Fayette County, Iowa Genealogy

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

Description
Fayette County was named for Gilbert du Motier, Marquis de LaFayette and is located in northeastern Iowa.

County Courthouse
Fayette County Courthouse 114 N Vine St West Union, IA 52175 Phone: 563-422-5694 Fayette County Website

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:

Biographies

 * Heritage of Fayette County, Iowa, 1996. West Union, IA: Fayette County Historical Society & Fayette County Genealogical Society. Online at: FamilySearch Digital Library
 *  Historical Sketches of Fayette County, Iowa in the Forties and Fifties. By Thomas Draper Peterman. nd. np: np. Online at: FamilySearch Digital Library.
 * The History of Fayette County, Iowa: Containing a History of the County, its Cities, Towns, &c., a Biographical Directory of its Citizens. Chicago, IL: Western Historical Company, Successors to H.F. Kett & Co., 1878. Online at: FamilySearch Digital Library, Internet Archives, Hathitrust.
 * Past and Present of Fayette County, Iowa. By George W Fitch. Indianapolis, IN: B. F. Bowen & Co., 1910. Online at: Vol. I -   FamilySearch Digital Library, Internet Archive; Vol. II - FamilySearch Digital Library, Vols. I & II - Ancestry ($).
 * Portrait and Biographical Album of Fayette County, Iowa. Chicago, IL: Lake City Publishing Company, 1891. Online at: FamilySearch Digital Library, Internet Archives, Hathitrust.


 * Fayette County, Iowa Biographies Project at RootsWeb — links to biographies and local histories

Business, Commerce, and Occupations

 * Iowa, State Employees at MyHeritage — index & images ($)

Census Records
State Census
 * 1885 at FamilySearch — How to Use this Collection; index and images
 * 1895 at FamilySearch — How to Use this Collection; index and images
 * 1905 at FamilySearch — How to Use this Collection; index and images (individual cards, not family context)
 * 1915 at FamilySearch — How to Use this Collection; index and images
 * 1925 at FamilySearch — How to Use this Collection; index and images

Church Records

 * 1845-1987 at FamilySearch — How to Use this Collection; index and images; selected counties, incomplete; includes, death, church, and cemetery records
 * FamilySearch Places

Lutheran
 * 1781-1969 U.S., Evangelical Lutheran Church in America Church Records, 1781-1969 at Ancestry — index & images ($)

Court Records

 * 1851-1884 (*); District Court at FamilySearch Catalog — images
 * 1858-1861 (*); County Court at FamilySearch Catalog — images
 * 1878-1887 (*); Circuit Court at FamilySearch Catalog — images
 * 1907-1925 (*); Clerk of the District Court at FamilySearch Catalog — index and images

Funeral Homes

 * Becker and Son Funeral Homes in Fayette and Hawkeye
 * Burnham-Wood-Grau Funeral Home and Cremation Service in West Union
 * Jamison-Schmitz Funeral Home, Inc in Arlington, Maynard and Oelwein
 * Leonard-Grau Funeral Home and Cremation Service in Elgin
 * Schutte-Grau Funeral Home and Cremation Service in Clermont
 * S. K. Rogers Funeral Home in Fayette
 * Woods Funeral Home in Fairbank

Land and Property Records
Online Land Indexes and Records

Local Histories

 *  Historical Sketches of Fayette County, Iowa in the Forties and Fifties. By Thomas Draper Peterman. nd. np: np. Online at: FamilySearch Digital Library.
 * The History of Fayette County, Iowa: Containing a History of the County, its Cities, Towns, &c., a Biographical Directory of its Citizens. Chicago, IL: Western Historical Company, Successors to H.F. Kett & Co., 1878. Online at: FamilySearch Digital Library, Internet Archives, Hathitrust.
 * Past and Present of Fayette County, Iowa. By George W Fitch. Indianapolis, IN: B. F. Bowen & Co., 1910. Online at: Vol. I -   FamilySearch Digital Library, Internet Archive; Vol. II - FamilySearch Digital Library, Vols. I & II - Ancestry ($).

Maps and Gazetteers

 * 1860-1918 U.S., Indexed County Land Ownership Maps, 1860-1918, Fayette County at Ancestry ($) - index.
 * 1875-2007 Fayette County 1875-2007 at Historic Map Works - may include names of land-owners.
 * 1885-1981 Fire Insurance Maps for Fayette County, Iowa at Library of Congress - various years between 1884 and 2009.
 * Fayette County Maps at FamilySearch Catalog.
 * IAGenWeb - Fayette County.
 * Iowa Digital Library, Fayette County at Iowa University Libraries.
 * (*); at FamilySearch Catalog — images.
 * The Iowa Heritage Digital Collections, Fayette County at State Library of Iowa.
 * FamilySearch Places: Map of cities and towns in this county - How to Use FS Places.

