Tama County, Iowa Genealogy
Guide to Tama County, Iowa ancestry, family history, and genealogy birth records, marriage records, death records, census records, family history, and military records.
| Tama County, Iowa | |
| Map | |
 Location in the state of Iowa | |
 Location of Iowa in the U.S. | |
| Facts | |
| Founded | February 17, 1843 |
|---|---|
| County Seat | Toledo |
| Courthouse | |
Contents
County Information[edit | edit source]
Description[edit | edit source]
The County was named for Taimah, a leader of the Meskwaki Indians. The County has Toledo as its seat and the County was created 1843. The County is located in the central area of the state.[1]
Tama County, Iowa Record Dates[edit | edit source]
| Birth* | Marriage | Death* | Court | Land | Probate | Census |
| 1880 | 1853 | 1880 | 1859 | 1853 | 1895 | 1847 |
County Courthouse[edit | edit source]
History[edit | edit source]
Parent County[edit | edit source]
1843--Tama County was created 17 February 1843 from Benton County. It was attached to Benton and Linn Counties prior to organization 4 July 1853. County seat: Toledo [3]
Tama is pronounced 'Tay-ma' (first 'a' rhymes with 'a' as in day).
Boundary Changes[edit | edit source]
For animated maps illustrating Iowa County boundary changes, "Rotating Formation Iowa County Boundary Maps" (1816-1872) 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.
Places/Localities[edit | edit source]
Town/city records in the FamilySearch Catalog
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:[4]
| Cities | ||
| Unincorporated communities | ||
| Native American communities | ||
| Townships | ||
Neighboring Counties[edit | edit source]
Benton • Black Hawk • Grundy • Iowa • Jasper • Marshall • Poweshiek
Resources[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 |
| IAGenWeb | WorldCat | Billion Graves |
| IAGenWeb Archives | FamilySearch Places | |
| Tombstone Project | ||
| Iowa Gravestones | ||
| Billion Graves | ||
| See Iowa Cemeteries for more information. | ||
Census[edit | edit source]
| Historical populations | ||
|---|---|---|
| Census | Pop. | %± |
| 1850 | 8 | — |
| 1860 | 5,285 | 65962.5% |
| 1870 | 16,131 | 205.2% |
| 1880 | 21,585 | 33.8% |
| 1890 | 22,052 | 2.2% |
| 1900 | 24,585 | 11.5% |
| 1910 | 22,156 | −9.9% |
| 1920 | 21,861 | −1.3% |
| 1930 | 21,987 | 0.6% |
| 1940 | 22,428 | 2.0% |
| 1950 | 21,688 | −3.3% |
| 1960 | 21,413 | −1.3% |
| 1970 | 20,147 | −5.9% |
| 1980 | 19,533 | −3.0% |
| 1990 | 17,419 | −10.8% |
| 2000 | 18,103 | 3.9% |
| 2010 | 17,767 | −1.9% |
| Source: "Wikipedia.org". | ||
State Census
- 1895 - Iowa State Census, 1895 at FamilySearch — index and images
- 1905 - Iowa State Census, 1905 at FamilySearch — index and images
- 1915 - Iowa State Census, 1915 at FamilySearch — index and images
- 1925 - Iowa State Census. 1925 at FamilySearch — index and images
Church[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 Iowa Church Records.
List of Churches and Church Parishes
Lutheran[edit | edit source]
St. Paul's Lutheran Church
- Records of the St. Paul's Lutheran Church, Tama County, in Evangelical Lutheran Church in America database at Archives.com ($).
Traer
- Records of the American Lutheran Church, Traer, in Evangelical Lutheran Church in America database at Archives.com ($).
Court[edit | edit source]
Land[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 Iowa Land and Property for additional information about early Iowa land grants. After land was transferred to private ownership, subsequent transactions were usually recorded at the county courthouse, where records are currently housed.
Local Histories[edit | edit source]
Local histories are available for Tama County, Iowa Genealogy. County histories may include biographies, church, school and government history, and military information. For more information about local histories, see the wiki page section Iowa Local Histories.
- History of Tama County, Iowa at Ancestry.com ($)
- A history of Tama County, Iowa. By J. R. Caldwell. Chicago: Lewis Publishing Co., 1910. Online at: Vol. 1 FamilySearch Digital Library, Vol.2 FamilySearch Digital Library.
- History of Tama County, Iowa: its cities, towns and villages with early reminiscences, personal incidents and anecdotes and a complete business directory of the county. By Samuel D. Chapman. Toledo, Iowa: Toledo Times Office, 1879. Online at: FamilySearch Digital Library, Internet Archive, HathiTrust; At various libraries(WorldCat.
- Hurrah for bonnie Iowa: an authentic story of two families from Scotland who pioneered in Iowa. By Janette Stevenson Murray and Janet Murray Fiske. Lake Mills, Iowa : Graphic Pub. Co., c1963. Online at: FamilySearch Digital Library.
- Tama County, Iowa in the World War, 1917-1918: a pictorial history of an American community in the defense of democracy. Tama, Iowa : Tama News, [1919?]. Online at: FamilySearch Digital Library; At various libraries(WorldCat.
