Randolph County, Indiana Genealogy

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

Description
Randolph County was named for the North Carolina county home of many of the area’s immigrating Quaker settlers. The county is located in the east-central part of the state.

County Courthouse
Randolph County Courthouse 100 South Main Street #307 Winchester, IN 47394 Phone: 765-584-7070 County Courthouse

Randolph County Health Department 325 South Oak Street, Suite 202 Winchester, IN, 47394 Health Officer: Kenneth Sowinski, MD Phone Number: 765-584-1155 Fax: 765-584-3226 Email: rchdinvr@ Health Department

County Health Department has birth and death records. County Clerk has marriage, divorce, probate and court records. County Recorder has land records from 1818 and newspapers from 1876. 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:

History Timeline
Randolph County was created on 10 January 1818 from a portion of Wayne County, Indiana. Frontier settlement had begun to reach the area by 1814. The county was named for old Randolph County, North Carolina, many settlers having moved westward from the Carolinas. Winchester was established as the county seat the same year the county was founded.

The first settlement was made in 1814 by a Quaker family, which was joined by five other families. By late 1816 the influx of new settlement and land entries grew rapidly. The years of most rapid growth were 1817-18 and 1836-37, much of the land purchased by speculators. The first school in Randolph County was built by Quakers in 1815. The first election was held in August 1818. The first road opened was the Quaker Trace in 1817, running from Richmond to Ft. Wayne. The first Court House was built in 1818. The first railroad through the county was the Indianapolis and Bellefontaine, completed in 1852-53.

Frame and brick structures, mills, orchards, factories, stores, hotels and banks followed.

Biographies

 * Indiana Biography Index at Indiana State Library

Census Records

 * Early Settlers of Randolph County at Indiana Genealogical Society ($)
 * Selected Residents of Randolph County, Indiana Territory (1808) at Indiana Genealogical Society ($)
 * Index to Defective, Dependent &amp; Delinquent Census for Randolph County, Indiana (1880) at Indiana Genealogical Society ($)

Directories

 * Directory of Selected Residents of Randolph County (1876) at Indiana Genealogical Society ($)

Ethnic, Political, and Religious Groups
Anti-slavery sentiments were common in Randolph County, as many early settlers had left the Carolinas to be free of the practice. Active supporters of the emancipation movement were found around 1816. The Underground Railroad functioned, and runaways were sheltered and assisted in their escape.

Local Histories

 * History of Randolph County, Indiana. 1882. By E. Tucker.  Chicago, Illinois : A.L. Klingman.  Online at: FamilySearch Digital Library, Hathitrust, Internet Archive;.
 * Past and Present of Randolph County Indiana. 1914. By John L. Smith, Lee Driver.  A.W. Bowen and Co., Indianapolis, Indiana.  Online at: FamilySearch Digital Library, Hathitrust, Internet Archive;.
 * Randolph County, Indiana, 1818-1990. c1991. Compiled by the Randolph County Historical Society. Paducah, Kentucky : Turner Pub. Co.  Online at: FamilySearch Digital Library;.

Maps and Gazetteers

 * Old Antique Atlases & Maps of Indiana


 * Historic Indiana Maps at IUPUI University Library

Military Records

 * Military Record Series Index at Indiana Digital Archives
 * African American Veterans in Randolph County, Indiana (1890) at Indiana Genealogical Society ($)

Civil War Civil War service men from Randolph 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 Randolph County.


 * 8th Regiment, Indiana Infantry, Company C, and Reorganized Company G
 * 9th Regiment, Indiana Infantry, Reorganized Company C
 * 9th Regiment, Indiana Cavalry, Companies H,and K
 * 19th Regiment, Indiana Infantry, Company C
 * 20th Regiment, Indiana Infantry, Reorganized Company A, and E
 * 57th Regiment, Indiana Infantry, Companies B, C,D, E, and F
 * 84th Regiment, Indiana Infantry, Companies A, E, and H
 * 99th Regiment, Indiana Infantry, Company H
 * 105th Regiment, Indiana Infantry, Company I
 * 106th Regiment, Indiana Infantry, Companies A, and B
 * 109th Regiment, Indiana Infantry, Company K
 * 124th Regiment, Indiana Infantry, Companies G, and H
 * 134th Regiment, Indiana Infantry (100 days, 1864), Company F
 * 139th Regiment, Indiana Infantry (100 days, 1864), Company I
 * 140th Regiment, Indiana Infantry, Companies F, and K
 * 144th Regiment, Indiana Infantry, Company K
 * 147th Regiment, Indiana Infantry, Company A
 * 150th Regiment, Indiana Infantry, Companies D, and I
 * 28th US Colored Troops, Addition Recruits for Colored Troops

Civil War Books:
 * "Military" Chapter 20 in Tucker, E. 1882. History of Randolph County, Indiana: with illustrations and biographical sketches of some of its prominent men and pioneers: to which are appended maps of its several townships. (Chicago: A.L. Klingman.), (page 238-296, Regiment, Company, some Names), 977.266 H2t FHL US/CAN Large Q Book, ; Internet Archive

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
Early newspapers were The Journal at Winchester, and The Times at Union City.Early banks were Citizens Bank and Commercial Bank of Union City, and Farmers and Merchants Bank and Randolph County Bank of Winchester.
 * 1800s-1999 U.S., Newspapers.com Marriage Index, 1800s-1999 at Ancestry - index ($)
 * 1804-2010 Hoosier State Chronicles 1804-2011

Obituaries
Almost 7,000 obituaries from Randolph County and residents of Darke County, Ohio are included in the following newspapers and provided courtesy of Darke County Genealogical Researchers:


 * 1934-1939 - Union City Evening Times Obituaries from June, 1934 to March, 1939, at Darke County Genealogical Researchers
 * 1939-1948 - Union City Times-Gazette Obituaries from May, 1939 to December, 1948 at Darke County Genealogical Researchers

Other Records
Anti-slavery Anti-slavery sentiments were common in Randolph County, as many early settlers had left the Carolinas to be free of the practice. Active supporters of the emancipation movement were found around 1816. The Underground Railroad functioned, and runaways were sheltered and assisted in their escape.

Probate Records

 * 1798-1999 Indiana Wills and Probate Records 1798-1999 at Ancestry

School Records

 * Directory of Teachers for Randolph County 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.

Marriage

 * 1780-1992  at FamilySearch - How to Use this Collection
 * 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 and images, ($)
 * 1811-2007 at FamilySearch - How to Use this Collection

Death

 * Pre-1882 WEB: Indiana, Deaths, Pre-1882 at Ancestry.com - 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

Family History Centers

 * Anderson Indiana Family History Center
 * Muncie Indiana Family History Center
 * Richmond Indiana Family History Center
 * Anderson Indiana Public Library - an affiliate library.
 * Hancock County Public Library - an affiliate library.

Libraries

 * Winchester Community Library 125 N East Street Winchester, IN 47394 Phone: 765-584-4824 Website

Societies

 * Randolph County History and Genealogy in Indiana 416 South Meridian Street Winchester, IN 47394 Phone: 765-584-1334 Email: [mailto:rchsmuseum@gmail.com rchsmuseum@gmail.com] Facebook Website

Websites

 * Randolph 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
 * Randolph County Resources on IndianasGore
 * USGenWeb Archives, Randolph County
 * INGenWeb, Randolph County
 * – 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.