[Contact: Ann McRoden Mensch]

*First created in 1835.
*County seat: Portland.
Located in eastern Indiana, with Ohio at it's eastern boundary.
*Cities, Towns & Communities include: Antioch, Antiville, Balbec, Bellfountian, Blaine, Bluff Point, Boundary City, Brice, Bryant, Center, College Corner, Collett, Como, Corkwell, Dunkirk, Fiat, Greene, Jay City, Kitt, Liber, New Corydon, New Mount Pleasant, Noble, Pennville, Pleasant Ridge, Poling, Pony, Portland, Powers, Redkey, Ridertown, Salamonia, Salem, Trinity, Westchester and West Liberty.

Select this LINK to see GENERAL Jay County information and links.
Select from the TOWN list above to learn which township the community is located in, and view information and links specific to that area.
Select from the TOWNSHIPs Table below to view information and links specific to the township.
Please note:  Though the information on this web page is believed to be correct, the possibility of error remains.  Please notify the webmaster should an error be found.  

Ronald Branson's countyhistory.com, for Jay County, Indiana  - Mr. Branson's site includes local maps, images and biographies, in addition to the text from the wonderful book, "History of Jay County," published in 1864.  The first few chapters of this book describe the lives of the first 3 pioneer families from the perspective of the surviving wives, and the book also includes stories of fugitive slaves and Civil War information up to the publication date!!!!
• USGenWeb for Jay County Genealogy- maintained by Amy Campbell.
• 1865 Map of Jay County.
• Civil War Discharges and News
• Jay County, Indiana Biographies Index by Deb Murray 
• Jay County Connections - Biographies Online:
• Walter Blaine Brunson (born June 20, 1884 in Jay County, IN), by Linda Hunt Hamlett.
• Andrew Thrash of Jay County: The Thrashers Come To Indiana, from Milton T. Jay, M.D., History of Jay County Indiana, Historical Publishing Co., Indianapolis. 1922, Vol. II, pp.434-435. Transcribed by Eloine Chesnut.
• Jay County Civil War Soldiers - from M. W. Montgomery's, History of Jay County Indiana, 1864, as included in 2 Vol edition by Historical Pub. Co. 1922, Vol I, pp.126-160.
• Jay County Genealogy Society
  
    109 South Commerce Street, Suite E - Portland, Indiana  47371
     Phone: (260) 726-4323   E-mail: jaycogen@jayco.net
    Hours:  Tuesday thru Friday, from 10 a.m. to 4:00 p.m.
"...We have the best genealogy library on Jay County, Indiana information and we have the original Will & Probate records from the Courthouse from 1826-1900 and 1950's, 1960's and 1970's.  There are going to be more coming after the microfilming.  Our office hours are Monday thru Friday 10:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m." - Rick Hambrock, Office Manager.
• Jay County Historical Society
  
     P.O. Box 1282 -  903 East Main Street - Portland, IN  47371  Phone:  (260) 726-7168.
• Jay County Historical Museum
    903 East Main Street - Portland, IN 47371  Phone: (260) 726-7982.
• The Glass Museum
  
   309 S. Franklin Street - Dunkirk, IN  Phone: (765) 768-6872.
• The Political Graveyard for Jay County - a web site about U.S. political history and
cemeteries.
• Indiana State Library.
  
   140 North Senate Avenue - Indianapolis, IN 46204-2296
• Indiana Cemetery Locator Database
• Indiana Biography Index
• Index of Indiana Marriages Through 1850.
• Images from the County
• County Newspaper Holdings (in Indianapolis)
• WWII Servicemen Index
• 1820 Indiana Census Index, by Lori!
• Museum of the Soldier - Portland, IN
• The Doughboy Center - presented by The Great War Society.
• World War II Veterans Online Information Center
• USA Veterans' Administration
• Progressive Internet Services of Jay County.
• Portland Chamber of Commerce.
• List of structures and districts within Jay County which appear on the  National Register of Historic Places.
• MyLocal.IN for Jay County, Indiana - information.
• Jay County Convention and Visitors Bureau
  
