Indiana Research Tips and Strategies

Indiana Research Strategies
Below are links to different research strategy pages to help you locate your ancestors in Indiana


 * Indiana Online Genealogy Records
 * How to find Indiana Birth Records
 * How to find Indiana Marriage Records
 * How to find Indiana Death Records
 * Step-by-Step Indiana Research, 1900 to the Present

Indiana Research Tips
These tips will help you as you research your ancestors in Indiana.


 * Birth information: Statewide registration of births began in 1907, with compliance by 1920. The best substitute record for locating birth information is death records (the majority of death records will list the date of birth of the decedent, and since death certificates are considered a primary resource, they can provide you with the same documentation as a birth certificate). Or, try these other substitute records.
 * Finding Parents: Death records were recorded by the county health office beginning in 1882, where they remained before mandatory recording with the state board of health began in January 1900. . They often will list the parents of the deceased and their birth information. Search Indiana death records
 * Look in all censuses: Always look for your ancestor in every possible census. There are clues regarding immigration, naturalization, and occupation that can lead to other records. Sometimes parents can be found living with their children later in life. Search U.S. Censuses.
 * Marriage Records. Coverage map showing all FamilySearch holdings by county.  FamilySearch Historical Records

Indiana Record Finder
This Record Finder is designed to help you determine the best record to search for the type of information you are looking for. It is most helpful for post-1850 research.

To look for more Indiana records, go here

Further Indiana Research
For more research on Indiana, including research at the county level, visit the Indiana page on the Research Wiki.

Search all of the Indiana record collections at FamilySearch.