49. JACKSON COUNTY, IOWA

 

Section I: History and Geography


History

 

Jackson County was named after President Andrew Jackson.  It, along with Jones and Linn Counties were established in 1837.  Bellevue was the seat of justice for all three counties.  Iowa became a territory in 1838.  The first census was taken in 1838 when Jackson County had 881 people.  Two years later, the population doubled.

 

In 1838 Andrew was designated the county seat.  Between 1848 and 1876, there was a continuing struggle between Andrew and Bellevue for the county seat.  During that time, the county seat was moved from one town to the other several times.

 

As the county became more settled, Maquoketa became the dominant centrally located town.  By 1873 the railroad had reached Maquoketa.  The Town of Maquoketa built a large city hall and offered to lease the building to Jackson County as a courthouse.  The proposition was put to a vote.  The measure was approved, and since then, Maquoketa has been the county seat.  Prior to the last move of the county seat from Andrew to Maquoketa, a stone county jail was built in 1871 at Andrew.  This structure remained the county jail until a new jail was built at Maquoketa in 1896.

 

Boundaries

 

Jackson County is located in eastern Iowa along the Mississippi River.  It is bordered by the following counties: west – Jones County; north – Dubuque County; east – Jo Daviess, and Carroll Counties, Illinois; and south – Clinton County.

 

Current towns and communities (Zip codes given for towns having Post Offices)

 

Town/Community        Township                                             Population

1890                                  2000

Andrew 52030                Perry                                                       307                   460

Baldwin 52207               Monmouth                                               227                   127

Bellevue 52031              Bellevue                                                1,394                2,350

Canton                          Brandon                                                  200                       

Fulton                           Farmers Creek                                         150                       

Green Island                  Washington                                             123

Hurstville                       South Fork                                                   

La Motte 52054              Prairie Spring, Richland                            154                   272

Maquoketa 52060          South Fork, Maquoketa                          3,077                6,112

Miles 52064                   Van Buren, Iowa                                       600                   462

Monmouth 52309           Monmouth                                               300                   180

Nashville                       Monmouth                                                 50                       

Preston 52069               Van Buren                                               489                   949

Sabula 52070                Union                                                      918                   670

St. Donatus 52071         Tete Des Morts                                        100                   140

Spragueville 52074         Fairfield, Van Buren                                  130                     89

Springbrook 52075         Jackson                                                  150                   182

 


 

Abandoned towns

 

Town                           Township                                 Town                           Township


 


 

Alma                             Butler                                        Iron Hill                         Farmers Creek

America                        Brandon                                    Isabell

Amoy                                                                            Lainsville          

Bridgeport                     Maquoketa                                Lakehurst                      South Fork

Buckhorn                      South Fork                                Lowell

Carrollport                     Union                                        Maple Grove                  Farmers Creek

Centerville                                                                     Millrock                         Monmouth

Charlestown                  Union                                        Mount Algor                   Van Buren

Clarkstown                    Washington                               New Castle                    Farmers Creek

Cobb                             became Millrock                        Nobbe  

Coloma                         Monmouth                                 North Maquoketa

Copper Creek                Van Buren                                 Oak Grove                     Brandon

Cottonville                     Richland                                    Otter Creek                   Otter Creek

Crabbs Mill                    Brandon                                    Ozark                           Brandon

Crab Town                     Brandon                                    Prairie Springs

Duggan                         Butler                                        Rolley                           Fairfield

Duke                             Prairie Springs                           Silsbee                         Perry

Emeline                        Brandon                                    Smiths Ferry

Esgate                          Farmers Creek                           Springfield                     became Maquoketa

Fairfield                         Fairfield                                     Spruce Mills                  Tetes des Mort

Farmers Creek               South Fork                                Sterling                         Iowa

Franklin                         Monmouth                                 Summer Hill                  Fairfield

Fremont                        Monmouth                                 Tetes des Mort              Tetes des Mort

Fulton                           Farmers Creek                           Union Center

Garry Owen                   Butler                                        Van Buren                     Van Buren

Gordons Ferry               Tete Des Morts                          Wagonersburg               Otter Creek

