Step-by-Step South Dakota Research, 1850-1905

South Dakota Step-by-step online research 1850--1905 Step-by-step research 1905--present Step-by-step research 1850--1905

Step 1. Find out everything possible from living relatives and their family records.
Every good genealogy project starts with finding all the clues that can be gathered from living relatives — both from their memories and from documents or memorabilia in their homes.

What are the best questions to ask?
In order to extend research, ask for names, dates, and places. Everything about who a relative was and when and where they lived is a clue to a new record search. For ideas, see :
 * 50 Questions to Ask Relatives About Family History


 * Creating Oral Histories

What documents should be collected or copied?
Because these records cover names, dates, places, and relationships, they are a valuable source of clues. Look for them in your home, your parents' home, and ask living grandparents to check for them.

Step 2: Search the 1900, 1895, 1885, 1880, 1870, 1860, and 1850 census records online.

 * A census is a count and description of the population for a given date. A census took a "snapshot" of a family on a certain day.
 * For each person living in a household (depending on the year), their name, age, birthplace, relationship to head of household, place of birth for father and mother, citizenship status, year of immigration, mother of how many children and number of children living, native language, and whether they were a veteran of the military can be listed.
 * Searching for a family in census records every ten years can identify all the children in a family.
 * Searching in earlier census records to find someone as a child can identify parents.


 * 1895 state census ($)
 * 1885 territorial census ($)
 * Indian census rolls from 1885-1940 - for those living on Indian Reservations in the United States
 * 1885 territorial census ($)
 * Indian census rolls from 1885-1940 - for those living on Indian Reservations in the United States
 * Indian census rolls from 1885-1940 - for those living on Indian Reservations in the United States
 * Indian census rolls from 1885-1940 - for those living on Indian Reservations in the United States
 * Indian census rolls from 1885-1940 - for those living on Indian Reservations in the United States
 * Indian census rolls from 1885-1940 - for those living on Indian Reservations in the United States

U.S. Social Security Death Index
The U.S. Social Security program began in 1935 but most deaths recorded in the index happened after 1962. The Social Security Death index includes those who had a Social Security number and/or applied for benefits. The index entries give the person's full birth date, last known residence, and residence at the time they first enrolled. Women are listed under their married name at the time of their death. You can search these records online at. Also at Ancestry.com, ($), index.

The Social Security Applications and Claims Index, 1936-2007 picks up where the Social Security Death Index (SSDI) leaves off, by providing information filed in the application or claims process, including valuable details such as birth date, birth place, and parents’ names. The deceased would have to be at least 75 years old today for their parents' names to be published in the index. You will not find everybody who is listed in the SSDI, as criteria for inclusion differs.

If you find your ancestor in the SSDI index, you can order a copy of their original Social Security application (SS-5). If you can prove the individual has died (by sending an obituary or copy of their cemetery headstone), the application will also give the deceased's parents' names, if listed, the date and place of birth, currenr residence and employer.

Obituaries and cemeteries

 * South Dakota Obituaries Help. Click here to see an example. In this site, you will select a newspaper, then select the "Obituaries" link at that newspaper. Sometimes there is a required subscription fee.
 * ObituaryLinks South Dakota, index. This site gives lots of death record "how-to" advice before you come to obituary links. Scroll down quite a way to find the obituary links. Click here to see at example.

Cemeteries

 * South Dakota Cemetery Record Search.
 * South Dakota Cemetery Records at Interment.net. Click here to see an example.
 * Findagrave.com South Dakota Cemetery Records. Click here to see an example.
 * Billiongraves.com South Dakota Cemeteries.
 * USGenWeb South Dakota Tombstone Transcription Project. Click here to see an example.
 * I Dream of Genealogy South Dakota Cemeteries

Step 4: Search delayed birth certificates and county birth and marriage records online.
States, counties, or even towns in some states recorded births, marriages, and deaths. In addition to the child's name, birth date, and place of birth, a birth certificate may give the birthplaces of the parents, their ages, and occupations. A death certificate may give the person's birth date and place, parents' names and birthplaces, and spouse's name.

