Appanoose County, Iowa Genealogical Records Information

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Appanoose County History and Information

Appanoose County Facts

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Appanoose was created on February 17, 1843 (Organized in January 13, 1846) from Unorganized Territory. The County was named for Appanoose, a chief of the Sac and Fox Native American tribes who headed the peace party during the Black Hawk War. The County Seat is Centerville.

Counties adjacent to Appanoose County are Monroe County (north), Wapello County (northeast), Lucas County (northwest), Davis County (east), Schuyler County, Missouri (southeast), Putnam County, Missouri (southwest), Wayne County (west). Cities and Towns Include Centerville, Cincinnati, Exline, Moravia, Moulton, Mystic, Numa, Plano, Rathbun, Udell, Unionville.

On November 1, 1844 the Legislative Assembly of Iowa ordered Andrew Leach and William S. Whitaker to locate the county seat of Appanoose County. It was soon located and named Chaldea. It was then platted by the county surveyor. The name Chaldea was later changed to Senterville, in honor of Governor Senter, of Tennessee. The spelling was changed and the county seat of Appanoose is currently Centerville.

In the summer of 1847 it was decided that the county would erect a courthouse, but nothing was done at this time. On September 10, that same year, the dimensions and plans for the courthouse were decided upon and bids were sent out. The contract was given to James Jackson for $160 and the finish work was done by Jesse Wood for $119. The building was ready for occupation in April 1848. This courthouse was used until 1857.

The construction of a second courthouse began in 1860 and was completed in 1864. During this time the county business was conducted in local churches. This courthouse was destroyed by a fire on the Fourth of July. It seems that people were lighting fireworks from the courthouse cupola and throwing them into the air. One rocket evidently landed in the box with all the other fireworks and exploded. The fire destroyed the cupola and most of the second floor. The county continued to use the building but finally gave up in 1903.

The cornerstone for the third, and current courthouse was laid on May 21, 1903. It cost $90,600 to build and was designed by the architects Smith and Gage. The exterior walls are covered with Bedford stone veneer and the roof is all tile. The clock tower, which rises from the middle of the building, sets the building apart from all others. The courthouse is situated on a large town square and is the pride of Centerville and Appanoose County. See also County History and County Courthouse for more details.

The Appanoose County Official Government Website
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Appanoose County, Iowa History Books at Amazon.com
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Records at the Appanoose County Courthouse

PLEASE READ FIRST!! 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.

All Departments below can be contacted by clicking the link below, calling or visiting the Appanoose County Courthouse at PO Box 400, Centerville 52544; Tel: 641-856-6101. See Also Courthouse Street Addresses for current courthouse addresses for all Iowa Counties. NOTE: The record dates below are from the earliest date to present time. Appanoose County was attached to Davis County for a breif time. Some early records may be found there.

Appanoose County Recorder's Office has Birth Records from 1880, Marriage Records from 1842, Death Records from 1880 and Land Records from 1850.
The Recorder's Office was created in 1839 by the First Legislative Assembly. The Recorder continues to maintain official records of documents affecting title to real estate. Every real estate transaction that takes place begins in the Recorder's Office. One of the major duties of the office is the management of public records. As a result, accuracy and preservation of records are a must in the Recorder's Office. Instruments that are recorded are not only important for today, but serve as a historical library for all of the tomorrows.

In addition to real estate transactions, the Recorder's Office issues titles and liens; records veterans discharge papers; processes passport applications; accepts marriage applications and issues the subsequent license; issues certified copies of birth, death and marriage records as well as other numerous duties.

Appanoose County Clerk of Court Office has Probate Records from 1846 and Court Records from 1852.
In each of Iowa's 99 counties, a clerk of district court office manages and maintains all trial court records, including pleadings, evidence and orders. The clerks of court have hundreds of administrative duties. They accept and process fines, fees and court costs owed to the state, child support checks, and civil judgments owed to litigants. They maintain a record of liens on all real estate in the county. Clerks help with involuntary hospitalization cases. They have the authority to dispose of scheduled violations which are not contested and do not require a court hearing. Clerks are also responsible for informing state and local government agencies of court orders.

