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Parke County History and Information
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Parke County Facts

Parke County was created on April 2, 1821 becoming effective April 2, 1821, and was formed from Vigo County, Unorganized Land and Wabash New Purchase. The Wabash New Purchase: Begun in 1820, this tract lasted until 1835 and then became all of White County and portions of the counties of Boone, Carroll, Fountain, Hendricks, Jasper, Montgomery, Morgan, Parke, Putnam, Tippecanoe, Vermillion, and Warsaw. The County was named for Benjamin Parke, a delegate of Indiana Territory to the U.S. Congress. At one time, all of Indiana was considered "Knox" County ... in 1817 Sullivan County was formed from Knox sealing its northern boarder making all land north, which had previously been known as Knox, simply non-county area. In 1818 the northern portion of Sullivan County was ceded to Vigo County and in 1821 the southwestern corner of Parke County was formed from Vigo while the northeastern was taken from the New Wabash Purchase; a small portion of the northwest corner was actually part of the non-county area. In 1824 all Parke County land west of the Wabash River was ceded to Vermillion County, however, land that had belonged to Putnam and Montgomery was added to the county giving it the area we are familiar with today.

The County Seat is Rockville. Rockville wasn't always the County Seat. The first County Seats were temporarily located at Roseville and Armiesburg. Rockville was named the County Seat in 1823 and first settled in that year by General Patterson and Judge McCall. No county buildings were erected until 1826, when a log Court House was built, which served the dual purpose of a temple of justice and a house of worship. By 1849 Rockville contained a flourishing County Seminary, a Female Seminary, two printing offices publishing weekly newspapers, five churches, and 1,000 inhabitants. See also County History for more historical details.

Counties adjacent to Parke County are Fountain County (north), Montgomery County (northeast), Putnam County (east), Clay County (south), Vigo County (southwest), Vermillion County (west).

Parke County is divided into 13 Civil Townships as follows: Adams, Florida, Greene, Howard, Jackson, Liberty, Penn, Raccoon, Reserve, Sugar Creek, Union, Wabash and Washington.

Cities, Towns and Communities include Bellmore, Bloomingdale, Brazil Jc., Bridgeton, Catlin, Coxville, Guion, Jessups, Judson, Lena, Marshall, Mecca, Rockville, Rosedale, Sand Cr., Tangier and West Union.

 

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 Parke 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. Courthouse destroyed by Fire in Oct. 1833, Saved: marriages from 1829; probate, deed and deed indexes from 1833

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 Parke County Courthouse History

   Parke County Clerk has Marriage Records from 1829 , Probate Records from 1833 and Court Records from ? and is located at 116 West High Street, Room 204, Rockville, IN 47872; (765)569-5132
   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 willsand matters of trust in probate proceedings.

   Parke County Recorder has Land Records from 1816 and is located at 116 West High Street, #102, Rockville, IN 47872; (765)569-3419.
   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.

   Parke County Health Department has Birth / Death Records from 1882 and is located at 116 West High Street, Room 10, Rockville, IN 47872; (765) 569-6665

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

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Parke 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 Parke County, Indiana are 1830, 1840, 1850, 1860, 1870, 1880, 1900, 1910, 1920 and 1930. Other Federal Schedules to look at when researching your Family Tree in Parke 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 Parke County Census Records. Email us with websites containing Parke 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.
  • Parke County, Indiana Census Books at Amazon.com

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

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

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

  • Parke County, Indiana Tax Books at Amazon.com

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

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

Parke County, organized in 1821, was named in honor of Benjamin Parke, the first member of Congress for the Territory, and afterwards a Territorial and then a District Judge. It is bounded north by Fountain and Montgomery, east by Putnam, south by Clay and Vigo, and west by the Wabash, and it contains about 440 square miles. The civil townships are Adams, Washington, Sugar Creek, Liberty, Reserve, Wabash, Florida, Raccoon, Union, Jackson and Green. The population in 1830 was 7,534, in 1840, 13,499, and at this time [1849] about 18,000. At least two-thirds of the county is either level or slightly undulating, the balance is more undulating, and in places swells into hills, which usually have no great elevation. There are several small, rich prairies, with well timbered lands adjacent, and there are some sandy and poor barrens, but more than three-fourths of the county was originally covered with fine forests of oak, walnut, sugar, beech, ash and hickory. The soil is mostly a black loam with a mixture of sand, easily cultivated, and equal in fertility to any part of the west. To this also and the fine water power that may be had on Sugar and Raccoon creeks, and their numerous branches, the beds of coal and iron ore, and the location on the Wabash River and the Wabash and Erie Canal, and this may, in most respects, be esteemed the best county in the State. The surplus articles exported in a year, have been found to be 100,000 bushels of corn, 50,000 do. Wheat, 20,000 do. Oats, 20,000 barrels of flour, 20,000 hogs, 3,000 head of cattle, and 200 horses and mules, estimated to be worth over $300,000, and all the product of the county.

