This South Dakota state page of our website provides direct links to major databases and historical titles found on South Dakota genealogy and history, whether they exist on our site, or across the web.
South Dakota Cemeteries
South Dakota Census Records
- South Dakota Census Records
- South Dakota 1910 Census Map
- South Dakota, State Census, 1905
Individual census cards arranged in alphabetical order. - South Dakota, State Census, 1915
Name index and images of census cards from the 1915 South Dakota State Census acquired from the South Dakota State Historical Society. - South Dakota, State Census, 1925
Name index and images of census cards from the 1925 South Dakota State Census acquired from the South Dakota State Historical Society. - South Dakota, State Census, 1935
Name index and images of census cards from the 1935 South Dakota State Census acquired from the South Dakota State Historical Society. - South Dakota, State Census, 1945
Name index and images of census cards from the 1945 South Dakota State Census acquired from the South Dakota State Historical Society.
South Dakota Court Records
- South Dakota, County Naturalization Records, 1865-1972
County Circuit and District court naturalization records from county courthouses in South Dakota. Coverage dates vary by county. The records were acquired from the South Dakota State Historical Society. - South Dakota, Minnehaha County, Probate Case Records, 1873-1935
Probate case records located at the South Dakota State Historical Society in Pierre. The files are arranged by box, folder and file numbers. - South Dakota, Pennington County Probate Case Files, 1880-1937
Images of probate case files from the South Dakota State Historical Society in Pierre. The collection is arranged by case number.
South Dakota Genealogy Websites
United States Genealogy
- South Dakota Genealogy
- Marshall County, South Dakota History and Genealogy
Website providing information and genealogical records for researchers of Mitchell County, South Dakota.
- Marshall County, South Dakota History and Genealogy
United States GenWeb Project
Aurora, Beadle, Bennett, Bon Homme, Brookings, Brown, Brule, Buffalo, Butte, Campbell, Charles Mix, Clark, Clay, Codington, Corson, Custer, Davison, Day, Deuel , Dewey, Douglas, Edmunds, Fall River, Faulk, Grant, Gregory, Haakon, Hamlin, Hand, Hanson, Harding, Hughes, Hutchinson, Hyde, Jackson, Jerauld, Jones, Kingsbury, Lake, Lawrence, Lincoln, Lyman, Marshall, McCook, McPherson, Meade, Mellette, Miner, Minnehaha, Moody, Pennington, Perkins, Potter, Roberts, Sanborn , Shannon, Spink, Stanley, Sully, Todd, Tripp, Turner, Union, Walworth, Yankton, Ziebach
American History and Genealogy Project
- SDGenWeb
Clark, Dewey, Kingsbury, Lake, Miner, Minnehaha, Pennington
South Dakota History
- Marshall County, North Dakota History
About the middle of the seventeenth century French explorers passed through what is now Dakota, and again in the beginning of the present century Lewis and Clark explored this region. In 1809 one of the Astor’s parties, conducted by Mr. Hunt on their way across the continent to the mouth of the Columbia River, ascended the Missouri River to the 46 degree parallel, where they procured horses from the Indians and traveled overland. - Life and Adventures of Calamity Jane (Martha Jane Cannary)
My maiden name was Marthy Cannary. I was born in Princeton, Missouri, May 1st, 1852. Father and mother were natives of Ohio. I had two brothers and three sisters, I being the oldest of the children. As a child I always had a fondness for adventure and out-door exercise and especial fondness for horses which I began to ride at an early age and continued to do so until I became an expert rider being able to ride the most vicious and stubborn of horses, in fact the greater portion of my life in early times was spent in this manner. - South Dakota, Grand Army of the Republic Membership Records, 1861-1941
Images of G.A.R post records from the Dakota and South Dakota Departments. The collection includes membership rosters, attendance registration books of various encampments (some include Women’s Relief Corps.), post descriptive books, member deaths, adjutant reports, muster rolls, lists of officers, applications to form a post, reunion rosters, etc. The descriptive books are arranged by post name and number. Most records include item number, name, post name and number. The descriptive books may list name, age, state of birth, residence in South Dakota, occupation, date-rank-company-regiment of service and final discharge, cause of discharge, when mustered into G.A.R., status, and date of death. The collection was acquired from the South Dakota State Historical Society in Pierre. - South Dakota, School Records, 1879-1970
School records, including teacher’s term reports, school census and attendance records located at the South Dakota State Historical Society in Pierre. Records are generally arranged by county, year and school district number. This collection is being published as images become available.
South 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.
