Orange County, Indiana Genealogy

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

Description
Orange County was named after a county in North Carolina, where many of the early settlers had previously resided. It is located in the south-central area of the state.

County Courthouse
Orange County Courthouse One Court Street Paoli, IN 47454 Phone: 812-723-2649 County Website

Orange County Health Department 205 E. Main St. Paoli, Indiana 47454 Health Officer: Tammie Johnson - Registrar Phone: 812-723-7112 Fax: 812-723-0510 Email: [mailto:ochd@co.orange.in.us ochd@co.orange.in.us] Health Department

County Health Department has birth records from 1882, death and burial records. County Clerk has marriage, divorce,probate and court records from from 1816. County Recorder has land records from 1816. 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

 * Bible Records of Orange County, Indiana at INGenWeb
 * Lovick Lambeth Family Bible Records at North Carolina Digital Collections

Biographies

 * Indiana Biography Index at Indiana State Library

Business, Commerce, and Occupations

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

Census Records

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

Church Records
List of Churches and Church Parishes
 * FamilySearch Places

Court Records

 * 1824-1913 (*); Circuit Court at FamilySearch Catalog — index & images
 * 1842-1921 (*); Circuit Court at FamilySearch Catalog — index & images
 * 1897-1916 (*); Clerk of the Circuit Court at FamilySearch Catalog — images
 * (*); Court of Common Pleas at FamilySearch Catalog — index & images
 * Early Wills of Orange County, Indiana : [Abstract and Notes], The Genealogist (R. Bakehorn) - v. 1, no. 6 (Oct 1971). 1971. By Ray Bakehorn. Orange County, Indiana : Orange County, Indiana. Online at: FamilySearch Digital Library.
 * Early Wills of Orange County, Indiana : [Abstract and Notes], The Genealogist (R. Bakehorn) - v. 1, no. 7 (Nov 1971). 1971. By Ray Bakehorn. Orange County, Indiana : Orange County, Indiana. Online at: FamilySearch Digital Library.

Directories

 * Directory of Businesses in Orange County, Indiana (1868) at Indiana Genealogical Society ($)
 * Early Settlers and County Officials of Orange County at Indiana Genealogical Society ($)

Ethnic, Political, and Religious Groups
African American
 * 28th US Colored Troops, Companies D, E, F, G, and Addition Recruits for Colored Troops

Funeral Homes

 * Brosmer-Kemple Funeral Home in French Lick.
 * Dillman-Scott Funeral Home in Paoli.
 * McAdams Mortuary in Paoli.
 * Ochs-Tetrick Funeral Home in Orleans.

Land and Property Records
Online Land Indexes and Records
 * Dates Vary United States Wills and Deeds Experimental Search at FamilySearch - incomplete index and images, counties and dates vary

Local Histories

 * History of Orange County, Indiana. 1884. Chicago, Ill. : Goodspeed Bros. Online at: FamilySearch Digital Library. Reprint of Pt. 2 of "History of Lawrence, Orange and Washington Counties, Indiana". Originally published: Chicago, Ill. : Goodspeed Bros., 1884.
 * History of Lawrence, Orange and Washington Counties, Indiana. 1884. Chicago, Ill. : Goodspeed Bros. Online at: FamilySearch Digtial Library, Hathitrust, Internet Archive;.


 * Historical Articles of Orange County at INGenWeb

Maps and Gazetteers

 * Historic Indiana Maps at IUPUI University Library
 * Old Antique Atlases &amp; Maps of Indiana
 * 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
 * Indiana Military Records at INGenWeb Project

Mexican-American War
 * Residents of Orange County Who Served in the Mexican War (1846-1848) at Indiana Genealogical Society($)

Civil War Civil War service men from Orange 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 Orange County.


 * 13th Regiment, Indiana Cavalry, Companies E, and F
 * 24th Regiment, Indiana Infantry, Companies B, and G
 * 38th Regiment, Indiana Infantry, Companies A, and I
 * 47th Regiment, Indiana Infantry, Company F
 * 49th Regiment, Indiana Infantry, Company G
 * 59th Regiment, Indiana Infantry, Company F
 * 66th Regiment, Indiana Infantry, Companies D, and E
 * 86th Regiment, Indiana Infantry, Company C
 * 93rd Regiment, Indiana Infantry, Companies A, D, G, and H
 * 112th Regiment, Indiana Infantry, Companies E, and H
 * 137th Regiment, Indiana Infantry (100 days, 1864), Company K
 * 140th Regiment, Indiana Infantry, Company A
 * 144th Regiment, Indiana Infantry, Company F
 * 145th Regiment, Indiana Infantry, Company B
 * 28th US Colored Troops, Companies D, E, F, G, and Addition Recruits for Colored Troops

Civil War Books:
 * Military History Of Orange County 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.) Available online 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 ($)
 * Nov 1876-May 1879 Paoli Weekly News at Hoosier State Chronicles

Probate Records
Online Probate Indexes and Records
 * 1798-1999 Indiana Wills and Probate Records 1798-1999 at Ancestry ($)
 * 1816-1852 Index to Will Records (1816-1852) at Indiana Genealogical Society
 * 1816-1943 (*); Circuit Court at FamilySearch Catalog — index and images
 * 1853-1918 (*); Circuit Court at FamilySearch Catalog —index and images
 * 150 Wills from the Orange County Court House in Paoli, Indiana. By Miskimens, Dorothea. Sylmar, California : D. Miskimens, 1980. Online at: FamilySearch Digital Library.
 * (*); Court of Common Pleas at FamilySearch Catalog — index and images
 * (*); at FamilySearch Catalog — images

School Records

 * Directory of Teachers (1936) 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

Tax Records

 * 1853-1854 - Primarily for Martin County, it does includes a list of delinquent taxes from Orange County for 1853 and 1854 at: FamilySearch Catalog

Marriage

 * 1780-1992  at FamilySearch - How to Use this Collection; Also at: MyHeritage ($)
 * 1800s-2007 Indiana, United States Marriages at Findmypast ($)
 * 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
 * Bloomington Indiana FamilySearch Center
 * Linton Indiana FamilySearch Center
 * Crawford County Public Library - an affiliate library.
 * Jackson County Indiana Public Library - an affiliate library.
 * Jasper Public Library - an affiliate library.
 * Monroe County Public Library - Main - an affiliate library.

Museums
French Lick West Baden Museum 469 S Maple St, Suite 103 PO Box 250 French Lick, IN 47432 Phone: 812-936-3592 Email: [mailto:flwbmuseum@gmail.com flwbmuseum@gmail.com] Facebook Website

Societies
Orange County Genealogical Society and Library PO Box 344 Paoli, IN 47454 Phone: 812-723-3437 Website
 * Call for appointment.

Orange County Historical Society 304 Court St PO Box 454 Paoli, IN 47454-0454 Phone: 812-653-1212 Email: [mailto:info@historicorangecounty.org info@historicorangecounty.org] Facebook Website

Websites

 * Linkpendium
 * 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
 * Orange County, Indiana Genealogy Trails
 * List of indexes and databases at Indiana State Library
 * Indiana Genealogical Society Databases Free and Members-only. Scroll the list.
 * INGenWeb project. May have maps, name indexes, history or other information for this county.
 * – 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.