The Iowa district court has general jurisdiction of all civil, criminal and juvenile cases and probate matters in the state. The district court, which is also known as the trial court, is the point of entry in the court system for most cases. The Iowa district court is composed of different kinds of judicial officers with varying amounts of jurisdiction-judicial magistrates, associate juvenile judges, associate probate judges, district associate judges, and district court judges.

Click Here to Search Iowa 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.

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

Appanoose County Vital Records

See Also Research In Tax Records

The tax rolls for personal property and real estate were kept by the auditor or the treasurer of each county. A few of these records have been microfilmed and are available at the State Historical Society of Iowa. Original county tax rolls are usually not transferred.

Old age pension tax is a resource genealogists should consider in Iowa. A 1934 directive to collect an old age assistance tax was based on a list of all persons over twenty-one years of age. Although the tax was discontinued in 1936, the information included could be important: name, address, sex, date of birth, place of birth, and names of both parents. Many counties have had these lists microfilmed and they are available through the FHL.

Below is a list of online resources for Appanoose County Tax Records. Email us with websites containing Appanoose County Tax Records by clicking the link below:

Appanoose County Tax Assesors Office, ?
The Treasurer is responsible for collection of property taxes and other fees for state, county, city, school districts, community colleges, and other taxing entities such as townships, fire districts, and drainage districts.
Appanoose County, Iowa Tax Books at Amazon.com

Appanoose County Genealogical Addresses

See Also Other Iowa 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 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 Appanoose County Genealogical Addresses. Email us with websites containing Appanoose County Genealogical Addresses by clicking the link below:

Appanoose County Genealogical Society, 1601 South 16th Street, Centerville, IA 52544-3040
Local Iowa Researchers, Find a local researcher or become a local researcher.
State Historical Society of Iowa, Capitol Complex, Des Moines, IA 50319
Iowa Genealogical Society, 6000 Douglas, P.O. Box 7735, Des Moines, IA 50322
State Historical Society of Iowa Research Library, 402 Iowa Avenue, Iowa City, IA 52240
State Historical Society of Iowa Library, Capitol Complex, Des Moines, IA 50319
National Archives; Central Plains Region, Kansas City, 2312 East Bannister Road, Kansas City, Missouri 64131-3011; Email: kansascity.archives@nara.gov; Phone: 816-268-8000
Iowa 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.
Iowa Genealogical Society Books at Amazon.com

Appanoose County Church & Cemeteries

Click Here to Search Iowa 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 Appanoose County. Some transcriptions are online. A great site is the Appanoose County Tombstone Transcription Project.

Predominant church groups in Iowa include Catholic, Methodist, Lutheran, and Baptist. Less in size, but equally important in religious history in the state are the Quakers, Mormons, Mennonites, and Congregationalists. The first church building in Iowa, a Methodist church built of logs, was constructed in Dubuque in 1834. A year later the Catholics erected a parish building in the same city. In 1843 the “Iowa Band” of Congregational and Presbyterian clergy began ministering to the settlers in Iowa. In 1854 a small group of the Community of True Inspiration arrived from Germany, settling along the Iowa River in the mid-section of the state. A year later additional members of their group joined them, establishing the unique Amana colonies of present-day Iowa.

