Perry County, Indiana Genealogy

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

Description
Perry County was named in honor of Commodore Oliver H. Perry. It is located in the south-central area of the state.

County Courthouse
Perry County Courthouse 2219 Payne Street Tell City, IN 47586 Phone: 812-547-3741 County Website

Perry County Health Department 3214 Tell Street # 1 Tell City, IN, 47586 Health Officer: William Marcrum, MD Phone Number: 812-547-2746 Fax: 812-547-0415 Health Department

County Clerk has marriage, divorce, probate and court records from 1813. County Recorder has land records from 1813. County Health Department has birth and death records from 1890. Health Department has birth records and death records. Copies may be obtained from the county health department or the Indiana State Division of Vital Records.

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

 * History of Warrick, Spencer and Perry Counties, Indiana, from the earliest time to the present : together with interesting biographical sketches, reminiscences, notes, etc. Chicago, Goodspeed Bros Publishers, 1885. Online at: FamilySearch Digital Library;My Genealogy Hound


 * Indiana Biography Index at Indiana State Library

Business, Commerce, and Occupations
Occupations
 * Roster of Civilian Conservation Corps, Tell City (1938) at Indiana Genealogical Society ($)

Census Records

 * Index to Defective, Dependent &amp; Delinquent Census for Perry County, Indiana (1880) at Indiana Genealogical Society ($)

Church Records
List of Churches and Church Parishes
 * FamilySearch Places

Court Records

 * 1815-1831 (*); Circuit Court at FamilySearch Catalog — index & images
 * 1815-1915 (*); Circuit Court at FamilySearch Catalog — index & images
 * 1817-1834 (*); Circuit Court at FamilySearch Catalog — images
 * 1853-1873 (*); Court of Common Pleas at FamilySearch Catalog — index & images

Directories

 * Directory of Businesses in Perry County, Indiana (1868) at Indiana Genealogical Society ($)

Funeral Homes

 * Morris Family Services in Cannelton and Tell City.
 * Zoercher-Gillick Funeral Home in Tell City.

Local Histories

 * History of Warrick, Spencer and Perry Counties, Indiana. 1885. Chicago, Illinois : Goodspeed. Online at: FamilySearch Digital Library, Hathitrust, Internet Archive;.
 * Perry County : a History. 1916. By Thomas James De la Hunt. W.K. Stuart Publishing Co. Online at: FamilySearch Digital Library;.

Maps and Gazetteers

 * Old Antique Atlases & Maps of Indiana


 * Historic Indiana Maps at IUPUI University Library
 * FamilySearch Places: Map of cities and towns in this county - How to Use FS Places

Military Records

 * Military Record Series Index at Indiana Digital Archives
 * African American Veterans in Perry County, Indiana (1890) at Indiana Genealogical Society ($)

Civil War Civil War service men from Perry 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 Perry County.


 * 1st Regiment, Indiana Heavy Artillery, Company A
 * 9th Regiment, Indiana Infantry, Reorganized Company B
 * 13th Regiment, Indiana Cavalry, Company L
 * 26th Regiment, Indiana Infantry, Company F
 * 35th Regiment, Indiana Infantry, Company D
 * 38th Regiment, Indiana Infantry, Company K
 * 49th Regiment, Indiana Infantry, Company E
 * 81st Regiment, Indiana Infantry, Companies G, and K
 * 93rd Regiment, Indiana Infantry, Company G
 * 144th Regiment, Indiana Infantry, Company I
 * 28th US Colored Troops, Addition Recruits for Colored Troops

Civil War Books
 * Military History Chapter 7 in History of Warrick, Spencer and Perry Counties, Indiana, from the earliest time to the present : together with interesting biographical sketches, reminiscences, notes, etc. Chicago, Goodspeed Bros Publishers, 1885. Online at: FamilySearch Digital Library; Internet Archive

World War I
 * 1919 at FamilySearch - How to Use this Collection

Naturalization and Citizenship

 * Naturalization Record Series (for this county) at Indiana Digital Archives. Search by names.

Newspapers

 * 1800s-1999 U.S., Newspapers.com Marriage Index, 1800s-1999 at Ancestry - index ($)

Obituaries
Tell City, Perry County Public Library Newspaper Obituaries - online searchable form

Probate Records

 * 1798-1999 Indiana Wills and Probate Records 1798-1999 at Ancestry ($)
 * 1813-1843 (*); County Clerk at FamilySearch Catalog — images
 * 1816-1897 (*); Probate Court at FamilySearch Catalog — index and images
 * 1816-1932 (*); Circuit Court at FamilySearch Catalog — index and images
 * 1853-1870 (*); Circuit Court at FamilySearch Catalog — images
 * 1921-1930 (*); Circuit Court at FamilySearch Catalog — images

School Records

 * Directory of Teachers for Perry County (1936)at Indiana Genealogical Society ($)

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, click here for more information.

Marriage

 * 1780-1992  at FamilySearch - How to Use this Collection; Also at: MyHeritage ($)
 * 180s-2007 Indiana, United States Marriages at Findmypast $
 * 1802-1892 Indiana, Compiled Marriages, 1802-1892 at Ancestry
 * 1811-1959 Indiana, Marriages, 1811-1959 at MyHeritage - index and images, ($)
 * 1811-2007 at FamilySearch - How to Use this Collection

Death

 * Pre-1882 WEB: Indiana, Deaths, Pre-1882 at Ancestry - index, (Free collection)
 * 1750-1993 at FamilySearch - How to Use this Collection
 * 1882-1920 at FamilySearch  - How to Use this Collection
 * 1899-2011 Indiana, Death Certificates, 1899-2011 at Ancestry

FamilySearch Centers

 * Brandenburg Kentucky FamilySearch Center
 * Owensboro Kentucky FamilySearch Center
 * Crawford County Public Library - an affiliate library.
 * Daviess County Public Library - Kentucky - an affiliate library.
 * Tell City-Perry County Public Library - an affiliate library.

Libraries
Cannelton Public Library 210 S 8th St Cannelton, IN 47520 Phone: 812-547-6028 Email: [mailto:swalker@tcpclibrary.org swalker@tcpclibrary.org] Website
 * It has some items related to Cannelton, including High School yearbooks.

Tell City-Perry County Public Library 2328 Tell St Tell City, IN Phone: 812-547-2661 Email: [mailto:library@tcpclibrary.org library@tcpclibrary.org] Facebook Website
 * It has a large collection, including online obituaries from December 1999.

Museums
Perry County Museum 125 S 7th St PO Box 36 Cannelton, IN 47520 Phone: 812-548-6781 Email: [mailto:perrycountymuseum@gmail.com perrycountymuseum@gmail.com] Website

Societies
Southern Indiana Genealogical Society 180 W Spring St PO Box 665 New Albany, IN 47150 Email: [mailto:sigsvolunteer@gmail.com sigsvolunteer@gmail.com] Website
 * The Society's genealogical collections are housed in the Indiana History Room of the New Albany-Floyd County Public Library.

Tell City Historical Society 548 9th St Tell City, IN 47586 Phone: 812-772-2020 Email: [mailto:tchsociety@psci.net tchsociety@psci.net] Facebook Website

Websites

 * Indiana Digital Archives Search by name in all records or specific collections
 * Indiana Historical Society Digital Collections Extensive - keyword searches suggested
 * Indiana Memory Click the map or select a statewide collection
 * List of indexes and databases at Indiana State Library
 * Indiana Genealogical Society Databases Select a county
 * Every Name Index.com Online indexes for county histories. Select a county
 * Perry County INGenWeb
 * USGenWeb Archives, Perry County
 * – 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.