Randolph County, Indiana Genealogy

United States

Indiana

Randolph County

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

Randolph County, Indiana
Map
Location of Indiana in the U.S.
Facts
Founded	January 10, 1818
County Seat	Winchester
Courthouse
Address	Randolph County Courthouse #307 Winchester, IN 47394 Phone: 765.584.7070 County Website
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History of Randolph County, Indiana

Beginning dates for major county records
Birth	Marriage	Death	Land	Probate
1882*	1819*	1882*	1820	1819
*For earlier dates, try... Church | Obituaries | Cemeteries

• Parent Counties: Formed 10 January 1818 from Wayne County.
  
• County Seat: Winchester
  

Description

The county was named for the North Carolina, home of many of the area’s Quaker settlers. The county seat is Winchester and the county was organized in 1819. The County is located in the East-Central part of the state.

Neighboring Counties

Jay  • Delaware  • Henry  • Wayne  • Darke

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

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

Background

Randolph County was created on 10 January 1818 from a portion of Wayne County, Indiana. Frontier settlement had begun to reach the area by 1814. The county was named for old Randolph County, North Carolina, many settlers having moved westward from the Carolinas. Winchester was established as the county seat the same year the county was founded.

The first settlement was made in 1814 by a Quaker family, which was joined by five other families. By late 1816 the influx of new settlement and land entries grew rapidly. The years of most rapid growth were 1817-18 and 1836-37, much of the land purchased by speculators. The first school in Randolph County was built by Quakers in 1815. The first election was held in August 1818. The first road opened was the Quaker Trace in 1817, running from Richmond to Ft. Wayne. The first Court House was built in 1818. The first railroad through the county was the Indianapolis and Bellefontaine, completed in 1852-53.

Frame and brick structures, mills, orchards, factories, stores, hotels and banks followed.

Randolph County, Indiana Resources

Anti-slavery

Anti-slavery sentiments were common in Randolph County, as many early settlers had left the Carolinas to be free of the practice. Active supporters of the emancipation movement were found around 1816. The Underground Railroad functioned, and runaways were sheltered and assisted in their escape.

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
USGenWeb Archives
Tombstone Project
Indiana Interment
Billion Graves
See Indiana Cemeteries for more information.

Census Records

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

• Early Settlers of Randolph County ($, Indiana Genealogical Society)
• Selected Residents of Randolph County, Indiana Territory (1808) ($, Indiana Genealogical Society)
• Index to Defective, Dependent & Delinquent Census for Randolph County, Indiana (1880) ($, 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.

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 Randolph 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 Selected Residents of Randolph County (1876) ($, Indiana Genealogical Society)

Histories

Local Histories

• Tucker, E. 1882. History of Randolph County, Indiana: with illustrations and biographical sketches of some of its prominent men and pioneers: to which are appended maps of its several townships. (Chicago: A.L. Klingman.) 977.266 H2t FHL US/CAN Large Q Book, FHL Collection, Other Libraries, Internet Archive

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 Randolph 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

• Old Antique Atlases & Maps of Indiana

Military Records

• African American Veterans in Randolph County, Indiana (1890) ($, Indiana Genealogical Society)

War of 1812

Civil War

Civil War service men from Randolph 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 Randolph County.

• 8th Regiment, Indiana Infantry, Company C, and Reorganized Company G
• 9th Regiment, Indiana Infantry, Reorganized Company C
• 9th Regiment, Indiana Cavalry, Companies H,and K
• 19th Regiment, Indiana Infantry, Company C
• 20th Regiment, Indiana Infantry, Reorganized Company A, and E
• 57th Regiment, Indiana Infantry, Companies B, C,D, E, and F
• 84th Regiment, Indiana Infantry, Companies A, E, and H
• 99th Regiment, Indiana Infantry, Company H
• 105th Regiment, Indiana Infantry, Company I
• 106th Regiment, Indiana Infantry, Companies A, and B
• 109th Regiment, Indiana Infantry, Company K
• 124th Regiment, Indiana Infantry, Companies G, and H
• 134th Regiment, Indiana Infantry (100 days, 1864), Company F
• 139th Regiment, Indiana Infantry (100 days, 1864), Company I
• 140th Regiment, Indiana Infantry, Companies F, and K
• 144th Regiment, Indiana Infantry, Company K
• 147th Regiment, Indiana Infantry, Company A
• 150th Regiment, Indiana Infantry, Companies D, and I
• 28th US Colored Troops, Addition Recruits for Colored Troops

Civil War Books

• "Military" Chapter 20 in Tucker, E. 1882. History of Randolph County, Indiana: with illustrations and biographical sketches of some of its prominent men and pioneers: to which are appended maps of its several townships. (Chicago: A.L. Klingman.), (page 238-296, Regiment, Company, some Names), 977.266 H2t FHL US/CAN Large Q Book, FHL Collection, Other Libraries, Internet Archive

World War I

World War II

Newspapers

Early newspapers were The Journal at Winchester, and The Times at Union City.Early banks were Citizens Bank and Commercial Bank of Union City, and Farmers and Merchants Bank and Randolph County Bank of Winchester.

Obituaries

Almost 7,000 obituaries from Randolph County and residents of Darke County, Ohio are included in the following newspapers and provided courtesy of Darke County Genealogical Researchers:

• Union City Evening Times: Obituaries from June, 1934 to March, 1939
• Union City Times-Gazette: Obituaries from May, 1939 to December, 1948

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 Randolph 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 for Randolph County ($, Indiana Genealogical Society)

Repositories

County Courthouse

Randolph County Courthouse
#307
Winchester, IN 47394
Phone: 765.584.7070

County Health Department has birth and death records. County Clerk has marriage, divorce, probate and court records. County Recorder has land records from 1818 and newspapers from 1876.

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.

• Muncie Indiana Family History Center

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

Societies

Randolph County Genealogical Society
Route 3, Box 60
Winchester, IN 47394

Randolph County Historical Society
RR #3, Box 61
Winchester, IN 47394

Randolph County Historical & Genealogical Society
416 S. Meridian St.
Winchester, IN 47394-2028
Telephone Number: 765-584-1334
E-mail: rchsin2@comcast.net
Website

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 Randolph 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 Randolph County, Indiana Genealogy County Clerk with divorce records located with the Randolph County, Indiana Genealogy Clerk of Courts.

• Indiana State Digital Archives
  

Marriage Records

• 1529-2007 - 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 Randolph 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

• Randolph County, Indiana Genealogy, History and Facts
• Indiana Genealogy Network Community on Google+
• Indiana Genealogy Network Group on Facebook
• USGenWeb, Randolph County
• INGenWeb, Randolph County
• FamilySearch Catalog, Randolph County
• Randolph County, Indiana Genealogy and Family History (Linkpendium)

Places

Winchester was the first town established in Randolph County. Lots were laid out in 1818 and the sales began in February the following year. The area was heavily timbered with unbroken forest. Buildings of hewed logs predominated.The town grew slowly.

Townships

Townships of Randolph County were organized as follows: Greensfork, 1818;White River, 1818; Ward,1820; Sto West River, 1831;Jackson, 1833; Green, 1834; Nettle Creek, 1835; Wayne, 1838; Monroe, before 1851; Franklin, 1859;Union, 1838; Salamonie, 1834; Madison, 1835.