Becker County, Minnesota Genealogy

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

Description
The County was named for George Loomis Becker. Becker was one of three men elected to congress when Minnesota became a state, but since Minnesota could only send two, Becker elected to stay behind, and he was promised to have a county named after him. The County is located in the west central area of the state.

County Courthouse
County Recorder has birth, marriage and death records from 1871, divorce, probate and court records from 1940.

Parent County
1858--Becker County was created 18 March 1858 from Cass and Pembina (Name changed on 9 Mar. 1878) Counties. County seat: Detroit Lakes

Boundary Changes
For animated maps illustrating Minnesota County boundary changes, "Rotating Formation Minnesota County Boundary Maps" (1849-1960) may be viewed for free at the MapofUS.org website.

Record Loss
There is no known history of courthouse disasters in this county.

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
Clay | Clearwater | Hubbard | Mahnomen | Norman | Otter Tail | Wadena

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

Lutheran
Lake Park


 * Records of Lutheran Church, Lake Park, in Evangelical Lutheran Church in America database at Archives.com ($).

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

 * 1860 - 1949 at FamilySearch — index and images

Death

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

Societies and Libraries

 * Becker County Historical Society & Museum 714 Summit Ave PO Box 622 Detroit Lakes, MN 56502 Phone: 218-847-2938 Museum Website
 * Lake Park Area Historical Society c/o Carol Midthune PO Box 193 Lake Park, MN 56554-0045
 * Northwest Minnesota Historical Center Minnesota State University 1104 7th Avenue South Moorhead, MN 56563 Phone: 800-593-7246 Website

Family History Centers

 * Detroit Lakes Minnesota Family History Center

Websites

 * Minnesota Genealogy Network Community on Google+
 * Minnesota Genealogy Network Group on Facebook
 * The Becker County MNGenWeb Project, an member of The MNGenWeb Project, an affiliate of The USGenWeb Project.
 * Cyndi's List: Becker County
 * Cyndi's List: Becker County