Elkhart County, Indiana Index to Birth Records, 1882-1920

This index to birth records for Elkhart County, Indiana for the years 1882-1920 was completed by the Works Projects Administration (WPA). In addition to providing the child's name and a reference to the actual birth record, the index also provides the father's full name, the mother's maiden name, the sex of the child, and the date of the child's birth.

Birth and death records were recorded by the county health office beginning in 1882 where they remain before mandatory recording with the state board of health began in October 1907 for births and January 1900 for deaths. Certified copies may be obtained from either the county health department or the Division of Vital Records (1330 West Michigan Street, Indianapolis, Indiana 46207).

The WPA began to index vital records, county-by-county, for the entire state, but the agency was abolished before the project was completed. Only sixty-eight of the ninety-two counties had their birth and death records (1882-1920) and marriages (generally 1850-1920) collected. The completed county indexes are available in print at the Indiana State Library and Allen County Public Library, among others.

Taken from Indiana, Ancestry's Red Book by Carol L. Maki, edited by Alice Eichholz. (Salt Lake City, UT: Ancestry Incorporated, 1992).