Daviess County Facts

Daviess County was created on February 15, 1817 and was formed from Knox County. Daviess County was a part of Knox County until February 15, 1817, at which time it was organized as a separate unit. Formerly it constituted much of what is now Martin, all of Greene, east of the west fork of White River, and all of Owen County, east of the west fork of the White River. The formation of Martin County in 1820, and Greene in 1821, cut Daviess County to its present size. The County was named for Maj. Joseph Hamilton Daviess, U.S. District Attorney for Kentucky, killed at the Battle of Tippecanoe in 1811. The County Seat is Washington. The County Seat of Daviess County was located in the town of Liverpool on March 15, 1817. This name was changed to Washington on August 18, 1817. Washington was laid out by Emanuel Vantrees and Peter Wilkins and in 1849 contained 20 stores and groceries, 50 shops for various mechanics, three churches, three clergymen, four lawyers and eight physicians, good county buildings (which included the land office for the canal lands) and 1,400 inhabitants. See also County History for more historical details. Counties adjacent to Daviess County are Greene County (north), Martin County (east), Dubois County (southeast), Pike County (southwest), Knox County (west). Daviess County is divided into 10 Civil Townships as follows: Barr, Bogard, Elmore, Harrison, Madison, Reeve, Steele, Van Buren, Veale and Washington. Cities, Towns and Communities include Alfordsville, Black Oak, Cannelburg, Cornettsville, Corning, Cumback, Elnora, Glendale, Graham, Hudsonville, Jordan, Montgomery, Odon, Pennyville, Plainville, Sandy Hook, South Washington, Waco, and Washington. The Daviess County Official Government Website Daviess County Township Map Indiana Newspaper Holdings for Daviess County: The county newspaper holdings are under regular revision, as new microfilm holdings are added. These files are not up to date; there are continuous updates and corrections. Official County Historians Daviess County, Indiana History Books at Amazon.com

There are free downloadable and printable forms to help with your research. These include U.S. Census Extraction Forms, U.K. Census Extraction Forms, Research Calendar, Ancestral Chart, Research Extract, Correspondence Record , Family Group Sheet , Source Summary Form.

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Records at the Daviess County Courthouse

See Also Indiana Land Records, Marriage Records, Court & Probate Records

PLEASE READ!! Please call the clerk's department to confirm hours, mailing address, fees and other specifics before visiting or requesting information because of sometimes changing contact information. Courthouse destroyed by Fire in 1879, Marriage records and index to probate and deed records were not destroyed

NOTE: The date listed for each category of record is the earliest record known to exist in that county. It does not indicate that there are numerous records for that year and certainly does not indicate that all such events that year were actually registered. See also the Daviess County Courthouse History

   Daviess County Clerk has Marriage Records from 1817 , Probate Records from 1817 and Court Records from 1817 and is located at PO Box 739, Washington, IN 47501; (812) 254-8664; (812) 254-8698 Fax
   The Clerk of the Circuit Court is a ministerial officer who is the custodian of the Clerk's record and seal, issues process, accepts filings of commencement of actions in litigation, enters judgments and orders of the court, receives money in his official capacity, makes certified copies of record, issues many miscellaneous licenses, and keeps a record of all wills and matters of trust in probate proceedings.

   Daviess County Recorder has Land Records from 1817 and is located at PO Box 793, Washington, IN 47501; (812) 254-8675; (812) 254-8697 Fax, recorder@daviess.org - email.
   The county recorder's function is to maintain permanent public records involving a wide variety of instruments. These documents detail transactions involving real estate, mining, personal property, mortgages, liens, leases, subdivision plats, military discharges, personal bonds, etc. Generally, all of these instruments are recorded either for giving legal public notice of their existence or for safekeeping and future reference. The recorder maintains and preserves all legal documents affecting title to real property.

Click Here to Search Indiana Court, Land, Wills & Financial Records! - Researchers often overlook the importance of court records, probate records, and land records as a source of family history information.

