Mercer County, North Dakota Genealogy

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

Description
The county was named for William Henry Harrison Mercer[(1844–1901), an early rancher who settled north of Bismarck in 1869. The County is located in the center area of the state.

County Courthouse
Mercer County Courthouse 1021 Arthur Street Stanton, ND 58571 Phone: 701.745.3262 Mercer County Website Clerk District Court has birth, death and burial records from 1942, marriage records from 1894, divorce and court records from 1906 and probate record from 1898; Register of Deeds has land records; State Archives has naturalization records

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:

Indian Reservation

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

Biographies

 * Mercer County, North Dakota Biographies - includes some Native American biographies. on North Dakota Genealogy Trails website - alphabetical list of early settlers and prominent individuals from county histories
 * Index to Mercer County, North Dakota Biographies (Mercer County, USGenWeb project)
 * North Dakota Biography Index at North Dakota State University Archives - Index only; gives references to publications containing information on North Dakotans, living and deceased

Cemeteries

 * Odessa Digital Library has cemetery transcriptions for cemeteries Mercer county, providing name, date of birth, and date of death where available.
 * 1877-1999 - at FamilySearch — index and images - How to Use this Collection

Census Records

 * 1883 - Mercer County, Dakota Territory 1883 List of Pensioners on the Roll USGenWeb Archives)

Territory and State Census Records

 * 1836 - 1836 Wisconsin Territory Census – index only; North Dakota was included in the 1836 Wisconsin Territory Census
 * 1840 - at FamilySearch Historical Records — index and images; North Dakota was included in the 1840 Iowa Territory Census - How to Use this Collection
 * 1850 - at FamilySearch Historical Records — index and images; North Dakota was included in the 1850 Minnesota Territory Census - How to Use this Collection
 * 1860 - at FamilySearch Historical Records — index and images; North Dakota was included in the 1860 Dakota Territory Census - How to Use this Collection
 * 1870 - at FamilySearch Historical Records — index and images; North Dakota was included in the 1870 Dakota Territory Census - How to Use this Collection
 * 1880 - at FamilySearch Historical Records — index and images; North Dakota was included in the 1880 Dakota Territory Census - How to Use this Collection
 * 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 - How to Use this Collection
 * 1925 at FamilySearch Historical Records — index and images - How to Use this Collection

Federal Census Records
Federal Censuses were taken for the state of North Dakota starting in 1890, although no records survived. The 1900 Census is the next Federal Census available. For links to Federal census indexes, see North Dakota Census.
 * 1900, 1910, 1920, 1930 - Mercer County, North Dakota Census Records (USGenWeb Archives)

Church Records
List of Churches and Church Parishes
 * FamilySearch Places

Online Church Records Lutheran Church
 * 1875-1940 - U.S., Evangelical Lutheran Church of America, Records, 1875-1940 at Ancestry — ($); Index and images; Dates vary for each county

Emigration and Immigration

 * 1800-1953 - at FamilySearch — index - How to Use this Collection

Land and Property Records
Online Land Records For more information see North Dakota Land and Property
 * Index to Mercer County BLM Land records (USGenWeb Archives)
 * 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 - 1908 - U.S. Homestead Records 1863-1908 at Ancestry.com - ($), index and images

Local Histories

 * Homesteading on the Knife River prairies. 1983. By Pauline Neher Diede. Bismarck, North Dakota : Germans from Russia Heritage Society. Online at: ;.
 * The prairie echoes. 1993. By Pauline Neher Diede. New Salem, North Dakota : New Salem Journal..

Maps and Gazetteers

 * FamilySearch Places:Cities and Towns- How to Use FS Places
 * Interactive Formation Boundary Map of North Dakota - shows boundary changes for North Dakota Counties
 * North Dakota Maps at NDGenWeb -historical maps

Military Records

 * Soldier Photo Index, Mercer County, North Dakota (USGenWeb Project)

Online Collections
These collections are unique to North Dakota. You will find nationwide databases for military records on U.S. Military Online Genealogy Records and North Dakota Military Records.