Many of the local chapters of the Iowa Genealogical Society have publications of cemetery records in their respective counties which can be ordered through the chapter. A state-wide publication listing is available through the state society. A large number of cemetery transcription collections as well as records of funeral homes, casket lists, and obituary indexes are held by the FHL

Below is a list of online resources for Appanoose County Cemetery & Church Records. Email us with websites containing Appanoose County Cemetery & Church Records by clicking the link below:

IOWA WPA GRAVES REGISTRATION SURVEY - These records contain burials throughout much of Iowa that were compiled by WPA workers in the 1930 s, including grave markers which no longer exist today. Records may be searched within a county or state-wide.
Iowa Cemetery Records: These cemetery records represent seventy-six counties and Graceland Cemetery of Sioux City, Iowa, in the united States, that were transcribed by the Works Project Administration. Records in this database generally include the page number where the record can be found in the WPA index, the name of the deceased, birth date, death date, age, cemetery name, town name, and additional comments if any.
Iowa Civil War Soldier Burial Records: Listing of 30,000 Civil War veterans who served or lived in Iowa following the war.
Appanoose County, Iowa Cemetery Books at Amazon.com
Appanoose County, Iowa Church Books at Amazon.com

Family Trees & Genealogy Tidbits

Click Here to Search Iowa 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 Appanoose County Family Trees, web forums and other family type information. Email us with websites containing Appanoose County Family Trees, web forums and other family type information by clicking the link below:

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Appanoose County USGenweb Archives
Appanoose County, Iowa Family Books at Amazon.com

County History

Appanoose is the fourth county west of the Mississippi River in the south tier of Iowa counties. It extends twenty-four miles, or the breadth of four Congressional townships east and west, and about twenty-one and a half miles north and south, or the breadth of three full townships and a tier of fractional townships along the state line. Its area is about 516 square miles.

EARLY HISTORY.

The first settlement was made within the limits of this county as early as the year 1840, by Col. James Wells. He settled on Chariton River in the southeast part of the county, where he erected a small water-mill. About the same time, or soon after, William Cooksey settled at the same place, and Cooksey and Wells were the first white men who settled in the county, although they were in the limits of what was then claimed as part of the State of Missouri. Perhaps the next settler was J. F. Stratton, who came up from Missouri in the Spring of 1841, and took a claim two miles east of the present village of Cincinnati, in what is now Pleasant Township. He was the first white man who took a claim, or settled west of Chariton River, in the county. Soon after this, a man named Moore built a log house in what is now Caldwell Township, in the south part of the county. He subsequently, against his will, exchanged his home for one in the Penitentiary of Missouri, being sent there for horse-stealing. About the same time another man settled in the same vicinity who was accused of having more wives than the law recognized as proper for one man to have. He was arrested and confined in jail in Putnam County, Missouri. After his arrest a stranger rode up and enquired of one of his boys for the father. The boy said they had taken him to jail. "What for?" asked the stranger. "For keeping Jane," replied the lad.In 1842, Solomon Hobbs located in Caldwell Township. The same year George Buckner and Robert Caughran also made settlements. J. F. Stratton selected his permanent location a few miles south of Unionville, and was the first settler in the northeast part of the county. In 1843 the Packards came to the county and settled, or took claims in Sharon Township. George W. Perkins the same year settled in what is now Center Township, near the present town of Centerville. He was the first to engage in the cultivation of fruit trees.Among other early settlers were Abraham Puthers, Benjamin Spooner, W. S. Manson, James McGehen, Woodford G. Jones, and John and Ira Perdue, John and William Crow, James Manson, S. F. Wadlington, and Jacob Coffman, all of whom came prior to 1846. The Crows and Mansons, and Mr. Wadlington, all settled as early as 1843. The Mansons were from Lee County, and located on what is now known as Mansons Branch, west of Centerville. William S. Manson had the honor of preaching the first sermon in the county west of Chariton River, and the place of preaching was at the first store started in the county. It was owned by S. F. Wadlington and located in the vicinity of the present town of Centerville. The first year's sales of our pioneer merchant were a dozen pairs of coarse shoes, half a dozen calico dress patterns, as many bolts of brown muslin, and a few coarse casinets. These, with a sack of coffee and a few other groceries, constituted his stock in trade. In order to reduce his expenses to the measure of his profits, he did his own cooking. Most of the settlers at this early day were without families. Mr. Wadlington slept on a bed made of deer and bear skins, with a bundle of Coon skins for a pillow. He subsequently became an extensive farmer and stock dealer. He was the first mayor of Centerville, and has also been probate judge, justice of the peace, and deputy clerk.The first religious society organized in the county was at the house of W. S. Manson, by Rev. Hugh Gibson. It consisted of six members, to-wit; Jesse Wood and wife, W. S. Manson and wife, Mrs. Rebecca Hopkins, and Mrs. Caughran. This was the beginning of the present large and flourishing Methodist society of Centerville. J. F. Stratton built a mill in the vicinity of Centerville at an early day. He procured a bee-gum, put a round stone in it, and on this placed another stone, which was so contrived as to be turned with a crank. All the neighbors were welcome to come and grind their corn and buckwheat on it free of toll. The nearest mills where flour could be manufactured, were at Farmington and Bonaparte, 60 or 70 miles distant.The first matrimonial transaction took place September 10, 1846, the parties being John M. Packard and Mary Ann Bond, and the officiating officer being William B. Packard, a justice of the peace and brother of the bridegroom. The groom was 24 years of age and the bride eighteen.The first election was held at the house of J. F. Stratton, April 1, 1844, at which only nine votes were polled. The judges were J. F. Stratton, Wm. Money, and Joseph Crow, and the clerk William Crow and John Stratton. The electors were William Crow, Joseph Stratton, John Crow, Stephen Trimble, William Money, John W. Glancy, J. F. Stratton, Samuel Trimble, and Johiel Croxell.

