Lee County, Iowa Genealogy

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



Description
Lee County may have been named for William Elliot Lee, a land dealer, who was the original owner of land that included what is now Lee County. It is located in southeastern Iowa, and both Fort Madison and Keokuk are county seats.

County Courthouse
Lee County Courthouse North 931 Avenue H Fort Madison, IA 52627 Phone: 319-372-3523 Fax: 319-372-7033 Lee County Website

Lee County Courthouse South 25 North 7th Keokuk, IA 52632 Phone: 319-524-2433

The office of the Recorder is located in the Fort Madison courthouse and historical record books are housed in the Keokuk Courthouse.

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 Review of Lee County, Iowa. Chicago, IL: Hobart Pub. Co., 1905. Online at: FamilySearch Digital Library, Internet Archive, HathiTrust.
 * Portrait and Biographical Album of Lee County, Iowa. Chicago, IL: Chapman Brothers, 1887. Online at:  - images, Internet Archive, HathiTrust, Ancestry ($).


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

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

 * FamilySearch Places

Catholic
 * Saint Peter's Parish, Keokuk, Iowa, 1832-1929 : a history at Ancestry ($)


 * Saint Peter's Parish, Keokuk, Iowa, 1832-1929: a History at Ancestry ($)

Ward and Branch Records of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints
 * Ambrosia
 * Zarahemla

Court Records

 * 1837-1993 (*); District Court at FamilySearch Catalog — index and images
 * 1840-1841 (*); Probate Court at FamilySearch Catalog — images
 * 1840-1856 (*); County Commissioners at FamilySearch Catalog — images
 * 1850-1930 (*); Circuit Court at FamilySearch Catalog — index and images

Directories

 * 1868 (*) at FamilySearch Catalog — images
 * 1878 (*) at FamilySearch Catalog — images
 * 1897 (*) at FamilySearch Catalog — images

Funeral Homes

 * Bar Memorial Chapel and Barr-Holtkamp Funeral Home in Fort Madison and West Point
 * DeJong-Greaves-Printy Funeral Home in Keokuk
 * Schmitz Funeral Homes in Donnellson and West Point
 * Vigen Memorial Home in Keokuk and Montrose

Land and Property Records
Online Land and Property Records


 * 1830-1922, 1836-1961 at FamilySearch Catalog - images

Local Histories

 * English Colony: the British Emigrant Mutual Aid Society's Colony in Lee County, Iowa. 1918. J. Berry Ware. Bonaparte, IA: J.B.Ware. Online at: FamilySearch Digital Library.
 * The History of Lee County, Iowa.  Chicago, IL: Western Historical, 1879. Online at: FamilySearch Digital Library, HathiTrust.
 * Keokuk, a Progressive City. n.d. n.p.:n.p. Online at: FamilySearch Digital Library.
 * Story of Lee County, Iowa. By Nelson Commins Roberts and Dr. S.W. Moorhead. Chicago, IL: S.J. Clarke Pub. Co., 1914. Online at: Vol. I  -FamilySearch Digital Library, HathiTrust; Vol. II - FamilySearch Digital Library, Internet Archive, Hathitrust.
 * Yesterdays: Reminiscences of long Ago. Virginia Wilcox Ivins. Salt Lake City, UT: V.W. Ivins, 1974. Online at: FamilySearch Digital Library, HathiTrust.


 * Iowa Indexes at EveryNameIndex.com — Select the county.

