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Iowa State Facts & Information |
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| Bancroft: |
Was created by act of the Legislature in 1851 from a portion of old Fayette and embraced the twelve northern townships of what is now Kossuth County, extending to the Minnesota line, making an area of four hundred four square miles. The county was named in honor of George Bancroft, the historian. In January, 1853, it was attached to Boone County for election, revenue and judicial purposes. In 1855 by act of the General Assembly it was made a part of Kossuth and Bancroft County ceased to exist. The county was one vast level prairie through which the east fork of the Des Moines River flowed and its lands in early times were considered too wet for profitable cultivation but in later years the soil has been found to be exceedingly productive and has been converted into fine farms of increasing value. No county-seat was established during the brief period that Bancroft had an existence and no organization of a county government was performed. |
| Belknap |
Was created by act of General Assembly in 1874, embracing townships seventy-four, seventy-five, seventy-six and seventy-seven in ranges thirty-eight, thirty-nine and forty in the eastern portion of Pottawattamie County. In compliance with the Constitution of the proposition to establish this county was submitted to a vote of the electors residing in the county of Pottawattamie which it proposed to divide and at this election was rejected so that Belknap County ceased to exist. The name was given in honor of General William W. Belknap, a distinguished Iowa officer in the Civil War and afterwards Secretary of War in the Cabinet of President U.S. Grant. |
| Buncombe |
Was established in 1851 and named for an officer in the War of the Revolution. It was the extreme northwestern county in the State. While bearing this name there were no permanent settlers within its limits but for eleven years it appeared on the map of Iowa as Buncombe County until at the extra session of the Ninth General Assembly in September, 1862, it was changed to Lyon. |
| Cook |
Was established from territory originally embraced in Demoine County, on the 7th of December, 1836. It included a portion of Scott County and other territory not clearly defined. The county was never organized and the following year the territory was divided among other counties created by act of the legislature of December 21, 1837. The origin of the name given is not known. |
| Crocker |
Was created by an act of the Legislature of 1870, embracing the northern part of Kossuth County which had at one time made the county of Bancroft. It was named for General M. M. Crocker of Iowa, a distinguished officer of the Civil War. The county-seat was located at Greenwood and the organization was completed in October, 1870, by the election of the following officers: George V. Davis, auditor; Cyrus Hawks, clerk; william Gibbon, treasurer; A.J. Garfield, recorder; J.H. Coffin, sheriff; Sarah A. Littlefield, superintendent of schools. In December, 1871, the Supreme Court of Iowa declared the act creating this county a violation of the constitution, which in article eleven declares that no new county shall be created which contains less than four hundred thirty two square miles. Crocker County ceased to exist from and after the rendition of that decision and its territory reverted to Kossuth. |
| Fox |
Was created by act of the General Assembly in 1851 and named for the Fox Indians. It was attached to Polk County but never organized under that name. In January, 1853, the name was changed to Calhoun. |
| Grimes |
Was created by act of the Sixteenth General Assembly in 1876, embracing twelve townships lying in ranges thirty-eight, thirty-nine and forty of Pottawattamie County. The act provided in compliance with a provision of the Constitution, that the proposition should be submitted to a vote of the electors of 1876. The division of the county was defeated at that election and the new county was never organized. It was named for Ex-Governor James W. Grimes, for many years a distinguished member of the United States Senate. |
| Kishkekosh |
Was create in February, 1843, and named for a famous Fox Indian chief. It was organized in July, 1845, when E.S. Rand, Israel Kister and J.A. Galligher were appointed commissioners to locate the county-seat. They chose a site where Albia now stands, and a town was laid out named Princeton. On the 1st of August, 1846, the name of the county was changed to Monroe and the county of Kishkekosh ceased to exist. |
| Risley |
Was created in 1851 and embraced the territory now constituting the county of Hamilton. It was attached to Polk and afterwards to Boone for election, revenue and judicial purposes. In the same month, by an act of the Legislature, the county of Webster was created embracing the territory of both Risley and Yell counties by which act these two ceased to exist. An act of the same session which took affect before the union of these two counties, changed the name of Risley to Webster, so that for a period of five months and nine days the former county of Risley (now Hamilton) was Webster County. This came from the fact that the act changing the name of Risley to Webster took affect upon publication January 22, 1853, while the act consolidating Yell and Risley did not become a law until the first of July following. |
| Slaughter |
Was created in January, 1838, and embraced a portion of the territory now included in the counties of Louisa, Muscatine and Henry. It was named for William B. Slaughter, Secretary of the Territory of Wisconsin. The county-seat was located at Astoria where the first courts were held in 1837 by Judges Irwin and Williams. the citizens of the county were dissatisfied with the name which had been secured through the manipulations of the obscure official whose name it bore and, upon petition the Legislature relieved them by changing the boundaries of the county and naming it Washington. |
| Wahkaw |
Was created in 1851 by act of the Legislature from the territory originally embrace in Benton when that county extended to the Missouri River. The bill which created this county when reported to the Senate gave the name of "Floyd" in memory of Sergeant Floyd of the Lewis and Clark expedition who died in camp in 1804 and was buried on the east side of the Missouri River south of Sioux City. The Senate passed the bill as introduced but it was amended in the House by striking out "Floyd" and inserting "Wahkaw," an Indian name. An act of the Legislature approved January 12, 1853, provided for the organization of the county and selected commissioners to locate the county-seat, the name of which should be Sergeant's Bluff. A later act of the same Legislature changed the name of the county to Woodbury, and on 22d of January, 1853, Wahkaw County ceased to exist. |
| Yell |
Was created by an act of the General Assembly in 1851 and embraced all of the present territory of Webster except the north tier of congressional townships. It was named for the second Governor of Arkansas, Colonel Archibald Yell, who was killed at the Battle of Buena Vista in the Mexican War. The county had never been organized up to 1853, when by act of the Legislature it was incorporated with the new county of Webster. This county was formed by uniting the former county of Webster, which had first been named Risley, with Yell County, making thirty-two congressional townships, to which the name of Webster was given. By this act the county of Yell ceased to exist. |
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Iowa, state in the northern part of the central United States. It lies in the heart of the North American continent, in the region known as the Midwest. Iowa, with its fertile prairie lands and heavily agricultural economy devoted to raising grain and livestock, is often considered the typical Midwestern state. Iowa entered the Union on December 28, 1846, as the 29th state. Des Moines is the state’s capital and largest city.
