Lee County, Iowa Genealogical Records Information

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Lee County History and Information

Lee County Facts

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Lee was created on December 7, 1836 from Des Moines County. The County was named for probably William Elliot Lee, a land dealer who owned an area of Iowa that included the future county. The County Seat is Fort Madison. & Keokuk.

Counties adjacent to Lee County are Henry County (north), Des Moines County (northeast), Henderson County, Illinois (east), Hancock County, Illinois (southeast), Clark County, Missouri (southwest), Van Buren County (west). Cities and Towns Include Donnellson, Fort Madison, Franklin, Houghton, Keokuk, Montrose, St. Paul, West Point.

It is believed that the county is named for William Elliot Lee of New York. His land company, Marsh, Lee and Delevan had extensive holdings in Iowa’s “Half-breed Tract.” This Tract later became part of Lee County.

The first permanent settlement within Lee County was at Keokuk in 1829. The county was established in 1836 and originated in 1838. The town of Fort Madison was named as the seat of justice by the Legislature of the Territory of Wisconsin on January 18, 1838. There was much controversy over the location of Fort Madison as the county seat. Residents away from the Mississippi River complained that it was too far away from the center of the county. The locating commissioners then declared Franklin as the county seat. Dissatisfaction just increased following this; no county building was ever built at Franklin. The matter was settled at a special election. Contenders for the county seat were Fort Madison, West Point and Franklin. Prior to the election Fort Madison pledged $13,559 towards a new courthouse, if it was located there. Fort Madison won the election, and construction began in July 1841. The building was completed on September 3, 1842.

This did not end the county seat battle, however. A group from West Point petitioned the Legislative Assembly of the Iowa Territory to remove the county seat to West Point. The assembly agreed and named West Point as the new county seat.

West Point agreed to build a brick courthouse with a stone foundation. It was to be completed by September 1, 1844. Fort Madison was to remain the county seat for one more year, then the courthouse would be sold with two-thirds of the proceeds going back to Fort Madison. That auction never took place, and West Point was never the county seat. During that year the appeal of West Point as the county seat faded so the county seat remained at Fort Madison.

Another special election was held to relocate the county seat. The contenders this time were Charleston, Franklin, Keokuk, Montrose, West Point and Fort Madison. Again Fort Madison was named the county seat.

The population of Lee County became so high that a rivalry for the county seat soon developed between the population centers of the county, Keokuk and Fort Madison. Because of this, the General Assembly passed a special Act, establishing two county seats in Lee County. One was at Fort Madison and the other at Keokuk. This makes Lee County the only county in Iowa to have two county seats. The present courthouse at Keokuk is the renovated Post Office building built in 1890.

The original courthouse at Fort Madison was designed by Father Samuel Mazzuchelli. County offices were moved in 1978 to a newly-constructed county office building. The old courthouse is still used for court-related functions. Even though there have been numerous court battles and editorials over the county seat question, both towns function as the county seat of Lee County. See also County History and County Courthouse for more details.

The Lee County Official Government Website
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Lee County, Iowa History Books at Amazon.com
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Records at the Lee 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 Lee County Courthouse at PO Box 725, Keokuk 52632; Tel: 319-524-2433 or PO Box 1443, Fort Madison 52627; Tel: 319-372-3523. 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.

Lee County Recorder's Office has Birth Records from 1880, Marriage Records from 1837, Death Records from 1880 and Land Records from 1830.
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.

Lee County Clerk of Court Office has Probate Records from 1841 and Court Records from 1849.
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 Lee County Court Records. Email us with websites containing Lee County Court Records by clicking the link below:

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

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

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

Lee County Genealogical Society, P.O. Box 303, Keokuk 52632-0303
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

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

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Sites on USGenweb: [ Lee County ] [ Iowa ] [ Main Page ]
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Genealogical Document Search and Retrieval Service
Lee County USGenweb Archives
Lee County, Iowa Family Books at Amazon.com

County History

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

Lee County is in the southeast corner of the state. It has an area of about 500 square miles, or 320,000 acres. In population it was the third county in the state in 1870, and in its agricultural and commercial facilities it has few superiors in Iowa.

The first settlement by a white man was six miles above Keokuk, by a French trader named Lemoliese, in 1820. Soon afterwards Doctor Samuel Muir, a surgeon of the United States army, made a settlement at Keokuk. In 1829, Doctor Isaac Garland settled at Nashville, where he was joined by Isaac R. Campbell the next year. Captain James White made a claim on the present site of Montrose. In the Fall of 1832, Peter Williams made a settlement on the present site of the City of Fort Madison. In the Fall of 1833, John M. Forest made a claim at the point now known as South Augusta. Wm. Skinner settled in Jefferson Township in 1834. Alexander Cruikshank became identified with Lee County on the 4th of March, 1834. He settled on the farm where he now resides. In 1836 J. C. Parrott, present post master of the city of Keokuk, came to the county the same year. From this time settlements were made more rapidly, as 1838 shows a population of 2,838, which was increased in 1840 to 6,095, as shown by the United States census of that year.

