Hardin County is named after Colonel John J. Hardin a leader in the Black Hawk Wars. The county was organized in 1852. Judge William McKay appointed two men to locate a suitable site for a county seat. In June of 1853, they selected the site which is now known as Eldora. The town was named by Mrs. S. R. Edgington after the name of her child who had just died.
The County seat has been in Eldora since 1853. This location has been challenged four times with court cases and voting deciding the outcome. Steamboat Rock, Berlin, and Point Pleasant were the earliest of the challenges to the county seat's location. Finally, in 1892 Iowa Falls citizens offered the county government $32,000 towards the building of a new courthouse if it were built in Iowa Falls. The Eldora citizens countered with an offer of $40,000 if the courthouse stayed in Eldora. This sum added with the $20,000 already appropriated for the new building made quite a down payment towards the new site. In 1971 the courthouse under went a major remodeling and in 1981 was placed on the National Register of Historic Places.
Hardin County consists of 15 townships named as follows: Alden, Hardin, Etna, Buckeye, Ellis, Jackson, Clay, Sherman, Tipton, Pleasant, Eldora, Concord, Grant, Providence, and Union.
Boundaries
Hardin
County
is located in central Iowa and is
bounded by the following counties: West: Hamilton, NW: Wright; North:
Franklin; NE: Butler; Grundy; and South Marshall and Story.
Current towns and communities (Zip codes given for towns having Post Offices)
1890 1990
Ackley 50601 Etna, Franklin County 1,286 1,696
Alden 50006 Alden 512 855
Buckeye 50043 Buckeye 105
Eldora 50627 Eldora 1,578 3,038
Garden City 50102 Concord
Gifford 50269 Union
Hubbard 50122 Tipton 452 814
Iowa Falls 50126 Hardin 1,796 5,435
New Providence 50206 Providence 200 240
Owasa 50126 Jackson 100 37
Radcliffe 50230 Sherman 350 574
Steamboat Rock 50672 Clay 367 335
Union 50258 Union 514 448
Whitten 50269 Union 195 137
Abandoned towns
Town Township
Town Township
Berlin Jackson Pilgrim’s Grove Ellis
Cottage Ellis Point Pleasant Pleasant
Cleves Etna Poughkeepsie Hardin
Delante Eldora Quebec Pleasant
Duane Alden Racine
Eagle City Jackson Radcliffe Crossing Sherman
Ellis Ellis Rathton
Fontaine Ricord
Georgetown Hardin Robertson Etna
Hardin City Jackson Rocksylvania Hardin
Hazel Green Etna Rockwood
Idaho Grant Sandersonville
La Yerba Etna Tipton Grove Tipton
Lawn Hill Pleasant Link
Lithopolis Clay Xenia Eldora
Macy
Midland
Section II: Resource Centers
Courthouse:
· [HCCH] Hardin County Courthouse
1215 Edgington Avenue
Eldora, Iowa 50627
Historical Societies
· [AHC] Ackley Heritage Center
Ackley Municipal Building
Ackley, Iowa 50601
· [HCHS] Hardin County Historical Society
1603 Washington Street
Eldora, Iowa 50627
· IFHS] Iowa Falls Historical Society
1320 Stevens
Iowa Falls, Iowa 50126
Libraries with Genealogical or Historical Collections
· [AcPL] Ackley Public Library
401 State Street
Ackley, Iowa 50601
· [AlPL] Alden Public Library
1012 Water Street
Alden, Iowa 50006
· [EPL] Eldora Public Library
1219 14th Avenue
Eldora, Iowa 50627
· [HPL] Hubbard Public Library
323 East Maple Street
Hubbard, Iowa 50122
· [BML] Barlow Memorial Library (Iowa Falls Public Library)
921 Washington Avenue
Iowa Falls, Iowa 50126
· [RPL] Radcliffe Public Library
210 Isabella Street
Radcliffe, Iowa 50230
· [SRPL] Steamboat Rock Public Library
Market Street
Steamboat Rock, Iowa 50672
· [UPL] Union Public Library
406 Commercial Street
Union, Iowa 50258
· [IGSL] Iowa Genealogical Society Library
628 East Grand Avenue
Des Moines, Iowa 50309
· [ISHL] Iowa State Historical Library
600 East Locust Street
Des Moines, Iowa 50309
Section III: Records – records may be found at the record sites abbreviated after each entry. See Section II for complete record site information.