Iowa is, in large part, an efficient, large-scale production line for the nation’s food. From rich black earth to waving corn to fattened hog and steer foodstuffs, the entire process is carried out on a grand scale. Most of the corn and other grains are fed to Iowa’s hogs and cattle. Then, factories take over to pack the meat, process any grain that remains, and produce the equipment to till the soil, harvest the corn, run the farms, and process the farm products. Other factories produce goods that have little or nothing to do with agriculture, such as ball-point pens, washing machines, and office furniture. In value of annual economic production, Iowa is primarily an industrial state, but much of its industrial output remains based on farm production.
The state’s name was taken from the Iowa River, which in turn was named for the Iowa people, the Native Americans who lived in the region during early European exploration. Iowa is called the Hawkeye State. The name is believed to be a tribute to Chief Black Hawk, a leader of the Sac people who were relocated to Iowa after unsuccessful resistance to white settlement. The Official State Website is http://www.iowa.gov/
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The destruction of courthouses greatly affects genealogists in every way. No only are these historic structures torn from our lives, so are the records they housed: marriage, wills, probate, land records, and others. Once destroyed they are lost forever. Even if they have been placed on mircofilm, computers and film burn too. The most heartbreaking side of this is the fact that many of our courthouses are destroyed at the hands of arsonist. However, not all records were lost.
Below is a list of Iowa Counties and the years the Courthouses were subjected to a disaster. This does NOT mean that ALL RECORDS were lost. Often, folks took their documents again in for recording after a disaster and later deeds will contain long chains of title, etc.
- Adair County - Courthouse was destroyed by fire in 1889. Most Court Records were destroyed.
- Adams County - The Courthouse was destroyed by fire on February 1, 1888. Some early records were destroyed.
- Benton County - The Courthouse was destroyed by fire in 1853. The county records were rescued by three courageous men who were seriously burned and died from their injuries three months after the blaze.
- Buena Vista County - On January 1, 1877 the courthouse was destroyed by a fire. Most records were destroyed
- Calhoun County - The Courthouse was destroyed by fire in 1884.
- Carroll County - In 1886, this courthouse was damaged by a fire
- Cass County - In March 1932, a fire destroyed the courthouse, but the county records were saved
- Chickasaw County - The Courthouse was totally destroyed in a fire on March 26, 1880. Many irreplaceable documents were lost, but many more were saved with the help of the "Hook & Ladder Co.," and concerned citizens.
- Decatur County - The Second Courthouse was destroyed by a windstorm before it could be finished. The 3rd Courthouse was destroyed by a fire on March 31, 1874 (One book from the auditor's office and one book from the clerk's office survived). The 4th Courthouse was blown up on April 1, 1877 destroying the entire west side of the courthouse.
- Dickinson County - The Courthouse was destroyed in a fire in November of 1871, some of the county records were destroyed.
- Des Moines County - The Courthouse, along with some of the county records, was destroyed by a fire in 1873.
- Fayette County - The Courthouse burned in 1872 when a prisoner set fire to the courthouse during and escape attempt.
- Floyd County - One June 7, 1874, a terrific thunderbolt struck the courthouse (The important county records were saved). The courthouse burned down in 1881, destroying nearly all county records.
- Fremont County - The 2nd Courthouse was damaged by a gunny sack full of dynamite in 1863. In 1888, vandals poured Coal oil throughout the building and set a fire (A steel vault saved most of the records).
- Guthrie County - In 1857, in the cabin of the county clerk, a keg of gunpowder blew all the county records to pieces. This Courthouse burned to the ground on March 3, 1882 (A heroic clerk saved most of the court records). In November of 1963 courthouse was destroyed by fire (some records were destroyed).
- Hardin County - The first courthouse was destroyed that same year by in 1856.
- Harrison County - The first courthouse was destroyed in a fire in September 1854, all of the county records were destroyed.
- Howard County - The courthouse at Cresco burned down on December 1, 1876. Few records survived.
- Ida County - On January 12, 1877, the courthouse burned, along with most of the county records.
- Jones County - The courthouse built in 1848 and vacated in 1864 was destroyed by fire in 1875.
- Lee County - In 1911, fire damaged the courthouse
- Madison County - In 1875, a fire destroyed the building in less than four hours.
- Muscatine County - The courthouse was destroyed by fire in 1864 (No records were lost in the fire, as far as can be determined).
- Page County - The Courthouse and the records were destroyed in an 1858 fire.
- Ringgold County - On June 8, 1858, a cyclone blew down the courthouse and many records disappeared.
- Sac County - The Courthouse burned down in 1888.
- Story County - The courthouse was destroyed by fire on New Year's Day, 1864.
- Union County - The first courthouse was destroyed by fire in 1893.
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