Maps and Gazetteers

 * 1860-1918 U.S., Indexed County Land Ownership Maps, 1860-1918, Lee County at Ancestry ($) - index.
 * 1874-2007 Lee County 1874-2007 at Historic Map Works - may include names of land-owners.
 * 1884-1919 Fire Insurance Maps for Lee County, Iowa at Library of Congress - various years between 1884 and 1919.
 * General Highway and Transportation Map, Lee County, Iowa at FamilySearch Digital Library.
 * IAGenWeb - Lee County.
 * Iowa Digital Library, Lee County at Iowa University Libraries.
 * (*); at FamilySearch Catalog — images.
 * (*); at FamilySearch Catalog — images.
 * Lee County Maps at FamilySearch Catalog.
 * (*); at FamilySearch Catalog — images.
 * (*); at FamilySearch Catalog — images.
 * (*); at FamilySearch Catalog — images.
 * (*); at FamilySearch Catalog — images.
 * The Iowa Heritage Digital Collections, Lee 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 Lee County for European settlers included:
 * Mormon Trail 1846 from Nauvoo, Illinois to Salt Lake City, Utah
 * Mississippi River at Wikipedia

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 Lee 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:
 * - 1st Regiment, Iowa Cavalry, Company A and C
 * - 2nd Regiment, Iowa Infantry, Company A
 * - 3rd Regiment, Iowa Cavalry, Company B and C
 * - 6th Regiment, Iowa Infantry, Company H
 * - 7th Regiment, Iowa Infantry, Company D and E
 * - 14th Regiment, Iowa Infantry, Company D
 * - 15th Regiment, Iowa Infantry, Company E and I
 * - 16th Regiment, Iowa Infantry, Company K
 * - 17th Regiment, Iowa Infantry, Company B, C, D, I, and K
 * - 19th Regiment, Iowa Infantry, Company A and E
 * - 30th Regiment, Iowa Infantry, Company A and I
 * - 45th Regiment, Iowa Infantry (100 days, 1864), Company C and E
 * - 48th Regiment, Iowa Infantry (100 days, 1864), Company D

Naturalization and Citizenship
Online Naturalization Indexes and Records
 * 1854-1954 (*); District Court at FamilySearch Catalog — 4 indexes, images
 * 1856-1906 (*); County Court at FamilySearch Catalog — index, images
 * 1859-1990 at FamilySearch — How to Use this Collection; index and images

Newspapers

 * 1952 Fort Madison Evening Democrat. 1952. Fort Madison, 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, ($)
 * 1838-1974 (*); District Court at FamilySearch Catalog — index & 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 and images, ($)

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, ($)
 * 1838-1934 at FamilySearch — How to Use this Collection; index and images
 * 1880-1951 Iowa, U.S., Marriage Records, 1880-1951 at Ancestry — index and images, ($)
 * 1941-1951 at FamilySearch — How to Use this Collection; index & images

Death

 * 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

 * 1844-1930 (*) at FamilySearch Catalog — images

Family History Centers

 * Burlington Iowa Family History Center
 * Macomb Illinois Family History Center
 * Nauvoo Illinois Family History Center
 * Burlington Public Library - an affiliate library
 * McDonough County Genealogical Society - an affiliate library

Libraries
Keokuk Public Library 210 N. 5th Street Keokuk, IA 52632 Phone: 319-524-1483 Email: [mailto:reference@keokuk.lib.ia.us reference@keokuk.lib.ia.us] Website West Point Public Library 317 5th Street West Point, IA 52656 Phone: 319-837-6315 Email: [mailto:dsanders@westpoint.lib.ia.us dsanders@westpoint.lib.ia.us] Website

Museums
North Lee County Historical Society Museum 814 10th Street Fort Madison, IA 52627 Phone: 319-372-7661 Email: [mailto:nichs@iowatelecom.net nichs@iowatelecom.net] Facebook

Societies
Lee County Genealogical Society P.O. Box 303 Keokuk, IA 52632 Email: [mailto:mystique747@iowatelecom.net mystique747@iowatelecom.net] Website Lee County, Iowa Historical Society 318 North 5th Street P.O. Box 125 Keokuk, IA 52632-5611 Email: [mailto:lcihs@yahoo.com lcihs@yahoo.com] Website Old Fort Genealogical Society PO Box 1 Fort Madison, IA 52627 Email: [mailto:mystique747@iowatelecom.net mystique747@iowatelecom.net] Website

Websites

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