Reference and Research: Local History ResourcesLocal History Resources
The Digital History Project is a web-based archive highlighting historic Iowa City and Johnson County featuring a growing collection of more than 300 photos and videos.
A wealth of local history resources are available at the Information Page Station on the second floor of the Library. Available resources include:
Census Materials Johnson County Data, Federal Census Johnson County Data, Iowa State Census-
Johnson County Vital Statistics
All data compiled and provided by the Iowa City Genealogical Society
- Farm and home plat and directory for Johnson County, Iowa
- Johnson County landowners map and index (compiled by the Iowa City Genealogical Society)
- Johnson County TAM service and plat maps (includes occupancy data)
- Plat maps of Johnson County, Iowa (shows ownership of rural property)
- Sanborn Fire insurance maps on microfilm (detailed maps covering towns including Iowa City)
- Cole's Cross Reference Directory for Iowa City
- Iowa state Gazetteer(includes business information)
- Iowa State Gazetteer and Business Directory
- City Directories on microfilm
- City directories in print
- Iowa City and surrounding area phonebooks
- University of Iowa directory (students, faculty and staff)
- Johnson TAM service (shows occupancy)
- Farm and Home plat and directory
- Plat maps (shows ownership of rural property)
- C.E.C yearbook
- Central Junior High School (Baby Hawklets)
- City High School (Red and White)
- Northwest Junior High School (Reflections)
- PS #4 yearbook
- Southeast Junior High School
- St Mary's High School (The Marianum)
- West High School (The Trojan Epic)
- The local news index, produced by the Iowa City Public Library, is an index of local papers and magazines. done retrospectively.
- Iowa Digital Library
- Iowa Heritage Digital Collection
- SSI Death Index
- CDC Vital Statistics
- America's Obituaries and Death Notices
- Newsbank, which contains the Gazette
- newspaperarchives is the largest historic newspaper source
- Proquest, which contains the Des Moines Register and Iowa City Press Citizen
- Ancestry.com
- Heritage Quest
- Iowa Colonels and Regiments by A.A. Stuart
- Ex-Soldiers, Sailor, and Marines by William Lindsay Alexander
- Leading Events in Johnson County Volumes 1, 2.(1913) by Clarence Aurner
- The Old Stone Capitol Remembers(1939) by Benjamin Shambaugh
- Old Settler's Association Yearbooks 1866-1925(1978) reproduced by the Johnson County Historical Society
- The History of Johnson County, Iowa 1836-1882(1883) author unknown
Cemeteries For information on recent burials, contact City cemetaries directly.
Maps
These subscription based resources require a current Iowa City Public Library card and a password and because of licensing restrictions are available only to residents of Iowa City, University Heights, Hills and rural Johnson County. They are also fully available from within the Library, and can be accessed from any of our public internet computers or via our free wireless interent access.
Additional Genealogical Research Resources
Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints
2730 Bradford Drive
Iowa City, IA 52240-2550
319-338-5306
319-338-1027
Iowa City Genealogical Society
PO box 822
Iowa City, IA 52244-0822
www.rootsweb.ancestry.com/~iajohnso/
Iowa Department of Public Health
Vital Records
Lucas State Office Building
321 E 12th Street
Des Moines, IA 50319
515-281-4944
Johnson County Administration Building
Vital Records
913 S. Dubuque St.
Iowa City, IA 52240
www.johnson-county.com
State Historical Society -- Iowa City
402 Iowa Ave
Iowa City, IA 52240
319-338-3916
www.iowahistory.org
Relevant Materials from our General Collection
The Library's General Collection contains many local history resources in both Books and DVD format.Of particular interest are the books:


