Henry County was created on June 1, 1822 and was formed from Delaware New Purchase. The Delaware New Purchase: Set up in 1820, portions were set apart as the entire counties of Allen, Bartholomew, Hamilton, Henry, Johnson, Marion, Rush, and Shelby. Parts of the counties of Delaware, Hendricks, Madison, and Morgan also were located in the Delaware Purchase. In 1827, the name of the tract was changed to the Adams New Purchase. The County was named for Patriot Patrick Henry.
The County Seat is New Castle and was first settled by Charles Jamison. By 1849 it contained a County Seminary, a good Court House and other public offices, 100 houses and a population of 500 inhabitants. The first men known to have located in the territory now known as Henry County arrived in the year 1819 and were Daniel and Asa Heaton. See also County History for more historical details.
Henry County is divided into 13 Civil Townships as follows: Blue River, Dudley, Fall Creek, Franklin, Greensboro, Harrison, Henry, Jefferson, Liberty, Prairie, Spiceland, Stoney Creek and Wayne.
Cities, Towns and Communities include Ashland, Blountsville, Dunrieth, Foley, Grant City, Greensboro, Hillsboro, Honey, Kennard, Knightstown, Lewisville, Luray, Messick, Middletown, Millville, Mooreland, Mount Lawn, Mount Summit, New Castle, New Lisbon, Pierson Station, Rogersville, Spiceland, Springport, Stone Quarry Mills, Straughn, Sulphur Springs, and Westwood.
Indiana Newspaper Holdings for Henry 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. Courthouse destroyed by Fire in Feb. 1864, Clerk, recorded, auditor and treasurer's records were saved
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 Henry County Courthouse History
Henry County Clerk has Marriage Records from 1823 , Probate Records from 1822 and Court Records from 1822 and is located at P.O. Box B,
New Castle, IN 47362;
765-529-9310 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.
Henry County Recorder has Land Records from 1824 and is located at Courthouse,
P O Box K, 101 S Main St Rm #106, Newcastle IN 47362;
(317) 529-4304 . 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.
Henry County Health Department has Birth / Death Records from 1882 and is located at 208 South 12th. St.,
New Castle, IN 47362;
(765) 521-7058
Below is a list of online resources for Henry County Court Records. Email us with websites containing Henry 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 Henry County Vital Records. Email us with websites containing Henry 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 Henry County Census Records. Email us with websites containing Henry 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 Henry County Maps. Email us with websites containing Henry 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 Henry County Military Records. Email us with websites containing Henry 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 Henry County Tax Records. Email us with websites containing Henry 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 Henry County Genealogical Addresses. Email us with websites containing Henry 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 Henry County Cemetery & Church Records. Email us with websites containing Henry 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 Henry County Family Trees, web forums and other family type information. Email us with websites containing Henry 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
Henry County, named for the patriot and orator, Patrick Henry, was organized in 1821, and is bounded on the north by Delaware, east by Randolph and Wayne, south by Fayette and Rush, and west by Hancock and Madison counties. It contains 385 square miles, and is divided into twelve civil townships, to-wit: Wayne, Spiceland, Franklin, Dudley, Liberty, Henry, Greensboro, Harrison, Stoney Creek, Prairie, Jefferson and Fall Creek. The population in 1830 was 6,498, in 1840, 15,128, and at this time [1849] about 18,000. The face of the country is generally undulating, with many large and beautiful level tracts on the east side of the county. With the exception of one prairie in the north which gives name to the township there, the land was originally covered with good timber, such as oak, walnut, ash, poplar, beech and sugar, and the soil, with scarce any exception, is of a good quality. The land is in a high state of cultivation, and the farms well improved. About 30,000 hogs, 2,000 fat cattle and 1,000 horses are among the products of the county annually taken to market, besides wheat and flour in large quantities. The water power for manufacturing is abundant and very valuable. Blue River runs from near the northeast to the southwest corner of the county and Fall Creek through the north, and there are several other valuable millstreams. There are in the county thirty gristmills, fifty sawmill, five oil mills, four woolen factories, one printing office, thirty-five stores, ten lawyers, twenty physicians, forty Methodist, ten Friends, five Presbyterian, three Baptist, one United Brethren and two True Wesleyan churches.
The taxable land in the county amounts to 246,000 acres.
1938 Adams County Retrospect - Based on "Indiana Review," published by the State Legislature
Henry County is located in the second tier of counties east of Indianapolis. It is bounded on the north by Delaware, on the east by Randolph and Wayne, on the south by Fayette and Rush and on the west by Hancock and Madison counties. The face of the country is gently undulating, with many large and beautiful tracts on the east side of the country. Blue River runs from near the northeast to the southwest corner of the county and Fall Creek through the north.
