Marion County, Indiana Genealogy

United States

Indiana

Marion County

Guide to Marion County, Indiana ancestry, family history, and genealogy birth records, marriage records, death records, census records, family history, and military records.

Marion County, Indiana
Map
Location of Indiana in the U.S.
Facts
Founded	December 31, 1821
County Seat	Indianpolis
Courthouse
Address	Marion County Courthouse 200 E. Washington Street Indianapolis, IN 46204 Phone: 317-327-4740 Marion County Website
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Historical Facts

Known Beginning Dates for Major County Records
Birth*	Marriage	Death*	Court	Land	Probate	Census
1882	1822	1882	1822	1822	1822	1807
Statewide registration for births in 1907 and deaths in Oct 1899. General compliance by 1917.

• Parent Counties: Formed 31 December 1821 from the Delaware New Purchase
  
• County Seat: Indianapolis
  

Description

The county is named after "The Swamp Fox" Revolutionary War Brigadier General Francis Marion (c1732-1795). The County Seat is Indianapolis and was founded 1822. It is located in the Central area of the state.

Populated Places

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:

Cities
Beech Grove Indianapolis	Lawrence	Southport
Towns
Clermont Crows Nest Cumberland Homecroft	Meridian Hills North Crows Nest Rocky Ripple Speedway	Spring Hill Warren Park Williams Creek Wynnedale
Townships
Center Decatur Franklin	Lawrence Perry Pike	Warren Washington Wayne

Neighboring Counties

Boone  • Hamilton  • Hancock  • Shelby  • Johnson  • Morgan  • Hendricks

Boundary Changes

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

There is no known history of courthouse disasters in this county.

Resources

Cemeteries

Tombstone Transcriptions Online	Tombstone Transcriptions in Print	List of Cemeteries in the county
Findagrave.com	Family History Library	Findagrave.com
INGenWeb	WorldCat	Billion Graves
INGenWeb Archives
Tombstone Project
Indiana Interment
Billion Graves
See Indiana Cemeteries for more information.

Marion County Cemeteries - www.genealogyindy.org(Genealogical Society of Marion County)

• Cemeteries for Marion County - Linkpendium
• Crown Hill Cemetery
• Latter-day Saint Cemetery Records

1. Vol. 21 page 73 - Old Battleground Cemetery
2. Vol. 21 page 84 - Huffman Cemetery, Washington Township

• Index of Pioneer Cemeteries, Perry Township (members only database, Indiana Genealogical Society)
• Index of Pioneer Cemeteries, Warren Township (members only database, Indiana Genealogical Society)

Census Records

For tips on accessing Marion County, Indiana Genealogy census records online, see: Indiana Census.

• Index to Mortality Schedule for Marion County, Indiana (1860) (members only database, Indiana Genealogical Society)
• Index to Defective, Delinquent & Dependent Census for Marion County, Indiana (1880) (members only database, Indiana Genealogical Society)
• Enumeration of Males in Lawrence Township, Marion County, Indiana (1913) (members only database, Indiana Genealogical Society)

Church Records

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.

The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints

Ward and Branch Records of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints

• Indianapolis
• Indianapolis Dist
• Indianapolis N.
• Indianapolis S.

Lutheran

aka Evangelical

• Records of the American Lutheran Church, Indianapolis, in Evangelical Lutheran Church in America database at Archives.com ($).

For more information about these major repositories, see Indiana Church Records.

Finding More Church Records

Additional church records can sometimes be found using search phrases such as Marion 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).

Directories

Genealogical Society of Marion County holds several city directories in their library. www.genealogyindy.org

Fold3.com ($) has Indianapolis City Directories 1857, 1861, 1864-1923 (3 yrs. missing) available online.

Funeral Homes

• Obituaries and Funeral Home Records - Linkpendium
  

• Jacobs Brothers Funeral Home (digitized records)

History

Local Histories

• History of Marion CountyLinkpendium
  

• SULGROVE, B. R. (1884). History of Indianapolis and Marion County, Indiana. (Philadelphia, L.H. Everts Co.) FHL US/CAN Film 934914 Item 1 FHL Collection other librariesINTERNET ARCHIVE
  

• The People's Guide, a Business, Political and Religious Directory of Marion Co., Ind., Together with a Collection of Very Important Documents and Statistics Connected with Our Moral, Political and Scientific History. 1873.other librariesINTERNET ARCHIVE
  

• United States. Names of Persons Enumerated in Marion County, Indiana, at the Fifth Census Eighteen Hundred and Thirty. (Indianapolis: E.J. Hecker, printer and publisher, 1908.) other librariesGoogle books
  

• Pictorial and Biographical Memoirs of Indianapolis and Marion County, Indiana: Together with Biographies of Many Prominent Men of Other Portions of the State, Both Living and Dead. (Tucson, Arizona: Americana Unlimited, 1974.) otherlibraries Google books
  

