Wayne County, Indiana Genealogical Records Information

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Wayne County History and Information

Wayne County Facts

Wayne County was created on November 27, 1810, made effective February 1, 1811 and was formed from Clark, Dearborn and Knox Counties. The County was named for Gen. "Mad" Anthony Wayne, victor of the 1794 Battle of the Fallen Timbers. An old Wayne County of the Northwest Territory was created in 1796 which included portions of the present states of Illinois, Michigan, Ohio and Wisconsin. This Wayne county was abolished in 1800, however, another "old" Wayne County, Indiana Territory was created in 1803, and included portions of the present states of Illinois, Indiana, Wisconsin and Michigan.

The County Seat is Richmond. Richmond wasn't always the County Seat. The first County Seat was located at Salisbury. By a Legislative act Centerville became the County Seat December 21, 1816. The removal of the County Seat from Centerville to Richmond occurred August 15, 1873, terminating the longest (more than 50 years) and bitterest County Seat war in Indiana. See also County History for more historical details.

Counties adjacent to Wayne County are Randolph County (north), Darke County, Ohio (northeast), Preble County, Ohio (east), Union County (south), Fayette County (southwest), Henry County (west).

Wayne County is divided into 15 Civil Townships as follows: Abington, Boston, Center, Clay, Dalton, Franklin, Green, Harrison, Jackson, Jefferson, New Garden, Perry, Washington, Wayne and Webster.

Cities, Towns and Communities include Beeson, Bethel, Cambridge City, Centerville, Dalton, Dublin, Earlham, East Germantown, Economy, Fountain City, Franklin, Germantown, Greens Fork, Hagerstown, Hoover Mill, Milton, Mount Auburn, Pennville, Pershing, Richmond, Spring Grove, Webster, West Grove, Whitewater, and Williamsburg.

The Wayne County Official Government Website
Wayne County Township Map
Indiana Newspaper Holdings for Wayne 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.
Official County Historians
Wayne County, Indiana History Books at Amazon.com

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.

Records at the Wayne County Courthouse

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 Wayne County Courthouse History

Wayne County Clerk has Marriage Records from 1811 , Probate Records from 1812 and Court Records from 1811 and is located in the northwest corner on the second floor of the Wayne County Courthouse, 301 East Main Street, Richmond, IN 47374; Phone: (765) 973-9220, FAX: (765) 973-9490
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.

Wayne County Recorder has Land Records from 1816 and is located on the west end of the west wing on the second floor of the Wayne County Annex Building, 401 East Main Street Richmond, IN 47374; (765) 973-9235, FAX: (765) 973-9341.
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.

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.

Wayne County Health Department has Birth / Death Records from 1882 and is located at Administration Building, 201 East Main Street, Richmond, IN 47374; (765) 973-9245

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

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

Wayne County, Indiana Tax Books at Amazon.com

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

Wayne County Genealogical Society, P.O. Box 2599, Richmond, IN 47375-2599
Wayne County Historical Society, 1150 North A Street, Richmond 47374
Wayne Township Historical Society, 1220 S High School Road, Indianapolis 46241
Local Indiana Researchers, Find a local researcher or become a local researcher.
Indiana Libraries: Database to allow searching for Indiana's public libraries.
National Archives - Great Lakes Region (Chicago), 7358 South Pulaski Road, Chicago, Illinois 60629-5898; 773-948-9001; E-mail: chicago.archives@nara.gov (Maintains retired records from Federal agencies and courts in Illinois, Indiana, Michigan, Minnesota, Ohio, and Wisconsin.)
General Information Leaflet
Indiana State Archives, 6440 E. 30th St., Indianapolis, IN 46219; (317) 591-5222, [EMAIL]
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 Genealogical Society, P.O. Box 10507, Fort Wayne IN 46852
Indiana Historical Society, 450 W. Ohio St, Indianapolis,IN 46202; 1-800-447-1830 or 317-232-1882
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.
indiana Genealogical Society Books at Amazon.com

Wayne County Church & Cemeteries

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

Family Trees & Genealogy Tidbits

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

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Sites on USGenweb: [ Wayne County ] [ Indiana ] [ Main Page ]
Search the Family Tree DNA Project- Use DNA testing to break through your genealogical barriers!
The Indiana Family Group Sheet Project
Wayne County INGenWeb Archives
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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.
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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.
Genealogical Document Search and Retrieval Service
Wayne County, Indiana Family Books at Amazon.com

