Davis County, Iowa Genealogy

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

Description
Davis County was named for Garrett Davis and is located in southeastern Iowa.

County Courthouse
Davis County Courthouse 100 Courthouse Square #9 Bloomfield, IA 52537 Phone: 641-664-2101 Davis County Website

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

 * History of Davis County, Iowa: containing a history of the county, its cities, towns, etc., a biographical directory of many of its leading citizens,...map of Davis County. 1882. Des Moines, IA: State Historical Co. Vol I Online at: FamilySearch Digital Library; Hathitrust; Internet Archive; https://www.google.com/books/edition/History_of_Davis_County_Iowa/wWEvAQAAMAAJ?hl=en&gbpv=1&dq=davis+county+iowa&printsec=frontcover Google Books]. Vol II Online at: FamilySearch Digital Library; Hathitrust — index and images.


 * Mennonite family history...move from Ohio to Iowa in 1853. 1999. J Lemar and Lois Ann Mast. Morgantown, PA: Mennonite Family History. Online at: FamilySearch Digital Library.


 * Davis County, Iowa Biographies Project at RootsWeb — links to biographies and local histories

Census Records
State Census
 * 1885 at FamilySearch — How to Use this Collection; index and images
 * 1895 at FamilySearch — How to Use this Collection; index and images
 * 1905 at FamilySearch — How to Use this Collection; index and images (individual cards, not family context)
 * 1915 at FamilySearch — How to Use this Collection; index and images
 * 1925 at FamilySearch — How to Use this Collection; index and images

Church Records
Church Records and Indexes
 * FamilySearch Places
 * A list of churches is available on the Visit Davis County Iowa website.

Lutheran
 * 1781-1969 U.S., Evangelical Lutheran Church in America Church Records, 1781-1969 at Ancestry ($)

Mennonite
 * 1850-1925   at FamilySearch Catalog - images. This contains records of the local Baptist and Mennonite Churchs.

Court Records

 * 1844-1927 (*); District Court at FamilySearch Catalog — index and images
 * 1855-1868 (*); County Court at FamilySearch Catalog — images
 * 1869-1884 (*); Circuit Court at FamilySearch Catalog — index and images

Ethnic, Political, and Religious Groups

 * Mennonite family history...move from Ohio to Iowa in 1853. 1999. J Lemar and Lois Ann Mast. Morgantown, PA: Mennonite Family History. Online at: FamilySearch Digital Library.


 * Mennonites in Iowa. 1939. Melvin Gingerich. Iowa City, IA: State Historical Society of Iowa. Online at: Hathitrust

Funeral Homes

 * Wagler Funeral Home in Bloomfield
 * Oakrest Funeral Services in Wesley

Land and Property Records
Online Land Indexes and Records


 * 1846-1911  at FamilySearch Catalog - images
 * 1846-1904  at FamilySearch Catalog - images

Local Histories

 * History of Davis 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, portraits of early settlers and prominent men, history of Iowa and the Northwest, map of Davis County, constitution of the United States, reminiscences, miscellaneous matters, etc. State Historical Co., Des Moines, IA 1882.  Online at: FamilySearch Digital Library Vol 1, FamilySearch Digital Library Vol 2, indexed at Iowa GenWeb.
 * Davis County Bicentennial Committee. Davis County pictorial history, 1976. Walsworth Pub. Co., Marceline, MO, 1976. Online at:  FamilySearch Digital Library
 * Federated Women's Clubs (Davis County, Iowa). Pioneer history of Davis County, Iowa. Bloomfield Democrat, Bloomfield, IA 1924-1927. Online at: FamilySearch Digital Library
 * Evans, Harry C. The pioneers and politics of Davis County, Iowa. Bloomfield Democrat, Bloomfield, IA., 1929. Online at: FamilySearch Digital Library
 * Iowa Indexes at EveryNameIndex.com — Select the county.

Maps and Gazetteers

 * 1860-1918 U.S., Indexed County Land Ownership Maps, 1860-1918, Davis County at Ancestry ($) - index.
 * 1875-2007 Davis County 1875-2007 at Historic Map Works - may include names of land-owners.
 * 1883-1913 Fire Insurance Maps for Davis County, Iowa at Library of Congress - various years between 1883 and 1913.
 * Davis County Maps at FamilySearch Catalog.
 * General Highway and Transportation Map, Davis County, Iowa at FamilySearch Digital Library.
 * IAGenWeb - Davis County.
 * Iowa Digital Library, Davis County at Iowa University Libraries.
 * (*); at FamilySearch Catalog — images.
 * The Iowa Heritage Digital Collections, Davis County at State Library of Iowa.
 * FamilySearch Places: Map of cities and towns in this county - How to Use FS Places.

