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Howard County History and Information
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Howard County Facts

Howard County was created on May 1, 1844 as Richardville County and was formed from Unorganized Land. As this county nearly all within the old Miami Reserve, it was named after the Miami Chief and successor of Little Turtle, however, the sentiment did not prevail for any length of time and on December 28, 1846, the Legislature passed its first and only act changing the name of a county. The County was named for Gen. Tilghman Howard, a U.S. Representative from Indiana.

The County Seat is Kokomo. It is located on the site of the Indian village of the same name and was first settled in the autumn of 1844 by N. R. Lindsey, J. Bohan, C. Richmond, J. L. Barritt, J. T. McClintock, B. Newhouse, and others. By 1849 it contained five stores, one grocery, fifty dwelling houses, and 250 inhabitants. See also County History for more historical details.

Counties adjacent to Howard County are Miami County (North), Grant County (East), Tipton County (South), Clinton County (Southwest), Carroll County (West), Cass County (Northwest).

Howard County is divided into 11 Civil Townships as follows: Center, Clay, Ervin, Harrison, Honey Creek, Howard, Jackson, Liberty, Monroe, Taylor and Union.

Cities, Towns and Communities include Alto, Cassville, Center, Darrough Chapel, Fairfield, Greentown, Guy, Hemlock, Indian Heights, Jerome, Judson, Kappa, Kokomo, New London, Oakford, Phlox, Plevna, Poplar Grove, Ridgeway, Russiaville, Shanghai, Sycamore, Tampico, Terre Hall, Vermont, West Liberty, and West Middleton.

 

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 Howard 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 Howard County Courthouse History

   Howard County Clerk has Marriage Records from 1844 , Probate Records from 1844 and Court Records from 1844 and is located at P.O. Box 9004, Kokomo, IN 46904; (765) 456-2204, (765) 456-2000 (Fax)(765) 456-2267
   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.

   Howard County Recorder has Land Records from 1846 and is located at Room #330, 220 N Main Street, Kokomo, IN  46901; 765-456-2210.
   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.

   Howard County Health Department has Birth / Death Records from 1882 and is located at 120 Fast Mulberry, Room 206, Kokomo, IN 46901; (765) 456-2400 or (765) 456-2927

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

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Howard 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 Howard County, Indiana are 1850, 1860, 1870, 1880, 1900, 1910, 1920 and 1930. Other Federal Schedules to look at when researching your Family Tree in Howard 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 Howard County Census Records. Email us with websites containing Howard 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.
  • Howard County, Indiana Census Books at Amazon.com

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

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Howard 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 Howard County Military Records. Email us with websites containing Howard County Military Records by clicking the link below:

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

  • Howard County, Indiana Tax Books at Amazon.com

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

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Howard 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 Howard County. Some transcriptions are online. A great site is the Howard 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 Howard County Cemetery & Church Records. Email us with websites containing Howard 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 Howard County Family Trees, web forums and other family type information. Email us with websites containing Howard 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

Howard County, organized in 1844, was first named Richardville, after the Chief of the Miamies of that name, but on the death of General T. A. Howard, a distinguished citizen of this State, and at the time Minister to Texas, the name was changed. Howard County is bounded north by Cass and Miami, east by Grant, south by Tipton and Clinton, and west by Clinton and Carroll. The contents are 279 square miles, divided into nine townships, viz: Center, Monroe, Irvin, Clay, Harrison, Taylor, Howard, Jackson and Greene. The population is at this time [1849] about 5,000. The surface of the country is either nearly level or slightly undulating; the soil is uniformly rich, though in places it will require draining. There are a few prairies, inclined to be wet and not of much note, but generally the land is covered with heavy and mostly valuable timber. When cleared it is well adapted to the cultivation of corn, wheat, grass, etc. This county, lying entirely in the Miami Reserve, has only been settled about six years, but it will soon be among the first rate farming counties. It has now twelve stores, six gristmills, five sawmills, three lawyers, eight physicians, ten ministers of the Gospel, three Methodist, on e Presbyterian, one Baptist, one New Light and one Quaker Meeting House, and about thirty mechanics whose trades are most in demand.

