Dubois County, Indiana Genealogy

United States

Indiana

Dubois County

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

Dubois County, Indiana
Map
Location of Indiana in the U.S.
Facts
Founded	December 20, 1817
County Seat	Jasper
Courthouse
Address	Dubois County Courthouse 1 Courthouse Square Jasper, IN 47546 Phone: 812.481.7035
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Historical Facts

Known Beginning Dates for Major County Records
Birth*	Marriage	Death*	Court	Land	Probate	Census
1882	1839	1882	1839	1839	1839	1807
Statewide registration for births in 1907 and deaths in Oct 1899. General compliance by 1917.

• Parent Counties: Formed 20 December 1817 Pike County
• County Seat: Jasper
  

Description

The county was named for Toussaint Dubois, a Frenchman who fought in the American Revolutionary War, the Battle of Tippecanoe and the War of 1812. Dubois was a merchant who lived mainly in Vincennes. He drowned in 1816 while crossing the Little Wabash River near Lawrenceville, Illinois. It's county seat is Jasper and was founded December 20, 1818. It is located in the Southwest area of the state.

Neighboring Counties

Daviess  • Martin  • Orange  • Crawford  • Perry  • Spencer  • Warrick  • Pike

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

August 1839 -- Courthouse burned and all records except for ten boxes of deeds from 1812 were destroyed.

For further information on researching in burned counties, see the following:

• Burned Counties Research in FamilySearch Wiki
• Michael John Neill, Burned Counties in Family History Circle

Resources

Cemeteries

Tombstone Transcriptions Online	Tombstone Transcriptions in Print	List of Cemeteries in the county
Findagrave.com	Family History Library	Findagrave.com
INGenWeb	WorldCat	Billion Graves
Indiana Interment
Billion Graves
See Indiana Cemeteries for more information.

Census Records

For tips on accessing Dubois County, Indiana Genealogy census records online, see: Indiana Census.

• Index to Mortality Schedule (1860) ($, Indiana Genealogical Society)
  
• Index to Defective, Dependent & Delinquent Census (1880) ($, Indiana Genealogical Society)
• Early Residents of Dubois County (1807-1820) ($, Indiana Genealogical Society)

Church Records

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.

Catholic Church

St. Anthony Catholic Parish, St. Anthony

• 1864-1885 - St. Anthony Catholic Parish, Anthony, Baptism Index 1864-1885 in International Genealogical Index at FamilySearch - free. Batch C537911.
• 1864-1895 - St. Anthony Catholic Parish, Anthony, Marriage Index 1864-1885 in International Genealogical Index at FamilySearch - free. Batch M537911.

St. Celestine Catholic Parish

• 1849-1885 - St. Celestine Catholic Parish, Celestine, Baptism Index 1849-1885 in International Genealogical Index at FamilySearch - free. Batch C537951.
• 1849-1895 - St. Celestine Catholic Parish, Celestine, Marriage Index 1849-1895 in International Genealogical Index at FamilySearch - free. Batch M537951.

St. Ferdinand Catholic Parish, Ferdinand

• 1843-1885 - St. Ferdinand Catholic Parish, Ferdinand, Marriage Index 1843-1885 in International Genealogical Index at FamilySearch - free. Batch M537972.

Sacred Heart Catholic Parish, Schnellville

• 1876-1885 - Sacred Heart Catholic Parish, Schnellville, Baptism Index 1876-1885 in International Genealogical Index at FamilySearch - free. Batch C537891.
• 1876-1895 - Sacred Heart Catholic Parish, Schnellville, Marriage Index 1876-1895 in International Genealogical Index at FamilySearch - free. Batch M537891.

Lutheran

Aka Evangelical

Emanuel Evangelical Church, Huntingburg

• 1882-1917 - Emanuel Evangelical Church, Huntingburg, Baptism Index 1882-1917 in International Genealogical Index at FamilySearch - free. Batch M761751.

• Records of St. Emanuel Lutheran Church, Dubois, in Evangelical Lutheran Church in America database at Archives.com ($).

Methodist

• 1851-1895 - Methodist Episcopal Church, Huntingburg, Baptism Index 1851-1895 in International Genealogical Index at FamilySearch - free. Batch C761742.
• 1853-1895 - Methodist Episcopal Church, Huntingburg, Baptism Index 1853-1895 in International Genealogical Index at FamilySearch - free. Batch M761742.

For more information about these major repositories, see Indiana Church Records.

Finding More Church Records

Additional church records can sometimes be found using search phrases such as Dubois County, Indiana Genealogy Church Records in online catalogs like:

• WorldCat (For instructions see WorldCat Online Catalog).
• FamilySearch Catalog (For instructions see FamilySearch Catalog Place-name Search).

Directories

• Directory of Businesses in Dubois County (1868) ($, Indiana Genealogical Society)

Histories

Local Histories

Local histories are available for Dubois County, Indiana Genealogy. County histories may include biographies; church, school and government histories; and military information.

• Anderson, Forrest R. 1942.Historical notes on Dubois & Pike Counties, Indiana. (Ireland, Ind: [s.n.].). FHL US/CAN Film 928078 Item 3  FHL Collection; other libraries  ancestry.com $
  

• History of Pike and Dubois counties, Indiana: from the earliest time to the present, with biographical sketches, reminiscences, notes, etc. : together with an extended history of the Northwest, the Indiana Territory, and the state of Indiana. 2000. (La Crosse, Wis: Brookhaven Press. Harvard (18th ed.)) 977.23 H2h FHL US/CAN Book FHL Collection  other library   INTERNET ARCHIVE

For more information about local histories, see the wiki page section Indiana Local Histories.

Land and Property

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.

