Winneshiek County, Iowa Genealogy

United States

Iowa

Winneshiek County

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

Winneshiek County, Iowa
Map
Location in the state of Iowa
Location of Iowa in the U.S.
Facts
Founded	February 20, 1847
County Seat	Decorah
Courthouse

County Information

Description

The County was named for the a chief of the Winnebago tribe. The County has Decorah as its seat and the County was created 1847. The County is located in the northeast area of the state.

Winneshiek County, Iowa Record Dates

Beginning Dates for Major County Records
Birth	Marriage	Death	Census	Land	Probate
1880	1851	1880	1840	1851	1852

Quick Facts

Parent County

1847 Winneshiek County was created 20 February 1847 from unorganized territory. It was attached to Clayton County prior to organization 1 March 1851. County seat:  Decorah

Boundary Changes

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

There is no known history of courthouse disasters in this county.

Places/Localities

Neighboring Counties

Allamakee • Chickasaw • Clayton • Fayette • Howard • Fillmore County, Minnesota • Houston County, Minnesota

Resources

Cemeteries

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
Tombstone Project
Iowa Gravestones
Billion Graves
See Iowa Cemeteries for more information.

Census

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

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.

Lutheran

First Lutheran Church

• Records of the First Lutheran Church, Winneshiek County, in Evangelical Lutheran Church in America database at Archives.com.

St. Petri Lutheran Church, Decorah

• Records of the St. Petri Lutheran Church, Decorah, in Evangelical Lutheran Church in America database at Archives.com.

Stavanger Lutheran Church, Ossian

• Records of the Stavanger Lutheran Church, Ossian, in Evangelical Lutheran Church in America database at Archives.com.

Winneshiek County

• Records of the American Lutheran Church, Winneshiek County, in Evangelical Lutheran Church in America database at Archives.com.

Land

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.

History

Local histories are available for Winneshiek 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 Winneshiek and Allamakee Counties, Iowa

• And so they came -- to Bloomfield Township. By Judith M. Friedrich. Winneshiek County, Iowa : Bloomfield Township Historical Society, [1977?]. Online at: FamilySearch Books Online; At various libraries(WorldCat).

• History of Winneshiek and Allamakee Counties, Iowa. By W. E. Alexander. Sioux City, Iowa : Western Pub. Co., 1882. Online at: FamilySearch Books Online, Internet Archive, HathiTrust; At various libraries(WorldCat).

Maps

• Old Antique Atlases & Maps of Iowa

Military

• 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

Civil War

Regiments. Service men in Winneshiek 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 Winneshiek County, Iowa Genealogy:

- 1st Regiment, Iowa Cavalry, Company K

- 3rd Regiment, Iowa Infantry, Company D

- 6th Regiment, Iowa Cavalry, Company D

- 9th Regiment, Iowa Infantry, Company H

- 15th Regiment, Wisconsin Infantry, Company K

- 46th Regiment, Iowa Infantry (100 days, 1864), Company F

Newspapers

Additional newspapers abstracts can sometimes be found using search phrases such as Winneshiek County, Iowa Genealogy newspapers in online catalogs like:

• WorldCat
• FamilySearch. Do a Winneshiek County, Iowa Genealogy Place-name search for these and other records in the FamilySearch Catalog (For instructions see, FamilySearch Catalog Place-name Search).

Probate

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 - Winneshiek - Probate records.

Taxation

• 1934-1946 - Iowa, Old Age Assistance Records, 1934-1946 at FamilySearch — index

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.

Vital Records

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

• 1850-1939 - Iowa, Delayed Birth Records, 1850-1939 at FamilySearch — index and images

Marriages

• 1518-1996 - Iowa, United States Marriages at FindMyPast — index $
• 1838-1934 Iowa, County Marriages, 1838-1934 at FamilySearch — index and images

Deaths

• 1850-1990 - Iowa, Deaths and Burials 1850-1990 at FamilySearch
• 1880-1992 - Iowa, County Death Records, 1880-1992 at FamilySearch — index
  
• 1921-1940 - Iowa, Death Records, 1921-1940 at FamilySearch — index and images

Societies and Libraries

Howard-Winneshiek Genealogical Society
P.O. Box 362
Cresco, Iowa 52136
Telephone:563-547-2540
E-mail: webmaster@cresco.lib.ia.us
Website

Winneshiek County Historical Society
201 W Main Street
PO Box 63
Decorah, IA 52101
Telephone:563-382-4166
E-mail: winneshiek.historical.society@gmail.com
Website

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.

Websites

• Winneshiek County, IA History, Records, Facts and Genealogy
• Iowa Genealogy Network Community on Google+
• Iowa Genealogy Network Group on Facebook
• FamilySearch Catalog
• Winneshiek County, Iowa Genealogy and Family History (Linkpendium)
• Norwegian Ridge