• Nowland, John H. B. Sketches of Prominent Citizens of 1876: with a Few of the Pioneers of the City and County Who Have Passed Away. (1876.) INTERNET ARCHIVE
• History of Clermont ($, Indiana Genealogical Society)
  

Land and Property

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

Additional land records can sometimes be found using search phrases such as Marion 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

Click a neighboring county
for more resources

• Old Antique Atlases & Maps of Indiana
• Family Maps of Marion County, Indiana Genealogy (land patent maps) at HistoryGeo.com ($). Free surname search.
• Maps and Gazetteers-Linkpendium

Military Records

• Military Record and Histories-Linkpendium
• Veterans in Marion County, Indiana (1913) ($, Indiana Genealogical Society)

Civil War

Civil War service men from Marion 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 Marion County.

• 1st Regiment, Indiana Heavy Artillery, Companies B, L, and M
• 1st Regiment, Indiana Cavalry, Company K
• 3rd Battery, Indiana Light Artillery
• 4th Regiment, Indiana Cavalry, Company A
• 5th Regiment, Indiana Cavalry (90th Regiment, Indiana Volunteers), Company M
• 7th Regiment, Indiana Cavalry, Companies C, D, G, and H
• 7th Regiment, Indiana Infantry, Reorganized Company I
• 8th Regiment, Indiana Infantry, Reorganized Company H
• 9th Regiment, Indiana Cavalry, Companies A, F, H, I, and L
• 10th Regiment, Indiana Infantry, Company K
• 11th Regiment, Indiana Infantry, Companies A, B, E, H, K , and Reorganized Companies A, B, E, F, H, and K
• 12th Regiment, Indiana Infantry, Reorganized Company A
• 13th Regiment, Indiana Infantry, Companies A, H, and Reorganized Companies D, and E
• 14th Battery, Indiana Light Artillery
• 16th Regiment, Indiana Infantry, Reorganized Companies F, I, and K
• 19th Regiment, Indiana Infantry, Companies D, and F
• 20th Battery, Indiana Light Artillery
• 26th Regiment, Indiana Infantry, Companies E, and I
• 30th Regiment, Indiana Infantry, Reorganized Company A
• 35th Regiment, Indiana Infantry, Company A
• 40th Regiment, Indiana Infantry, Company G
• 47th Regiment, Indiana Infantry, Company G
• 52nd Regiment, Indiana Infantry, Companies B, K, and Reorganized Company E
• 70th Regiment, Indiana Infantry, Companies A, E, and F
• 79th Regiment, Indiana Infantry, Companies A, C, and F
• 99th Regiment, Indiana Infantry, Company H
• 100th Regiment, Indiana Infantry, Company K
• 104th Regiment, Indiana Infantry, All of Companies A-H
• 106th Regiment, Indiana Infantry, Company K
• 107th Regiment, Indiana Infantry, All of Companies A-M
• 110th Regiment, Indiana Infantry, Company B
• 113th Regiment, Indiana Infantry, All of Companies A-I
• 123rd Regiment, Indiana Infantry, Company E
• 124th Regiment, Indiana Infantry, Companies C, and D
• 132nd Regiment, Indiana Infantry (100 days, 1864), Companies A, B, C, F, and K
• 148th Regiment, Indiana Infantry, Companies A, C, and G
• 156th Regiment, Indiana Infantry Company A
• 28th US Colored Troops , Companies A, B, C, E, G, and Addition Recruits for Colored Troops
• Wilder Battery, Indiana Light Artillery
  

World War I

• 1919 - Indiana, World War I, Enrollment Cards, 1919 at FamilySearch — index and images
• Residents of Marion County Who Received Medals in World War I ($, Indiana Genealogical Society)
• Women from Marion County Who Served in World War I ($, Indiana Genealogical Society)
• Residents of Marion County Who Died in World War I ($, Indiana Genealogical Society)

World War II

• Soldiers From Marion County, Indiana Who Died in World War II (1941-1946) ($, Indiana Genealogical Society)
• Indianapolis Water Company Employees Serving in World War II (1940-1945) ($, Indiana Genealogical Society)

Newspapers

• Indiana Farmer Newspaper, 1851-1917 - digitized collection via Purdue University Libraries
• Indianapolis Recorder, 1899-2005 - African-American newspaper; digitized collection via Purdue University Libraries

Occupational Records

• Members of Indianapolis Electrotypers and Stereotypers Union (1930) ($, Indiana Genealogical Society)

Probate Records

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

Additional probate records can sometimes be found using search phrases such as Marion 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