   Daviess County Health Department has Birth / Death Records from 1882 and is located at 303 East Hefron St, Washington, IN 47501; (812) 254-8666

Below is a list of online resources for Daviess County Court Records. Email us with websites containing Daviess County Court Records by clicking the link below:

• Bureau of Land Management (BLM)
• Indianapolis Newspaper Index, 1848-1991: Select articles from 1848-1888 Indianapolis daily newspapers; heavily focused on deaths and marriages. Select articles from 1898-1991 about people, places, events, and topics in Indianapolis and the state of Indiana. Extremely limited for deaths; no coverage of marriages.  Card file also available in the Microforms Area, second floor.
• Reference & Government Services CD Collection: Database to allow searching of the hundreds of CDs from the federal government and other sources, part of the collections of the Reference & Government Services Division.
• Daviess County, Indiana Court Books at Amazon.com
• Indiana Immigration & Emigration Records - Immigration records help the family historian to understand the movements of their ancestry as they relocated to different parts of the world.

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Daviess County Vital Records

See Also Vital Records in Indiana

Click Here to Search Indiana Birth, Marriage & Death Records! - Birth, marriage, and death records are connected with central life events. They are prime sources for genealogical information. Look also for baptism, christening, and burial records in this collection.

Some documents are just too important to wait 6 weeks for. With VitalChek Express Certificate Service you won’t have to. Birth, Marriage, Divorce & Death Certificates Signed. Sealed. Delivered. Often in as few as three business days!

• Birth Certificates: The Division of Vital Records and Statistics maintains birth records that occur in Indiana since Oct 1907 to the present. Prior to October 1907, records of birth are filed only with the local health department in the county where the birth actually occurred.
  • Cost: Initial search and one certified copy or certification of the record or No Record Statement is $10.00 and $4.00 for each additional copy. Make your check or money order payable to "Indiana State Department of Health". Enclose a business-size self-addressed envelope. If no record is found or no copy is made, state law requires that we keep check amount for a searching fee. Please do not send cash in the mail.
  • In Person: The ISDH Vital Records office is located at 6 West Washington Street, Indianapolis, Indiana 46204. The office is open for walk-in requests from 10:00 a.m. to 2:00 p.m., E.S.T., Monday through Friday (excluding official State Holidays). The cost for the first certificate is $10.00 and $4.00 for each additional copy. Average wait time is less than an hour.
  • Processing Time: 5 weeks when ordered by MAIL or 2-5 Days when you order ELECTRONICALLY
• Death Certificates: The Division of Vital Records and Statistics maintains death records that occur in Indiana since 1900 to the present. Prior to 1900, records of death are filed only with the local health department in the county where the death actually occurred. For deaths occurring from 1900 to 1917, the city and/or county of death is required in order to locate the record.
  • Cost: Initial search and one certified copy or certification of the record or No Record Statement is $8.00 and $4.00 for each additional copy. Make your check or money order payable to "Indiana State Department of Health". Enclose a business-size self-addressed envelope. If no record is found or no copy is made, state law requires that we keep check amount for a searching fee. Please do not send cash in the mail.
  • In Person: The ISDH Vital Records office is located at 6 West Washington Street, Indianapolis, Indiana 46204. The office is open for walk-in requests from 10:00 a.m. to 2:00 p.m., E.S.T., Monday through Friday (excluding official State Holidays). The cost for the first certificate is $8.00 and $4.00 for each additional copy. Average wait Time is less than an hour.
  • Processing Time: 5 weeks when ordered by MAIL or 2-5 Days when you order ELECTRONICALLY
  Click Here to Search the Social Security Death Index for FREE
• Marriage Certificates: Certified copies of marriage certificates are not available from the State Health Department. They are available from the Clerks of the Circuit Court in the county where the marriage was granted. Fees vary.
• Divorce Certificates: Certified copies of divorce certificates are not available from the State Health Department. They are available from the County Clerk in the county where the divorce was granted. Fees vary.

