Listed record inventories
Selected holdings and indexes for Brown County, checked against the repository descriptions linked below. Date spans may contain gaps; an index is not a complete set of original records.
Court records
- Circuit Court Records, 1836-1945 · print/index, Indiana State Library1836-1945
- Circuit Court Index to Suits · microfilm, Indiana State Librarynd
- Circuit Court Civil Order Books · microfilm, Indiana State Library1837–1923 · separate segments; see catalog for gaps
- Circuit Court Complete Record · microfilm, Indiana State Library1837-1878
- Circuit Court and Court of Common Pleas General Index · microfilm, Indiana State Librarynd
- Court of Common Pleas Civil Complete Record · microfilm, Indiana State Library1853-1857, 1871-1872; 1853-1869
Marriages, births and deaths
- Early Marriage Records, 1836-1859 · print/index, Indiana State Library1836-1859
- Births, 1882-2000 · print/index, Indiana State Library1882-2000
- Marriage Licenses · microfilm, Indiana State Library1836-1873; 1873-1893; 1893-1910; 1905-1923
- Marriage Records · microfilm, Indiana State Library1923-1932; 1932-1943; 1943-1953
- Marriage Returns · microfilm, Indiana State Library1882-1894; 1882-1917
- Delayed Birth Records · microfilm, Indiana State Librarypre-1941
- Death Records · microfilm, Indiana State Library1882-1899
Wills and estates
- Abstracts of Probate Records, 1836-1945 · print/index, Indiana State Library1836-1945
- Index of Estates · microfilm, Indiana State Librarynd
- General Index to Estates · microfilm, Indiana State Library1856-1877
- Probate Records · microfilm, Indiana State Library1850-1853
- Probate Indexes · microfilm, Indiana State Library1864-1901
- Probate Complete Record · microfilm, Indiana State Library1852-1887; 1887-1926; 1911-1926
- Probate Order Books · microfilm, Indiana State Library1837-1849; 1849-1850, 1855-1867; 1867-1869, 1874-1880; 1880-1885; 1885-1889; 1889-1895; 1895-1903; 1903-1911; 1912-1919; 1919
- Will Records · microfilm, Indiana State Library1845-1957
Deeds and land
- Deed Records · microfilm, Indiana State Library1849-1878; 1878-1924; 1873-1876; 1876-1879; 1879-1881; 1881-1883; 1883-1885; 1885-1888; 1888-1891; 1891-1894; 1894-1897; 1897-1900; 1900-1901
- Deed Indexes, Grantors · microfilm, Indiana State Library1873-1889; 1889-1907
- Deed Indexes, Grantees · microfilm, Indiana State Library1873-1889; 1889-1907
- Deed Indexes, Grantors/Grantees · microfilm, Indiana State Library1873-1879; 1880-1900
Naturalization records
- Declarations of Intention · microfilm, Indiana State Library1853, 1855, 1860-1889
Other records
- Partition Records · microfilm, Indiana State Library1853-1868, 1874-1906
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
- Brown 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, Brown" 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: Bartholomew County, Jackson County, Monroe County
Check the parent counties for earlier records: Bartholomew County, Jackson County, Monroe County
Records stay with the county that created them. If your ancestor lived here before 1836, 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.