Daviess County, Indiana Genealogy

United States Indiana  Daviess County

Guide to Daviess 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 24 December 1816 from Knox county
 * County Seat:  Washington

Neighboring Counties
Greene • Martin • Dubois • Pike • Knox

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
For a list of record loss in Indiana Counties see: Indiana Counties with Burned Courthouses

1891

Set The Court House on Fire Four Men, Including an Officer, Arrested at Washington, Ind., for Arson.

Washington, Ind., Oct. 14.-This city has witnessed the most exciting scenes in the history to-day. Detectives have been at work on the Court House fire, and up to this hour have arrested four persons supposed to be connected with the fire. Samuel Harbine, a day laborer here, was arrested last night, charged with complicity in the burning of the records. After being arrested Harbine confessed the crime and implicated several prominent people in it, and as a result Auditor James H. Lavelle and I.B. Hawes, a prominent citizen of Steele township, were arrested this morning and placed in jail; also a man by the name of Basil Ledgerwood. The officers are now out after Michael Lavelle, a brother of the auditor. Harbine's story is that Lavelle hired him to burn the court house for $500, only $5 of which he has been paid. It is reported that Ledgerwood is also anxious to turn State's evidence. He claims to have been given a house and lot for his part in the crime. Auditor Lavelle's bondsmen, becoming frightened at the turn affairs were taking, required him to turn all his property over to them yesterday. Lavelle has been Auditor of the county for eight years and the fact that the people had confidence in him makes his arrest and accusation of the court house fire the sensation of the hour. From present circumstances it is supposed he is short in his accounts, but no one knows the amount. Experts are now at work on his books. Hawes lives on a farm of 500 acres, owned by him, and is in good circumstances. He was brought in at the muzzle of a Winchester.

The four persons in jail were taken before Judge Hefron this morning. They waived a preliminary bail and Lavelle's and Hawes' were fixed at $5,000 each, and Harbine's and Ledgerwood's at $2,000 each. They are still in jail, not having given bond.

A special says that Ledgerwood and Harbine have pleaded guilty in court. Sentence was suspended by Judge Hefron, as they will be used as witnesses.

The Daily Inter Ocean, Chicago, IL 15 Oct 1891

source:gendisasters.com

Cemeteries

 * see Cemeteries - Linkpendium
 * Cemeteries - Daviess County -INGen Web

Census Records

 * Index to Defective, Dependent &amp; Delinquent Census for Daviess County, Indiana (1880) (members only database, Indiana Genealogical Society)

Catholic

 * 1839-1885 - St. Peter's Catholic Parish, Montgomery, Baptism Index 1839-1885 in International Genealogical Index at FamilySearch - free. Batch.
 * 1847-1877 - St. Peter's Catholic Parish, Montgomery, Marriage Index 1847-1877 in International Genealogical Index at FamilySearch - free. Batch.

Directories

 * Early Settlers of Daviess County ($, Indiana Genealogical Society)

Local Histories

 * History of Daviess County - Linkpendiun


 * History of Knox and Davis Counties, Indiana, from the earliest time to the present : with biographical sketches, reminiscences, notes, etc., together with an extended history of the colonial days of Vincennes, and its progress down to the formation of the state government (Chicago, Goodspeed Pub. Co) 977.23 H2g  INTERNET ARCHIVE  other libraries


 * Living Leaders, an Encyclopedia of Biography: Special Edition for Daviess and Martin Counties, Indiana. ([New York?]: American Pub. Co, 1897.) other libraries   INTERNET ARCHIVE

Maps

 * Old Antique Atlases & Maps of Indiana
 * Family Maps of (land patent maps) at HistoryGeo.com ($). Free surname search.
 * Maps and Gazetteers - Linkpendium

Civil War

 * Civil War Veterans of Daviess County - INGen Web
 * Daviess County, Indiana Military (Source: Genealogy Trails History Group)
 * List of Pensioners on the Roll January 1, 1883 Daviess County, Indiana (Source: Internet Archive)
 * African-American Veterans in Daviess County, Indiana (1890) (members only database, Indiana Genealogical Society)

Civil War service men from Kosciusko County served in various regiments. Men often joined a regiment or a company (within a regiment)that originated in their county. Listed below are the military units that were formed in or had many men from Kosciusko County.


 * 6th Regiment, Indiana Infantry, Company C, and Reorganized Company E
 * 10th Regiment, Indiana Cavalry, Comapny F
 * 11th Regiment, Indiana Cavalry, Comapny K
 * 13th Regiment, Indiana Infantry, Reorganized F
 * 24th Regiment, Indiana Infantry, Companies D, and K
 * 27th Regiment, Indiana Infantry, Companies B, and E
 * 42nd Regiment, Indiana Infantry, Company G
 * 52nd Regiment, Indiana Infantry, Companies A, and E
 * 58th Regiment, Indiana Infantry, Company H
 * 65th Regiment, Indiana Infantry, Company I
 * 70th Regiment, Indiana Infantry, Company I
 * 91st Regiment, Indiana Infantry, Company C
 * 117th Regiment, Indiana Infantry (6 months, 1863-4), Company K
 * 143rd Regiment, Indiana Infantry, Company K
 * 28th US Colored Troops, Addition Recruits for Colored Troops


 * Daviess County, Indiana: Regiments in the Civil War - INGenWeb

Civil War Book


 * "Military History" Chaper 6 in History of Knox and Davis Counties, Indiana, from the earliest time to the present : with biographical sketches, reminiscences, notes, etc., together with an extended history of the colonial days of Vincennes, and its progress down to the formation of the state government (Chicago, Goodspeed Pub. Co) Page 644-674.  977.23 H2g   INTERNET ARCHIVE  other libraries

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

 * 1) World War I Draft Registration Cards, 1917-1918 Daviess County (Source: Explore ancestry.comfor free) ($)

World War II, 1941-1945

 * 1) Daviess County, Indiana World War II Casualties, Army and Army Air Corps (Source: AccessGenealogy

Occupations

 * Roster of Civilian Conservation Corps, Washington, Daviess County, Indiana (1938) ($, Indiana Genealogical Society)

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
Daviess County Courthouse PO Box 739; Washington, IN 47501 Phone: 812.254.8664

County Clerk has marriage, divorce, probate and court records from 1817.

Family History Centers

 * Vincennes Indiana Family History Center

For additional nearby Family History Centers, search online in the Family History Center directory.

Vital Records

 * see Vital Records - Linkpendium

Marriage Records

 * 1802-1892 Indiana Marriages, 1802-1892 - Ancestry.com $
 * 1780-1992 - FamilySearch
 * 1811-2007 - FamilySearch

Death Records

 * Indiana State Digital Achivesfor Death, E-Publication, Instiution, Military, Misc Historical, Naturalization Records can be searched by person name (accessed 26 May 2011)


 * Indiana, Death Index, 1882-1920 - FamilySearch

Web Sites

 * Daviess 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.
 * Daviess County, Indiana Genealogy and Family History (Linkpendium)
 * Daviess County, Indiana Genealogy and Family History (Linkpendium)