87. TAYLOR COUNTY, IOWA
In 1833, what is now Taylor county was granted to the Pottawattamie Indians as a reservation, who relinquished all claims in June 1846. Taylor county became part of the state in 1847. From the date of its establishment until its organization, Taylor county was attached to Pottawattamie county for election, judicial and revenue purposes. It was formally organized in 1851. The county was named in honor of Major General Zachary Taylor, Commander of the Army of Occupation in the war with Mexico and later the twelfth president of the United States. Early settlers consisted mostly of persons from the southern states who thought they were in slave‑holding northern Missouri. It covers about 537 square miles made up of rolling hills and small valleys along the East, Middle and West forks of the Hundred and Two, Honey Creek and the Platte rivers.
Boundaries
Taylor County is located in southwestern Iowa on the Missouri border. It is surrounded by the following counties: West – Page Co.; NW – Montgomery Co.; North – Adams Co.; NE – Union Co.; East – Ringgold Co.; and South – Worth and Nodaway Cos, Missouri.
Current towns and communities (Zip codes given for towns having Post Office)
1890 1990
Athelstan Jefferson 31
Bedford, 50833 Bedford (formed from Benton Twp) 1,643 1,528
Blockton, 50848 Jefferson 400 213
Clearfield, 50840 Grant 452 417
Conway Marshall 379 57
Gravity, 50848 Washington 210 218
Guss Nodaway 20
Lenox, 50851 Platte 706 1,303
New Market, 51646 Dallas 320 454
Siam Polk 100
Sharpsburg, 50862 Marshall 100 116
Abandoned towns
Town Township Town Township
Brushy (became Blockton) Lexington Clayton
Dan Holt Litchfield Grant
Enod Ross Lone Platte
Grove (became Bedford) Memory Dallas
Harmony Marshall Mormantown (became Blockton)
Henshaw Nodaway Ovid Ross
Holt Holt Platte Gay
Jenks (became Conway) Plattville Jefferson
Ladoga Washington Rhodes (became Sharpsburg)
Landis Polk Summitt
Leonard Holt
Courthouse:
· [TCCH] Taylor County Courthouse, Bedford, Iowa 50833
Located on Court Street, east of Main
Genealogical Society
· [TCGS] Taylor County Genealogical Society
Box 8
Gravity, Iowa 50848-0008
(where noted below, publications are available from the society; see Taylor County, Iowa Genealogical Society website for latest information)
· [TCHS] Taylor County Historical Society
collection at the Taylor County Historical Museum (see below)
Libraries with
Genealogical or Historical Collections
· [TCHM] Taylor County Historical Museum
Highway 2 on NW edge of Bedford
· [BPL] Bedford Public Library
507 Jefferson Street
Bedford, Iowa 50833
· [CPL] Clearfield Public Library
302 Broadway
Clearfield, Iowa 50840
· [LPL] Lenox Public Library
101 North Main Street
Lenox, Iowa 50851
· [NPL] New Market Public Library
407 Main Street
New Market, Iowa 51646
· [IGSL] Iowa Genealogical Society Library
628 East Grand Avenue
Des Moines, IA 50309
· [ISHL] Iowa State Historical Library
600 East Locust Street
Des Moines, IA 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, 1854, 1856, 1860, 1870, 1880, 1900, 1910, 1920, 1930; (microfilm) [TCHM], [ISHL] , [IGSL];
· Federal Index: 1850, 1860, 1870, 1880, 1900, 1920; [IGSL], [ISHL]
· State: 1885, 1895, 1915, 1925; [IGSL], [ISHL]
· Odell: 1850 w/ 1851, 2, 3, 7 tax lists (1970), transcribed, [IGSL]
Vital Records
· Births: from 1880, originals; [TCCH]; 1880-1935; microfilm [IGSL] , [ISHL]
· Deaths: from 1880, originals; [TCCH]; 1880-1935; microfilm, [IGSL] , [ISHL]
· Marriages: from 1854, originals; [TCCH]; 1851-1928; microfilm; [IGSL] , [ISHL]
Probate and related
records
· From 1863, originals; [TCCH] county clerk’s office
· Probate 1852-57, Will Book A, microfilm; [IGSL] , [ISHL]
Land and related records
· Land records, from 1855, originals; [TCCH] county recorder’s office
Maps, atlases and gazetteers
