Pottawattamie County, Iowa Genealogy

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

Description
Pottawattamie County was named for the Potawatomi tribe and is located in southwestern Iowa.

County Courthouse
Pottawattamie County Courthouse 227 South 6th Street P.O. Box 476 Council Bluffs, IA 51502 Phone: 712-328-5604 Pottawattamie 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

 * Biographical History of Pottawattamie County, Iowa. Chicago, IL: Lewis Publishing Company, 1891. Online at: FamilySearch Digital Library, Internet Archive, HathiTrust.
 * History of Pottawattamie County, Iowa, From the Earliest Historic Times to 1907. 2 volumes. By Joseph Rea Reed and Homer H. Field. Chicago, IL: The S.J. Clarke Publishing Company, 1907. Online at: Vol. II - FamilySearch Digital Library, Internet Archive. Vol. I contains history, Vol. II contains biographies.
 * History of Pottawattamie County, Iowa: Containing a History From the Earliest Settlement to the Present Time... Biographical Sketches. Chicago, IL: O.L. Baskin & Co. Historical Publishers, 1883. Online at: FamilySearch Digital Library, Internet Archive, HathiTrust.


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

Business, Commerce, and Occupations

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

Census Records
State Census
 * 1850 Iowa, U.S., Pottawattamie County, Annotated Record of US Census, 1850 at Ancestry — index ($). Additional 1850 census for Pottawattamie County online at FamilySearch Digital Library.
 * 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

 * FamilySearch Places

The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints Ward and Branch Records of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints
 * Council Bluffs
 * Council Bluffs Dist
 * Council Point
 * Lake
 * Pottawatomie
 * Shirtses
 * Union

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

Directories

 * 1880-1881 (*) at FamilySearch Catalog — images


 * 1892 (*) at FamilySearch Catalog — images
 * Pottawattamie County Directories at IAGenWeb

Funeral Homes

 * Cutler-O'Neill-Meyer-Woodring Funeral Home and Crematory in Council Bluffs
 * Henry Livingston Funeral Home in Council Bluffs
 * Hoy-Kilnoski Funeral Home and Crematory in Council Bluffs
 * Maher Funeral Home in Council Bluffs
 * Pauley Jones Funeral Home in Avoca
 * Rieken Vieth Funeral Home in Oakland

Land and Property Records
Online Land Indexes and Records
 * 1853-1905   at FamilySearch Catalog - index & images
 * 1855-1901   at FamilySearch Catalog - index & images
 * 1863-1875   at FamilySearch Catalog - images
 * 1865-1905   at FamilySearch Catalog - index & images
 * 1866-1937   at FamilySearch Catalog - images
 * 1866-1977   at FamilySearch Catalog - images
 * 1897-1924   at FamilySearch Catalog - index & images
 * Pottawattamie County Early Land Records at IAGenWeb

Local Histories

 * Early Days at Council Bluffs. By Charles H Babbitt. Washington, D.C.: Press of Byron S Adams, 1916. Online at: HathiTrust.
 * History of Pottawattamie County, Iowa, From the Earliest Historic Times to 1907. 2 volumes. By Joseph Rea Reed and Homer H. Field. Chicago, IL: The S.J. Clarke Publishing Company, 1907. Online at: Vol. I - FamilySearch Digital Library, Internet Archive. Vol. I contains history, Vol. II contains biographies.
 * History of Pottawattamie County, Iowa: Containing a History From the Earliest Settlement to the Present Time. Chicago, IL: O.L. Baskin & Co. Historical Publishers, 1883. Online at: FamilySearch Digital Library, Internet Archive, HathiTrust.
 * The Sojourn of the Mormons at Kanesville, Pottawattamie County, Iowa, 1846-1852. By Belle Palmer. Greeley, CO: Colorado State College of Education, 1936. Online at: FamilySearch Digital Library.


 * Iowa Indexes at EveryNameIndex.com — Select the county.
 * Pottawattamie County History Page at IAGenWeb

Maps and Gazetteers

 * 1860-1918 U.S., Indexed County Land Ownership Maps, 1860-1918, Pottawattamie County at Ancestry ($) - index.
 * 1875-2007 Pottawattamie County 1875-2007 at Historic Map Works - may include names of land-owners.
 * 1883-1920 Fire Insurance Maps for Pottawattamie County, Iowa at Library of Congress - various years between 1883 and 1920.
 * Atlas of Douglas, Sarpy and Washington Counties, Nebraska; and Mills and Pottawattamie Counties, Iowa at FamilySearch Digital Library.
 * (*); at FamilySearch Catalog — images.
 * General Highway and Transportation Map, Pottawattamie County, Iowa at FamilySearch Digital Library.
 * Pottawattamie County Township and Town Histories at IAGenWeb.
 * Iowa Digital Library, Pottawattamie County at Iowa University Libraries.
 * Pottawattamie County, Iowa at FamilySearch Digital Library.
 * The Iowa Heritage Digital Collections, Pottawattamie County at State Library of Iowa.
 * FamilySearch Places: Map of cities and towns in this county - How to Use FS Places.