• EcoIndiana - Jay County environment information.
• Interactive map of Jay County, Indiana.
• Use the query form, at USGS, to map features including cemeteries, churches, populated places, and more.  Please note that the map town listed with a feature may be used as a map reference for the site, and may not be the town where the feature is actually located...Select a map to see the location of the actual feature.  This database may not be complete, and, as with any database, there may be errors.
• Jay County Public Library
   315 North Ship Street - Portland, IN 47371   Phone: (260) 726-7890.
   Hours:  Monday thru Friday 8:00 a.m. to 8:00 p.m.; Saturday 8:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m.; Closed Sundays.
   WebPac: Online Catalogue of Library Holdings.
• Dunkirk City Public Library
  
   127 West Washington Street - Dunkirk, IN  47336-1218   Phone:  765-768-6872.
 
• Jay County Health Department (For Birth & Death Certificates from ca. 1882)
  
• Courthouse Annex, 504 W. Arch Street - Portland, IN 47371; Phone: (260) 726-8080
  
  
• Jay Circuit Court Clerk (For Marriage, Divorce and Probate records)
  
   Courthouse - Main & Walnut - Portland, IN 47371  Phone: (260) 726-4951. 

Bear Creek Township - communities include:  Antiville, Bryant, Pleasant Ridge and Westchester.


---

Greene Township - communities include: Blaine, Center, Corkwell, Greene and Pony.


---

Jackson Township - communities include: Kitt, Poling and West Liberty.


---

Jefferson Township - communities include: Como, New Mt. Pleasant and Powers.


---

Knox Township - communities include: Ridertown is situated on the Knox Township, Jay County and Jackson Township, Blackford county line.


---

Madison Township - communities include: Salamonia (Lancaster) and Salem.


---

Noble Township - communities include: Bellfountain, Brice and Noble.


---

Penn Township - communities include: Balbec, Fiat and Pennville.  The community of Camden was located in this township.
• Penn Township Trustee
    Rr 1 - Pennville, IN 47369  Phone: (260) 731-5001.
• Pennville Town Hall
     110 North Washington Street - Pennville, IN 47369  Phone: (260) 731-2801.
• Pennville Penn Township Library
  
     195 Union Street - Box 206 - Pennville, IN 47369  Phone: (260) 731-3333.


---

Pike Township - communities include: Antioch, Bluff Point, Boundary City and Collett.


---

Richland Township - communities include: Dunkirk and Redkey (Halfway).
     Note:  There is also a community called "Dunkirk" in Cass County, Indiana.
• The Glass Museum
   309 S. Franklin Street - Dunkirk, IN  Phone: (765) 768-6872.
• Dunkirk City Public Library
   127 West Washington Street - Dunkirk, IN  47336-1218   Phone:  765-768-6872.

---

Wabash Township - communities include: Jay City, New Corydon and Trinity.


---

Wayne Township - communities include: College Corner, Liber and Portland.
• Portland Chamber of Commerce.
• Jay County Historical Museum
  
    903 East Main Street - Portland, IN 47371  Phone: (260) 726-7982.
• Jay County Public Library
  
   315 North Ship Street - Portland, IN 47371   Phone: (260) 726-7890.
   Hours:  Monday thru Friday 8:00 a.m. to 8:00 p.m.; Saturday 8:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m.; Closed Sundays.
   WebPac: Online Catalogue of Library Holdings.
• Jay County Health Department (For Birth & Death Certificates from ca. 1882)
   Courthouse - 120 North Court Street - Portland, IN 47371-2116
   Phone: (260) 726-8080
• Jay Circuit Court Clerk (For Marriage, Divorce and Probate records)
  
   Courthouse - Main & Walnut - Portland, IN 47371  Phone: (260) 726-4951.

