During the 1976 Bicentennial celebration local historians decided to research all the cemeteries in Buchanan County while the pioneer tombstones were still legible. This turned into a lengthy project and the book "Buchanan County, Iowa, Cemeteries, 1980" was published. The Buchanan County Genealogical Society was formed as a branch of the Buchanan County Historical Society. Since that time thousands of obituary/cemetery cards have been filed and are being updated each month.
Library Holdings
Resources available are:
Over 30,000 Obituary/Cemetery card files
Newspapers of Buchanan County, 1856 to present which include Jesup, Lamont, Winthrop, and Independence (papers and microfilm)
Federal Census 1850,1860,1870,1880,
1900,1910,1920,1930 (also some of the surrounding counties in Iowa)
State Census 1856,1885,1895,1905,
1915, 1925 (Buchanan County, all indexed but 1905 and 1915)
Probates 1850-1941
Burial Permits 1931-1982
Some death and funeral home records
Coroner's reports 1858-1960
Marriage Indexes 1852-1990
Marriage Registry 1880-1908 (parents are listed)
Births 1880-1913 & misc. other years
Naturalization records 1853-1906
Passenger and Immigration Lists Index
Family Histories
1881 Buchanan County History
1914 History of Buchanan County
1990 Heritage of Buchanan County
1980 Cemetery book of Buchanan County
Various history books of towns in Buchanan County
Various years of Plat Books
Church Directories and School Annuals of Buchanan County
Some cemetery and history books of surrounding counties (Linn, Bremer, Black Hawk, Fayette, Delaware)
We are located in the basement of Independence City Hall.
