North Dakota Genealogy – Free North Dakota Genealogy

North Dakota Genealogy. This state page of our website provides direct links to free major genealogy databases and historical titles and information found on North Dakota Genealogy, whether they exist on our site, or across the web.

North Dakota Biographies

  • North Dakota Biographies Index
    The North Dakota Biography Index database is an ongoing project of the NDSU Institute for Regional Studies to provide access to biographical sketches found in a wide variety of North Dakota publications. It currently contains some 250,000 names to published biographical sketches of North Dakotans found in over 800 publications. This is an index to biographies found offline!

North Dakota Cemeteries

North Census Records

  • North Dakota Census Records
  • 1885 Dakota Territory Census
    The NDSU Institute for Regional Studies headed a statewide cooperative project to index the entire original Dakota Territory 1885 Census schedules for the counties that today form North Dakota. The database contains over 151,500 names. Each entry includes: name, age, nativity, occupation, county of residence, and exact location of the entry in the census schedule.
  • North Dakota 1910 Census Map

North Dakota Court Records

  • Cass County, North Dakota Probate Records Index, 1875-1949
    All Cass County, N.D. probate files from circa 1875 to 1949 have been transferred to the NDSU Institute for Regional Studies. This database was developed by the Institute to provide researchers access to over 5,900 individual case files.

North Dakota Genealogy Websites

United States Genealogy

United States GenWeb Project

Adams, Barnes, Benson, Billings, Bottineau, Bowman, Burke, Burleigh , Cass, Cavalier, Dickey, Divide, Dunn, Eddy, Emmons, Foster, Golden Valley, Grand Forks, Grant, Griggs, Hettinger, Kidder, La Moure, Logan, McHenry, McIntosh, McKenzie, McLean, Mercer, Morton, Mountrail, Nelson, Oliver, Pembina, Pierce, Ramsey, Ransom, Renville, Richland, Rolette , Sargent, Sheridan, Sioux, Slope, Stark, Steele, Stutsman, Towner, Traill, Walsh, Ward, Wells, and Williams.

American History and Genealogy Project

Adams, Barnes, Benson, Billings, Bottineau, Bowman, Burleigh , Cass, Cavalier, Dickey, Dunn, Eddy, Emmons, Foster, Golden Valley, Grand Forks, Grant, Griggs, Hettinger, Kidder, La Moure, Logan, McHenry, McIntosh, McKenzie, McLean, Mercer, Morton, Mountrail, Nelson, Oliver, Pembina, Pierce, Ramsey, Ransom, Renville, Richland, Rolette , Sargent, Sheridan, Stark, Steele, Stutsman, Towner , Traill, Walsh, Ward, Wells, and Williams

North Dakota Immigration Records

  • North Dakota Naturalization Records Index
    The North Dakota Naturalization Records index was compiled at the State Historical Society of North Dakota, where all original county naturalization records are preserved and have been microfilmed. In cooperation with the NDSU Institute for Regional Studies, the index is made available as a searchable database. The database contains over 212,000 names, giving the county where the declaration of intention (1st papers) was filed and the naturalization occurred (2nd papers), the date of both events, and from what country the person emigrated. Consult the State Historical Society of North Dakota’s Naturalization Records’ information sheet regarding the history of the naturalization laws, types of records and how to use them.
  • Manifests of Alien Arrivals at Portal, North Dakota 1915-1921
    This series comprises Immigration and Naturalization Form SPL 187A, also known as the “Primary Inspection Memorandum,” which contains information on border crossings from Canada. The form typically includes details such as the individual’s name, age, gender, marital status, place of birth, physical characteristics, occupation, citizenship (including previous citizenship before becoming a Canadian citizen), race, ability to read and write in any language, place of previous permanent residence, port and date of arrival, intended destination, purpose for entering the United States, whether they intend to become a U.S. citizen or return to their previous country of residence, and their head tax status. Additionally, the form provides the name and address of the friend or relative that the alien intended to join, any accompanying persons, and the name and address of the alien’s nearest relative or friend in their country of origin. If the alien had been in the U.S. previously, the form lists the dates and places of their previous residence or visitation. If a person entered with other family members, their card may have limited information with the note “see [name]” of the person whose card contained all the details. In cases where the alien had appealed a decision to deport or bar them from entering the United States, additional information may be available.

