DeKalb County, Indiana Genealogy

United States Indiana  DeKalb County

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

Historical Facts

 * Parent Counties: Formed in 1835 from unorganized territory (Allen/LaGrange)
 * County Seat:  Auburn

Neighboring Counties
Steuben • La Grange • Noble • Steuben • Allen • Williams • Defiance

The county is named after Revolutionary War hero Johann de Kalb (1721-1780), a German baron.

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
1913 -- Courthouse burned and many records were damaged. For a list of record loss in Indiana Counties see: Indiana Counties with Burned Courthouses

For further information on researching in burned counties, see the following:


 * Burned Counties Research in FamilySearch Wiki
 * Michael John Neill, Burned Counties in Family History Circle

Cemeteries

 * Index of Christian Union Cemetery (free, Indiana Genealogical Society)
 * Index of Corunna Cemetery (free, Indiana Genealogical Society)

Census Records

 * Index to Mortality Schedule (1860) ($, Indiana Genealogical Society)
 * Index to Defective, Dependent &amp; Delinquent Census for DeKalb County (1880) ($, Indiana Genealogical Society)

Directories

 * Directory of Businesses in DeKalb County, Indiana (1868) (members only database, Indiana Genealogical Society)

Local Histories
History of DeKalb County, Indiana: Together with Sketches of Its Cities, Villages and Towns, Educational, Religious, Civil, Military, and Political History, Portraits of Prominent Persons, and Biographies of Representative Citizens. (Knightstown, Ind: The Bookmark, 1978.), 977.277 H2b   other library   Internet Archive

DeKalb County Historical Society (Ind.). 1885 History of De Kalb County, Indiana: Together with Sketches of Its Cities, Villages and Towns, Educational, Religious, Civil, Military, and Political History, Portraits of Prominent Persons, and Biographies of Representative Citizens : with New Index.( Knightstown, Ind: The Bookmark, 1978.), 977.277 H2hi   other library   Internet Archive

Maps

 * Old Antique Atlases & Maps of Indiana

Civil War
Civil War service men from DeKalb 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 DeKalb County.


 * 9th Regiment, Indiana Infantry, Company G
 * 12th Regiment, Indiana Cavalry, Companies B, C, and I
 * 13th Regiment, Indiana Infantry, Reorganized Companies B, D
 * 30th Regiment, Indiana Infantry, Company H, and Reorganized Companies C, and D
 * 44th Regiment, Indiana Infantry, Company K
 * 88th Regiment, Indiana Infantry, Company A, and H
 * 100th Regiment, Indiana Infantry, Companies A, and K
 * 118th Regiment, Indiana Infantry (6 months, 1863-4), Company F
 * 129th Regiment, Indiana Infantry, Company A
 * 142nd Regiment, Indiana Infantry, Companies A, and D

Civil War Book

Sliger, Reba. Veterans' Cards for Veterans of DeKalb County Who Served in the Civil, Spanish-American, Mexican Wars: Copied from Records at the DeKalb County Courthouse,( Auburn, Indiana. Auburn, IN: The Chapter, 1990.) 977.277 M2s   other library  Internet Archive

"Military History" Chaper 5 in History of DeKalb County, Indiana: Together with Sketches of Its Cities, Villages and Towns, Educational, Religious, Civil, Military, and Political History, Portraits of Prominent Persons, and Biographies of Representative Citizens. (Knightstown, Ind: The Bookmark, 1978.), page 90-117, 977.277 H2b    other library   Internet Archive

"The War for the Union," Chaper 5 in DeKalb County Historical Society (Ind.). 1885 History of De Kalb County, Indiana: Together with Sketches of Its Cities, Villages and Towns, Educational, Religious, Civil, Military, and Political History, Portraits of Prominent Persons, and Biographies of Representative Citizens : with New Index.( Knightstown, Ind: The Bookmark, 1978.) page 333-400, 977.277 H2hi   other library   Internet Archive

Newspapers
The Garrett Clipper: Obituary database from 1975 through January, 2012 provided courtesy of the Garrett Public Library.

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

School Records

 * Directory of Teachers (1936) (members only database, Indiana Genealogical Society)

Courthouse
De Kalb County Courthouse 100 S Main Street PO Box 810 Auburn, IN 46706 Phone: 219.925.2112

County Health Department has birth and death records. County Clerk has marriage and court records from 1837, probate records from 1855 and school records 1903-1932. County recorder has land records.

Family History Centers

 * Columbus Indiana Family History Center

For additional nearby Family History Centers, search online in the Family History Center directory.

School Records

 * Directory of Teachers (1936) (members only database, Indiana Genealogical Society)

Marriage Records

 * 1802-1892 Indiana Marriages, 1802-1892 - Ancestry.com $
 * 1780-1992 - FamilySearch
 * 1811-1959 - FamilySearch

Death Records

 * Indiana State Digital Achivesfor Death, E-Publication, Instiution, Military, Misc Historical, Naturalization Records can be searched by person name (accessed 26 May 2011)
 * Indiana, Death Index, 1882-1920 - FamilySearch

Web Sites

 * DeKalb County, IN History, Records, Facts and Genealogy
 * Indiana Genealogy Network Community on Google+
 * Indiana Genealogy Network Group on Facebook
 * USGenWeb project. May have maps, name indexes, history or other information for this county. Select the state, then the county.
 * DeKalb County, Indiana Genealogy and Family History (Linkpendium)
 * DeKalb County, Indiana Genealogy and Family History (Linkpendium)