Boone County, Iowa Genealogical Records Information

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Boone County History and Information

Boone County Facts

Click HERE to see full size D.O.T. County Map

Boone was created on January 13, 1846 (Organized in 1849) from Unorganized Territory. The County was named for Daniel Boone, the famous frontiersman, and his son, Daniel Nathan Boone, a colonel in the U. S. Dragoons. The County Seat is Boone.

Counties adjacent to Boone County are Webster County (northwest), Hamilton County (northeast), Story County (east), Polk County (southeast), Dallas County (south), Greene County (west). Cities and Towns Include Beaver, Berkley, Boone, Boxholm, Fraser, Luther, Madrid, Ogden, Pilot Mound, Sheldahl and Jordan. Townships Include Amaqua, Beaver, Cass, Colfax, Des Moines, Dodge, Douglas, Garden, Grant, Harrison, Jackson, Marcy, Peoples, Pilot Mound, Union, Worth, Yell.

Boone County was named as a tribute to Daniel Boone and his son, Colonel Nathan Boone of the U.S. Dragoons. Boone was among the first white men to explore this region and to give an accurate account of the natural resources.

The county was established in 1846. When Boone County originated in 1849, there were about 400 inhabitants. Rivals for the county seat Boonsboro and Boone Station were incorporated in the 1860's. Boonsboro was the original county seat. Boone Station changed its name to Montana, then to Boone. These two towns are now merged into the modern city of Boone, which became the county seat in 1887.

A legendary incident which has been proclaimed throughout the surrounding territory has been linked with Boone County through the heroism of Kate Shelley. The 15 year old Shelley braved a raging rainstorm to warn passengers of a night express that the bridge at Honey Creek had been washed out. She crossed the Des Moines River to Moingona, where the train was to arrive, and averted a terrible catastrophe.

Mamie Doud Eisenhower was born in Boone November 14, 1896. Much of the furniture for the restoration of her Victorian home was provided by the Doud family, and this is one of only two homes of First Ladies to be restored in the United States.

Boone has long been a center for activity of the Chicago and Northwestern Transportation Company, now United Pacific. Out of this railroad heritage has grown the annual Pufferbilly Days Celebration the weekend after Labor Day. See also County History and County Courthouse for more details.

The Boone County Official Government Website
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Boone County, Iowa History Books at Amazon.com
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Records at the Boone 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 Boone County Courthouse at 201 State Street, Boone 50036; Tel: 515-433-0561. 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. Boone County was attached to Polk County for a breif time. Some early records may be found there.

Boone County Recorder's Office has Birth Records from 1880, Marriage Records from 1848, Death Records from 1880 and Land Records from 1849.
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.

Boone County Clerk of Court Office has Probate Records from 1865 and Court Records from 1867. (515) 433-0561
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 Boone County Court Records. Email us with websites containing Boone County Court Records by clicking the link below:

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

Boone County Tax Assesors Office, (515) 433-0508
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.
Boone County, Iowa Tax Books at Amazon.com

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

Boone County, Iowa Genealogical Society, P.O. Box 453, Boone, Iowa 50036
Boone County Iowa Historical Society, 602 Story Street, Boone, Iowa 50036; Phone: (515) 432-1907
Northwest Iowa Genealogical Society
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

Boone 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 Boone County. Some transcriptions are online. A great site is the Boone 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 Boone County Cemetery & Church Records. Email us with websites containing Boone 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.
Boone County, Iowa Cemetery Books at Amazon.com
Boone 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 Boone County Family Trees, web forums and other family type information. Email us with websites containing Boone County Family Trees, web forums and other family type information by clicking the link below:

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

County History

From the A.T. Andreas Illustrated Historical Atlas of the State of Iowa, 1875

This county is in the middle tier a little west of the center of the state, is twenty-four miles square, and contains five hundred and seventy-six square miles. The principal stream is the Des Moines River, which entering the county a little west of the middle of the northern line, flows in a southeasterly direction, dividing the county nearly equally, and passes out some three miles east of the center of the southern boundary line. It has an average width of over one hundred yards, receiving several small tributaries, the largest of which are Bluff Creek on the west, and Honey Creek on the east. Squaw Creek, from the Sioux word E-qui-wa, meaning Woman's Creek, waters the northeast, while Beaver--or, as the Indians called it, Am-a-qua Creek-rises in the north part of the county, and running south admirably waters and drains the western portion of the county. These, with other smaller streams and branches, distribute a plentiful supply of never failing stock water to nearly every portion of the county. Springs are found in many places along the streams, and good well water is easily obtained on the prairies.

The first settlement was made in May, 1846, at a place known as "Peas' Point," a neck of prairie extending into the timber on the east side of the Des Moines River, just south of where Boonsboro is located. The pioneers who composed the little band were John Pea, James Hull, Jr., John M. Crooks, S. H. Bowers and Thomas Sparks. About the same time, or a little later, C. W. Gaston, Montgomery McCall, S. Clark, and several families of Swedes settled near a place called Elk Rapids, in the south part of the county. In the Spring of 1847, McCall and Clark removed and settled near the present site of Boonsboro. For several years, as usual, the early settlers had to undergo many privations, often being obliged to go fifty miles to mill. The nearest post office was Fort Des Moines, forty miles distant. About 700 Pottawattamie Indians spent the Winter of 1846-7 in the county, but maintained amicable terms with their pale-faced neighbors. The first birth of a white child was that of a son of John Hull, Sr. The first death was that of a boy named Milton Lott, who was frozen to death about the 18th of December, 1846. He was buried on the Des Moines River, near where Myer's mill now stands. The second death was that of John McCall, who died at the house of his uncle, Montgomery McCall, in the Spring of 1848, from the effects of some poisonous substance which he drank from a newly opened spring of water. The lad Milton Lott, whose death is mentioned as the first in the county, was the son of a man named Henry Lott, who, after stopping a short time in Boone County, had moved up and settled at the mouth of Boone River, in what is now Webster County, his object being to trade with the Indians. They, however, regarded him as an intruder, and gave him a certain time to leave their hunting ground. Failing to comply, at the expiration of the time the Indians returned and commenced the destruction of his property. At this time Lott and his step-son were some distance from the cabin, but could see the Indians killing cattle, and also fancied that they were tomahawking the family and setting fire to the cabin. Being unarmed, they started for "Peas Point" for assistance, that being the nearest settlement, where they reported that the Sioux had murdered the family. The settlers at "Peas Point" and Elk Rapids, with some friendly Indians who were hostile to the Sioux, immediately organized an expedition, and started for the scene of the supposed massacre. When they arrived there they were agreeably disappointed to find that Lotts' family had not been massacred, although left by the Indians in a destitute condition. But the most melancholy part of the affair is this; After the departure of Lott and his step-son for the settlement, a younger lad, Milton Lott, made his escape from the cabin, and attempted to follow his father and half-brother. He followed down the Des Moines River on the ice, crossing the points where there were bends, as shown by his tracks in the light snow which covered the ground. He was found about three miles from where Boonsboro is now located, where, unable to proceed any further, he had frozen to death. He was about twelve years of age. The circumstances related above have the greater importance from the fact that out of them probably grew the Spirit Lake Massacre of 1857. In the Winter of 1852-3, Lott and his son having removed to what is now Humboldt County, in retaliation inhumanly butchered Sim-an-e-do-lah, the old chief of the Sioux, with his family of women and children. It was undoubtedly to revenge this act that Ink-pa-du-ta, who was a brother of the old chief killed, perpetrated the massacre at Spirit Lake.The first marriage in the county was Henry Holcomb to Mary Jane Hull, January 17, 1850, by Pembroke Gault, a justice of the peace for Boone County.

