Fayette County was created on December 28, 1818 and was formed fromFranklin and Wayne Counties and
Unorganized Land. The County was named forthe Marquis de la Fayette, a French hero of the Revolutionary War.
The County Seat is Connersville. John Conner laid out the town that bears his name, Connersville, in 1817. See also County History for more historical details.
Fayette County is divided into 9 Civil Townships as follows: Columbia, Connersville, Fairview, Harrison, Jackson, Jennings, Orange, Posey and Waterloo.
Cities, Towns and Communities include Baintertown, Benton, Bonneyville Mills, Bristol, Dunlap, Elkhart, Foraker, Goshen, Jamestown, Middlebury, Midway, Millersburg, Morehous, Nappanee, New Paris, Nibbyville, Packman, Simonton Lake, Southwest, Stony Creek, Vistula, and Wakarusa.
Indiana Newspaper Holdings for Fayette 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.
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.
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 Fayette County Courthouse History
Fayette County Clerk has Marriage Records from 1819 , Probate Records from 1819 and Court Records from 1819 and is located at P. O. Box 607, Connersville, IN 47331; (765)825-1813 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.
Fayette County Recorder has Land Records from 1816 and is located at 401 CENTRAL AVENUE, PO Box 324, CONNERSVILLE, IN 47331; Phone - 765-825-3051. 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.
Fayette County Health Department has Birth / Death Records from 1882 and is located at 111 West 4th St., Connersville, IN 47331; (765) 825-4013
Below is a list of online resources for Fayette County Court Records. Email us with websites containing Fayette County Court Records by clicking the link below:
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.
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.
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.
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
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.
Order Online: You can also order Order Electronically and get the certificates within 2-5 days by ordering below
Below is a list of online resources for Fayette County Vital Records. Email us with websites containing Fayette County Vital Records by clicking the link below:
Search the Social Security Death Index for FREE - Search over 82 million death records and get genealogical information crucial to your family research. New content added weekly! Most comprehensive SSDI site online!
Research Death records In The World's Largest Newspaper Archive at NewpaperArchive.com! - Find thousands of historical Indiana newspaper articles about deaths. Search for local articles about an old family friend that died many years ago or a celebrity that committed suicide. Historical newspapers contain a wealth of information about the deceased.
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.
Below is a list of online resources for Fayette County Census Records. Email us with websites containing Fayette 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.
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 Fayette County Maps. Email us with websites containing Fayette County Maps by clicking the link below:
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 Fayette County Military Records. Email us with websites containing Fayette County Military Records by clicking the link below:
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.
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.
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.
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 Fayette County Tax Records. Email us with websites containing Fayette County Tax Records by clicking the link below:
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 Fayette County Genealogical Addresses. Email us with websites containing Fayette County Genealogical Addresses by clicking the link below:
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 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.
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.
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 Fayette County Cemetery & Church Records. Email us with websites containing Fayette County Cemetery & Church Records by clicking the link below:
Find Obituaries in The World's Largest Newspaper Archive at NewpaperArchive.com! - Find thousands of Indiana obituaries to help you research your family history. Search for a Indiana newspaper obituary about your ancestor or a celebrity. Begin your search today and find death notices and funeral announcements printed in newspapers from Indiana.
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 Fayette County Family Trees, web forums and other family type information. Email us with websites containing Fayette County Family Trees, web forums and other family type information by clicking the link below:
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.
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.
1849 Adams County Retrospect - Based on "Indiana Gazetteer," published by E. Chamberlain
Fayette, and eastern county, organized in 1819, and named after General Lafayette, is bounded east by Union, south by Franklin, west by Rush, and north by Henry and Wayne counties, and contains 211 square miles. The population in 1830 was 9,112, in 1840, 9837, and at this time [1849] about 11,000. There are eight civil townships, viz: Connersville, Jennings, Jackson, Columbia, Orange, Harrison, Posey and Waterloo.
This county is divided nearly in the center, from north to south, by the West Fork of White Water, which feeds the canal, and with its tributaries affords an abundant supply of water power, at all seasons, for machinery. The surface of the country is rolling in the east and south, and level or gently undulating in the north and west, with a large proportion of bottoms, and every part of the county is susceptible of profitable cultivation. The dense and majestic growth of the forest, which consist principally of walnut, poplar, sugar, beech, hickory, oak, etc., and the unusually abundant crops indicate that the quality of the soil is not inferior to that of any part of the State, and for the size of the county, there is probably no one from which the exports are larger in proportion. They consist principally of hogs, cattle, horses, and grain, though since the completion of the White Water Canal, pork, beef and flour are exported on it, in large quantities.
