Franklin County, Indiana Genealogy Records

Selected record inventories for Franklin County, their listed years, and where to ask for access.

Selected inventory review: 2026-11-02. Selected catalog metadata extracted from the linked sources. This is not an examination of original records, a complete county holdings audit, or certification of current access. Historical sources are identified in the access note. Indiana State Library holdings · Indiana State Library holdings

Formed
1811
County seat
Brookville
Decatur CountyFayette CountyJefferson CountyJennings CountyOhio CountyRipley CountyRush CountyScott CountyShelby CountySwitzerland CountyUnion CountyDearborn CountyFranklin CountyDecaturJenningsOhioRipleyDearbornFranklin
Franklin CountyParent counties (search here for earlier records)Today's boundaries · U.S. Census Bureau

Listed record inventories

Selected holdings and indexes for Franklin 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

Marriages, births and deaths

Wills and estates

Deeds and land

Naturalization records

Other records

Census records

County government

Schools

Poor relief and institutions

Military 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 Franklin 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, Franklin" 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: Clark County, Dearborn County

Check the parent counties for earlier records: Clark County, Dearborn County

Later formed partly from Franklin County: Fayette County, Union County

KnoxDearbornClarkFranklinFranklinDearbornClark
Franklin as created in 1811Where its land was the day beforeToday's boundaryBoundaries: Newberry Library, Atlas of Historical County Boundaries

Records stay with the county that created them. If your ancestor lived here before 1811, 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.