North Dakota Genealogy

USA (1,379,301) > North Dakota (11,590)

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Overview of North Dakota records

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Overview of North Dakota Genealogy Records

• History: North Dakota was first settled in 1812. It became Dakota Territory in 1861, which was divided into North and South Dakota in 1873, and became a state in 1889.
• Birth records: Statewide registration of births in North Dakota began in 1907 with complete records by 1920. Birth records from 1870 to the present (incomplete before 1920) can be obtained from the North Dakota Department of Health.
• Marriage records: Marriage records in North Dakota were kept by the county governments by the clerk district court. Statewide registration of marriages began in 1925.
• Death records: Statewide registration of deaths in North Dakota began in 1907 with complete records by 1920. Death records from 1893 to the present (incomplete before 1920) can be obtained from the North Dakota Department of Health.
• Divorce records: Divorce records are kept by the district court clerks in each county.
• Census records: The first federal census available for North Dakota is 1850. There are federal censuses publicly available for 1850 (included with Minnesota), 1860, 1870, 1880, 1900, 1910, 1920, 1930, 1940, and 1950. There were state censuses taken in 1857 (included with Minnesota), 1885, 1915, and 1925.
• County records: Court, land, probate, naturalization, and tax records were kept by the individual counties.
• Other records: Many cities and towns kept newspapers, records kept by churches, cemeteries, histories, school, city directories, and other records that can be located by using the city pages on this site. Records specific to minority groups can be found in the Minority Records section.
• All records: Use the links on this site to locate online indexes and images of many of the above records.