Benton County, Indiana Genealogy

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

Description
Benton County was named in honor of Thomas H. Benton, a Missouri senator. It is located in the northwestern area of the state.

County Courthouse
Benton County Courthouse 706 E. 5th Ste 12 Fowler, Indiana 47944-1556 Phone: 765-884-0320 County Website

Benton County Health Department 706 East 5th Street, Suite 16 Fowler, IN, 47944 Health Officer: Joseph Moody, MD Phone Number: 765-884-1728 Fax: 765-884-2072 Health Department

Clerk Circuit Court has marriage records from 1841, divorce and court records from the 1800s, probate records from 1852 and naturalization records. County Recorder has land and military records. County Health Department has birth and death records from 1882. Health Department has birth records filed and death records filed. 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:

Biographies

 * Indiana Biography Index at Indiana State Library


 * Biographical History of Tippecanoe, White, Jasper, Newton, Benton... . 2 Vols. 1899. Chicago [Ill.] : The Lewis Publishing Company. Online at: FamilySearch Digital Library-Vol.1; FamilySearch Digital Library - Vol 2.

Census Records

 * Index to Mortality Schedule for Benton County (1860) at Indiana Genealogical Society ($)
 * Index to Defective, Dependent & Delinquent Census for Benton County, Indiana (1880) at Indiana Genealogical Society ($)

Church Records
List of Churches and Church Parishes
 * FamilySearch Places

Court Records

 * 1839-1921 (*); Circuit Court at FamilySearch Catalog — index & images
 * 1840-1922 (*); Circuit Court at FamilySearch Catalog — index & images
 * 1853-1872 (*); Court of Common Pleas at FamilySearch Catalog — index & images
 * 1853-1873 (*); Court of Common Pleas at FamilySearch Catalog — index & images

Directories

 * Members of Independent Order of Odd Fellows, Oxford (1857-1900) at Indiana Genealogical Society ($)

Funeral Homes

 * Gerts, Windler and Keller Funeral Home in Fowler.
 * Hahn-Groeber Funeral and Cremation Services Inc. in Oxford.
 * Shoemaker Funeral Home in Otterbein.

Land and Property Records
Online Land Indexes and Records
 * Dates Vary United States Wills and Deeds Experimental Search at FamilySearch - incomplete index and images, counties and dates vary

Local Histories

 * Counties of Warren, Benton, Jasper, and Newton, Indiana. 1883. Chicago : F.A. Battey. Online at: FamilySearch Digital Library, Hathitrust, Internet Archive, Ancestry ($). Index: Every Name Index, compiled by Cathy L. O'Connor, 2008.

Maps and Gazetteers

 * Historic Indiana Maps at IUPUI University Library


 * Old Antique Atlases &amp; Maps of Indiana
 * Maps and Gazetteers - Linkpendium
 * Map of Benton County Townships - INGenWeb
 * FamilySearch Places: Map of cities and towns in this county - How to Use FS Places

Military Records

 * Military Record Series Index at Indiana Digital Archives

Civil War Civil War service men from Benton County served in various regiments. Men often joined a regiment or a company (within a regiment)that originated in their county. Listed below are the military units that were formed in or had many men from Benton County.


 * 10th Regiment, Indiana Infantry, Reorganized Company D
 * 15th Regiment, Indiana Infantry, Company D
 * 40th Regiment, Indiana Infantry, Company E
 * 99th Regiment, Indiana Infantry, Company C
 * 128th Regiment, Indiana Infantry, Company A
 * 147th Regiment, Indiana Infantry, Company K
 * 150th Regiment, Indiana Infantry, Comang G
 * 155th Regiment, Indiana Infantry, Company G, H, and K
 * 28th US Colored Troops, Addition Recruits for Colored Troops

Civil War Books:
 * "Military History of Benton County" in F.A. Battey & Co. Counties of Warren, Benton, Jasper and Newton, Indiana: Historical and Biographical. Chicago: F.A. Battey & Co, 2008. Also digital images of original published: Mt. Vernon, IN : Windmill Publications, 1994. viii, 810 p. : ill., ports.; 28 cm. Originally published: Chicago : F.A. Battey, 1883. Pages 252-271. Online at: ; FamilySearch Digital Library; 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

 * 1800s-1999 U.S., Newspapers.com Marriage Index, 1800s-1999 at Ancestry - index ($)
 * Hoosier State Chronicles

Probate Records
Online Probate Indexes and Records
 * 1798-1999 Indiana Wills and Probate Records 1798-1999 at Ancestry ($)
 * 1840-1920 (*); Circuit Court at FamilySearch Catalog — index and images
 * 1857-1924 (*); Circuit Court at FamilySearch Catalog — index and images
 * 1860-1889 (*); Circuit Court and Court of Common Pleas at FamilySearch Catalog — index and images
 * Dates Vary United States Wills and Deeds Experimental Search at FamilySearch - incomplete index and images, counties and dates vary

School Records

 * School Enumeration of Parish Grove Township (1853) at Indiana Genealogical Society ($)
 * Directory of Teachers (1936) at Indiana Genealogical Society ($)

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.
 * 1936-2007 at FamilySearch - How to Use this Collection; index

Marriage

 * 1780-1992  at FamilySearch - How to Use this Collection; Also at: MyHeritage ($)
 * 1800s-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 - 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 ($)

FamilySearch Centers

 * Crawfordsville Indiana FamilySearch Center
 * West Lafayette Indiana FamilySearch Center
 * Pulaski County Public Library - an affiliate library.
 * Sullivan Munce Cultural Center - an affiliate library.

Societies
Benton County Indiana Historical Society, Inc. 404 E 6th Street PO Box 341 Fowler, IN 47944-0341 Phone: 765-884-8839 Website

Websites

 * Indiana Digital Archives Search by name in all records or specific collections
 * Indiana Historical Society Digital Collections Search by county or keyword
 * Indiana Memory Click the map or select a statewide collection
 * List of indexes and databases at Indiana State Library
 * Indiana Genealogical Society Databases Free and Members-only. Select a county
 * EveryNameIndex.com for Indiana Free online genealogy indexes for those big old county histories.
 * IN/USGenWeb project. May have maps, name indexes, history or other information for this county. Select the state, then the county.
 * Benton County, Indiana Genealogy and Family History (Linkpendium)
 * – 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.