Local Resources
Jones County Courthouse
Jones County is located in east central Iowa. The county seat is Anamosa.
- MAILING ADDRESS:
- Jones County Courthouse
500 W. Main St.
Anamosa, Iowa 52205
-
Phone numbers are available for each department, or call 319-462-2282 for assistance in finding the correct number.
- COUNTY RECORDER:
- Birth, Death and Marriage records are maintained in the Recorder's Office as well as official records of documents affecting title to real estate. A Vital Record Application form is available for downloading. Visit their web page
Jones County Recorder.
- TOWNSHIP INFORMATION:
- Township trustees are responsible to improve and maintain cemeteries.
Township Officials.
- VISIT THEIR WEBSITE:
- Jones County Courthouse
Jones County Genealogical Society
4/1/24 NOTE: It is currently unclear if this group is still active and able to do any research requests.
The Society was formed in 1985. Our purpose is to create and foster an interest in genealogy, to help individuals in the search of their ancestors, to gather and preserve genealogical records relative to our ancestors, founders and settlers. Membership is open to all interested in genealogy, biological and historical research.
- MAILING ADDRESS:
- Jones County Genealogical Society
P.O. Box 174
Anamosa, Iowa 52205
- OFFICERS:
- President (2020): Joanne Wilken
Vice-President (2020): Jim Christianson
- LIBRARY:
- The Jones County Genealogical Society locates their books inside the wonderful Anamosa Library & Learning Center.
- The address is 600 E. First Street, Anamosa, Iowa 52205
- The hours are: Mon. thru Thurs. 10-7; Friday 10-5; Saturday 10-3; Sunday Closed
- LIBRARY FEES: The library has a staff member who handles genealogy questions and will do up to 30 minutes of research for each project. If the library has material available, the library will scan it for free. If a patron would like physical copies, then it is the standard cost of copies. To have it mailed, the library charges the cost of postage and copies.
- RESEARCH: (See Note Above - Unknown if the JCGS is still active)
- The Jones County Genealogical Society will do research for a fee. The charge for research in Jones county is $10 per hour. Include a two-hour deposit and SASE with any requests. Send mail to the above Mailing Address. Extensive research requests may be turned over to paid researchers, who in turn will notify you of their fees in advance of any research.
- JONES COUNTY EARLY PIONEER CERTIFICATE:
- Send SASE for information.
Jones County Historical Society
The Jones County Historical Society was organized in the early 1970s and began construction of a museum complex near where Edinburgh, the first county seat, had been located. All items on display have been donated and volunteers maintain the grounds, buildings and displays. The museum is located about two miles east of Amber on Rt. E 23.
There are eleven buildings, some authentic and some newly constructed—including a replica of the log cabin which served as the countiy's first courthouse, the Sutton school, the Kolarik blacksmith shop (moved from Oxford Junction), and an early church—all filled with a treasure of memorabilia of early life in Iowa, from Civil War letters to antique farm equipment.
- HOURS:
- Sunday afternoons, May-September, and by appointment
- ADDRESS:
- 13838 Edinburgh Rd., Scotch Grove, IA 52310
- E-mail: IAJCHS@aol.com
Anamosa Public Library
The Jones County Genealogical Society has space in the Anamosa Library & Learning Center. The library has some genealogical resources, including extensive information on the State Penitentiary. The Anamosa Eureka and Anamosa Journal are available on microfilm.
- ADDRESS:
- 600 East First Street, Anamosa, Iowa 52205
- HOURS:
- Monday-Thursday 10:00 a.m.-7:00 p.m.; Friday 10:00 a.m.-5:00 p.m.; Saturday 10:00 a.m.-3:00 p.m.
- PHONE:
- 319-462-2183
- EMAIL:
- Use Contact Us link on library website (About Us page)
- VISIT THEIR WEBSITE:
- Anamosa Public Library
Monticello Public Library
Monticello's library was founded in 1903. Primary funding for the library comes from the City of Monticello, with additional funding from the Jones County Board of Supervisors and the State Library of Iowa. The library has the Monticello Express on microfilm 1865-1994 - click here to access.
