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Jennings County History and Information
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Jennings County Facts

Jennings County was created on February 1, 1817 and was formed from Jackson and Jefferson Counties. The County was named for the first Governor of Indiana, Jonathan Jennings.

The County Seat is Vernon, was laid out in 1815 by Colonel John Vawter, and the first settlers were himself and Achilles Vawter; by 1849 it had 35 brick and 65 frame houses with 520 inhabitants. There were attempts to remove the county seat from Vernon, the geographical center of the county, to North Vernon - the most populated city in the county. One reason was that some taxpayers did not want to pay any more money on renovating the courthouse which was built in 1859-61. Another reason was to move it to the more populated town. On July 22, 1919, a special election was held to decide if the seat should be removed. If the vote for removal was 60% or more, the change was to have taken place. On that date, the vote for removal received 2,217 votes (59.6%) and the vote for no removal received 1,512 votes (40.4%). However, there was allegations of illegal balloting and 182 votes were in dispute. The case was taken to court where it linger for 25 years, until in September of 1948 when Judge Fred S. Matthews declared that too much time had elapsed and there was not enough witnesses to verify to the voter irregularity and declared, "Vernon is and remains the county seat of Jennings County." Vernon can claim many firsts: The elevated railroad and underpass, known locally as "the Arch", were the first west of the Alleghenies and are still in use; it also was the first Indiana town to have a public playground; the first all-woman jury trial, held on June 6th, 1921, just after the ratification of the 19th amendment; the first woman's club, the "Clionian Society" established before 1859. With a 2003 population of 319, Vernon is the smallest County Seat in Indiana. See also County History for more historical details.

Counties adjacent to Jennings County are Decatur County (north), Ripley County (east), Jefferson County (southeast), Scott County (south), Jackson County (west), Bartholomew County (northwest).

Jennings County is divided into 11 Civil Townships as follows: Bigger, Campbell, Center, Columbia, Geneva, Lovett, Marion, Montgomery, Sand Creek, Spencer and Vernon.

Cities, Towns and Communities include Brewersville, Butlerville, Commiskey, Four Corners, Grayford, Hayden, Hilltown, Lovett, Nebraska, North Vernon, Oakdale, Paris, Paris Crossing, Queensville, San Jacinto, Scipio, Vernon, Walnut Ridge, Whitcomb and Zenas.

 

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 Jennings 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.

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 Jennings County Courthouse History

   Jennings County Clerk has Marriage Records from 1818 , Probate Records from 1818 and Court Records from 1817 and is located at 24 N. Pike Street, PO BOX 385, Vernon, IN 47282;
   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.

   Jennings County Recorder has Land Records from 1817 and is located at PO Box 397, 200 E Brown ST, Vernon 47282; (812) 352-3053, FAX: (812) 352-3000 .
   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.

Search Online 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.

   Jennings County Health Department has Birth / Death Records from 1882 and is located at Government Center, 200 East Brown Street, P.O. Box 323, Vernon, IN 47282; (812) 352-3024

Below is a list of online resources for Jennings County Court Records. Email us with websites containing Jennings 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.
  • Jennings 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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Jennings County Vital Records

See Also Vital Records in Indiana

Search Online 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 Jennings County Vital Records. Email us with websites containing Jennings County Vital Records by clicking the link below:

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Jennings County Census Records

See Also Research In Census Records

Search Online 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 Jennings 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 Jennings 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 Jennings County Census Records. Email us with websites containing Jennings 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.
  • Jennings County, Indiana Census Books at Amazon.com

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Jennings 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 Jennings County Maps. Email us with websites containing Jennings County Maps by clicking the link below:

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Jennings County Military Records

See Also Military Records in Indiana

Search Online 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 Jennings County Military Records. Email us with websites containing Jennings County Military Records by clicking the link below:

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Jennings 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 Jennings County Tax Records. Email us with websites containing Jennings County Tax Records by clicking the link below:

  • Jennings County, Indiana Tax Books at Amazon.com

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Jennings 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 Jennings County Genealogical Addresses. Email us with websites containing Jennings County Genealogical Addresses by clicking the link below:

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Jennings County Church & Cemeteries

