Pottawattamie County, Iowa Genealogy

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

Parent County
1848--Pottawattamie County was created 21 September 1848 from unorganized territory. County seat: Founded as Kanesville; renamed Council Bluffs 19 January 1953.

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.

Apparently the new county, covering over 5,000 sq. miles, once included nearly all of Iowa's Missouri River drainage between the southern halves of what are now Monona and Crawford Counties and the northern edge of Fremont, Page, Taylor, and Ringgold Counties. The following counties were completely formed from within this expanse: Harrison, Shelby, Cass, Mills, Montgomery, and Adams; most of Audubon, along with portions of Union, Adair, Guthrie, Carroll, Crawford, and Monona Counties were also part of Pottawattamie County until 1851. However, the area near Mt. Pisgah was never in Pottawattamie County. Iowa's legislature gave the eastern half of today's Union County to Clarke County in 1846, then shrank both Clarke and neighboring Lucas County in 1847 (before either county became functional). As a result, the Mt. Pisgah community and cemetery were in a non-county area until Union County was formed in 1851 and organized in 1853.

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

Neighboring Counties
Cass • Harrison •  Mills •  Montgomery •  Shelby •  Douglas County, Nebraska •  Sarpy County, Nebraska

Cemeteries
Cemeteries, grouped by search site. Information on search sites may vary from site to site, but usually at least has the name, most will have dates, and some will include epitaphs and other information. Some include photos, some do not. Indexing of headstone data and locations will also vary, completeness of coverage of any particular cemetery may also vary.

BillionGraves.com.


 * Bikhor Cholim (cemetery), Kane, Iowa
 * Cedar Lawn Cemetery, Garner, Iowa
 * Crescent Cemetery, Crescent
 * Fairview Cemetery, Council Bluffs
 * Fisher Cemetery, Underwood
 * Flint Cemetery, Griswold
 * Grange Cemetery, Honey Creek
 * Green Valley Cemetery, Countil Bluffs
 * Hardin Township Cemetery, McLelland, Iowa
 * Memorial Park Cemetery, Council Bluffs
 * Ridgewood Cemetery, Council Bluffs
 * Silver Valley Cemetery, Hancock, Iowa
 * St. Joseph Cemetery, Council Bluffs, Iowa
 * St. Paul's Lutheran Cemetery, Neola, Iowa
 * Treynor Zion Congregational Cemetery, Treynor, Iowa
 * Walnut Hill Cenetery, Council Bluffs, Iowa
 * Weston Saint Columbanus Catholic Cemetery, Underwood
 * Wheeler Grove Cemetery, Carson Iowa

Findagrave:

Interment.net:

Census
 US Census 
 * Iowa, Pottawattamie County, Annotated Record of US Census, 1850 at Ancestry.com ($)

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

The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints
LDS Ward and Branch Records


 * Council Bluffs
 * Council Bluffs Dist
 * Council Point
 * Lake
 * Pottawatomie
 * Shirtses
 * Union

Lutheran
Council Bluffs


 * Records of the American Lutheran Church, Council Bluffs, in Evangelical Lutheran Church in America database at Archives.com ($).

St. Paul's Lutheran Church, Neola


 * Records of the St. Paul's Lutheran Church, Neola, in Evangelical Lutheran Church in America database at Archives.com ($).

Underwood


 * Records of the American Lutheran Church, Underwood, in Evangelical Lutheran Church in America database at Archives.com ($).

Local Histories

 * History of Pottawattami County, Iowa, from the earliest historic times to 1907. By Homer H. Field and Joseph R. Reed. Chicago : S.J. Clarke Pub. Co., 1907. Online at: Vol. 1, Google Books, Vol. 2 , Interner Archive;.


 * History of Pottawattamie County, Iowa : containing a history from the earliest settlement to the present time... biographical sketches. Chicago : O. L. Baskin, 1883. Online at:, Internet Archive, Google Books;.


 * Mormons at the Missouri, 1846-1852 : "And should we die. . .". By Richard E. Bennett. Norman, Oklahoma : University of Oklahoma Press, c1987. Online at: ;.

Maps

 * Old Antique Atlases &amp; Maps of Iowa

Migration
Early migration routes to and from for European and African American settlers included:


 * Missouri River
 * Oregon Trail 1830s to 1890s from western Missouri to Oregon City, Oregon
 * California Trail 1846 to 1869 from western Missouri to northern California
 * Mormon Trail 1846 to 1869 from Nauvoo, Illinois to Salt Lake City, Utah
 * Mormon Pioneer Trail - Council Bluffs
 * Individuals in Mormon pioneer Overland travel

Military

 * 1861 - 1949 - at FamilySearch — index and images

Civil War

 * - 4th Regiment, Iowa Infantry, Company B
 * - 15th Regiment, Iowa Infantry, Company H
 * - 17th Regiment, Iowa Infantry, Company H
 * - 23rd Regiment, Iowa Infantry, Company E
 * - 29th Regiment, Iowa Infantry, Company A

Newspapers

 * Council Bluffs Nonpareil. 1936, 1943-50, and 1952-56. Council Bluffs, 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 $

Births

 * 1850-1939 - at FamilySearch — index and images

Marriages

 * 1838-1934 - at FamilySearch — index and images

Deaths

 * 1850-1990 - at FamilySearch
 * 1880-1992 - at FamilySearch — index
 * 1921-1940 - at FamilySearch — index and images

Societies and Libraries
Botna Valley Genealogical Society (East Pottawattamie) P.O. Box 693 Oakland, IA 51560-0693 E-mail: [mailto:botnavalleygenealogy@yahoo.com botnavalleygenealogy@yahoo.com] Website

Pottawattamie County Genealogical Society Frontier Heritage Library 622 Fourth Street P.O. Box 394 Council Bluffs, IA 51502-0394 Telephone:712-325-9368 E-mail: [mailto:pcgs@pcgs.omhcoxmail.com pcgs@pcgs.omhcoxmail.com] Website

Walnut Genealogy Society Walnut Public Library Genealogy Room 224 Antique City Drive P.O. Box 493 Walnut, Iowa 51577-0493 Telephone:712-784-3533 E-mail: [mailto:wgs@walnutel.net wgs@walnutel.net ] Website

Council Bluffs Public Library Genealogy Department 400 Willow Ave. Council Bluffs, IA 51503 Telephone:712-323-7553 E-mail: [mailto:cbplref@cbpl.lib.ia.us cbplref@cbpl.lib.ia.us] Website

Family History Centers



 * Cedar Rapids Iowa Family History Center3008 Pleasant Dr Cedar Falls IA 50613 United States Location Map


 * Council Bluff Iowa Family History Center 2303 Butler St Council Bluffs IA 51503 Location Map