McKenzie County, North Dakota Genealogy

United States North Dakota McKenzie County

Guide to McKenzie County, North Dakota ancestry, genealogy and family history, birth records, marriage records, death records, census records, family history, and military records.

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Description
Founded April 20, 1905 The county is named after early North Dakota politician Alexander McKenzie.

McKenzie County was first created by the March 8, 1883 Dakota Territory legislature but eliminated in 1891 due to a lack of settlement. The county was then recreated by the 1905 state legislature.

In terms of area, it is the largest county in the state.

Its county seat is Watford City. The county seat before Watford City was Alexander from 1905 to 1907 and Schafer from 1907 to 1941.

In the early days, McKenzie County was known as the "Island Empire" due to the fact that it is surrounded by water on three sides. The Missouri River forms the northern and part of the eastern border. The Little Missouri also runs along part of the eastern and southern borders. The Yellowstone River forms the western border.

County Courthouse
McKenzie County Courthouse 201 5th St NW PO Box 523 Watford, ND 58854 Phone: 701.444.3452 Adams County Website Clerk District Court has birth and death records from 1943, marriage, divorce, probate and court records from 1905 and burial records; Register of Deeds has land records

McKenzie County, North Dakota Record Dates

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 * width="84%" bgcolor="#e4d8e5" align="center" colspan="7" | Beginning Dates for Major County Records
 * width="12%" bgcolor="#e4d8e5" align="center" | Birth*
 * width="12%" bgcolor="#e4d8e5" align="center" | Marriage
 * width="12%" bgcolor="#e4d8e5" align="center" | Death*
 * width="12%" bgcolor="#e4d8e5" align="center" | Court
 * width="12%" bgcolor="#e4d8e5" align="center" | Land
 * width="12%" bgcolor="#e4d8e5" align="center" | Probate
 * width="12%" bgcolor="#e4d8e5" align="center" | Census
 * width="12%" align="center" |1905
 * width="12%" align="center" |1906
 * width="12%" align="center" |1905
 * width="12%" align="center" |1905
 * width="12%" align="center" |1905
 * width="12%" align="center" |1905
 * width="12%" align="center" |1890
 * colspan="7"|
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 * width="12%" align="center" |1890
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Record Loss
There is no known history of courthouse disasters in this county.

Boundary Changes
1901--McKenzie County was created 24 May 1901 from Billings County. County seat: Watford
 * Interactive Formation Boundary Map of North Dakota - shows boundary changes for North Dakota Counties
 * North Dakota Historical Boundary Changes - list of all boundary changes by county provided by Newberry Library

Populated Places

 * Alexander
 * Watford City

Indian Reservation

A portion of the Fort Berthold Indian Reservation is located in McKenzie County. The remainder of the reservation is in Mountrail, Dunn, Mercer, and Ward Counties.


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State Census Records

 * 1885 Dakota Territory 1885 Census Index at NDSU Archives – index only
 * 1885, 1915, 1925 North Dakota, Territorial and State Censuses, 1885, 1915, 1925 at Ancestry.com – ($), index and images
 * 1915 at FamilySearch Historical Records — index and images
 * 1925 at FamilySearch Historical Records — index and images

Federal Census Records
Federal Censuses were taken for North Dakota starting in 1910. For links to Federal census indexes, see North Dakota Census.

Land and Property Records
Online Land Records For more information see North Dakota Land and Property
 * Land Patent Search - index to federal patents and homesteads on the Bureau of Land Management website, some images available
 * 1796 - 1907 - U.S. General Land Office Records, 1796-1907 at Ancestry - index, info taken from Bureau of Land Management website
 * 1861 - 1936 - U.S. Homestead Records 1861-1936 at Ancestry.com - ($), index and images

Local Histories

 * Early history of McKenzie County. n.d. By Geo. F. Shafer. n.p.: n.p. Online at:.

Maps and Gazetteers

 * Interactive Formation Boundary Map of North Dakota - shows boundary changes for North Dakota Counties
 * North Dakota Maps at NDGenWeb -historical maps

Military Records
Civil War World War I
 * 1861 -1865 at FamilySearch.
 * 1890 at FamilySearch.
 * 1917 - 1918 North Dakota Military Men 1917-1918 at Ancestry ($)
 * 1917 - 1918 Roster of the men and women who served in the army or naval service (including the Marine Corps) of the United States or its allies from the state of North Dakota in the World War, 1917-1918, Vols. 1-4 at Ancestry ($)
 * For further information see North Dakota Military Records.

Naturalization and Citizenship
Online Naturalization Indexes and Records


 * North Dakota Naturalization Records Index at NDSU Archives – index only, covers various dates and counties

Newspapers
 North Dakota Newspapers Online North Dakota Newspaper Catalogs
 * GenealogyBank - ($), contains images of North Dakota newspapers
 * Newspaper Archive - ($), contains images of North Dakota newspapers
 * Chronicling America - contains images of some North Dakota newspapers; searching tips
 * Elephind - Free; search engine that retrieves newspaper images from other free newspaper websites
 * U.S. Newspaper Directory, 1690-Present on Chronicling America - contains a list of all known newspapers and the dates they cover; once you locate a newspaper name, contact the local library to see if they have copies of the newspaper
 * State Historical Society of North Dakota - contains inventory and catalog of all known ND newspapers

Probate Records
''Online Probate Records


 * 1800 – 1985 North Dakota and South Dakota Wills and Probate Records 1800-1985 at Ancestry.com — index and images $

Death
Online Death Indexes and Records


 * 1892-present - NDDH Public Death Index, 1892-present at North Dakota Dept. of Health – index only

Libraries
Old Sod Post Office of Grassy Butte 609 Main St. Grassy Butte, ND 58634 Phone: 701-863-6754

Museums
Lewis and Clark Trail Museum P. O. Box 343, Alexander ND 58831-0343 Phone: 701-828-3595

Pioneer Museum of McKenzie County P. O. Box 126 Watford City, ND 58854-0126 Phone: 701-444-2990 or 701-444-5804

Societies
McKenzie County Museum and Historical Society, Inc. 11542 Highway 23 Watford City, ND 58854

McKenzie County Heritage Association P. O. Box 512 Watford City, ND 58854

Websites

 * USGenWeb project. May have maps, name indexes, history or other information for this county. Select the state, then the county.
 * The FamilySearch catalog contains descriptions and access information for all genealogical materials (including books, online materials, microfilm, microfiche, and publications) in their collection. Use Historical Records to search for specific individuals in genealogical records.
 * McKenzie County, North Dakota Genealogy and Family History (Linkpendium)