Below is a list of online resources for Daviess County Vital Records. Email us with websites containing Daviess County Vital Records by clicking the link below:

• Search the Social Security Death Index for FREE
• Indiana Marriages Database: Database for Indiana marriages through 1850
• Indiana Marriages Database: Database for Indiana marriages 1993 through 2002
• Indiana Births, 1880-1920: This database indexes births for thirty-one of the counties indexed by the WPA.
• Indiana Deaths, 1882-1920: This data set contains the WPA's indexes to the death records of most of the counties that they completed.
• Indiana Marriage Collection, 1800-1941: This database is a collection of Indiana marriage indexes covering various years and counties.
• Indiana Marriages to 1850: This database of Indiana marriages to 1850 contains nearly 200,000 names.
• Indiana Marriages, 1802-1892: This database is an index to individuals who were married in Indiana between 1802 and 1892.
• Daviess County, Indiana Birth, Marriage & Death Books at Amazon.com

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Daviess County Census Records

See Also Research In Census Records

Click Here to Search Indiana Voter Lists & Census Records! - Few, if any, records reveal as many details about individuals and families as do government census records. Substitute records can be used when the official census is unavailable.

  Countywide Records: Federal Population Schedules that exist for Daviess County, Indiana are 1820, 1830, 1840, 1850, 1860, 1870, 1880, 1900, 1910, 1920 and 1930. Other Federal Schedules to look at when researching your Family Tree in Daviess County, Indiana are Industry and Agriculture Schedules availible for the years 1850, 1860, 1870 and 1880. The Mortality Schedules for the years 1850, 1860, 1870 and 1880. There are free downloadable and printable Census forms to help with your research. These include U.S. Census Extraction Forms and U.K. Census Extraction Forms.

  See Also Statewide Records that exist for Indiana

Below is a list of online resources for Daviess County Census Records. Email us with websites containing Daviess County Census Records by clicking the link below:

• Indiana Census, 1790-1890: This collection contains the following indexes: 1790 (Northwest Territory) Federal Census Index; 1807 State Census Index; 1810 Wayne County Census Index; 1812 Census Index; 1820 Federal Census Index; 1830 Federal Census Index; 1840 Federal Census Index; 1840 Pensioners List; 1850 Federal Census Index; 1860 Federal Census Index; 1870 Federal Census Index; 1890 Veterans Schedule.
• Daviess County, Indiana Census Books at Amazon.com

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Daviess County Maps & Atlases

   Genealogy Atlas has images of old American atlases during the years 1795, 1814, 1822, 1823, 1836, 1838, 1845, 1856, 1866, 1879 and 1897 for Ohio and other states.

  You can view rotating animated maps for Indiana showing all the county boundaries for each census year overlayed with past and present maps so you can see the changes in county boundaries. You can view a list of maps for other states at Census Maps
   You can view rotating animated maps for Indiana showing all the county boundary changes for each year overlayed with past and present maps so you can see the changes in county boundaries. You can view a list of maps for other states at County Maps

Below is a list of online resources for Daviess County Maps. Email us with websites containing Daviess County Maps by clicking the link below:

• The USGenWeb Archives Digital Map Library
• Perry-Castañeda Library Map Collection: Indiana Maps
• Daviess County, Indiana Map Books at Amazon.com

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Daviess County Military Records

See Also Military Records in Indiana

Click Here to Search Indiana Military Records! - Military and civil service records provide unique facts and insights into the lives of men and women who have served their country at home and abroad.

   The uses and value of military records in genealogical research for ancestors who were veterans are obvious, but military records can also be important to re-searchers whose direct ancestors were not soldiers in any war. The fathers, grandfathers, brothers, and other close relatives of an ancestor may have served in a war, and their service or pension records could contain information that will assist in further identifying the family of primary interest. Due to the amount of genealogical information contained in some military pension files, they should never be overlooked during the research process. Those records not containing specific genealogical information are of historic value and should be included in any overall research design.

Below is a list of online resources for Daviess County Military Records. Email us with websites containing Daviess County Military Records by clicking the link below:

• Indiana Society of Daughters of the American Revolution
• National Society of Daughters of the American Revolution,
• Indiana Society of Sons of the American Revolution,
• National Society of Sons of the American Revolution, 1000 South Fourth Street, Louisville, Kentucky 40203; (502) 589-1776
• Southern Claims Commission from the State of Indiana (The National Archives): View, Print Copy & Save Original Documents In the 1870s, southerners claimed compensation from the U.S. government for items used by the Union Army, ranging from corn and horses, to trees and church buildings.
• Organization Index to Pension Files of Veterans Who Served Between 1861 and 1900 from the State of Indiana (The National Archives): View, Print Copy & Save Original Pension applications for service in the U.S. Army between 1861 and 1917, grouped according to the units in which the veterans served.
• Revolutionary War Rolls, 1775-1783 (The National Archives): View, Print Copy & Save Original Documents in NARA publication M246 include muster rolls, payrolls, strength returns, and other miscellaneous personnel, pay, and supply records of American Army units, 1775-83.
• Compiled Service Records of Soldiers Who Served in the American Army During the Revolutionary War (The National Archives): View, Print Copy & Save Original Documents in NARA publication M246 include muster rolls, payrolls, strength returns, and other miscellaneous personnel, pay, and supply records of American Army units, 1775-83.
• Revolutionary War Pension and Bounty-Land Warrant Application Files (The National Archives): View, Print Copy & Save Original Revolutionary War Pension and Bounty-Land Warrant Application Files, from NARA publication M804.
• Indiana World War II Servicemen: Database to locate information about Indiana men and women who served in World War II who were mentioned in one of the Indianapolis daily newspapers during the war.
• Daviess County, Indiana Military Books at Amazon.com

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Daviess County Tax Records

See Also Research In Tax Records

   Records of county taxes were kept as early at 1842, although most were discarded. Remaining ones would be at the county courthouse. National Archives-Great Lakes Region has records of the Internal Revenue Service for Indiana for 1867 to 1873. These are tax assessment records, arranged by district and then chronologically.

Below is a list of online resources for Daviess County Tax Records. Email us with websites containing Daviess County Tax Records by clicking the link below:

• Daviess County, Indiana Tax Books at Amazon.com

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Daviess County Genealogical Addresses

See Also Other Indiana Genealogical Addresses

   The Repositories in this section are Archives, Libraries, Museums, Genealogical and Historical Societies. Many County Historical and Genealogical Societies publish magazines and/or news letters on a monthly, quarterly, bi-annual or annual basis. Contacting the local societies should not be over looked. State Archives and Societies are usually much larger and better organized with much larger archived materials than their smaller county cousins but they can be more generalized and over look the smaller details that local societies tend to have. Libraries can also be a good place to look for local information. Some libraries have a genealogy section and may have some resources that are not located at archives or societies. Also, take a special look at any museums in the area. They sometimes have photos and items from years gone by as well as information of a genealogical interest. All these places are vitally important to the family genealogist and must not be passed over.

Below is a list of online resources for Daviess County Genealogical Addresses. Email us with websites containing Daviess County Genealogical Addresses by clicking the link below:

• Daviess County Genealogical Society, 703 Front Street, Washington, IN 47501
• Daviess County Historical Society, P.O. Box 2341, Washington, IN 47501; Phone: (812) 254-5122
• Local Indiana Researchers, Find a local researcher or become a local researcher.
• Indiana Libraries: Database to allow searching for Indiana's public libraries.
• National Archives - Great Lakes Region (Chicago), 7358 South Pulaski Road, Chicago, Illinois 60629-5898; 773-948-9001; E-mail: chicago.archives@nara.gov (Maintains retired records from Federal agencies and courts in Illinois, Indiana, Michigan, Minnesota, Ohio, and Wisconsin.)
  General Information Leaflet
• Indiana State Archives, 6440 E. 30th St., Indianapolis, IN 46219; (317) 591-5222, [EMAIL]
• Indiana State Library, Attn: (Division or Staff Name), 140 North Senate Avenue, Indianapolis, IN 46204-2296
  Loan Desk and General Inquiries: 317-232-3675, ind@statelib.lib.in.us
  Genealogy Division: 317-232-3689, genealogy@statelib.lib.in.us
• Indiana Genealogical Society, P.O. Box 10507, Fort Wayne IN 46852
• Indiana Historical Society, 450 W. Ohio St, Indianapolis,IN 46202; 1-800-447-1830 or 317-232-1882
• Indiana Newspapers & Periodicals Records - Newspapers and periodicals are the diaries of local communities. They are excellent sources of family history details - often recorded nowhere else. Look for obituaries, marriages, legal notices, and more found in our Historical Newspaper Archives.
• indiana Genealogical Society Books at Amazon.com

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Daviess County Church & Cemeteries

See Also Church & Cemetery Records in Indiana

Click Here to Search Indiana Obituary Records! - This database is a compilation of obituaries published in U.S. newspapers, collected from various online sources. Obituaries can vary in the amount of information they contain, but many of them are genealogical goldmines, including information such as names, dates, places of birth and death, marriage information, and family relationships.

