Putnam County, Indiana Genealogy
Guide to Putnam County, Indiana ancestry, family history, and genealogy birth records, marriage records, death records, census records, family history, and military records.
| Putnam County, Indiana | |||||||
| Map | |||||||
 Location of Indiana in the U.S. | |||||||
| Facts | |||||||
| Founded | December 31, 1821 | ||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| County Seat | Greencastle | ||||||
| Courthouse | |||||||
| Address | Putnam County Courthouse 1 Courthouse Square Street PO Box 546 Greencastle, IN 46135-0546 Phone: 765.653.2648 County Website | ||||||
| |||||||
Contents
- 1 Historical Facts
- 2 Resources
- 2.1 Bible Records
- 2.2 Biographies
- 2.3 Business Records
- 2.4 Cemeteries
- 2.5 Census Records
- 2.6 Church Records
- 2.7 Court Records
- 2.8 Directories
- 2.9 Emigration and Immigration
- 2.10 Ethnic and Religious Groups
- 2.11 Gazetteers
- 2.12 Genealogies
- 2.13 Histories
- 2.14 Land and Property
- 2.15 Maps
- 2.16 Migration
- 2.17 Military Records
- 2.18 Naturalization and Citizenship
- 2.19 Newspapers
- 2.20 Obituaries
- 2.21 Occupations
- 2.22 Periodicals
- 2.23 Probate Records
- 2.24 Public Records
- 2.25 Taxation
- 2.26 Repositories
- 2.27 Vital Records
- 2.28 Websites
- 3 References
Historical Facts[edit | edit source]
| Birth* | Marriage | Death* | Court | Land | Probate | Census |
| 1882 | 1822 | 1882 | 1828 | 1824 | 1825 | 1807 |
- Parent Counties: Formed 31 December 1821 from Vigo and Owen Counties and unorganized territory. [2]
- County Seat: Greencastle [3]
Description[edit | edit source]
The county was named for Israel Putnam. The County Seat is Greencastle and was founded December 31, 1822. It is located in the West Central area of the state.[4]
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:[5]
| Cities | ||
| Towns | ||
| Unincorporated communities | ||
| Census-designated places | ||
| Townships | ||
Neighboring Counties[edit | edit source]
Parke • Motngomery • Hendricks • Morgan • Owen • Clay
The county is named after Revolutionary War Major General Israel Putnam (1718-1790).[6]
Boundary Changes[edit | edit source]
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[edit | edit source]
There is no known history of courthouse disasters in this county.
Resources[edit | edit source]
Bible Records[edit | edit source]
Biographies[edit | edit source]
Business Records[edit | edit source]
Cemeteries[edit | edit source]
| Tombstone Transcriptions Online | Tombstone Transcriptions in Print | List of Cemeteries in the county |
| Findagrave.com | Family History Library | Findagrave.com |
| INGenWeb | WorldCat | Billion Graves |
| USGenWeb Archives | ||
| Tombstone Project | ||
| Billion Graves | ||
| See Indiana Cemeteries for more information. | ||
- see Cemeteries - Linkpendium
- Putnam County pioneer cemeteries
Census Records[edit | edit source]
| 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". | ||
For tips on accessing Putnam County, Indiana Genealogy census records online, see: Indiana Census.
- Index to Mortality Schedule for Putnam County (1860, 1870, 1880) ($, Indiana Genealogical Society)
- Index to Defective, Dependent & Delinquent Census for Putnam County (1880) ($, 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.
- Putnam County Churches - INGenWeb
For more information about these major repositories, see Indiana Church Records.
Finding More Church Records[edit source]
Additional church records can sometimes be found using search phrases such as Putnam 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).
Court Records[edit | edit source]
Directories[edit | edit source]
- Directory of Businesses in Putnam County, Indiana (1858) ($, Indiana Genealogical Society)
Emigration and Immigration[edit | edit source]
Ethnic and Religious Groups[edit | edit source]
Gazetteers[edit | edit source]
Genealogies[edit | edit source]
Histories[edit | edit source]
Local Histories[edit | edit source]
- Ellsworth, Spencer. Records of the Olden Time, or, Fifty Years on the Prairies Embracing ... the Organization of the Counties of Putnam and Marshall, Incidents and Reminiscences Connected Therewith, Biographies of Citizens, Portraits and Illustrations. (La Crosse, Wis: Brookhaven Press (a division of NMT Corp.), 2003.), Other Libraries, Internet Archive
- History of Putnam County - Linkpendium
Land and Property[edit | edit source]
Land and property records can place an ancestor in a particular location, provide economic information, and reveal family relationships. Land records include: deeds, abstracts and indexes, mortgages, leases, grants and land patents.
After land was transferred from the government to private ownership, subsequent transactions were recorded at the courthouse, where records are currently housed.
See Indiana Land and Property for additional information about early Indiana land grants and patents.
