Putnam County, Indiana Genealogy
Guide to Putnam County, Indiana ancestry, genealogy and family history, birth records, marriage records, death records, census records, family history, and military records.
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County Information[edit | edit source]
Description[edit | edit source]
Putnam County was named for Israel Putnam. It is located in the west-central area of the state.[2]
County Courthouse[edit | edit source]
Putnam County Courthouse
1 Courthouse Square Street
PO Box 546
Greencastle, IN 46135-0546
Phone: 765-653-2648
County Courthouse
Putnam County Health Department
1542 S Bloomington St Suite 1500
Greencastle, IN, 46135
Health Officer: Robert Heavin, MD
Phone Number: 765-301-7660
Fax: 765-301-7665
Email: jyoung@putnamhealthindiana.org
Health Department
County Health Department has birth and death records.
County Clerk has marriage records from 1822, Divorce and Probate Records from 1825 and Court Records from 1828.
County Recorder has land records. [3]
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.
Putnam County, Indiana 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.
| Birth* | Marriage | Death* | Court | Land | Probate | Census |
| 1882 | 1822 | 1882 | 1828 | 1824 | 1825 | 1807 |
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:[7]
| Cities | ||
| Towns | ||
| Unincorporated communities | ||
| Census-designated places | ||
| Townships | ||
History Timeline[edit | edit source]
Resources[edit | edit source]
Bible Records[edit | edit source]
Biographies[edit | edit source]
Business, Commerce, and Occupations[edit | edit source]
Cemeteries[edit | edit source]
Census Records[edit | edit source]
For tips on accessing Putnam County census records online, see: Indiana Census.
| Historical populations | ||
|---|---|---|
| Census | Pop. | %± |
| 1830 | 8,262 | — |
| 1840 | 16,843 | 103.9% |
| 1850 | 18,615 | 10.5% |
| 1860 | 20,681 | 11.1% |
| 1870 | 21,514 | 4.0% |
| 1880 | 22,501 | 4.6% |
| 1890 | 22,335 | −0.7% |
| 1900 | 21,478 | −3.8% |
| 1910 | 20,520 | −4.5% |
| 1920 | 19,880 | −3.1% |
| 1930 | 20,448 | 2.9% |
| 1940 | 20,839 | 1.9% |
| 1950 | 22,950 | 10.1% |
| 1960 | 24,927 | 8.6% |
| 1970 | 26,932 | 8.0% |
| 1980 | 29,163 | 8.3% |
| 1990 | 30,315 | 4.0% |
| 2000 | 36,019 | 18.8% |
| 2010 | 37,963 | 5.4% |
| Source: "Wikipedia.org". | ||
- Index to Mortality Schedule for Putnam County (1860, 1870, 1880) at Indiana Genealogical Society ($)
- Index to Defective, Dependent & Delinquent Census for Putnam County (1880) at Indiana Genealogical Society ($)
Church Records[edit | edit source]
Most church records are held by individual churches. For contact information, check a phone directory, such as SearchBug or Dex Knows. Some denominations are gathering their records into a central repository.
For more information about these major repositories, see Indiana Church Records.
List of Churches and Church Parishes
Court Records[edit | edit source]
Directories[edit | edit source]
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. Land records include: deeds, abstracts and indexes, mortgages, leases, grants and land patents. See Indiana Land and Property for additional information about early Indiana land grants and patents.
After land was transferred from the government to private ownership, subsequent transactions were recorded at the Putnam County courthouse, where records are currently housed.
Local Histories[edit | edit source]
Local histories are available for Putnam County. County histories may include biographies; church, school and government histories; and military information. For more information about local histories, see Indiana Local Histories.
- Biographical and Historical Record of Putnam County, Indiana. 1887. Chicago, Illinois : Lewis Pub. Co. Online at: FamilySearch Digital Library, Hathitrust, Internet Archive; At various libraries (WorldCat).
- Weik's History of Putnam County, Indiana. 1910. By Jesse W. Weik. Indianapolis : B.F. Bowen & Co., Pub. Online at: FamilySearch Digital Library, Hathitrust, Internet Archive, Google Books, Ancestry ($); At various libraries (WorldCat).