Vital records registration of births and marriages at the state level started in 1905. Prior to that the individual counties kept the records. The starting dates of those records vary from county to county, depending on when the county was formed. The state also invited citizens born before 1905 to file delayed birth records. All of these records were collected by the state. They may be found in the 

Samples of index entries
Notice that although this is a 1911 delayed birth record, it tells us that Paul Picotte, son of John and Julia, married Anna Archambeau. Records of close relatives should be looked for to help verify information that may not be on your direct-line ancestor's records:

Records at the County Courthouse
From the date of the formation of a county until the establishment of state civil registration, birth and marriage records were kept by the County Clerk. They may have been microfilmed, or you can write for them. It is appropriate to write asking for either a single record or for a list of all the marriages for a given surname. This Letter Writing Guide will help you with phrasing a letter. This online directory by Genealogy Inc. will give you the address of the County Clerk. Click on the map to select a county, then scroll down to the "Courthouse and Government Records" to find the address and phone number. If you are at the main FamilySearch Library, check first to see if microfilms of the county vital records are available. In the search field of the FamilySearch Catalog, enter the state and county. Then click on the "Vital Records" subject. The cost of renting the microfilms at a FamilySearch Center probably makes it less expensive to just write to the County Clerk.

Birth records lead to other searches

 * If a birth record gave you parents names you did not have before, you can return to the census records again and search for additional family members.
 * Search the birth index again using only the surname and the parents' names to find other additional children.
 * If the records start early enough, try searching for the parents as children in the birth index.
 * With the additional family names discovered, look for marriage records for the parents and their children.

Step 5: If your ancestors were German, search Germans from Russia collections online.
In the late 1800s and early 1900s, there was a mass migration from German colonies in the Black Sea region of Russia to the state of South Dakota. Most individuals of German descent in South Dakota were Black Sea Germans from Russia. You can search a fairly complete collection of the parish registers of German churches in South Dakota at the Odessa3 website of the Germans from Russia Society for births, marriages, and deaths. Click here to see a sample of the records.

Step 4: Try to find additional details about ancestors in obituaries, cemetery records, and Social Security records online.
There are additional record collections available, based upon a person's death: obituaries, cemetery records, and Social Security records. These are a great source for more details about a person. Here are some examples; notice the level of details.

Obituaries

 * 1980-2014 at FamilySearch - How to Use this Collection; index and images
 * South Dakota Obituaries Help
 * ObituaryLinks South Dakota, index
 * South Dakota Obituaries

Cemeteries

 * South Dakota, Deaths and Burials at MyHeritage — index ($)
 * Findagrave.com
 * at FamilySearch - How to Use This Collection
 * U.S., Find A Grave Index, 1600s-Current at Ancestry
 * Billion Graves
 * at FamilySearch - How to Use This Collection
 * BillionGraves Index at Findmypast ($)
 * at FamilySearch - How to Use This Collection
 * South Dakota, Cemetery Index, 1831-2008 at Ancestry
 * South Dakota Cemetery Records at AccessGenealogy
 * South Dakota Cemetery Records at Interment
 * South Dakota Tombstone Transcription Project at USGenWeb Transcription Project
 * Online South Dakota Obituary and Cemetery Indexes at DeathIndexes

U.S. Social Security Death Index and Social Security Applications and Claims Index, 1936-2007

 * The U.S. Social Security program began in 1935 but most deaths recorded in the index happened after 1962.
 * The Social Security Death index includes those who had a Social Security number and/or applied for benefits.
 * You can search these records online at
 * Also at Ancestry.com, ($), index.
 * The Social Security Applications and Claims Index, 1936-2007 picks up where the Social Security Death Index (SSDI) leaves off, by providing information filed in the application or claims process.
 * The Social Security Applications and Claims Index, 1936-2007 picks up where the Social Security Death Index (SSDI) leaves off, by providing information filed in the application or claims process.


 * If you find an ancestor in the SSDI index, you can order a copy of their original Social Security application (SS-5). If you can prove the individual has died (by sending an obituary or copy of their cemetery headstone), the application will also give the deceased's parents' names, if listed.

For more information, see South Dakota Obituaries and South Dakota Cemeteries.

