Montana, Granite County Records - FamilySearch Historical Records

What is in This Collection?
This collection contains images and an index of probate, land and property, naturalization, divorce and vital records from the County Clerk's Office in Philipsburg, Montana. Granite County was founded in 1893 from sections of Deer Lodge and Missoula Counties. Early records are housed in Butte, Silver Bow County (1865-1867) or in Anaconda, Deer Lodge County(1868-1896). Today the Granite County seat is in Philipsburg. This collection is being published as images become available.

The probate courts (1864-1889) had jurisdiction over adoptions, marriages, probates, civil suits and criminal matters. After 1889 jurisdiction was transferred to the district courts. These records can be located in the office of the county clerk.

Birth and death registers were required to be kept and filed in the county beginning in 1895 though there are some earlier records. By 1905 these records were required to be registered on a state level but this law wasn't fully complied with until about 1915. Certified copies of birth and death records can be obtained from The Department of Health and Environmental Science in Helena. Marriage and divorce records are available from the clerk of district court in Granite county. They were registered on a state level beginning in July 1943.

Land and naturalization records are kept in the county and district courts with no name index available before 1908. The earliest land records are at the National Archives in Denver, Colorado.

What Can These Records Tell Me?
The following information may be found in these records:
 * Name of the primary individual
 * Age
 * Event date
 * Event place
 * Parents' names including mother's maiden name
 * Parents' age, birth place and residence
 * Occupations
 * Names of heirs, such as spouse, children, other relatives, or friends
 * Name of the executor, administrator, or guardian
 * Names of witnesses
 * Dates the documents were written and recorded (used to approximate event dates since a will was usually written near the time of death)
 * Description and value of personal property or land owned by the deceased
 * Address or residence

How Do I Search This Collection?
Before searching this collection, it is helpful to know:
 * The name of your ancestor
 * The approximate date of the event
 * The type of event
 * The names of family members and their relationships

View the Images
View images in this collection by visiting the :
 * 1) Select the Record Category
 * 2) Select the Record Type, Volume, and Year Range to view the images.

How Do I Analyze the Results?
Compare each result from your search with what you know to determine if there is a match. This may require viewing multiple records or images. Keep track of your research in a research log.

What Do I Do Next?
Whenever possible, view the original records to verify the information and to find additional information that might not be reported. These pieces of information can lead you to additional records and family members.

I Found the Person I Was Looking For, What Now?

 * Use the age to calculate the birth date to find vital records such as birth, christening, marriage, and death
 * Use the probate date as a substitute for the death date
 * Use the name of the undertaker, mortuary, or cemetery to find funeral and cemetery records
 * Use the parents' birth places to find former residences and to establish a migration pattern for the family
 * Use the occupations to find employment or military records
 * Use the information to find the family in census records

I Can’t Find the Person I’m Looking For, What Now?

 * Try viewing the original record to see if there were errors in the transcription of the name, age, residence, etc. Remember that there may be more than one person in the records with the same name
 * Collect entries for every person who has the same surname. This list can help you identify possible relations that can be verified by records
 * If you cannot locate your ancestor in the locality in which you believe they lived, then try searching records of a nearby locality
 * Standard spelling of names typically did not exist. Try variations of your ancestor’s name while searching the index or browsing through images
 * Remember that sometimes individuals went by nicknames or alternated between using first and middle names

Research Helps
The following articles will help you in your research for your family in the state of Montana.
 * Montana Guided Research
 * Research Tips and Strategies
 * Step-by-Step Research
 * Montana Record Finder

Citing This Collection
Citations help you keep track of places you have searched and sources you have found. Identifying your sources helps others find the records you used.