Genealogy & Local History

• Begin your search by obtaining death records for your relative(s)
• Something to know: Indiana did not publicly record deaths until 1882
• For deaths prior to 1882 consult Hancock County, Indiana Tombstone Inscriptions: One Hundred Years, 1833-1933 by Sue Baker, HANCOCK 929.5 B
• For deaths from 1882—1920 consult the online Hancock County Death Index or the print version in the genealogy collection. Death records were transcribed from the 1938 WPA Index to Death Records for Hancock Co., Indiana.
• For deaths from 1921 – 1989 consult the print edition of Hancock County Death Records Index 1921—1989, GEN 929 H
• Access digitized Indiana Death Certificates 1899-2011 via Ancestry.com or Ancestry Library Edition (free access at library)
• Birth and Death records are on file and can be provided by the Vital Records Department upon written request accompanied by proper identification and payment by check and money order. The cost of death certificates is $15.00.  The cost for birth certificates is $15.00 for a combination certificate (includes regular size and laminated wallet size). Genealogy records are recorded back to 1882; although some records were incomplete or not recorded at all. Individuals must contact the Health Department office to see if genealogy records are available.
  
  Hancock County Health Department 
  Hancock County Annex 
  111 Legion Place Suite 150 
  Greenfield, Indiana 46140 
  Phone: 317-477-1125 
  Website

OBITUARIES: 

• HCPL has an extensive collection of newspapers available on microfilm and digitized on Newspapers.com (see “Helpful Websites - Newspapers” below for instructions).  If you have pinpointed the date of death, the following papers may contain the obituary you are seeking.  Newspapers are not currently indexed except for the Hancock Democrat 1860-1876, HANCOCK 929.377258D 
  
  Hancock Democrat [Journal] newspaper (1860-1973)  
  Hancock Republican newspaper (1889-1973) 
  Daily Reporter newspaper (1908-present)

BIOGRAPHICAL INFORMATION: 

• Refer to books in the Hancock County collection to build a biography on a person.  
• To expedite research, refer to the WPA Hancock County, Indiana Index of Names of Persons and of Firms, HANCOCK 977.258 H, to quickly locate references to individuals and firms in specified books prior to 1940. See book for titles indexed. A digital copy can be found at: http://www.familysearch.org/library/books/idurl/1/85264  

CEMETERY RECORDS: 

• Refer to books in the HCPL collection: Hancock County, Indiana Tombstone Inscriptions: One Hundred Years, 1833—1933 by Sue Baker, HANCOCK 929.5 B or the Alphabetical List of Burials, Park Cemetery, Greenfield, Indiana, HANCOCK 929.5 A to find their burial place
• Park Cemetery Records & Gravesite Information 
  cemetery@greenfieldin.org 
  Phone: 317-477-4387 
  Fax: 317-477-4358
• To obtain more information on cemeteries that are maintained by a church, contact that specific church for records
• To obtain more information on abandoned cemeteries, contact the township’s trustee or the Hancock Cemetery Board 
  Find current trustee: https://www.hancockin.gov/375/Township-Trustees-and-BoardMembers 
  Hancock County Cemetery Board: https://www.hancockin.gov/360/CemeteryBoard 

BIRTH RECORDS: 

• Something to know: Indiana did not publicly record births until 1882.
• To obtain dates, the library has the WPA Index to Birth Records, HANCOCK 977.23 I for years 1882 to 1920. Also, Hancock County Indiana Court Records by Sue Baker, HANCOCK 929.377258 B, includes an index for court recorded birth from 1867-1919.
• Access digitized Indiana Birth Certificates 1907-1940 via Ancestry.com or Ancestry Library Edition (free access at library).
• Physical records are available at the Health Department’s Vital Records Department. Not all records exist or are complete. Please contact office prior to payment or request 
  
  Health Department 
  Hancock County Courthouse 111 American Legion Place, Suite 150 
  Greenfield, Indiana 46140 
  Phone: 317-477-1125 
  Fax: 317-477-1154 
  Website

MARRIAGE RECORDS: 

