DeKalb County, Indiana Genealogy

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

Historical Facts

 * Parent Counties: Formed in 1835 from unorganized territory (Allen/LaGrange)
 * County Seat:  Auburn

Description
The county was named for the heroic General Johann de Kalb, a Continental Army officer from Bavaria, who was fatally wounded at the Battle of Camden, South Carolina. It's county seat is Auburn and was founded 1837. It is located in the Northeast area of the state.

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
Steuben •  La Grange  •  Noble  •  Steuben  •  Allen  •  Williams  •  Defiance The county is named after Revolutionary War hero Johann de Kalb (1721-1780), a German baron.

Boundary Changes
For animated maps illustrating Indiana County boundary changes, "Rotating Formation Indiana County Boundary Maps" (1790-1873) may be viewed for free at the MapofUS.org website.

Record Loss
1913 -- Courthouse burned and many records were damaged. For further information on researching in burned counties, see the following:


 * Burned Counties Research in FamilySearch Wiki
 * Michael John Neill, Burned Counties in Family History Circle

Cemeteries

 * Index of Christian Union Cemetery (free, Indiana Genealogical Society)
 * Index of Corunna Cemetery (free, Indiana Genealogical Society)

Census Records

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

Directories

 * Directory of Businesses in DeKalb County, Indiana (1868) (members only database, Indiana Genealogical Society)

Local Histories
History of DeKalb County, Indiana: Together with Sketches of Its Cities, Villages and Towns, Educational, Religious, Civil, Military, and Political History, Portraits of Prominent Persons, and Biographies of Representative Citizens. (Knightstown, Ind: The Bookmark, 1978.), 977.277 H2b   other library   Internet Archive

DeKalb County Historical Society (Ind.). 1885 History of De Kalb County, Indiana: Together with Sketches of Its Cities, Villages and Towns, Educational, Religious, Civil, Military, and Political History, Portraits of Prominent Persons, and Biographies of Representative Citizens : with New Index.( Knightstown, Ind: The Bookmark, 1978.), 977.277 H2hi   other library   Internet Archive

Maps

 * Old Antique Atlases & Maps of Indiana

Civil War
Civil War service men from DeKalb 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 in DeKalb County.


 * 9th Regiment, Indiana Infantry, Company G
 * 12th Regiment, Indiana Cavalry, Companies B, C, and I
 * 13th Regiment, Indiana Infantry, Reorganized Companies B, D
 * 30th Regiment, Indiana Infantry, Company H, and Reorganized Companies C, and D
 * 44th Regiment, Indiana Infantry, Company K
 * 88th Regiment, Indiana Infantry, Company A, and H
 * 100th Regiment, Indiana Infantry, Companies A, and K
 * 118th Regiment, Indiana Infantry (6 months, 1863-4), Company F
 * 129th Regiment, Indiana Infantry, Company A
 * 142nd Regiment, Indiana Infantry, Companies A, and D

Civil War Books

Sliger, Reba. Veterans' Cards for Veterans of DeKalb County Who Served in the Civil, Spanish-American, Mexican Wars: Copied from Records at the DeKalb County Courthouse,( Auburn, Indiana. Auburn, IN: The Chapter, 1990.) 977.277 M2s   other library  Internet Archive

"Military History" Chaper 5 in History of DeKalb County, Indiana: Together with Sketches of Its Cities, Villages and Towns, Educational, Religious, Civil, Military, and Political History, Portraits of Prominent Persons, and Biographies of Representative Citizens. (Knightstown, Ind: The Bookmark, 1978.), page 90-117, 977.277 H2b    other library   Internet Archive

"The War for the Union," Chaper 5 in DeKalb County Historical Society (Ind.). 1885 History of De Kalb County, Indiana: Together with Sketches of Its Cities, Villages and Towns, Educational, Religious, Civil, Military, and Political History, Portraits of Prominent Persons, and Biographies of Representative Citizens : with New Index.( Knightstown, Ind: The Bookmark, 1978.) page 333-400, 977.277 H2hi   other library   Internet Archive

Hobson, Margaret. "The Iron Men of Indiana's 44th Regiment, Book 1: Biographies and Statistics" This book contains a complete list of DeKalb County men in the 44th Indiana.

World War I (The Great War), 1914-1918

 * 1919 - at FamilySearch — index and images

Newspapers
The Garrett Clipper: Obituary database from 1975 through January, 2012 provided courtesy of the Garrett Public Library.

Probate Records
Online Records
 * 1798 – 1999 Indiana Wills and Probate Records 1798-1999 at Ancestry.com — index and images $

School Records

 * Directory of Teachers (1936) (members only database, Indiana Genealogical Society)

Courthouse
De Kalb County Courthouse 100 S Main Street PO Box 810 Auburn, IN 46706 Phone: 219.925.2112

County Health Department has birth and death records. County Clerk has marriage and court records from 1837, probate records from 1855 and school records 1903-1932. County recorder has land records.

Societies
DeKalb County Indiana PO Box 6085 Auburn, IN 46706 E-mail: [mailto:rozwells@sbcglobal.net rozwells@sbcglobal.net] Facebook

Dekalb County Historical Society PO Box 686 Auburn, IN 46706

DeKalb County Historical Society 201 E. Main St. Butler, IN 46721-1409 Telephone Number: 260-868-0979

DeKalb Genealogical Society c/o Eckhart Public Library 603 S. Jackson Dtreet Auburn, IN 46706 Facebook

Garrett Historical Society PO Box 225 Garrett, IN 46738-0225 Telephone Number: 260-357-5575

Willennar Genealogy Center 700 S. Jackson St. Auburn, IN 46706-2267 Telephone Number: 260-925-2414 Ext 420 Fax: 260-925-3635 E-mail: [mailto:genealogy@epl.lib.in.us genealogy@epl.lib.in.us] Website

Family History Centers

 * Columbus Indiana Family History Center

For additional nearby Family History Centers, search online in the family history center directory.

School Records

 * Directory of Teachers (1936) (members only database, Indiana Genealogical Society)

Marriage Records

 * 1800s-2007 - Indiana, United States Marriages at FindMyPast — index $
 * 1780-1992 - FamilySearch
 * 1802-1892 Indiana Marriages, 1802-1892 - Ancestry.com $
 * 1811-2007 at FamilySearch — index and images

Death Records

 * 1882-1920 at FamilySearch Historical Records - Index only
 * 1899-2011 Indiana, Death Certificates, 1899-2011 at Ancestry - ($), index and images
 * Indiana State Digital Archives

Websites

 * DeKalb County, IN History, Records, Facts and Genealogy
 * Indiana Genealogy Network Community on Google+
 * Indiana Genealogy Network Group on Facebook
 * USGenWeb project. May have maps, name indexes, history or other information for this county. Select the state, then the county.
 * DeKalb County, Indiana Genealogy and Family History (Linkpendium)
 * DeKalb County, Indiana Genealogy and Family History (Linkpendium)