Washington County, Indiana Genealogy

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

Historical Facts

 * Parent Counties: Formed 21 December 1813 from Clark, Harrison and Jefferson Counties.
 * County Seat:  Salem

Description
The county was named for George Washington. The county seat is Salem and the county was organized on December 21, 1813. The County is located in the South Central part of the state.

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
Lawrence •  Jackson  •  Scott  •  Clark  •  Floyd  •  Harrison  •  Crawford  •  Orange

Boundary Changes
For animated maps illustrating Indiana County boundary changes, "Rotating Formation Indiana County Boundary Maps" (1790-1873) may be viewed for free at the MapofUS.org website.

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

Cemeteries

 * Online database for Crown Hill Cemetery, largest cemetery in the county. Dating back to 1824, the cemetery has several thousand grave sites.

Census Records

 * Index to Defective, Dependent &amp; Delinquent Census for Washington County, Indiana (1880) (members only database, Indiana Genealogical Society)

Lutheran

 * Records of Good Shepherd Lutheran Church, in Evangelical Lutheran Church in America database at Archives.com ($).

Directories

 * Directory of Businesses in Washington County, Indiana (1868) (members only database, Indiana Genealogical Society)

Local Histories

 * Biographical and Historical Souvenir for the Counties of Clark, Crawford, Harrison, Floyd, Jefferson, Jennings, Scott and Washington, Indiana. (Evansville, Ind: Unigraphic, 1972.) FHL US/CAN Film 934899 Item 4,, Other Libraries, Internet Archive


 * History of Washington County Indiana: A Re-Production of the Original "History of Lawrence, Orange and Washington Counties" 1884. (Salem, Ind: Washington County Historical Society, 1999.) 977.226 H2Lc FHL,, Other Libraries, Internet Archive

Maps

 * Old Antique Atlases & Maps of Indiana
 * Family Maps of (land patent maps) at HistoryGeo.com ($). Free surname search.

Civil War
Civil War service men from Washington 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 Washington County.


 * 5th Regiment, Indiana Cavalry (90th Regiment, Indiana Volunteers), Company E
 * 13th Regiment, Indiana Infantry, Company G
 * 16th Regiment, Indiana Infantry, Reorganized Company B
 * 18th Regiment, Indiana Infantry, Company G
 * 22nd Regiment, Indiana Infantry, Company H
 * 24th Regiment, Indiana Infantry, Company K
 * 38th Regiment, Indiana Infantry, Company D
 * 50th Regiment, Indiana Infantry, Company C
 * 66th Regiment, Indiana Infantry, Companies A, B, F, H, and K
 * 81st Regiment, Indiana Infantry, Company A
 * 112th Regiment, Indiana Infantry, Company C
 * 117th Regiment, Indiana Infantry (6 months, 1863-4), Company G
 * 137th Regiment, Indiana Infantry (100 days, 1864), Company K
 * 144th Regiment, Indiana Infantry, Companies A, B, C, and F
 * 145th Regiment, Indiana Infantry, Company F

Civil War Books


 * "Military History" Chapter 7 in History of Washington County Indiana: A Re-Production of the Original "History of Lawrence, Orange and Washington Counties" 1884. (Salem, Ind: Washington County Historical Society, 1999.)(page 793-815, Regiment, Companies)977.226 H2Lc FHL,, Other Libraries, Internet Archive

World War I

 * 1919 - at FamilySearch — index and images

Probate Records
Online Records
 * 1798 – 1999 Indiana Wills and Probate Records 1798-1999 at Ancestry.com — index and images $

School Records

 * Students and Teachers of Salem High School (1926) ($, Indiana Genealogical Society)
 * Directory of Teachers for Washington County ($, Indiana Genealogical Society)

County Courthouse
Washington County Courthouse 99 Public Square Salem, IN 47167 Phone: 812.883.5748 County Health Department birth and death from 1882. County Clerk has marriage, divorce, probate, probate and court records from 1814 and newspapers from 1891. County recorder has land records. County Historical Society has many family records.

Family History Centers

 * New Albany Indiana Family History Center

For additional nearby Family History Centers, search online in the family history center directory.

Libraries, Museums and Societies
The John Hay Center 307 East Market Street Salem 47167-2119 Telephone Number: 812-833-6495 E-mail: [mailto:info@johnhaycenter.org info@johnhaycenter.org] Website Cemetery records books, histories, marriage and divorce records, and miscellaneous materials such as 1800-1902 Abstract of Wills, 1882-1999 Death Records and others.

Pekin Historical Society 5260 S. State Road 60 Pekin, IN 47165-7222

Vital Records

 * Indiana State Digital Archives

Marriage Records

 * 1800s-2007 - Indiana, United States Marriages at FindMyPast — index $


 * 1780-1992 - FamilySearch


 * 1802-1892 Indiana Marriages, 1802-1892 - Ancestry.com $


 * 1811-2007 at FamilySearch — index and images

Death Records

 * 1882-1920 at FamilySearch Historical Records - Index only
 * 1899-2011 Indiana, Death Certificates, 1899-2011 at Ancestry - ($), index and images
 * Indiana State Digital Archives

Websites

 * Washington County, Indiana Genealogy, History and Facts
 * Indiana Genealogy Network Community on Google+
 * Indiana Genealogy Network Group on Facebook
 * USGenWeb, Washington County
 * INGenWeb, Washington County
 * , Washington County
 * City of Salem, Indiana
 * Washington County, Indiana Genealogy and Family History (Linkpendium)

Places
Information about the city of Salem, see the Wikipedia article Salem, Indiana