Washington County, Indiana Genealogy

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

Description
Washington County was named for George Washington. The county is located in the south-central part of the state.

County Courthouse
 Washington County Courthouse 99 Public Square Salem, IN 47167 Phone: 812-883-5748 County Website

Washington County Health Department 806 Martinsburg Road, Suite 100 Salem, IN 47167 Health Officer: Jeffery Morgan, MD Phone: 812-883-5603 Fax: 812-883-5017 Email: [mailto:sgreen@washingtoncounty.in.gov sgreen@washingtoncounty.in.gov] Health Department

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. 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:

Bible Records

 * Banks Family Bible Record at Indiana State Library Digital Collections
 * Bible Records at JSTOR
 * (*); at FamilySearch Catalog — index & images

Biographies

 * Indiana Biography Index at Indiana State Library
 * Biographical and Historical Souvenir for the Counties of Clark, Crawford, Harrison, Floyd, Jefferson, Jennings, Scott and Washington, Indiana. (John M. Greesham & Co, 1889.) Available at: FamilySearch Digital Library, Internet Archive

Census Records

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

Church Records
List of Churches and Church Parishes
 * FamilySearch Places

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

Court Records

 * 1814-1818 (*); Circuit Court at FamilySearch Catalog — images
 * 1926-1934 (*); Circuit Court at FamilySearch Catalog — index & images

Directories

 * Directory of Businesses in Washington County, Indiana (1868) at Indiana Genealogical Society ($)

Funeral Homes

 * Dawalt Funeral Home in Salem.
 * Hughes-Taylor Funeral Homes, Inc in Pekin and Salem.
 * Weathers Funeral Home in Salem.

Local Histories

 * Centennial History of Washington County, Indiana. 1916. By Warder W. Stevens. Indianapolis : B.F. Bowen. Online at: FamilySearch Digital Library, Hathitrust, Internet Archive;.
 * History of Washington County, Indiana. 1965. Paoli, Indiana : Stout's Print Shop. Online at: FamilySearch Digital Library, Hathitrust, Internet Archive; . A re-production of the original "History of Lawrence, Orange and Washington Counties", Chicago : Goodspeed Bros. & Co., 1884. Some links above may be of the full original title.

Maps and Gazetteers

 * Old Antique Atlases & Maps of Indiana
 * Historic Indiana Maps at IUPUI University Library
 * FamilySearch Places: Map of cities and towns in this county - How to Use FS Places

Military Records

 * Military Record Series Index at Indiana Digital Archives

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:
 * 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, 1965.) ("Military History", Chapter 7, page 793-815, Regiment, Companies) Available at: FamilySearch Digital Library, Internet Archive

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

Probate Records
Online Probate Indexes and Records
 * 1798-1999 Indiana Wills and Probate Records 1798-1999 at Ancestry ($)
 * 1808-1902 Abstracts of Wills of Washington County, Indiana, 1808-1902. By Davis, Lulie. Fort Wayne, Indiana : L. Davis, 1971. Online at: FamilySearch Digital Library; Also at:
 * 1814-1841 (*); Clerk of the Circuit Court at FamilySearch Catalog — index and images
 * 1814-1900 (*); at FamilySearch Catalog — index and images
 * 1814-1927 (*); Circuit Court at FamilySearch Catalog — index and images
 * 1821-1830 (*); County Clerk at FamilySearch Catalog — index and images
 * 1835 (*); at FamilySearch Catalog — images

School Records

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

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.
 * 1936-2007 at FamilySearch - How to Use this Collection; index

Marriage

 * 1780-1992  at FamilySearch - How to Use this Collection; Also at: MyHeritage ($)
 * 1800-2007 Indiana, United States Marriages at Findmypast ($)
 * 1802-1892 Indiana, Compiled Marriages, 1802-1892 at Ancestry ($)
 * 1811-1959 Indiana, Marriages, 1811-1959 at MyHeritage - index & images ($)
 * 1811-2007 at FamilySearch - How to Use this Collection

Death

 * Pre-1882 WEB: Indiana, Deaths, Pre-1882 at Ancestry - 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 ($)

FamilySearch Centers

 * Bedford Indiana FamilySearch Center
 * New Albany Indiana FamilySearch Center
 * North Vernon Indiana FamilySearch Center
 * Crawford County Public Library - an affiliate library.
 * Jennings County Public Library - an affiliate library.
 * New Albany-Floyd County Public Library - an affiliate library.

Museums
The John Hay Center Stevens Memorial Museum 307 E Market St Salem, IN 47167-2119 Phone: 812-833-6495 Email: [mailto:info@johnhaycenter.org info@johnhaycenter.org] Website

Societies
Southern Indiana Genealogical Society 180 W Spring St PO Box 665 New Albany, IN 47150 Email: [mailto:sigsvolunteer@gmail.com sigsvolunteer@gmail.com] Website
 * The Society's collection of genealogical materials is housed in the Indiana History Room of the New Albany-Floyd County Public Library.

Washington County Historical Society c/o Stevens Memorial Museum 307 E Market St Salem, IN 47167 Phone: 812-883-6495 Website

Websites

 * 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
 * USGenWeb, Washington County
 * INGenWeb, Washington County
 * City of Salem, Indiana
 * Washington County, Indiana Genealogy and Family History (Linkpendium)
 * – 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.