Mills County, Iowa Genealogy

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

Description
Mills County was named for Maj. Frederick Davis Mills of Burlington, Iowa, who was killed at the Battle of Churubusco during the Mexican American War. The county is located in southwestern Iowa.

County Courthouse
Mills County Courthouse 418 Sharp Street Glenwood, IA 51534 Phone: 712-527-4880 Mills County Website

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:

Biographies

 * A Biographical History of Fremont and Mills Counties, Iowa: Compendium of National Biography. Chicago, IL: The Lewis Publishing Company, 1901. Online at: FamilySearch Digital Library.
 * History of Mills County, Iowa: Containing a History of the County, Its Cities, Towns, etc., a Biographical Directory of Many of Its Leading Citizens, War Record of Its Volunteers. Des Moines, IA: State Historical Co., 1881. Online at: FamilySearch Digital Library, Internet Archive, HathiTrust.


 * Mills County, Iowa Biographies Project at RootsWeb — links to biographies and local histories
 * Mills County IAGenWeb Bios Project

Census Records
State Census
 * 1885 at FamilySearch — How to Use this Collection; index and images
 * 1895 at FamilySearch — How to Use this Collection; index and images
 * 1905 at FamilySearch — How to Use this Collection; index and images (individual cards, not family context)
 * 1915 at FamilySearch — How to Use this Collection; index and images
 * 1925 at FamilySearch — How to Use this Collection; index and images

Church Records

 * FamilySearch Places
 * Early Churches at IAGenWeb

Court Records

 * 1860-1960 Courthouse Records at IAGenWeb

Funeral Homes

 * Loess Hills Funeral Home in Glenwood
 * Mansfield-Hertz Funeral Home in Malvern
 * Peterson Mortuary in Glenwood

Land and Property Records
Online Land and Property Records
 * 1852-1972 at FamilySearch Catalog – images
 * 1855-1869 at FamilySearch Catalog – images

Local Histories

 * History of Mills County, Iowa. By Mills County History Book Committee. Dallas, TX: Taylor Publishing Co., 1985. Online at: FamilySearch Digital Library.
 * History of Mills County, Iowa. Des Moines, IA: State Historical Co., 1881. Online at: FamilySearch Digital Library, Internet Archive, HathiTrust.


 * Mills County, Iowa Historical Events and Stories at IAGenWeb
 * Iowa Indexes at EveryNameIndex.com — Select the county.

Maps and Gazetteers

 * 1860-1918 U.S., Indexed County Land Ownership Maps, 1860-1918, Mills County at Ancestry ($) - index.
 * 1875-2007 Mills County 1875-2007 at Historic Map Works - may include names of land-owners.
 * 1886-1935 Fire Insurance Maps for Mills County, Iowa at Library of Congress - various years between 1886 and 1935.
 * 1913 Atlas of Douglas, Sarpy and Washington Counties, Nebraska; and Mills and Pottawattamie Counties, Iowa at FamilySearch Digital Library.
 * 1937 (*); at FamilySearch Catalog — images.
 * IAGenWeb - Mills County.
 * Iowa Digital Library, Mills County at Iowa University Libraries.
 * Mills County, Iowa, Official Map at FamilySearch Digital Library.
 * Mills County Maps at FamilySearch Catalog.
 * Mills County Plat Maps and Landowners at IAGenWeb.
 * (*); at FamilySearch Catalog — images.
 * The Iowa Heritage Digital Collections, Mills County at State Library of Iowa.
 * FamilySearch Places: Map of cities and towns in this county - How to Use FS Places.

Migration
Early migration routes to and from Mills County, Iowa Genealogy for European settlers included:


 * Missouri River at Wikipedia
 * Oregon Trail 1830s from western Missouri to Oregon City, Oregon
 * California Trail 1846 from western Missouri to northern California
 * Mormon Trail 1846 from Nauvoo, Illinois to Salt Lake City, Utah

Military Records
Multiple Wars
 * 1835-1998 at FamilySearch — How to Use this Collection; index only
 * Local Military Veteran's
 * 1861-1975 Our Military at IAGenWeb
 * 1862-1910 at FamilySearch — How to Use this Collection; index and images

''Civil War'
 * 1861-1949 at FamilySearch — How to Use this Collection; index and images

