Miami County, Indiana Genealogy

Guide to Miami 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 2 February 1832 from Cass County and unorganized territory.
 * County Seat:  Peru

Description
The county was named for the Miami tribe, Kentucky. The County Seat is Peru and was founded 1834. It is located in the North Central 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
Fulton •  Wabash  •  Grant  •  Howard  •  Cass

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
March 1843 The Miami County courthouse was destroyed by fire in March of 1843; all records except deeds from 1828 were destroyed.

Cemeteries

 * Cemeteries from Miami - Linkpendium

Census Records

 * Index to Defective, Dependent Delinquent Census for Miami County, Indiana (1880) (members only database, Indiana Genealogical Society)

Church Records

 * Churches of Miami County - INGenWeb

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


 * Peru

Directory

 * Directory of Businesses in Miami County, Indiana (1858) (members only database, Indiana Genealogical Society)

History
March 1843 -- Courthouse burned and many records were damaged.

For further information on researching in burned counties, see the following:

Local Histories

 * History of Miami Country - Linkpendium


 * Biographical and Genealogical History of Cass, Miami, Howard and Tipton Counties, Indiana. 2003. La Crosse WI: Brookhaven Press. Online at: Hathitrust; Other Libraries
 * History of Miami County, Indiana: From the Earliest Time to the Present, with Biographical Sketches, Notes, Etc., Together with an Extended History of the Northwest, the Indiana Territory, and the State of Indiana. 1992. Salem, Mass: Higginson Book Co. . Online at: FamilySearch; Google Books; Other Libraries
 * Bakehorn, Ray. Early Birth, Marriage and Death Records of Miami County, Indiana. 1990. S.l: s.n. Online at: Internet Archive; Other Libraries
 * Bodurtha, Arthur L. History of Miami County, Indiana: A Narrative Account of Its Historical Progress, Its People and Its Principal Interests. 2008. Chicago: Lewis Pub. Co. . Online at: Internet Archive - Vol. 1; Internet Archive - Vol. 2; Google Books; Other Libraries
 * Every Name Index to History of Miami County, Indiana. Every Name Index compiled by Cathy L. O'Connor, 2008; original text by Brant &amp; Fuller, 1887; reproduction by Unigraphic, Inc., 1970. EveryNameIndex.com

Maps

 * Old Antique Atlases & Maps of Indiana
 * Maps and Gazetteers - Linkpendium

Military Records

 * Military Record and Histories - Linkpendium
 * Veterans in Miami County, Indiana (1913) (members only database, Indiana Genealogical Society)

Civil War
Civil War service men from Miami 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 Miami County.


 * 8th Regiment, Indiana Cavalry, Company A
 * 12th Regiment, Indiana Cavalry, Companies L, and M
 * 14th Battery, Indiana Light
 * 16th Regiment, Indiana Infantry, Reorganized Companies F, and I
 * 17th Regiment, Indiana Infantry, Company F
 * 20th Regiment, Indiana Infantry, Company A, and Reorganized Company H
 * 21st Battery, Indiana Light Artillery
 * 26th Regiment, Indiana Infantry, Company A
 * 29th Regiment, Indiana Infantry, Company H
 * 31st Regiment, Indiana Infantry, Company B
 * 40th Regiment, Indiana Infantry, Company B
 * 51st Regiment, Indiana Infantry, Company G
 * 87th Regiment, Indiana Infantry, Company C
 * 99th Regiment, Indiana Infantry, Companies D, and I
 * 109th Regiment, Indiana Infantry, Company D, and F
 * 134th Regiment, Indiana Infantry (100 days, 1864), Company K
 * 138th Regiment, Indiana Infantry (100 days, 1864), Company A
 * 139th Regiment, Indiana Infantry (100 days, 1864), Company A
 * 142nd Regiment, Indiana Infantry, Companies I, and K
 * 151st Regiment, Indiana Infantry, Companies C, and D
 * 155th Regiment, Indiana Infantry, Company K
 * 28th US Colored Troops, Addition Recruits for Colored Troops

Civil War Book

Bodurtha, Arthur L., "Military History," Chapter 11 inHistory of Miami County, Indiana , (Chicago: Lewis Pub. Co., 1914.), (page204-241)977.284 H2b other librariesInternet Archive

World War I

 * 1919 - at FamilySearch — index and images

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

School Records

 * Alumni of Peru High School (1922, 1930) - Indiana Genealogical Society ($)
 * Students of Peru High School (1923, 1927, 1928, 1930) - Indiana Genealogical Society ($)
 * Teachers of Peru High School (1923, 1927, 1930) - Indiana Genealogical Society ($)

County Courthouse
Miami County Courthouse 25 North Broadway Peru, IN 46970 Phone: 756-472-3901 County Health Department has birth, death and burial records. County Clerk has marriage, divorce, probate and court records from 1843.

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

Societies
Miami Genealogical Society PO Box 542 Peru, IN 46970

Miami County Historical Society 51 North Broadway Peru, IN 46970 Website

Miami Nation of Indians of the State of Indiana 80 W. 6th St. Peru, IN 46970 Telephone Number: 765-473-9631 Website

Vital Records

 * Indiana State Digital Archives

Marriage

 * 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


 * Marriage Index G, 1943-1944, has 3 images, each image indexed separately. Look at all 3 images to get names of both spouses and their parents. (For the bride, the other person on the index is the maiden name of her new mother-in-law!)

Death

 * 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

 * Miami County, IN History, Records, Facts and Genealogy
 * , Miami County.
 * Indiana Genealogy Network Community on Google+
 * Indiana Genealogy Network Group on Facebook
 * INGenWeb, Miami County. May have maps, name indexes, history or other information for this county.
 * Miami County, Indiana Genealogy and Family History(Linkpendium)
 * EveryNameIndex.comFree online genealogy indexes for those big old county histories.