North Dakota Land Records

  • U.S., Bureau of Land Management Tract Books, 1820-1908
    3,907 land management tract books containing official records of the land status and transactions involving surveyed public lands arranged by state and then by township and range. These books indicate who obtained the land, and include a physical description of the tract and where the land is located. The type of transaction is also recorded such as cash entry, credit entry, homesteads, patents (deeds) granted by the Federal Government, and other conveyances of title such as Indian allotments, internal improvement grants (to states), military bounty land warrants, private land claims, railroad grants, school grants, and swamp grants. Additional items of information included in the tract books are as follows: number of acres, date of sale, purchase price, land office, entry number, final Certificate of Purchase number, and notes on relinquishments and conversions.

North Dakota Land Patents

North Dakota Military Records

North Dakota Native American Records

North Dakota Newspapers and Periodicals

North Dakota Obituaries

  • Fargo Forum Obituary Index
    The indexing of Fargo Forum newspaper obituaries is an ongoing project of the NDSU Institute for Regional Studies. The time period completed includes from October 1892 to 1909 and from November 1982 to 1995. In addition partial indexing has been done for other years. The database currently contains over 70,000 names. Additional obituaries continue to be added on a regular basis.

North Dakota Vital Records

  • North Dakota Vital Records
  • Cass County, North Dakota Divorce and Civil Case Index, 1870-1942
    The Cass County, N.D. civil and divorce case files, spanning from the 1870s to 1942, were transferred to the NDSU Institute for Regional Studies in 2001. This database, developed by the Institute, indexes over 3,300 cases handled in Cass County District Court. Individual entries include names of the plaintiff and defendant, attorneys, dates of proceedings, and miscellaneous notes.
  • Cass County, North Dakota Marriage License Index, 1872-1944
    The NDSU Institute for Regional Studies developed this database to all marriage licenses recorded in Cass County, N.D. between circa 1872 and July 1944. The original licenses are available at the Institute. Since marriage licenses were not required until 1887, many prior marriages will not be documented in the county records.

Pioneers of Oliver County North Dakota

“Pioneers of Oliver County, North Dakota” serves as a significant compilation, marking the 50th anniversary of the pioneering efforts and community spirit that shaped the county from 1906 to 1956. Crafted by the Old Settlers’ 50th Anniversary Historical Committee, this publication stands as a tribute to the resilience, growth, and…
Read More

St. John The Baptist Church Jubilee

The “Souvenir of the Golden Jubilee of St. John The Baptist Church: Beach, North Dakota, 1909-1959” is a commemorative publication marking the 50th anniversary of the St. John the Baptist Catholic Church in Beach, North Dakota. Published in 1959, this work is not just a tribute to the church’s history…
Read More

A History of Ashley North Dakota, 1888-1963

The manuscript titled “Ashley Diamond Jubilee” is a comprehensive historical account focusing on Ashley, North Dakota, and its surrounding communities. The document, spanning 279 pages, begins by discussing the Ashley Diamond Jubilee, a celebration of 75 years of progress in North Dakota. It includes various historical and administrative details about…
Read More

Revolutionary War Pension and Bounty Land Warrants

This article helps you access the Revolutionary War Pension and Bounty Land Warrants for free. Following two simple steps, one to search, and the other to browse the actual microfilms, you can quickly find your ancestors Revolutionary War pension record, or Bounty-Land record and download the images. During 1800-1900 the…
Read More

United States Bureau of Land Management Tract Books, 1800-c. 1955

3,907 land management tract books containing official records of the land status and transactions involving surveyed public lands arranged by state and then by township and range. These books indicate who obtained the land, and include a physical description of the tract and where the land is located. The type…
Read More

Chronicling America Historical Newspapers

Chronicling America is a Website providing access to information about historic newspapers and select digitized newspaper pages, and is produced by the National Digital Newspaper Program (NDNP). NDNP, a partnership between the National Endowment for the Humanities (NEH) and the Library of Congress (LC), is a long-term effort to develop…
Read More

North Dakota World War 2 Casualties – Army, Air Force

This database contains War Department casualties (Army and Army Air Force personnel) from World War II for North Dakota. Information provided includes serial number, rank and type of casualty. The birthplace or residence of the deceased is not indicated. An introduction explaining how the list was compiled, a statistical tabulation,…
Read More

Small Town Newspapers

Small Town Papers gives you free access to the people, places and events recorded in real time over the decades or even centuries! Browse and search the scanned newspaper archive from 1846 up to the current edition! Their archives contain millions of names of ancestors not found anywhere else. Enhance…
Read More

North Dakota Historical Newspapers Online

A large collection of freely available newspapers online for the state of North Dakota, both historical and current. These listings are provided by town/city of publication, and years available.
Read More