Step 5: Search military records: World War I and World War II draft cards.
There are many different types of military records: draft records, enlistment records, service records, pension records, etc. Information in military records can vary from a simple lists of name, age, and residence, to more detailed records including name, residence, age, occupation, marital status, birthplace, physical description, number of dependents, pensions received, disabled veterans, needy veterans, widows or orphans of veterans, and other information. - Example of a World War I draft card. - Example of a World War II draft card.



'''Search the World War I and World War II Draft Collections for male relatives.
- For more information and additional collections, see South Dakota Military Records.
 * , index and images.
 * , index and images.

Step 6: Look for church records online.
Church records function as vital records. Church records are particularly helpful prior to the advent of civil registration.
 * An infant christening or baptism record documents a birth.
 * Many, if not most, people are married in a church, and then a record is created by the minister.
 * Likewise, ministers presided over funerals, then creating a burial record, which documents a death.



FamilySearch

 * 1875-1993 at FamilySearch - How to Use this Collection; index and images, incomplete

Dutch Reformed

 * 1639-1989 U.S., Dutch Reformed Church Records in Selected States, 1639-1989, index and images, incomplete.($)
 * 1701-1995 U.S., Selected States Dutch Reformed Church Membership Records, 1701-1995, index and images, incomplete.($)
 * 1856-1970 U.S., Dutch Christian Reformed Church Vital Records, 1856-1970, index and images, incomplete.($)
 * 1856-1970 U.S., Dutch Christian Reformed Church Membership Records, 1856-1970, index and images, incomplete.($)

Lutheran

 * 1781-1969 - U.S., Evangelical Lutheran Church in America Church Records, 1781-1969, index and images, incomplete.($)
 * Germans from Russia parish register collection

Presbyterian

 * 1701-1970 U.S., Presbyterian Church Records, 1701-1970, index and images, incomplete.($)

Quakers

 * Quaker records : Wisconsin, Minnesota and South Dakota Monthly Meetings, e-book.

- For help with church records kept in South Dakota, see South Dakota Church Records. To search records by denomination, if you know your ancestors religion, go to Searching for Church Records by Denomination.

Step 7: Search for wills and probate packets.

 * County probate records include '''probate proceedings, petitions, affidavits, orders for sales, reports of sales, administrators' and executors' bonds, guardianship papers, wills, and letters of administration.
 * In a will book, usually just a transcription of the will is recorded. But all of these other records are kept in a probate packet.
 * Administrations are probate proceedings that handled an estate if no known will existed.

Search these indexes and images for probate records.

 * United States Wills and Deeds Experimental Search: South Dakota
 * United States Wills and Deeds Experimental Search: Dakota Territory
 * North Dakota and South Dakota, Wills and Probate Records, 1800-1985, ($), index and images, incomplete.

Probate Information in County Wiki Articles
Each South Dakota county Research Wiki page lists additional probate sources, including where to write for records: South Dakota Counties

For more information, see South Dakota Probate Records and United States Probate Records.

Step 8: If any ancestor was an immigrant, search immigration and naturalization records online.
The census records may show that an ancestor was born in another country. It will be necessary to try to find the town or city they were born in to continue research in the country of origin. Searches of immigration records (usually passenger lists) and naturalization (citizenship) records would be the next step.



South Dakota Immigration Records

 * United States Immigration Online Genealogy Records
 * 1500s-1900s All U.S. and Canada, Passenger and Immigration Lists Index, 1500s-1900s at Ancestry; index only ($); Also at MyHeritage; index only ($); includes those with Destination of South Dakota
 * 1821-1989 U.S. City Directories, 1821-1989 at Ancestry; index & images ($)
 * 1895-1956 United States, Border Crossings from Canada, 1895-1956 at MyHeritage; index & images ($); includes those with Destination of South Dakota
 * 1898-1899 South Dakota State Historical Society: South Dakota State Brand Book (Index), 1898-1899
 * 1900 Little Gem Brand Book, 1900

Cultural Groups

 * 1920-1939 Germany, Bremen Emigration Lists, 1920-1939 at MyHeritage; index only ($); includes those with Destination of South Dakota
 * Germans Immigrating to the United States at MyHeritage; index only ($); includes those with Destination of South Dakota
 * Italians Immigrating to the United States at MyHeritage; index only ($); includes those with Destination of South Dakota
 * Russians Immigrating to the United States at MyHeritage; index only ($); includes those with Destination of South Dakota
 * Odessa3: Germans from Russia

