Watonwan County, Minnesota Genealogy

Guide to Watonwan County, Minnesota ancestry, family history, and genealogy birth records, marriage records, death records, census records, family history, and military records.

Minnesota Online Genealogy Records

Description
The County was named for Dakota word "watanwan," meaning "fish bait," or "plenty of fish.". The County is located in the south central area of the state.

County Courthouse
Clerk District Court has birth, marriage and divorce records from 1863, divorce and court records from 1865. Probate Judge has probate records. Register of Deeds has land records.

Parent County

 * 1860--Watonwan County was created 6 November 1860 from Brown County. County seat: St. James
 * For a brief history of how Watonwan County was named, click here. Then select Watonwan County.

Record Loss
1895 The county courthouse, along with some county records, burned sometime prior to 1895.

Populated Places
For a complete list of populated places, including small neighborhoods and suburbs, visit HomeTown Locator. The following are the most historically and genealogically relevant populated places in this county:

Neighboring Counties

 * Blue Earth
 * Brown
 * Cottonwood
 * Jackson
 * Martin

Census
State Census
 * 1865 - at FamilySearch — index and images
 * 1885 - at FamilySearch — index and images
 * 1905 - at FamilySearch — index and images

Lutheran
Long Lake Lutheran Church, St. James


 * Records of the Long Lake Lutheran Church, St. James, in Evangelical Lutheran Church in America database at Archives.com ($).

Madelia

List of Churches and Church Parishes
 * Records of Lutheran Church, Madelia, in Evangelical Lutheran Church in America database at Archives.com ($).
 * FamilySearch Places

Emigration and Immigration

 * 1912 - 1956 - at FamilySearch — index and images

World War II

 * 1940-1945 - at FamilySearch — index and images

Naturalization and Citizenship

 * 1872-1962 - at FamilySearch — index

Obituaries

 * 1865 - 2006 - at FamilySearch— index and images

Probate
Online Probate Records
 * 1801 - 1999 Minnesota Wills and Probate Records 1801-1999 at Ancestry.com — index and images $

Marriage

 * 1850-2019 WEB: Minnesota, Marriages from the Minnesota Official Marriage System, 1850-2019 at Ancestry($) — index
 * 1860 - 1949 at FamilySearch — index and images
 * 1976-2003 Minnesota, Marriages, 1976-2003 at MyHeritage($) — index

Death

 * 1850-2001 - at FamilySearch — index and images
 * 1887-2001 - at FamilySearch — index and images

Societies and Libraries
Watonwan County Historical Society PO Box 126 423 Dill Ave. SW Madelia, MN 56062 Telephone: 507-642-3247 or 507-375-5117 E-mail:[mailto:wchs@madtelco.net wchs@madtelco.net] Website

Family History Centers

 * Introduction to Family History Centers

Websites

 * Watonwan County MNGenWeb
 * Watonwan County, MN Genealogy Forum (GenForum)