Marion County, Iowa Genealogy

Guide to Marion 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 Francis Marion. The County has Knoxville as its seat and the County was created 1845. The County is located in the south central area of the state.

History


The county is named after "The Swamp Fox" Revolutionary War Brigadier General Francis Marion(c1732-1795).

Parent County
1845--Marion County was created 4 August 1845 from unorganized territory. County seat: Knoxville

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
There is no known history of courthouse disasters in this county.

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
Jasper • Lucas •  Mahaska •  Monroe •  Polk •  Warren

Cemeteries

 * Tlam Cemetery, Pella BillionGraves

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

Lutheran

 * Records of the Resurrection Lutheran Church, Marion County, in Evangelical Lutheran Church in America database at Archives.com ($).

Local Histories

 * The history of Marion County, Iowa : containing a history of the county, its cities, towns, etc. ;. Des Moines : Union Historical Company ; Birdsall, Williams &amp; Co., 1881. Online at: ;.


 * History of Marion County, Iowa and its people. By John W. Wright. Chicago, Illinois : S. J. Clarke Pub. Co., 1915. Vol.1 Online at:, Internet Archive, Google Books, Vol. 2, Google Books, Ancestry.com ($)

Maps

 * Old Antique Atlases &amp; Maps of Iowa

Military

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

Civil War

 * - 3rd Regiment, Iowa Infantry, Company B
 * - 8th Regiment, Iowa Infantry, Company E
 * - 15th Regiment, Iowa Infantry, Company G
 * - 15th Regiment, Iowa Infantry, Company K
 * - 17th Regiment, Iowa Infantry, Company G
 * - 17th Regiment, Iowa Infantry, Company H
 * - 18th Regiment, Iowa Infantry, Company G
 * - 47th Regiment, Iowa Infantry (100 days, 1864), Company A

Naturalization and Citizenship

 * 1859-1990 - at FamilySearch — index and images

Newspapers

 * Altoona Public Library Archives, Polk County (1876-2000)
 * Johnston Historical Society Archive, Polk County (1970-2007)
 * NewspaperArchive.com ($) has historical newspapers online including Des Moines newspapers. This database is free at some libraries.
 * Knoxville Journal.1855, 1930, and 1955. Knoxville, IA, USA. Online at: Ancestry.com ($)

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

Deaths

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

Societies and Libraries
Marion County Genealogical Society P.O. Box 385 Knoxville IA 50138-0385 Website

Family History Centers

 * Knoxville Iowa Family History Center 1800 W Jackson, Knoxville, IA 50138 United States Location Map
 * Knoxville Iowa Family History Center 1800 W Jackson, Knoxville, IA 50138 United States Location Map