Orange County, Indiana History and Genealogy Research Guide and Links

ORANGE COUNTY, Indiana
History <-> Genealogy

*First created in 1816.
*County seat: Paoli.
Located in southern Indiana.
*Cities, Towns & Communities include: Abbey Dell (Abydel), Bacon, Bonds, Braxtons Siding, Bromer, Chambersburg, Ethel, Fargo, French Lick, Glass Rock, Greenbrier, Leipsic, Lost River, Mahan Crossing, Millersburg, Newton Stewart, Orangeville, Orleans, Paoli, Pine Valley, Pumpkin Center, Rego, Scarlet, Stampers Creek, Syria, Trotter Crossing, Valeene, West Baden Springs, Woodlawn Grove andYoungs Creek.
Select this LINK to see GENERAL Orange 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.
Disclaimer: 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.

**Townships in Orange County**
(North = Top)
Northwest Township	Orangeville Township	Orleans Township	Northeast Township
French Lick Township	-->	Paoli Township	Stampers Creek Township
Jackson Township	-->	<-Greenfield Township	Southeast Township

Surrounding Counties:
NW = Martin County, IN     N = Lawrence County, IN
W = Dubois County, IN   ORANGE COUNTY   E = Washington County, IN
                                        S = Crawford County, IN

ORANGE COUNTY, INDIANA
Established in 1816, from Gibson, Knox, and Washington Counties; County seat is Paoli.
+ MAPS + TOWNS + TOWNSHIPS + NEIGHBORING COUNTIES +
+ CHURCHES + CEMETERIES + MUSEUMS and HISTORIC SITES +
+ NEWS & NEWSPAPERS +
+ COMMERCE, TOURISM & ONLINE COMMUNITY +
+ HISTORY & GENEALOGY: Articles & Online Databases + BIOGRAPHIES +
+ NATIVE AMERICAN: THE PEOPLE + NATURE +
+ ARCHIVES & LIBRARIES for Further Research +
+ COUNTY GOVERNMENT & Vital Records +
+ PROFESSIONAL HISTORICAL GENEALOGY RESEARCH +

MAPS
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Interactive map of Orange County, Indiana (present day).
1875 Map of Orange County, Indiana, from Higgins Belden & Co. (see citation)
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.

NATIVE AMERICAN
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The Miami Nation of Indians of Indiana

P.O. Box 41 - Peru, Indiana 46970 Phone: (765) 473-9631

Miami History and History of the Delaware, by Lee Sultzman.

MUSEUMS & HISTORIC SITES
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Orange County Historical Museum

Welcome to the Orange County, Indiana Tourism Website.

Resorts, historical places & museums, historic downtown areas, and more.

Indiana Railway Museum -French Lick, West Baden & Southern Railroad
Wesley Chapel Gulf Area, located on the Hoosier National Forest in western Orange County, Indiana, was designated as a National Natural Landmark in 1972 due to its impressive Karst geologic features. It is named after the nearby church, built in 1858, originally known as Bruner's Chapel, and has an associated cemetery.

CHURCHES
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Local Catholic Church History & Genealogy Research Guide & Worldwide Directory + Indiana* Page.

CEMETERIES
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Indiana State Library.

Indiana Cemetery Locator Database

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.

COMMERCE, TOURISM & ONLINE COMMUNITY
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Welcome to the Orange County, Indiana Tourism Website.

Resorts, historical places & museums, historic downtown areas, and more.

Tourism in Orange County, Indiana
Kiva an area internet provider.
Explore Southern Indiana

NATURE
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GORP: Hoosier National Forest
DNR: List of Endangered, Threatened and Rare Species in Orange County, Indiana (.pdf)
Patoka Lake - Patoka Reserve Landscape Map
Wesley Chapel Gulf Area, located on the Hoosier National Forest in western Orange County, Indiana, was designated as a National Natural Landmark in 1972 due to its impressive Karst geologic features. It is named after the nearby church, built in 1858, originally known as Bruner's Chapel, and has an associated cemetery.

NEWS & NEWSPAPERS
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Indiana State Library:

County Newspaper Holdings (in Indianapolis)

BIOGRAPHIES
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The Political Graveyard, for Orange County, Indiana, created and maintained by Lawrence Kestenbaum, a web site about U.S. political history, politicians and cemeteries.

HISTORY <-> GENEALOGY: Articles and Online Databases
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USGenWeb Archives for Orange County Indiana - includes the following and more!

