Mills County, Iowa Genealogy

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

Description
The County was named for Major Frederick Mills of Burlington, Iowa who was killed at the Battle of Churubusco during the Mexican-American War. The County has Glenwood as its seat and the County was created 1851. The County is located in the southwest area of the state.

Parent County
1851--Mills County was created 15 January 1851 from Pottawattamie County. County seat: Glenwood

Boundary Changes
For animated maps illustrating Iowa County boundary changes, "Rotating Formation Iowa County Boundary Maps" (1816-1872) may be viewed for free at the MapofUS.org website.

Record Loss
There is no known history of courthouse disasters in this county.

Places/Localities
Tabor Cemetery

The Tabor Cemetery is located within the boundaries of Mills County. However, it is on the far north side of the town of Tabor, most of which lies in Fremont County. The cemetery is bordered on the south by Line Road (more recently named Waubonsie Road), which is the county line between Mills and Fremont counties. Understandably, there has been confusion over the location of the cemetery, which would most accurately be recorded as "Tabor, Mills County, Iowa."

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
Fremont • Montgomery •  Page •  Pottawattamie •  Cass County, Nebraska •  Sarpy County, Nebraska

Cemeteries
Tabor Cemetery

The Tabor Cemetery is located within the boundaries of Mills County. However, it is on the far north side of the town of Tabor, most of which lies in Fremont County. The cemetery is bordered on the south by Line Road (more recently named Waubonsie Road), which is the county line between Mills and Fremont counties. Understandably, there has been confusion over the location of the cemetery, which would most accurately be recorded as "Tabor, Mills County, Iowa."
 * Emerson Cemetery, Emerson BillionGraves
 * Farm Creek Cemetery, Henderson BillionGraves

Census
State Census
 * 1895 - at FamilySearch — index and images
 * 1905 - at FamilySearch — index and images
 * 1915 - at FamilySearch — index and images
 * 1925 - at FamilySearch — index and images

Local Histories

 * 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 in the late rebellion, general and local statistics. Des Moines [Iowa] : State Historical Co., 1881. Online at:, Internet Archive, HathiTrust.

Maps

 * Old Antique Atlases &amp; Maps of Iowa

Migration
Early migration routes to and from for European settlers included:


 * Missouri River
 * 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

 * 1835-1998 - at FamilySearch — index
 * 1861-1949 - at FamilySearch — index and images
 * 1862-1910 - at FamilySearch — index

Civil War

 * - 4th Regiment, Iowa Infantry, Company A
 * - 15th Regiment, Iowa Infantry, Company F
 * - 29th Regiment, Iowa Infantry, Company B
 * - 29th Regiment, Iowa Infantry, Company K

Newspapers

 * Mills County Newspaper Archives has several Mills County newspapers (1864-2002) available online.
 * 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
Online Probate Records


 * 1758 - 1997 Iowa Wills and Probate Records 1758-1997 at Ancestry.com — index and images $

Taxation

 * 1934-1958 - at FamilySearch — index

Births

 * 1850-1939 - at FamilySearch — index and images
 * 1921-1942 - at FamilySearch — index and images

Marriages

 * 1518-1996 - Iowa, United States Marriages at FindMyPast — index $
 * 1838-1934 - at FamilySearch — index and images

Deaths

 * 1850-1990 - at FamilySearch - index
 * 1880-1992 - at FamilySearch — index
 * 1904-1951 - at FamilySearch — index and images

Societies and Libraries
Mills County Genealogical Society 109 N. Vine Street Glenwood IA 51534-1516

Mills County Historical Society &amp; Museum 2 Lake Drive Glenwood, IA 51534 Telephone:712-527-5038 Website