Ray Beaty wrote: > > I am a novice at research in Jones county and need some advice: > > There are some folks who I am researching who were born in the 1812-1850 > period and died in Jones County, IA. Where might I find: > > death records, certificates > birth records, certificates > marriage records, certificates > > newspaper obituaries > > wills/estate administrations > > Does anyone know what year IA death certificates began to show who the > parents of the deceased were? > > Any information will be deeply appreciated. > > Ray > ****************** > Raymond C. Beaty > r1941@idt.net > New York, New York > ****************** Basically, you don't find many records in the 1850's for Iowa. Unfortunately, records before 1880 are very difficult to find. Death records in Jones county didn't start showing parents names on death certificates until the early 1900's. Marriages in Jones County start in about 1837 and (if they Catholic) might have ended up being recorded in either Jackson or Dubuque county as well because the Catholic priest travelled and recorded them wherever he ended up. That's why the first books are 'saddle bag' sized! :) Births, and deaths don't start till 1880. The earliest cemetery stones for Jones County start in about 1845 and most cemeteries have been indexed by members of the Jones County Genealogical Society. The newspaper didn't start until the 1870's, probates in the 1840's. The best bet is searching the tax records for your family to establish that they were here. They're actually very good, in the basement, and have to be done in person by a researcher, but they are absolutely the best source for Jones County. Land records are also very good and can be assessed through the recorders office. -- Diana Hanson, Administrator, Iowa Digital Education Association Professional Genealogist ************************************************* What good is magic if it can't save a unicorn? ************************************************* http://www.idea.edu/index.html (Idea School) http://www.geocities.com/Athens/Parthenon/5327/ireland.htm (Original IrelandGenWeb Resource Pages and Passenger Lists) http://www.idea.edu/courses/general/gen/index.html (Free Genealogy Classes) http://www.idea.edu/staff/hanson/hubbard/index.html (Mother Hubbard's Cupboard)