Putnam County, Indiana Genealogy

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



Description
Putnam County was named for Israel Putnam. It is located in the west-central area of the state.

County Courthouse
 Putnam County Courthouse 1 Courthouse Square Street PO Box 546 Greencastle, IN 46135-0546 Phone: 765-653-2648 County Courthouse

Putnam County Health Department 1542 S Bloomington St Suite 1500 Greencastle, IN, 46135 Health Officer: Robert Heavin, MD Phone Number: 765-301-7660 Fax: 765-301-7665 Email: jyoung@putnamhealthindiana.org Health Department

County Health Department has birth and death records. County Clerk has marriage records from 1822, Divorce and Probate Records from 1825 and Court Records from 1828. County Recorder 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

 * Ellis Family Bible Records at Indiana State Library Digital Collections

Biographies

 * Indiana Biography Index at Indiana State Library

Cemeteries

 * Putnam County Cemetery Restoration at the Indiana Pioneer Cemeteries Restoration Project

Census Records

 * Index to Mortality Schedule for Putnam County (1860, 1870, 1880) at Indiana Genealogical Society ($)
 * Index to Defective, Dependent &amp; Delinquent Census for Putnam County (1880) at Indiana Genealogical Society ($)

Church Records
List of Churches and Church Parishes
 * FamilySearch Places


 * Putnam County Churches at INGenWeb

Court Records

 * 1823-1915 (*); Circuit Court at FamilySearch Catalog — index & images
 * 1825-1921 (*); Circuit Court at FamilySearch Catalog — index & images
 * 1855-1873 (*); Court of Common Pleas at FamilySearch Catalog — index & images
 * 1855-1915 (*); Common Pleas Court at FamilySearch Catalog — index & images

Directories

 * Directory of Businesses in Putnam County, Indiana (1858) at Indiana Genealogical Society ($)

Funeral Homes

 * Bittles and Hurt Funeral Home in Greencastle.
 * Hopkins-Rector Funeral Home in Greencastle.
 * Servies, Morgan and Machledt Funeral Home in Roachdale.
 * Whitaker Funeral Home in Cloverdale.

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

 * Biographical and Historical Record of Putnam County, Indiana. 1887. Chicago, Illinois : Lewis Pub. Co.  Online at: FamilySearch Digital Library, Hathitrust, Internet Archive;.
 * Weik's History of Putnam County, Indiana. 1910. By Jesse W. Weik.  Indianapolis : B.F. Bowen & Co., Pub.  Online at: FamilySearch Digital Library, Hathitrust, Internet Archive, Ancestry ($);.

Maps and Gazetteers

 * Old Antique Atlases &amp; Maps of Indiana


 * Historic Indiana Maps at IUPUI University Library
 * FamilySearch Places: Map of cities and towns in this county - How to Use FS Places

Military Records

 * Military Record Series Index at Indiana Digital Archives
 * Military War data (all wars):
 * INGenWeb
 * USGenWeb
 * Veterans in Putnam County, Indiana (1913) at Indiana Genealogical Society ($)

Mexican War
 * Residents of Putnam County Who Served in the Mexican War (1846-1848) at Indiana Genealogical Society ($)

Civil War Civil War service men from Putnam 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 Putnam County.


 * 1st Regiment, Indiana Heavy Artillery, Company E
 * 6th Regiment, Indiana Cavalry, Company C
 * 10th Regiment, Indiana Infantry, Company H
 * 11th Regiment, Indiana Infantry, Reorganized Companies F, H, and K
 * 13th Battery, Indiana Light Artillery
 * 13th Regiment, Indiana Infantry, Reorganized Company F, and H
 * 14th Regiment, Indiana Infantry, Company D
 * 15th Regiment, Indiana Infantry, Company F
 * 16th Regiment, Indiana Infantry, Company K
 * 20th Battery, Indiana Light Artillery
 * 27th Regiment, Indiana Infantry, Companies A, and I
 * 43rd Regiment, Indiana Infantry, Companies B, and H
 * 59th Regiment, Indiana Infantry, Company G
 * 78th Regiment, Indiana Infantry (60 days, 1862), Companies A, and B
 * 97th Regiment, Indiana Infantry, Company D
 * 99th Regiment, Indiana Infantry, Company I
 * 115th Regiment, Indiana Infantry (6 months, 1863-4), Companies C, H, and I
 * 123rd Regiment, Indiana Infantry, Companies E, and G
 * 133rd Regiment, Indiana Infantry (100 days, 1864),
 * 149th Regiment, Indiana Infantry, Companies C, H, and I
 * 156th Regiment, Indiana Infantry, Company D, and E
 * 28th US Colored Troops, Addition Recruits for Colored Troops

