Listed record inventories
Selected holdings and indexes for Elkhart County, checked against the repository descriptions linked below. Date spans may contain gaps; an index is not a complete set of original records.
Naturalization records
Marriages, births and deaths
- Index to Elkhart County Delayed Birth Records, filed 1941-1963 · print/index, Indiana State Library1941-1963
- Index to Marriage Records · microfilm, Indiana State Library1850-1920
- Marriage Licenses · microfilm, Indiana State Library1911-1912; 1912-1915; 1915-1918; 1918-1921
- Applications for Marriage License · microfilm, Indiana State Library1915
- Marriage License Consents · microfilm, Indiana State Library1911-1920
- Marriage Records · microfilm, Indiana State Library1831–1959 · separate segments; see catalog for gaps
- Delayed Birth Records · microfilm, Indiana State LibraryPre-1941
Wills and estates
- Elkhart County Will Records, 1845-1881 · print/index, Indiana State Library1845-1881
- Estate Index · microfilm, Indiana State Library1833-1880
- General Index to Estates · microfilm, Indiana State Library1850-1888
- Vault Index for Estates · microfilm, Indiana State Library1880-1920
- Index to Estates · microfilm, Indiana State Library1907-1991
- General Index to Guardianships · microfilm, Indiana State Library1907-1991
- Guardianship and Administrators Record · microfilm, Indiana State Library1907-1918
- Probate Record · microfilm, Indiana State Library1833-1844
- Probate Records · microfilm, Indiana State Library1830-1844; 1840-1852; 1852
- Probate Order Book · microfilm, Indiana State Library1839–1921 · separate segments; see catalog for gaps
- Probate Order Books · microfilm, Indiana State Library1907-1911; 1911-1917; 1917-1921
- Probate Files · microfilm, Indiana State Librarynd; 1884-1900; 1865-1900; 1850-1900; 1830-1900; 1850-1920; 1840-1900; 1860-1910; 1835-1910; 1845-1900; 1860-1900; 1840-1880
- Miscellaneous Misfiled Probate Packets · microfilm, Indiana State Library1850-1920
- Probate Indexes · microfilm, Indiana State Library1852-1896; 1896-1900
- Will Records · microfilm, Indiana State Library1845-1864; 1864-1881; 1887-1891; 1893-1900
- Will Record · microfilm, Indiana State Library1833-1839, 1845-1871; 1871-1891; 1891, 1893- 1902; 1902-1919; 1919-1925
- Wills · microfilm, Indiana State Library1916-1921
Court records
- General Index to Court Records · microfilm, Indiana State Library1833-1850; 1850-1875; 1890-1902; 1902-1926
- Miscellaneous Court Records · microfilm, Indiana State Library1853-1880; 1880-1890
- Circuit Court Order Books · microfilm, Indiana State Library1830–1922 · separate segments; see catalog for gaps
- Circuit Court Complete Record · microfilm, Indiana State Library1837-1851; 1851-1852; 1879
- Court of Common Pleas Order Books · microfilm, Indiana State Library1858-1868; 1868-1872; 1872-1873
- Court of Common Pleas Complete Record · microfilm, Indiana State Library1853-1861; 1861-1879
Deeds and land
- Deed Index, Grantee/Grantor · microfilm, Indiana State Library1894-1898
- General Deed Index · microfilm, Indiana State Library1830-1863; 1863-1878; 1878-1883; 1883-1889; 1890-1894; 1894-1902
- Deed Records · microfilm, Indiana State Library1830–1901 · separate segments; see catalog for gaps
- Sheriff’s Deed Record · microfilm, Indiana State Library1872-1906; 1906-1915
Tax records
- Tax Title Deeds · microfilm, Indiana State Library1863-1898; 1898-1907
Other records
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
- Find Elkhart County's official website
We haven't checked this county's website yet, so this opens a web search. Look for an address ending in .gov, then find the county recorder and the clerk of the circuit court.
- 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, Elkhart" 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: Land not yet in any county
Records stay with the county that created them. If your ancestor lived here before 1830, 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.