There are in the county twenty gristmills, twenty-four sawmills, six carding machines, thirty-one stores, six groceries, two printing offices, seven lawyers, twenty-five physicians, twenty-five preachers and 275 mechanics. There is a County Seminary at Rockville with fifty students, and a Female Seminary with forty, and of 6,525 children between 5 and 21 years of age, 5,200 attend school from three to six months in the year. The prevailing religious denominations are Presbyterians, Methodists, Baptists and Christians.

The taxable land amounts to 261,438 acres; 9,320 acres more have been purchased but are not yet taxable, and 7,610 acres still belong to the United States.

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

Parke County is the site of the famous Turkey Run State Park, one of Indiana's foremost natural beauty spots, and also of Bloomingdale Gardens. The county is essentially agricultural, although there is some coal mining and stone quarrying.

Parke County is in the western part of the state, due west of Indianapolis. Its territory, bounded on the west by the Wabash River, comprises thirteen townships. The incorporated towns are Rockville, 1,832; Montezuma, 1,292; Rosedale, 657; Bloomingdale, 412; Marshall, 293, and Judson, 111. Total county population, 1890, 20,296; 1900, 23,000; 1910, 22,214; 1920, 18,875; 1930, 16,561.

Rockville is located twenty-three miles northeast of Terre Haute and is served by one railroad. It is chiefly important as a center for the agricultural, stock raising, and coal mining interests, but also manufactures flour and lumber.

The Courthouse contains two war memorials, one a bronze tablet to Parke County Civil War Volunteers, the other a tablet to the soldiers of the Revolution. Another memorial is in Rockville Cemetery, this a thirty-pound cannon to the "Unknown Dead of the Civil War." Near Bloomingdale there is a tablet in memory of Alfred and Rhoda Hadley, who maintained an "Underground Railroad" station. The town of Rockville was the birthplace of Congressman Joseph "Uncle Joe" Cannon.

Turkey Run State Park covers about 1,070 acres and attracts thousands of visitors weekly. To nature lovers, the marker at the entrance of the John Lusk home, in the form of a bronze tablet, is a significant one, for it was Lusk who protected the trees of Turkey Run. There is another interesting memorial, a bronze fountain to Juliet V. Strauss, a prolific writer who was widely known as the "County Contributor." Mrs. Strauss was a native of Rockville.

By an act approved March 8, 1907, the General Assembly authorized the establishment of a hospital for the treatment of incipient pulmonary tuberculosis. The commission created by the act selected a site, containing 504 acres, three miles east of Rockville and purchased it in September 1908.

Parke County had nine manufacturing establishments, according to the 1935 federal census. A total of thirty-four wage earners were employed, earning $30,892. The value of the products was $240,526.

The county had 2,261 farms with an average of 112.7 acres each. The total value of these was $9,229,497. A total of 61,339 head of livestock was reported. The total county tax valuation for 1936 was $13,438,525.

Courthouse History

Local legend has it that when Parke County commissioners selected a new county seat in 1824, they toasted their decision with whiskey and broke the empty bottle on a rock.1 Further legend suggests that the rock also provided the new town’s name. Whether true or just a great story, Rockville remains the county seat today. As was common in early Indiana history, Parke County erected a log courthouse that was subsequently replaced by a brick structure. The first brick building was completed in 1832; by 1879 it was deemed inadequate and planning began for an improved building.2

Commissioners hired the father and son team of Thomas J. and Brentwood Tolan to design their new building. The building, constructed 1879-82, bears a striking resemblance to the Tolans’ later courthouse designs for Kosciusko and Delaware (razed 1966) counties.3 In addition to Kosciusko and Delaware, the Tolan firm also designed courthouses in Allen, LaGrange and Whitley counties.

The mansard roofs on the corner and central pavilions characterize the Second Empire style of the Parke County building. Indiana limestone faces the structure which rests upon a foundation of native sandstone. The domed tower, rising from the center of the roof, displays a clock on each side. Classical elements such as columns and pediments further adorn the entryways.

The courthouse was listed in the National Register of Historic Places in 1993 as part of the Rockville Historic District. In 2001 rehabilitation of the courthouse occurred, including new roofing, painting, exterior handicapped accessibility, new HVAC and wood sash windows.

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