Only a small portion of the county has been purchased of the United States five years, so as to be subject to taxation. 34,000 acres are canal lands.

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

Howard, one of the central counties located north of Indianapolis, has an area of 297 square miles and is divided into eleven townships. The only incorporated city is Kokomo, 32,843; town; Greentown, 1,021. Howard County population if 1890, 26,186; 1900, 28,575; 1910, 33,177; 1920, 43,682; 1930, 46,696.

Kokomo, located fifty-four miles north of Indianapolis at the location of the intersection of U. S. Highways 31 and 35, is serviced by two railroads. Kokomo is noted as an industrial center, listing 43 manufacturing establishments, according to 1935 federal census figures. A total of 4,411 wage earners were paid $4,780,912. The value of the products was $22,932,396. Its wide variety of products include steel wire, automotive accessories, stamped metals, iron, toilet articles, plate glass, stoves, ranges, radios, machine tools, pottery, and automobile tires.

Kokomo is chiefly famous from a historical standpoint as the home of the first American automobile, which was operated on the streets of Kokomo July 4th, 1894, by a native of the city, Elwood Haynes. Haynes, in addition to being the inventor of the first car, was also the inventor of Stellite "Master Metal," a stainless steel.

In 1937 Howard County dedicated a fine new Courthouse.

The Kern Family stands out notably in the county's history. There was first Dr. Jacob H. Kern and his son, Senator John W. Kern, at one time nominee for Vice-President of the United States, father of Indianapolis' former mayor. Other notables include Dr. J. F. Hendrickson, T. L. Faulkner, George C. Tate, and J. R. McReynolds.

There are several points of interest in Howard County, including the cabin of the first settler erected in 1837 by David Landrum in Monroe Township; a monument at the point of first run of Haynes's automobile, and Kokomo's five parks, covering about 175 acres.

The county had total of 48 industries according to 1935 federal census figures. A total of 4,672 wage earners were employed on pay rolls of $5,019,815. The value of the manufactured products was $23,576,383.

Howard County had 2,025 farms averaging 85.7 acres each. The value of these was $13,162,152. A total of 76,080 head of livestock was reported.

A total county tax valuation as of 1936 was $47,072,030.

Courthouse History

The Jazz Age of the 1920s ushered in a new era of energetic dancing, bobbed hair, short skirts, and fast cars. New architectural designs likewise expressed the changing times. Through the bold use of metalwork, stylized sculpture, and angular patterns, Art Deco architecture embodied the climate of a bold new world. The style took its name from the 1925 Exposition Internationale des Arts Décoratifs et Industriels Modernes held in Paris, France. The trend went well beyond architecture to influence many aspects of fashion through the early 1940s, including furniture, art, and clothing. With its emphasis on modernity and industry, Art Deco must have seemed like the perfect style when architect Oscar F. Cook designed the Howard County Courthouse.

In the 1930s Howard County welcomed an era of prosperity as new advances in automotive technology brought the Delco Radio Division of General Motors, and the Chrysler Corporation to Kokomo. County Commissioners acknowledged the need for their government to keep up with the county’s growth by constructing a new courthouse. Since the demolition of the old 1868 courthouse in 1927, county offices had been scattered throughout downtown Kokomo.

In 1935 County Commissioners requested a grant from the PWA for courthouse construction. Due to delays caused by federal bureaucracy, the commissioners decided to move ahead without federal assistance. Since the county had been without a courthouse for nearly ten years, the public rallied behind a local bond issue for $353,000. The PWA eventually provided $29,000 for basement construction.

Orators from throughout Indiana gathered on October 20, 1937 to dedicate the new building. The modern building features a stylized limestone entry flanked by two bronze lamps. Inside curving stainless steel handrails and polished marble flooring and paneling continue the Art Deco motif. The handrails were manufactured in Kokomo by the Haynes Company. Company founder Elwood Haynes was the inventor of stainless steel.

Like so many Indiana towns, Kokomo’s courthouse square is designed in a Shelbyville Plan. Walnut, Main, Sycamore and Buckeye streets border the square.

 

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