Lee County, Iowa Genealogy

United States Iowa  Lee County

Parent County
1836--Lee County was created 7 December 1836 from Des Moines County. County records for the northern portion of the county are housed in Fort Madison, southern records are housed in Keokuk. County seat: Fort Madison

Boundary Changes
See an interactive map of Iowa boundary changes.

Record Loss
1911 -- Courthouse burned and many records were damaged.

For further information on researching in burned counties, see the following:


 * Burned Counties Research in FamilySearch Wiki
 * Michael John Neill, Burned Counties in Family History Circle

Neighboring Counties
Des Moines | Henry | Van Buren | Clark County, Missouri | Hancock County, Illinois | Henderson County, Illinois

Census

 * The county poor farm was north of Keokuk. An old map showed a cemetery at this site. The cemetery was abandoned at sometime, and lost to the elements. An 1880 Census Jackson Township, has been transcribed for the Lee County Poor Farm

Church
LDS Ward and Branch Records


 * Ambrosia
 * Zarahemla

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


 * Mississippi River
 * Mormon Trail 1846 from Nauvoo, Illinois to Salt Lake City, Utah

Newspapers
*NewspaperArchive.com ($) has historical newspapers online including Burlington newspapers dating back to the mid 1800's that may have included Lee County residents. This database is free at some libraries.

Family History Centers

 * Introduction to LDS Family History Centers

Web Sites

 * Lee County, Iowa Genealogy and Family History (Linkpendium)
 * Lee County, Iowa Genealogy and Family History (Linkpendium)