Tippecanoe County, Indiana Genealogy

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

Description
Tippecanoe County was named for the Anglicization of "Kethtippecanoogi", a Miami people term meaning "place of the succor fish people." The county is located in the west-central area of the state.

County Courthouse
Tippecanoe County Courthouse 301 Main Street Lafayette, IN 47901 Phone: 765-423-9326 County Website

Tippecanoe County Health Department 629 N 6th St Lafayette, IN 47901 Health Officer: Dr. Jeremy Adler Phone: 765-423-9221 Fax: 765-423-9797 Email: [mailto:crich@tippecanoe.in.gov crich@tippecanoe.in.gov] Health Department

Clerk Circuit Court has marriage records from 1830, divorce records from 1850, probate and court records from 1832 and naturalization records on microfilm. Health Department has birth records and death records. 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

 * Biographical history of Tippecanoe, White, Jasper, Newton, Benton, Warren and Pulaski counties, (Indiana. 2003. La Crosse WI: Brookhaven Press.) Online at: Vol. 1 - FamilySearch Digital Library; Vol. 2 - FamilySearch Digital Library.
 * Past and Present of Tippecanoe County, Indiana. 2 volumes. 1909. Edited by R.P. DeHart. Indianapolis, Indiana : B.F. Bowen & Company. Online at: Vol. 1 - FamilySearch Digital Library, Internet Archive; Vol. 2 - FamilySearch Digital Library,  Internet Archive; Vols. 1 & 2 - Hathitrust, Ancestry ($); . Vol. 1 contains historical material; vol. 2 contains biographies.
 * Indiana Biography Index at Indiana State Library

Cemeteries

 * Indiana Pioneer Cemeteries Restoration Project with current information at Facebook
 * Tippecanoe cemetery information at Purdue University Tippecanoe County

Census Records

 * Index to Defective, Dependent &amp; Delinquent Census for Tippecanoe County, Indiana (1880) at Indiana Genealogical Society ($)
 * Index to Census for Clarks Hill (1886) at Indiana Genealogical Society ($)

Church Records
List of Churches and Church Parishes
 * FamilySearch Places


 * Early Churches at Tippecanoe County Area Genealogical Society

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


 * West Lafayette

Court Records

 * 1826-1853 (*); Probate Court at FamilySearch Catalog — index & images
 * 1827-1838 (*); Circuit Court at FamilySearch Catalog — index & images
 * 1831-1867 (*); Circuit Court at FamilySearch Catalog — index & images
 * 1841-1852 (*); Probate Court at FamilySearch Catalog — images
 * 1848-1865 (*); Court of Common Pleas at FamilySearch Catalog — images
 * 1848-1865 (*); Court of Common Pleas at FamilySearch Catalog — index & images
 * 1853-1865 (*); Court of Common Pleas at FamilySearch Catalog — images

Directories

 * 1891 Polk Lafayette, Indiana, City Directory, 1891 at MyHeritage — index & images, ($)
 * 1909 Lafayette, Indiana, City Directory, 1909 at MyHeritage — index & images, ($)
 * 1920 Polk Lafayette, Indiana, City Directory, 1920 at MyHeritage — index & images, ($)
 * 1920 Lafayette, Indiana, City Directory, 1920 at MyHeritage — index & images, ($)

Funeral Homes

 * Fisher Funeral Chapel & Cremation Services in Lafayette.
 * Hahn-Groeber Funeral Homes in Lafayette.
 * Hippensteel Funeral Service & Crematory in Lafayette.
 * Simplicity Funeral Care in Lafayette.
 * Soller-Baker Funeral Home in Lafayette.
 * Tippecanoe Memory Gardens in West Lafayette.

Local Histories

 * A History of Tippecanoe County and the Wabash Valley. 1918. By Logan Esarey. Dayton, Ohio : National Historical Association. Online at: FamilySearch Digital Library (note: indexed title does not match the actual book title). 3 volumes; Vol. 3 is Tippecanoe County history.
 * Past and Present of Tippecanoe County, Indiana. 2 volumes. 1909. Edited by R.P. DeHart. Indianapolis, Indiana : B.F. Bowen & Company. Online at: Vol. 1 - FamilySearch Digital Library, Internet Archive; Vol. 2 - FamilySearch Digital Library,  Internet Archive; Vols. 1 & 2 - Hathitrust, Ancestry ($); . Vol. 1 contains historical material; vol. 2 contains biographies.

Maps and Gazetteers

 * Old Antique Atlases & Maps of Indiana
 * Historic Indiana Maps at IUPUI University Library
 * Alameda McCollough Research Library
 * 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

Revolutionary War


 * Revolutionary War Soldiers Buried in Tippecanoe County, Indiana at Indiana Genealogical Society ($)

Civil War Civil War service men from Tippecanoe 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 Tippecanoe County.


