Des Moines County, Iowa Genealogy Records

Selected record inventories for Des Moines 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. State Historical Society of Iowa holdings

Formed
1834
County seat
Burlington
Henry CountyJefferson CountyKeokuk CountyLee CountyLouisa CountyMuscatine CountyVan Buren CountyWashington CountyDes Moines CountyHenryJeffersonLeeLouisaVan BurenWashingtonDes Moines
Des Moines CountyToday's boundaries · U.S. Census Bureau

Listed record inventories

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

Military records

Deeds and land

Other records

County government

Court records

Wills and estates

Marriages, births and deaths

Poor relief and institutions

Naturalization records

Tax records

Church 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

  • Des Moines County official website

    Hours, addresses and phone numbers for the county recorder, the clerk of the district court and the State Historical Society of Iowa, and any online record search the county offers.

  • 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, Des Moines" 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

Later formed partly from Des Moines County: Henry County, Lee County, Louisa County, Muscatine County, Van Buren County

Michigan TerritoryDes MoinesDes MoinesMichigan Territory
Des Moines as created in 1834Where 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 1834, search the parent county. The Atlas of Historical County Boundaries shows each boundary change.

Research tip

Iowa took a state census every ten years from 1885 to 1925 (and earlier ones too), halfway between the federal censuses. The 1925 census asks for each person's parents' names and birthplaces.