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Iowa Research Outline |
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Table of Contents
Helps For Using This Research Outline
References To The Family History Library Catalog
References To Other Family History Library Publications
Archives And Libraries
Computer Networks And Bulletin Boards
Familysearch™
Bible Records
Biography
Cemeteries
Census
Federal Censuses
Mortality Schedules, 1850–1880
Territorial Censuses
State Censuses
Church Records
Court Records
Directories
Divorce Records
Emigration And Immigration
Routes To Iowa
Gazetteers
Genealogy
Nationwide Indexes
Statewide Collections And Indexes
Historical Geography
History
Land And Property
Land Office Records
Homestead Grants
Other Iowa Land Records
County Records
Early Private Land Claims, 1700s–1837
Territorial Papers Of Iowa, 1838–1852
Maps
Land Ownership And Plat Maps
County Atlases
Military Records
Revolutionary War, 1775–1783
Early Records Beginning With 1837
Mexican War, 1846–1848
Civil War, 1861–65
Spanish-american War, 1898, And Philippine Insurrection, 1898–1902
World War I, 1917–1918
Military Discharge Records, 1860s–1950s
Militia Records, 1860s–1900s
National Guard Application Forms, 1870–1920
Location Of Original Records
Minorities
Native Races
Naturalization And Citizenship
Newspapers
Obituaries
Periodicals
Probate Records
Public Records
Schools
Societies
Taxation
Vital Records
County Records Of Births And Deaths
State Records Of Births And Deaths
Other Records
For Further Reading
Comments And Suggestions
PROBATE RECORDS Iowa probate records date from about 1834, when the first county in the state was created. Probate records are an important source for family history research and are one of the best ways to link individuals to their parents, children and sometimes to brothers, sisters, and grandchildren. They may not give an exact death date, but you can assume the death generally occurred within a few months of the date of probate. Wills usually mention the names of heirs and frequently specify how those heirs are related. Names of children may be given, as well as married names of daughters. See the United States Research Outline for more information about probate records.
A probate court was created in each county when Iowa became an organized territory. These courts were responsible for settling estates. Probate courts were eventually discontinued, and probate matters have since been the responsibility of the district courts. Before 1887 some probate cases were settled in circuit courts and from 1851 to 1868, some in county courts. Probate records may include guardianship records.
You can write to the clerk of the district court for copies of wills, administrations, dockets, calendars, and other records.
The Family History Library has microfilm and microfiche copies of many probate records, including some will records as late as the 1970s and indexes to the 1990s.
Probate records are listed in the Locality Search of the Family History Library Catalog under:
Many records created by local and state governments do not fit into the topics listed in this outline. These include records of: state licensing and certification bureaus, mayors, commissioners and overseers of the poor. Some collections that contain a variety of records, such as land, history, tax and court records, may be classified as public records.
Public records kept by the County Board of Supervisors in Iowa began about 1838. These records have been important public records from 1838 to the present. These boards supervise the establishment, drainage, alteration, and vacating of roads; take care of the blind, elderly and poor; levy taxes for county and school purposes; and set salaries for the county clerk and sheriff. The Family History Library has some of these records on microfilm.
Some types of Iowa county public records are described in:
Dolan, John P., and Lisa Lacher. Guide to the Public Records of Iowa Counties. Des Moines, Iowa: Connie Wimer, 1986. (FHL book 977.7 D27d; computer number 544892.) This guide lists many resources for 20th-century research.
Public records are listed in the Locality Search of the Family History Library Catalog under:
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IOWA - PROBATE RECORDSIOWA, [COUNTY] - PROBATE RECORDS
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PUBLIC RECORDS
IOWA - PUBLIC RECORDSIOWA, [COUNTY] - PUBLIC RECORDSIOWA, [COUNTY], [TOWN]- PUBLIC RECORDS
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Version of Data: 6/8/2001]