Census
· Federal: 1850, 1860, 1870, 1880, 1900, 1910, 1920, 1930, microfilm: [IGSL] , [ISHL]
· Federal Indices: 1850, 1860, 1870, 1880, 1900, 1920: [IGSL] , [ISHL]
· State: 1885, 1895, 1915, 1925: [IGSL] , [ISHL]
· 1856 State Census, Hardin Co., transcript: [IGSL] , [ISHL]
Vital Records
· Births: (from 1880), originals: [HCCH] ; (1880-1933), microfilm: [IGSL] , [ISHL]
· Birth Index: (1880-1908), microfilm: [IGSL]
· Death: (from 1880), originals: [HCCH] ; (1880-1920), microfilm: [IGSL] , [ISHL]
· Marriages: (from 1853), originals: [HCCH] ; (1853- 1935), microfilm: [IGSL] ; (1853-1928), microfilm: [ISHL]
· Marriage Index: (1853-1979), microfilm: [IGSL]
· Early Marriages 1866-1869, transcript: [IGSL]
Probate and related records
· Probate Records, (from 1854), originals: [HCCH]
· Probate records, (1865-1883), microfilm: [ISHL]
· Wills, (1854-1930), microfilm: [ISHL]
· Probate ledgers, (1854-1871), microfilm: [ISHL]
· Hardin Co. Probate Fee Book #1, transcript: [IGSL]
· Record of Will Book “B”, (1852-1875), transcript: [IGSL]
Land and related records
· Land Records, (from 1849), originals: [HCCH]
· Homestead records, (1867-1883), microfilm: [ISHL]
· Land deeds, (1867-1885), microfilm: [ISHL]
· Mortgage chattels, (1851-1885), microfilm: [ISHL]
· Hardin Co., Land Records: Alphabetical County Listing of Purchasers from United States, 5 vol: [IGSL]
· Mason: Hardin Co. Plat books for 1875, 1892, 1903, 1916, (2000): [ISHL]
Maps, atlases and gazetteers
· Hardin Co., Iowa Rural Resident Directory, (1979): [IGSL]
· Atlas of Hardin Co. (1935): [IGSL]
· Hardin County Andreas Atlas Patrons: [IGSL]
· Hixon: Plat Book and Farmer’s Directory, Hardin Co.: [IGSL] , [ISHL]
· Harrison and Warner: Atlas of Hardin Co. from surveys (1875): [ISHL]
Court records
· Court Records, from 1853, originals: [HCCH]
· Court Dockets, 1871-1889, microfilm: [ISHL]
· Naturalization records, 1859-1914, microfilm: [ISHL]
Cemetery
· Mason: Hardin Co., Iowa Cemeteries (1999): [IGSL]
· Chester and Highland Cemeteries 1866-69: [IGSL]
· Chester Cemetery: [IGSL]
· Union Cemetery: [IGSL]
· Hardin Co., Iowa Cemetery Records: [IGSL]
· Area cemetery records, microfilm: [ISHL]
Funeral homes (current listing)
· Ackley
- Sietsema Funeral Home
501 10th Avenue
Ackley, Iowa 50601
· Alden
- Surls Funeral Home
1207 Alden Street, Alden, Iowa 50006
· Eldora
- Creps Abels Funeral Home
905 Edington Avenue, Eldora, Iowa 50627
· Hubbard
- Boeke Funeral Home
501 E Maple Street, Hubbard, Iowa 50122
· Iowa Falls
- Surls Funeral Home
505 Stevens Street, Iowa Falls, Iowa 50126
- Linns Funeral Home
1521 Washington Avenue, Iowa Falls, Iowa 50126
· Radcliffe
- Boeke Funeral Home
201 E Minnie Street, Radcliffe, Iowa 50230
· Union
- Biersborn Funeral Home
31237 State, Highway 215, Union, Iowa 50258
· Scott-Surls Funeral Home – Alden and Williams, Iowa (1988): [IGSL]
Obituaries
· Bunch-DeLawyer: Marshall – Hardin County Obituaries (1970): [ISHL]
Church, Bible
· Hamilton Co. Gen Soc.: Lutheran Church Record from Hamilton and Hardin Cos. (1987): [IGSL]
· Salem Evangelical United Brethren Church, Hubbard (1963): [IGSL]
· Methodist Church, Iowa Falls, Centennial 1856 – 1956: [IGSL] , [ISHL]
· Zion United Church of Christ, Hubbard (1983): [IGSL]
· First Presbyterian Church, Ackley 1882-1945, microfilm: [ISHL]
· Saint Mary’s Catholic Church, Ackley 1866-1924, microfilm: [ISHL]
· Emmanuel Evangelical Church, Alden 1880-1900, microfilm: [ISHL]