Maps[edit | edit source]
for more resources
- Old Antique Atlases & Maps of Indiana
- Family Maps of Putnam County, Indiana Genealogy (land patent maps) at HistoryGeo.com ($). Free surname search.
- Maps and Gazetteers - Linkpendium
Migration[edit | edit source]
Military Records[edit | edit source]
- see Military Records and History - Linkpendium
- Veterans in Putnam County, Indiana (1913) ($, Indiana Genealogical Society)
War of 1812[edit | edit source]
Mexican War[edit | edit source]
- Residents of Putnam County Who Served in the Mexican War (1846-1848) ($, Indiana Genealogical Society)
Civil War[edit | edit source]
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[edit | edit source]
- 1919 - Indiana, World War I, Enrollment Cards, 1919 at FamilySearch — index and images
World War II[edit | edit source]
Naturalization and Citizenship[edit | edit source]
Newspapers[edit | edit source]
- see Newspaper Records - Linkpendium
Obituaries[edit | edit source]
- Wabash Valley Obituary Index - 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.
Occupations[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. Online Records
- 1798 – 1999 Indiana Wills and Probate Records 1798-1999 at Ancestry.com — index and images $
Finding More Probate Records[edit source]
Additional probate records can sometimes be found using search phrases such as Putnam 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[edit | edit source]
School Records[edit | edit source]
- Directory of Teachers for Putnam County (1936) ($, Indiana Genealogical Society)
Taxation[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.
For more information see the wiki page Indiana Taxation.
Finding More Tax Records[edit source]
Additional tax records can sometimes be found using search phrases such as Putnam County, Indiana Genealogy Tax Records in online catalogs like:
- WorldCat (For instructions see WorldCat Online Catalog).
Voting Registration[edit | edit source]
Repositories[edit | edit source]
Archives[edit | edit source]
County Courthouse[edit | edit source]
Putnam County Courthouse
1 Courthouse Square Street
PO Box 546
Greencastle, IN 46135-0546
Phone: 765.653.2648
County Health Department has birth and death records. C ounty Clerk has marriage records from 1822, Divorce and Probate Records from 1825 and Court Records from 1828. County Recorder has land records. [7]
Family History Centers[edit | edit source]
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.
- For current information about a center near you, go to the Family History Center Map
For additional nearby Family History Centers, search online in the family history center directory.
Libraries[edit | edit source]
Putnam County Library
103 E. Poplar Street
Greencastle, IN 46135
Phone: 765-653-2755
Local History and Genealogy Website
Museums[edit | edit source]
Societies[edit | edit source]
Putnam County Historical Society
PO Box 116
103 East Poplar St.
Greencastle, IN 46135
Putnam County Museum
1105 N. Jackson St.
Greencastle, IN 46135
Telephone Number: 765-653-8419
Website
Wabash Valley Genealogy Society
PO Box 9347
Terre Haute, IN 47808-9347
Website
Putnam County Genealogical Club
RR 1, Box 28
Bainbridge, IN 46105
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.
- INGenWeb - Birth Records; Death Reports; Marriages
- Indiana State Digital Archives
Birth Records[edit | edit source]
Marriage Records[edit | edit source]
- 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
- see Vital Records - Linkpendium
Death Records[edit | edit source]
- 1750-1993 Indiana Deaths and Burials, 1750-1993 at FamilySearch — index, some images
- 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 Putnam 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[edit | edit source]
- Putnam County, Indiana Genealogy, History and Facts
- INGenWeb, Putnam County
- USGenWeb, Putnam County
- FamilySearch Catalog, Putnam County
- Indiana State Library, Putnam County records.
- Putnam County, Indiana Genealogy and Family History (Linkpendium)
- Indiana Genealogy Network Group on Facebook
References[edit | edit source]
- ↑ Handybook for Genealogists: United States of America, 10th ed. (Draper, Utah: Everton Pub., 2002), Putnam County, Indiana. Page 211-218 At various libraries (WorldCat); FHL Book 973 D27e 2002; Alice Eichholz, ed. Ancestry’s Red Book: American State, County, and Town Sources, Third ed. (Provo, Utah: Ancestry, 2004), 208-211.
- ↑ The Handybook for Genealogists: United States of America,10th ed. (Draper, UT:Everton Publishers, 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," in Wikipedia: the Free Encyclopedia, https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Putnam_County,_Indiana 3/30/2017.
- ↑ Wikipedia contributors, "Putnam County, Indiana," in Wikipedia: the Free Encyclopedia, https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Putnam_County,_Indiana, accessed 01 January 2020.
- ↑ "Putnam County, Indiana," Wikipedia.
- ↑ Handybook for Genealogists: United States of America, 10th ed. (Draper, Utah: Everton Pub., 2002), Putnam County, Indiana 216 At various libraries (WorldCat); FHL Book 973 D27e 2002.
