Monroe County, Indiana Genealogy

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

Description
Monroe County was named for James Monroe, fifth President of the United States, who was serving at the time the county was organized. It is located in the south-central area of the state.

County Courthouse
 Monroe County Courthouse 301 N. College Avenue PO Box 547 Bloomington, IN 47402-0547 Phone: 812-349-2600 County Website

Monroe County Health Department 119 W. 7th Street Bloomington, IN, 47404 Health Administrator: Penny Caudill Phone: 812-349-2543 Fax: 812-339-6481 Email: [mailto:pcaudill@co.monroe.in.us pcaudill@co.monroe.in.us] Health Department

County clerk has marriage, divorce and court records from 1818, probate records from 1831. County Health Department has birth, death and burial records from 1882. County Recorder has land records. 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:

Bible Records

 * How to Use the Emery Bible Index at Monroe County History Center
 * Martin-Blankenship Family Bible Records at Indiana State Library Digital Collections
 * The Bible of Edith Matson Stanger at USGenWeb Archives

Biographies

 * Indiana Biography Index at Indiana State Library
 * Indiana Biography Index at Indiana State Library

Census Records

 * Index to Mortality Schedule for Monroe County (1860) at Indiana Genealogical Society ($)
 * Index to Defective, Dependent &amp; Delinquent Census for Monroe County (1880) at Indiana Genealogical Society ($)
 * Index to Census of Males for Clear Creek Township, Monroe County (1919) at Indiana Genealogical Society ($)

Church Records
List of Churches and Church Parishes
 * FamilySearch Places

Court Records

 * 1896-1951 (*); Coroner at FamilySearch Catalog — index & images
 * Index to Court Records for Monroe County (1818-1875) at Indiana Genealogical Society

Ethnic, Political, and Religious Groups
African American
 * 28th US Colored Troops, Addition Recruits for Colored Troop
 * African American Veterans in Monroe County, Indiana (1890) at Indiana Genealogical Society ($)

Funeral Homes

 * Allen Funeral Home and Crematory in Bloomington.
 * Chandler Funeral Home-Ellettsville Chapel in Ellettsville.
 * Day and Deremiah-Frye Funeral Home in Bloomington.
 * Indiana Green Burials in Bloomington.
 * The Funeral Chapel in Bloomington.
 * Victoria Grace Funeral Home and Memory Chapel in Stanford.

Land and Property Records
Online Land Indexes and Records
 * Earliest Landowners in Monroe County at Indiana Genealogical Society
 * Several online indices for land records in the 1800s are available online at Monroe County History Center.
 * Dates Vary United States Wills and Deeds Experimental Search at FamilySearch - incomplete index and images, counties and dates vary

Local Histories

 * Counties of Morgan, Monroe, and Brown, Indiana : Historical and Biographical. 1884. Edited by Charles Blanchard. Chicago: F.A. Battey & Co. Online at: FamilySearch Digital Library, Hathitrust, Internet Archive, Ancestry ($);.
 * History of Lawrence and Monroe Counties, Indiana : Their People, Industries and Institutions. 1914. Indianapolis : B.F. Bowen. Online at: FamilySearch Digital Library, Hathitrust, Internet Archive, Ancestry ($);.


 * Index to History of Harrodsburg (1964) at Indiana Genealogical Society
 * Index to History of Stinesville (1955) at Indiana Genealogical Society

Maps and Gazetteers

 * Historic Indiana Maps at IUPUI University Library
 * Old Antique Atlases &amp; Maps of Indiana
 * 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

War of 1812
 * Hopkins, T. M. "Reminiscences of Col. John Ketcham of Monroe County, Indiana" (Salt Lake City, Utah 1989) available online at: FamilySearch Digital Library

Mexican-American War
 * "The Monroe Guards" at INGenWeb

Civil War Civil War service men from Monroe 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 Monroe County.


 * 9th Battery, Indiana Light Artillery
 * 10th Regiment, Indiana Cavalry, Company I
 * 14th Regiment, Indiana Infantry, Company K
 * 18th Regiment, Indiana Infantry, Company H
 * 22nd Regiment, Indiana Infantry, Company I
 * 31st Regiment, Indiana Infantry, Company G
 * 38th Regiment, Indiana Infantry, Company G
 * 50th Regiment, Indiana Infantry, Company D
 * 52nd Regiment, Indiana Infantry, Reorganized Company E
 * 54th Regiment, Indiana Infantry, Company A
 * 67th Regiment, Indiana Infantry, Company B
 * 82nd Regiment, Indiana Infantry, Companies D, and F
 * 93rd Regiment, Indiana Infantry, Company F
 * 97th Regiment, Indiana Infantry, Company C
 * 110th Regiment, Indiana Infantry, Company D
 * 112th Regiment, Indiana Infantry, Company A
 * 117th Regiment, Indiana Infantry (6 months, 1863-4), Company I
 * 133rd Regiment, Indiana Infantry (100 days, 1864), Company K
 * 137th Regiment, Indiana Infantry (100 days, 1864), Company K
 * 145th Regiment, Indiana Infantry, Companies A, D, and E
 * 28th US Colored Troops, Addition Recruits for Colored Troop