Catholic Sioux Herald Newspaper 1896-1912

By the treaty of Washington Apr. 19, 1858, the Yankton Sioux ceded all their lands in South Dakota, excepting a reservation on the north bank of Missouri river, where they have since remained in peace with the whites. Rev. Jerome Hunt and the St. Paul’s Catholic Indian Mission of the…
Read More

Mission’s Among the Southern Indians

In the year 1819 the Synod of South Carolina resolved to establish a mission among the Southern Indians east of the Mississippi river. The Cherokees, Muskogee’s, Seminoles, Choctaws and Chickasaws then occupied Georgia, Florida, Alabama and Mississippi. Rev. David Humphries offered to take charge of the intended mission. He was…

Read More

Early Cheyenne Villages

Information as to the region occupied by the Cheyenne in early days is limited and for the most part traditional. Some ethnologists declare that Indian tradition has no historical value, but other students of Indians decline to assent to this dictum. If it is to be accepted we can know…

Read More

History of Arapaho and Cheyenne Treaties

These treaties were instrumental in establishing and defining the relationship between the United States and the Arapaho and Cheyenne Confederation. They also impacted the history of the tribe after it signed the initial treaty of 1825. Each succeeding treaty will show the historian a shrinking land mass controlled by the…
Read More

Biography of Bloody Knife

Bloody Knife
North Dakota Genealogy - Free North Dakota Genealogy 2
A famous Arikara warrior and chief, who was long in the Government service. His father was a Hunkpapa Sioux and his mother an Arikara. He was born on the Hunkpapa Reservation, North Dakota, but as he approached manhood his mother determined to return to…
Read More

Massacres of the Mountains

J.P. Dunn wrote Massacres of the Mountains in an attempt to separate historical fact from sensational fiction and to verify the problems that plagued the Indian tribes in this country of years. He doesn’t assign blame, but lets it fall where it belongs by meticulous research and the accurate, unbiased…
Read More

North Dakota Genealogy at Ancestry

Ancestry is the largest provider of genealogy data online. The billions of records they provide have advanced genealogy online beyond imagination just a decade ago. The following is but a small sample of what they provide for North Dakota genealogy at Ancestry. While some of these databases are free, many…

Read More

New York and North Dakota Indians Wounded in Action

The following Indians Wounded in Action, are listed by Name, Tribe and Location of death. The name under the photograph is the person shown.  No additional information was provided in the book. New York Arthur Lazore, Mohawk, France Leonard Beaubien, Mohawk, France Friacis Billings, Mohawk, France Stanley Connors, Mohawk, Palaus…

Read More

New York, North Carolina and North Dakota Indian Honored War Dead

The following Honored War Dead, are listed by Name, Tribe and Location of death. The name under the photograph is the person shown.  No additional information was provided in the book. New York Collins Moses, Seneca, Germany Henry Powless, Onondaga, Tarawa Sylvester Thompson, Mohawk, France Silas William Chew, Tuscarora, Europe…

Read More

North Dakota World War 2 NMCG Casualty List

Inclusion of names in this North Dakota World War II Casualty List has been determined solely by the residence of next of kin at the time of notification of the last wartime casualty status. This listing does not necessarily represent the State of birth, legal residence, or official State credit according…

Read More

Prominent American Bakers of Today

ALFRED BRITTIN BAKER: Clergyman; b. Matawan, N. J.; 1836; s. Elishu 0., Dean of the Cathedral of the Diocese, 1919; Trustee Burlington Coll., and St. Mary’s Hall. Add.: Princeton, N. J. ALFRED LANDON: broker; b. N. S. Can., 1859; s. Addison; pres. Chicago Stock Exchange. Add.: Chicago. ALFRED ZANTZINGER: illustrator;…

Read More

North Dakota County Courthouse Addresses

Division of Vital Records 600 East Boulevard Avenue Dept. 301 Bismarck, ND 58505 (701) 328-2360  Adams County 600 Adams Avenue Hettinger, ND 58639-0589 (701) 567-2468 McLean County 712 5th Avenue Washburn, ND 58577 (701) 462-8541 Barnes County 230 4th Street, NW Valley City, ND 58072-2947 (701) 845-8500 Mercer County P.O….

Read More

North Dakota Vital Records

Vital records, as their name suggests, are connected with central life events: birth, marriage, and death. Maintained by civil authorities, they are prime sources of genealogical information; but, unfortunately, official vital records are available only for relatively recent periods. These records, despite their recent creation in the United States, are…

Read More

Search Military Records - Fold3

Pin It on Pinterest

Scroll to Top