Tracing a family line in Indiana means knowing which records exist, where they live, and where the gaps are. This guide walks you through the free path first — then how to get the whole history researched and written.
Look up your surname among the deceased residents of Indiana in our public-record database.
Search Indiana records →Where Indiana records live
The single most useful repository is the Indiana State Archives & Indiana Historical Society in Indianapolis — the state's central archive for historical, vital, and county records. For official vital records, statewide death registration in Indiana began around 1900 (earlier at the county health office or clerk). Before that, the earliest births, marriages, and deaths were kept at the county level, so an early ancestor may only appear in county courthouse records.
A Indiana standout worth knowing: the Indiana State Library's genealogy collection and county-level death registers.
The free records, step by step
- Start with the census. Every U.S. federal census through 1950 is public and free — it places your family in a Indiana county every ten years with ages, birthplaces, and relationships.
- Find the death record. Search our Indiana database and the state death index; a death record usually names parents and birthplace, jumping you back a generation.
- Add the obituary. The Library of Congress's Chronicling America has free Indiana newspapers; obituaries list surviving relatives and maiden names.
- Confirm with the grave. Cemetery and tombstone transcriptions — many public domain and in our database — give dates when a certificate doesn't exist.
Where Indiana research gets hard
The two usual walls are the pre-registration gap (deaths before 1900 may have no certificate) and the 1890 census, most of which burned. Bridging them takes county records, church registers, land and probate files, and state censuses — the kind of documentary digging that takes time and know-how.
We trace both sides back to the documented wall and deliver it as a written book and an interactive family site — flat rate, no DNA test required.
See how it works →Frequently asked questions
How do I find my ancestors in Indiana for free?
Start with the free U.S. census (public through 1950) and our free Indiana ancestor database, then add the state death index, newspaper obituaries on Chronicling America, and cemetery transcriptions.
When did Indiana start keeping death records?
Statewide death registration in Indiana began around 1900 (earlier at the county health office or clerk). Earlier deaths, if recorded, are usually found at the county courthouse.
Where are Indiana vital records kept?
The Indiana State Archives & Indiana Historical Society in Indianapolis is the central archive, and county recorders or clerks hold the earliest local vital records.