Wright County, Minnesota Genealogy

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

Description
The County was named for a New York politician, Silas Wright. The County is located in the central area of the state.

County Courthouse
Wright County Courthouse 10 2nd Street NW Buffalo, Mn 55313 Phone: 763-682-7539 Wright County Website License Bureau has birth and death records from 1871 and marriage records from 1866. Court Administrator has divorce and court records from 1870 and probate records. Register of Deeds has land records.

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:

Biographies

 * Curtiss-Wedge, Franklyn of the Wright County Historical Society. History of Wright County, Minnesota; V. 01 and V. 02. H. C. Cooper Jr & Co, Chicago, IL 1915. Online at: FamilySearch Digital Library Vol 1 - Historical, Internet Archive; and FamilySearch Digital Library Vol 2 - Biographical

Census Records
State Census
 * 1835-1890 U.S., Compiled Census and Census Substitutes Index, 1835-1890 at ($)
 * 1849-1905 U.S., Territorial and State Censuses, 1849-1905 at ($)
 * 1865 at FamilySearch — How to Use this Collection; index and images.
 * 1875 at FamilySearch — How to Use this Collection; index and images.
 * 1885 at FamilySearch — How to Use this Collection; index and images.
 * 1905 at FamilySearch — How to Use this Collection; index and images.

Church Records

 * FamilySearch Places

Emigration and Immigration

 * 1912-1956 at FamilySearch — How to Use this Collection; index and images.

Genealogies

 * Hoar, Alfred Wyman. Lineage and family records of Alfred Wyman Hoar and his wife Josephine Jackson with notes on the early history of Wright County, Minnesota. (Eagle Print. Co., 1898). Digital version at Internet Archive; indexed at Ancestry ($).

Land and Property Records
Online Land Indexes and Records
 * Pre-1908 Minnesota, U.S., Homestead and Cash Entry Patents, Pre-1908 at Ancestry ($)

Local Histories

 * Curtiss-Wedge, Franklyn of the Wright County Historical Society. History of Wright County, Minnesota; V. 01 and V. 02. H. C. Cooper Jr & Co, Chicago, IL 1915. Online at: FamilySearch Digital Library Vol 1 - Historical, Internet Archive; and FamilySearch Digital Library Vol 2 - Biographical
 * French, C. A., Lamson, Frank Bailey. Condensed history of Wright County, Minnesota, 1851-1935.  Eagle Printing Co, