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Indiana County
Marshall County, Indiana
Plymouth's National Blueberry Festival and the Potawatomi Trail of Death - from the National Blueberry Festival in Plymouth (Marshall County's sandy soils and cool climate produce exceptional blueberries - the National Blueberry Festival each Labor Day weekend celebrates the harvest with one of northern Indiana's most beloved summer festivals, drawing visitors for blueberry-themed foods, entertainment, and the blueberry pie eating contest) to the Potawatomi Trail of Death (the forced removal of the Potawatomi Nation from Marshall County in September 1838 - when 859 Potawatomi were marched at gunpoint from Twin Lakes to Kansas Territory, with 42 dying along the route - is one of the most tragic episodes in Indiana history, commemorated by the Trail of Death marker at Twin Lakes).
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Tell us your goal and we'll guide you step-by-step to the right office, forms, and official resources.
Office: Marshall County Emergency Management – confirm current contact via marshallcounty.in.gov.
Sheriff: Marshall County Sheriff’s Office – Plymouth, IN. Confirm current phone via marshallcounty.in.gov.
Notes: For an active emergency, call 911.
Roads & Utilities
ROADS & TRANSPORTATION
Roads: US-31 and US-30 serve Plymouth, the county seat.
Notes: Marshall County was formed in 1836, named for U.S. Chief Justice John Marshall, who had died the previous year. Many early New England settlers named local places after their origins – Plymouth is named for Plymouth, Massachusetts, the site of the Mayflower landing. Plymouth was also the site of the first-ever retail outlet of Montgomery Ward, opened in 1926.
Business & Permits
BUILDING & PERMITS
Office: Marshall County Courthouse – Plymouth, IN.
Notes: Marshall County is the documented starting point of the Potawatomi Trail of Death, the single largest forced Native American removal in Indiana history. In September 1838, roughly 859 Potawatomi people were gathered near Twin Lakes (close to present-day Plymouth) under orders from Indiana Governor David Wallace and General John Tipton, after Chief Menominee refused to relinquish the tribe’s reserve lands under an earlier treaty he had not signed. Over a 61-day, roughly 660-mile forced march to what is now Osawatomie, Kansas, more than 40 people died, most of them children. Father Benjamin Marie Petit, a young French priest, accompanied the group to care for the sick. This history is documented today by Indiana historical markers and preserved by the Potawatomi Trail of Death Association, and descendant communities today include the Citizen Potawatomi Nation in Oklahoma and the Prairie Band Potawatomi Nation in Kansas.
Veterans Services
VETERANS SERVICES
Office: Marshall County Veterans Affairs – confirm current contact via marshallcounty.in.gov.
Libraries
LIBRARIES
Plymouth Public Library (Plymouth) – confirm current address/phone via the county library system.
Parks & Recreation
PARKS & RECREATION
Key Assets: Trail of Death historical markers, Twin Lakes (Myers Lake and Cook Lake, the march’s starting point), and downtown Plymouth’s historic district are the county’s premier heritage attractions.
Notes: The documented history of the Potawatomi Trail of Death, originating in Marshall County, is a significant and difficult chapter of state and national history, presented here factually and respectfully as it is preserved by Indiana’s own historical markers and by Potawatomi descendant communities today.
GIS & Maps
GIS & MAPS
Appraisal/Parcel Search: Marshall County Assessor’s Office – confirm current contact via marshallcounty.in.gov.
Animal Services
ANIMAL SERVICES
Marshall County Humane Society – confirm current contact via marshallcounty.in.gov.
Environmental & Waste
ENVIRONMENTAL / WASTE MANAGEMENT
Office: Marshall County Environmental Health – confirm current contact via marshallcounty.in.gov.
NOTES: Marshall County is the fifty-first county completed in Indiana’s Round 3 v2 redo, under the A+ sourced standard established for this project. The documented history of the Potawatomi Trail of Death, originating in Marshall County, is presented here factually and respectfully as it is preserved by Indiana’s own historical markers. All contact information above was sourced via web search as of early August 2026 and should be reconfirmed directly with the relevant office before a visit, deadline-sensitive filing, or emergency-adjacent decision.
About Marshall County
Marshall County is north-central Indiana’s blueberry capital and Potawatomi Trail of Death county – the beloved blueberry festival and the tragic 1838 forced removal of the Potawatomi Nation define two very different but equally significant chapters of county history.
Plymouth (the county seat, population ~10,000) hosts the National Blueberry Festival and serves as the gateway to the Twin Lakes area where the Trail of Death began.
All Services
Browse every category and topic available for this county.
Marshall County Assessor at 112 W. Jefferson Street, Suite 211, Plymouth, IN 46563, phone 574-935-8530. IN residential deductions reduce assessed value.
