Hamilton County, Iowa Genealogical Records Information

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Hamilton County History and Information

Hamilton County Facts

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

Hamilton was created on January 8, 1857 from Webster County. The County was named for William W. Hamilton, a president of the Iowa state senate who was influential in the creation of the county. The County Seat is Webster City.

Counties adjacent to Hamilton County are Wright County (north), Hardin County (east), Story County (southeast), Boone County (southwest), Webster County (west). Hamilton County Cities and Towns Include Blairsburg, Ellsworth, Jewell Junction, Kamrar, Randall, Stanhope, Stratford, Webster City, Williams.

When the county was originally organized in 1847 it was named Risley, after Colonel Risley who was killed in the Mexican War. It was later changed to Webster. Finally, Webster County was divided in half, and the eastern half was given the name of Hamilton in December 1856.

The same Legislative Act that established Hamilton County also named Webster City as the county seat in 1857. At an April 1858 election, it was proposed that the county use swamp land funds to construct the county’s first courthouse. The motion passed by a wide margin, and construction of the building began in the summer of 1858. But due to the lack of public support, funds, and county seat battles, the $50,000 building was never completed.

The first courthouse that was completed was in 1866. It was a temporary structure that cost $1,934 and was used until 1877. The second courthouse was originally to cost around $50,000, but was revised to $35,000. The winning bid of $30,000 and 1,360 acres of swamp land was submitted by John M. Rice of Chicago. The building was completed in June, 1877.

In 1974 the courthouse of 1877 was condemned. Construction of a $1.25 million building was begun later that same year and it was dedicated on December 4, 1976. It is a split-level brick building faced with Georgia black stone. See also County History for more historical details.

The Hamilton County Official Government Website
Search the Iowa USGenWeb Archives
Hamilton County, Iowa History Books at Amazon.com
Family History Library - The largest collection of free family history, family tree and genealogy records in the world.

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 Hamilton 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 Hamilton County Courthouse at PO Box 845, Webster City 50595-0845; Tel: 515-832-9600. 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. ? County was attached to ? County for a breif time. Some early records may be found there.

Hamilton County Recorder's Office has Birth Records from 1880, Marriage Records from 1857, Death Records from 1880 and Land Records from 1854.
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.

Hamilton County Clerk of Court Office has Probate Records from 1865 and Court Records from 1868.
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 Hamilton County Court Records. Email us with websites containing Hamilton County Court Records by clicking the link below:

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

Hamilton 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.
Hamilton County, Iowa Tax Books at Amazon.com

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

Hamilton Heritage Hunters, 943 1st Street, Webster City 50595-2001
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

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

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Sites on USGenweb: [ Hamilton County ] [ Iowa ] [ Main Page ]
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Genealogy Encyclopedia: General Abbreviations, Early Illnesses, Nickname Meanings, Worldwide Epidemics, Early Occupations, Common Terms, Censuses Explained, Free Genealogical Forms
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Iowa 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
Hamilton County USGenweb Archives
Hamilton County, Iowa Family Books at Amazon.com

County History

Hamilton County lies in the fourth tier south of Minnesota and in the sixtheast of the Missouri River. When first created in 1851 the county was namedRisley. The Fourth General Assembly changed the name to Webster. At thesame session Webster County was enlarged by consolidating it with YellCounty which joined it on the west. In 1857 Hamilton County was created bytaking from Webster the territory on the east formerly embraced in Risley.It was named for W.W. Hamilton, then president of the State Senate. The newcounty of Hamilton contained sixteen congressional townships making an areaof five hundred seventy-six square miles. Webster City was made thecounty-seat.

Wilson Brewer and Nathan and William Stanley were the first settlers withinthe limits of the county; they made claims on the Boone River in November,1850, where Brewer and William Frake laid out a town which they namedNewcastle. In 1851 Peter Lyon, Isaac Hook, S. Bell and Jacob Crooks settledalong the Boone river. The first school was taught by John Hancock in a logcabin three miles north of Newcastle in the winter of 1854.

The first store in the county was opened by Isaac Hook in 1852 near the DesMoines River, at a place called Hook's Point. The first physician was Dr.H. Corbin who located at Homer which was the county-seat of Webster when itembraced the present counties of Hamilton, Webster and a part of Humboldtand was at that time one of the best and most promising towns in northernIowa. The division of the county, however, ruined its prospects. Thecounty-seat was lost and for many years it was a deserted village fastgoing to decay. In 1856 Brewer and Frake sold their interest in Newcastleto Walter C. and Sumler Wilson who changed the name to Webster City.

In 1857 the county was organized by the election of the following officers:John D. Maxwell, judge; Cyrus Smith, treasurer; Charles Leonard, sheriff.The first newspaper was established in June, 1857, by Charles Aldrich andnamed the Hamilton Freeman. The Dubuque and Sioux City Railroad was builtthrough the county from east to west on the line of Webster City.

Hamilton County Courthouse

The first courthouse was completed in the 1860s for a cost of $1,934. Court has not been held in this building for over 120 years, but it still stands in Webster City.

The county had difficulty raising money for a second courthouse. But in 1874, through the sale of swampland, the county came up with $50,000. A three-story, brick courthouse was dedicated on July 4, 1876. An 18 foot square dome originally rested on the structure but has since been removed.

The present courthouse was begun in July of 1975 and completed in 1976. It was constructed from tan bricks and faced with black stone from Georgia.

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