Appanoose County, Iowa Genealogy

United States &gt; Iowa &gt; Appanoose County

County Courthouse
Appanoose County Courthouse 201 North 12th Street Centerville, IA 52544

(515)856-6101

Appanoose County

Parent County
1843--Appanoose County was created 17 February 1843 from unorganized territory. The county was attached to Davis and Van Buren Counties prior to organizatoin 3 August 1846. County seat: Centerville

Populated Places
For a list of cities and townships go to hometownlocator.com or wikipedia.org.

Neighboring Counties
Davis | Lucas | Monroe | Wapello | Wayne | Putnam County, Missouri | Schuyler County, Missouri

Cemetery Records and Histories
A list of Appanoose County cemeteries that have been identified and transcribed is available on the USGenWeb site.

Iowa Gravestones.org has many Appanoose County gravestone photos.


 * Sargent, Diane. Children Buried in Iowa Cemeteries: Appanoose County.  [Anaheim, CA: Tiger Press, 199?]
 * Sargent, Diane. Military Buried in Iowa Cemeteries: Appanoose County. [Anaheim, CA: Tiger Press, 1998]

LDS Ward and Branch Records

 * Camp of Israel

United Methodist Church

 * Iowa Churches: A File at the Iowa Wesleyan College in Mt. Pleasant, Iowa. This file consists of church histories, anniversary programs, and newspaper clippings. It is arranged by towns or by the name of the church. [FHL Collection Films 956387–417.]
 * Ministerial Biographies: A File in the Iowa Wesleyan College in Mt. Pleasant, Iowa. These films contain biographies, mainly of Methodist ministers. [FHL Collection Films 956418–42.]

County Histories

 * "Abandoned Towns of Appanoose County" from "Abandoned Towns, Villages and Post Offices" by Davide C. Mott in The Annals of Iowa, Volume XVII, Nos. 6, 7 and 8, nad Volume XVIII, Nos. 1, 2 and 3, 1930-1932. Online in the USGenWeb Archives.
 * Appanoose County Historical Atlas [Centerville, IA: Appanoose County Sesquincentennial Commission, 1996] Online on Appanoose County Website.  Revised by W. M. Heusinkveld and reprinted by the Appanoose County Historical and Coal Mining Museum in 2010.
 * Appanoose County Historical Society, Compiled by. The History of Appanoose County, Iowa - 1986. [Dallas, TX: Taylor Publishing Company, 1986]   1986 Appanoose County History Book Index  [Centerville, IA: Appanoose County Genealogical Society, 1990]
 * Arnold, John, Compiled by. A Pictorial History of Appanoose County, Iowa.  Volume I.  [Marceline, MO: D-Books Publishing, 1996]
 * Maxwell, Becky, Compiled by. A Pictorial History of Appanoose County, Iowa.  Volume II.  [Marceline, MO: D-Books Publishing, 2010]
 * Beck, Robert Knowlton. 100th Anniversary: Iowa Trust and Savings Bank, Centerville, Iowa, 1896-1996. [Centerville, IA: Iowa Trust and Savings Bank, 1996]
 * Beck, Robert Knowlton. A Report on the Rathbun Dam.  [Centerville, IA: Daily Iowegian, 1954?]
 * Beck, Robert Knowlton, and Dan Ehl. Rathbun Dam History.  [Centerville, IA: Iowegian, 1976]
 * Beck, Robert Knowlton. History of Rathbun Dam.  [Centerville, IA: R. Beck, 2002]
 * Biographical and Historical Record of Wayne and Appanoose Counties, Iowa. [Chicago: Inter-State Publishing Company, 1886]  Online in Internet Archive. Online on RootsWeb freepages with index.  Biographies from Biographical and Historical Record of Wayne and Appanoose Counties, Iowa, are transcribed in Iowa Biographies Project.
 * Early Pioneer Stories. [Centerville, IA: Appanoose County Genealogical Society, 19??] Reprint of articles in the Progress Anniversary Edition of the Centerville Daily Iowegian, 10 January 1934.
 * Fitzpatrick, T. J. "The Place-Names of Appanoose County, Iowa" published in American Speech, Volume 3, Number 1 (October, 1927), pp. 39-66, published by the Duke University Press.  Reprinted by the Appanoose County Genealogical Society.  Digitized by JSTOR which can be accessed through a participating library or insttution.
 * Heusinkveld, W. M. Historical Sketches of Pioneer Days in Appanoose County, Iowa. [Centerville, IA: Bill Heusinkveld, 2004]  Originally written as columns for the Centerville Daily Iowegian from July 2002 to July 2004.
 * Heusinkveld, W. M. A Pictorial History of the Towns of Appanoose County Past and Present, including "Monuments of Ghost Towns" by O. R. Parks. [Centerville, IA: W. M. Heusinkveld, 2003]
 * Heusinkveld, W. M. Cemeteries of Appanoose County, Iowa. [Centerville, IA: W. M. Heusinkveld, 1999]
 * Heusinkveld, Willis M., Editor. Mormon Trails Across Appanoose County, Iowa. [Centerville, IA: Appanoose County Mormon Trail Association, 1995]
 * Heusinkveld, W. M. Nine Appanoose Regiments in the Civil War. [Centerville, IA: W. M. Heusinkveld, 2007]
 * Heusinkveld, W. M. The History of Coal Mining in Appanoose County, Iowa. [Centerville, IA: W. M. Heusinkveld, 2007]
 * Heusinkveld, W. M. This Day in Iowa History.  [Centerville, IA: Appanoose County Sesquicentennial Commission, 1995]
 * Iowa State Association of Counties.The History of County Government In Iowa. [Des Moines, IA: Iowa State Association of Counties, ????]  Brochure.  Online on Appanoose County Website.
 * Iowa State Association of Counties. The Structure of County Government in Iowa - Elected and Appointed Offices. [Des Moines, IA: Iowa State Association of Counties, ????]  Brochure.  Online on Appanoose County Website.
 * Iowa State Association of Counties. Iowa County Government Organizational Chart. [Des Moines, IA: Iowa State Association of Counties, September 2003.  Online on Appanoose County Website.
