Des Moines County, Iowa Genealogy

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

Description
The County was named for the Des Moines River. The County has Burlington as its seat and the County was created 1834. The County is located in the southeast area of the state.

County Courthouse
Des Moines County Courthouse 513 N. Main St. PO Box 277 Burlington, Iowa 52601 (319) 753-8221

Parent County
1834--Des Moines County was created 1 October 1834, when Des Moines County Congress passed an act attaching the Black Hawk Purchase to the Territory of Michigan in June of 1834 prior to that it was part of Wisconsin. The following September the Legislature of Michigan divided this land purchase into two counties, Dubuque and Des Moines. The dividing boundary was a line running west from the lower end of Rock Island. At this time County courts were established with Des Moines County Court placed in the city of Burlington. Des Moines was named after the Des Moines River. County seat: Burlington

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.

Record Loss
1873 Courthouse burned and some records were destroyed.

Places/Localities
Town/city records in the FamilySearch Catalog

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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:

Ghost Towns of Des Moines County
Ghost towns are settlements, towns, and villages whose thriving little communities dried up for various reasons. Some are now part of other townships, some have just faded away. Here are their names, the years they were functioning, and the Townships they were a part of.

Neighboring Counties
Henry • Lee •  Louisa •  Henderson County, Illinois •  Mercer County, Illinois

Biographies

 * Des Moines County, Iowa Biographies Project


 * Des Moines County, Iowa Biographical Dictionary at Ancestry.com ($)


 * Biographical review of Des Moines County, Iowa : containing biographical and genealogical sketches of many of the prominent cit at Ancestry.com ($)

Cemeteries
There are many cemeteries in townships, cities, and farms located throughout Des Moines County that have been transcribed. Additional information on their locations is at Des Moines County Cemeteries Map. More information can be found on microfilm at the based in Salt Lake City, Utah and can be requested and viewed at Family History Centers throughout the world.

Transcriptions for some of these cemeteries can be found at:


 * FindAGrave.com
 * Interment.net cemetery records.
 * Iowa Gravestone Photo Project
 * Saving Graves
 * Tombstone Transcription Project
 * Des Moines County Cemeteries

Census
Iowa recorded not only the federal census but state census through out the years too. The state census contains very valuable genealogical information. Where the census information can be found, what years it was taken, mortality schedules, census substitutions and much more is discussed in the very informative Iowa Census article.

State Census
 * Census Finder
 * Census index for Des Moines County, transcribed for the years of 1836, 1836 Territorial Census, 1838, 1840, 1850, 1852, 1860.
 * The first census of the original counties of Dubuque and Demoine (Iowa) taken in July, 1836 at Ancestry.com ($)
 * 1895 - at FamilySearch — index and images
 * 1905 - at FamilySearch — index and images
 * 1915 - at FamilySearch — index and images
 * 1925 - at FamilySearch — index and images

Church

 * Record book, 1866-1903 Contains baptisms, burials, marriages, membership lists, and sermons.Dr. McClintock was pastor to churches at Mt. Pleasant, 1866-1870; Burlington, 1871-1896; and Sioux City, 1896-1903.

Lutheran

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

Methodist

 * Church records, 1855-1917. Text in German.This church was also known as the German Methodist Church.Contains records for the churches of Flint Creek, Temmytown/Tamytown, Bluffs, Pleasant Grove, Union, Bethel, Sperry, Kline.Includes marriages; baptisms; membership lists; burials, 1856, 1865-1916; meeting minutes; finances; conference reports.

Court
The Des Moines Courthouse is located in the town of Burlington.

Directories

 * Des Moines, Iowa Directory, 1889-91 at Ancestry.com ($)

Genealogy

 * Biographical review of Des Moines County, Iowa : containing biographical and genealogical sketches of many of the prominent cit at Ancestry.com ($)

Land

 * Iowa Land Records

Local Histories

 * [htthttp://iagenweb.org/desmoines/History/%7EHistory.htm History of Des Moines County, Iowa ] index, 105 bios online.
 * Portrait and Biographical Album of Des Moines County, Iowa index, 519 bios online. and at Ancestry.com ($)
 * Biographical Review of Des Moines County, Iowa index, 8 bios online.
 * History of Des Moines County, Iowa index, 8 bios online. and at Ancestry.com ($)
 * The History of Des Moines County, Iowa : containing a history of the county, its cities, towns, &amp;c., a biographical directory of citizens, war record of its volunteers in the late rebellion, general and local statistics, .... Chicago: Western Historical, 1879.
 * Online at FamilySearch (Free)

Merrill, J. W. Yellow Spring and Huron. Mediapolis, Iowa : Merrill, 1897.


