The County Seat is Versailles. The first courts in Ripley County were held at Marion, as a County Seat was not selected until April 27, 1818 when John Paul, of Jefferson County, donated the place for the present site of Versailles. The first lots were sold on September 21, 1818, and temporary provisions were made for holding courts in the spring of 1819; A Courthouse was not built until 1821. The first settlers were J. Bentley, C. Goodrich, J. Lindsay, C. Overturf, J. Hunter, W. Skeene, Dr. Fox, M. S. Craig and others. By 1849 Versailles contained 27 brick and 38 frame houses with a population of 350. See also County History for more historical details.
Ripley County is divided into 11 Civil Townships as follows: Adams, Brown, Center, Delaware, Franklin, Jackson, Johnson, Laughery, Otter Creek, Shelby and Washington
Cities, Towns and Communities include Ballstown, Batesville, Behlmer Corner, Benham, Cross Plains, Dabney, Delaware, Elrod, Friendship, Hanney Corner, Holton, Lookout, Milan, Morris, Napoleon, New Marion, Nicholasville, Old Milan, Olean, Osgood, Otter Village, Penntown, Pierceville, Rexville, Spades, Stumpke Corner, Sunman and Versailles.
Indiana Newspaper Holdings for Ripley 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.
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 Ripley County Courthouse History
Ripley County Clerk has Marriage Records from 1818 , Probate Records from 1818 and Court Records from 1818 and is located at 115 N. Main Street, P.O. Box 177, Versailles, IN 47042; Phone: 812-689-6115, Fax: 812-689-6000 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.
Ripley County Recorder has Land Records from 1818 and is located at 115 N. Main Street, 1st Floor, PO Box 404, Versailles, IN 47042; Phone: 812-689-5808, Fax: 812-689-0048. 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.
Ripley County Health Department has Birth / Death Records from 1882 and is located at Ripley County Annex, 102 W. 1st North Street, Versailles, IN 47042; Phone: 812-689-5751, Fax: 812-689-3909
Below is a list of online resources for Ripley County Court Records. Email us with websites containing Ripley 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 Ripley County Vital Records. Email us with websites containing Ripley 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 Ripley County Census Records. Email us with websites containing Ripley 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 Ripley County Maps. Email us with websites containing Ripley 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 Ripley County Military Records. Email us with websites containing Ripley 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 Ripley County Tax Records. Email us with websites containing Ripley 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 Ripley County Genealogical Addresses. Email us with websites containing Ripley 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 Ripley County Cemetery & Church Records. Email us with websites containing Ripley 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 Ripley County Family Trees, web forums and other family type information. Email us with websites containing Ripley 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
Ripley County, organized in 1818, was named in honor of General E. W. Ripley, a distinguished officer of the War of 1812. It is bounded north by Decatur and Franklin, east by Dearborn and Ohio, south by Switzerland and Jefferson, and west by Jennings, and it contains about 440 square miles. It is divided into the following townships, Adams, Laughery, Jackson, Otter Creek, Delaware, Franklin, Washington, Johnson, Shelby and Brown. The population in 1830 was 3,957, in 1840, 10,392, and at this time [1849] about 13,000. The general surface of the country may be called level, except in the vicinity of the watercourses, where the hills are abrupt and high. The bottomlands along the Laughery and other streams are rich, but they are generally small; the uplands, when dry, usually produce well, and much of them are based on beds of blue limestone, but large tracts incline to be wet, and are adapted to grass only. The surplus products are wheat, hay, hops, etc., which are taken to the river towns for a market, and hogs, cattle, sheep and horses, which are either sold at home or driven to Cincinnati or Madison.
There are in the county 14 gristmills, five of which are propelled by steam, the others by water, 29 sawmills, 11 of which are propelled by steam, 30 stores, 17 groceries, two printing offices, 12 lawyers, five botanical and 12 other physicians, 21 ministers of the Gospel, one Universalist, 13 Methodist, 11 Baptist and three Christian churches.
The taxable land amounts to 252,202 acres, and about 2,500 acres still belong to the United States.
1938 Adams County Retrospect - Based on "Indiana Review," published by the State Legislature
Ripley County is situated in the southeastern part of Indiana in the Ohio River Valley, some fifteen miles from the river itself. One of the tributaries runs from north to southeast. The topography of Ripley County is slightly undulating and the soil productive of grain and fruit. Farming is the principal industry, although limestone quarrying is an important pursuit. Some of the territory is still heavily wooded with valuable timber.
The northern boundary is part of what was once the Grousland Treaty Line, while the eastern border was on the Greenville Treaty Line. It has an area of 448 square miles, divided into eleven townships. The incorporated city is Batesville, 2,838; towns: Osgood, 1,173; Milan, 877; Versailles, 523, and Sunman, 355. Total county population in 1890 was 19,350; 1900, 19881; 1910, 19452; 1920, 18,694; 1930, 18,078.
Versailles is located forty miles west of Cincinnati and is served by autobus to Osgood, the nearest railroad station. It is chiefly important as center for the large farming and poultry interests. A foundry and Quarrying are the counties other important industries.
The person of outstanding historic significance in the county was appointed by President Lincoln in 1862 as Governor of the Utah Territory.
Among the county's points of interest are Indian Mound, near Friendship, Pampey's Pillar in Jackson Township; Gordon's Leap, and the Tyson Temple, of Versailles, a modernistic Methodist Church. Also of scenic interest is the entire valley of Laughery River, the Ohio River tributary originating in this county. Other attractions include the public parks in Milan, Batesville, and Versailles.
Ripley County had twenty-six manufacturing establishments, according to the figures of the 1935 federal census. A total of 823 wage earners were employed on payrolls of $630,266. The value of the products was $2,588,077.
There were 2,743 farms averaging 94.6 acres each. Their value was $7,888,058. A total of 47,328 head of livestock was reported. The total county tax valuation for 1936 was $13,194,425.