   There are many churches and cemeteries in Daviess County. Some transcriptions are online. A great site is the Daviess County Tombstone Transcription Project.

Baptist records are found at Franklin College (in Franklin); Methodist at DePauw University (in Greencastle); Mennonite at Goshen College (in Goshen); Presbyterian at Hanover College (in Hanover); Disciples of Christ at their historical society in Nashville, Tennessee; and French Catholic at Vincennes University in the Byron R. Lewis Collection. There are also Catholic church histories and records at the Catholic Archives, University of Notre Dame, South Bend, Indiana. Quaker records are at Earlham College (at Richmond).

   The commissioner's office of each Indiana county may have burial records for soldiers, sailors, and marines. If available, the records should include name, age, date of enlistment, discharge date, and death date. Records begin about 1862.

The Indiana State Library holds records of inscriptions from some Indiana cemeteries. The "Indiana Cemetery Locator File," compiled by the Genealogy Division, is an alphabetical listing of cemeteries, indicating the location in the state and the designation in the Genealogy Division of the Indiana State Library where inscriptions may be found.

Below is a list of online resources for Daviess County Cemetery & Church Records. Email us with websites containing Daviess County Cemetery & Church Records by clicking the link below:

• Indiana Pioneer Cemeteries Restoration Project
• Daviess County, Indiana Cemetery Books at Amazon.com
• Daviess County, Indiana Church Books at Amazon.com

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Family Trees & Genealogy Tidbits

Click Here to Search Indiana Family Tree Records! - The use of published genealogies, electronic files containing genealogical lineage, and other compiled sources can be of tremendous value to a researcher.

   When view family trees online or not, be sure to only take the info at face value and always follow up with your own sources or verify the ones they provide. Below is a list of online resources for Daviess County Family Trees, web forums and other family type information. Email us with websites containing Daviess County Family Trees, web forums and other family type information by clicking the link below:

• Search 60 Years Of Everton Data : For the first time ever you can get access to more than 150,000 pedigree files and family group sheets from Evertons. Learn More
• Sites on USGenweb: [ Daviess County ] [ Indiana ] [ Main Page ]
• Search the Family Tree DNA Project- Use DNA testing to break through your genealogical barriers!
• The Indiana Family Group Sheet Project
• Daviess County INGenWeb Archives
• [GenForum Message Boards] [Rootsweb Message Boards]
• Genealogy Encyclopedia: General Abbreviations, Early Illnesses, Nickname Meanings, Worldwide Epidemics, Early Occupations, Common Terms, Censuses Explained, Free Genealogical Forms
• Nichols and Related Families of Alabama, Arkansas, Georgia, Florida, Kentucky, Louisiana, Mississippi, Missouri, North Carolina, South Carolina, Tennessee, Texas, and Virgina.
• Meet your ancestors. Learn their stories. Start your FREE family tree.
• Indiana Family & Local History Records - The Family & Local Histories Collection lets you read journals, memoirs, and other first-hand historical narratives right on your computer. Gathered from some of the world's finest libraries, these materials may provide hard-to-find town, county, and state information; tax records and wills; military, church, and court records; as well as photographs, stories, and maps.
• Genealogical Document Search and Retrieval Service
• Daviess County, Indiana Family Books at Amazon.com

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County History

1849 Adams County Retrospect - Based on "Indiana Gazetteer," published by E. Chamberlain

Daviess County, organized in 1817, was named after the distinguished lawyer, Joseph Hamilton Daviess, who fell in the Battle of Tippecanoe. It is bounded on the north by Greene, on the east by Martin, on the south by the East Fork and on the west by the West Fork of White River, and it contains 420 square miles. It is divided into ten townships, viz: Washington, Steel, Veale, Harrison, Reeve, Barr, Van Buren, Madison, Elmore and Bogard. The population in 1830 was 4,512, in 1840, 6,720, and at this time [1849] about 10,000.