Greenland                     Washington                               Waterford                      South Fork

Hickory Grove                Bellevue                                    Wickliffe                        Washington

Higginsport                    Van Buren

Hugo                             Butler

Hurstville                       South Fork

 


 

 


 

Section II: Resource Centers

 

Courthouse:

 

·         [JCCH] Jackson County Courthouse

210 West Platte Street, Maquoketa, Iowa 52060

 

Genealogical Society

 

·         [JCGS] Jackson County Genealogical Society

P.O. Box 1065, Maquoketa, Iowa 52060

(The chapter has a collection of local material at the library in the Jackson County Historical Museum, Pearson Building, on the Jackson County Fairgrounds in Maquoketa

 

Historical Societies

 

·         [JCHS] Jackson County Historical Society

P. O. Box 1245, Maquoketa 52060

(Museum is in the Pearson Building at the Jackson County Fairgrounds on the east side of Maquoketa)

 

Libraries with Genealogical or Historical Collections

 

·         [BPL] Bellevue Public Library

106 North 3rd Street

Bellevue, Iowa 52031

·         [MPL] Maquoketa Public Library

126 North 2nd Street

Maquoketa, Iowa 52060

·         [PPL] Preston Public Library

1 West Gillet Street

Preston, Iowa 52069

·         [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 50319

 

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: [ISHL], [IGSL]

·         Federal Indexes: 1850, 1860, 1870, 1880, 1900, 1920: [ISHL], [IGSL]

·         Iowa State: 1885, 1895, 1905, 1915, 1925, microfilm: [ISHL], [IGSL]

·         Bellevue Public Library: Jackson County mortality schedule from 1850, 1860, 1870 and 1880 census, (1991): [ISHL]

·         Switzer, et al.: Jackson Co., Iowa federal census for 1850, (1973), transcript: [ISHL]

·         Jackson County, Iowa Census for 1850, transcript: [IGSL]

 

Vital Records

 

·         Birth records, (from1880): [JCCH]; (1880 – 1935), microfilm: [ISHL]; index to birth records, (1880 – 1941), microfilm: [ISHL]; (1880 – 1935), microfilm: [IGSL]

·         Marriage records, (from 1848): [JCCH]; (1847 – 1930), microfilm: [ISHL]; (1856 – 1926), microfilm: [IGSL]

·         Early marriages of Jackson Co., Iowa, (extracted from 1910 Jackson Co., History): [ISHL]

·         Death records, (from 1880): [JCCH]; (1880 – 1913), microfilm: [ISHL]; (1890 – 1935), microfilm: [IGSL]

 

Probate and related records

 

·         Probate records, (from 1838): [JCCH]; (1846 – 1925), microfilm: [ISHL]

·         Probate docket, (1869 – 1925), microfilm: [ISHL]

·         Will records, (1838 – 1938), microfilm: [ISHL]

·         Executor bonds, (1866 – 1928), microfilm: [ISHL]

·         Probate Book I, 1838 – 1851, Jackson Co., transcript: [IGSL]

·         Jackson County Pioneers and Will Book A and B: [IGSL]

 

 

Land and related records

 

·         Land records, (from 1838): [JCCH]

·         Land deed records, (1836-1902), microfilm: [ISHL]; index to land deeds, (1838 – 1901), microfilm: [ISHL]

·         Town lot deeds, (1855 – 1901), microfilm: [ISHL]; index to town lot deeds, (1855 – 1904), microfilm: [ISHL]

·         United States land patents, (1840-1875), microfilm: [ISHL]

·         Original Lot Owners, Bellevue, 1840: [IGSL]

·         Land Records: Original Entries – Township 84, North, Range 2… 1839 – 1849: [IGSL]

 

Maps, atlases and gazetteers

 

·         Owen Pub. Co.: Gazetteer and Directory of Jackson Co., Iowa, (1878): [ISHL]

·         Excelsior Printing Co.: Atlas and Plat Book of Jackson Co., Iowa, (1913): [ISHL]

 

Court records

 

·         Court records, (from 1839): [JCCH]

·         Civil court records, (from 1858): [JCCH]