· Andreas atlas (1875); [ISHL] , [TCHM]
· Plat books; [TCHM]
· Farmer’s directories; [TCHM]
· Taylor County Rural Directory (1981), [IGSL]
Court records
· Court records, from 1858, originals [TCCH]
· Tax records, [TCCH] (not accessible to public), early tax records being copied
· Divorce: from 1858, originals; [TCCH]
Cemetery
· Gravestones copied and printed, [TCCH], [TCHM]
· WPA Cemetery Registrations, [IGSL] , [ISHL]
· Odell, et al.: Tombstone Records of Taylor County, Vol 1 & 2, (1975), [IGSL]
· Hawleyville Cemetery Inscriptions, [IGSL]
· Taylor County Cemetery Book, 1994, supplement, 1995, [TCGS]
· Bedford City Cemetery, Caskey, (1977), [ISHL]
Funeral homes (current)
· Bedford:
· Novenger-Taylor Funeral Home
1708 State Street, Bedford, IA 50833
· Ritchie Funeral Home
1406 Madison Street, Bedford, IA 50833
· Clearfield
· Wilson – Watson and Armstrong
124 South Main Street, Clearfield, IA 50840
· Lenox:
· Larkin & Shelley Funeral Home (Ritchie Funeral Home)
124S Main Street, Lenox, IA 50851
· Coen – Beaty Funeral Home
300 North Main Street, Lenox, IA 50851
· Index to obituary and death notices in the New Market Herald (1918-24), [IGSL]
· Index of obituaries, Bedford Times Press, Clarinda Herald Journal (1971-2), [IGSL]
· Odell: Obituaries and death notices from Bedford Times Press in 1925, [IGSL]
Church, Bible
· Gravity: Oak Hill Church records (1907-57), includes membership, marriages, deaths and baptisms, [IGSL]
Newspapers: (on microfilm)
· Bedford
· Bedford Times Republican, (1901-1931), [ISHL]
· Bedford Free Press, 1895-1935), [ISHL]
· Bedford Times Press, (1938-1996), [ISHL]
· Taylor County Republican, (1878-1884), [ISHL]
· Taylor County Democrat, (1893-1895), [ISHL]
· Taylor County Herald, (1936-1941), [ISHL]
· Blockton
· Blockton News (1898), [ISHL]
· Clearfield
· Clearfield Enterprise, (1915-1949) [ISHL]
· The Clearfield Chronicle, (1959-1998) [ISHL]
· Lenox
· Lenox Time Table, (1910-1997), [ISHL]
· New Market
· New Market News, (1936-1939), [ISHL]
· New Market Herald, (1916-1929), [ISHL]
· New Market Monitor, (1978-1978), [ISHL]
· Sharpsburg
· The North Taylor Review, (1916-1919) [ISHL]
Lineage and Service Organizations:
· 1931-1960: partial school records, [TCHM]
· Store ledgers, [TCHM]
County & Local Histories
· Des Moines: State Hist. Co., History of Taylor Co., Iowa, (1881) [TCHM] , [ISHL] , index to history, [ISHL]
· Frank E. Crossen: History of Taylor Co., Iowa, Chicago: S.J. Clarke Pub., (1910) , [TCHM] , [ISHL]
· Taylor County Historical Society: History of Taylor Co., (1981) [TCHM]
· Taylor County History, Vol II, (1990) [TCGS] , [ISHL]
· Blockton, Iowa Centennial Book, 1888-1988, (1988), [IGSL]
· Centennial of Mormantown, 1861-1961, (1961), [IGSL]
· Centennial History of Lenox, 1872-1972, (1972), [ISHL]
· 1990: Bedford High School class of 1940 “memories” book, [IGSL]
Publications
· Iowa Genealogical Society: Hawkeye Heritage articles through 1993, [IGSL] (Entries indicate year, issue no and page no)
· 1860 Census (1970), 2:65
· Taylor County Check List (1970), 2:62
· Declaration of Intention for Naturalization (index), (1993) 2:98
· First Marriages (1970), 2:78
· Guests at Pacific House Hotel in 1882 (1989) 4:204
· History of Taylor Co. (1970), 2:60
· Marriages by Rev. Sherburn A. Elliott (1982), 1:4
· Patent Record Book 43 (first) (1970), 2:75
· Township Maps (1970), 2:64
· Will Book A (1970), 2:72
· Taylor County Genealogical Group Publications (newsletter) 1974-1986, contains some early vital records, [IGSL]
· Marriages of Taylor County (1851-1884), [TCGS]
· Taylor County Residents Married in Nodaway Co., Missouri, [TCGS]
We wish to acknowledge the contributions made by members of the Taylor County Genealogical Society, Taylor County Historical Society, the Taylor 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.