- ADDRESS:
- 116 E. Grand St., Monticello, Iowa 52310
- PHONE:
- 319-465-3354
- VISIT THEIR WEBSITE:
- Monticello Public Library
Wregie Memorial Public Library
The library has the Oxford Mirror dated from 1879 to 1953 on microfilm, historical photos, the locally produced books Oxford Junction 1871-1971 and Oxford Junction Quasquicentennial 1996, census records on microfilm, Oxford Junction senior Class photos dating from 1924-1988. The library has a collection of local family histories. They will be happy to accept a copy of your Oxford Junction-based family history.
- ADDRESS:
- 105 W. Broadway, P.O. Box 345, Oxford Junction, Iowa 52323
- PHONE:
- 563-826-2450 Phone and Fax
- EMAIL:
- Wregie Memorial
Query Board & Mailing List
Please post your query, question or request to the
Query Message Board. This can be an effective way to contact many folks who might not normally offer their volunteer services.
Please apply the same rules as are given for Lookup Volunteers.
Query Board
Post Your Queries
Post a query & help others with theirs. The query message board goes out to folks interested in Jones County. Please be specific and limit your request for the best results. Thank you.
Jones County, Iowa Mailing List
Rootsweb discontinuing their Mail Lists March 2, 2020. For many, it's been a source of information that we will miss. For an alternative source, use the
Jones County
Queries Board. There's a link to (Un)Subscribe. You can follow
along with all additions - offer your responses and ask questions!
You can also (Un)Subscribe to any of the message boards of your
choosing.
Ancestry.com also has a Jones County Message Board (not very active). RootsWeb Mailing Lists were discontinued on March 2, 2020, but the Rootsweb Mailing List Archives are still available.
Volunteer Lookups
Lookup volunteers are listed on this page to help you consult a reference you don't have access to and to provide you with information about your ancestors at no cost except for photocopy/postage if applicable. To request a lookup, please follow these simple guidelines:
- Put JONES COUNTY LOOKUP in the subject line and the NAME OF THE SOURCE or SURNAME on the first line of your message. Many volunteers have offered to do lookups from more than one source and in more than one county. This will insure that your request is not overlooked.
- Follow with being specific about the information you are looking for; one simple request per e-mail; Be certain to give the name and approximate date of residence if you know it. Please allow a reasonable time for a response.
- After receiving a response to your lookup request, remember to send a thank you to the volunteer who helped you out!
Volunteers Needed
The Jones County, Iowa, Lookups Page needs volunteers who are willing to do lookups in their own resources or at their local libraries. If you own or have access to any Jones County information (such as census, cemetery, marriage, newspaper abstracts, etc.) and would be willing to do lookups for other researchers, then please contact me. Let me know what books you have, and I will put you on the lookup page. It's a great to way to make genealogical contacts!
The following lookups are available:
412,000 NAMES
I have a personal Family Historian file with more than 412,000 individuals, primarily those families in or related to Jones County residents. The database includes personal information such as birth date and location, residence, occupation, religion, emigration date, marriage date and location, death and burial dates and locations My information has been culled from many online resources and visits to virtually all of the Jones County cemeteries (36,000 burials of which 22,000 are in Jones County cemeteries) and libraries. I have possession of the 1977 and 1988 Jones County Pictorial Atlases, the 1879 History of Jones County, and the 1965 Cedar County Atlas. My extensive personal family database links 92% of the families listed in the 1988 Jones County Atlas. My file is also available to view within the Anamosa Library and Learning Center.
—Tom Myles
GENERAL
Willing to do Jones county lookups. Jan is the adminstrator of Jones County, IA Ancestors, a private Facebook genealogy group with over 900 members.
—Jan Hoag.