ORGANIZATION.

The county was duly organized October 1, 1846, up to which time it had remained under the jurisdiction of Davis County. J. F. Stratton was Clerk of the District Court by appointment of Judge Charles Mason. Mr. Stratton became the organizing officer. Two of the first County Commissioners were Andrew Leech and William Whittaker. The first county officers elected after the organization, were Reuben Riggs, Bruce Packard, and George W. Perkins, Commissioners; Jack Perdue, Sheriff; William S. Manson, Treasurer and Recorder; and Benjamin Spooner, Probate Judge.The question of location of the seat of justice had been agitated for a year or two previous to the organization, and its present location was finally chosen where a town was laid out and named Chaldia. This name was subsequently changed to Centerville by legislative enactment. The beautiful public square where now stand the court house, was at that time covered by a dense growth of hazel and small trees.

COURT HOUSE.

In 1865 the county completed its fine court house at a cost of $22,000. It is a brick 52x76 feet, and two stories high, with a basement. On the first floor are halls crossing each way, and on this floor the county offices and fire-proof vaults are situated. A spacious court room and jury rooms occupy the upper story. The walls of the court room are handsomely frescoed with several appropriate designs, including the Goddess of Justice in the rear of the judge's stand, and the Goddess of Liberty on the front wall. The ceiling is frescoed in various figures surrounding the American Eagle in the center. The covering of the edifice is fire proof, and is surmounted by a tower rising 99-1/2 feet from the ground. The public square, in the center of which this temple of justice stands, is enclosed and well set with thrifty forest trees.

Appanoose County Courthouse

The first courthouse in Appanoose county was not only a courthouse, but also a storeroom and a blacksmith's shop. The judge had to use the store's counter for the bench.

The first true courthouse was built in 1848 for $160 in the city of Centerville. After only ten years, this building was outgrown and court was held in the Methodist and Presbyterian churches while a second courthouse was constructed.

The second courthouse, a two-story, brick building, was considerably more expensive- $23,000. It was declared unsafe and condemned after 33 years of service.

The third and present courthouse was completed in 1904. The architectural style is Romanesque. From the center of this Bedford stone building rises a tall tower with a four-faced clock on it. The clock went through major repairs in 1936 and again n 1975 when it was struck by lightening.

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