Jefferson County, Indiana Genealogy

Guide to Jefferson County, Indiana ancestry, family history, and genealogy birth records, marriage records, death records, census records, family history, and military records. Indiana Online Genealogy Records

Historical Facts

 * Parent Counties:Formed from Clark, Knox and Dearborn counties on 23 November 1810. 
 * County Seat:  Madison

Description
The county was named in honor of Thomas Jefferson, principal draftsman of the Northwest Ordinance and the third president of the United States from 1801 through 1809. It's county seat is Madison and was founded 1811. It is located in the Southeast 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:

Neighboring Counties
Switzerland •  Ripley  •  Jennings  •  Scott  •  Clark  •  Carroll  •  Trimble

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
2009 Courthouse damaged by fire 20 May 2009.

Cemeteries

 * Cemeteries for Jefferson - Linkpendium

Census Records

 * Index to Defective, Dependent &amp; Delinquent Census for Jefferson County - Indiana Genealogical Society ($)
 * Early Settlers of Jefferson County - Indiana Genealogical Society ($)
 * Jefferson County, Indiana: Census Records and Indexes - Linkpendium

United Church of Christ

 * 1837-1935 - St. John's United Church of Christ, Madison, Baptism Index 1837-1935 in International Genealogical Index at FamilySearch - free. Batch.
 * 1837-1935 - St. John's United Church of Christ, Madison, Marriage Index 1837-1935 in International Genealogical Index at FamilySearch - free. Batch.

Court Records

 * Circuit Court Order Book 1 Index (1812-1818) (free)

Directories

 * Directory of Businesses in Jefferson County (1858) - Indiana Genealogical Society ($)

Local Histories

 * Biographical and Historical Souvenir for the Counties of Clark, Crawford, Harrison, Floyd, Jefferson, Jennings, Scott and Washington, Indiana. 1969, 1972. Compiled and published by John M. Gresham & Company. Evansville, Indiana : Unigraphic. Online at: FamilySearch Digital Library, Hathitrust, Internet Archive, Google Books; . Some versions may be reprints of original publication: Chicago [Illinois] : Chicago Printing Company, 1889.

Maps

 * Old Antique Atlases & Maps of Indiana
 * Maps and Gazetteers - Linkpendium

Military Records

 * African American Veterans in Jefferson County, Indiana (1890) - Indiana Genealogical Society ($)

Civil War
Civil War service men from Jefferson 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 Jefferson County.


 * 1st Regiment, Indiana Heavy Artillery, Company L
 * 3rd Regiment, Indiana Cavalry, Company E
 * 6th Regiment, Indiana Infantry, Companies A, K, E, and Reorganized Company A, E, F, and K
 * 7th Regiment, Indiana Cavalry, Company M
 * 8th Regiment, Indiana Cavalry, Company H
 * 10th Regiment, Indiana Cavalry, Company H
 * 12th Regiment, Indiana Infantry, Company C
 * 13th Regiment, Indiana Infantry, Company D, and Reorganized Companies B, C, D, and E
 * 20th Regiment, Indiana Infantry, Reorganized Companies D, and F
 * 51st Regiment, Indiana Infantry, Company B
 * 82nd Regiment, Indiana Infantry, Companies A, B, C, G, and K
 * 91st Regiment, Indiana Infantry, Company I
 * 93rd Regiment, Indiana Infantry, Companies C, and E
 * 128th Regiment, Indiana Infantry, Company A
 * 132nd Regiment, Indiana Infantry (100 days, 1864), Company D
 * 137th Regiment, Indiana Infantry (100 days, 1864), Companies B, F, and I
 * 139th Regiment, Indiana Infantry (100 days, 1864), Company K
 * 149th Regiment, Indiana Infantry, Company D
 * 28th US Colored Troops, Company E, and Addition Recruits for Colored Troop

Civil War books and articles


 * "Recollections of Morgan's Raid", from the journal of Melvin C. Robertson. (Indiana Magazine of History, Vol. 28, no. 2 (June 1932): 116-137.)
 * "Reminiscences of the Burning of Columbia, South Carolina", by Michael C. Garber, Jr.(Indiana Magazine of History, Vol. 11, no. 4 (December 1915): 285-300.) Also online at: Indiana University

World War I

 * 1919 - at FamilySearch - index and images

Probate Records
Online Records
 * 1798 – 1999 Indiana Wills and Probate Records 1798-1999 at Ancestry.com ($) - index and images

School Records

 * Directory of Teachers for Jefferson County (1936) - Indiana Genealogical Society ($)

Courthouse
Jefferson County Courthouse 300 E Main St #203 Madison, IN 47250 Phone 812-265-8921 County Health Dept has birth, death and burial records. County Clerk has marriage, divorce, probate and court records. County Recorder has land records.

Family History Centers

 * North Vernon Indiana Family History Center

Vital Records

 * Indiana State Digital Archives - Death, E-Publication, Institution, Military, Misc Historical, Naturalization Records

Marriage Records

 * 1800s-2007 Indiana, United States Marriages at FindMyPast - index ($)
 * 1780-1992 at FamilySearch
 * 1802-1892 Indiana Marriages, 1802-1892 at Ancestry.com ($)
 * 1811-2007 at FamilySearch - index and images

Death Records

 * 1750-1993 at FamilySearch — index, some images
 * 1882-1920 at FamilySearch Historical Records - index only
 * 1899-2011 Indiana, Death Certificates, 1899-2011 at Ancestry ($) - index and images
 * Indiana State Digital Archives

Websites

 * Linkpendium
 * Indiana Genealogy Network Group on Facebook