World War I
 * 1919 at FamilySearch - How to Use this Collection

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

Obituaries

 * Wabash Valley Obituary Index - from the Vigo County Public Library contains most of Vigo County, but includes Putnam and other counties. These are indexes to obituaries published in Terre Haute newspapers from 1900-2007.
 * Putnam Public Library - obituary index from The Banner Graphic, newspaper of Greencastle, covers 1972 to the present and is updated every two weeks.

Probate Records
Online Probate Indexes and Records
 * 1798-1999 Indiana Wills and Probate Records 1798-1999 at Ancestry ($)
 * 1823-1902 Putnam County, Indiana Will Records, 1823-1902. By Slevin, Ruth M. Putnam County, Indiana : Putnam County, Indiana, n.d. Online at: FamilySearch Digital Library
 * 1825-1831 Putnam County, Indiana, Probate Record, 1825-1831. By Slevin, Ruth M. Putnam County, Indiana : Putnam County, Indiana, 1967. Online at: FamilySearch Digital Library.
 * 1825-1921 (*); Clerk of the Circuit Court and Circuit Court at FamilySearch Catalog — index and images
 * 1831-1838 Putnam County, Indiana, Order Book A, Probate Court, 1831-1838. 1967. By Slevin, Ruth M. Putnam County, Indiana : Putnam County, Indianan, 1967. Online at: FamilySearch Digital Library.
 * 1844-1921 (*); Circuit Court at FamilySearch Catalog — images
 * 1885-1919 (*); Circuit Court at FamilySearch Catalog — index and images
 * Dates Vary United States Wills and Deeds Experimental Search at FamilySearch - incomplete index and images, counties and dates vary

School Records

 * Directory of Teachers for Putnam 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.
 * 1936-2007 at FamilySearch - How to Use this Collection; index

Birth

 * Birth Records at USGenWeb Project

Marriage

 * 1780-1992  at FamilySearch - How to Use this Collection; Also at: MyHeritage ($)
 * 1800-2007 Indiana, United States Marriages at Findmypast ($)
 * 1802-1892 Indiana, Compiled Marriages, 1802-1892 at Ancestry
 * 1811-1959 Indiana, Marriages, 1811-1959 at MyHeritage - index & images ($)
 * 1811-2007 at FamilySearch - How to Use this Collection
 * Marriage Records at USGenWeb Project

Death

 * Pre-1882 WEB: Indiana, Deaths, Pre-1882 at Ancestry - 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
 * Death Records at USGenWeb Project

FamilySearch Centers

 * Crawfordsville Indiana FamilySearch Center
 * Terre Haute Indiana FamilySearch Center
 * Danville-Center Township Public Library - an affiliate library.
 * Putnam County Library - an affiliate library.
 * Vigo County Public Library - an affiliate library.

Libraries
Putnam County Library 103 E Poplar St Greencastle, IN 46135 Phone: 765-653-2755 Facebook Website

Museums
Putnam County Museum 1105 N Jackson St Greencastle, IN 46135 Phone: 765-653-8419 Email: [mailto:info@putnamcountymuseum.org info@putnamcountymuseum.org] Facebook Website

Societies
Putnam County Genealogical Club RR 1, Box 28 Bainbridge, IN 46105 Putnam County Historical Society 103 East Poplar St PO Box 801 Greencastle, IN 46135 Wabash Valley Genealogy Society PO Box 7012 Terre Haute, IN 47802-7012 Email: [mailto:wvgs@inwvgs.org wvgs@inwvgs.org] Website

Websites

 * Putnam County, Indiana Genealogy and Family History (Linkpendium)
 * 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
 * INGenWeb, Putnam County
 * USGenWeb, Putnam County
 * Indiana State Library, Putnam County records.
 * – 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.