriage and divorce records. Indiana law in 1882 required registration of births and deaths in counties. The Indiana Department of Health has birth records filed after October 1907 and death records filed after January 1900 for deaths. Copies may be obtained from the county health department or the Indiana State Division of Vital Records. See also How to order Indiana Vital Records or order electronically online.
Marriage licenses were required by counties beginning in 1800. Original marriage records are held at the office of the DeKalb County, Indiana Genealogy County Clerk with divorce records located with the DeKalb County, Indiana Genealogy Clerk of Courts.
Birth Records[edit | edit source]
Marriage Records[edit | edit source]
- 1800s-2007 - Indiana, United States Marriages at FindMyPast — index $
- 1780-1992 Indiana Marriages, 1780-1992 - FamilySearch
- 1802-1892 Indiana Marriages, 1802-1892 - Ancestry.com $
- 1811-2007 Indiana Marriages, 1811-2007 at FamilySearch — index and images
Death Records[edit | edit source]
- 1882-1920 Indiana, Death Index, 1882-1920 at FamilySearch Historical Records - Index only
- 1899-2011 Indiana, Death Certificates, 1899-2011 at Ancestry - ($), index and images
- Indiana State Digital Archives
Finding Vital Records at Other Repositories
Additional vital records can sometimes be found using search phrases such as DeKalb County, Indiana Genealogy Vital Records in online catalogs like:
- WorldCat (For instructions see WorldCat Online Catalog).
- FamilySearch Catalog (For instructions see FamilySearch Catalog Place-name Search).
Websites[edit | edit source]
- DeKalb County, IN History, Records, Facts and Genealogy
- Indiana Genealogy Network Community on Google+
- Indiana Genealogy Network Group on Facebook
- USGenWeb project. May have maps, name indexes, history or other information for this county. Select the state, then the county.
- FamilySearch Catalog
- DeKalb County, Indiana Genealogy and Family History (Linkpendium)
Places[edit | edit source]
References[edit | edit source]
- ↑ Handybook for Genealogists: United States of America, 10th ed. (Draper, Utah: Everton Pub., 2002), DeKalb County, Indiana. Page 211-218 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), 208-211.
- ↑ The Handybook for Genealogists: United States of America,10th ed. (Draper, UT:Everton Publishers, 2002).
- ↑ Wikipedia contributors, "DeKalb County, Indiana" in Wikipedia: the Free Encyclopedia at http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/DeKalb_County,_Indiana (accessed 2 August 2013).
- ↑ Wikipedia contributors, "DeKalb County," in Wikipedia: the Free Encyclopedia, https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/DeKalb_County,_Indiana 3/08/2017.
- ↑ Wikipedia contributors, "DeKalb County, Indiana," in Wikipedia: the Free Encyclopedia, https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/DeKalb_County,_Indiana, accessed 06 December 2019.
- ↑ "Johann de Kalb," Wikipedia.
- ↑ Handybook for Genealogists: United States of America, 10th ed. (Draper, Utah: Everton Pub., 2002), De Kalb County, Indiana 212 At various libraries (WorldCat); FHL Book 973 D27e 2002.
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