 * Iowa State Association of Counties. Understanding County Government. [Des Moines, IA: Iowa State Association of Counties, ????] Brochure.  Online on Appanoose County Website.
 * Johnson, Helen Taylor. Rural School Memories, Appanoose County, Iowa. [Centerville, IA: Helen Taylor Johnson, 19??]  Information, memories and pictures contributed by many volunteers about the 140 schools in Appanoose County in 1912.
 * Johnson, M. Ruth, Compiled and Researched by. Postoffices and Postmasters of Appanoose County, Iowa, 1846 to 1988.  [Centerville, IA: M. Ruth Johnson, 1988]
 * Jones, Mark H. Inventory of County Records - Appanoose County, Iowa.  [Iowa City, IA: County Records Project, Iowa State Historical Department, Division of State Historical Society, 1978] [FHL US/CAN Film #1036271, Item #18, Salt Lake City, UT: Filmed by the Genealogical Society of Utah, 1979]
 * Lewis, S. Thompson.  Biographical and Genealogical History of Appanoose and Monroe Counties, Iowa. [New York &amp; Chicago: The Lewis Publishing Company, 1903.  Online on the Internet Archive.  Biographies from Biographical and Genealogical History of Appanoose and Monroe Counties, Iowa, transcribed in Iowa Biographies Project.
 * Iowa State Planning Board. An Approach to County Planning, Appanoose County. [Des Moines, IA: Iowa State Planning Board, April 1936]  Online Appanoose County Planning and Zoning Homepage.
 * Iowa State Planning Board, Committee on Business and Industry. The Industrial History of Appanoose County, Iowa.  [Des Moines, IA: Iowa State Planning Board, Committee on Business and Industry, 1935]  Online in the Iowa Digital Library.
 * "National Register of Historic Places in Appanoose County, Iowa." Online in Wikipedia.
 * "Pioneer Roll of Honor" published in the Daily Iowegian, 10 January 1934, and reprinted by the Appanoose County Genealogical Society.
 * "Post Offices in Appanoose County, 1865" from Iowa State Gazetteer, compiled and edited by James T. Hair [Chicago: Bailey &amp; Hair, 1865]
 * Ramsey, Guy R. "Names of Old Towns Fading into Haze of Past Memories,"  The Daily Iowegian, 28 November 1948.
 * Stamps, Maurice. Shoal Creek Legends.  [Seymour, IA: Seymour Community Club, April 2007]  The three volumes of Shoal Creek Legends were originally newspaper articles published in The Seymour Herald; printed and sold by the Seymour Community Club as fundraising projects.  Maurice Stamps grew up around Shoal Creek in Franklin Township, Appanoose County, and served many years as a teacher and administrator in the Seymour Community Schools.
 * Stamps, Maurice. More Shoal Creek Legends. [Seymour, IA: Seymour Community Club, August 2007]
 * Stamps, Maurice.  Shoal Creek Legends 3. [Seymour, IA: Seymour Community Club, 2009]
 * The History of Appanoose County, Iowa [Chicago: Western Historical Company, 1878] Online in Internet Archive. Online in Google Books.  Biographies from The History of Appanoose County, Iowa, are transcribed in Iowa Biographies Project.
 * Taylor, L. L., Editor. Past and Present of Appanoose County, Iowa - Volume 1 [Chicago: The S. J. Clarke Publishing Company, 1913] Online in Google eBookstore.  Online in Internet Archive.
 * Taylor, L. L. Editor. Past and Present of Appanoose County, Iowa - Volume II [Chicago: The S. J. Clarke Publishing Company,m 1913] Online in Google eBookstore.  Online in Internet Archive. Biographies from Past and Present of Appanoose County, Iowa, transcribed in Iowa Biographies Project.
 * "Tour of Iowa Counties: Appanoose County" published in the Daily State Register, February 10, 11 and 12, 1869. Online in America's GenealogyBank.
 * Worth, Goldie, Compiled by. The History of Medicine in Appanoose County.  [Centerville, IA: Presented to Appanoose County Medical Society, November 1962]
 * Young, Ann E. and Mary Jo Den Hartog. One Solid Comfort.  [Centerville, IA: Printed by Town Crier, LTD, Pella, Iowa, for the Mercy Medical Center, 2010]  A history of St. Joseph's Mercy Hospital in celebration of its 100th Anniversary.