· Peace Church, Buckeye 1893-1900, microfilm: [ISHL]
· Church of Christ, Eldora 1856-1881, microfilm: [ISHL]
· First Methodist Church, Eldora 1854-1919, microfilm: [ISHL]
· Friend’s Book, Honey Creek 1889-1950, microfilm: [ISHL]
· English Evangelical Lutheran Church, Iowa Falls 1917-1950, microfilm: [ISHL]
· First Methodist Church, Iowa Falls 1883-1926, microfilm: [ISHL]
· Friend’s Book, New Providence 1830-1900, microfilm: [ISHL]
· Beecher: 50th Anniversary and dedication of Union Community Church (1958): [ISHL]
· First Congregational Church Centennial 1868-1968, Eldora (1968): [ISHL]
· Hardin Co. Heritage Committee: Hardin Co., Iowa Churches (1976): [ISHL]
· Hardin Co. Quaker meetings: Honey Creek MM, 1852-1900; New Providence MM, 1874-1900 (1976): [ISHL]
Military
· Grand Army of the Republic Roster: Eldora, Iowa Falls: [ISHL]
· Iowa Falls Times-Citizen: War on the home front (2000): [ISHL]
Newspapers: (on microfilm)
· Ackley
- The Ackley World – Journal (1976-1996): [ISHL]
· Eldora
- The Eldora Enterprise (1897-1898): [ISHL]
- The Eldora Herald (1874-1931): [ISHL]
- The Eldora Herald Ledger (1931-2000): [ISHL]
- Eldora Ledger (1893-1910): [ISHL]
- Eldora Weekly Ledger (1872-1892): [ISHL]
- The Enterprise (1893-1897): [ISHL]
- Hardin County Index (1972-1984): [ISHL]
- Hardin County Ledger (1912-1931): [ISHL]
- The Herald (1891-1903): [ISHL]
· Hubbard
- The South Hardin Signal Review (1987-1996): [ISHL]
- Hubbard Monitor: Souvenir Edition, March 1896 (1976): [IGSL]
· Iowa Falls
- The Iowa Falls Times Citizen (1955-2001): [ISHL]
- The Iowa Falls Sentinel (1870-1923): [ISHL]
Educational, business and other: (school annuals for this county)
· Hubbard Alumni Assn: Hubbard High School Centennial 1892-1992 (1992): [IGSL]
County & Local Histories:
· Union Pub. Co.: History of Hardin Co., Iowa (1883): [IGSL] , [ISHL]
· All name index to 1883 Hardin Co. History : [IGSL]
· Moir: Past and Present of Hardin Co., Iowa (1911): [IGSL] , [ISHL]
· Mason: Index to Past and Present of Hardin Co. – 1911, (1994): [ISHL]
· Kleeme, et al: Hubbard 1881-1981 A Centennial Calendar (1981): [IGSL]
· Hardin Co. Hist. Soc.: Hardin County, Iowa (1981): [ISHL]
· Whipple: A Tale of Two Towns: Oakland Valley and Popejoy (1993): [IGSL]
· Iowa Falls, Iowa Centennial 1855-1955 (1955): [IGSL]
· Beecher: Reflections on Union Township, n.d.: [ISHL]
· History of Owasa Centennial (1984): [ISHL]
· Roefsema: A walk through history – Steamboat Rock’s historic cemetery (2000): [ISHL]
· Courthouse Centennial Committee: Hardin County Courthouse Centennial 1892-1992 (1992): [ISHL]
· Campett, et al: New Providence Community Photo Album: [ISHL]
Publications
· Iowa Genealogical Society: Hawkeye Heritage, articles through 1993, [IGSL] , [ISHL] (Entries indicate year, issue number and page number)
- 1856 State Census (1968) 3:108
- Andreas Atlas Patrons (1968) 3:115
- Cemetery at the Iowa State Reform School for Boys, Eldora (1989) 3:150
- Chester Cemetery (1968) 3:134
- Early Marriages 1866-1869 (1968) 3:121
- Iowa State Training School for Boys Cemetery (1985) 1:61
- Record of Will Book “B” (1968) 3:128
- Township map (1968) 3:106
We wish to acknowledge the contributions made by the Hardin County Historical Society, the Hardin County Courthouse, the Iowa State Historical Society and volunteers at the Iowa Genealogical Society in providing data contained in this research guide. Their efforts have been of immeasurable help in gathering this information.