Union County, Iowa Genealogy

Guide to Union 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 Union that people wanted to preserve. The County has Creston as its seat and the County was created 1853. The County is located in the southwest area of the state.

Parent County
1851--Union County was created 15 January 1851 from Pottawattamie County and from non-county area which, in 1846, was in Clarke County until that county's boundaries changed in 1847 (shrinking along with neighboring Lucas County). County seat: Creston

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
1893 Fire destroyed the courthouse.

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
Adair • Adams •  Clarke •  Decatur •  Madison •  Ringgold •  Taylor

Cemeteries

 * Inscriptions Found on Tombstones and Monuments in Early Latter-day Saint Burial Grounds Ancestry.com (Free)

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

Directories

 * Creston, Iowa Directory, 1889 at Ancestry.com ($)

Local Histories

 * Illustrated centennial sketches, map and directory of Union County, Iowa. Creston, Iowa : C. J. Colby, 1876. Online at:, Internet Archive, HathiTrust;.
 * Mount Pisgah : history of a temporary settlement of the "Mormons" while on their westward journey. By Andrew Jenson. Online at:.

Maps

 * Old Antique Atlases &amp; Maps of Iowa
 * David Rumsey Map Collection is a large online collection of rare, old, antique historical atlases, globes, maps, charts plus other cartographic treasures. This Collection features the city of Creston.

Migration
Early migration routes to and from for European settlers included:
 * Mormon Trail 1846 from Nauvoo, Illinois to Salt Lake City, Utah

Military

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

Civil War

 * - 29th Regiment, Iowa Infantry, Company H

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.

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

Death

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

Societies and Libraries
Union County Genealogical Society Matilda Gibson Memorial Library 200 W. Howard Street Creston, IA 50801 Website

Union County Historical Society c/o Marcella Howe 1101 N. Vine Creston, IA 50801 Museum Location: McKinley Park, Creston, Iowa Telephone:641-782-8159

Websites

 * Union County, IA History, Records, Facts and Genealogy
 * Iowa Genealogy Network Community on Google+
 * Iowa Genealogy Network Group on Facebook
 * Union County, Iowa Genealogy and Family History (Linkpendium)
 * Union County, Iowa Genealogy and Family History (Linkpendium)