Buchanan County, Iowa Genealogy Records

Listed record inventories

Selected holdings and indexes for Buchanan County, checked against the repository descriptions linked below. Date spans may contain gaps; an index is not a complete set of original records.

See the repository's descriptions and search options

Repository access note: Selected county microfilm held by the State Historical Society of Iowa. The office after each title identifies the creating office, not necessarily the present custodian. Ask the Research Center to confirm location, availability, restrictions and any copy or loan fees. Date spans may contain gaps; this list does not promise online images or complete county holdings.

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 Buchanan 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, the clerk of the district court and the State Historical Society of Iowa.

• The county recorder

  Deeds and other land records, and, in most counties, the older birth, death and marriage registers.

• The clerk of the district court

  Probate (wills and estates), divorces and court cases.

• The State Historical Society of Iowa

  In Des Moines and Iowa City: the state censuses, county records on microfilm and newspapers.

• State Historical Society of Iowafree

  The state historical society's libraries and archives in Des Moines and Iowa City: state censuses, county records on microfilm and newspapers.

• FamilySearch Catalogfree

  Search by place for "Iowa, Buchanan" 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: Dubuque County

Check the parent county for earlier records: Dubuque County

Later formed partly from Buchanan County: Black Hawk County

Records stay with the county that created them. If your ancestor lived here before 1837, search the parent county. The Atlas of Historical County Boundaries shows each boundary change.