County History

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

Wayne County, organized in 1810, was named in honor of General Anthony Wayne. It contains 400 square miles and is bounded north by Randolph, east by the State of Ohio, south by Union and Fayette, and west by Fayette and Henry. It is divided into 14 civil townships, viz: Wayne, Center, Jackson, Boston, Washington, New Garden, Franklin, Jefferson, Clay, Abington, Dalton, Green, Harrison and Perry. The population in 1830 was 23,344, in 1840, 23,290, and at this time [1849] exceeds 30,000. The southeast part of the county is somewhat hilly, but the most of the land is pleasantly rolling. The two forks of Whitewater River, fed by numerous branches, pass through the whole county from north to south, and supply abundant water power to every part of it. Between these streams, usually from one to four miles apart, the land swells gradually, so that from the summits in each direction the most delightful prospects are everywhere presented. The forests have disappeared except such as have been reserved for timber, and at least three-fifths of the county is in cultivation. The soil is generally a rich loam, bedded on clay, with a light mixture of sand and limestone commonly beneath, and is well adapted to wheat, corn and grass, and in fact, the abundance and variety of its productions are such that it can challenge competition with any part of the west. The natural advantages have been so well improved by skill and industry, that Wayne County is generally regarded as a model for imitation to the farmers in other parts of Indiana. On many of the best farms it is customary to have one-fifth of wheat, an equal amount in oats, one-fourth in corn, and the balance in grass, principally clover. The surplus articles exported are flour, pork, beef, and marketing of various kinds sent to Cincinnati mostly, and horses, mules and cattle driven off and their value has been estimated to amount to $400,000 annually. There are on the east fork of the Whitewater and its tributaries, 19 flouring mills, 21 sawmills, four woolen factories, two cotton factories, four oil mills, one paper mill, one peg factory, one foundry and several turning and carding machines, all driven by water, and there is about an equal amount of machinery on the other streams in the county. The manufacturing of carriages, wagons, and a great variety of machinery and farming utensils is carried on extensively in Richmond and other places, so as to supply the neighboring counties; but it is not easy to form any correct estimate of their value. Among the establishments for education are the Friends Boarding School, near Richmond, the "Whitewater School," organized by the Friends in the suburbs of Richmond, which has about 60 students, the Whitewater Female College and Whitewater Academy, at Centerville, under the care of the Methodist Conference, which now has funds to place it on a permanent basis and there are about 100 school districts in the county, in each of which there are school houses. There are five printing offices in the county, each issuing weekly papers.

The taxable land amounts to 253,483 acres. In excavating the cut for the National Road through the bluffs on the west side of Whitewater, near Richmond, an excavation was found in the limestone rock across the road at nearly right angles, which had all the appearance of being a work of art. In depth and width it resembled a canal of the present day; its sides had the same shape, and appeared to have been washed by water for a long period. The tax paid by Wayne County annually exceeds that paid by 14 of the smaller counties.

Richmond, the principal town in Wayne County, is situated on the east bank of the East Fork of White Water, on the National Road, four miles from the Ohio line, 64 northwest of Cincinnati, six east of Centerville, and 68 east of Indianapolis. It was first settled in 1816, and the proprietors were John Smith and Jeremiah Cox. In May 1833, Richmond contained 236 families and a population of 17,40. In 1840, the population amounted to 2,070; at this time [1849] it is about 3,000. In Wayne Township, which includes Richmond, and mostly in or near the town are 12 flouring mills, 11 sawmills, three oil mills, three cotton factories, four do. For the manufacture of woolen goods, one paper mill doing a large business, six carding machines, all propelled by water, also two extensive foundries, and the manufacture of threshing machines, carriages of all descriptions, and various kinds of farming utensils is carried on extensively at Richmond, so as to supply all the wants of a large and well improved tract of country. No town in the State employs more mechanical and manufacturing labor. There are in the town two printing offices, tow fire companies and engines, a branch of the State Bank, about 500 dwelling houses, tow large meeting houses for the Friends, where they hold their annual meetings, two churches for the Presbyterians, one for Episcopalians, one Methodist, one Catholic, one Lutheran, and one for colored people.

The Friends Boarding School in the vicinity, under the control of the Orthodox Friends, is a flourishing institution, where all the branches of a collegiate education are taught. The late Dr. Ithamar Warner donated for public use a brick building 70 feet long, 21 wide, and three stories high, which is occupied by the moral and literary societies of the place, and John Smith, one of the proprietors, gave also, for public use, an acre of ground and a brick building.

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

Wayne County is located in the central part of the eastern tier of counties and is bounded on the north by Randolph, on the east by the State of Ohio, on the south by Union and Fayette and on the west by Henry and Fayette counties. The Cumberland or National Road, runs through it and in the early days was the gateway to the state, and the great Northwest beyond, over which the tide of emigration moved from the East. The soil is rich and varied, from the alluvial to the heavy clays of the elevated portions, and all susceptible to a high state of cultivation. Every section is well watered, and few localities are better adapted to dairying. Wayne County is famous for its production of wheat, corn, hogs, cattle and horses. The soil and climate are well adapted to the production of fruit, and an eminent authority has said: "Wayne County lies in the coming apple belt of the Central States." Agriculture has received much encouragement in the public schools, in associations and in institutes, conducted from year to year among the farmers, and it was among the first in the state to add agriculture to its common school course of study.

This is a border county and its eastern boundary is part of the Ohio line. Located directly east of Indianapolis, Wayne County comprises fifteen townships with a total area of 411 square miles. Before formal organization it was part of Dearborn County.

The incorporated city is Richmond, 32,493; towns: Fountain City; 480; Boston, 184; Cambridge City, 2,113; Hagerstown, 1,262; Milton, 612; Mt. Auburn, 50; Spring Grove, 191; Whitewater, 121; Greensfork, 333, economy, 212. Total county population in 1890 was 37,628; 1900, 38,970; 1910, 43,757; 1920, 48,136; 1930, 54,809. The county rates high in the production of wheat, corn, fruit, hogs, cattle, and horses.

The City of Richmond is one of the most thriving industrial cities in Indiana. It is located on the east bank of the east fork of White Water on the National Road, four miles from the Ohio Line. It was first settled in 1816, and it was here that the "Friends' Boarding School" was established June 7, 1847, and from which has developed Earlham College. Richmond is located sixty-eight miles east of Indianapolis and is served by two railroads. It is chiefly a manufacturing city. Among its products are phonographs, overalls, crackers, cakes, fiber products, farming implements, kitchen cabinets, caskets, lawnmowers, automotive gears, and insulated wire. Notable among its products are lawnmowers, of which it manufactures more than any other city in the United States. According to figures of the 1935 federal census, Richmond had sixty-seven manufacturing establishments employing 3,434 wage earners on pay rolls $3,351,199. The value of the products was $16,139,964.

Earlham College took its name from "Earlham Hall, " the name of the Gurney home, at Norfolk, England, the source of the far-reaching humanitarian work of John Gurney, the prominent English Quaker banker, and his better-known sister, Elizabeth Fry. As to location, no isolated spot was chosen. A large tract of land was purchased on either side of "The Great Road," as the Friends referred to the now historic "National Road," which led straight into the unbounded west. Here, on the now beautiful campus they built "their house by the side of the road," a token of the service for which the college was to stand. Nine years after Louis Agassiz came to Harvard, a young Earlham instructor, Joseph Moore, who was later to be Earlham's President, went east to work with him, and the young Indiana College was thus early linked with the movement to add natural science to its curriculum. In 1847 the college was the Beneficiary of a contribution of £300 sterling from English Friends, two-thirds of which was set apart to the college authorities to purchase scientific apparatus and start a library. In 1853, the foundation of the Joseph Moore Museum was laid, in the beginning of a permanent collection of materials in the field of natural science as a subject for instruction. On the Earlham campus was established the first astronomical observatory in the state, where is located the transit mounted at Fort Sumter at the outbreak of the Civil War. It was the first college in Indiana to establish a laboratory equipped for the use of students, and is one of the very first institutions committed to the modern policy of coeducation. In a list, prepared at the request of the German universities, by the Association of American Universities, Earlham was listed as one whose work ranks with their own. It was one of the colleges among the six mentioned by Doctor K. C. Babcock, educational expert of the United States Bureau of Education, as representing the most progressive and efficient work now being done among American colleges.

The Eastern Hospital for the Insane, "Easthaven," located a short distance west of Richmond, was the second of the additional hospitals to be opened. Its site was purchased August 9, 1883, and it was constructed on the cottage plan. The arrangement is in the form of a modified quadrangle, with the powerhouse in the center and the cottages on two sides and a part of the front. As previously mentioned, some of the buildings were completed in 1887 and were occupied by the School for Feeble-Minded Youth. The school was moved to its new location July 8, 1890, and on August 4, following the Eastern hospital received its first patient.

There are several points of interests, including the Levi Coffin house, an underground railway stationed of pre-Civil War days, the East Side Friends Church, where yearly meetings are held by the Quakers, and the Henry Clay marker, at which point the "Abolition Address" was delivered. There is the D. A. R. Pioneer Mothers' statue in the first Wayne County schoolhouse, of log cabin construction. The Reid Memorial Hospital and the Hill Greenhouse, one of the largest in the world, are here. The city has ample recreational facilities, including two bathing beaches and three golf courses, in addition to the eight parks of about 250 acres. Some of the government projects have been the baseball park; the sewage disposal plant; rehabilitation of Glen Miller park; improvements of the municipal golf course; the installation of police radio station; senior high school auditorium, and the incomplete art galleries.

The Hagerstown is located sixteen miles northwest of Richmond and is also served by two railroads. It is known for its manufacture of piston rings, flour, fertilizer, and cement blocks.

Wayne County notes as one of its natives, a man who not only dominated the history of the county, but also became outstanding in the state and nation as Indiana's Civil War Governor. He is Oliver Hazard Perry Throckmorton, but much better known as Oliver Perry Morton. (Originally the English name was Throckmorton.) Others include Robert Underwood Johnson, William Dudley Foulke, E. Gurney Hill, Elwood Bundy, and Timothy Nicholson. The former State Highway Commissioner, Earl Crawford, is a native of Richmond.

Wayne County had eighty-eight manufacturing establishments, according to 1935 federal census figures. A total of 4,616 wage earners were employed on pay rolls of $4,457,345. The value of the products was $22,067, 273. The county had 2,403 farms averaging 99.9 acres each. The value was $17,377,725. A total of 91,571 head of livestock was reported.

Courthouse History

Map of Indiana Historical Markers

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