Listed record inventories
Selected holdings and indexes for Clay 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 Records, 1851-1869 · print/index, Indiana State Library1851-1869
- WPA Index to Birth Records, 1881-1920 · print/index, Indiana State Library1881-1920
- Marriage Affidavits · microfilm, Indiana State LibraryPre-1852
- Marriage Records · microfilm, Indiana State Library1851–1957 · separate segments; see catalog for gaps
- Returns of Marriage · microfilm, Indiana State Library1882-1896
- Delayed Birth Records · microfilm, Indiana State LibraryPre-1941
- Birth and Death Records from Probate Entry Docket · microfilm, Indiana State Library1852-1889
Wills and estates
- Will Abstracts, 1848-1867 · print/index, Indiana State Library1848-1867
- Probate Order Book · microfilm, Indiana State Library1852–1919 · separate segments; see catalog for gaps
- Probate Records · microfilm, Indiana State Library1919-1921
- Complete Probate Record · microfilm, Indiana State Library1852-1872; 1852-1873
- Will Records · microfilm, Indiana State Library1848-1876; 1876-1916; 1916-1919; 1919-1936
Other records
Court records
- General Index to Civil Order Books, Circuit Court · microfilm, Indiana State Library1850-1912; 1912-1952
- Circuit Court Civil Order Books · microfilm, Indiana State Library1850–1923 · separate segments; see catalog for gaps
- Circuit Court Complete Civil Order Books · microfilm, Indiana State Library1852-1874, 1879-1884; 1884-1887; 1887-1894
- Court of Common Pleas Civil Order Books · microfilm, Indiana State Library1853-1863; 1863-1871; 1868-1872; 1871-1873
- Court of Common Pleas Complete Civil Order Book · microfilm, Indiana State Library1853-1861
Deeds and land
- Deed Indexes, Grantor/Grantee · microfilm, Indiana State Library1883-1891; 1891-1899; 1899-1902
- General Index to Deeds · microfilm, Indiana State Library1825-1855; 1849-1863; 1863-1872; 1872-1877; 1877-1885; 1883-1888
- Deed Records · microfilm, Indiana State Library1825–1891 · separate segments; see catalog for gaps
Naturalization records
- Declarations of Intention · microfilm, Indiana State Library1860-1872, 1877-1882; 1883-1904; 1904-1906
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
- Clay 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, Clay" 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: Owen County, Putnam County, Sullivan County, Vigo County
Check the parent counties for earlier records: Owen County, Putnam County, Sullivan County, Vigo County
Records stay with the county that created them. If your ancestor lived here before 1825, 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.