• Something to know: Indiana publicly recorded marriages prior to statehood when the area was known as the Northwest Territory. Marriage records exist as early as around 1780. Hancock County marriages were first recorded in court records as early as 1828. Application and certificates of marriage were not recorded until 1882.  
• Prior to 1877 boys seventeen years old and girls fourteen years old could get a license to marry with the consent of a parent or guardian. Cousins could also marry. About 1877 the law was changed to boys age eighteen and girls age sixteen. Marriage of cousins not allowed. In 2015, court rulings allow same-sex couples to marry. County clerks may currently issue a marriage license to individuals 16 years of age, with stipulations.
• To obtain dates, the library has various marriage indexes for years 1828 to 1920.  These are located under: WPA Marriage Index 4 volumes, HANCOCK 929.377258 I; Marriages Abstracted from Newspapers HANCOCK 929.377258 M; Early Marriage Returns and Records HANCOCK 929.377258 R
• Access digitized Indiana Marriages 1811-2019 via FamilySearch.org https://www.familysearch.org/search/collection/1410397
• Access digitized Indiana Marriage Certificates 1958-2005 via Ancestry.com or Ancestry Library Edition (free access at library).
• Physical records are available in the Hancock County Clerk of Courts office 
  
  Hancock County Courthouse 
  9 East Main Street, Room 213 
  Greenfield, Indiana 46140 
  Phone: 317-477-1109 
  Website

• After you have obtained the vital statistics and obtained family information, check census records for further information.  Census records are a genealogical treasure trove providing such information as ages of people in the households, names of heads of households, type of employment, geographical origination of parents, educational level reached, special physical conditions, number of live births of the mother, hired hands, etc.  Records are available beginning in 1790 with the latest available being 1940. There is a 70-year moratorium on census records.   
  1790—1840:  lists names of heads of household only in every state 
  1850—1940: lists the name of every person in a household whether a family member or otherwise (1890 census was destroyed by fire.)
• Census records may be searched using Ancestry Library Edition (free access at library) or HeritageQuest (free access at library or at home with HCPL library card).  Also available in the HCPL Local History Room are the following books to help you with this search: 
  American Census Handbook, by Thomas J. Kemp.  GEN 929.3 K 
  For British Census: Census: The Expert Guide, by Peter Christian. GEN 929.1072 C 
  For British Census: Making Use of the Census, by Susan Loomis, GEN 929.1072 L 

TAX RECORDS: 

• Tax records for most Indiana counties do not exist prior to the early 1840s. Occasionally an earlier duplicate record will exist, these can be found at the county courthouse.
• Microfilm copies of tax records dating to 1840 are available in the Hancock County Treasurer’s office. They can be viewed in the County Recorder’s office. 
  
  Hancock County Treasurer 
  Hancock County Annex 
  111 American Legion Place, Suite 205 
  Greenfield, Indiana 46140 
  Phone: 317-477-1152
  Fax: 317-477-1726 
  Website

PROBATE RECORDS: 

• Probate is a court procedure where a will is proven valid or invalid.
• Records generated during probate include: wills, bonds, petitions, accounts, inventories, administrations, orders, decrees, and distributions. These records provide a great wealth of information and in some instances may be the only source for dates or connections to other individuals. For early records, probate proceedings were not always recorded separately from other court events. Be sure to check all available records.
• The following courts had jurisdiction during these periods pre-statehood: 
  Probate Court (1790-1805) 
  Court of Common Pleas (1806-1813) 
  Circuit Court (1814-1816)
• After statehood and the formation of Hancock County in 1828 the circuit court had jurisdiction.
• Probate Records may be researched at the Hancock County Circuit Court. 
  
  Hancock County Courthouse 
  9 East Main Street, Room 302 
  Greenfield, Indiana 46140 
  Phone: 317-477-1107
  Website
   
• Also available in the HCPL Local History Room are the following books to help you with this search:
  Hancock County, Indiana Court Records by Sue Baker, HANCOCK 929.377258 B 
  Will Records of Hancock Co. Indiana 1828-1859 and 1876-1908 by Maurice Holmes, HANCOCK 977.258 H 

LAND RECORDS: 

• Resources in the HCPL collection include: Early Landowners of Hancock Co., Ind. by Maurice Holmes, HANCOCK 977.258 H, indexes original purchases from the USA and early landowners from 1828-1837; various plat maps; also see the “Helpful Websites” section for researching property and land. A digital copy can be found at: http://www.familysearch.org/library/books/idurl/1/263534
• For current property and tax information refer to Beacon. Beacon is a GIS application and is how Hancock County records property and tax information.  
  Go to: https://beacon.schneidercorp.com/
• Deeds to property may be researched at the Hancock County Recorder’s office. 
  
  111 South American Legion Place, Suite 202 
  Greenfield, Indiana 46140 
  Phone: 317-477-1142
  Website
   
• Property transfers may be researched at the Hancock County Auditor’s office. 
  
