Iowa Tools

The following links are provided to facilitate genealogical research throughout the state of Iowa. If there is an Iowa genealogical page that should be added to this list, please send a note with information about the page to the county coordinator. NOTE: I am in the middle of the process of converting this page from a list to a list of links with a description following the link

Family Search Research Guide for Iowa

This is the Wiki page at FamilySearch.org that focuses on the state of Iowa. Many think this is the best, first stop for general genealogy tasks in Iowa. (In general, most wiki pages at FamilySearch are outstanding.) Browse through the items on this page and it should handle most of your questions about getting started.

Iowa GenWeb Project

This is the state-level project that is the parent of this Marion county site. All the other counties can be found here as well as other special projects.

Cyndi's List of Iowa Genealogical Sites

The Cyndi's List website has been known for a long time as a great place for a wealth of links for many different topics.

Iowa Vital Records

This link takes you to the Vital Records portion of the Iowa Health & Services website. Here is where you can learn about Birth, Marriage and Death records for the state.

State Library of Iowa

This link points to the State Library of Iowa and offers a multitude of services and programs to the libraries and citizens of Iowa.

State Historical Society of Iowa

This link points to the home page of State Historical Society of Iowa. This is a great place to visit in person (across the street from the following Iowa Genealogical Society) or online.

Iowa Genealogical Society

This link points to the home page of the Iowa Genealogical Society. This is an active society and a great places for records, both in-house and online.

Iowa Communities Past and Present

This page at IAGenWeb gives an alphabetical listing of all current and past communities in Iowa, giving the name and the county in which resides (or resided). You can also restrict the listing to a specific county by selecting the county name in the row above the community listings. Doing so also indicates when the county was created and organized and the parent county, when applicable.

Iowa History Project

This is a Special Project that is part of IAGenWeb whose mission is "To place on-line as many out of copyright publications pertaining to all areas of Iowa history."

Iowa Family Group Sheet Project

This is a Special Project (archived status) that is part of IAGenWeb and lists, as the name implies, family group sheets that give details about a particular family that has been contributed by individuals.

Iowa Old Press

This is a Special Project (archived status) that is part of IAGenWeb and is dedicated to the scores of newspapers that are printed chronicles of the lives and times of Iowa and Iowans. Read these pages and step back in time and learn how the Press reported the news & influenced our Iowa ancestors in the 1800's and into the mid-1900's.

Orphan Train Riders to Iowa

This page, a part of IAGenWeb, is here to tell the story of your family's Orphan Train Rider, as well as to try and help you find information that may add to your research.

Iowa Archives, USGenWeb Project

This is the Iowa page on the USGenWeb Archives Project, where USGenWeb is the parent organization for IAWebGen. It can be used to search the state, but not sure if the returns are actually working. Contact me if you have further insight into this site.

RootsWeb

While this used to be a very active site, it is now only a read-only site. You still may find some things worth your time looking.

Celtic Cousins: The Irish in Iowa

When the home page says "What's the latest? - May 2007", one can likely conclude that this is no longer actively adding material. However, if you are interest in learning Irish ancestors in Iowa, this may be a place to start.

Iowa Tombstone Project

This is an Iowa page for the USGenWeb Tombstone Project. Some counties have results while others less so.

Iowa Casualties in the Korean War

This pdf page at the National Archives lists the casualties during the Korean War who hail from Iowa.

Iowa Casualties in the Vietnam War

This pdf page at the National Archives lists the casualties during the Vietnam War who hail from Iowa.

State Association for the Preservation of Iowa Cemeteries

The State Association for the Preservation of Iowa Cemeteries (SAPIC) is a nonprofit entity. SAPIC promotes cemetery preservation and provides advice on proper cemetery repairs. SAPIC also offers financial assistance to people and organizations engaged in cemetery preservation work in Iowa.

Iowa Genealogy Forum

The Genealogy.com site seems to have diminished in use but it can still be a source for past forums where people share Q & A. The link above is for Iowa, but one can also choose counties.