Owen County, Indiana Genealogy

United States Indiana  Owen County

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

Historical Facts

 * Parent Counties: Formed 21 December 1818 from Daviess and Sullivan Counties.
 * County Seat:  Spencer

Neighboring Counties
Clay •  Putnam  •  Morgan  •  Monroe  •  Greene

The first county seat was to be on land owned by John Dunn on the bend of White River, but this was quickly relocated to a new location across the river from the land of John Bartholemew. This new site, which became known as Spencer, was approved by the county commissioners at a meeting at John Dunn's house on 12 Feb 1820.

Owen County was named for Abraham Owen, a Kentucky officer who was killed at the Battle of Tippecanoe. Some sources refer to him as a colonel, but Blanchard's 1884 county history refers to him as Major Abraham Owen.

The county seat, Spencer, derives its name from a Captain Spencer, a Kentucky soldier who was also killed in the same battle.

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
For a list of record loss in Indiana Counties see: Indiana Counties with Burned Courthouses

Cemeteries

 * Cemeteries (Owen County INGenWeb)
 * Cemeteries (scroll down for list; Owen County Places and People)
 * Find A Grave: Owen County, Indiana
 * Madaris . . . Buried in Owen County, Indiana Cemeteries
 * Owen County Cemeteries (ePodunk)
 * Owen County, IN Cemeteries (IN Home Town Locator)

1820

 * 1820 census transcription (USGenWeb Archives)

1880

 * Defective, Dependent, &amp; Delinquent Census for Owen County ($, Indiana Genealogical Society)

Church Records

 * Churches (Owen County INGenWeb)

Court Records

 * Owen County Court Records, 1863-1897 (IN Historical Society)
 * Criminals Convicted in Owen County (1897-1907) ($, Indiana Genealogical Society)

Directories

 * Directory of Businesses in Owen County, Indiana ($, Indiana Genealogical Society)

Genealogies and Biographies

 * Biographies (Owen Co. IN GenWeb)
 * Combs &amp;c Families of Owen Co., IN
 * Family Trees Index (Owen Co. IN GenWeb)
 * Marion Dale ("Pete") Ranard of Owen County, Indiana (Genealogy.com)
 * Owen County Biographies (U.S. GenWeb Archives)
 * Owen County Diaries (U.S. GenWeb Archives)
 * Owen County, Indiana Biographies (Genealogy Trails)

Local Histories

 * Blanchard, Charles, ed. Counties of Clay and Owen, Indiana: Historical and Biographical. Chicago: F.A. Battey ompany, 1884. Digital copy in Google Books; may be downloaded in pdf or epub formats. Digital copy in Internet Archive; may be read online or downloaded in several formats.
 * History (Owen County INGenWeb)
 * History of Owen County (Owen County Online)
 * Owen County, Indiana. Town and Country Publishing Company, 1977.
 * Owen County, Indiana: A History. Owen County Historical and Genealogical Society, 1994.
 * Peterson, Roger. "General History of Owen County, Indiana." (OCHGS site)

Land and Property

 * Bureau of Land Management, General Land Office (Owen County land patents can be searched and retrieved online)
 * Deeds (Owen County INGenWeb)
 * Owen County Deeds(USGenWeb Archives)
 * Plat Book of Owen County, Indiana. W.W. Hixson &amp; Company, 192?.

Maps

 * Old Antique Atlases &amp; Maps of Indiana
 * Family Maps of (land patent maps) at HistoryGeo.com ($). Free surname search.
 * Owen County Maps (bibliography from IN State Library)

Miscellaneous

 * Directories (Owen County INGenWeb)
 * Funeral Homes (Owen County INGenWeb)
 * Owen County Directories (USGenWeb Archives)
 * Owen County Photographs (USGenWeb Archives)

Military Records
War of 1812


 * Military (Owen County INGenWeb)
 * Owen County Military (U.S. GenWeb Archives)
 * Veterans in Owen County, Indiana (1913)($, Indiana Genealogical Society)
 * Military Service of Residents of Owen County (1775-1848) ($, Indiana Genealogical Society)

Civil War

Civil War servicemen from Owen 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 Owen County.


