Story County, Iowa Genealogy

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

Description
Story County was named for Joseph Story and is located in central Iowa.

County Courthouse
Story County Courthouse 1315 South B Avenue Nevada, IA 50201 Phone: 515-382-7410 Story County Website

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

 * Jacob Olinger and Barbary Downey Bible Record at RootsWeb.com

Biographies

 * Biographical and Historical Memoirs of Story County, Iowa Chicago, IL: Goodspeed Publishing Co., 1890. Online at: FamilySearch Digital Library, Internet Archive, HathiTrust.


 * Story County, Iowa Biographies Project at RootsWeb — links to biographies and local histories

Business, Commerce, and Occupations

 * Iowa, State Employees at MyHeritage — index & images ($)

Census Records
State Census
 * 1885 at FamilySearch — How to Use this Collection; index and images
 * 1895 at FamilySearch — How to Use this Collection; index and images
 * 1905 at FamilySearch — How to Use this Collection; index and images (individual cards, not family context)
 * 1915 at FamilySearch — How to Use this Collection; index and images
 * 1925 at FamilySearch — How to Use this Collection; index and images

Church Records

 * FamilySearch Places

The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints Ward and Branch Records Lutheran
 * Ames
 * 1781-1969 U.S., Evangelical Lutheran Church in America Church Records, 1781-1969 at Ancestry — index & images ($)

Court Records

 * 1876-1925 (*); Clerk of the District Court at FamilySearch Catalog — index & images

Directories

 * 1902 (*) at FamilySearch Catalog — images

Funeral Homes

 * Adams Funeral Home and Cremation Service in Ames
 * Fredregill Funeral and Cremation Care in Zearing
 * Grandon Funeral and Cremation Care in Ames
 * Rasmusson-Ryan Funeral Home and Crematory in Maxwell and Nevada
 * Stevens Memorial Chapel in Ames

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

 * A History of Story County, Iowa: ... From the Earliest Settlement to the Present. By William G. Allen. Des Moines, IA: Iowa Printing Company, 1887. Online at: FamilySearch Digital Library, HathiTrust.
 * History of Story County, Iowa: A Record of Settlement, Organization, Progress and Achievement. By W.O. Payne. Chicago, IL: S.J. Clarke Publishing Co., 1911. Online at: Vol. I - Internet Archive; Vol. II -  FamilySearch Digital Library, Internet Archive, HathiTrust.


 * Iowa Indexes at EveryNameIndex.com — Select the county.

Maps and Gazetteers

 * 1860-1918 U.S., Indexed County Land Ownership Maps, 1860-1918, Story County at Ancestry ($) - index.
 * 1875-2007 Story County 1875-2007 at Historic Map Works - may include names of land-owners.
 * 1886-1934 Fire Insurance Maps for Story County, Iowa at Library of Congress - various years between 1886 and 1934.
 * (*); at FamilySearch Catalog — images.
 * IAGenWeb - Story County.
 * Iowa Digital Library, Story County at Iowa University Libraries.
 * (*); at FamilySearch Catalog — images.
 * Story County Maps at FamilySearch Catalog.
 * The Iowa Heritage Digital Collections, Story County at State Library of Iowa.
 * FamilySearch Places: Map of cities and towns in this county - How to Use FS Places.

Military Records
Multiple Wars Civil War
 * 1835-1998 at FamilySearch — How to Use this Collection; index only
 * 1862-1910 at FamilySearch — How to Use this Collection; index and images
 * 1861-1949 at FamilySearch — How to Use this Collection; index and images

Civil War service men in Story 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 here:
 * - 3rd Regiment, Iowa Infantry, Company E
 * - 13th Regiment, Iowa Infantry, Company E
 * - 23rd Regiment, Iowa Infantry, Company A

Naturalization and Citizenship
Online Naturalization Indexes and Records
 * 1859-1990 at FamilySearch — How to Use this Collection; index and images
 * 1863-1906 (*); District Court at FamilySearch Catalog — index images
 * 1865-1917 (*); District Court at FamilySearch Catalog — images

Newspapers

 * 1863-2014 Nevada Newspapers, Story County
 * 1876-2000 Altoona Public Library Archives, Polk County (1876-2000)
 * 1877-2017 Ames Newspapers, Story County
 * 1887-2013 Story City Newspapers, Story County (1887-2013)
 * 1895-1975 Roland Historical Society Archives, Story County
 * 1928-1929 Ames Daily Tribune and Evening Times at Ancestry.com ($) — Ames, Iowa, United States Of America
 * 1944-45, 1948-51, and 1953-56 Ames Daily Tribune at Ancestry.com ($) — Ames, IA, USA
 * 1955    Story City Herald'' at Ancestry.com ($) — Story City, IA, USA
 * Story County Newspapers etc
 * 1970-2007 Johnston Historical Society Archive, Polk County (1970-2007)

Probate Records
Online Probate Indexes and Records
 * 1758-1997 Iowa, U.S., Wills and Probate Records, 1758-1997 at Ancestry — index & images ($)
 * 1855-1947 (*); District Court at FamilySearch Catalog — index & images
 * Dates Vary United States Wills and Deeds Experimental Search at FamilySearch - incomplete index and images, counties and dates vary