Connersville
Connersville, the County Seat of Fayette County, was laid out by John Conner in 1817, from whom it took its name. It is very pleasantly situated on the White Water Valley Canal, having the river on the east and south, a beautiful range of hills on the west, from which there is a very fine view of the town, and a large scope of rich and well cultivated country stretching off to the north and east. From its pleasant location, the salubrity of its climate, its valuable water privileges, the productiveness of the surrounding country, and from the enterprise of its citizens, Connersville bids fair to be one of the best towns in eastern Indiana. It has now [in 1849] six lawyers, five physicians, four preachers, six teachers, two druggists, thirty merchants and 139 mechanics. There are in the town seventy brick and 160 frame dwelling houses, three churches, one each for Presbyterians, Methodists and Christians, fourteen stores, five warehouses, one woolen factory, three grist mills, three sawmills, and one oil mill. The new (see inset) Courthouse is one of the most spacious, convenient, and substantial buildings of its kind in the State, -- all the county officers are located on the first flour, in good sized office rooms. In connection with each office are ample fireproof rooms for the security of their books and papers. The Courtroom, and Juror rooms, (of which there are four), are all on the upper story. In the rear of the center building there is attached a wing two stories high, in which are constructed six dormitories, or cells, for prisoners. The prisoners can be taken to and from the Court from a rear passage by a door entering immediately into the Courtroom. The building was erected in the years 1848 and 1849, by John Elder, Architect, of Indianapolis, at the price of $20,000. The Commissioners who made the contract with Mr. Elder for its erection were David Moffit, Samuel White, and John Jameson. The population in 1847 was 1,500; it is now [in 1849] about 1,700, and is increasing. Connersville is fifty-six miles southeast of Indianapolis, twelve south of Cambridge City, eighteen north of Brookville, and twelve west of Liberty. The taxable land in the county is 129,903 acres, the aggregate value of assessed property, $2,292,596. In many respects the county of Fayette has no superior in the State.
1938 Adams County Retrospect - Based on "Indiana Review," published by the State Legislature
Fayette County was formed from parts of Franklin and Wayne Counties and originally included much of what is now Union County. Its present area is 216 square miles and the county is divided into nine townships. It is one of the eastern counties, located east and south of Indianapolis. Most of Fayette County's terrain is rolling land, though parts in the northwest are nearly level. The soil is adaptable to agriculture, much of it being rich river bottomland. The west fork of Whitewater River runs from north to south through the central part of the county.
The efforts of Jonathan McCarty and John Conner resulted in thes county's formal organization December 28, 1818. It was named in honor of the great French General, LaFayette. Connersville, named in honor of its founder, John Conner, has always been the County Seat.
The incorporated city is Connersville, 12,795, and the incorporated town is Glenwood, 374. Total county population in 1890 was 12,630; 1900, 13,495; 1910, 14,418; 1920, 17,142; 1930, 19,243.
Connersville is located in the west fork of Whitewater River twenty-two miles southwest of Richmond. Three railroads offer ample transportation facilities for its many manufactured products, including furniture, flour, automobiles, iron, carriages, automobile parts, knives, rotary blowers, axles, springs, vacuum cleaners, wagons, and pianos. Twenty-two manufacturing establishments employed 3,001 wage earners on pay rolls of $3,005,092, according to figures of the 1935 federal census. Value of the products was $13,283,055.
Some of the points of interest of Connersville are an old hotel on Fifth Street which formerly was an inn built in 1820; Elmhurst, a girls' school on Laurel Road, formerly the residence of J. N. Huston, who once was Secretary of the U. S. Treasury, and the Mrs. Will Hanson residence on Fourth Street, formerly a bank. The bank vault is still a portion of the Hanson residence.
Several markers have been erected, including two in honor of John Conner, the man who founded the city in 1808. Connersville's public schools as well as the library have supplemented the educational facilities with worthwhile collections of paintings and art prints.
Among the chief points of interest in the county are the first mill at Nulltown; the Whitewater Valley Canal; the first inn and post office, and the new bridge over the Whitewater River on State Road 1.
Notables in Fayette County history include John Conner; Caleb Smith, Secretary of Agriculture under Abraham Lincoln; John McCormick and Jacob Goodlander, Civil War veterans; Newton and Solomon Claypool; Captain Shipley, a famous naval officer; John Moore; J. N. Huston, former Secretary of the United States Treasury, and Olen H. Smith, railroad builder and later United States Senator.
Included among the contemporary persons of importance are Louis Ludlow, Congressional Representative of the Twelfth District, and Finly Gray, Congressman from the Tenth District.
The county had twenty-four manufacturing establishments, employing 3,126 workers in 1935.
This county had 1,076 farms averaging 122.9 acres and valued at $7,567,745. There were 51,364 head of livestock reported.
The county's tax valuation for the year 1936 was $22,138,600.
