Putnam County, Indiana Genealogy

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



Description
Putnam County was named for Israel Putnam. It is located in the west-central area of the state.

County Courthouse
 Putnam County Courthouse 1 Courthouse Square Street PO Box 546 Greencastle, IN 46135-0546 Phone: 765-653-2648 County Courthouse

Putnam County Health Department 1542 S Bloomington St Suite 1500 Greencastle, IN, 46135 Health Officer: Robert Heavin, MD Phone Number: 765-301-7660 Fax: 765-301-7665 Email: jyoung@putnamhealthindiana.org Health Department

County Health Department has birth and death records. County Clerk has marriage records from 1822, Divorce and Probate Records from 1825 and Court Records from 1828. 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:

Biographies

 * Indiana Biography Index at Indiana State Library

Cemeteries

 * Putnam County Cemetery Restoration at the Indiana Pioneer Cemeteries Restoration Project

Census Records

 * Index to Mortality Schedule for Putnam County (1860, 1870, 1880) at Indiana Genealogical Society ($)
 * Index to Defective, Dependent &amp; Delinquent Census for Putnam County (1880) at Indiana Genealogical Society ($)

Church Records

 * Putnam County Churches at INGenWeb

Directories

 * Directory of Businesses in Putnam County, Indiana (1858) at Indiana Genealogical Society ($)

Local Histories

 * Biographical and Historical Record of Putnam County, Indiana. 1887. Chicago, Illinois : Lewis Pub. Co.  Online at: FamilySearch Digital Library, Hathitrust, Internet Archive;.
 * Weik's History of Putnam County, Indiana. 1910. By Jesse W. Weik.  Indianapolis : B.F. Bowen & Co., Pub.  Online at: FamilySearch Digital Library, Hathitrust, Internet Archive, Google Books, Ancestry ($);.

Maps and Gazetteers

 * Old Antique Atlases &amp; Maps of Indiana


 * Historic Indiana Maps at IUPUI University Library

Military Records

 * Military Record Series Index at Indiana Digital Archives
 * Military War data (all wars):
 * INGenWeb
 * USGenWeb
 * Veterans in Putnam County, Indiana (1913) at Indiana Genealogical Society ($)

Mexican War
 * Residents of Putnam County Who Served in the Mexican War (1846-1848) at Indiana Genealogical Society ($)

Civil War Civil War service men from Putnam 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 Putnam County.


 * 1st Regiment, Indiana Heavy Artillery, Company E
 * 6th Regiment, Indiana Cavalry, Company C
 * 10th Regiment, Indiana Infantry, Company H
 * 11th Regiment, Indiana Infantry, Reorganized Companies F, H, and K
 * 13th Battery, Indiana Light Artillery
 * 13th Regiment, Indiana Infantry, Reorganized Company F, and H
 * 14th Regiment, Indiana Infantry, Company D
 * 15th Regiment, Indiana Infantry, Company F
 * 16th Regiment, Indiana Infantry, Company K
 * 20th Battery, Indiana Light Artillery
 * 27th Regiment, Indiana Infantry, Companies A, and I
 * 43rd Regiment, Indiana Infantry, Companies B, and H
 * 59th Regiment, Indiana Infantry, Company G
 * 78th Regiment, Indiana Infantry (60 days, 1862), Companies A, and B
 * 97th Regiment, Indiana Infantry, Company D
 * 99th Regiment, Indiana Infantry, Company I
 * 115th Regiment, Indiana Infantry (6 months, 1863-4), Companies C, H, and I
 * 123rd Regiment, Indiana Infantry, Companies E, and G
 * 133rd Regiment, Indiana Infantry (100 days, 1864),
 * 149th Regiment, Indiana Infantry, Companies C, H, and I
 * 156th Regiment, Indiana Infantry, Company D, and E
 * 28th US Colored Troops, Addition Recruits for Colored Troops

World War I
 * 1919 at FamilySearch - How to Use this Collection

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 ($)
 * 1804-2010 Hoosier State Chronicles 1804-2011

Obituaries

 * Wabash Valley Obituary Index - from the Vigo County Public Library contains most of Vigo County, but includes Putnam and other counties. These are indexes to obituaries published in Terre Haute newspapers from 1900-2007.
 * Putnam Public Library - obituary index from The Banner Graphic, newspaper of Greencastle, covers 1972 to the present and is updated every two weeks.

Probate Records

 * 1798-1999 Indiana Wills and Probate Records 1798-1999 at Ancestry

School Records

 * Directory of Teachers for Putnam County (1936) 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.

Birth

 * Birth Records at USGenWeb Project

Marriage

 * 1780-1992  at FamilySearch - How to Use this Collection
 * 1800-2007 Indiana, United States Marriages at FindMyPast ($)
 * 1802-1892 Indiana, Compiled Marriages, 1802-1892 at Ancestry
 * 1811-2007 at FamilySearch - How to Use this Collection
 * Marriage Records at USGenWeb Project

Death

 * Pre-1882 WEB: Indiana, Deaths, Pre-1882 at Ancestry.com - index, (Free collection)
 * 1750-1993 at FamilySearch - How to Use this Collection
 * 1882-1920 at FamilySearch  - How to Use this Collection
 * 1899-2011 Indiana, Death Certificates, 1899-2011 at Ancestry
 * Death Records at USGenWeb Project

Family History Centers

 * Crawfordsville Indiana Family History Center
 * Terre Haute Indiana Family History Center
 * Danville-Center Township Public Library - an affiliate library.
 * Putnam County Library - an affiliate library.
 * Vigo County Public Library - an affiliate library.

Libraries

 * Putnam County Library 103 East Poplar Street Greencastle, IN 46135 Phone: 765-653-2755 Website

Museums

 * Putnam County Museum 1105 North Jackson St. Greencastle, IN 46135 Phone: 765-653-8419 Email: [mailto:info@putnamcountymuseum.org info@putnamcountymuseum.org] Website

Societies

 * Putnam County Genealogical Club RR 1, Box 28 Bainbridge, IN 46105
 * Putnam County Historical Society P.O. Box 801 103 East Poplar St. Greencastle, IN 46135
 * Wabash Valley Genealogy Society P.O. Box 7012 Terre Haute, IN 47802-7012 Email: [mailto:wvgs@inwvgs.org wvgs@inwvgs.org] Website

Websites

 * Putnam County, Indiana Genealogy and Family History (Linkpendium)
 * 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
 * Every Name Index.com Online indexes for county histories. Select a county
 * INGenWeb, Putnam County
 * USGenWeb, Putnam County
 * Indiana State Library, Putnam County records.
 * – 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.