With an area of 397 square miles, divided into thirteen townships, Henry County has several incorporated towns. The one incorporated city is New Castle, "Rose City," famous for its production of roses, which are shipped all over the United States. The incorporated towns are Blountsville, 151; Cadiz, 165; Dumreith, 160; Greensboro, 239; Knightstown, 2,209; Lewisville, 442; Middletown, 1,348; Mooreland, 384; Mount Summit, 274; Shirley, 761; Spiceland, 722; Straughn, 212; Sulphur Springs, 238, and Springport, 183. Shirley, situated on the division line is considered also part of Hancock County. The census of 1890 gave the county population as 23,897; 1900, 25,088; 1910, 29,758; 1920, 34,682; 1930, 35,238.
New Castle, with a population of 14,027, is twenty miles south of Muncie. Having ample transportation facilities in the three main railroads, which run through, it has grown to considerable importance as an industrial city. There are twenty-four industries employing 3,185 wage earners, according to 1935 federal census figures. Among the products are automobile parts, pianos, kitchen cabinets, rolled steel, piston rings, lathes, caskets, clothing, and structural steel. The city's two utilities are municipally owned.
The County Courthouse is worthy of note for its markers. There is the monument to the soldiers of the Civil War and a bronze tablet at the base, in memory of the Spanish-American War Veterans. In the building is a portrait of Abraham Elliott done by the pioneer artist, Malvinia Batson. In the New Castle Public Library are many subjects of art, including paintings, etchings, and busts of notables. Among the unusual assets of the Public Schools are a number of art books, paintings, and old prints. One of the outstanding cultural institutions is the Henry County Historical Society Home and Museum. In this home, built in 1866, are a number of World War lithographs and miscellaneous collections of historic and art objects.
Some of the city's residents of interest include the Cicero M. Bailey House, the home of the late artists, the Goodwins, and the Ayres Residence, distinctive because of its paintings, art objects, and the fine garden and conservatory. There is a Memorial Park, dedicated in 1929 to the World War Soldiers. In this park is a bronze tablet to Wilbur Wright, the pioneer of Aeronautics, who was a native of Henry County. One of the park's most beautiful features is the Japanese Rock Garden.
Some of the county's famous sons besides Wright include General William Gross; Major General Omar Bundy; Charles Beard, historian; Frederick McCormick, writer, and Howard McCormick, artist.
Three miles north of this city are the largest and best-known mounds in the county. These remains of the ancient Mound Builders' civilization cover at this point about twenty acres. Six miles northeast of this city is another marker to Wilbur Wright, this one at the Wilbur Wright Field, marking the site of his birthplace. This state has taken five and one half acres of this tract for the purpose of a World Shrine and airplane landing field.
The State's Village for Epileptics is located on a tract of 1,200 acres two miles north of New Castle and was authorized by an act approved March 6, 1905, and a 1,245-acre site purchased one year later. The purpose of the institution is "the scientific treatment, education, employment and custody of epileptics," all epileptics having a legal settlement in the state to be considered admissible. With what was left from the original appropriation of $150,000, after the site was purchased, two small cottages were erected and the first patient was received September 16, 1907.
Knightstown is situated on the National Road, forty miles east of Indianapolis. Though of some industrial importance, it is chiefly known as the location of the Indiana Soldiers' and Seamans' Home for the maintenance of sick and disabled soldiers and seamen, their widows and orphans, was authorized by an act approved March 11, 1867. It was formally opened June 15, 1867, in the Home for Disabled Soldiers, previously established at Knightstown by a private corporation. On the morning of December 25, 1871, fire destroyed that part of the institution occupied by the soldiers and they were moved to the National Military Home at Dayton, Ohio. The orphans were left in full possession of the home until the Legislature of 1879 provided for the care of the feeble-minded children therein. The two classes of inmates were maintained in the home until 1887, when the institution was reorganized as the Soldiers' and Sailors' Orphans' Home, and the feeble-minded children were moved to new quarters. As now maintained it is open to children under the age of sixteen years whose fathers were soldiers or sailors in the army or navy of the United States in the Civil War or the Spanish American War or the war in the Philippine Islands. Educational, religious and industrial training is given.
Knightstown has a library of interest because of the bronze tablet on the grounds commemorating of the sixteen Revolutionary War Soldiers who settled in the county. In the Public Square Park is a stone shaft with the names of 113 boys of Wayne Township who enlisted in the World War. The city has a number of other memorials and points of cultural interest, including the Civil War Soldiers' memorial in Glencove Cemetery, the bronze tablet marking the site of the first building, and the art books collections of the Public Schools.
There were a total of 45 manufacturing establishments reported in the 1935 federal census. A total of 4,226 wage earners were employed on pay rolls totaling $4,684,638. The value of the manufactured products was $18,547,029.
Henry County had 2,565 farms averaging 92 acres each. Their value was $16,391,271. A total of 93,004 head of livestock was reported.
The county's tax valuation for 1936 was $40,121,810.
