Shelby County, Indiana Genealogy

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

Description
Shelby County was named for Gen. Isaac Shelby, who defeated the British at the Battle of Kings Mountain in the Revolutionary War. Shelby then became the first Governor of Kentucky. During the War of 1812, he led the army of Kentucky into Canada, and defeated the British at the decisive Battle of the Thames in 1813. The county is located in the central area of the state.

County Courthouse
 Shelby County Courthouse 407 S Harrison Street P.O. Box 198 Shelbyville, IN 46176-2161 Phone: 317-392-6320 County Website

Shelby County Health Department 1600 East State Road 44, Suite B Shelbyville, IN, 46176 Health Officer: Chris Loman, MD Phone: 317-392-6470 Fax: 317-392-6472 Email: [mailto:Shelby_Health@hotmail.com Shelby_Health@hotmail.com] Health Department

County Health Department had birth, death and burial records. County Clerk has marriage, divorce, probate and court record. County Auditor has land 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

 * Index of Bible Records at ShelbyCountyIndiana.org

Biographies

 * Indiana Biography Index at Indiana State Library

Census Records

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

Directories

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

Local Histories

 * Chadwick's History of Shelby County, Indiana. 1909. By Edward H. Chadwick. Indianapolis, Indiana : B.F. Bowen.  Online at: FamilySearch Digital Library; Internet Archive, Google Books, Ancestry ($);.
 * History of Shelby County, Indiana. 1968. Knightstown, Indiana : Eastern Indiana Pub. Co. Online at: FamilySearch Digital Library, Hathitrust, Internet Archive; . Reprint of original published: Chicago, Illinois : Brant & Fuller, 1887.


 * Historical Articles at INGenWeb

Maps and Gazetteers

 * Old Antique Atlases & Maps of Indiana
 * Townships and Neighboring Counties at ShelbyCountyIndiana.org
 * Historic Indiana Maps at IUPUI University Library

Military Records

 * Military Record Series Index at Indiana Digital Archives
 * 1883 - List of Pensioners on the Roll January 1, 1883 Shelby County, Indiana. Online at: FamilySearch Digital Library; Internet Archive

Civil War Civil War service men from Shelby 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 Shelby County.


 * 1st Regiment, Indiana Heavy Artillery, Companies L, and M
 * 2nd Battery, Indiana Light Artillery
 * 7th Regiment, Indiana Cavalry, Company I
 * 7th Regiment, Indiana Infantry, Company C
 * 8th Regiment, Indiana Cavalry, Companies L, and M
 * 9th Regiment, Indiana Infantry, Reorganized Company D
 * 9th Regiment, Indiana Cavalry, Company H
 * 11th Regiment, Indiana Infantry, Reorganized Company I
 * 13th Regiment, Indiana Cavalry, Company I
 * 16th Regiment, Indiana Infantry, Companies A, and H
 * 18th Regiment, Indiana Infantry, Company K
 * 20th Battery, Indiana Light Artillery
 * 30th Regiment, Indiana Infantry, Reorganized Company E
 * 33rd Regiment, Indiana Infantry, Company D
 * 51st Regiment, Indiana Infantry, Company F, and I
 * 52nd Regiment, Indiana Infantry, Company E
 * 70th Regiment, Indiana Infantry, Companies B, and F
 * 76th Regiment, Indiana Infantry (30 days, 1862), Company F
 * 79th Regiment, Indiana Infantry, Company E
 * 100th Regiment, Indiana Infantry, Company K
 * 132nd Regiment, Indiana Infantry (100 days, 1864) Company E
 * 146th Regiment, Indiana Infantry, Companies A, and F
 * 148th Regiment, Indiana Infantry, Companies C, D, and G
 * 28th US Colored Troops, Addition Recruits for Colored Troops

Civil War Books:
 * Military History Chapter 5 in History of Shelby County, Indiana: from the earliest time to the present, with biographical sketches, notes, etc., together with a short history of the Northwest, the Indiana Territory, and the State of Indiana. (1974. Tucson, Arizona: Americana Unlimited.) Available online at: FamilySearch Digital Library and Internet Archive
 * Military History Chapter 10 in Chadwick, Edward H. Chadwick's History of Shelby County, Indiana. 1908. (Indiana. Evansville, Ind: Unigraphic, 1977) Available online at: FamilySearch Digital Library

World War I


 * 1914-1918 WWI Roll of Honor Men and Women who Died in the Service of the United States and the Allied Nations in the World War 1914-1918 at Genealogy Trails History Group
 * 1917-1918 World War I Draft Registration Cards, 1917-1918 at Ancestry
 * 1919 at FamilySearch - How to Use this Collection

World War II, 1941-1945
 * Indiana World War II Casualties, Army and Army Air Corps at AccessGenealogy

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 ($)
 * 1804-2010 Hoosier State Chronicles 1804-2011
 * 1866-1886 Selected Extracts from Newspapers in Shelby County, Indiana (1866-1886) at Indiana Genealogical Society ($)
 * Newspaper Articles about Shelby County, Indiana, Residents at ShelbyCountyIndiana.org

Probate Records

 * 1798-1999 Indiana Wills and Probate Records 1798-1999 at Ancestry

School Records

 * 1936 - Directory of Teachers of Shelby County (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.

Marriage

 * 1780-1992  at FamilySearch - How to Use this Collection
 * 1800-2007 Indiana, United States Marriages at FindMyPast ($)
 * 1802-1892 Indiana, Compiled Marriages, 1802-1892 at Ancestry
 * 1811-2007 at FamilySearch - How to Use this Collection

Death

 * Pre-1882 WEB: Indiana, Deaths, Pre-1882 at Ancestry.com - 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

Family History Centers

 * Columbus Indiana Family History Center
 * Indianapolis Indiana Family History Center
 * Bartholomew County Public Library - an affiliate library.
 * Greensburg-Decatur County Public Library - an affiliate library.
 * Shelby County Public Library - an affiliate library.

Museums

 * Grover Museum, the Museum of the Shelby County Historical Society 52 West Broadway Shelbyville, IN 46176 Phone: 317-392-4634 Facebook Website
 * The History Museum 808 West Washington Street South Bend, IN 46601 Phone: 574-235-9664 Email: [mailto:info@historymuseumsb.org info@historymuseumsb.org] Website

Societies

 * Shelby County Historical Society 52 West Broadway Shelbyville, IN 46176 Phone: 317-392-4634 Email: [mailto:director@grovermuseum.org director@grovermuseum.org] Facebook
 * Shelby County Indiana Genealogical Society P.O. Box 43 33 W Washington St Shelbyville, IN 46176 Phone: 317-746-4615 E-mail: [mailto:shelbycoingenealogicalsociety@gmail.com shelbycoingenealogicalsociety@gmail.com] Facebook
 * South Bend Area Genealogical Society 209 Lincoln Way East Mishawaka, IN 46544 Phone: 574-707-2688 Email: [mailto:sjcgensoc@gmail.com sjcgensoc@gmail.com] Website

Websites

 * South Bend Area Genealogical Society "Serving South Bend, Mishawaka and Surrounding Areas"
 * Shelby County, Indiana Genealogy and Family History (Linkpendium)
 * Shelby County, Indiana Family History and Genealogy Indiana Comprehensive Genealogy Database
 * 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, Shelby County
 * INGenWeb, Shelby 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.