Maps[edit | edit source]
for more resources
- Old Antique Atlases & Maps of Iowa
- Iowa USGS Topographic
Choose Airport, Bridge, Building, Cemetery, Church, Civil, Hospital, Lake, Locale, Park, Populated Place, Post Office, School, Stream, Summit, Trail
http://www.topozone.com/states/Iowa.asp?county=Tama - FamilySearch Places:Cities and Towns- How to Use FS Places
Military[edit | edit source]
- 1835-1998 - Iowa, Armed Forces Grave Registrations, ca. 1835-1998 at FamilySearch — index
- 1861-1949 - Iowa, Grand Army of the Republic Membership Records, 1861-1949 at FamilySearch — index and images
- 1862-1910 - Iowa, Records of Persons Subject to Military Duty, 1862-1910 at FamilySearch — index
Civil War[edit | edit source]
Regiments. Service men in Tama County, Iowa Genealogy 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 Tama County, Iowa Genealogy:
- - 10th Regiment, Iowa Infantry, Company C
- - 14th Regiment, Iowa Infantry, Company G
- - 24th Regiment, Iowa Infantry, Company E
- - 28th Regiment, Iowa Infantry, Company F
Naturalization and Citizenship[edit | edit source]
- 1859-1990 - United States, Iowa Naturalization Records, 1859-1990 at FamilySearch — index and images
Newspapers[edit | edit source]
- NewspaperArchive.com ($) has historical newspapers online including Waterloo newspapers that may have included Tama County residents. This database is free at some libraries.
- 1955 — Gladbrook Tama Northern at Ancestry.com ($) — Gladbrook, IA, USA
Probate[edit | edit source]
Online Probate Records
- 1758 - 1997 Iowa Wills and Probate Records 1758-1997 at Ancestry.com — index and images $
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.
The FamilySearch Catalog lists films of probate records. To find the records for this county, use the Place Search for Iowa - Tama - Probate records.
Taxation[edit | edit source]
Iowa tax records complement land records and can be used to supplement the years between censuses. Tax lists were usually made every year, however, there may be gaps of several years. For more information, see the wiki page Iowa Taxation.
- 1865-1939 - Iowa, Tama County, Tax Records, 1865-1939 at FamilySearch — index and images
- 1934-1958 - Iowa, Old Age Tax Assistance Records, 1934-1958 at FamilySearch — index
Vital Records[edit | edit source]
Vital Records consist of births, adoptions, marriages, divorces, and deaths recorded on registers, certificates, and documents. A copy or an extract of most original records can be purchased from the Iowa Department of Public Health or the County Clerk's office of the county where the event occurred. See also How to order Iowa Vital Records or order electronically online.
Births[edit | edit source]
- 1850-1939 - Iowa, Delayed Birth Records, 1850-1939 at FamilySearch — index and images
- 1921-1942 - Iowa, Birth Records, 1921-1942 at FamilySearch — index and images
Marriages[edit | edit source]
- 1518-1996 - Iowa, United States Marriages at FindMyPast — index $
- 1809-1992 Iowa, Marriages, 1809-1992 at MyHeritage ($) — index
- 1836-1926 Iowa, Marriages, 1836 - 1926 at MyHeritage ($) — index
- 1838-1934 - Iowa, County Marriages, 1838-1934 at FamilySearch — index and images
- 1880-1951 Iowa, Marriage Records, 1880-1951 at Ancestry.com ($) — index and images
Death[edit | edit source]
- 1850-1990 - Iowa, Deaths and Burials 1850-1990 at FamilySearch
- 1880-1992 - Iowa, County Death Records, 1880-1992 at FamilySearch — index
- 1900-1939 Iowa Death Index, 1900-1939 at MyHeritage ($) — index
- 1904-1951 - Iowa, Death Records, 1904-1951 at FamilySearch — index and images
- 1920-1967 Iowa, Death Records, 1920-1967 at Ancestry.com ($) — index and images
Societies and Libraries[edit | edit source]
Tama County Tracers Genealogical Society and Historical Society
200 N. Broadway
Toledo 52342-0084
Telephone:641-484-6767
Website
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
Websites[edit | edit source]
- Tama County, IA History, Records, Facts and Genealogy
- Iowa Genealogy Network Group on Facebook
- FamilySearch Catalog
- Tama County, Iowa Genealogy and Family History (Linkpendium)
References[edit | edit source]
- ↑ Wikipedia contributors, "Tama, Iowa," in Wikipedia: the Free Encyclopedia, "https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tama_County,_Iowa."
- ↑ Handybook for Genealogists: United States of America, 10th ed. (Draper, Utah: Everton Pub., 2002), Tama County, Iowa. Page 230-238 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), 222-225.
- ↑ The Handybook for Genealogists: United States of America,10th ed. (Draper, UT:Everton Publishers, 2002).
- ↑ Wikipedia contributors, "Tama County, Iowa Genealogy," in Wikipedia: the Free Encyclopedia, https://www.familysearch.org/wiki/en/Tama_County,_Iowa_Genealogy#Places.2FLocalities, accessed 24 October 2019.