See Also Church & Cemetery Records in Indiana

Search Online 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 Jennings County. Some transcriptions are online. A great site is the Jennings 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 Jennings County Cemetery & Church Records. Email us with websites containing Jennings County Cemetery & Church Records by clicking the link below:

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Family Trees & Genealogy Tidbits

Search Online 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 Jennings County Family Trees, web forums and other family type information. Email us with websites containing Jennings County Family Trees, web forums and other family type information by clicking the link below:

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County History

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

Jennings County, named in honor of Jonathan Jennings, the first Governor of the State, was organized in 1817, and it contains 375 square miles. It is bounded on the north by Bartholomew and Decatur, on the east by Ripley, on the south by Scott and Jefferson, and on the west by Jackson. It is divided into nine civil townships, viz: Bigger, Campbell, Columbia, Geneva, Marion, Montgomery, Sand Creek, Spencer and Vernon. The population in 1830 was 3,950, in 1840, 8,829, and at this time [1849] about 10,000. Near the streams, the face of the country is hilly and broken, and moderately fertile, except in the beech flats, at the head of the streams, where it is only fit for grass. There is an abundance of excellent timber in the county, of which large quantities are sawn and taken to the Railroad to the river; and the quarries of Limestone are very fine and convenient, from which the interior of the State is extensively supplied with building materials of rock and lime. A millstone quarry, near Scipio, has also at time been worked extensively.

The agriculture of the county is not such as to afford much surplus products for market, yet considerable quantities of various articles are constantly sent off on the Railroad. There are in the county thirteen grist mills, twenty-nine sawmills, seven of them propelled by steam, one woolen factory, eighteen dry goods stores, two drug stores, four groceries, three warehouses, five lawyers, twelve physicians, three Presbyterian, two Catholic, twenty Baptist, seven Reformers, five Methodist and two United Brethren preachers, forty churches, a flourishing County Seminary and sixty-five school districts, in which schools are taught fro three to six months a year.

The taxable land amounts to 200,220 acres, about 25,000 acres belong to the United States, and 15,000 acres have been sold that are not yet taxable.

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

Jennings County is essentially a farming region, but the land is underlaid with limestone and much fine quality building stone has been has been quarried within its boundaries. Located in the southern part of the state, it has an area of 383 square miles and is divided into eleven townships.

North Vernon, 2,989, and Vernon, 410, are the incorporated city and town. Jennings County population in 1890 was 14,608; 1900, 15,757; 1910, 14,203; 1920, 13,208; 1930, 11,800.

North Vernon is located sixty miles southeast of Indianapolis and is served by three main railroads. The city has a number of industrial concerns and manufactures lumber, furniture, dustpans, auto fan belts, wood cabinets, flour, and spokes. Also important to the city is quarrying.

Among the city's points of interests are the marker at the site of Guthrie Trail, a bronze tablet on a boulder marking the Madison-Columbus Highway, and the North Vernon City Park.

Jennings County is the site of the Muscatatuck State Park, and the Muscatatuck Colony, a state institution. These take their names from the river that traverses the county. The other chief waterways are Sand Creek, in the northwestern part, and Graham Creek in the southeast. Morgan and his band of Civil War raiders passed through Jennings County.

In the town of Vernon is a woman's club known as The Clionian. It was formed July 17, 1855, and is said to be the oldest Woman's club in Indiana.

Among those who have been important in the history of Jennings County has been Jeptha D. New, twice elected to Congress; Lincoln Dixon, also a congressman; Alonzo G. Smith, Attorney-General of Indiana; Thomas W. Brolley, State Statistician; Thomas J. Reilly, a Collector of Internal Revenue, and John Overmyer, Speaker of the Indiana House of Representatives. Among the best-known native sons is the contemporary psychologist and writer, Dr. Albert Edward Wiggam.

This county had thirteen manufacturing establishments, according to federal census figures of 1935. A total of 316 wage earners were employed on pay rolls totaling $184,551. The value of the manufactured products was $673,516.

The county had 1,765 farms averaging 110.9 acres each. Their value was $3,876,998. A total of 27,686 head of livestock was reported.

Total county tax valuation for the year of 1936 was $8,273,140.

Courthouse History

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