Jasper County, Iowa Genealogical Records Information

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Jasper County History and Information

Jasper County Facts

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Jasper was created on January 13, 1846 (Organized in 1846) from Unorganized Territory. The County was named for William Jasper, a hero of the American Revolutionary War. The County Seat is Newton.

Counties adjacent to Jasper County are Marshall County (north), Poweshiek County, (east), Mahaska County, (southeast), Marion County, (south), Polk County, (west), Story County, (northwest). Cities and Towns Include Baxter, Colfax, Kellogg, Lambs Grove, Lynnville, Mingo, Mitchellville, Monroe, Newton, Oakland Acres, Prairie City, Reasnor, Sully, Valeria.

Jasper County, with an area of 736 square miles, was named in honor of Revolutionary War hero Sergeant William Jasper. The county seat Newton was named after Sergeant Newton. Newton and Jasper both served under General Francis Marion, “The Swamp Fox.”

The first county elections were held on April 6, 1846, and the first county business was conducted on April 14, 1846. In the summer of 1846 the commissioners selected Newton City as the county seat. On February 3, 1847 the legislature shortened the name to Newton.

In 1846, before a courthouse had been constructed at Newton, one was built at Adamson’s Grove. This building was offered to the county but it was declined.

Finally, in 1847, the first courthouse was constructed at Newton. It was a small, inexpensive building. Evan Adamson was paid $87.50 to construct it. In 1857 this building was sold and moved to a farm.

In 1858 a more elaborate and appropriate building was built. The 62-foot x 50-foot two-story structure was sandstone and brick and faced with limestone. The building served the county for several years until it became unsanitary and a firetrap. In 1909 it was torn down.

The present courthouse was dedicated on April 6, 1911. The large three-story building is made entirely of Bedford limestone. Only the doors and window casings are made from wood. The interior is decorated with ceramic tile and marble wainscoting. See also County History and County Courthouse for more details.

The Jasper County Official Government Website
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Jasper County, Iowa History Books at Amazon.com
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Records at the Jasper 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 Jasper County Courthouse at 101 First Street North, Room 104, Newton 50208; Tel: 641-792-3255. 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.

Jasper County Recorder's Office has Birth Records from 1880, Marriage Records from 1846, Death Records from 1880 and Land Records from 1847.
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.

Jasper County Clerk of Court Office has Probate Records from 1846 and Court Records from 1846.
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 Jasper County Court Records. Email us with websites containing Jasper County Court Records by clicking the link below:

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

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

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

Jasper County Genealogical Society, P.O. Box 163, Newton 50208-0163
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

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

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

County History

Illustrated Historical Atlas of The State of Iowa, 1875

Jasper is one of the larger counties, containing an area of 720 squaremiles, or 460, 800 acres; length, thirty miles east and west; breadth,twenty-four miles. It is near the center of the state, lying within twentymiles of the capital, and is crossed by several of the leading railroadthoroughfares. The county is traversed by numerous water courses in asoutheasterly direction, affording excellent drainage. South Skunk and itsprinciple tributary, North Skunk, afford good water power. The surface ofthe country is general high and rolling. The streams usually have levelvalleys of considerable extent, but neither swampy nor liable to overflow,because the streams have cut far into the very deep deposits of drift forwhich this region is noted. The soil is therefore very deep and fertile,and resists admirably the unfavorable extremes of wet weather and dry. Allthe productions common in this latitude succeed well here, and few, if anylocalities in the West are better adapted to diversified farming purposes.Corn and tame grasses flourish, the various small grains produce goodcrops; apples, grapes, pears, cherries, plums and all the small fruits dowell. A failure in crops is rare. According to the census of 1875, therewere 278,881 acres of land under cultivation, or nearly three fifth thearea of the county, and there were in 1874, 4,525,829 bushels of corn,1,107,170 bushels of wheat, and 532,239 bushels of oats harvested in thecounty. There were by the same census report, 13,618 horses, 1,040 mules,39,604 head of cattle, 75,513 hogs, and 16,300 sheep in the county; 38,042bearing fruit trees were reported, and 158,923 rods of hedge-almost 500miles. The area of native timber land is reported at 29,223 acres. Thetimber is tolerably well distributed in different portions of the county,chiefly along the streams.