Biographies, Autobiographies, Papers, Diaries, Oral Histories

 * Beck, Robert Knowlton. Papers of Robert K. Beck, 1939-1971.  Archival Material at the Main Library of the State University of Iowa, Iowa City, Iowa, comprised of clippings, speeches, correspondence, and subject files regarding newspaper publishing and Republican Party politics in Iowa.
 * Davis, Merle O., Interviewer. Iowa Labor History Oral Project .  [Cedar Rapids, IA: Heritage Microfilm Inc., 2001]  State Historical Society of Iowa Special Collections. Centerville:  Oral interviews in Centerville, Iowa, conducted on 13 October 1981 with John Buban, Charles Cortesio, Charles Fox and Joe Padavich; one microfilm reel - 35 mm;  Mystic: Oral interviews in Mystic, Iowa, conducted in 1981 with John and Jennie Ducey, Marcel Gerard, and John Kuchan; one microfil reel - 35 mm.
 * Elder, Donald C. III, Editor. Love Amid the Turmoil - The Civil War Letters of William &amp; Mary Vermilion. [Iowa City, IA: University of Iowa Press, 2003]  William Vermilion (1830-1894) served as a captain in Company F of the 36th Iowa Infantry.  After the war he became a noted Centerville attorney and state senator.  Mary Alice Cecilia Kemper Vermilion (1831-1883) was a school teacher who grew up in Indiana and married William in 1858.  They are buried in Oakland Cemetery, Centerville, Iowa.
 * Ellis, Christine. "People Who Cannot Be Bought," in Rand and File - Personal Histories by Working-Class Organizers, edited by Alice Lynd and Staughton Lynd. [Princeton, NJ: Princeton University Press, c1981]; [Reprinted: New York: Monthly Review Press, 19??], pages 1-25.
 * Estes, Simon, and Mary L. Swanson. Simon Estes: In His Own Voice: An Autobiography.  [Cumming, IA: LMP, 1999]
 * Faber, Inez McAlister. Out Here on Soap Creek - An Autobiography. [Ames, IA: Iowa State University Press, 1982]
 * Felkner, Myrtle E. I Knew Them All by Heart - The Legacy of a Sunday School Teacher.  [Nashville, TN: Discipleship Resources, 2006]
 * Henry, Ben A. Ben A. Henry Papers, 1909-1976.  Iowa Labor Collection, State Historical Society of Iowa.  Archival material containing photocopies of a 91-page handwritten autobiography, two scrap books with correspondence, certificates, volunteer and union cards, news clippings and photographs, and an obituary of Ben A. Henry.  He was born in Missouri and lived in Mystic where his father was a coal miner. He joined the United Mine Workers at age 14 and held various offices until becoming an official of UMW District 13 (Iowa) in 1932.
 * Heusinkveld, W. M, Gary Craver, and J. B. McConville. F. M. Drake 1831-1903.  [Centerville, IA, 2002] This biographical sketch was compiled from articles published in various sources. See also: "Brigadier General Francis Marion Drake" in Biographical Sketches of Distinguished Officers of the Army and Navy [New York: L. R. Hamersly, 1905] pages 158-164, online in the Internet Archive; "Francis Marion Drake" by John T. Brown in Churches of Christ - A Historical, Biographical, and Pictorial History of Churches of Christ [Louisville, KY: John P. Morton and Company, 1904] pages436-437, online at Memorial University of Newfoundland and the Hathi Trust Digital Library; "General Francis Marion Drake" by Benjamin F. Shambaugh in Biographies and Portraits of the Progressive Men of Iowa.  Volume II, Pages 97-100. [Des Moines, IA: Conaway &amp; Shaw, Publishers, 1899], "Francis M. Drake" by Benjamin F Gue in History of Iowa, Volume IV Iowa Biography, Page 80. [New York: The Century History Company, 1903], online in Iowa Biographies Project, and Memorial to Francis Marion Drake at Oakland Cemetery, Centerville, Iowa, online at Find A Grave.
 * Hueston, Ethel. Preacher's Wife.  [Indianapolis &amp; New York: The Bobbs-Merrill Company Publishers, 1941].  Biography of Julia Anne Buell Powelson, wife of the Rev. Charles Wesley Powelson, by their daughter Ethel Powelson Hueston.  Rev. Powelson served Methodist churches in Plano, Cincinnati, Jerome and, Mystic for five years in the late 1800s.  Ethel was born during this time in Appanoose County.
 * Kelly, Orr, and Mary Davies Kelly. Dream's End - Two Iowa Brothers in the Civil War.  [New York: Kodansha International, 1998].  The Civil War story of Andrew Jackson Brayman and Edward Barney Brayman who lived in Bellair, Appanoose County, when they enlisted in the Union Army; Andrew served in the 36th Iowa Volunteer Infantry; Barney served in the Eighth Iowa Cavalry.  Their lives are memorialized by a small obelisk in the Miller Cemetery in Lincoln Township, Appanoose County.
 * Larimer, Mrs. Sarah L. The Capture and Escape; or, Life Among the Sioux.  [Philadelphia: Claxton, Remsen &amp; Haffelfinger, 1870] [Reprinted by Kessinger Publishing, 2009] Sarah Luce Larimer, her husband William Larimer, and their son are buried in Oakland Cemetery, Centerville, IA.
 * Leffert, Dr. F. B. Life and Medical Practice of a Country Lad.  [Des Moines, IA: Printed by Wallace-Homestead Co., 1975]
 * The Iowa Press Association. Who's Who in Iowa, a Biographical Record of Iowa's Leaders in Business, Professional and Public Life.  [Des Moines, IA: Iowa Press Association, 1940]  Transcriptions of the biographical sketches of Appanoose County's leaders included in this publication are online on the Appanoose County IAGenWeb page.
 * Stamps, Maurice. Shoal Creek Legends. [Seymour, IA: Seymour Community Club, April 2007] The three volumes of Shoal Creek Legends were originally newspaper articles published in The Seymour Herald; printed and sold by the Seymour Community Club as fundraising projects. Maurice Stamps grew up around Shoal Creek in Franklin Township, Appanoose County, and served many years as a teacher and administrator in the Seymour Community Schools.
 * Stamps, Maurice. More Shoal Creek Legends. [Seymour, IA: Seymour Community Club, August 2007]
 * Stamps, Maurice. Shoal Creek Legends 3. [Seymour, IA: Seymour Community Club, 2009]
 * Vermilion, William F. William F. Vermilion Papers.  Collection Number: MSS 0417,  Mandeville Special Collections Library, University of California at San Diego. The Papers are arranged in five series: (1) Personal Materials, (2) Civil War Materials, (3) Political Materials, (4) Business Materials, and (5) Microfilm of the Civil War Correspondence.  Vermilion was a physician, lawyer, Iowa State senator, and Civil War Captain (1862-1865) of Company F, 36th Regiment of Iowa Volunteer Infantry.