Migration
Early migration routes to and from Davis County for European settlers included:
 * Mormon Trail 1846 from Nauvoo, Illinois to Salt Lake City, Utah

Military Records
Multiple Wars
 * 1835-1998 at FamilySearch — How to Use this Collection; index only
 * 1862-1910 at FamilySearch — How to Use this Collection; index and images

Civil War
 * 1861-1949 at FamilySearch — How to Use this Collection; index and images

Civil War service men in Davis 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 here:
 * - 2nd Regiment, Iowa Infantry, Company G
 * - 3rd Regiment, Iowa Cavalry, Companies A, D and E
 * - 30th Regiment, Iowa Infantry, Companies B and F
 * - 45th Regiment, Iowa Infantry (100 days, 1864), Company D

Naturalization and Citizenship
Online Naturalization Indexes and Records
 * 1859-1990 at FamilySearch — How to Use this Collection; index and images
 * 1879-1901 Naturalizations, Books 1 and 2 at IAGenWeb, Davis County.
 * 1879-1929 (*); District Court at FamilySearch Catalog — 3 indexes, images

Newspapers

 * 1854-1900's  The Western Gazette at IAGenWeb was published in Davis County.

Probate Records
Online Probate Indexes and Records
 * 1758-1997 Iowa, U.S., Wills and Probate Records, 1758-1997 at Ancestry — index & images ($)
 * 1844-1864 (*); County Court at FamilySearch Catalog - images
 * 1844-1939 (*); District Court at FamilySearch Catalog - index & images
 * 1856-1938 (*); Clerk of the District Court at FamilySearch Catalog - index & images
 * 1862-1993 (*); County Recorder at FamilySearch Catalog - index & images
 * 1869-1938 (*); Clerk of the District Court at FamilySearch Catalog - index & images
 * 1871-1928 (*); District Court at FamilySearch Catalog - index & images
 * 1879-1940 (*); District Court at FamilySearch Catalog - images


 * (*); District Court at FamilySearch Catalog - index & images

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 and images, ($)

Tax Records
Online Tax Indexes and Records
 * 1934-1958 at FamilySearch — How to Use this Collection; index and images

Birth

 * 1850-1939 at FamilySearch — How to Use this Collection; index and images
 * 1880-1935 at FamilySearch — How to Use this Collection; index and images
 * 1921-1942 at FamilySearch — How to Use this Collection; index and images

Marriage

 * 1518-1996 Iowa, United States Marriages at Findmypast — index ($)
 * 1809-1992 Iowa, Marriages, 1809-1992 at MyHeritage — index ($)
 * 1836-1926 Iowa, Marriages, 1836 - 1926 at MyHeritage — index, ($)
 * 1838-1934 at FamilySearch — How to Use this Collection; index and images
 * 1880-1951 Iowa, U.S., Marriage Records, 1880-1951 at Ancestry — index and images ($)

Death

 * 1850-1990 at FamilySearch — How to Use this Collection; index and some images; Also at: MyHeritage($)
 * 1880-1992 at FamilySearch — How to Use this Collection; index and images
 * 1880-1883 Davis County, Iowa Deaths 1880-1883 at IAGenWeb - index
 * 1884 Davis County, Iowa Deaths 1884 at IAGenWeb - index
 * 1885-1893 Davis County, Iowa Deaths 1885-1893 at IAGenWeb - index
 * 1897-1900 Davis County, Iowa Deaths 1897-1900 at IAGenWeb - index
 * 1900-1939 Iowa Death Index, 1900-1939 at MyHeritage — index ($)
 * 1904-1951 at FamilySearch — How to Use this Collection; index and images
 * 1920-1967 Iowa, U.S., Death Records, 1920-1967 at Ancestry — index and images ($)

Divorce

 * 1887-1968 (*) at FamilySearch Catalog — images

Family History Centers

 * Fairfield Iowa Family History Center
 * Oskaloosa Iowa Family History Center
 * Ottumwa Iowa Family History Center
 * Red Rock Iowa Family History Center

Libraries
Bloomfield Public Library 107 N Columbia Street Bloomfield, IA 52537 641-664-2209 E-mail: [mailto:bpl@netins.net bpl@netins.net] Website Facebook

Museums
Davis County Historical Complex 205 S Dodge Street Bloomfield, IA 52537 641-664-1855 E-mail: [mailto:cherricasteel@gmail.com cherricasteel@gmail.com] Facebook

Societies
Davis County Genealogical Society, IAGenWeb Project PO Box 94 200 W Locust Bloomfield, IA 52537-0094 641-664-1501 Website Facebook

Websites

 * Davis County at Cyndi's List - a comprehensive, categorized & cross-referenced list of links that point you to genealogical research sites online
 * Davis County at Genealogy Trails - volunteer transcriptions of genealogical and historical data
 * Davis County at Iowa USGenWeb - free online resources for genealogical research
 * Davis County at Iowa USGenWeb Archives - free online data for genealogical research
 * State Historical Society of Iowa — select from research collection topics
 * State Library of Iowa — electronic depository of documents intended for the general public produced by Iowa agencies
 * The Iowa Heritage Digital Collection — digital images from a variety of Iowa cultural institutions
 * – 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.