The leading exports are corn, cattle and hogs, which are a source of largerevenue annually, and

At the time of the first settlement the county was full of Indians.Poweshiek, Chief of the Musquakas, had his principle village on IndianCreek, and a smaller village one mile west of the present site of Newton. Apart of the county was open for settlement by the whites on the 1st of May,1843. It was a part of the new purchase made in 1842, and occupancy of thewestern part was reserved to the Indians until October 11, 1845, afterwhich they were removed to a reservation in Kansas. The white man couldscarcely wait for the departure of the red. Following up the "divide" tothe point where Monroe now stands Wm. Highland selected this grove as hisfuture home in May, 1843, and built a log cabin for himself and his family.It is said that the stars and stripes of the steamer Ione , pushing its wayup the Des Moines river with the first detachment of soldiers for the fortof that name, was in view from this spot as Highland halted his wagon.About the same time Adam Toole, John Frost, and John Vance made claims inthe vicinity, and the place became known as Toole's Point. These settlerswere soon joined by Newton Wright, Washington Fleener, D. Tice, Joel Worth,and others who located in their vicinity.

The early settlers were partial to the groves of timber scattered over thecounty, and no wonder; the native forest trees furnished their only meansof obtaining shelter, fuel, and fencing materials. They little dreamed thatthe discovery of coal and the advent of railroads would soon be the meansof converting the broad prairie acres, that to them seemed a useless waste,into the best farms of the world. These groves are, many of them, known bythe names of the first settlers. In 1845 settlements were begun on ClearCreek, by Mr. Knitz; at Hixon's Grove, by Joab Bennett; at Adamson's Grove,by James Pearson, John Franklin and Moses Lacy; at Vowell's Grove, by Thos.J. Adamson; and on the site of Newton, by Ballinger Adeloyette and Wm.Springer; at Hammer's Grove, by Seth Hammer, the Hinshaws and others. In1846 at Wild Cat Grove, by Jesse Rickman and David Edmundson; near the siteof Vandalia, by John Q. Deakin; at Slaughter's Grove, by Joseph Slaughter;on the North Skunk, a little below Kellogg, by Martin and John Adkins andJob M. Peck; and at Adamson's Grove by Evan Adamson. In the latter yearAnderson Vowell purchased Thos. J. Adamson's claim at Vowell's Grove. JohnR. Sparks, Jonathan Swann and Mathew T. Mathews became residents of thecounty in 1845; Manly Gifford, John M. Kinsman and Tandy Mayfield eitherthat or the following year. Sparks located first at Newton, but removed toLynn Grove or Lynnville, in 1847, where he built a large mill.

The territory of Jasper was originally attached to Mahaska County. On the11th of March, 1845, the Mahaska Board of Commissioners, made it a townshipby the name of Washington, and designated Adam Toole's house as the placeof holding elections. A county organization was perfected in April, 1845,under as enabling act of the territorial legislature, by the election ofcounty officers and the location of the seat of justice. The officerselected were John R. Sparks, Manly Gifford and Joab Bennett, Commissioners;John H. Franklin, Clerk; J.W. Swann, Treasurer; David Edmundson, Sheriff;Seth Hammer, Recorder; and Washington Fleenor, Probate Judge. Thos.Hendersoon and Richard Fisher, of Wappello County, were the commissionerswho, by appointment of the Legislature, located the county seat, and theyselected the N.W. 34, 80, 19 as the location. This quarter section was thenGovernment land. It was forthwith secured in behalf of the county by theCounty Commissioners, and platted July 6, 1846, by the name of Newton City.It is said that the county was named Jasper, and the seat of justiceNewton, in honor of those two gallant sergeants under General Marion.