Courts & Legal
Marshall County Circuit Court at 211 W. Madison Street, Plymouth, IN 46563, phone 574-935-8650, handles probate.
Marriage & Vital Records
Marriage licenses, divorce records, and birth & death certificates are handled by the following office(s):
CLERK OF CIRCUIT COURT (Court Records, Marriage Licenses)
211 W. Madison St., Plymouth, IN 46563
(574) 936-8922
ELECTIONS (County Clerk)
112 W. Jefferson St., Plymouth, IN 46563
(574) 936-8922
Genealogy
County-level record sources
Marshall County Circuit Court (probate/estate case files – see Probate section above).
The county’s Potawatomi Native American heritage is a significant local historical topic – Marshall County was formerly Potawatomi territory.
Local societies
No dedicated Marshall County genealogical society was confirmed in available directories.
Probate & Estate
Losing someone and having to deal with courts and paperwork at the same time is hard. This section won’t make that easier, but it should tell you what to expect, what it costs, and where to go – so at least you’re not walking in blind.
Where to go
Marshall County Circuit Court 501 North Center Street, Suite 301, Plymouth, IN 46563 (574) 935-8780
Marshall County was authorized February 7, 1835 and organized in 1836, named for Chief Justice John Marshall. Plymouth was the site of the first-ever Montgomery Ward retail store (1926). The 1870-1872 Marshall County Courthouse (Italianate/Renaissance Revival, National Register of Historic Places) still stands.
Step 1: figure out which path applies
Indiana has NOT adopted the Uniform Probate Code – probate is governed by Indiana Code Title 29. Indiana offers several tracks depending on estate size and complexity:
Small Estate Affidavit – for estates where the gross probate estate (less liens, encumbrances, and funeral expenses) is $100,000 or less. Available 45 days after death. The affidavit must be signed and recorded with the county recorder’s office before a personal representative is appointed. No court filing is required.
Devolution of Real Estate Affidavit – a separate affidavit specifically for transferring real property, available 7 months after death, with no value limit on the real estate, recorded with the county recorder.
Unsupervised Administration – a simplified probate track available when the estate is solvent and all inheritors agree; fewer court appearances and filings than supervised administration.
Supervised Administration – full court oversight, used for contested, complex, or insolvent estates.
Step 2: filing for formal probate
File a Petition for Probate of Will and for Issuance of Letters (if there’s a will) or a Petition for Appointment of Personal Representative (if intestate) with the Marshall County Circuit Court.
The court reviews the will for compliance with Indiana Code § 29-1-5-3 (in writing, signed by the testator, witnessed by at least 2 credible witnesses).
The court issues Letters Testamentary (with a will) or Letters of Administration (intestate) appointing the personal representative.
Publish notice to creditors; creditors generally have a limited window (commonly 3 months from first publication) to file claims.
The personal representative marshals assets, pays valid debts and expenses, and distributes the estate.
File a closing statement or final accounting to formally close the estate.
What it costs
Indiana does not have a state estate or inheritance tax.
Filing fees vary by county – confirm current amounts with the Marshall County Circuit Court.
Indiana has no statutory fee schedule for attorneys or personal representatives – fees must be “reasonable” and are subject to court approval.
Typical timelines: Small Estate Affidavit – a minimum 45-day wait; Unsupervised Administration – roughly 6-9 months if uncontested; Supervised Administration – 9-12+ months.
Probate filings, estate administration, and guardianship matters are handled by the following office(s):
Public Safety & Arrests
Arrest records, inmate search, and law enforcement services are handled by the following office(s):
SHERIFF
211 W. Madison St., Plymouth, IN 46563
(574) 936-3187
Elections & Voting
Voter registration, polling locations, and elections information are handled by the following office(s):
ELECTIONS (County Clerk)
112 W. Jefferson St., Plymouth, IN 46563
(574) 936-8922
Health & Human Services
Offices & Contacts
Health services, social services, and assistance programs are handled by the following office(s):
Marshall County Health Dept
(574) 936-3478
IN FSSA — North Central Region
(800) 403-0864
IN Medicaid
(800) 403-0864
Beacon Health — Plymouth
beaconhealthsystem.org/plymouth (Plymouth — quality community hospital)
Goshen Health (Goshen)
goshenhealth.com
Public Health Information
PUBLIC HEALTH
Office: Marshall County Health Department – confirm current contact via marshallcounty.in.gov.
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Last verified June 2026
County Facts
County Seat: Plymouth
Population: 47,000
Area: 444 sq mi
Established: 1836
Tier: 3
Public Records
TruthFinder
Search public records for Marshall County residents.