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 & images ($)
 * 1936-2007 at FamilySearch - How to Use this Collection; index

Tax Records
Online Tax Indexes and Records
 * 1934-1958 at FamilySearch — How to Use this Collection; index and images

Birth

 * 1850-1939 at FamilySearch — How to Use this Collection; index and images
 * 1880-1935 at FamilySearch — How to Use this Collection; index and images
 * 1921-1942 at FamilySearch — How to Use this Collection; index and images

Marriage

 * 1518-1996 Iowa, United States Marriages at Findmypast — index ($)
 * 1809-1992 Iowa, Marriages, 1809-1992 at MyHeritage — index ($)
 * 1836-1926 Iowa, Marriages, 1836 - 1926 at MyHeritage — index ($)
 * 1838-1934 at FamilySearch — How to Use this Collection; index and images
 * 1880-1951 Iowa, U.S., Marriage Records, 1880-1951 at Ancestry — index & images ($)
 * 1941-1951 at FamilySearch — How to Use this Collection; index & images

Death

 * 1850-1990 at FamilySearch — How to Use this Collection; index and some images; Also at: MyHeritage($)
 * 1880-1992 at FamilySearch — How to Use this Collection; index and images
 * 1900-1939 Iowa Death Index, 1900-1939 at MyHeritage — index ($)
 * 1904-1951 at FamilySearch — How to Use this Collection; index and images
 * 1920-1967 Iowa, U.S., Death Records, 1920-1967 at Ancestry — index & images ($)

FamilySearch Centers

 * Ames Iowa FamilySearch Center
 * Des Moines Iowa FamilySearch Center
 * Marshalltown Iowa FamilySearch Center
 * Ames Public Library - an affiliate library
 * Iowa Genealogical Society Library - an affiliate library

Libraries
Nevada Public Library 631 K Avenue Nevada, IA 50201 Phone: 515-382-2628 Email: [mailto:npl@nevada.lib.ia.us npl@nevada.lib.ia.us] Website Maxwell Public Library 109 Main Street Maxwell, IA 50161 Phone: 515-387-8780 Website Roland Public Library 221 N Main Street Roland, IA 50236 Phone: 515-388-4086 Email: [mailto:rolandlib@globalccs.net rolandlib@globalccs.net] Website

Museums
Ames History Museum 416 Douglas Ave #101 Ames, IA 50010 Phone: 515-232-2148 Email: [mailto:info@ameshistory.org info@ameshistory.org] Website Iowa State University Museums 1805 Center Drive Ames, IA 50011 Phone: 515-294-3342 Website Maxwell Museum c/o The Community Historical Society City Hall 107 Main Street Maxwell, IA 50161 Phone: 515-387-8655 Website Museums of Story City 619 Grand Avenue P.O. Box 104 Story City, IA 50248 Phone: 515-460-1749 Email: [mailto:storycityhistory@gmail.com storycityhistory@gmail.com] Website Roland Museum 104 Poplar Street Roland, IA 50236 Email: [mailto:rolandiowamuseum@gmail.com rolandiowamuseum@gmail.com] Website

Societies
Story County Genealogical Society P.O. Box 692 Ames, IA 50010 Email: [mailto:storygenes@gmail.com storygenes@gmail.com] Website Facebook Nevada Community Historical Society 624 J Avenue Nevada, IA 50201-0213 Phone: 515-382-6684 Email: [mailto:admin@nevadaiowahistory.org admin@nevadaiowahistory.org] Website Ames Historical Society 416 Douglas #101 P.O. Box 821 Ames, IA 50010 Email: [mailto:info@ameshistory.org info@ameshistory.org] Website Cambridge Historical Association Cambridge, IA Phone: 515-220-4478 Email: [mailto:cha@huxcomm.net cha@huxcomm.net] Facebook Gilbert Historical Society 209 Main Street P.O. Box 33 Gilbert, IA 50105 Email: [mailto:macpepsi_2000@yahoo.com macpepsi_2000@yahoo.com] Facebook Slater Historical Association 318 First Avenue Box 487 Slater, IA 50244 Phone: 515-228-3832 or 515-480-9789 Email: [mailto:slaterhist@huxcomm.net slaterhist@huxcomm.net] Website

Websites

 * State Historical Society of Iowa — select from research collection topics
 * State Library of Iowa — electronic depository of documents intended for the general public produced by Iowa agencies
 * Story County at Cyndi's List - a comprehensive, categorized & cross-referenced list of links that point you to genealogical research sites online
 * Story County at Genealogy Trails - volunteer transcriptions of genealogical and historical data
 * Story County at Iowa USGenWeb - free online resources for genealogical research
 * Story County at Iowa USGenWeb Archives - free online data for genealogical research
 * Story County at Linkpendium - genealogy and family history
 * The Iowa Heritage Digital Collection — digital images from a variety of Iowa cultural institutions
 * – 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.