Military Records
Multiple Wars
 * 1835-1998 at FamilySearch — How to Use this Collection; index only
 * 1862-1910 at FamilySearch — How to Use this Collection; index and images

Civil War
 * 1861-1949 at FamilySearch — How to Use this Collection; index and images

Civil War service men in Fayette 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 here:
 * - 3rd Regiment, Iowa Infantry, Company F
 * - 6th Regiment, Iowa Cavalry, Company C
 * - 9th Regiment, Iowa Infantry, Company F
 * - 12th Regiment, Iowa Infantry, Company C
 * - 15th Regiment, Wisconsin Infantry, Company H
 * - 18th Regiment, Iowa Infantry, Company H
 * - 46th Regiment, Iowa Infantry (100 days, 1864), Company D

Naturalization and Citizenship
Online Naturalization Indexes and Records
 * 1859-1990 at FamilySearch — How to Use this Collection; index and images
 * 1859-1929 (*); Distric Court at FamilySearch Catalog — 1 index, images
 * 1903-1912 (*); Superior Court at FamilySearch Catalog — 1 index, images

Newspapers

 * 1941-1948 The Oelwein Daily Register. Oelwein, IA, USA. Online at Ancestry ($)

Probate Records
Online Probate Indexes and Records
 * 1758-1997 Iowa, U.S., Wills and Probate Records, 1758-1997 at Ancestry — index & images ($)
 * 1851-1928 (*); at FamilySearch — How to Use this Collection; images only
 * 1859-1978 (*); District Court at FamilySearch Catalog - index & images
 * 1862-1885 (*); District Court at FamilySearch Catalog - index & images
 * 1906-1980 (*); District Court at FamilySearch Catalog - images

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 & images ($)
 * 1936-2007 at FamilySearch - How to Use this Collection; index

Tax Records
Online Tax Indexes and Records
 * 1934-1958 at FamilySearch — How to Use this Collection; index and images

Birth

 * 1850-1939 at FamilySearch — How to Use this Collection; index and images
 * 1880-1935 at FamilySearch — How to Use this Collection; index and images
 * 1921-1942 at FamilySearch — How to Use this Collection; index and images

Marriage

 * 1518-1996 Iowa, United States Marriages at Findmypast — index ($)
 * 1809-1992 Iowa, Marriages, 1809-1992 at MyHeritage — index ($)
 * 1836-1926 Iowa, Marriages, 1836 - 1926 at MyHeritage — index ($)
 * 1838-1934 at FamilySearch — How to Use this Collection; index and images
 * 1880-1951 Iowa, U.S., Marriage Records, 1880-1951 at Ancestry — index & images ($)
 * 1941-1951 at FamilySearch — How to Use this Collection; index & images

Death

 * 1845-1987 at FamilySearch — How to Use this Collection; index and images; selected counties, incomplete; includes, death, church, and cemetery records
 * 1850-1990 at FamilySearch — How to Use this Collection; index and some images; Also at: MyHeritage($)
 * 1880-1992 at FamilySearch — How to Use this Collection; index and images
 * 1900-1939 Iowa Death Index, 1900-1939 at MyHeritage — index ($)
 * 1904-1951 at FamilySearch — How to Use this Collection; index and images
 * 1920-1967 Iowa, U.S., Death Records, 1920-1967 at Ancestry — index & images ($)

FamilySearch Centers

 * Cedar Falls/Waterloo Iowa FamilySearch Center
 * Dubuque Iowa FamilySearch Center
 * Mason City Iowa FamilySearch Center
 * African American Museum Of Iowa - an affiliate library
 * Genealogical Society of Linn County Iowa dba Cedar Rapids Area Genealogy Library - an affiliate library

Libraries
Fayette Community Library 104 W State Street PO Box 107 Fayette, IA 52142-0107 Phone: 563-425-3344 Email: [mailto:fayettelib@iowatelecom.net fayettelib@iowatelecom.net] Website Facebook Oelwein Public Library 201 E Charles Street Oelwein, IA 50662 Phone: 319-283-1515 Email: [mailto:oelwein@oelwein.lib.ia.us oelwein@oelwein.lib.ia.us] Website Facebook

Museums
Fayette County Historical Center 100 N Walnut St West Union, IA 52175 Phone: 563-422-5797 Facebook

Societies
Fayette County Historical &amp; Genealogical Society 100 N Walnut St West Union, IA 52175 Phone: 563-422-5797 Email: [mailto:fayettehistorical@gmail.com fayettehistorical@gmail.com] Facebook Oelwein Area Genealogical Society PO Box 389 Oelwein, IA 50662-0389 Email: [mailto:Oelwein_Area_Genealogical_Society@hotmail.com Oelwein_Area_Genealogical_Society@hotmail.com] Website

Websites

 * Fayette County at Cyndi's List - a comprehensive, categorized & cross-referenced list of links that point you to genealogical research sites online
 * Fayette County at Genealogy Trails - volunteer transcriptions of genealogical and historical data
 * Fayette County at Iowa USGenWeb - free online resources for genealogical research
 * Fayette County at Iowa USGenWeb Archives - free online data for genealogical research
 * State Historical Society of Iowa — select from research collection topics
 * State Library of Iowa — electronic depository of documents intended for the general public produced by Iowa agencies
 * The Iowa Heritage Digital Collection — digital images from a variety of Iowa cultural institutions
 * – 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.