As will be seen from the history of the state, the Territory of Iowa was, in 1834, attached to Michigan, and at that time consisted of two judicial divisions, or counties, Des Moines and Dubuque. Burlington was the seat of justice for the Des Moines district. Iowa was more generally organized into counties in 1836, and Lee County was then formed. The survey was commenced in this county the same year, and completed the following year. This became part of Wisconsin Territory in 1836, and in the first territorial legislature John Box was the representative from Lee County. The courts were held at Fort Madison until 1843, when, by special act of the legislature, the seat of justice was transferred to West Point, where the first court was held in April, 1843. In the Fall of 1845, by vote of the citizens, the county seat was restored to Fort Madison, its present location. By an act of the Legislature of 1839-40, two commissioners had been appointed to select a site near the geographical center of the county. They located it at Franklin, but no improvements were made or courts held at that point. By a special act of the Legislature of 1855, a court with concurrent jurisdiction was established at Keokuk. The officers of Keokuk are deputies, that being considered a branch office; separate juries being chosen for each district.

The Sac and Fox Indians had been in possession of the soil now included in Lee County long before it was opened to settlement in 1833 by the ratification of the Black Hawk treaty of 1832. Prior to this time many of the agents and employes of the American Fur Company and others intermarried with these tribes, producing a race of half-breeds. Some of these half-breeds adopted the habits of civilization, others retained the manners of the Indians. On the 4th of August, 1824, a treaty was made at Washington in which 119,000 acres situated in the south part of the present County of Lee was reserved to the half-breeds, investing them with a right to the soil, but without the power of transferring it. By an act passed by Congress, January 30, 1834, a title was made to the half-breeds in fee simple. The law poorly defined the boundaries of the tract, and the personal rights of the owners in relation to partition. Hence conflicts and quarrels arose on all sides. To decide the validity of adverse claims, and to partition them among the claimants or sell them for the benefit of the actual owners, the Legislature of Wisconsin Territory passed an act on the 16th of January, 1838, appointing Edward Johnston, Thomas S. Wilson, and David Brigham commissioners to settle these difficulties in accordance with the intention of the law. The commissioners met at Montrose and summoned the claimants to appear before them and prove their claims. The session continued until the next session of the Legislature, when the act under which they labored was repealed. It gave authority to the commissioners to collect from the owners of said lands the amount of their just bill for services, and their claim by the repealing clause, was made a lien on the lands. At the August term of the District Court of Lee County two judgments were obtained, and in due time the entire tract was sold at sheriff's sale to Hugh T. Reid. Reid sold more or less at different times, and his title was reversed by the Supreme Court of the United States in December, 1850. Previous to this decision another class of titles arose, based upon the "Decree of Partition" issued by the United States District Court for the Territory of Iowa on the 8th of May, 1841. This provided for the partition of one hundred and one shares, and that each claimant should be content with his lot. These lots were drawn and the plats of, the same filed in the recorder's office, October 6, 1841. These titles are now generally secure, either upon their legal merits or by compromises effected prior to the decision of the Supreme Court. The state laws of 1841 in relation to these lands was sustained by the United States Supreme Court in 1854.

KEOKUK - Is situated on the Mississippi River, at the foot of the rapids, two hundred and twelve miles above St. Louis.

Its commercial facilities are equal to those of any other city of the state. In addition to its water navigation it has several lines of railroad diverging from it in various directions. Its substantial railroad bridge across the Mississippi was completed in 1871. This is a combined railroad, carriage and foot bridge. "The Des Moines Rapids Improvement" on the Mississippi River is a canal, about nine miles in length, for steamboats to pass through, thus obviating the dangers of navigation heretofore existing during low water. This work of the General Government will be completed the present year.

Doctor Samuel C. Muir erected the first cabin in 1820. Moses Stillwell, with his family, settled in 1828; also, at the same time, Amos and Valencourt Van Ansdal. Margaret Stillwell wife of E. R. Ford, of Keokuk, was the first white child born here. This birth occurred in 1831. About this time the American Fur Company had a trading post here, but they soon removed to other headquarters. Doctor Muir and Isaac R. Campbell became their successors. Campbell, in addition to his merchandizing, kept the first "tavern" in Keokuk. About this time, 1831, John Gaines, William Price, Alexander Hood, William McBride, and Thomas W. Taylor were added to the population.The first death was Doctor S. C. Muir, of cholera, in 1832. The town was laid out in 1837.