Maps &amp; Atlases
David Rumsey Map Collection is a large online collection of rare, old, antique historical atlases, globes, maps, charts plus other cartographic treasures.

Newspapers
The Newspaper Directory on the Library of Congress' Chronicling America lists 21 newspapers which have been published in Appanoose County, Iowa. The site tells the years in which each newspaper was published, detailed information about each paper, and identifies the major libraries that have holdings of it and which issues each library holds. There were other newspapers (in Mystic and Cincinnati) published in Appanoose County, but no copies of them exist. Also, information on Appanoose County often appeared in newspapers in neighboring counties -- Wayne County, Davis County, Lucas County, Monroe County, Wapello County in Iowa; and Putnam County and Schuyler County in Missouri.

Trails, Roads, Highways and Waterways
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Archives, Museums and Libraries
Appanoose County Historical and Coal Mining Museum, 100 West Maple, Centerville, Iowa 52544

Drake Public Library, 115 Drake Avenue, Centerville, Iowa 52544 -- see it's collections and resources for local and family history research related to Appanoose County. The Genealogical Society of Appanoose County collection is housed at the Drake Public Library. The genealogy section features family histories, local plat maps, historic phone directories, school yearbooks from area schools, and miscellaneous histories of ghost towns. A microfilm reader is provided at the library to view the microfilm collection which includes: Centerville newspapers 1861-Present, Circuit Court Records, Miscellaneous Church Records, Appanoose County Probate Records, Census Records, Other Iowa Newspapers, Land Records, and Marriage Records.

Iowa Genealogical Society Library, 628 East Grand Avenue, Des Moines, Iowa 50309-1924 -- see it's collections and resources for local and family history research related to Appanoose County.

Prairie Trails Museum of Wayne County and Historical and Genealogical Library, 515 East Jefferson Street (Route #2), Corydon, Iowa 50060 -- see it's collections and resources for local and family history research.

State Historical Society of Iowa's archives, libraries and museum -- see it's collections and resources for local and family history research related to Appanoose County.

The Wabash Depot Museum, 800 West North Street, Moravia, Iowa - Obtained from the Norfolk and Southern Railroad in 1976 when the line was discontinued through Moravia, Iowa. Displays include a section car used on the rails in the early 1900s, an operational signal board for signaling train crews before modern radio communications were used, models of trains and railroads that once crossed Appanoose County and Moravia, and artifacts of local history providing a look at how people once lived in Moravia.

Societies

 * Appanoose County Historical Society If you are looking for information on coal mines in Appanoose County, this museum is a treasure trove of information.  It stores hundreds of books from the old mines.  There are also old mortgages and other bank records that can be found here, though they are not organized.
 * Appanoose County Genealogical Society, P.O. Box 684, Centerville, Iowa 52544-0684. Meets in the Iowa Room at the Drake Public Library on the first Thursday of each month at 6:00 p.m.  See list of their publications which are for sale.

Web Sites

 * The Appanoose County IA GenWeb Project
 * The IAGenWeb Project
 * The USGenWeb Project.
 * Appanoose County, Iowa Genealogy and Family History (Linkpendium)
 * The Jerome Journal -- This blog contains information about the history of Jerome and Lincoln Township in Appanoose County and the people who have lived in Jerome and the surrounding area.
 * This blog, The Musings of MidwestAncestree, contains many references to Appanoose County families.
 * The Iowa Heritage Digital Collections. The Iowa Heritage Digital Collections is an online repository of Iowa history and culture, maintained by the State Library of Iowa, which brings together digital resources of Iowa libraries, museums, historical societies and other cultural institutions to enhance access to and preserve long–term accessibility of these valuable materials.
 * Iowa Publications Online -- a service of the State Library of Iowa. Their website is an electronic depository of documents intended for the general public produced by Iowa state agencies.
 * Iowa Publications Online -- a service of the State Library of Iowa. Their website is an electronic depository of documents intended for the general public produced by Iowa state agencies.