After land was transferred from the government to private ownership, subsequent transactions were recorded at the courthouse, where records are currently housed.

See Indiana Land and Property for additional information about early Indiana land grants and patents.

Finding More Land Records

Additional land records can sometimes be found using search phrases such as Dubois County, Indiana Genealogy Probate Records in online catalogs like:

• WorldCat (For instructions see WorldCat Online Catalog).
• FamilySearch Catalog (For instructions see FamilySearch Catalog Place-name Search).

Maps

Click a neighboring county
for more resources

• Old Antique Atlases & Maps of Indiana
• Family Maps of Dubois County, Indiana Genealogy (land patent maps) at HistoryGeo.com ($). Free surname search.

Military Records

• Early Military Service of Residents of Dubois County ($, Indiana Genealogical Society)

Civil War

Civil War service men from Dubois 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 Dubois County

• 10th Regiment, Indiana Cavalry, Company M
• 14th Regiment, Indiana Infantry, Company C
• 27th Regiment, Indiana Infantry, Company K
• 42nd Regiment, Indiana Infantry, Companies B, and H
• 49th Regiment, Indiana Infantry, Company I
• 58th Regiment, Indiana Infantry, Companies C, and E
• 65th Regiment, Indiana Infantry, Company K
• 65th Regiment, Indiana Infantry, Company E
• 143rd Regiment, Indiana Infantry, Company E

Civil War Books

• "Military History Of The County" Chapter 5 in History of Pike and Dubois counties, Indiana: from the earliest time to the present, with biographical sketches, reminiscences, notes, etc. : together with an extended history of the Northwest, the Indiana Territory, and the state of Indiana. 2000. (La Crosse, Wis: Brookhaven Press. Harvard (18th ed.)) (page 520-538), 977.23 H2h FHL US/CAN Book FHL Collection  other library   INTERNET ARCHIVE

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

• 1919 - Indiana, World War I, Enrollment Cards, 1919 at FamilySearch — index

Probate Records

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 county courthouse.

Online Records

• 1798 – 1999 Indiana Wills and Probate Records 1798-1999 at Ancestry.com — index and images $

Finding More Probate Records

Additional probate records can sometimes be found using search phrases such as Dubois County, Indiana Genealogy Probate Records in online catalogs like:

• WorldCat (For instructions see WorldCat Online Catalog).
• FamilySearch Catalog (For instructions see FamilySearch Catalog Place-name Search).
• South Bend Area Genealogical Society: Wills Index 1830-1971 for St. Joseph County

Public Records

School Records

• Directory of Teachers (1936) (members only database, Indiana Genealogical Society)

Repositories

Courthouse

Dubois County Courthouse
1 Courthouse Square
Jasper, IN 47546
Phone: 812.481.7035
 

Recorder Library has marriage, divorce, probate, land, court
and naturalization records from 1839 and military records from 1864.
County Health Department has birth and death records from 1882.

Societies

Dubois County Genealogical Society
PO Box 343
Jasper, IN 47547-0343
Telephone Number: 812-367-2142

Dubois County Historical Society
1563 Gregory Lane
Jasper, IN 47546-9114
Telephone Number: 812-482-2847
E-mail: mhayes@duboiscountymuseum.org

Dubois County Museum
2704 N Newton St Ste A
Jasper, IN 47546-1332
Telephone Number: 812-634-7733
E-mail: mhayes@duboiscountymuseum.org
Website

Ferdinand Historical Society
PO Box 194
Ferdinand, IN 47532-0194
E-mail: information@ferdinandhistory.org
Website

Ireland Historical Society
7154 W. 150 N.
Jasper, IN 47546-8957
Fax: 812-634-9258
E-mail: junebug@fullnet.com
Website

Dubois County Genealogical Society
PO Box 84
Ferdinand, IN 47532-0084

Dubois County Historical Society
737 W. 8th St.
Jasper, IN 47546

Family History Centers

Family history centers provide one-on-one assistance and free access to premium genealogical websites. In addition, many centers have free how-to genealogy classes. See family history center for more information. Search the online FHC directory for a nearby family history center.

• Vincennes Indiana Family History Center

For additional nearby Family History Centers, search online in the family history center directory.

Taxation

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.

Finding More Tax Records

Additional tax records can sometimes be found using search phrases such as Dubois County, Indiana Genealogy Tax Records in online catalogs like:

• WorldCat (For instructions see WorldCat Online Catalog).

Vital Records

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. See also How to order Indiana Vital Records or order electronically online.

Marriage licenses were required by counties beginning in 1800. Original marriage records are held at the office of the Dubois County, Indiana Genealogy County Clerk with divorce records located with the Dubois County, Indiana Genealogy Clerk of Courts.

Marriage Records

• 1800s-2007 - Indiana, United States Marriages at FindMyPast — index $

• 1780-1992 Indiana Marriages, 1780-1992 - FamilySearch
  

• 1802-1892 Indiana Marriages, 1802-1892 - Ancestry.com $
  

• 1811-2007 Indiana Marriages, 1811-2007 at FamilySearch — index and images

Death Records

• 1882-1920 Indiana, Death Index, 1882-1920 at FamilySearch Historical Records - Index only
• 1899-2011 Indiana, Death Certificates, 1899-2011 at Ancestry - ($), index and images
  
• Indiana State Digital Archives
  

Finding Vital Records at Other Repositories

Additional vital records can sometimes be found using search phrases such as Dubois County, Indiana Genealogy Vital Records in online catalogs like:

• WorldCat (For instructions see WorldCat Online Catalog).
• FamilySearch Catalog (For instructions see FamilySearch Catalog Place-name Search).

Websites

• Dubois 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.
• FamilySearch Catalog
• Dubois County, Indiana Genealogy and Family History (Linkpendium)