Iowa, United States Genealogy

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

This article describes the state. For other uses, see Iowa (disambiguation).

Iowa Information
Iowa became the twenty-ninth state admitted to the United States on December 28, 1846. Iowa was created form Iowa Territory and is located in the Midwestern region of the United States. The capital is Des Moines and there are 99 counties in Iowa.

Getting Started


Iowa Clickable Map
Many genealogy records are kept on the county level in the United States. Click on a county below to go to the county Wiki article listing more information.

Counties
Extinct or Renamed Counties: Bancroft | Buncombe see Lyon County | Cook see Des Moines County | Crocker see Kossuth County | Fox see Calhoun County | Kishkekosh see Monroe County | Risley see Hamilton County | Slaughter see Washington County | Wahkaw see Woodbury County | Yell see Webster County

Iowa Migration Routes
Iowa's rivers provided transportation routes bringing European traders, trappers and explorers like the Frenchmen, Jacques Marquette and Louis Joliet in 1673. Prior to this exploration the land was occupied by the Fox, Ioway, Potawatomi, Oto, Missouri, Sauk, and Sioux Native Americans. The Louisiana Purchase gave the U.S. control of Iowa in 1803. The Black Hawk Purchase in 1833 brought the first official American village. Iowa was populated with settlers pioneering in from Virginia, Kentucky, Indiana, New York, Ohio, and Pennsylvania. When Iowa became a State in 1846, its capital was Iowa City. Iowa’s current borders were drawn in 1857 when Des Moines in Polk county became home of the new State Capital.
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FamilySearch Resources
Below are FamilySearch resources that can assist you in researching your family.
 * Facebook Communities - Facebook groups discussing genealogy research
 * Learning Center - Online genealogy courses
 * Historical Records - databases and record images on FamilySearch
 * Family History Center locator map

Additional Resources

 * Cyndi's List - Iowa genealogy sites on the internet
 * Iowa Genealogy Trails - collection of transcribed data for the state of Iowa
 * Access Genealogy – Genealogy guide for Iowa
 * Ancestorhunt.com - resources for Iowa genealogy research
 * Random Acts of Genealogical Kindness - Guide to Ancestry and Family Tree Records for Iowa
 * Iowa Research Outline – Original Family History Library research outline; contains many out of date links