Maps and Gazetteers[edit | edit source]
for more resources
- Historic Indiana Maps at IUPUI University Library
- FamilySearch Places: Map of cities and towns in this county - How to Use FS Places
Migration[edit | edit source]
Military Records[edit | edit source]
- Military Record Series Index at Indiana Digital Archives
- Military War data (all wars):
- Veterans in Putnam County, Indiana (1913) at Indiana Genealogical Society ($)
Mexican War
- Residents of Putnam County Who Served in the Mexican War (1846-1848) at Indiana Genealogical Society ($)
Civil War
Civil War service men from Putnam County served in various regiments. Men often joined a company (within a regiment) that originated in their county. Listed below are companies that were specifically formed in Putnam County.
- 1st Regiment, Indiana Heavy Artillery, Company E
- 6th Regiment, Indiana Cavalry, Company C
- 10th Regiment, Indiana Infantry, Company H
- 11th Regiment, Indiana Infantry, Reorganized Companies F, H, and K
- 13th Battery, Indiana Light Artillery
- 13th Regiment, Indiana Infantry, Reorganized Company F, and H
- 14th Regiment, Indiana Infantry, Company D
- 15th Regiment, Indiana Infantry, Company F
- 16th Regiment, Indiana Infantry, Company K
- 20th Battery, Indiana Light Artillery
- 27th Regiment, Indiana Infantry, Companies A, and I
- 43rd Regiment, Indiana Infantry, Companies B, and H
- 59th Regiment, Indiana Infantry, Company G
- 78th Regiment, Indiana Infantry (60 days, 1862), Companies A, and B
- 97th Regiment, Indiana Infantry, Company D
- 99th Regiment, Indiana Infantry, Company I
- 115th Regiment, Indiana Infantry (6 months, 1863-4), Companies C, H, and I
- 123rd Regiment, Indiana Infantry, Companies E, and G
- 133rd Regiment, Indiana Infantry (100 days, 1864),
- 149th Regiment, Indiana Infantry, Companies C, H, and I
- 156th Regiment, Indiana Infantry, Company D, and E
- 28th US Colored Troops, Addition Recruits for Colored Troops
World War I
Naturalization and Citizenship[edit | edit source]
- Naturalization Record Series (for this county) at Indiana Digital Archives. Search by names.
Newspapers[edit | edit source]
Indiana newspapers may contain genealogical value including obituaries, births, marriages, deaths, anniversaries, family gatherings, family travel, achievements, business notices, engagement information, and probate court proceedings.
For more Indiana newspaper information see the wiki page Indiana Newspapers.
- 1800s-1999 U.S., Newspapers.com Marriage Index, 1800s-1999 at Ancestry - index ($)
- 1804-2010 Hoosier State Chronicles 1804-2011
Obituaries[edit | edit source]
- Wabash Valley Obituary Index - from the Vigo County Public Library contains most of Vigo County, but includes Putnam and other counties. These are indexes to obituaries published in Terre Haute newspapers from 1900-2007.
- Putnam Public Library - obituary index from The Banner Graphic, newspaper of Greencastle, covers 1972 to the present and is updated every two weeks.
Other Records[edit | edit source]
Periodicals[edit | edit source]
Probate Records[edit | edit source]
In most counties in Indiana, probate records have been kept by the county clerk of the circuit court. They include wills, fee books, claim registers, legacy records, inheritance records, probate ticklers, and dockets. The records are available at the Putnam County courthouse. For more information, see Indiana Probate Records.
- 1798-1999 Indiana Wills and Probate Records 1798-1999 at Ancestry
School Records[edit | edit source]
Social Security Records[edit | edit source]
- 1935-2014 United States Social Security Death Index 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 ($) — index, click here for more information.
Tax Records[edit | edit source]
Indiana tax records complement land records and can be used in place of censuses or to supplement the years between censuses. Because only persons who owned taxable property were listed, many residents were not included in tax lists. There may also be gaps of several years in the tax records of some counties. For more information see the wiki page Indiana Taxation.