 * 4th Regiment, Indiana Cavalry, Company I
 * 5th Regiment, Indiana Cavalry (90th Regiment, Indiana Volunteers), Company L
 * 7th Regiment, Indiana Cavalry, Company H
 * 9th Regiment, Indiana Infantry, Reorganized Companies D, and G
 * 10th Battery, Indiana Light Artillery
 * 10th Regiment, Indiana Infantry, Companies A, D, E, and Reorganized Companies E, H, K
 * 11th Regiment, Indiana Cavalry, Companies A, H, and I
 * 11th Regiment, Indiana Infantry, Company F and Reorganized Company F
 * 12th Regiment, Indiana Infantry, Reorganized Company A
 * 15th Regiment, Indiana Infantry, Company K
 * 20th Regiment, Indiana Infantry, Reorganized Companies C, F, and K
 * 23rd Battery, Indiana Light Artillery
 * 26th Regiment, Indiana Infantry, Company G
 * 35th Regiment, Indiana Infantry, Companies E, and H
 * 40th Regiment, Indiana Infantry, Companies A, C, D, G, H, I, and K
 * 63rd Regiment, Indiana Infantry, Company A
 * 72nd Regiment, Indiana Infantry, Companies C, and G
 * 86th Regiment, Indiana Infantry, Companies I, and K
 * 91st Regiment, Indiana Infantry, Company I
 * 99th Regiment, Indiana Infantry, Company F
 * 100th Regiment, Indiana Infantry, Company G
 * 108th Regiment, Indiana Infantry, Companies A, D, E, and H
 * 116th Regiment, Indiana Infantry (6 months, 1863-4), Companies A, E, and I
 * 130th Regiment, Indiana Infantry, Company H
 * 135th Regiment, Indiana Infantry (100 days, 1864), Companies A, C, D, and G
 * 142nd Regiment, Indiana Infantry, Company H
 * 150th Regiment, Indiana Infantry, Companies A, B, C, D, and I
 * 154th Regiment, Indiana Infantry, Companies E, H, and I

World War I


 * 1919 at FamilySearch - How to Use this Collection
 * Roll of Honor at Tippecanoe County Area Genealogical Society

Naturalization and Citizenship

 * As of 16 Nov 2022, Tippecanoe County has not delivered any naturalization records to the Indiana State Archives.
 * The Tippecanoe County Historical Association's website states that its library, the Alameda McCollough Research Library, has amassed a number of county records and books including naturalization records. The Naturalization Index of Tippecanoe County, Indiana 1826-1957 is linked on this site. Researchers who cannot visit the library in person may request research assistance and photocopies (for a fee).

Newspapers

 * 1800s-1999 U.S., Newspapers.com Marriage Index, 1800s-1999 at Ancestry - index ($)
 * 1804-2010 Hoosier State Chronicles 1804-2010
 * Newspapers on Microfilm at the Tippecanoe Co., Indiana Public Library

Probate Records

 * 1798-1999 Indiana Wills and Probate Records 1798-1999 at Ancestry ($)
 * 1826-1853 (*); Probate Court at FamilySearch Catalog — index and images
 * 1828-1892 (*); Circuit Court at FamilySearch Catalog — index and images
 * 1830-1905 (*); Circuit Court at FamilySearch Catalog — index and images
 * 1831-1867 (*); Circuit Court at FamilySearch Catalog — index and images
 * 1836-1969 (*); Clerk of the Circuit Court at FamilySearch Catalog — index and images
 * 1841-1852 (*); Probate Court at FamilySearch Catalog — images
 * 1848-1865 (*); Court of Common Pleas at FamilySearch Catalog — index and images
 * 1853-1865 (*); Court of Common Pleas at FamilySearch Catalog — images

School Records

 * Directory of Teachers for Tippecanoe County (1936) at Indiana Genealogical Society ($)
 * Students and Teachers of West Lafayette High School (1923, 1926) at Indiana Genealogical Society ($)
 * Selected Alumni, Students, and Teachers of Jefferson High School, Lafayette (1928) 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.

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 $

Family History Centers

 * Crawfordsville Indiana Family History Center
 * West Lafayette Indiana Family History Center
 * Monticello-Union Township Public Library - an affiliate library.
 * Otterbein Public Library - an affiliate library.

Libraries
Tippecanoe County Public Library Downtown Branch 627 South Street Lafayette, IN 47901 Phone: 765-429-0100 Website

Societies
Shelby Township Historical Association 906 Hillcrest Road West Lafayette, IN 47906 Phone: 765-583-2165 Tippecanoe County Area Genealogical Society P.O. Box 2464 West Lafayette, IN 47996 Phone: 765-427-6459 Email: [mailto:tipcoasoc@gmail.com tipcoasoc@gmail.com] Website Tippecanoe County Historical Association 1001 South Street Lafayette, IN 47901 Phone: 765-467-8411, ext. 2 Email: [mailto:library@tippecanoehistory.org library@tippecanoehistory.org] Facebook Website

Websites

 * Indiana Digital Archives Search by name in all records or specific collections
 * Indiana Historical Society Digital Collections Extensive - keyword searches suggested
 * Indiana Memory Click the map or select a statewide collection
 * List of indexes and databases at Indiana State Library
 * Indiana Genealogical Society Databases Select a county
 * Every Name Index.com Online indexes for county histories. Select a county
 * USGenWeb, Tippecanoe County
 * InGenWeb, Tippecanoe County
 * – 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.