·         Divorce records, (from 1906): [JCCH]

·         Guardian bonds and letters of guardianship, (1866 – 1920), microfilm: [ISHL]

·         Naturalization records, (1857 – 1929), microfilm: [ISHL]

 

Cemetery

 

·         Area cemetery records, listed by township, microfilm: [ISHL]

·         Works Progress Administration: Cemetery records of Jackson Co., Iowa, (1937): [ISHL]

·         Jackson County Genealogical Society: Jackson County Cemeteries, (1990): [ISHL], [IGSL]

·         Reel Cemetery: [IGSL]

·         North Bend Cemetery: [IGSL]

 

Funeral homes

 

·         Current: Jackson County Funeral Homes, n.d.: [IGSL]

·         Bellevue

-          Kingery Funeral Home

100 North 6th Street, Bellevue 52031

·         Maquoketa

-          Carson and Son Funeral Home

318 West Pleasant Street, Maquoketa, Iowa 52060

-          Haylock – O’Hara and Lahey Funeral Home

105 West Maple Street, Maquoketa, Iowa 52060

·         Preston

-          Miller Law – Jones Funeral Home

111 South Main Street, Preston, Iowa 52069

           

Obituaries

 

·         Jackson County Genealogical Society: Old Settler’s Obituaries, (198?): [ISHL]

·         Stuart: Obituary Index to the 1875 –1985 Bellevue Leader …, (1986): [ISHL], [IGSL]

·         Jackson County pioneers who died July 1902 – July 1902: [IGSL]

 

 

Church, Bible

 

·         Centennial: St. John’s Evangelical Lutheran Church, St. Donatus, Iowa, (1954): [ISHL]

·         McDonnell, et al: St. Patrick’s Church, Gary Owen, 1840 – 1990, (1990): [IGSL]

 

Military

 

·         Soldiers and sailors discharge records, (1917 – 1946), microfilm: [ISHL]

 

Newspapers:  (on microfilm)

 

·         Andrew

-          Western Democrat and Common School Journal, (1848 – 1850): [ISHL]

-          Western Democrat, (1850 – 1852): [ISHL]

·         Bellevue

-          The Jackson Press, (1852 – 1853): [ISHL]

-          The Jackson County Press, (1853 – 1854): [ISHL]

-          The Bellevue Leader, (1875 – 1960): [ISHL]

-          The Bellevue Herald, (1887 – 1960): [ISHL]

-          The Bellevue Herald and Bellevue Leader, (1960 – 1961): [ISHL]

-          The Bellevue Herald Leader, (1962 – 1987): [ISHL]

-          The Herald Leader, (1978 – 1996): [ISHL]

·         Maquoketa

-          Maquoketa Weekly Sentinel, (1858 – 1859): [ISHL]

-          Weekly Maquoketa Excelsior, (1860 – 1863): [ISHL]

-          Maquoketa Excelsior, (1864 – 1897, 1921 – 1930): [ISHL]

-          Maquoketa Weekly Excelsior, (1865 – 1865): [ISHL]

-          Jackson Sentinel, (1879, 1907 – 1914, 1916 – 1930, 1976 – 1979): [ISHL]

-          The Maquoketa Beacon, (1895 – 1897): [ISHL]

-          The Excelsior, (1897 – 1912): [ISHL]

-          The Maquoketa Record, (1897 – 1912): [ISHL]

-          The Excelsior – Record, (1912 – 1921): [ISHL]

-          Jackson Tri – Weekly Sentinel, (1914 – 1916): [ISHL]

-          Jackson Sentinel and Maquoketa Excelsior, (1930 – 1943): [ISHL]

-          The Maquoketa Community Press, (1976 – 1979): [ISHL]

-          Maquoketa Sentinel Press, (1980 – 1996): [ISHL]

·         Preston

-          The Preston Times,  (1905 - 1996): [ISHL]

·         Sabula

-          Sabula Semi - weekly Gazette, (1902): [ISHL]

-          Sabula Gazette, (1902, 1910, 1925, 1931 – 1934, 1936 – 1937, 1939 – 1941, 1943 – 1944, 1946 – 1950): [ISHL]

