Iowa, County Births - FamilySearch Historical Records

What is in This Collection?
The collection consists of an index to the birth records created by the counties of Iowa. It should contain records from all 99 counties in the state. The collection includes records from 1880 to 1935. Records where the county could not be identified or where the birth took place out of state and was registered in Iowa are listed as "Other" in the table below.

What Can This Collection Tell Me?
The index contains the following information:
 * Name of child
 * Birth date
 * Birthplace
 * Parent's names
 * Film number
 * Digital folder number
 * Image number

Coverage Table and Map
As of May 2016 the collection contained the following: To see a coverage map of FamilySearch's holdings of Iowa birth records, click here.

How Do I Search This Collection?
Before searching this collection, it is helpful to know:


 * The name of the person
 * The name of the parents
 * The date and place of birth

How Do I Analyze the Results?
Compare each result from your search with what you know to determine if there is a match. This may require viewing multiple records or images.

I Found the Person I Was Looking For, What Now?

 * Copy the citation below, in case you need to find this record again later
 * Use the age or estimated birth date to find other church and vital records such as birth, baptism, marriage, and death records. (Make sure that if it’s a marriage article, you take the word marriage out, if it’s a birth article, take the word birth out, etc.)
 * Use the information found in the record to find land, probate and immigration records
 * Use the information found in the record to find additional family members in censuses. Witnesses were usually family members
 * Repeat this process with additional family members found, to find more generations of the family
 * Church Records were kept years before counties began keeping records. They are a good source for finding ancestors before 1900

I Can't Find the Person I'm Looking For, What Now?

 * If your ancestor does not have a common name, collect entries for every person who has the same surname. This list can help you find possible relatives
 * If you cannot locate your ancestor in the locality in which you believe they lived, then try searching records of a nearby town or county
 * Try different spellings of your ancestor’s name
 * Remember that sometimes individuals went by nicknames or alternated between using first and middle names. Try searching for these names as well
 * Check the info box above for additional FamilySearch websites and related websites that may assist you in finding similar records

Citing This Collection
Citations help you keep track of places you have searched and sources you have found. Identifying your sources helps others find the records you used.

"Iowa, County Births, 1880-1935." Database. FamilySearch. http://FamilySearch.org : 14 June 2016. County district courts, Iowa.
 * Collection Citation:

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