On December 13, 1847, it was first incorporated as a city. The first officers installed, January 10, 1848, were; Mayor, W. A. Clark; Aldermen—James Macklay, W. C. Read, Wm. Holliday, H. Bassett, John W. Ogden, and J. M. Houston. Since that time it has made a fair and substantial growth. It has a population of nearly 15,000. It contains four banks, several wholesale jobbing houses, good hotels, and is well represented in the various manufacturing and mercantile interests. It does a large business in pork packing, and in the lumber trade.

FORT MADISON - The county seat of Lee County, is pleasantly situated on the western bank of the Mississippi River. The town derives its name from a military post established here in 1808. This was evacuated in 1813, and the buildings were burned by the hostile Indians.

The first settlement was made in 1832. Among the early settles were Peter Williams, Peter Miller, Jacob Cutler, John Atlee, John Kenedy, James Small, John Walch, Joseph Webster, and Philip Viele, with others who settled prior to 1838.

The town was incorporated by act of Congress of July 2, 1836. William M. Corriell and George Cubbage were the commissioners. The Legislature of Wisconsin made it the county seat the same year.

By a special act of the Legislature, approved January 28, 1848, Fort Madison received a charter, with corporate privileges as a city. The present official list is; A. C. Roberts, Mayor, Ekin Smith, Clerk; B. Rephohl, Treasurer; J. C. Henderson, Marshal; John Huff, City Attorney; and R. H. Heath, Engineer.

Lee County was first established in 1836 but the boundaries were changed in1838 and in 1839 its present boundaries were fixed by the Legislature. Onthe 18th of January, 1838, the county-seat was located at Fort Madison. Thecounty lies in the extreme southeast corner of the State, the MississippiRiver forming the eastern boundary, while the Des Moines River forms thethe western and part of the southern boundary.

The origin of the name of the county is involved in doubt. It was named inan act of Legislature of Wisconsin Territory on the 7th of December, 1836.It has been claimed that it was named Robert E. Lee but when it isremembered that he was an obscure lieutenant in the regular army when theoriginal county was named, not having been in or near that region until1837, from which time he was an engineer in charge of improvements of theMississippi until 1841, there is not even a remote probability that he hadever been heard of at Belmont where Lee County was created and named. Therewas a land speculator from New York operating in the "Half Breed Tract," bythe name of Charles Lee, about the time the county was created and it hasbeen supposed that the county might have been named for him. There is noevidence to substantiate this supposition. Lieutenant Albert M. Lea had, in1835, descended the Des Moines River, as engineer, of an exploring partymaking a survey of its course and rapids. He surveyed and mapped the shoreof the Mississippi River in Lee County and above the same year. He was anofficer in General Kearny's command at old Fort Des Moines, in Lee County,for some time. In 1836 he became widely known as the author of a book andmap of the "Iowa District." This publication made his name familiar to thepeople of the "Black Hawk Purchase" the year that Lee County was named.Many of the prominent citizens of pioneer times understood and believedthat the county was named for Albert M. Lea, who gave the name of "Iowa" tothe region which afterward became the State of Iowa. Lee County has an areaof five hundred twelve square miles and an abundant supply of nativewoodland.

In 1843 the county-seat was removed to West Point where the first term ofcourt was held the same year. In the fall of 1845 by a vote of the peopleFort Madison was again made the county-seat. Commissioners appointed in1840 had selected a site for the county-seat near the geographic center ofthe county, where a town was laid out and named Franklin but no buildingswere erected and the business of the county was never transacted there. Byact of the Legislature of 1855 a court with concurrent jurisdiction wasestablished at Keokuk where a deputy clerk kept records of the court.

Lee County Courthouse

The Lee County Board of Commissioners ordered that a courthouse be erected in the upper public square in the town of Fort Madison. The basement walls were made of stone and the upper walls of brick. The total cost of the courthouse and the jail, which were both completed in 1842, was about $12,000.

A second courthouse was built in West Point after a relocation committee decided to move the county seat in 1843. The citizens of Fort Madison were so angered at the move of the county seat that they petitioned for the division of Lee County into two counties. The issue went to a vote, but it did not pass. Two more elections were held to determine the county seat and eventually Fort Madison won.

In 1876, the old courthouse in Fort Madison was completely overhauled and reconstructed. In 1911, fire damaged the courthouse, but insurance money was used to rebuild it that same year. The four immense Tuscan columns still stand and accent the Greek Revival architecture. The other courthouse in West Point is also still used for county business.

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