Wells County, Indiana Genealogy
Guide to Wells 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]
Wells County was named for Capt. William A. Wells, who was captured by Native Americans as a young boy and adopted by the Miami chief Little Turtle. He eventually became a scout for Gen. "Mad Anthony" Wayne. Capt. Wells was killed by Potawatomi allied with the British at the Fort Dearborn Massacre at the outbreak of the War of 1812. The county is located in the east-central part of the state.[2]
County Courthouse[edit | edit source]
Wells County Courthouse
102 W Market Street
Bluffton, IN 46714
Phone: 219-824-6479
County Website
Wells County Health Department
223 West Washington
Bluffton, IN 46714
Health Officer: Kay Johnson, MD
Phone: 260-824-6489
Fax: 260-824-8803
Email: mhoag@wellscounty.org
Health Department
County Health Department has birth and death records.
County Clerk has marriage, divorce and court records from 1837 and probate records from 1838.
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.
Wells 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 |
1883 | 1837 | 1883 | 1837 | 1838 | 1838 | 1807 |
Record Loss[edit | edit source]
There is no known history of courthouse disasters in this county. |
Boundary Changes[edit | edit source]
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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 | ||
Townships | ||
History Timeline[edit | edit source]
Resources[edit | edit source]
Bible Records[edit | edit source]
Biographies[edit | edit source]
- Indiana Biography Index at Indiana State Library
- Biographical and historical record of Adams and Wells counties, Indiana: Containing portraits of all the Presidents of the United States from Washington to Cleveland, with accompanying biographies of each: a condensed history of the state of Indiana: portraits and biographies of some of the prominent men of the state: engravings of prominent citizens in Adams and Wells counties, with personal histories of many of the leading families, and a concise history of the counties and their cities and villages. (Chicago: Lewis Publishing Co.,1887). Online at: FamilySearch Digital Library;Internet Archive
Business, Commerce, and Occupations[edit | edit source]
Occupations
- Roster of Civilian Conservation Corps, Bluffton, Wells County, Indiana (1938) - at Indiana Genealogical Society ($)
Cemeteries[edit | edit source]
- Indexes of Cemeteries in Wells County at Indiana Genealogical Society
- Apostolic Christian Church Cemetery at Allen County Public Library Genealogy Center
Census Records[edit | edit source]
For tips on accessing Wells County census records online, see: Indiana Census.
Historical populations | ||
---|---|---|
Census | Pop. | %± |
1840 | 1,822 | — |
1850 | 6,152 | 237.7% |
1860 | 10,844 | 76.3% |
1870 | 13,585 | 25.3% |
1880 | 18,442 | 35.8% |
1890 | 21,514 | 16.7% |
1900 | 23,449 | 9.0% |
1910 | 22,418 | −4.4% |
1920 | 20,509 | −8.5% |
1930 | 18,411 | −10.2% |
1940 | 19,099 | 3.7% |
1950 | 19,564 | 2.4% |
1960 | 21,220 | 8.5% |
1970 | 23,821 | 12.3% |
1980 | 25,401 | 6.6% |
1990 | 25,948 | 2.2% |
2000 | 27,600 | 6.4% |
2010 | 27,636 | 0.1% |
Source: "Wikipedia.org". |
- Index to Mortality Schedule (1860, 1870) at Indiana Genealogical Society ($)
- Index to Defective, Dependent & Delinquent Census (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 Wells County courthouse, where records are currently housed.
Local Histories[edit | edit source]
Local histories are available for Wells County. County histories may include biographies; church, school and government histories; and military information. For more information about local histories, see Indiana Local Histories.
- Standard History of Adams and Wells Counties, Indiana. 2 volumes. 1918. Editors: John W. Tyndall, O. E. Lesh. Chicago : Lewis Publishing Co. Online at: FamilySearch Digital Library (2 volumes in 1), Vol. 1 - Internet Archive, Vol. 2 - Internet Archive.
Maps and Gazetteers[edit | edit source]
for more resources
- Old Antique Atlases & Maps of Indiana
- 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]
Civil War
Civil War service men from Wells 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 Wells County.
- 11th Regiment, Indiana Cavalry, Company C
- 13th Regiment, Indiana Infantry, Reorganized Company H
- 16th Regiment, Indiana Infantry, Reorganized Company K
- 34th Regiment, Indiana Infantry, Companies A, and K
- 47th Regiment, Indiana Infantry, Companies A, and K
- 75th Regiment, Indiana Infantry, Company K
- 88th Regiment, Indiana Infantry, Company F
- 101st Regiment, Indiana Infantry, Companies B and G
- 130th Regiment, Indiana Infantry, Company F
- 137th Regiment, Indiana Infantry (100 days, 1864), Company E
- 138th Regiment, Indiana Infantry (100 days, 1864), Company I
- 153rd Regiment, Indiana Infantry, Companies B, E, and G
- 155th Regiment, Indiana Infantry, Company F
- 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 ($)
- Wells County Newspapers at INGenWeb
Obituaries[edit | edit source]
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 Wells 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]
- Partial School Enumeration of Harrison Township, Wells County, Indiana (1844, 1849) at Indiana Genealogical Society ($)
Social Security Records[edit | edit source]
- 1935-2014 United States Social Security Death Index at FamilySearch - How to use this collection; index. Also at Ancestry, findmypast, Fold3, GenealogyBank, MyHeritage, and Steve Morse. Click here for more information.
- 1936-2007 U.S., Social Security Applications and Claims Index, 1936-2007 at Ancestry ($) — 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
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 $
Divorce[edit | edit source]
Research Facilities[edit | edit source]
Archives[edit | edit source]
Listed below are archives in Wells 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
- Decatur Indiana Family History Center
- Fort Wayne Indiana Family History Center
- Huntington Indiana Family History Center
- Allen County Public Library - an affiliate library.
- Huntington City - Township Public Library - an affiliate library.
Libraries[edit | edit source]
Listed below are libraries in Wells County. For state-wide genealogical societies, see Indiana Archives and Libraries.
Museums[edit | edit source]
Societies[edit | edit source]
Listed below are societies in Wells County. For state-wide genealogical societies, see Indiana Societies.
Wells County Historical and Museum Society
420 W. Market St.
Bluffton, IN 46714
Email: wellscohistorytech@gmail.com
Website
Wells County Genealogy Society
P.O. Box 54
Bluffton, IN 46714
Website
Websites[edit | edit source]
- 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, Wells County
- INGenWeb, Wells County
- Wells County, Indiana Genealogy and Family History (Linkpendium)
- 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, "Wells County," in Wikipedia: the Free Encyclopedia, https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wells_County,_Indiana accessed 04/05/2017.
- ↑ 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, "Wells County, Indiana" in Wikipedia: the Free Encyclopedia at http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wells_County,_Indiana (accessed 10 May 2012).
- ↑ Wikipedia contributors, "Wells County, Indiana," in Wikipedia: the Free Encyclopedia, https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wells_County%2C_Indiana, accessed 16 January 2020.