Civil War
 * 1861-1865 - at FamilySearch. - How to Use this Collection
 * 1883 - Mercer County, Dakota Territory 1883 List of Pensioners on the Roll (USGenWeb Archives)
 * 1890 - at FamilySearch. - How to Use this Collection
 * 1890 - 1890 Veterans Census for Mercer County, North Dakota - list. (Genealogy Trails)

World War I World War II Korean War Vietnam War For further information see North Dakota Military Records.
 * 1917-1918 - North Dakota Military Men 1917-1918 at Ancestry ($)
 * 1917-1918 - Roster of the men and women who served in the army or naval service (including the Marine Corps) of the United States or its allies from the state of North Dakota in the World War, 1917-1918, Vols. 1-4 at Ancestry ($)
 * World War I Casualties, Mercer County, North Dakota (Genealogy Trails)
 * World War II Army Casualties, Mercer County, North Dakota (USGenWeb Archives)
 * World War II Navy, Marine Corps, and Coast Guard Personnel, Mercer County, North Dakota (Genealogy Trails)
 * Korean War Casualties, Mercer County, North Dakota (Genealogy Trails)
 * Vietnam War Casualties, Mercer County, North Dakota (Genealogy Trails)

Naturalization and Citizenship
Online Naturalization Indexes and Records
 * 1868-1924 - at FamilySearch — index and images - How to Use this Collection
 * 1886-1942 - (*); District Court at FamilySearch Catalog — images
 * 1892-1943 - (*); District Court at FamilySearch Catalog — general index, images
 * North Dakota Naturalization Records Index at NDSU Archives – index only, covers various dates and counties

Newspapers
North Dakota Newspaper Catalogs North Dakota Newspapers Online
 * State Historical Society of North Dakota - contains inventory and catalog of all known ND newspapers
 * 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
 * Chronicling America - contains images of some North Dakota newspapers; searching tips
 * Elephind - Free; search engine that retrieves newspaper images from other free newspaper websites
 * GenealogyBank ($)
 * Newspaper Archive ($)
 * Papers from the Past at Community History Archives

Obituaries

 * Mercer County Obituaries (Genealogy Trails)
 * Index to Mercer County Obituaries (USGenWeb Archives)
 * Index to Mercer County Obituaries (USGenWeb Project)

Probate Records
Online Probate Indexes and Records


 * 1728 – 1928 North Dakota and South Dakota Wills and Probate Records 1728-1928 at Ancestry — index and images ($)

School Records

 * Mercer County School Index (USGenWeb Project)

Social Security Records

 * 1935-2014 at FamilySearch - How to use this collection; index. Also at Ancestry, findmypast, Fold3, GenealogyBank, MyHeritage, and Steve Morse. Click here for more information.
 * 1936-2007 U.S., Social Security Applications and Claims Index, 1936-2007 at Ancestry ($) — index, click here for more information.

Marriage

 * 1872-1958 - at FamilySearch — index and images - How to Use this Collection
 * Mercer County Marriage Announcements (Genealogy Trails)
 * Mercer County Marriage Index (USGenWeb Project)

Death
Online Death Indexes and Records
 * 1892-present - NDDH Public Death Index, 1892-present at North Dakota Dept. of Health – index only
 * Index to Mercer County Obits (USGenWeb Project)
 * Mercer County Obituaries (Genealogy Trails)

Museums
Fort Clark State Historic Site 612 E Boulevard Ave Bismarck, ND 58501 Phone: 701-794-8832 or 701-328-2666 Website

Knife River Indian Villages National Historic Site 564 County Road 27 PO Box 9 Stanton, ND 58571-0009 Phone: 701-745-3309 or 701-745-3300 Website

Societies
Mercer County North Dakota Historical Society 108 7th Street Northeast Beulah, ND 58523 Telephone: 701-873-5070

Websites

 * Mercer County at Cyndi's List — a comprehensive, categorized & cross-referenced list of links that point you to genealogical research sites online
 * Mercer County at Genealogy Trails — volunteer transcriptions of genealogical and historical data
 * Mercer County at North Dakota USGenWeb - free online resources for genealogical research
 * Mercer County at North Dakota USGenWeb Archives - free online data for genealogical research
 * Mercer County, North Dakota at Linkpendium - genealogy and family history
 * Mercer County, North Dakota Genealogy at LDSGenealogy.com - collection of links by state, county, city, and record type
 * 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.