Daviess County contains a variety of soil, from a sandy to a pure clay, adapted to the growth of the articles usually cultivated in the west. The White River bottoms have a rich, black loam, in some places slightly sandy, which will produce heavy crops of corn, hemp, tobacco and small grain, without exhaustion or requiring a change of crops. These bottoms were originally heavily timbered, and along the West Fork, are from one to two miles wide; on the East Fork, are about half that width. The north-east part of the county is rolling and heavily timbered; the northwest part level and interspersed with prairies and skirts of timber, the center is generally level, and what is usually called barrens, the south and east undulating and with heavy timber. Interspersed with oak, hickory, gum, etc., are occasional districts containing from 1,000 to 5,000 acres of walnut, hackberry, ash and sugar tree timber, and others again of beech growth generally, the soil varying as is usual among such timber in the west. The principal products of the county are corn, wheat, rye, oats, hay and potatoes, which are usually shipped to New Orleans in flat boats. The stock raised consists of hogs, cattle and horses; the former are slaughtered and sold in Washington to be shipped south; the cattle are sold to drovers for the Louisville and Cincinnati markets, and are generally purchased by persons from other states, so that it is difficult to estimate the value of these articles. The falls on the West Fork of White River are not offered for sale, and when improved, which can be done at a small expense, they may propel a large amount of machinery on both sides of the river.

There are in the county fifteen Methodist Churches and four Ministers, four Catholic Churches and four officiating Clergymen, six Christian Churches and three Ministers, five Baptist Churches and one Minister, two Presbyterian, one Lutheran and three Cumberland Presbyterian Churches. Common English schools are kept up form three to six months in the year, but no higher branches are taught.

The taxable land in the county amounts to 172,000 acres; 50,000 acres of the vacant land were selected for the Canal Grant, and about 45,000 acres still belong to the United States. The most of this is very poor.

1938 Adams County Retrospect - Based on "Indiana Review," published by the State Legislature

The earliest inhabitants of Daviess County were from the southern states, although later there was an influx of settlers from the East in 1801 or 1806. Congress gave the first deed for land within the present limits of the county to John Baptiste Cardinal, and the first deed of record was made in 1792. This tract consisted of 400 acres. In 1783 the Congress of the United States made numerous donations of land to the early French settlers about Vincennes, and in 1807 the Congress made what has since been called "French Locations," which lie mostly in what is now Knox County. 

The making of early history in Daviess County was marked with Indian depredations, and after the killing of William McGowen by the Indians in the spring of 1812, the settlers, in order to protect themselves, erected ten block houses or forts. Five of these were built in 1812 and were known as "Hawkins' Fort," Comer's Fort" and "Purcell's Fort," the others being built at a later period. 

As now constituted, the county has 433 square miles and is divided into ten townships. Its County Seat is Washington, with a population of 9,070, the only incorporated city. Incorporated towns are: Cannelburg, 132; Elnora, 856; Montgomery, 445; Odon, 981; Plainville, 603, and Alfordsville, 90. Daviess County's population in 1890 was 26,227; 1900, 29,914; 1910, 27,747; 1920, 26,856; 1930, 25,832.

Washington is located nineteen miles east of Vincennes and is served by two main railroads. Its industrial activities include the railroad shops and several factories manufacturing clothes hangers, shirts, screen doors, flour, toys, cheese, and window weights.

The city as well as the county has been enjoying rapid developments in all lines. Washington's utilities, which have been operated very successfully, are municipally owned. The city has seventy acres of parks and a municipal swimming pool.

The character of the land of Daviess County is extensive of range. The unusual rugged White River bottomland is rich black loam, while in other parts, clay is the distinguishing type of surface. Coal is found extensively in the region, and mining plays an important part in commercial activities. There is also a natural gas field.

Outstanding among the county's personages of historical significance was James G. Reed, who was twice candidate for Governor of Indiana. Later he was appointed director of the Land Office at Jeffersonville and in 1850 became a member of the Constitutional Convention.

According to figures of the 1935 federal census Daviess County had twenty-four manufacturing establishments employing 842 wage earners on a total pay roll of $511,290. The value of the manufactured products was $3,141,659.

Reports of the same year listed 2,661 farms averaging 93.6 acres each, valued at $10,605,170. According to reports entered, the county had 61,353 head of livestock.

The total county tax valuation for 1936 was $18,214,520.

Courthouse History

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• Map of Indiana Historical Markers

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