Vital Records[edit | edit source]
Vital records consist of birth, death, marriage and divorce records. Indiana law in 1882 required registration of births and deaths in counties. The Indiana Department of Health has birth records filed after October 1907 and death records filed after January 1900 for deaths. Copies may be obtained from the county health department or the Indiana State Division of Vital Records.
Birth[edit | edit source]
Marriage[edit | edit source]
- 1780-1992 Indiana Marriages, 1780-1992 at FamilySearch - How to Use this Collection; Also at: MyHeritage ($)
- 1800-2007 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 Indiana Marriages, 1811-2007 at FamilySearch - How to Use this Collection
- Marriage Records at USGenWeb Project
Death[edit | edit source]
- Pre-1882 WEB: Indiana, Deaths, Pre-1882 at Ancestry.com - index, (Free collection)
- 1750-1993 Indiana Deaths and Burials, 1750-1993 at FamilySearch - How to Use this Collection
- 1882-1920 Indiana, Death Index, 1882-1920 at FamilySearch - How to Use this Collection
- 1899-2011 Indiana, Death Certificates, 1899-2011 at Ancestry
- Death Records at USGenWeb Project
Divorce[edit | edit source]
Research Facilities[edit | edit source]
Archives[edit | edit source]
Listed below are archives in Putnam County. For state-wide archival repositories, see Indiana 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
- Crawfordsville Indiana Family History Center
- Terre Haute Indiana Family History Center
- Danville-Center Township Public Library - an affiliate library.
- Putnam County Library - an affiliate library.
- Vigo County Public Library - an affiliate library.
Libraries[edit | edit source]
Listed below are libraries in Putnam County. For state-wide genealogical societies, see Indiana Archives and Libraries.
Putnam County Library
103 East Poplar Street
Greencastle, IN 46135
Phone: 765-653-2755
Website
Museums[edit | edit source]
Putnam County Museum
1105 North Jackson St.
Greencastle, IN 46135
Phone: 765-653-8419
Email: info@putnamcountymuseum.org
Website
Societies[edit | edit source]
Listed below are societies in Putnam County. For state-wide genealogical societies, see Indiana Societies.
Putnam County Genealogical Club
RR 1, Box 28
Bainbridge, IN 46105
Putnam County Historical Society
P.O. Box 801
103 East Poplar St.
Greencastle, IN 46135
Wabash Valley Genealogy Society
P.O. Box 7012
Terre Haute, IN 47802-7012
Email: wvgs@inwvgs.org
Website
Websites[edit | edit source]
- Putnam County, Indiana Genealogy and Family History (Linkpendium)
- 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
- INGenWeb, Putnam County
- USGenWeb, Putnam County
- Indiana State Library, Putnam County records.
- 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]
- ↑ Handybook for Genealogists: United States of America, 10th ed. (Draper, Utah: Everton Pub., 2002), Indiana.At various libraries (WorldCat); FHL Book 973 D27e 2002.
- ↑ Wikipedia contributors, "Putnam County," in Wikipedia: the Free Encyclopedia, https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Putnam_County,_Indiana 3/30/2017.
- ↑ Handybook for Genealogists: United States of America, 10th ed. (Draper, Utah: Everton Pub., 2002), Indiana.At various libraries (WorldCat); FHL Book 973 D27e 2002.
- ↑ Handybook for Genealogists: United States of America, 10th ed. (Draper, Utah: Everton Pub., 2002), Indiana.At various libraries (WorldCat); FHL Book 973 D27e 2002.
- ↑ Handybook for Genealogists: United States of America, 10th ed. (Draper, Utah: Everton Pub., 2002), Indiana.At various libraries (WorldCat); FHL Book 973 D27e 2002.
- ↑ Wikipedia contributors, "Putnam County, Indiana" in Wikipedia: the Free Encyclopedia at http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Putnam _County,_Indiana (accessed 10 May 2012).
- ↑ Wikipedia contributors, "Putnam County, Indiana," in Wikipedia: the Free Encyclopedia, https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Putnam_County,_Indiana, accessed 01 January 2020.