 * 1st Regiment, Indiana Heavy Artillery, Company B
 * 5th Regiment, Indiana Cavalry (90th Regiment, Indiana Volunteers), Company C
 * 6th Regiment, Indiana Cavalry, Company F
 * 11th Regiment, Indiana Infantry, Reorganized Company H
 * 13th Regiment, Indiana Infantry, Reorganized Company H
 * 14th Regiment, Indiana Infantry, Company H
 * 18th Regiment, Indiana Infantry, Company H
 * 19th Regiment, Indiana Infantry, Company I
 * 31st Regiment, Indiana Infantry, Company B
 * 52nd Regiment, Indiana Infantry, Reorganized Company E
 * 57th Regiment, Indiana Infantry, Company D
 * 59th Regiment, Indiana Infantry, Companies f, and B
 * 82nd Regiment, Indiana Infantry, Company I
 * 85th Regiment, Indiana Infantry, Company K
 * 97th Regiment, Indiana Infantry, Companies F, and H
 * 130th Regiment, Indiana Infantry, Company K
 * 137th Regiment, Indiana Infantry (100 days, 1864), Company K
 * 144th Regiment, Indiana Infantry, Company I
 * 149th Regiment, Indiana Infantry, Companies B, and D
 * 28th US Colored Troops, Addition Recruits for Colored Troops

Resources:


 * Burns, Judi,Honorable Careers of Seven Brothers (Owen County INGenWeb)
 * Civil War Diaries of Robert Thomas McKee (Owen County INGenWeb)
 * Company B, Twenty-First Indiana First Heavy Artillery (under Owen County Military, USGenWeb Archives)
 * John P. McKee Civil War Pension Papers (in Greene County-related site)
 * Robert Thomas McKee Civil War Pension Papers (in Greene County-related site)
 * Vincent Anderson War Diary (with index) (USGenWeb Archives)
 * Zollinger, Vivian, ed., "'I Take My Pen in Hand:' Civil War Letters from Owen County Indiana," Indiana Magazine of History, Vol. 93, No. 2 (June 1997, pp. 111-196 [various Owen County soldiers, Owen County 135h, 14th, 19th, 21st, 59th, 97th, 149th Indiana Volunteer Infantries, 1861-1865]. Abstract and bibliographic citation | article (pdf)

World War I

World War II

Newspapers

 * Express News, Gosport (current newspaper for Owen, Morgan, and Monroe Cos.)
 * Newspapers (Owen County INGenWeb)
 * Obituaries (Owen County INGenWeb)
 * Obituaries (U.S. GenWeb Archives)
 * Owen County Newspapers (U.S. GenWeb Archives)
 * Spencer Evening World (current newspaper)

Probate Records
Online Records
 * 1798 – 1999 Indiana Wills and Probate Records 1798-1999 at Ancestry.com — index and images $
 * Wills,Owen County INGenWeb

School Records

 * Students and Teachers of Spencer High School, Owen County, Indiana (1929, 1930) ($, Indiana Genealogical Society)
 * Directory of Teachers for Owen County (1936) ($, Indiana Genealogical Society)

County Courthouse
Owen County Courthouse Main Street PO Box 146 Spencer, IN 47460 Phone: 812.829.5015

County Health Department has birth and death records from 1882. County Clerk has marriage and court records from 1819, divorce records from 1832 and probate records from1833. County Recorder has land records from 1819.

Family History Centers

 * Bloomington Indiana Family History Center

For additional nearby Family History Centers, search online in the Family History Center directory.

Societies and Libraries

 * Owen County, Indiana Historical and Genealogical Society
 * Owen County, Indiana Public Library
 * Ten O'Clock Line Treaty Museum, Gosport

Births Records

 * Births (Owen County INGenWeb)


 * Owen County, Indiana Births 1880-1882 (Genealogy Trails)

Marriage Records
Blanchard's 1884 county history mentions that the first wedding in the county was a double wedding that predates the recording of marriages in the county record books. This was the marriage of two daughters of Philip Hart to James Bigger and Thomas Allen. The date of this marriage is unknown. The first recorded marriage is dated 4 Oct 1819.


