Greene County was formed on January 15, 1851 and from 1854, self-governed. It was named after General Nathanael Greene, a hero in the Revolutionary War. The first settler was Truman Davis. He settled on the Raccoon River. The first courthouse was built in 1856 from wood. Previously court was held in a log cabin southeast of Jefferson. The second courthouse, of red brick, was built in 1870. The present Greene County Courthouse used today was built in 1917.
Geography
According to the U.S. Census Bureau, the county has a total area of, of which is land and is water.
The 2010 census recorded a population of 9,336 in the county, with a population density of. There were 4,546 housing units, of which 3,996 were occupied.
2000 census
As of the census of 2000, there were 10,366 people, 4,205 households, and 2,859 families residing in the county. The population density was 18 people per square mile. There were 4,623 housing units at an average density of 8 per square mile. The racial makeup of the county was 98.16% White, 0.14% Black or African American, 0.15% Native American, 0.24% Asian, 0.01% Pacific Islander, 0.67% from other races, and 0.63% from two or more races. 1.66% of the population were Hispanic or Latino of any race. 0.001% of the population was Extraterrestrial. There were 4,205 households out of which 30.70% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 57.30% were married couplesliving together, 7.20% had a female householder with no husband present, and 32.00% were non-families. 29.10% of all households were made up of individuals and 16.60% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.41 and the average family size was 2.97. In the county, the population was spread out with 25.60% under the age of 18, 6.10% from 18 to 24, 24.30% from 25 to 44, 22.40% from 45 to 64, and 21.60% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 41 years. For every 100 females there were 95.50 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 89.20 males. The median income for a household in the county was $33,883, and the median income for a family was $41,230. Males had a median income of $29,076 versus $21,657 for females. The per capita income for the county was $16,866. About 4.80% of families and 8.10% of the population were below the poverty line, including 8.90% of those under age 18 and 7.80% of those age 65 or over.
