Listed record inventories
Selected holdings and indexes for Jay County, checked against the repository descriptions linked below. Date spans may contain gaps; an index is not a complete set of original records.
Deeds and land
- Early Land Owners, 1874 · print/index, Indiana State Library1874
- Deed Records · microfilm, Indiana State Library1837–1921 · separate segments; see catalog for gaps
- Sheriff’s Deeds · microfilm, Indiana State Library1871-1880
- Deed Index, Grantees · microfilm, Indiana State Library1836-1881; 1881-1901
- Deed Index, Grantors · microfilm, Indiana State Library1837-1881; 1881-1901
- General Index of Mortgages · microfilm, Indiana State Library1838-1864
Marriages, births and deaths
- Marriage Records, 1837-1892 · print/index, Indiana State Library1837-1892
- Marriage Records, 1837-1892 · print/index, Indiana State Library1837-1892
- Marriage Licenses · microfilm, Indiana State Library1837-1873; 1873-1885; 1885-1894; 1894-1903; 1903-1913; 1913-1924
- Marriage Records · microfilm, Indiana State Library1882-1904; 1904-1925; 1923-1929; 1929-1936; 1920-1925; 1936-1942; 1942-1947; 1947-1951; 1951-1955; 1955-1960
- Marriage Applications · microfilm, Indiana State Library1905-1909; 1909-1914; 1914-1920; 1920-1923
- Marriage Affidavits · microfilm, Indiana State Library1863-1890; 1872-1880
- Delayed Birth Records · microfilm, Indiana State LibraryPre-1941
Wills and estates
- Wills and Estates, 1838-1847 · print/index, Indiana State Library1838-1847
- Probate Order Book · microfilm, Indiana State Library1838-1849; 1850-1868; 1861-1878; 1878-1885; 1883-1889; 1889-1894; 1893-1896; 1896-1899; 1899-1902; 1902-1907; 1907-1913; 1913-1917; 1917-1920
- Probate Complete Record · microfilm, Indiana State Library1841-1852
- Probate Index · microfilm, Indiana State Library1850-1968; 1854-1859
- Will Records · microfilm, Indiana State Library1846-1889; 1889-1913; 1913-1920
Tax records
Other records
- Partition Record · microfilm, Indiana State Library1850-1872; 1853-1861
- Miscellaneous Record · microfilm, Indiana State Library1865-1887
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 Jay 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, Jay" 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: Adams County
Check the parent county for earlier records: Adams County
Later formed partly from Jay County: Blackford 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.