 * Franklin, Charles M. Owen County, Indiana Marriages, 1819-1844. Indianapolis: Ye Olde Genealogie Shoppe, 1979. Digital copy in Internet Archive (can be read online or downloaded in several formats).


 * Index to Owen County, Indiana Marriage Records, 1819-1920. Spencer, Indiana: Owen County Historical &amp; Genealogical Society, [2000?].


 * Marriages (Owen County INGenWeb)


 * Marriages (USGenWeb Archives)


 * Owen County, Indiana Marriage Record 1819-1849. (No further information). Digital copy in Internet Archive (can be read online or downloaded in several formats).


 * Owen County, Indiana Marriages Before 1850, Surnames A-J


 * Owen County, Indiana Marriages Before 1850, Surnames J-Z


 * Indiana Marriages, 1802-1892-Ancestry$


 * 1780-1992 - FamilySearch


 * 1811-2007 - FamilySearch

Death Records

 * Deaths (Owen County INGenWeb)


 * Funeral Parlor Records (USGenWeb Archives)


 * 1882-1920 - FamilySearch


 * Indiana State Digital Archives

Web Sites

 * Genealogy (Owen County Public Library)
 * Owen County (contacts, from Indiana Historical Society)
 * Owen County (Crossroads of America: Early Indiana History)
 * Owen County (family history resources, from Indiana State Library)
 * Owen County (U.S. GenWeb Archives)
 * Owen County InGenWeb Project
 * Owen County, Indiana (County History Preservation Society)
 * Owen County, Indiana (Genealogy Trails)
 * Owen County, Indiana (official government site)
 * Owen County, Indiana (RootsWeb)
 * Owen County, Indiana (Wikipedia)
 * Owen County, Indiana Graves (Find A Grave)
 * Owen County, Indiana Genealogy and Family History (Linkpendium)
 * Owen County, Indiana Genealogy Forum (Genealogy.com)
 * Owen County, Indiana Genealogy Links (GenealogyLinks.net)
 * Owen County, Indiana History, Records, Facts, and Genealogy
 * Owen County, Indiana Longs and Other Matters (Genealogy &amp; History Notes)
 * Owen County Interlink
 * Owen County Online
 * Profile for Owen County, Indiana (ePodunk)
 * Spencer, Indiana: The Official Website of the Town of Spencer, Indiana
 * Spencer, Indiana: The Official Website of the Town of Spencer, Indiana

Townships
The county's original townships were Washington, Franklin, and Montgomery. Various changes were made to townships and township boundaries over the years. Owen County's current townships are as follows:


 * Clay: Clay Township (RootsWeb) | Wikipedia
 * Franklin: Franklin Township (RootsWeb) | City-Data.com | Wikipedia
 * Harrison: Harrison Township (RootsWeb) | Wikipedia
 * Jackson: Jackson Township History (RootsWeb) | Wikipedia
 * Jefferson: Jefferson Township (RootsWeb) | City-Data.com | Wikipedia
 * Jennings:Jennings Township History (RootsWeb) | Wikipedia
 * Lafayette: Lafayette Township History (RootsWeb) | Wikipedia
 * Marion (formerly Grayson): Marion Township History (RootsWeb) | Wikipedia
 * Montgomery: Montgomery Township History (RootsWeb) | Wikipedia
 * Morgan: Morgan Township History (RootsWeb) | Wikipedia
 * Taylor: Taylor Township (RootsWeb) | City-Data.com | Facebook | Wikipedia
 * Washington: Washington Township History (RootsWeb) | Facebook | Wikipedia
 * Wayne: Wayne Township (RootsWeb) | Wikipedia

See also:


 * Townships and Township Lists (Owen Co. IN GenWeb)

Populated Places

 * Gosport: ePodunk | Wikipedia
 * Spencer (county seat): official site | ePodunk | Wikipedia

Unincorporated:


 * Coal City
 * Freedom
 * Patricksburg
 * Quincy

See also:


 * Owen County, Indiana Places and People

Web Sites

 * Owen County, IN History, Records, Facts and Genealogy
 * Indiana Genealogy Network Community on Google+
 * Indiana Genealogy Network Group on Facebook