OXFORD JUNCTION AREA
I will be happy to do lookups on info in the Oxford Junction area.
—Rita Balichek, Oxford Junction, IA
Links
Jones County Genealogy Links
In addition to county and city links, you have access to a selection of stories and many historic photos. Look for your ancestors among these resources! The links to city and county pages provide statistics, maps and even a pages for local alumni to contact their old high school acquaintances.
Anamosa Chamber of Commerce
- Information about area events and activities from the Anamosa Chamber of Commerce, including the City of Anamosa Streetscape Project.
Anamosa Journal-Eureka
- The Official Newspaper of Anamosa, located in Jones County, Iowa since 1855.
Bowen's Prairie Historic Archaeological District
- Between 1993-1995 archaeologists found some important historic sites associated with the 1830s-1870s settlement of northeastern Jones County while inspecting the area to be affected by the widening of U.S. Highway 151.
The Ghost Town of Edinburgh
- The Jones County Historical Society welcomes you to the reconstructed village of Edinburgh, the first county seat.
Goettsch Funeral Homes
- Current obituaries.
Iowa State Penitentiary Historic Photos & Stories
- This website chronicles the history of this 130-year old maximum security Iowa prison, which is still in use today.
Dawson Funneral Service LLC
- Current obituaries.
Linkpendium
- A collection of genealogy links related to Jones County.
Monticello Chamber of Commerce Page
- Includes info and links for points of interest, calendar of events and city government.
Monticello Official City Website
- Includes city info and links for city government.
Navy History.com
- All about the tug boat, Anamosa. (Although the link is ambivalent about the fate of the Anamosa, James Butcher wrote "The tug was sold for scrap...Disposed of by Defense Reutilization and Marketing Service (DRMS) on July 1, 1979. Her other numbers were YT-409 and YTM-409.")
Office of the State Archaeologist
- What is a gorget and where would you find one in Jones county?
The Political Graveyard
- Politicians who lived and died in Jones county.
Starlighters Theatre
- Visit Anamosa's community theatre and take a tour.
Iowa Genealogy Links
Use these links to find out more about the Iowa GenWeb Project, check in with the Iowa Department of Public Health's forms & procedures are there as well as an online form for asking questions.
Iowa Heritage Digital Collections
- These pages contain histories, maps, photos, etc.
IAGenWeb History Project
- The Iowa History Project was born in November 2002 when Debbie Gerischer, Elaine Rathmann and Cathy Labath acquired several volumes of general Iowa history that weren't quite appropriate for a county page. They thought many folks who were researching their Iowa ancestors might want to know what Iowa was like when their ancestors lived here.
IAGenWeb Project
- Best volunteer USGenWeb site ever!
Iowa Digital Map Library
- Part of the USGenWeb Archives
The Iowa Genealogical Society
The State Historical Society of Iowa
Cyndi's List of Iowa Sites
Genealogy Beyond Iowa
USGenWeb Project
- The USGenWeb project is a loosely organized group of volunteers working to create a center for genealogical research for every county in the United States. USGenWeb is not a commercial enterprise and information found on their pages is freely available to the public. As you browse the pages, you will find some consistent elements. All counties will have an area for you to post queries and links to the state page and Archives. You will also see considerable variation; each page or database is the creation, property and responsibility of an individual volunteer.
World GenWeb Project
- The World GenWeb Project operates similarly on a worldwide level.
Dick Eastman's Online Newsletter
- I highly recommend subscribing to Dick Eastman's excellent Online Genealogy Newsletter. It is updated daily with software reviews, reports of genealogy events, lists of new pages, etc., and is read by more than 10,000 genealogists.
A History of New York's Ellis Island
- From 1892 to 1954, people arriving in the New York area did
so with dreams of having a better life and a more substantial
opportunity for freedom from oppression. It is said that 40
percent of all people in America have at least one person in
their family history that they can be traced back to Ellis
Island.
Surname List
Check into and help others who have the same surname interests as you do.