Civil War Books:


 * "Military History" in Blanchard, Charles. Counties of Morgan, Monroe, and Brown, Indiana. Historical and Biographical. (Chicago: F.A. Battey Co, 1884.) page 413-451, available online at: FamilySearch Digital Library;Internet Archive

Civil War Databases
 * Index to Civil War Soldiers' Discharge Papers at Indiana Genealogical Society
 * Index to Draft Enrollment List for Monroe County, Indiana (1862) at Indiana Genealogical Society

Pension Files
 * William M. Alexander Civil War Pension File at INGenWeb
 * List of Pensioners on the Roll January 1, 1883 Monroe County, Indiana available online at: FamilySearch Digital Library; Internet Archive
 * African American Veterans in Monroe County, Indiana (1890) at Indiana Genealogical Society ($)

World War I
 * 1919 at FamilySearch - How to Use this Collection
 * Gold Star Honor Roll A Record of Indiana Men and Women who Died in World War I - 1914-1918 at Genealogy Trails History Group
 * Index to World War I Soldiers' Discharge Papers at Indiana Genealogical Society

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 ($)
 * 1927-1930 Deaths in the Bloomington Weekly Star at Indiana Genealogical Society
 * Hoosier State Chronicles

Obituaries

 * Monroe County Obituary Index at The Monroe County Public Library

Probate Records
Online Probate Indexes and Records
 * 1798-1999 Indiana, Wills and Probate Records 1798-1999 at Ancestry ($)
 * 1818-1904 Monroe County, Indiana Will Records, 1818-1904, Books, 1-5. By Slevin, Ruth M. Kokomo, Indiana : Selby Publishing and Printing, 1988. Online at: FamilySearch Digital Library.
 * 1818-1920 (*); Circuit Court at FamilySearch Catalog — index and images
 * 1818-1924 (*); Circuit Court at FamilySearch Catalog — index and images
 * 1843-1863 (*); Court of Common Pleas at FamilySearch Catalog — index and images
 * 1844-1873 (*); Court of Common Pleas at FamilySearch Catalog — index and images
 * 1847-1937 (*); Circuit Court at FamilySearch Catalog — index and images
 * 1881-1915 (*); Circuit Court at FamilySearch Catalog — index and images
 * Index to Will Records for Monroe County (1818-1904) at Indiana Genealogical Society ($)
 * Dates Vary United States Wills and Deeds Experimental Search at FamilySearch - incomplete index and images, counties and dates vary

School Records

 * Students and Teachers of Bloomington High School (1913) at Indiana Genealogical Society ($)
 * Index of Alumni of Smithfield Schools (1913-1939) at Indiana Genealogical Society ($)
 * Index to Yearbook of Smithville High School (1936-1974) 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.
 * 1936-2007 at FamilySearch - How to Use this Collection; index

Tax Records

 * Index to Tax Duplicates for Monroe County (1842 and 1865) at Indiana Genealogical Society

Marriage

 * 1780-1992  at FamilySearch - How to Use this Collection; Also at: MyHeritage ($)
 * 1800-2007 Indiana, United States Marriages at Findmypast ($)
 * 1802-1892 Indiana, Compiled Marriages, 1802-1892 at Ancestry
 * 1811-1959 Indiana, Marriages, 1811-1959 at MyHeritage - index & 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
 * 1882-2016 Monroe County Monroe County IN Death Records Index 1882-2016 at Monroe County History Center
 * 1882-1920 at FamilySearch  - How to Use this Collection
 * 1882-1920 Monroe County Deaths at INGenWeb
 * 1899-2011 Indiana, Death Certificates, 1899-2011 at Ancestry

FamilySearch Centers

 * Bedford Indiana FamilySearch Center
 * Bloomington Indiana FamilySearch Center
 * Linton Indiana FamilySearch Center
 * Monroe County History Center - an affiliate library.
 * Monroe County Public Library - Elletsville Branch - an affiliate library.
 * Monroe County Public Library - Main - an affiliate library.

Libraries
Monroe County Public Library 303 E Kirkwood Ave Bloomington, IN 47408 Phone: 812-349-3050 Email: [mailto:community@monroe.lib.in.us community@monroe.lib.in.us] Facebook Website

Museums
Monroe County History Center 202 E 6th St Bloomington, IN 47408 Phone: 812-332-2517 Email: [mailto:admin@monroehistory.org admin@monroehistory.org] Facebook Website

Societies
Monroe County Historical Society 202 E 6th St Bloomington, IN 47408 Phone: 812-332-2517 Website
 * Research appointments are recommended.

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.
 * INGenWeb. May have maps, name indexes, history or other information for this county.
 * EveryNameIndex.com for Indiana Free online genealogy indexes for county histories. Select a county.
 * Monroe County History Center has a number of databases and area photographs that contain a wealth of information.
 * – 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.