Migration
Early migration routes to and from Pottawattamie County for European and African American settlers included:
 * Missouri River
 * Oregon Trail 1830s to 1890s from western Missouri to Oregon City, Oregon
 * California Trail 1846 to 1869 from western Missouri to northern California
 * Mormon Trail 1846 to 1869 from Nauvoo, Illinois to Salt Lake City, Utah
 * Mormon Pioneer Trail - Council Bluffs
 * Individuals in Mormon pioneer Overland travel

Military Records
Multiple Wars Civil War
 * 1835-1998 at FamilySearch — How to Use this Collection; index only
 * Pottawattamie County Military page at IAGenWeb
 * 1861-1949 at FamilySearch — How to Use this Collection; index and images
 * 1862-1910 at FamilySearch — How to Use this Collection; index and images

Civil War service men in Pottawattamie 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:
 * - 4th Regiment, Iowa Infantry, Company B
 * - 15th Regiment, Iowa Infantry, Company H
 * - 17th Regiment, Iowa Infantry, Company H
 * - 23rd Regiment, Iowa Infantry, Company E
 * - 29th Regiment, Iowa Infantry, Company A

Naturalization and Citizenship
Online Naturalization Indexes and Records
 * 1859-1990 at FamilySearch — How to Use this Collection; index and images
 * 1868-1929 (*); District Court at FamilySearch Catalog — 1 index, images

Newspapers

 * 1936, 1943-50, 1952-1956 Council Bluffs Nonpareil. Council Bluffs, IA, USA. Online at: Ancestry.com ($)

Obituaries

 * Pottawattamie County Obituaries, IAGenWeb Project

Probate Records
Online Probate Indexes and Records
 * 1758-1997 Iowa, U.S., Wills and Probate Records, 1758-1997 at Ancestry — index & images ($)
 * 1846-1926 (*); District Court at FamilySearch Catalog - index & images
 * 1846-1975 (*); District Court at FamilySearch Catalog - index & images

School Records

 * Pottawattamie County Schools at IAGenWeb

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 and 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

 * 1846-1852 Pottawattamie County Birth Records - Mormon Settlement at IAGenWeb
 * 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 ($)
 * 1838-1934 at FamilySearch — How to Use this Collection; index and images
 * 1849-1852 Pottawattamie County Marriages of Mormon Settlement at IAGenWeb
 * 1880-1951 Iowa, U.S., Marriage Records, 1880-1951 at Ancestry — index and images ($)
 * 1941-1951 at FamilySearch — How to Use this Collection; index & images

Death

 * 1846-1873 Pottawattamie County Deaths in Mormon Settlements at IAGenWeb
 * 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 and images ($)

Divorce

 * 1906-1956 (*) at FamilySearch Catalog — images
 * Pottawattamie County Divorce Records at IAGenWeb

FamilySearch Centers

 * Council Bluff Iowa FamilySearch Center
 * Omaha Nebraska FamilySearch Center
 * Papillion Nebraska FamilySearch Center
 * Omaha Public Library - an affiliate library

Libraries
Council Bluffs Public Library 400 Willow Avenue Council Bluffs, IA 51503 Phone: 712-323-7553, ext. 5425 Website

Museums
Western Historic Trails Center 3434 Richard Downing Avenue Council Bluffs, IA 51501 Phone: 712-366-4900 Website Walnut Creek Historical Society and Museum 304 Antique City Drive Walnut, IA 51577 Phone: 402-960-5771 Website Nishna Heritage Museum 117 N. Main Street Oakland, IA Phone: 712-482-6802 or 712-482-3075 Website

Societies
Botna Valley Genealogical Society (East Pottawattamie) P.O. Box 693 Oakland, IA 51560-0693 Email: [mailto:botnavalleygenealogy@yahoo.com botnavalleygenealogy@yahoo.com] Website Pottawattamie County Genealogical Society Frontier Heritage Library 622 Fourth Street P.O. Box 394 Council Bluffs, IA 51502-0394 Phone: 712-325-9368 Email: [mailto:pcgs@pcgs.omhcoxmail.com pcgs@pcgs.omhcoxmail.com] Website Walnut Genealogy Society Walnut Public Library Genealogy Room 224 Antique City Drive P.O. Box 493 Walnut, IA 51577-0493 Phone: 712-784-3533 Email: [mailto:wgs@walnutel.net wgs@walnutel.net] Website Historical Society of Pottawattamie County Post office box 2 Council Bluffs, IA 51502 Phone: 712-323-2509 Website

Websites

 * Pottawattamie County at Cyndi's List - a comprehensive, categorized & cross-referenced list of links that point you to genealogical research sites online
 * Pottawattamie County at Genealogy Trails - volunteer transcriptions of genealogical and historical data
 * Pottawattamie County at Iowa USGenWeb - free online resources for genealogical research
 * Pottawattamie 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.