W. P. A. Index to Orange County death records, ca. 1882-1920:

[Surnames: A-B, C, D-F, G-K, L-M, N-S, T-Z ]

1820 Federal Census of Orange County, abstracted by Thomas B. Agan
1830 Federal Census of Orange County, abstracted by Thomas B. Agan
1840 Orange County Census images

familysearch.org - 1880 Census Index
USGenWeb Archives: Orange County Cemeteries

Bethel Cemetery, Orangeville Township Sec. 31-T. 3N.-R.L.W.
Higgins Cemetery, Orangeville Township Sec. 7-T. 2N.-R.1W. (Abandoned)
Wesley Chapel Cemetery, Orangeville Township Sec. 9-T.2 N.-R.1 W.
Providence Cemetery, probably located in Greenfield Township, Orange County, near Fargo, IN (see map)
Robinson-Pace Cemetery, located about a mile off the Hillham-Norton Road behind the house of Mary Harrison, near Orange-Dubois border (within Columbia Township, Dubois County).
Rock Springs Primitive Baptist Church and Cemetery, located in
Rock Springs Cemetery (aka Valeene Christian Church Cemetery)
James Baker Grave, Stampers Creek Township Sec. 2-T. 1N.-R.1.E. Abandoned

Orange County Genealogy & History, by Sandra Sanchez or Tom Agan, Table of Contents!!!
countyhistory.com: for Orange County, by Ronald Branson!
1820 Indiana Census Index, by Lori!
The Doughboy Center - presented by The Great War Society.
World War II Veterans Online Information Center
USA Veterans' Administration

Request Deceased USA Veterans' Records? Phone: 1-800-827-1000.

NARA: National Archives and Records Administration

The Genealogy Page.
Military Record Requests (SF180)

Indiana State Library.

Indiana Cemetery Locator Database
Indiana Biography Index
Index of Indiana Marriages Through 1850.
WWII Servicemen Index
Images from the County
County Newspaper Holdings (in Indianapolis)

ARCHIVES & LIBRARIES for Further Research
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Paoli Public Library

Melton Public Library
Orleans Public Library

COUNTY GOVERNMENT & Vital Records
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Orange County Health Department (For Birth and Death Records from ca. 1882)

Orange County Circuit Court (For Marriage, Divorce & Probate Records)

Orange County Clerk

Orange County Recorder

Orange County Communities

French Lick Township communities include: Abydel, French Lick and West Baden Springs.

Indiana Railway Museum -French Lick, West Baden & Southern Railroad
Melton Public Library

Greenfield Township communities include: Ethel, Fargo, Greenbrier and Youngs Creek. Greenfield Township is completely within the Hoosier National Forest.

Patoka Lake - Patoka Reserve Landscape Map

Jackson Township communities include: Patoka Lake. Jackson Township is within the Hoosier National Forest.

Patoka Lake Recreation Area - internet site includes pictures and information of local interest.
Patoka Lake - Patoka Reserve Landscape Map
R.R. 1, Box 290 - Birdseye, IN 47513 Phone: (812) 685-2464.

Northeast Township communities include: Bromer, Leipsic and Pumpkin Center.

Northwest Township communities include: Bonds and Scarlet.

Orangeville Township communities include: Orangeville.

Orleans Township communities include: Orleans.

Orleans: Dogwood Capital of Indiana - a brief sketch of the community's history and historical sites.
Orleans Public Library

Paoli Township communities include: Braxtons Siding, Chambersburg, Lost River, Paoli, Stampers Creek, Syria and Woodlawn Grove.

Orange County Historical Museum
Welcome to the Orange County, Indiana Tourism Website.

Resorts, historical places & museums, historic downtown areas

Paoli Public Library

Southeast Township communities include: Bacon, Newton Stewart and Valeene.

Patoka Lake - Patoka Reserve Landscape Map

just south of Patoka Lake's center finger

Newton Stewart location map

Stampers Creek Township communities include: Mahan Crossing, Millersburg, Rego and Trotter Crossing.

[ Additional Research Resources for All Indiana Counties ]
[ Return to Indiana Local History ]

PROFESSIONAL HISTORICAL GENEALOGY RESEARCH
Ann McRoden Mensch, Professional Historical Genealogist Researching onsite, and with the vast resources of the Allen County Public Library, holding one of the largest genealogical collections in North America. Search the Library's online catalogue to see some of the printed resources available for a location or topic.

Printed resources for this page include:

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.
New Sectional Township Map of Indiana. Chicago, Illinois : Higgins Belden & Co., 1875.

[ Return to Indiana Local History ]