Listed record inventories
Selected holdings and indexes for Adams County, checked against the repository descriptions linked below. Date spans may contain gaps; an index is not a complete set of original records.
Marriages, births and deaths
- Marriage Licenses, Adams County, Indiana, 1836-1844 · print/index, Indiana State Library1836-1844
- WPA Index to Marriage Records, 1845-1920 · print/index, Indiana State Library1845-1920
- WPA Index to Supplemental Marriage Records, 1840-1897 · print/index, Indiana State Library1840-1897
- WPA Index to Birth Records, 1882-1920 · print/index, Indiana State Library1882-1920
- WPA Index to Death Records, 1882-1920 · print/index, Indiana State Library1882-1920
- Marriages · microfilm, Indiana State Library1836-1844
- Marriage Returns · microfilm, Indiana State Library1882-1891
- Marriage Records · microfilm, Indiana State Library1836–1957 · separate segments; see catalog for gaps
- Marriage Records and Returns · microfilm, Indiana State Library1882-1914; 1882-1891
- Marriage License Applications · microfilm, Indiana State Library1905-1908; 1908-1912; 1912-1916
- Marriage Affidavits · microfilm, Indiana State Library1891-1908
- Delayed Birth Certificates · microfilm, Indiana State Librarynd
Wills and estates
- Will Books A-B, 1837-1888 · print/index, Indiana State Library1837-1888
- General Index to Estates · microfilm, Indiana State Library1873-1885
- Index of Files, Administrators, and Estates · microfilm, Indiana State Library1841-1968
- Probate Index · microfilm, Indiana State Library1847-1888; 1888-1900
- Index to Probate Files · microfilm, Indiana State Librarynd
- Probate Order Books · microfilm, Indiana State Library1838–1921 · separate segments; see catalog for gaps
- Probate Complete Record · microfilm, Indiana State Library1842-1851; 1837-1850
- Will Records · microfilm, Indiana State Library1839-1899; 1898-1899; 1899-1915; 1915-1921
Court records
- Chancery Court Complete Civil Record · microfilm, Indiana State Library1844-1859
- Circuit Court Order Book Index · microfilm, Indiana State Library1836-1920
- Circuit Court Civil Complete Record · microfilm, Indiana State Library1868–1921 · separate segments; see catalog for gaps
- Circuit Court Civil Order Book · microfilm, Indiana State Library1836–1921 · separate segments; see catalog for gaps
- General Index, Court of Common Pleas · microfilm, Indiana State Librarynd
- Court of Common Pleas Index to Files · microfilm, Indiana State Librarynd
- Court of Common Pleas Civil Order Book · microfilm, Indiana State Library1853-1863; 1863-1873
- Court of Common Pleas Civil Complete Record · microfilm, Indiana State Library1853-1859; 1859-1871
- Court of Common Pleas and Circuit Court Complete Record · microfilm, Indiana State Library1871-1878
Deeds and land
- Deed Index, Grantor/Grantee · microfilm, Indiana State Library1837-1872; 1872-1891; 1887-1902
See the repository's descriptions and search options
Repository access note: Selected State Library print indexes, abstracts and microfilm catalog series. Multiple reels of the same title are grouped together; broad spans may contain gaps. Use the source linked on each entry for individual volumes, reel numbers and availability. This is not a complete courthouse inventory or a promise of online images. Confirm access and restrictions with the library; request certified records from their original custodian.
Sources: the catalogs and repository descriptions linked on the entries above. Selected inventories do not establish complete coverage of every record type or online access to original documents. Read the repository access note for source dates and limitations.
Where to find the records
- Adams County official website
Hours, addresses and phone numbers for the county recorder and the clerk of the circuit court, and any online record search the county offers.
- The county recorder
Deeds, mortgages and other land records.
- The clerk of the circuit court
Marriage licenses, probate (wills and estates), divorces and court cases.
- The Indiana Archives
In Indianapolis: state records and county records on microfilm, and indexes in its online Digital Archives.
- Indiana Archives and Records Administrationfree
The state archives in Indianapolis, with county records, military records and indexes in the Indiana Digital Archives.
- FamilySearch Catalogfree
Search by place for "Indiana, Adams" to find filmed and digitized records, many viewable free online with a FamilySearch account.
Offices change their hours and access rules; call before you visit.
Boundaries and parent counties
Formed from: Randolph County
Check the parent county for earlier records: Randolph County
Later formed partly from Adams County: Howard County, Jay County, Tipton County, Wells County
Records stay with the county that created them. If your ancestor lived here before 1835, search the parent county. The Atlas of Historical County Boundaries shows each boundary change.
Research tip
Indiana counties recorded births from 1882 and deaths from 1882, before statewide registration began (deaths 1900, births 1907). Ask the county health department for the early county registers.