Lee County, Iowa Genealogy Records

Selected record inventories for Lee 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
1836
County seat
Keokuk
Henry CountyJefferson CountyKeokuk CountyLouisa CountyVan Buren CountyWashington CountyDes Moines CountyLee CountyHenryJeffersonVan BurenDes MoinesLee
Lee CountyParent county (search here for earlier records)Today's boundaries · U.S. Census Bureau

Listed record inventories

Selected holdings and indexes for Lee 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

Other records

County government

Court records

Marriages, births and deaths

Naturalization records

Wills and estates

Schools

Cemeteries and burial

Tax 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 Lee 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, Lee" 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: Des Moines County

Check the parent county for earlier records: Des Moines County

Des MoinesLeeLeeDes Moines
Lee as created in 1836Where 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 1836, 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.