Poweshiek County, Iowa Genealogy

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

Description
The County was named for the chief of the Fox Indians. The County has Montezuma as its seat and the County was created 1843. The County is located in the central area of the state.

County Courthouse
The Poweshiek County Courthouse in Montezuma contains vital records (starting about 1848 for birth, marriage, and death) on the 2nd floor. The staff is friendly and helpful. Access inside the records vault is allowed, although no cameras are permitted. There is no charge for transcribing documents, and since personal computers are allowed inside the records vault, transcription is easy. The cost for having the staff make copies was only a few dollars per copy.

Parent County
1843--Poweshiek County was created 17 February 1843 from Keokuk County. It was attached to Mahaska and iowa Counties prior to organization 3 April 1848. County seat:  Montezuma

Boundary Changes
For animated maps illustrating Iowa County boundary changes, "Rotating Formation Iowa County Boundary Maps" (1816-1872) may be viewed for free at the MapofUS.org website.

Record Loss
There is no known history of courthouse disasters in this county.

Places/Localities
Town/city records in the FamilySearch Catalog

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:

Neighboring Counties
Benton • Iowa •  Jasper •  Keokuk •  Mahaska •  Marshall •  Tama

Census
State Census
 * 1895 - at FamilySearch — index and images
 * 1905 - at FamilySearch — index and images
 * 1915 - at FamilySearch — index and images
 * 1925 - at FamilySearch — index and images

Lutheran

 * Records of the Trinity Lutheran Church, Malcom, in Evangelical Lutheran Church in America database at Archives.com ($).

Local Histories

 * History of Poweshiek County, Iowa : a record of settlement, organization, progress and achievement. By Leonard Fletcher Parker. Chicago : S. J. Clarke, 1911. Online at: Vol. 1, Vol.2 Internet Archive, Vol. 1and Vol.2 HathiTrust;.


 * The History of Poweshiek County, Iowa : containing a history of the county, its cities, towns, &amp;c., biographical sketches of its citizens, war record, history of the northwest. Des Moines [Iowa] : Union Historical, 1880. Online at:, Google Books.


 * Iowans born in Ohio : the history of Poweshiek County, Iowa. The Report (Ohio Genealogical Society) - v. 41 (2001) - v. 41, no. 4 (winter 2001). Online at:.

Maps

 * Old Antique Atlases &amp; Maps of Iowa

Military

 * 1835-1998 - at FamilySearch — index
 * 1861-1949 - at FamilySearch — index and images
 * 1862-1910 - at FamilySearch — index

Civil War

 * - 10th Regiment, Iowa Infantry, Company F
 * - 13th Regiment, Iowa Infantry, Company I
 * - 28th Regiment, Iowa Infantry, Company C
 * - 28th Regiment, Iowa Infantry, Company H
 * - 46th Regiment, Iowa Infantry (100 days, 1864), Company B

Naturalization and Citizenship

 * 1859-1990 - at FamilySearch — index and images

Newspapers
NewspaperArchive.com ($) has a large collection of digitized Iowa newspapers online. This database is sometimes free at libraries.


 * Grinnell Herald Register. 1940, 1953, 1954. Grinnell, IA, USA. Online at: Ancestry.com ($)

Probate
Online Probate Records


 * 1758 - 1997 Iowa Wills and Probate Records 1758-1997 at Ancestry.com — index and images $

Taxation

 * 1934-1958 - at FamilySearch — index

Births

 * 1850-1939 - at FamilySearch — index and images
 * 1921-1942 - at FamilySearch — index and images

Marriages

 * 1518-1996 - Iowa, United States Marriages at FindMyPast — index $
 * 1838-1934 - at FamilySearch — index and images

Deaths

 * 1850-1990 - at FamilySearch
 * 1880-1992 - at FamilySearch — index
 * 1904-1951 - at FamilySearch — index and images

Societies and Libraries
Poweshiek County Historical and Genealogical Society 200 South Third Street P.O. Box 280 Montezuma, IA 5017 Telephone:641-623-3322 Website