• Indiana Atlas & Gazetteer.  First Edition, Second Printing.  Yarmouth, Maine:  Delorme, 1998.
• School and Library Atlas of the World.  Fred W. Foster, Ph.D. (Editor).  Sycamore, Illinois:  School and Library Publishing Company, 1982.
• Ghost Towns of Jay County, Indiana, and "Ghost Towns of Jay County, by J.W. Fiers, 1920" (a newspaper article here retyped and republished).  Miriam Edmundson.  (Compiler).  Machesney Park, IL : William Edmundson, 1996. (Gc 977.201 J33E).
• History of Jay County, Indiana.  M. W. Montgomery.  (Author).  Evansville, Indiana : Unigraphic, 1969. Reprint of the 1864 edition printed for the author by Church, Goodman & Cushing, Chicago. (Gc 977.201 J33M, 1969).
• History of Jay County Indiana.  Milton T. Jay, M.D.  (Author).  Indianapolis, Indiana : Historical Publishing Co., 1922.
• Index to the History of Jay County, Indiana.  Mrs. Bryce Watkins. (Compiler).  Indiana : D.A.R., 1991.  (Gc 977.201 J33IN).
• Biographical and Historical Record of Jay County, Indiana  : containing portraits of all the presidents of the United States from Washington to Cleveland, with accompanying biographies of each; a condensed history of the state of Indiana; portraits and biographies of some of the prominent men of the state; engravings of prominent citizens in Jay and Blackford Counties, with personal histories of many of the leading families, and a concise history of Jay and Blackford Counties and their cities and villages.  Chicago: Lewis Publishing  Company, 1887.  (Gc 977.201 J33BIO).
• Reprint of Jay County section of Biographical and Historical Record of Jay and Blackford Counties. Indiana, originally published by Lewis Pub. Co., Chicago, 1887.  Knightstown, Ind. : Mayhill Publications, 1974.  [Includes index].  (Gc 977.201 J33BIP).
• Jay County, Indiana Index of Names of Persons and of Firms.  Works Progress
Administration of Indiana, [Work Project 39164-I].  (Compiler).  The Indiana State Library.  (Sponsor).  Indianapolis, Indiana :  Indiana Work Projects Administration, 1942.  (Gc 977.201 J33AA).  [Name index to six Jay County histories.]
• Index to Birth Records, Jay County, Indiana, 1882-1920, Inclusive, compiled from records in
County Health Office, Portland.  Indiana Works Progress Administration.  (Compiler).  Portland, Indiana : Indiana Work Projects Administration, 1938.  (Gc 977.201 J33UNB).
• Index to Marriage Records, Jay County, Indiana, 1850-1920, Inclusive, compiled from original
records in County Clerk's Office, Portland.  Indiana Works Progress Administration. (Compiler). Portland, Indiana : Indiana Work Projects Administration, 1938.  (Gc 977.201 J33UNM).
• Index to supplemental record: marriage applications, Jay County, Indiana, 1850-1920, compiled
from original records in County Clerk's Office, Portland.   Indiana Works Progress Administration.  (Compiler). Portland, Indiana : Indiana Work Projects Administration, 1938.  (Gc 977.201 J33UNMA).
• Index to Death Records of Jay County, Indiana, 1882-1921.  The Genealogical Records Committee, Daughters of the American Revolution, Indiana. Mississinewa Chapter, Portland. (Compiler).  Fort Wayne, Indiana : Fort Wayne-Allen County Public Library, 1963.  (Gc 977.201 J33D).
•  I.O.O.F. cemetery, Pennville, Jay County, Indiana.  Nancy E. & Fred E. Horn. (Authors).  Lapel, Indiana : N.E. & F.E. Horn, 1994.   [Includes index].  (Gc  977.202 P38H).
• Burials in West Grove Cemetery, Penn Township, Jay County, Indiana.  Rev. 1982.  Dwight L. Smith.  (Compiler).  [Indiana? : s.n., 1982?]  (Gc 977.201 J33SU).