Civil War service men in Mills 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 here:
 * - 4th Regiment, Iowa Infantry, Company A
 * - 15th Regiment, Iowa Infantry, Company F
 * - 29th Regiment, Iowa Infantry, Company B and K

Naturalization and Citizenship
Online Naturalization Indexes and Records
 * 1859-1990 at FamilySearch — How to Use this Collection; index and images

Newspapers

 * 1864-2002 Mills County Newspaper Archives has several Mills County newspapers (1864-2002) available online.
 * 1864-2002 Glenwood Public Library Archives, Mills County has several Mills County newspapers (1864-2004) available online along with a few plat books and an atlas.

Probate Records
Online Probate Indexes and Records


 * 1758-1997 Iowa, U.S., Wills and Probate Records, 1758-1997 at Ancestry — index & images, ($)
 * 1854-1935 (*); County Recorder at FamilySearch Catalog – images & index

Social Security Records

 * 1935-2014 at FamilySearch — How to Use this Collection; index. Also at Ancestry, findmypast, Fold3, GenealogyBank, MyHeritage, and Steve Morse. Click here for more information.
 * 1936-2007 U.S., Social Security Applications and Claims Index, 1936-2007 at Ancestry — index & images, ($)

Tax Records
Online Tax Indexes and Records
 * 1934-1958 at FamilySearch — How to Use this Collection; index and images

Birth

 * 1850-1939 at FamilySearch — How to Use this Collection; index and images
 * 1880-1935 at FamilySearch — How to Use this Collection; index and images
 * 1921-1942 at FamilySearch — How to Use this Collection; index and images

Marriage

 * 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 ($)
 * 1838-1934 at FamilySearch — How to Use this Collection; index and images
 * 1880-1951 Iowa, U.S., Marriage Records, 1880-1951 at Ancestry — index & images, ($)
 * 1941-1951 at FamilySearch — How to Use this Collection; index & images

Death

 * 1850-1990 at FamilySearch — How to Use this Collection; index and some images; Also at: MyHeritage($)
 * 1880-1992 at FamilySearch — How to Use this Collection; index and images
 * 1900-1939 Iowa Death Index, 1900-1939 at MyHeritage — index ($)
 * 1904-1951 at FamilySearch — How to Use this Collection; index and images
 * 1920-1967 Iowa, U.S., Death Records, 1920-1967 at Ancestry — index & images, ($)

Family History Centers

 * Council Bluffs Iowa Family History Center
 * Omaha Nebraska Family History Center
 * Papillion Nebraska Family History Center
 * Omaha Public Library - an affiliate library

Libraries
Glenwood Public Library 109 N. Vine Street Glenwood, IA 51534 Phone: 712-527-5252 Email: [mailto:questions@glenwood.lib.ia.us questions@glenwood.lib.ia.us] Website Facebook Tabor Public Library 725 Main Street Tabor, IA 51653 Phone: 712-629-2735 Email: [mailto:dawn.miller@tabor.lib.ia.us dawn.miller@tabor.lib.ia.us] Website

Museums
Indian Creek Historical Society & Museum 59256 380th Street Hastings, IA 51540 Phone: 712-824-7730 Website Mills County Historical Museum 2 Lake Drive Glenwood, IA 51534 Phone: 712-527-5038 Website

Societies
 Indian Creek Historical Society 59256 380th Street Emerson, IA 51533 Phone: 712-824-7730 Website

Websites

 * Mills County at Cyndi's List - a comprehensive, categorized & cross-referenced list of links that point you to genealogical research sites online
 * Mills County at Genealogy Trails - volunteer transcriptions of genealogical and historical data
 * Mills County at Iowa USGenWeb - free online resources for genealogical research
 * Mills County at Iowa USGenWeb Archives - free online data for genealogical research
 * State Historical Society of Iowa — select from research collection topics
 * State Library of Iowa — electronic depository of documents intended for the general public produced by Iowa agencies
 * The Iowa Heritage Digital Collection — digital images from a variety of Iowa cultural institutions
 * – The FamilySearch catalog contains descriptions and access information for all genealogical materials (including books, online materials, microfilm, microfiche, and publications) in their collection.  Use Historical Records to search for specific individuals in genealogical records.