South Dakota Military Records
- Military Records
- Dakota Territory Forts
List of colonial forts, trading posts, named camps, redoubts, reservations, general hospitals, national cemeteries, etc., established or erected in the United States from its earliest settlement to 1902. - South Dakota Forts
List of colonial forts, trading posts, named camps, redoubts, reservations, general hospitals, national cemeteries, etc., established or erected in the United States from its earliest settlement to 1902.
- Revolutionary War
- 1840 Pensioners Census
The information contained in this 1840 Pensioners Census database is a compilation of the data on the Revolutionary War pensioners gathered from the 1840 census returns. The information is organized by place – state, county, then township. It also lists the name and age of the veteran, and the name of the head of household with whom the pensioner resided on the census date. - Revolutionary War Pension Records
- 1840 Pensioners Census
- Civil War Records
- Civil War Pensions Index Cards
Each card gives the soldier’s name, unit, the application number, the certificate number and the state from which the soldier served. In some cases, the soldier’s rank, terms of service, date of death and place of death are given. The index cards refer to pension applications of veterans who served in the U.S. Army between 1861 and 1917. The majority of the records pertain to Civil War veterans, but they also include veterans of the Spanish-American War, the Philippine Insurrection, Indian wars, and World War I.
- Civil War Pensions Index Cards
- World War I Records
- World War II Records
- Korean War Casualty List
- Vietnam War Casualty List
South Dakota Native American Tribes
- South Dakota Indian Tribes
- South Dakota Indian Reservations
- Blackfoot Indians and their Stories
- Marshall County, South Dakota Indian Reservations
- South Dakota Indian Honored War Dead
- Oregon and South Dakota Indians Wounded in Action
- Current Federally Recognized Indian Tribes by State
- List of Federally Non-Recognized Tribes
- State Recognized Tribes
South Dakotas Vital Records
- South Dakota Vital Records
- South Dakota Courthouse Addresses
- South Dakota Birth Records Database
This database contains information from birth records with birth dates of over 100 years of age as required by South Dakota Codified Law 34-25-8. At this time this database contains 244,652 records.- South Dakota, Department of Health, Birth and Marriage Indexes, 1843-2014
Index of birth and marriage indexes from 1843 to 2014 provided by the South Dakota Department of Health.
- South Dakota, Department of Health, Birth and Marriage Indexes, 1843-2014
What’s New in South Dakota Genealogy?
South Dakota WW2 NMCG Casualty List – S Surnames
SALZMANN, Julius A., Pfc., USMCR. Parents, Mr. and Mrs. Arthur Salzmann, Iona. (Wife, Island Bay, Wellington, N. Z.) SANDERS, Eugene Paul, Seaman 1c, USN. Parents, Mr. and Mrs. Emil John Sanders, 802 S. Congress St., Aberdeen. SANDERS, James Donald, Quartermaster 3c, USN. Parents, Mr. and Mrs. James Artie Sanders, Lake Hiway, Rapid City. SCHAUER, Harold Erwin, Machinist’s Mate 3c USN. Father, Mr. Andrew Schauer, Roscoe. SCHIEHER, Paul Arthur, Fire Controlman 1c, USN. Father, Mr. Arthur F. Schleher, Redfield. SCHLIEBE, Marvin Herman Fredrick, Machinist’s Mate 2c, USNR. Wife, Mrs. Goldie Bernice Schliebe, Box 510, Groton. SCHNEE, Joseph Robert, Fireman 1c, USNR.…
South Dakota WW2 NMCG Casualty List – T Surnames
TAYLOR, James Wilson, Aviation Machinist’s Mate 3c, USNR. Mother, Mrs. Elizabeth Mary Taylor, 610 1st St., E. Mobridge. TEIGEN, Robert Riedesel, Lieutenant (jg), USNR. Mother, Mrs. Lulu R. Teigen, 121 S. Prairie Ave., Sioux Falls. TELLINGHUISEN, Gerald Alvin, Cpl., USMC. Parents, Mr. and Mrs. John D. Tellinghuisen, Box 123, Lennox. THOMPSON, Elza Laymond, Motor Machinist’s Mate 2c, USNR. Wife, Mrs. Wilma May Thompson, Box 601, Rapid City. THORMODSGARD, Norman Philip, Fireman 2c, USNR. Wife, Mrs. Deloris Thormodsgard, 223 N. Lincoln St., Canton. TOEBBE, Henry Edward, Chief Torpedoman’s Mate, USN. Wife, Mrs. Lillian Isabell Toebbe, Rutland. TORBET, Vernon Herald, Motor Machinist’s…
South Dakota WW2 NMCG Casualty List – O Surnames
OBENAUER, Harold John, Ensign, USNR. Wife, Mrs. Esther Noehre Obenauer, Box 6, Eureka. O’LEARY, Edward Lewis, Coxswain, USN. Father, Mr. Ben O’Leary, 2 1/2 S. Main St., Aberdeen. OLSON, James William, SEaman 1c, USNR. Father, Mr. Carl Olson Norbeck.