A rude and decidedly primitive structure, of architecture which has not yetreceived an appropriate name among the distinguished orders, constructed ofhickory poles, and provided with a chimney of mud and sticks, by Aydelotteand Springer, during March, 1846, in Adam's Grove, was the historic edificefirst used as a county building, and in it the first court was held byJudge Joseph Williams, of Muscatine. Afterwards a small frame building waserected for this purpose on the northwest corner of the public square inNewton, and was used also for a while for a school house and a place ofpublic worship. The present courthouse, standing in the center of thepublic square, in the heart of town, surrounded by tall forest trees, wascompleted in 1858 at a cost of about $27,000. It is fifty feet wide bysixty two feet long, with handsome Ionic structure, surmounted by a centraldome, substantially built, consisting of a basement story of seven in theclear, and two principle stories for offices and court room, 14 and 19 feethigh respectively. The basement walls are sandstone, the upper walls brick,faced with limestone.

The county was originally organized into three civil townships in 1846, ElkCreek, Fairview, and Lynnville. There are now nineteen.

NEWTON - Newton is an important town of 2,350 inhabitants, on the Chicago, RockIsland & Pacific Railroad, thirty-five miles from Des Moines, in the midstof a rich agricultural region, and convenient to productive coal mines. Itoccupies a handsome site upon high, gently undulating ground, and theinhabitants have done their utmost to improve the natural beauty of thelocation by profusely ornamenting their spacious grounds and broad handsomestreets with shade trees and shrubbery. Surrounding the public square, withthe courthouse in the center, are large and substantial business blocks,many of them three stories, built primarily of brick, with stone facings.Well graded streets lead in every direction to elegant residences andcomfortable homes in the midst of rural beauty. The effect is in pleasingcontrast with that of too many bleak and barren Western towns. It is a townof flourishing schools and churches, and there is not a single saloon forthe sale of wine, beer, or other liquors within its limits. Building andother improvements are going on rapidly. Its trade is extensive and itsbusiness firms are portionally strong and employ large capital. Itcontains, at the present time, four grain elevators, four lumber yards, twolarge agricultural implement establishments, two flouring mills, and fourcarriage and wagon factories. Mercantile trade is represented by sixgeneral stores, five dry goods, nine grocery, three clothing, three drug,three boot and shoe, three hardware, and three millinery houses, two bookstores, one national and two private banks, besides many establishments andshops of less importance. There are four hotels. The professions arerepresented by nine law firms and four physicians. Among the fineresidences that adorn the town may be mentioned those of S.G. Smith, JohnMyer, D.L. Clark, A.P. Hanson and Thomas Arthur. These were erected at acost ranging from $5,000 to $12,000 each.

Newtown was incorporated in 1857. The first council consisted of HughNewell, Mayor; S.H. Galusha, Recorder; Elzy Hiatt, C. Seymour, T.H. Miller,Thomas Allum, D.L. Clark, Trustees. D.D. Piper is Mayor at the presenttime; John C. Wilson, Recorder; George T. Anderson, D.L. Stover, JamesHerron, C. Howard and R.A. Rhoads, Trustees.

MONROE - Monroe is a thriving, wide-awake young city in the south part of thecounty, situated on high ground, about midway between the Des Moines andSkunk Rivers, and upon the line of the Keokuk and Des Moines Railroad,being the most important station between Des Moines and Pella. The countrysurrounding it is one of the richest tracts in the state - the celebratedprairie divide between the two rivers just named - and of course is wellsettled. Monroe therefore enjoys an extensive mercantile trade and shippingbusiness, and is steadily rising in importance. It is the second town inthe county in population and commercial importance.

Monroe was platted October 25, 1856 by David Hiskey, but the area of thetown plat has since been considerably extended by additions and now coversabout eight hundred acres. It was incorporated as a city of the secondclass in 1867. The first council was elected December, 1868, and consistedof W.L. Le Fever, Mayor; M.K. Campbell, Recorder; L.M. Shaw, Seth Dixon,J.B. Bennington, John Morrison and A.S. Elwood, Trustee. The presentcouncil consists of L.M. Shaw, Mayor; John A. Ehrhardt, Recorder; DanielHiskey, M.L. Card; A.J. Mitchell, Salluda and Robert Stewert, Trustees.

