Knox County, Indiana Genealogy

Guide to Knox County, Indiana ancestry, family history, and genealogy birth records, marriage records, death records, census records, family history, and military records. Indiana Online Genealogy Records

Historical Facts


The county is named for General Henry Knox (1750-1806), Revolutionary War hero, and the nation's first Secretary of War.


 * Parent Counties: Formed from unorganized territory in 1790.
 * County Seat: Vincennes

Description
The county was named for Major General Henry Knox, U.S. Secretary of War. The County Seat is Vincennes and was founded 1790. It is located in the Southwest area of the state.

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:

Neighboring Counties
Gibson •  Pike  •  Daviess  •  Greene  •  Sullivan  •  Crawford  •  Lawrence  •  Wabash

Boundary Changes
For animated maps illustrating Indiana County boundary changes, "Rotating Formation Indiana County Boundary Maps" (1790-1873) may be viewed for free at the MapofUS.org website.

Record Loss
January 1814 -- Courthouse burned and many records were damaged.

Cemeteries

 * Cemeteries - Linkpendium

Census Records

 * Index to Defective, Dependent &amp; Delinquent Census for Knox County, Indiana (1880) (members only database, Indiana Genealogical Society)

Catholic
St. Francis Xavier (Vincennes, Indiana). Parish Registers, 1780–1960. Microfilmed 1985. film 1433361-65. The original records are at St. Francis Xavier Church, Vincennes, Indiana. They list baptisms, confirmations, communions, marriages, deaths, and graves of soldiers who served in the War of 1812, the Black Hawk War (1835), the Mexican War, and the Civil War. These records may have information about persons from various parts of what is now Indiana and persons traveling through Vincennes.

Evangelical Church
Bethel Church, Edwardsport, IN


 * Online database contains baptismal, confirmation, marriage, and funeral records. Baptismal, marriage, and funeral records start in 1857, confirmation records start in 1851.

The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints
Ward and Branch Records of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints


 * Vincennes

Ethnic and Religious Groups
Register of Negro Slaves and Masters for 1805-1807: Knox County, Indiana Territory [Abstracted by June and Ruth Barekman]. - Chicago, Ill. : Bar(r)ackman-Ba(r)rickman-Barkman-Berekman Family Association, 1970. - 5 leaves. F3532.K6 B33 Register made from film at Fort Wayne Indiana Public Library; agreements between slaves and masters were found at Knox County, Ind. Court House at Vincennes.

Local Histories

 * History of Knox and Daviess Counties, Indiana. 1886. Chicago, Illinois : Goodspeed Pub. Co. Online at: FamilySearch Digital Library, Hathitrust, Internet Archive, Google Books;.
 * History of Old Vincennes and Knox County, Indiana. 2 volumes. 1911. By George E. Greene. Chicago, S.J. Clarke Publishing Company. Online at: Vol. 1 - FamilySearch Digital Library, Vol. 2 - FamilySearch Digital Library, Hathitrust, Vol. 1 - Internet Archive, Vol. 2 - Internet Archive;.

Land and Property

 * - see - Land Records - Linkpendium

Maps

 * Old Antique Atlases & Maps of Indiana
 * Maps and Gazetteers - Linkpendium

Military Records

 * Knox USGenWeb
 * List of Pensioners on the Roll January 1, 1883 Knox County, Indiana (Source:Internet Archive)
 * African American Veterans in Knox County, Indiana (1890) (members only database, Indiana Genealogical Society)
 * Military of Knox County (Source: Genealogy Trails History Group)

Civil War
Civil War service men from Knox 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 Knox County.


 * 1st Regiment, Indiana Heavy Artillery, Companies G, and M
 * 10th Regiment, Indiana Cavalry, Companies B, and F
 * 14th Regiment, Indiana Infantry, Companies B, and G
 * 26th Regiment, Indiana Infantry, Company B
 * 29th Regiment, Indiana Infantry, Company D
 * 33rd Regiment, Indiana Infantry, Company B
 * 51st Regiment, Indiana Infantry, Companies E, and H
 * 65th Regiment, Indiana Infantry, Company C
 * 70th Regiment, Indiana Infantry, Company K
 * 80th Regiment, Indiana Infantry, Companies C, G, and I
 * 120th Regiment, Indiana Infantry, Companies F, and G
 * 137th Regiment, Indiana Infantry (100 days, 1864), Company G
 * 143rd Regiment, Indiana Infantry, Companies B, and C
 * 151st Regiment, Indiana Infantry, Company H
 * 13th Regiment, United States Colored Infantry, Company O
 * 28th US Colored Troops, Company E, and Addition Recruits for Colored Troops

Civil War Books 


 * "Military History" Chapter 9 in History of Knox and Daviess County, Indiana: from the earliest time to the present, with biographical sketches, reminiscences, notes, etc., together with an extended history of the Colonial days of Vincennes, and its progress down to the formation of the State government. (1975. Evansville, Ind: Unigraphic, Inc.), ( page 204-212; Regiment, Companies) 977.23 H2g FHL US/CAN Book    other libraries INTERNET ARCHIVE

World War I (The Great War), 1914-1918

 * World War I Draft Registration Cards, 1917-1918 Knox County (Source: Explore Ancestry. com) ($)
 * 1919 - at FamilySearch — index and images

World War II, 1941-1945

 * Knox County, Indiana World War II Casualties, Army and Army Air Corps (Source: AccessGenealogy)

Obituaries
Many local newspapers can be found free at the Digital Archives of the Knox County Public Library.

The Knox County Obituary Indexes can be found on the Knox County Public Libraries site.

Probate Records
Online Records


 * 1798 – 1999 Indiana Wills and Probate Records 1798-1999 at Ancestry.com — index and images $

School Records

 * Students and Teachers of Vincennes High School (1924) ($, Indiana Genealogical Society)
 * Directory of Teachers for Knox County (1936) ($, Indiana Genealogical Society)


 * See - Vital Records - Linkpendium

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.

Courthouse
Knox County Courthouse 101 N 7th Street Vincennes, IN 47591 Phone: 812.885.2521

County Health Department has birth and death records from 1807. County Clerk has marriage, divorce, probate and court records from 1836. County Recorder has land records. Township Trustees have burial records.

Family History Centers

 * Vincennes Indiana Family History Center

For additional nearby Family History Centers, search online in the family history center directory.

Vital Records

 * Indiana State Digital Archives

Marriage Records

 * 1800s-2007 - Indiana, United States Marriages at FindMyPast — index $


 * 1780-1992 - FamilySearch


 * 1802-1892 Indiana Marriages, 1802-1892 - Ancestry.com $


 * 1811-2007 at FamilySearch — index and images

Death Records

 * 1750-1993 at FamilySearch — index, some images
 * 1882-1920 at FamilySearch Historical Records - Index only
 * 1899-2011 Indiana, Death Certificates, 1899-2011 at Ancestry - ($), index and images
 * Indiana State Digital Archives

Websites

 * Knox County INGenWeb
 * Knox County, IN History, Records, Facts and Genealogy
 * USGenWeb
 * Knox County, Indiana Genealogy and Family History (Linkpendium)
 * Indiana Genealogy Network Group on Facebook
 * Indiana Genealogy Network Group on Facebook