Guide
Iowa Genealogy Search at a Glance
Iowa has the best run of state censuses in the country. The state counted its people in 1856, 1885, 1895, 1905, 1915 and 1925, and the 1925 census asked for each person's parents' names and mother's maiden name, which makes it a substitute for missing birth records for a whole generation. Iowa began statewide vital registration in 1880, early for the Midwest, and the State Historical Society of Iowa holds the state censuses, county records and newspapers in its Des Moines and Iowa City research centers.
Iowa's 99 counties formed between 1834 and 1871, and most kept marriage, deed and probate books from the start.
Official sources on this page were checked on September 25, 2026.
Guide
Iowa Genealogy
Iowa statewide genealogy links
- State Archives of Iowa HoldingsResearch Iowa Historical Archives Holdings
- State Historical Society of Iowa Des Moines LibraryCounty Records on Microfilm
- Iowa State Archives and Libraries SearchIowa Archives and Libraries Search
- Fire Insurance Maps of Iowa Cities and TownsHistorical Fire Insurance Local Maps
- State Historical Society of Iowa Online CatalogOnline Catalog of Historical Collections
- Iowa State University Archives for Women in Science and EngineeringArchive Collections from Women in Science and Engineering
- National Archives Central Plains Region for IowaIowa Genealogy Research at the National Archives
Guide
Vital records for Iowa family history
Iowa began statewide birth and death registration in 1880, though compliance was poor until 1921, and county recorders kept the registers, with the Iowa Department of Health and Human Services Bureau of Health Statistics holding state copies. Iowa opens birth, marriage and death records to inspection at the State Archives once they are 75 years old, and the State Historical Society and FamilySearch hold the county registers on microfilm with indexes. Marriage records go back to each county's founding, and divorce records sit with the district court clerk.
Guide
Iowa archives, census and military records
The State Historical Society holds the state censuses of 1856, 1885, 1895, 1905, 1915 and 1925, all indexed and digitized on FamilySearch and Ancestry, along with Iowa's Civil War, Spanish-American War and World War I service records, the Iowa Old Soldiers' Home registers, county records on microfilm and the largest Iowa newspaper collection. Federal land patents for Iowa, sold from land offices at Dubuque, Burlington, Fairfield and other towns from 1838, are at the General Land Office site. The National Archives at Kansas City holds Iowa's federal court and naturalization records.
Guide
County courthouse records in Iowa
Iowa county recorders hold deeds, mortgages and the birth, death and marriage registers, and district court clerks hold probate, divorce, civil and naturalization records from each county's founding. Most recorders post deed indexes online through the Iowa Land Records portal, a statewide system, and the State Historical Society has microfilmed the older books. Iowa's Genealogical Society in Des Moines and the county genealogical societies have indexed cemetery, obituary and courthouse records for nearly every county.
Guide
Federal & National Authoritative Sources
Straight answers
Iowa Genealogy Search, questions
Why is the 1925 Iowa state census so valuable?
It asked every person for the names of both parents and the mother's maiden name, along with birthplace and marriage details, which substitutes for missing birth and marriage records for people born in the 1800s.
When did Iowa start keeping birth and death records?
In 1880, with county recorders keeping the registers, though compliance was poor until 1921. Here too, in Iowa, marriage records go back to each county's founding.
Are Iowa land records online?
Yes. Iowa Land Records is a statewide portal to county recorder documents, and the Bureau of Land Management site has the original federal land patents from 1838 onward.