School Records

• Graduates of Arsenal Technical High School, Indianapolis (1915-1925) ($, Indiana Genealogical Society)
• Graduates of Ben Davis High School (1898-1938) ($, Indiana Genealogical Society)
• Graduates of Castleton High School (1897-1941) ($, Indiana Genealogical Society)
• Graduates of Oaklandon High School (1895-1941) ($, Indiana Genealogical Society)
• Graduates of Southport/Perry Township High School (1934-1937) ($, Indiana Genealogical Society)
• Graduates of High Schools in Franklin Township (1890-1942) ($, Indiana Genealogical Society)
• Students and Teachers in Indianapolis Public Schools Board Minutes (1907-1913) ($, Indiana Genealogical Society)
  
• Students in Grade 1-8 of Indianapolis Public Schools (1890) ($, Indiana Genealogical Society)
• Teachers of Indianapolis Public Schools (1883, 1886) ($, Indiana Genealogical Society)
• Alumni of Indianapolis Public School #30 (1927-1947) ($, Indiana Genealogical Society)
• Students of Marion County Seminary (1834-1853) ($, Indiana Genealogical Society)
• Students and Teachers of Perry Township High School, Southport (1936) ($, Indiana Genealogical Society)
• Students and Teachers of Pike Township Consolidated School (1947) ($, Indiana Genealogical Society)
  
• Students of Sabbath School Union Society (1826) ($, Indiana Genealogical Society)
• Students of Shortridge High School, Indianapolis (1890) ($, Indiana Genealogical Society)
  
• Students of Warren Township (1856-1865) ($, Indiana Genealogical Society)
• Students at Indiana School for the Deaf, Indianapolis (1845-1851, 1857, 1858) ($, Indiana Genealogical Society)
• Students at Indiana School for the Blind, Indianapolis (1846-1851) ($, Indiana Genealogical Society)
• Selected Teachers of Marion County, Indiana (1874) ($, Indiana Genealogical Society)
  

Other Records

• Selected Lists of Jurors in Marion County, Indiana (1800s) (members only database, Indiana Genealogical Society)
  
• AfricanAmericans in Civilian Conservation Corps, Fort Benjamin Harrison, Indianapolis (1938) (members only database, Indiana Genealogical Society)
• Indiana Civilians in Training Course at Fort Benjamin Harrison, Indianapolis (1925) (members only database, Indiana Genealogical Society)

Repositories

County Courthouse

Marion County Courthouse
200 E Washington
Indianapolis, IN 46204
Phone: 317-327-4740

CountyClerk has marriage and divorce records.
County Recorder has birth, death and land records.
Probate Court has probate records.

Family History Centers

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

• White River Indiana Family History Center

For additional nearby Family History Centers, search online in the family history center directory.

Societies

www.genealogyIndy.org Genealogical Society of Marion County. Established in 1995 GSMC focuses on Marion County genealogical records.

Taxation

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.

• Selected Tax Lists of Marion County, Indiana (1840-1850) ($, Indiana Genealogical Society)
  
• Delinquent Taxpayers of Indianapolis, Marion County (1840) ($, Indiana Genealogical Society)

For more information see the wiki page Indiana Taxation.

Finding More Tax Records

Additional tax records can sometimes be found using search phrases such as Marion County, Indiana Genealogy Tax Records in online catalogs like:

• WorldCat (For instructions see WorldCat Online Catalog).
• FamilySearch Catalog (For instructions see FamilySearch Catalog Place-name Search).

Vital Records

• Indiana State Digital Archives
  

Marriage Records

• 1800s-2007 - Indiana, United States Marriages at FindMyPast — index $

• 1780-1992 Indiana Marriages, 1780-1992 - FamilySearch
  

• 1800-1925 Indiana Marriage Collection, 1800-1941 Ancestry. ($) Name index; year range = 1822-1836, 1861-1925, for Marion County
  

• 1802-1892 Indiana Marriages, 1802-1892 - Ancestry.com $
  

• 1811-2007 Indiana Marriages, 1811-2007 at FamilySearch — index and images

• 1925-2006 A searchable database of Marion County Marriages, 1925-2006 is available at the Marion County Circuit Court's website.
  

Death Records

• 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
  
• 1939-1956 - Records of Jacobs Brothers Funeral Home, Indianapolis (1939-1956) (free, Indiana Genealogical Society)
• Indiana State Digital Archives
  

Finding Vital Records at Other Repositories

Additional vital records can sometimes be found using search phrases such as Marion 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

• Marion County, IN History, Records, Facts and Genealogy
• Indiana Genealogy Network Community on Google+
• Indiana Genealogy Network Group on Facebook
• The Marion County IN GenWeb Project, a member of The INGenWeb Project, an affiliate of The USGenWeb Project
• FamilySearch Catalog
• Marion County, Indiana Genealogy and Family History (Linkpendium)
• Marion County Genealogy (Indiana Genealogy)

Family History Library