South Dakota WW2 NMCG Casualty List – P Surnames
PACK, Willi Dee, Chief Machinist’s Mate, USN. Wife, Mrs. Isabell Armstrong Pack, Smithwick. PALSMA, Allen Wilbur, Seaman 2c, USNR. Parents, Mr. and Mrs. Arthur Palsma, Rt. 2, Springfield. PEARSON, Donald LeRoy, Pfc., USMCR. Parents, Mr. and Mrs. Walfred E. Pearson, 846 Main St., Deadwood. PEDERSEN, Peder Martin, Chief Carpenter’s Mate, USNR. Wife, Mrs. Bertha Ella Pedersen, 620 1/2 Main St., Rapid City. PETERSON, Alvin Erick, Fireman 1c, USNR. Mother, Mrs. Minnie Minerva Peterson, Bonesteel. PETERSON, Curtiss Lorell, Fireman 1c, USNR. Aunt, Mrs. Oscar Gilbertson, Roslyn. PETERSON, Darrel Erskine, Seaman 1c, USN. Parents, Mr. and Mrs. Marion Peterson, Waubay. PETERSON, Harold,…
South Dakota WW2 NMCG Prisoners of War
BINGHAM, John Coleman, Jr., Sgt., USMC. Sister, Mrs. Irene Henwood, Belle Fourche. BROWN, Robert MacLean, Storekeeper 3c, USN. Parents, Mr. and Mrs. Paul L. Brown, Doland. CHRISTENSEN, Ernest Lawrence, Pharmacist’s Mate 3c, USN. Parents, Mr. and Mrs. Lawrence Christensen, White. FULTON, Jess Edward, Gunnery Sgt., USMC. Mother, Mrs. Mary J. Fulton, Gen. Del., Iroquois. LEWIS, Lloyd Warren, Yeoman 1c, USN. Mother, Mrs. Floribel Lewis, Spearfish. MATHIAS, Robert Abel, Pfc., USMC. Father, Mr. John H. Mathias, Sr., 1223 Fulton St., Rapid City. QUANDE, Kenneth Melvin, Seaman 1c, USN. Father, Mr. Peter Quade, 612 3d Ave., E. Sisseton. WELCH, Cecil Charles, Lieutenant…
Biography of Charles J. Price
Topeka had in Charles J. Price as a resident one of the most capable mining engineers of the country. His had been an experience very much out of the ordinary. Nearly forty years ago he was a mine worker in the Black Hill region. He had a practical working knowledge of the mincral sections of the northwest country. He spent a number of years as a mining engineer in South Africa, and probably no American citizen had a closer knowledge of the people, the industrial conditions, of South Africa than Mr. Price. While there he served with the rank of…
Biography of John Leo Tierney, M.D.
Dr. John Leo Tierney, a St. Louis physician who specializes in internal medicine and diagnosis, was born in Lead, South Dakota, November 22, 1890, a son of William George and Mary (Yuren) Tierney. The family comes of Irish ancestry, although many generations ago representatives of the name removed to England, where one of the ancestors of Dr. Tierney was knighted as Sir Edward Tierney and a statue erected to his memory in Westminster Abbey. Another of the early ancestors was Sir Matthew Tierney, who was at one time court physician to King George III. William G. Tierney, father of the…
Sitting-Bull, The Great Dakota Leader
Two of our States, as boys and girls know from their geography, are called Dakota, one North Dakota, the other South Dakota, and this was also the name of Indian people of different tribes speaking the same language, who lived in the country north of the great Platte River, and between and along our two greatest rivers, the Missouri and the Mississippi. The word Dakota means united by compact, and there were several united tribes who called themselves the Dakotas. Sitting-Bull was a Dakota Indian. He was born near an old army station, Fort George, on Willow Creek, and his…
Slave Narrative of Alice Battle
Interviewer: Elizabeth Watson Person Interviewed: Alice Battle Date of Interview: 1936 Location: Hawkinsville, Georgia During the 1840’s, Emanuel Caldwell—born in North Carolina, and Neal Anne Caldwell—born in South Carolina, were brought to Macon by “speculators” and sold to Mr. Ed Marshal of Bibb County. Some time thereafter, this couple married on Mr. Marshal’s plantation, and their second child, born about 1850, was Alice Battle. From her birth until freedom, Alice was a chattel of this Mr. Marshal, whom she refers to as a humane man, though inclined to use the whip when occasion demanded. Followed to its conclusion, Alice’s life…
Ponca Indians