PRAIRIE CITY - This is a flourishing town on the Keokuk and Des Moines Railroad, eight ornine miles above Monroe. What has been said about the surroundings of thelatter will apply equally to Prairie City. It was platted June 7, 1856, bythe name of Elliott, by James Elliot, Esq., but was subsequentlyincorporated by the name it now bears. This was in 1868, and in October ofthat year were elected as first town council: Sidney Williams, Mayor; C.Head, Recorder; J.W. Hammond, C. Dustin, E. Adkins, A.H. Kirtland, andA.B Duncan, Trustees. The present town council consists of Carey Smith,Mayor; J.F. Williams, Recorder; H.C. DeWolf, George Brockhagen, R.McKnight, E.C. Warner, and S.F. Miller, Trustees.

KELLOGG - This town, formerly known as Jasper City, is a station on the C.R.I. andP.R.R. about midway between Newton and Grinnell. It is pleasantly situatedon the gentle slope rising from the left bank of the North Fork of SkunkRiver, platted by Enos Blair and A.W. Adair, in September, 1865. It has alarge shipping business and a fair retail mercantile trade, and anextensive pump factory. A good graded school, several churches, Masonic andOdd Fellows societies, are among its institutions. It was incorporated in1874, by the election of a town council, of which J.H.F. Balderson was(and is) Mayor.

Colfax.- This is the name of a prosperous little town, the next station onthe C.R.I. and P. Railroad west of Newton. It is a shipping point ofconsiderable importance and has a fair amount of mercantile trade.

Lynnville.-Is situated in the southeast part of the county, and is one ofits oldest towns. It has a good milling business and a reasonablemercantile trade, and maintains a good graded school.

The other villages and post offices are as follows: Amber, Baxter, Clyde,Galesburgh, Greencastle, Horn and Vandalia.

NEWSPAPERS

Jasper County maintains eight newspapers, of which four are at Newton, twoat Prairie City, one at Monroe, and one at Kellogg. The Newton Free Pressis the oldest newspaper in the county. It was established in 1859 by theCampbell Brothers. W.S. Benham is the present editor and proprietor. It isa large six-column quarto sheet, Republican in politics, published everyWednesday at $1.50 a year. It has a power press and a valuable office. TheJasper County Head-Light, is a large nine-column folio, published by FrankT. Campbell and T.M. Rodgers. It was established May 22, 1874, and printedon the type and material of the former Jasper County Republican of whichMr. Rodgers was one of the proprietors. It is Republican in politics, has agood job office and an extensive circulation. The Jasper County Independentwas established as the Democratic Sentinel by Henry A. Hansen, in 1868. Itwas bought by C.A. Clark, the present editor and proprietor, in 1872, andby him named the Liberal, and afterward the name above given. It is awide-awake, eight-column-to the-page folio sheet published weekly. Besidesthe above-named there is another paper at Newton published in the Germanlanguage. The Kellogg Reporter is a spicy little paper, independent inpolitics, published weekly by N.C. McBeth, by whom it was founded July 21,1872.

Jasper County Courthouse

The first court in Jasper County was held in 1846 in the hickory log cabin home of Matthew D. Springer. In 1847 a public courthouse was built of native green lumber for $87.50. This courthouse was sold and a second one was constructed in Newton for $26,600. The building was faced with white limestone and the walls were built of brick. Other architectural accents included impressive columns and a cupola that stretched 83 feet above the ground.

The third and present courthouse is made of Indiana limestone and was dedicated on April 6, 1911. The original cost was just over $200,000. Viewers of the building's Neo-Classic design with modified Georgian Colonial detail have called the courthouse "the most beautiful county capitol in Iowa". It is approximately 121 feet by 80 feet, with a 140-foot tower. The clock has four dials, which are each 8 feet high. The clock was provided through private donations. At Christmas time the exterior is fancifully decorated.

During 1986, the interior was renovated. The boardrooms and courtrooms were restored and refurbished. The dome, which had been boarded up for years, was uncovered and repaired. Additionally, the magnificent paintings around the dome were restored.

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