Polk County, Iowa Genealogy

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

County Facts
County seat: Des Moines
Organized: March 1, 1846[1]
Parent County(s): Non-County Area 8[2]
Neighboring Counties
Boone  • Dallas  • Jasper  • Madison  • Marion  • Story  • Warren
See County Maps
Courthouse
Iowa, Polk County Courthouse.png
Location Map
Iowa Polk Map.png
Adoption

County Information[edit | edit source]

Description[edit | edit source]

Polk County was named for US President James K. Polk and is located in central Iowa. [3]

County Courthouse[edit | edit source]

Polk County Courthouse
500 Mulberry Street
Des Moines, IA 50309
Phone: 515-286-3772
Polk County Website

Polk County, Iowa Record Dates[edit | edit source]

Information for this chart was taken from various sources, often containing conflicting dates. This information should be taken as a guide and should be verified by contacting the county and/or the state government agency.

Known Beginning Dates for Major County Records[4]
Birth* Marriage Death* Court Land Probate Census
1880 1880 1941 1850 1846 1855 1847
* Statewide registration started for births in July 1880 and for deaths January 1891. General compliance by 1924.

Record Loss[edit | edit source]

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

Boundary Changes[edit | edit source]

Populated Places[edit | edit source]

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:[8]

Cities
Unincorporated communities
Census-designated places
Townships


History Timeline[edit | edit source]

Resources[edit | edit source]

Bible Records[edit | edit source]

Listed below are resources for Bible records specific to Polk County. To find more resources, go to the Iowa Bible Records page.


Biographies[edit | edit source]

  • Gold Star Men of Polk County, Iowa. 1918. Records Collected and Compiled by The Historical Department of Iowa. n.p.:n.p. Online at: FamilySearch Digital Library.
  • Portrait and Biographical album of Polk Co., Iowa: containing full page portraits and biographical sketches of prominent and representative citizens of the county. 1890. Chicago, IL: Lake City Publishing Company. Online at: FamilySearch Digital Library, HathiTrust — index & images, Google Books, Ancestry — index & images ($)

Business, Commerce, and Occupations[edit | edit source]

Cemeteries[edit | edit source]

Cemeteries of Polk County, Iowa online and in print
Tombstone Transcriptions Online
Tombstone Transcriptions in Print (Often more complete)
List of Cemeteries in the County
See Iowa Cemeteries for more information.

 

Census Records[edit | edit source]

Iowa recorded not only federal, but state censuses for several in-between years as well. For more information, see the very informative Iowa Census article.

Historical populations
Census Pop. %±
1850 4,513 —
1860 11,625 157.6%
1870 27,857 139.6%
1880 42,395 52.2%
1890 65,410 54.3%
1900 82,624 26.3%
1910 110,438 33.7%
1920 154,029 39.5%
1930 172,837 12.2%
1940 195,835 13.3%
1950 226,010 15.4%
1960 266,315 17.8%
1970 286,101 7.4%
1980 303,170 6.0%
1990 327,140 7.9%
2000 374,601 14.5%
2010 430,640 15.0%
Source: "Wikipedia.org".

State Census

Church Records[edit | edit source]

Most church records are held by individual churches. Some denominations are gathering their records into a central repository. For more information about these major repositories, see Iowa Church Records.

Ward and Branch Records

  • Des Moines

Court Records[edit | edit source]

Directories[edit | edit source]

  • 1866 1866 Des Moines and Polk County, Iowa, City Directory and Business Guide. 1867. Des Moines, IA: Mills and Company. Online at: FamilySearch Digital Library.
  • 1903 1903 Des Moines and Polk County, Iowa, City Directory. 1903. R.L. Polk and Company. Des Moines, IA: The Geo A. Miller Printing Company. Online at: FamilySearch Digital Library.
  • 1912 Des Moines City and Valley Junction Directory for the Year Commencing December 1st, 1912, Vol XXI. 1912. Des Moines, IA: R.L. Polk & Co. Compilers and Publishers. Online at: Ancestry — index & images ($)
  • 1915 Des Moines City and Valley Junction Directory for the Year Commencing December 1st, 1915, Vol XXIV. 1915. Des Moines, IA: R.L. Polk & Co. Compilers and Publishers. Online at: Ancestry — index & images ($)

Emigration and Immigration[edit | edit source]

Ethnic, Political, and Religious Groups[edit | edit source]

Funeral Homes[edit | edit source]

Genealogies[edit | edit source]

Guardianship[edit | edit source]

Land and Property Records[edit | edit source]

Land and property records can place an ancestor in a particular location, provide economic information, and reveal family relationships. They include: deeds, abstracts and indexes, mortgages, leases, grants and land patents.

