Madison County, Iowa Genealogy

Guide to Madison 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 James Madison. The County has Winterset as its seat and the County was created 1846. The County is located in the south central area of the state.

County Courthouse
112 N John Wayne Dr. Winterset, Iowa 50273

Parent County
1846--Madison County was created 13 January 1846 from unorganized territory. It was attached to Mahaska County prior to organization 19 February 1849. County seat: Winterset

For an early history of the county go to the following link:

http://iagenweb.org/madison/county_history/county_history_first.html

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
1875 Courthouse was destroyed by fire.

Places/Localities
Town/city records in the FamilySearch Catalog

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
Adair • Clarke •  Dallas •  Guthrie •  Polk •  Union •  Warren

Cemeteries
iagenweb.org/madison/cemetery_records/cemetery_index.html (U.S. GenWeb)

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 Madison County, Iowa, and its people. By Herman A. Mueller. Chicago, Illinois : S. J. Clarke Pub. Co., 1915. Vol 1 Online at:, HathiTrust, Internet Archive; . Vol. 2 Online at: , HathiTrust, Internet Archive.

Maps

 * Old Antique Atlases &amp; Maps of Iowa
 * Township Map of 1875 Madison County, Iowa with enlarged views of each township (My Genealogy Hound)

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 F
 * - 10th Regiment, Iowa Infantry, Company K
 * - 23rd Regiment, Iowa Infantry, Company H
 * - 47th Regiment, Iowa Infantry (100 days, 1864), Company E
 * - 1st Regiment, Iowa Cavalry, Company D

Naturalization and Citizenship

 * 1859-1990 - at FamilySearch — index and images

Newspapers

 * Altoona Public Library Archives, Polk County (1876-2000)
 * Johnston Historical Society Archive, Polk County (1970-2007)
 * NewspaperArchive.com ($) has historical newspapers online including Des Moines newspapers. This database is free at some libraries.
 * Winterset Madisonian.1956. Winterset, IA, USA. Online at: Ancestry.com ($)

Probate
Online Probate Records


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

iagenweb.org/madison/probate_records/probate_index.html (U.S. GenWeb)

Taxation

 * 1934-1958 - at FamilySearch — index

Births

 * 1850-1939 - at FamilySearch — index and images
 * 1921-1942 - at FamilySearch — index and images
 * Information on birth records, U.S. GenWeb
 * Birth Index, U.S. GenWeb

Marriages

 * 1518-1996 - Iowa, United States Marriages at FindMyPast — index $
 * 1838-1934 - at FamilySearch — index and images
 * Marriage Index, U.S. GenWeb

Deaths

 * 1850-1990 - at FamilySearch - index
 * 1880-1992 - at FamilySearch — index
 * 1880-1919 - Death Index, U.S. GenWeb
 * 1904-1951 - at FamilySearch — index and images

Societies and Libraries
Madison County Genealogical Society P.O. Box 26 Winterset IA 50273-0026 Website

Madison County Historical Society 815 South Second Ave Winterset, IA 50273 Telephone:515-462-2134 Website

Family History Centers

 * Knoxville Iowa Family History Center 1800 W Jackson, Knoxville IA 50138

United States