 * Online at FamilySearch (Free)

Maps

 * Old Antique Atlases &amp; Maps of Iowa
 * David Rumsey Map Collection is a large online collection of rare, old, antique historical atlases, globes, maps, charts plus other cartographic treasures.
 * 1904 Des Moines County Iowa Atlas

Military

 * 1835-1998 - at FamilySearch — index
 * 1861-1949 - at FamilySearch — index and images
 * 1862-1910 - at FamilySearch — index

Civil War

 * - 1st Regiment, Iowa Infantry (3 months, 1861), Companies D and E
 * - 2nd Regiment, Iowa Cavalry, Company K
 * - 6th Regiment, Iowa Infantry, Company I
 * - 14th Regiment, Iowa Infantry, Company K
 * - 17th Regiment, Iowa Infantry, Company D
 * - 25th Regiment, Iowa Infantry, Companies D, E and G
 * - 30th Regiment, Iowa Infantry, Company C
 * - 45th Regiment, Iowa Infantry (100 days, 1864), Companies F and G
 * - 48th Regiment, Iowa Infantry (100 days, 1864), Company D
 * - Engineer Regiment of the West, Missouri Volunteers (Union), Company K :- 14th Regiment, Iowa Infantry, Company K :- 17th Regiment, Iowa Infantry, Company D :- 1st Regiment, Iowa Cavalry, Company C :- 1st Regiment, Iowa Infantry (3 months, 1861), Company D :- 1st Regiment, Iowa Infantry (3 months, 1861), Company E :- 25th Regiment, Iowa Infantry, Company D :- 25th Regiment, Iowa Infantry, Company E :- 25th Regiment, Iowa Infantry, Company G :- 2nd Regiment, Iowa Cavalry, :- 30th Regiment, Iowa Infantry, Company C :- 45th Regiment, Iowa Infantry (100 days, 1864), Company F :- 45th Regiment, Iowa Infantry (100 days, 1864), Company G :- 48th Regiment, Iowa Infantry (100 days, 1864), Company D :- 6th Regiment, Iowa Infantry, Company I

Naturalization and Citizenship

 * 1859-1990 - at FamilySearch — index and images

Newspapers

 * The Hawkeye *The Mediapolis News *NewspaperArchive.com ($) has historical newspapers online including Burlington newspapers dating back to the mid 1800's that covered local news on Des Moines County residents. This database is free at some libraries. For more information about the history of newspapers in Des Moines County see the Burlington Library Genealogy Site.


 * The Burlington Weekly Hawkeye. 1857, 1862-1865, 1875, 1876,1880, 1882 Burlington, IA, USA. Online at: Ancestry.com ($)
 * Burlington Hawk Eye. 1849-1851, 1874, 1876-1880 Burlington, IA, USA.Online at: Ancestry.com ($)
 * Weekly Hawk Eye And Telegraph. 1855-1861, 1883 Burlington, IA, USA. Online at: Ancestry.com ($)
 * The Weekly Hawk Eye. 1858-1861, 1883 Burlington, IA, USA. Online at: Ancestry.com ($)
 * Hawk Eye. 1843-1845, 1976 Burlington, IA, USA. Online at: Ancestry.com ($)
 * Burlington Tri Weekly Hawk Eye. 1854, 1855 Burlington, IA, USA. Online at: Ancestry.com ($)

Probate
Online Probate Records


 * 1758 - 1997 Iowa Wills and Probate Records 1758-1997 at Ancestry.com — index and images $

Taxation

 * 1934-1958 - at FamilySearch — index

Birth Records

 * 1850-1939 - at FamilySearch — index and images
 * 1921-1942 - at FamilySearch — index and images

Iowa law did not require birth records be maintained by civil authorities until 1880. For records of these early births, try delayed births, church records, and death records.

Birth records kept by the District Court, 1880-1904; 1906-1934, have been microfilmed and are available at the State Historical Society in Des Moines, Polk County, Iowa and 1880-1931 at the.

Marriage Records

 * 1518-1996 - Iowa, United States Marriages at FindMyPast — index $
 * 1838-1934 - at FamilySearch — index and images

Some early Marriages Of Des Moines County 1837 to 1850 have been transcribed and published.

Des Moines County Marriage Records, from 1880-1904; 1906-1935 have been microfilmed and can be found at the State Historical Society in Des Moines, Polk County Iowa. Index to marriage records, 1921-1977; marriage records, 1835-1930 at the.

Death Records

 * 1835-1930 - Death records are held by the District Court, 1835-1930, have been microfilmed and are available at the State Historical Society in Des Moines, Polk County Iowa and 1880-1921 at the.
 * 1850-1990 - at FamilySearch - index
 * 1880-1992 - at FamilySearch — index
 * 1904-1951 - at FamilySearch — index and images

Societies and Libraries
Des Moines County Genealogical Society P O Box 493 Burlington IA 52601 Telephone:319-572-9290 8am to 4pm CST E-mail: [mailto:dmcgs@dmcgs.org dmcgs@dmcgs.org] Website

Des Moines County Historical Society 501 N Fourth Street Burlington IA 52601 Telephone:319-752-0419 E-mail: [mailto:tellmemore@dmchs.org tellmemore@dmchs.org] Website

Burlington Public Library  210 Court Street Burlington, IA 52601-1647 Phone: 319-753-1647 Website

For more information about Societies in Iowa see the Iowa Societies page.

Family History Centers

 * Burlington Iowa Family History Center 2727 Cliff Rd., Burlington, IA 52601-2406 United States Location Map
 * Burlington Iowa Family History Center 2727 Cliff Rd., Burlington, IA 52601-2406 United States Location Map