-          The Sabula Post Gazette, (1963 – 1968): [ISHL]

 

Miscellaneous:

 

·         Maquoketa Sentinel: Roster of Old Settlers, Jackson Co., Iowa 1912 – 1916: [ISHL]

·         Jackson County Genealogical Society: Pioneer Reunions: [ISHL]

·         Jackson County, Iowa Pioneers: [IGSL]

·         Index to material found at the museum at the Jackson County Fairgrounds, Maquoketa: [IGSL]

 

County & Local Histories:

 

·         Western History Co.: The History of Jackson County, Iowa, (1879), reprint 1993: [ISHL], [IGSL]

·         Iowa Genealogical Society: Index to Jackson County History – 1879, (1986): [ISHL]

·         Iowa Genealogical Society: Index to The 1879 Jackson County History, (1986): [IGSL], [ISHL]

·         Chapman Bros Pub.: Portrait and Biographical Album of Jackson County, Iowa, (1889): [ISHL]

·         Iowa Genealogical Society: Index to Portrait and Biographical Album – 1889, (1986): [ISHL], [IGSL]

·         Jackson Co. History Soc.: Annals of Jackson County, Iowa, (1905-13):

·         Ellis: History of Jackson County, Iowa, (1910), 2 vol., reprint 1993: [ISHL], [IGSL]

·         Iowa Genealogical Society: Index to Jackson County History – 1910, (1986): [ISHL], [IGSL]

·         Witcomb: History of Jackson County, Iowa, (1910): [ISHL]

·         Works Progress Administration, (Iowa Writer’s Program): Jackson County History, (1942): [ISHL]

·         Sorenson: History of Jackson County, Iowa, (1988): [ISHL]

·         Jackson County Historical and Genealogical Society: History of Jackson County, Iowa, 1900 – 1989, (1989): [ISHL]

·         Roeder: A Luxembourg Heritage in Jackson County, Iowa, (1993): [ISHL]

·         Heritage House Pub.: Images of the Past, Jackson County, Iowa, (1997): [ISHL]

·         Sesquicentennial Committee: The Maquoketa, Iowa Sesquicentennial, (1988): [ISHL]

·         Andrew – The Way it Was – and Is: [IGSL]

 

Publications

 

·         Iowa Genealogical Society: Hawkeye Heritage articles through 1993, [IGSL]  (Entries indicate year, issue number and page number.)

-          1850 Census: Adams to Cluck (1982), 1:9, 2:98

-          1850 Census: Cobb to Eggleston (1982), 2:81

-          1850 Census: Eicher to Hackamier (1982), 3:152

-          Jackson County Cemetery List (1974), 4:174

-          Deaths of Pioneers: 1901 - 1902, (1984), 3:142

-          Early Jackson County Marriages: 1845 – 1855, (1974), 4:162; 1856 – 1860, (1975), 1:19

-          Genealogical Excerpts from the Diary of the Rev. Frederick C. Bauman, 1877 – 1880, (1983), 1:3; (1987), 1:4; 2:107

-          Jackson County History (1974), 4:143

-          Original Lot Owners, Bellevue, 1841, (1974) 4:171

-          Pioneers from The Maquoketa Valley Pioneer and Old Settler Society (1974), 4:146

-          Probate Book 1, 1838 – 1851, (1974), 4:172

-          Reel Cemetery, (1975), 1:17

-          The Pioneer Women of Jackson County, (1974), 4:144

-          Will Record, Books A and B, 1838 – 1876, (1975), 1:3

·         The following Jackson County Publications are for sale through the Iowa Genealogical Society.  See the Iowa Genealogical Society webpage for a detailed listing and availability.

-          Index to the 1879 Jackson County History

-          Index to the 1889 Portrait and Biographical Album of Jackson Co.

-          Indices to the 1910 Jackson County History (three parts)

-          Abstracted names from Bellevue newspapers, 1875 – 1985, (three parts)

 

Section IV: Credits

 

We wish to acknowledge the contributions made by members of the Jackson County Genealogical Society, Jackson County Historical Society, the Jackson 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.