Boone County was formed by the first State Legislature, during the session of 1846-7, and was so named in honor of Captain Nathan Boone, of the First Regiment United States Dragoons. He was a relative of Daniel Boone, of Kentucky fame, and before any settlement was made in the county by the whites, with a company of dragoons, explored this portion of Iowa, and obtained a correct knowledge of its topography. Up to 1849 the county remained attached to Polk for election, judicial, and revenue purposes. By authority of an act of the Legislature, Samuel B. McCall was appointed Organizing Sheriff, by Honorable William McKay, Judge of the Fifth Judicial District. The act provided for the organization of Pottawattamie and other counties, including Boone. The necessary steps for the new order of things were taken at the August election of 1849. The County Commissioners elected were Jesse Hull, Jonathan Boles, and John Boyles. The other county officers elected at the same time were; Reuben S. Clark, Commissioners' Clerk; John M. Wayne, Clerk of the District Court; John M. Crooks, Recorder and Treasurer; Samuel H. Bowers, Sheriff; Thomas Sparks, Surveyor; and W. C. Hull, Prosecuting Attorney. There were ninety votes cast at this election, the county being divided into three civil townships or voting precincts-Pleasant, Boone and Boone River, each comprising a strip eight miles across the county from east to west. At this time there was not a town or village in the county, and the commissioners fixed upon the house of John Bayles, in Boone Township, as the place of their first meeting. Their first order was that Reuben S. Clark purchase two dollars worth of writing paper for the use of the county officers, to be paid out of the first county funds not otherwise appropriated. The next business was an allowance of seventy-five cents to S. B. McCall for an order book. The eagle side of an American half dollar was made the temporary county seal. The commissioners ordered that their next meeting be at the house of John M. Wayne, in Boone Township, October 13, 1849. At this second meeting they fixed upon the house of John M. Crooks, where they continued to hold their meetings until April, 1851, when they met in the school house. At the same time the county was divided into school districts. The first road was located in March, 1850; the commissioners appointed to locate the same being Mathias White, Colonel John Rose, and Vickers Preston; S. C. Wood was the Surveyor. It was located from Fisher's Point to intersect the road leading from Panoach to Dallas County, near Boles' mill.A legislative enactment for the location of the county seat was approved January 18, 1851, which was the "rainy season," so that with great difficulty and many adventures in swimming rivers and swollen streams, two of the commissioners, David Sweem, of Marion County, and S. K. Scovell, of Dallas, came together about the 1st of July, and proceeded to discharge their duty, and on the 6th of the same month drove a stake about where the court house now stands in Boonsboro, and informed the citizens that there should be their county seat, which they named Boonsboro at the suggestion of S. B. McCall. By an order of the county commissioners, Thomas Sparks, County Surveyor, proceeded to lay off the town into lots, a sale of which was ordered to take place on the first Monday in October, 1851, notice being given in the Fort Des Moines and Oskaloosa papers.The first term of the District Court convened in Boonsboro, October 6, 1851, Judge William McKay presiding, the county being embraced in the Fifth Judicial District. James Lacy was the Sheriff. Madison Young was appointed Prosecuting Attorney; James Corbin, Bailiff; and Wesley C. Hull was admitted to practice law.

Boone County Courthouse

In the middle of a session of court, in 1851, the roar of wind and the pattering of rain became so loud that Judge Cave J. McFarland could not hear the testimony in the courtroom. However, it took until 1856 for a formal courthouse to be constructed in the county seat of Boonesboro. This two-story building which cost over $2,100.

Later, the citizens of Boonesboro wanted a new courthouse for their growing county. But another town, Montana, had aspirations of becoming the county seat. It took two votes before the measure to name Boonesboro approved in 1865. A three-story brick courthouse was completed in 1868 at a cost of $38,000 in Boonesboro.

The town of Montana, now known as Boone, expanded the city limits to incorporate Boonesboro in 1892. The present courthouse was erected in Boone for approximately $250,000 in the year 1917. It has impressive marble walls and is adorned with terrazzo floors. The architectural style is Second Renaissance Revival.

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