See Iowa Land and Property for information about early Iowa land grants. After land was transferred to private ownership, transactions were usually recorded and housed at the county courthouse.

Online Land and Property Records

Local Histories[edit | edit source]

Local histories are available for Polk County, which may include biographies, church, school and government history, and military information. For more information about local histories, see Iowa Local Histories.

  • Des Moines, Iowa Pictorial and Biographical Deluxe Supplement. 1911. Chicago, IL: The S.J. Clarke Publishing Company. Online at: FamilySearch Digital Library.
  • Gold Star Men of Polk County, Iowa. 1918. Records Collected and Compiled by The Historical Department of Iowa. n.p.:n.p. Online at: FamilySearch Digital Library.
  • The History of Polk County, Iowa: Containing a History of the County, its Cities, Towns, a Biographical Sketches of Its Citizens, Portraits of Early Settlers and Prominent Men. 1880. Des Moines, IA: Union Historical Company. Online at: FamilySearch Digital Library, HathiTrust — index & images.
  • A Pictorial History of Southeast Polk County, Iowa. 1981. Marceline, MO: Walsworth Publishing Company. Online at: FamilySearch Digital Library.
  • Resources and Industries of Des Moines and Polk County, Iowa: Also containing Short Sketches of the Towns of Polk County. 1885. By Joseph P. Bushnell. Des Moines, IA: J.P. Bushnell Publishers. Online at: FamilySearch Digital Library.
  • Roster of the Ohiowa Association: living in Polk county and Ohioans and their descendants who are eligible to membership. 1908, By John L. Crawford. [s.l.]: The Association. Online at:FamilySearch Digital Library.

Maps and Gazetteers[edit | edit source]

County and state maps, historical and more current, are valuable research tools. For online maps and collections in libraries and societies, see Iowa Maps. Historical maps may be especially useful.

Boone CountyStory CountyMarshall CountyDallas CountyMadison CountyWarren CountyMarion CountyJasper CountyIA POLK.PNG
Click a neighboring county
for more resources

Migration[edit | edit source]

Military Records[edit | edit source]

Multiple Wars

Civil War

Civil War service men in Polk 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 here:

- 2nd Regiment, Iowa Cavalry, Company D
- 2nd Regiment, Iowa Infantry, Company D
- 4th Regiment, Iowa Infantry, Company E
- 10th Regiment, Iowa Infantry, Company A and K
- 13th Regiment, Iowa Infantry, Company E
- 15th Regiment, Iowa Infantry, Company B
- 16th Regiment, Iowa Infantry, Company K
- 17th Regiment, Iowa Infantry, Company B and K
- 18th Regiment, Iowa Infantry, Company I
- 23rd Regiment, Iowa Infantry, Company A, B, C, and E
- 47th Regiment, Iowa Infantry (100 days, 1864), Company F

World War I

Naturalization and Citizenship[edit | edit source]

Please see the Iowa Naturalization and Citizenship page for state-wide information.

Online Naturalization Indexes and Records

Newspapers[edit | edit source]

Obituaries[edit | edit source]

Other Records[edit | edit source]

Periodicals[edit | edit source]

Probate Records[edit | edit source]

In most counties in Iowa, probate records have been kept by the county judge. They include wills, fee books, claim registers, legacy records, inheritance records, probate ticklers, and dockets. The records are available at the county courthouse.

Online Probate Indexes and Records

School Records[edit | edit source]

Social Security Records[edit | edit source]

Tax Records[edit | edit source]

Iowa tax records complement land records and can supplement the years between censuses. Iowa's unique Old Age Assistance tax gives names, addresses and birth years. There may be gaps of several years. For more information, see the wiki page Iowa Taxation.