Passport Records Online

 * 1795-1925 at FamilySearch - How to Use this Collection; index and images
 * 1795-1925 U.S. Passport Applications, 1795-1925 Index and images, at Ancestry ($)

South Dakota Naturalization and Citizenship Online Records

 * United States Naturalization and Citizenship Online Genealogy Records
 * 1795-1925 at FamilySearch - How to Use this Collection; index and images
 * 1851-1883 at FamilySearch - How to Use this Collection; index
 * 1865-1972 at FamilySearch - How to Use this Collection; index and images
 * 1918 at FamilySearch - How to Use this Collection — index
 * 1944-2003 U.S., Index to Alien Case Files, 1944-2003 at Ancestry — index ($)
 * South Dakota Naturalization Records Index:First Papers.
 * South Dakota Naturalization Records Index:Second Papers.
 * Name Index to Naturalization Records from Dakota Territory and South Dakota, at National Archives, Kansas City
 * South Dakota, Federal Naturalization Records, 1904-1928, index & images ($).

For more information, see South Dakota Emigration and Immigration and South Dakota Naturalization and Citizenship.

Step 9: For German ancestors, search Germans from Russia collections online.
In the late 1800s and early 1900s, there was a mass migration from German colonies in Russia to North and South Dakota.
 * Birth, marriage, and death records for them in Russia are collected at the Odessa3 website
 * Collections pertaining to them are also found at the Germans from Russia Heritage Collection at North Dakota State University.

Local Histories

 * Published histories of towns, counties, and states sometimes contain biographies and accounts of early or prominent families.
 * Here are several websites that feature online copies of printed county histories: South Dakota; that will bring up too many hits. Just use the name of the county and "county": for example, "Hyde County"
 * Google Books. Use keywords "South Dakota" and the county name. Hits will list online readable books, lists of libraries that carry the book, and purchasing opportunities.
 * Family History Books
 * County and Town Histories
 * Internet Archive.Use keywords "South Dakota" and the county name.
 * Ancestry.com, ($). In the Card Catalog search box, use South Dakota and the name of the county.

FamilySearch Collected Local Histories

 * Local histories are extensively collected by the FamilySearch Library, public and university libraries, and state and local historical societies.
 * If you have access to the FamilySearch Library or a FamilySearch center, you can find local histories by:
 * Go to the FamilySearch Catalog.
 * In the "Place" field, type the name of your county and click "Search".
 * A list of subheadings for the county will appear. Local histories containing genealogies and biographies will be found under Biography, Genealogy, History, or History - Indexes.

Biography Collections

 * County and Town Histories, South Carolina with biographies
 * Men of mark in South Carolina; ideals of American life: a collection of biographies of leading men of the state. J. C. Hemphill, editor-in-chief. Illustrated with many full page photo-steel engraved portraits. v. 1,
 * Vol. 2,]
 * Vol. 3
 * County and Town Histories, South Carolina, with biographies
 * Vol. 3

For more information, see South Dakota Biography.

Step 11: Search land records online.

 * These records will give the name of the owner, the date they obtained the land, the county, and the exact location of the land. They can contain clues to family members who shared ownership of the land, sold or gave land to a child, or witnessed the sale. Sometimes they show the previous or new residence of the parties to the deed. They can be useful in tracking an ancestor who lived in more than one county in South Dakota. With the additional county name where the family lived, the probate and vital records of that county can then be searched.
 * Bureau of Land Management Land Patents
 * South Dakota Land Patents Database.
 * South Dakota BLM Database
 * U.S., Indexed County Land Ownership Maps, 1860-1918

A search of the county land ownership maps shows East Goose Lake Township. Below is a blow-up of the section showing the Picotte lands.:


 * A search of the Bureau of Land Management records gives results like this: [[Image:BLM search results.png|thumb|800px|center]]

Step 12: Contact a county historical or genealogical society.
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Step 13: If your family was Native American, search Indian agency records online.

 * If your ancestor was Native American, there are Indian Agency birth records and marriage records and death records. Click on each type of record in the previous sentence for numbers of microfilm records which can be searched at the FamilySearch Library or your local FamilySearch center.