Montgomery County, Iowa Genealogical Records Information

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Montgomery County History and Information

Montgomery County Facts

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Montgomery was created on January 15, 1851 (Organized in 1853) from Pottawattomie County. The County was named for Richard Montgomery, an U.S. general killed in the American Revolutionary War. The County Seat is Red Oak .

Counties adjacent to Montgomery County are Pottawattamie County (northwest), Cass County (northeast), Adams County (east), Page County (south), Mills County (west). Cities and Towns Include Coburg, Elliott, Grant, Red Oak, Stanton, Villisca.

The territory that is now Montgomery County was originally part of the Pottawattamie- Purchase in 1846 and was included in a large county called Pottawattamie in 1847. The first county elections were held in April 1853, and around 18 votes were cast. Prior to this the county was attached to Adams County for judicial and financial reasons. These elections were held at the home of Amos G. Lowe, the first county judge.

A judge of the Sixth Judicial District appointed commissioners to select the county seat of Montgomery County. They selected a site nearest to the center of the county and named it Frankfort, in honor of Frankfort, Kentucky, the judge's hometown.

The first county courthouse was built in Frankfort in 1857. It was a simple wooden-frame structure that covered an area 20-foot x 40-foot and was built at a cost of $1,141.50 to the county. After a contest between Frankfort and Red Oak for the county seat, in which Frankfort lost by only six votes, this courthouse was moved. It was hitched to a team of oxen and towed to Red Oak in the winter of 1865. A blizzard came up, and the men had to abandon the building in favor of shelter. When they returned they had "lost" the courthouse in the snow. It was eventually found, but the "lost courthouse" was a great joke in Montgomery County for many years. See also County History and County Courthouse for more details.

The Montgomery County Official Government Website
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Montgomery County, Iowa History Books at Amazon.com
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Records at the Montgomery 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 Montgomery County Courthouse at 105 Coolbaugh Street,PO Box 469, Red Oak 51566; Tel: 712-623-4986. 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. Montgomery County was attached to Adams County for a breif time. Some early records may be found there.

Montgomery County Recorder's Office has Birth Records from 1880, Marriage Records from 1855, 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.

Montgomery County Clerk of Court Office has Probate Records from 1868 and Court Records from 1890.
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 Montgomery County Court Records. Email us with websites containing Montgomery County Court Records by clicking the link below:

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

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

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

Montgomery County Genealogical Society, 320a Coolbaugh, Red Oak 51566-2416
Montgomery County Iowa Historical Society and History Center, 2700 N 4th Street, Red Oak, Iowa 51566
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

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

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Genealogical Document Search and Retrieval Service
Montgomery County USGenweb Archives
Montgomery County, Iowa Family Books at Amazon.com

County History

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

Montgomery County is the second from the Missouri River in the second tier from the south line of the state. It contains a superficial area of 432 square miles, or 276,480 acres.

By an act of the Legislature of Iowa, approved January 12, 1853, Montgomery and Union Counties were attached to Adams for revenue and judicial purposes, each constituting a civil township, the first election in Montgomery to be held at the house of Amos G. Lowe. On the 15th of January, 1851, an act had been approved defining the boundaries of Montgomery and other counties. This is the first legislation in which the name of the county appears, and in this act the present boundaries are fixed.

The first County Judge was Amos G. Lowe, a native of Kentucky. He is still a respected citizen of the county. The first Clerk of the District Court was S. C. Dunn, who was appointed by the County Judge, October 6, 1853. The first Treasurer was John W. Patterson, who was also appointed by the Judge, October 14, 1853. The first order made by Judge Lowe is dated August 15, 1853, and authorizes the levy of taxes for certain purposes.

The salary of the County Judge for the first year's services was $50; of the Clerk, $25; and the Treasurer, $20. For the second year, the Judge consented to increase the salary of the Clerk to $30! What extraordinary means were used to bring about this reckless streak of extravagance and favoritism, does not appear!

The first marriage license was issued to Samuel McNeily and Martha Elizabeth Donaho, January 20, 1855. On the first of October, 1856, the Judge made the following order; "Ordered, that T. A. Petty be, and is hereby appointed Commissioner to sell county liquors for medical, mechanical and sacramental purposes in Frankfort, until the first Monday in May next, unless sooner removed by the Court."

Among the first white settlers of the county, were Amos G. Lowe, the first County Judge; William Dunn, who had a contract from the Government for surveying land; John Stafford, Carle Means, John Ross, James Carlisle, James Ross, Aaron Vice, L. C. Cook, and Wayne Stennett, settled on the Nishnabotany at an early day in the history of the county. Joseph Zuber settled near the present town of Red Oak Junction. Daniel Silkett was the pioneer mill builder in the county. He was the owner of five mill sites, and built the first on the Nishnabotany in 1856. Having built two mills, in erecting the third he fell a victim to his enterprise, and died from exposure before completing it.The following are also among the early settlers; Samuel Baker, George West, --Sager. The earliest settlement made in the county was on the Nodaway, in the southeast part. "Ross Grove" is a large body of timber in the southeast corner township.