  111 South American Legion Place, Suite 217 
  Greenfield, Indiana 46140 
  Phone: 317-477-1105 
  Fax: 317-477-1712 
  Website
   
• You may also want to refer to Land and Property Research in the United States by Wade E. Hone GEN 929.1072 H or Land Records of America and Their Genealogical Data by E. Kay Kirkham GEN 929.1072 K in the HCPL collection. 

If you’re ready to move on from a search at the local level, there is much more to be had elsewhere. There are a variety of genealogical institutions across the country and online resources that can provide new information about your ancestors. The listings below provide what are generally considered to be the most comprehensive places for researches at all levels. A much larger listing of online resources exists in the last section of this pathfinder. You are encouraged to investigate all avenues of potential research opportunities from the prolific Ancestry.com to local institutions like genealogical societies or public libraries. 

INSTITUTIONS: 

• The Indiana State Library is an excellent, nearby place to search for statewide records. The ISL collection includes over 40,000 printed items (family histories, indexes to records, how-to-books, cemetery transcriptions, family history magazines, and more) as well as microfilmed federal census records, Indiana county records, passenger lists, and military pension information. The emphasis of the collection is on Indiana and bordering states as well as eastern and southern states that were sources of migration into Indiana. The library also provides access to numerous online databases and services.
  
  315 West Ohio Street
  Indianapolis, Indiana 46202 
  Phone: 866-683-0008 
  http://www.in.gov/library/
   
• The Allen County Public Library Genealogy Center in Fort Wayne, Indiana is the second largest genealogy collection in the United States, just after the Family History Library in Salt Lake City, Utah. At just over 100 miles away, it is well worth the drive for Hancock County residents. The collection includes over 350,000 printed items and over half a million items on microfilm. The focus of the collection is largely North American based with additional materials on the British Isles and German region. The library also has a large amount of materials on Native American and African American research. The library provides access to numerous online databases and services. 
  
  900 West Washington Boulevard 
  Fort Wayne, Indiana 46802 
  Phone: 260-421-1225 
  Email: genealogy@acpl.info 
  http://www.genealogycenter.org/ 

To search census records, use Ancestry.com (in-library only), FamilySearch.org (in-library only) or HeritageQuest. All are available via the library's Online Resources

United States Census Bureau

http://www.census.gov/en.html 

Census Records – National Archives and Records Administration

http://www.archives.gov/research/census/ 

Overview of the U.S. Census – Ancestry.com

https://wiki.rootsweb.com/wiki/index.php/Overview_of_the_U.S._Census 

U.S. Federal Census Records – FamilySearch.org

https://www.familysearch.org/wiki/en/United_States_Census 

Blank U.S. Census Forms – Family Search.org

https://www.familysearch.org/wiki/en/United_States_Census_Forms 

Overview of Church Records – Ancestry.com

https://wiki.rootsweb.com/wiki/index.php?title=Overview_of_Church_Records&oldid=53198 

United States Church Records – FamilySearch.org 

https://www.familysearch.org/wiki/en/United_States_Church_Records 

Church History of Greenfield

http://www.greenfieldin.org/residents/history-of-greenfield/863-church-history-of-greenfield-october-2012 

Overview of Vital Records – Ancestry.com

https://wiki.rootsweb.com/wiki/index.php?title=Overview_of_Vital_Records&oldid=34290 

United States Vital Records – FamilySearch.org

https://www.familysearch.org/wiki/en/United_States_Vital_Records 

Find A Grave

findagrave.com 

Hancock County

Abandoned Cemetery Maintenance – Hancock County Township Trustees

https://www.hancockin.gov/375/Township-Trustees-and-Board-Members 

Hancock County Death Index 1882-1920

http://www.rootsquest.com/indiana/hancock/death/index.html 

Park Cemetery Information – Hancock County, Indiana (full index available at library)

Surrounding Areas

Anderson Public Library Genealogy Special collections (Madison County)

http://www.and.lib.in.us/special-collections/ 

Hamilton East Public Library (Hamilton County)

http://hepl.lib.in.us/indiana-room/ 

The Indianapolis Commercial Newspaper Index, 1882-1930 (Marion County)

https://digital.statelib.lib.in.us/legacy/search.aspx?index=5 

The Knightstown Banner Obituary Archive, 1908-2017

http://thebanneronline.com/archive_obituaries.htm 

New Castle-Henry County Public Library

https://nchcpl.org/resources/genealogy/ 

Shelby County Public Library Obituaries

http://www.shelbycountyindiana.org/obituaries/obituary_index.htm 

Indiana

Cemetery & Burial Registry – Indiana Department of Natural Resources

http://www.in.gov/dnr/historic/3748.htm 

Cemetery Locator File – Indiana State Library

https://www.statelib.lib.in.us/cemetery/cemetery_search.asp 

Indiana Historical Society

http://images.indianahistory.org/ 

Two collections in particular:

• Mitchell Printing Co. Collection, circa 1865-1930

• W.H. Bass Photo Company Collection, circa 1897-1970 (Indianapolis area)

   

Indiana Memory

https://digital.library.in.gov/ 

Port of New York Passenger Records – Ellis Island

www.ellisisland.org 

One-Step Webpages by Stephen P. Morse – Passenger records for Ellis Island and other ports of entry into the United States.

http://stevemorse.org 

Joseph Skvarenina Article Collection (1989 — 2024)

Indiana Resources - Allen County Public Library Genealogy Center

http://www.genealogycenter.info/indiana/ 

Local History Contacts – Find Genealogical & Historical Societies

https://indianahistory.org/across-indiana/local-history-services/ 

http://www.indgensoc.org/county_genealogists.php 

Red Book: American State, County, and Town Sources – Ancestry.com

https://wiki.rootsweb.com/wiki/index.php/Red_Book:_American_State,_County,_and_Town_Sources 

Biographical Memoirs of Hancock County. B. F. Bowen, Publisher, Logansport, Indiana, 1902

https://www.rootsquest.com/indiana/hancock/1902/index.html 

Land Records in Indiana – IN Commission on Public Records

https://www.in.gov/iara/divisions/state-archives/collections/land-records/land-records-at-the-state-archives/ 

Hancock County

Historical City Maps of Greenfield, IN

https://www.greenfieldin.org/government/planning-and-building/land-use-plans-a-maps/935-historical-city-maps 

1906 Atlas of Hancock County – includes landowner information

https://indianamemory.contentdm.oclc.org/digital/collection/HistAtlas/id/4290/rec/1 

1876 Illustrated Historical Atlas of the State of Indiana – Hancock County is on page 108

https://indianamemory.contentdm.oclc.org/digital/collection/HistAtlas/id/3799/rec/17 

Maps available at the Indiana State Library

http://www.in.gov/library/2597.htm 

Indiana

County maps, atlases, and plat books available at the Indiana State Library

http://www.in.gov/library/2533.htm 

Indiana Historical Aerial Photo Index, Overview – Indiana Geological Survey

http://igs.indiana.edu/IHAPI/ 

Indiana Historical Aerial Photo Index, Map – Indiana Genealogical Survey

http://igs.indiana.edu/IHAPI/Map/ 

Indiana Sanborn Maps – Indiana University

https://libraries.indiana.edu/union-list-sanborn-maps 

Maps Collections - Indiana State Library

http://www.in.gov/library/3551.htm 

Map Collections – Indiana University

https://libraries.indiana.edu/maps-and-gis 

1876 Illustrated Historical Atlas of the State of Indiana

https://indianamemory.contentdm.oclc.org/digital/collection/HistAtlas/id/3799/rec/17 

Veterans History Project – Library of Congress

https://www.loc.gov/vets/ 

Overview of Military Records – Ancestry.com

https://wiki.rootsweb.com/wiki/index.php?title=Overview_of_Military_Records&oldid=51068 

Civil War Soldiers and Sailors System Database – National Park Service

http://www.nps.gov/civilwar/soldiers-and-sailors-database.htm 

Land Records in Indiana – IN Commission on Public Records

http://www.in.gov/icpr/2582.htm 

U.S. Department of the Interior – Bureau of Land Management

https://glorecords.blm.gov/default.aspx 

Hancock County

Beacon – Local Government GIS for property information and taxation

https://beaconbeta.schneidercorp.com/?site=HancockCountyIN 

2011 Greenfield Historic District Guidelines

Greenfield Historic Landmarks

https://www.facebook.com/GreenfieldHistoricLandmarks 

Hancock County Interim Report, 1983 – IN Historic Sites & Structures Inventory

https://indianamemory.contentdm.oclc.org/digital/collection/IHSSI/id/18376 

Historic Board of Review

http://www.greenfieldin.org/government/planning-and-building/historic-board-of-review 

National Register of Historic Places – Hancock County

http://www.nationalregisterofhistoricplaces.com/IN/Hancock/state.html 

Indiana

Historic Preservation & Archaeology - Indiana Department of Natural Resources

http://www.in.gov/dnr/historic/ 

Indiana Landmarks

http://www.indianalandmarks.org 

Indiana State Historic Architectural and Archaeological Research Database (SHAARD)

https://secure.in.gov/apps/dnr/shaard/welcome.html