Online Tax Indexes and Records

Vital Records[edit | edit source]

Vital Records consist of births, marriages, divorces, and deaths recorded by civil officials on registers, certificates, and other documents. Copies or extracts may be purchased from the Iowa Department of Public Health or the County Clerk's office. See also Iowa Vital Records.

Birth[edit | edit source]

Marriage[edit | edit source]

Death[edit | edit source]

Divorce[edit | edit source]

Research Facilities[edit | edit source]

Archives[edit | edit source]

Listed below are archives in Polk County. For state-wide library facilities, see Iowa Archives and Libraries.

Family History Centers[edit | edit source]

Family History Center and Affiliate Library Locator map - search for local Family History Centers or Affiliate Libraries

  • Family History Centers provide one-on-one assistance, free access to center-only databases, and to premium genealogical websites.
  • FamilySearch Affiliate Libraries have access to most center-only databases, but may not always have full services normally provided by a family history center.

Local Centers and Affiliate Libraries

Libraries[edit | edit source]

Listed below are libraries in Polk County. For state-wide library facilities, see Iowa Archives and Libraries.

Des Moines Public Library
Central Library
1000 Grand Avenue
Des Moines, IA 50309
515-283-4152
E-mail:JTHobbs@dmpl.org
Website

Mitchellville Public Library
205 Center Avenue N
Mitchellville, IA 50169
515-967-3339
E-mail:mplibr@mitchellville.lib.ia.us
Website

Museums[edit | edit source]

Living History Farms
11121 Hickman Road
Urbandale, IA 50322
515-278-5286
Website

Societies[edit | edit source]

Listed below are societies in Polk County. For state-wide genealogical societies, see Iowa Societies.

Johnston (Station) Historical Society
6161 Northglenn Drive
Johnston, Iowa 50131
515-608-5730
E-mail:johnstonhistoricalsociety@gmail.com
Website

Urbandale Historical Society
4010 70th Street
Urbandale, IA 50322
515-270-2917
E-mail:urbandalehistory@gmail.com
Website

Des Moines Historical Society
P.O. Box 8038
Des Moines, IA 50301
E-mail:dmhsiowa@gmail.com
Website
Facebook

West Des Moines Historical Society
PO Box 65563
West Des Moines, IA 50265
515-225-1286
E-mail:gbrubaker@wdmhs.org
Website
Facebook

Websites[edit | edit source]

  • Polk County at Cyndi's List - a comprehensive, categorized & cross-referenced list of links that point you to genealogical research sites online
  • Polk County at Genealogy Trails - volunteer transcriptions of genealogical and historical data
  • Polk County at Iowa USGenWeb - free online resources for genealogical research
  • Polk County at Iowa USGenWeb Archives - free online data for genealogical research
  • State Historical Society of Iowa — select from research collection topics
  • State Library of Iowa — electronic depository of documents intended for the general public produced by Iowa agencies
  • The Iowa Heritage Digital Collection — digital images from a variety of Iowa cultural institutions
  • FamilySearch Catalog – 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.

Research Guides[edit | edit source]

References[edit | edit source]

  1. ↑ Iowa Historical Boundary Changes - list of all boundary changes by county provided by Newberry Library; accessed on 11 April 2021.
  2. ↑ Iowa Historical Boundary Changes - list of all boundary changes by county provided by Newberry Library; accessed on 11 April 2021.
  3. ↑ Wikipedia contributors, "Polk, Iowa," in Wikipedia: the Free Encyclopedia, "https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Polk_County,_Iowa."
  4. ↑ Handybook for Genealogists: United States of America, 10th ed. (Draper, Utah: Everton Pub., 2002), Iowa.At various libraries (WorldCat); FHL Book 973 D27e 2002.
  5. ↑ Iowa Historical Boundary Changes - list of all boundary changes by county provided by Newberry Library; accessed on 11 April 2021.
  6. ↑ Iowa Historical Boundary Changes - list of all boundary changes by county provided by Newberry Library; accessed on 11 April 2021.
  7. ↑ Handybook for Genealogists: United States of America, 10th ed. (Draper, Utah: Everton Pub., 2002), Iowa.At various libraries (WorldCat); FHL Book 973 D27e 2002.
  8. ↑ Wikipedia contributors, "Polk County, Iowa," in Wikipedia: the Free Encyclopedia, https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Polk_County,_Iowa, accessed 22 October 2019.
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