The commissioners to locate the first county seat were William S. Townsend, R. W. Stafford, and R. B. Lockwood. They seem to have received their appointment from the Judge of the Sixth Judicial District. On the 22d of July, 1854, they made their report to the County Judge, having selected the southwest quarter of section 17, township 72 north, range 37 west. The report and location were duly accepted by the judge, and the commissioners allowed $12 each for their services. The judge, having hailed from Frankfort in Kentucky, duly christened the new town by the same name. The first house was built in the place by John Burnside. He was probably the "first settler" there, as he brought water out of his well by a ladder, and ground his corn in a coffee mill. Well ropes, buckets, and flouring mills were not plenty in Montgomery County in those days. Among the first settlers of Frankfort were also Dr. Asa Bond, Judge A. G. Lowe, Samuel Baer, W. L. Boydston, and Thomas Davis. J. B. Packard, Esq., who subsequently served several terms as County Treasurer, settled in Frankfort in July, 1856, and W. W. Merritt, who has several times served the county in the Legislature, in May, 1857.

For several years Frankfort prospered, and grew to become a village of some importance, until 1863, when a vote of the county was taken on the removal of the county seat to Red Oak Junction. On the ground of informality in the vote of one township, the election was contested, but the district court decided in favor of Red Oak Junction, the present county seat. So, in April, 1865, the county business was transferred to the latter place. The court house was removed on the snow in January, 1866. Since then most of the other buildings have been taken to Red Oak Junction, until Frankfort has become a deserted village. Indeed, there are but four buildings remaining on the old town site. Scattered around are to be seen the ruins of its former greatness, in the shape of cellars and heaps of ashes. So in this new country often passes away the glory of many prosperous cities. It is to be hoped that the "county seat question" is forever settled.

The court house is a two-story frame building, situated on the north side of the park, or public square, in Red Oak Junction. The county officers occupy the lower story, and the upper is used as a court room and for public meetings. It has also been used by Professor White for his select school, and for purposes of religious meetings.

RED OAK JUNCTION - This town is situated on the Iowa Division of the Chicago, Burlington & Quincy Railroad. Its situation in pleasant and picturesque. Part of the town plat rises up on the high ground, and commands a fine view of the valley each way with the river, and the groves skirting it on either side. The valley of the Nishnabotany at this point is about two miles wide, with the river running through the middle of it. It is about four miles west and a little south of the center of the county. It is situated on a grand slope to the east bank of the Nishnabotany River, with a stream called Red Oak Branch running directly through it. This branch is made up of springs on the town site, or in the vicinity. The state road passes through it, from east to west. It is thirty miles from Quincy, the county seat of Adams County, and thirty miles from Glenwood, the county seat of Mills County. It was intended to be situated at the intersection of the main line of the B. & M. R. R. R., with the branch railroad from Nebraska City to Red Oak Junction. There are large bodies of timber near the place, on the Nishnabotany. The little creek which passes through it called Red Oak, is so named from the fact of a considerable grove of that species of timber being found on it. There are also several stone quarries within a mile of the town.

Years ago a railroad was proposed to run from Nebraska City up the valley of the Nishnabotany, to intersect the B. & M. R. R. R. at Red Oak Junction. Hence the proprietors, when they laid out the town, attached the word "Junction" to the name. This road has been built down the valley to Hamburg, in Fremont County, there connecting with the Council Bluffs & St. Joseph Railroad. It passes through one of the grandest and richest agricultural valleys in

Montgomery County Courthouse

The first county seat of Montgomery was located in Frankfort and the first courthouse was a meager room in a log cabin. The jury was forced to deliberate outside in a prairie and the courtroom furniture was a dining room set.

Eventually a two-story building was constructed for about $1,000 to serve the public. Later, this courthouse was put on a huge sled and moved when the county seat moved to Red Oak. Thirty yoke of oxen pulled the courthouse to its new location through a blizzard to its final site in the corner of the public square.

The cornerstone was laid for the present courthouse on July 4, 1890. Although there were problems with the contractor during its construction, this beautiful castle was well worth the $100,000 it cost to build.

Even after a second story was added to the old courthouse, it was still not large enough for the growing county needs. Two attempts to build a new courthouse failed. The first one was in 1873, and the second was in 1883. Finally, on the third try, the people approved the building of a new courthouse by a narrow margin in the summer of 1889.

The second, and current, courthouse was built in 1890. The contractor failed to complete the building, and after much litigation, the county was found not responsible for the cost of completing the courthouse. When the building was finished, it only cost the county $69,000. At the dedication on the Fourth of July, conservative estimates put the number of visitors present at 10,000.

The nearly fireproof structure is made of sandstone and red brick. It is 91-foot x 72-foot and is 60 feet high, the clock tower extends another 40 feet. This clock tower was a gift of the Red Oak Monday Club. Since 1890 the courthouse has become the centerpiece of Red Oak and Montgomery County.

On July 2, 1981, the Montgomery County Courthouse was entered in the National Register of Historic Places. A brief ceremony and an open house were held.

1984 saw the completion of the elevator to assist the handicapped and elderly with access to all levels of the courthouse. The elevator reduced the double stairway leading to the second and third floors and the basement to a single stairway. The project also included a new entrance on the south side of the building.

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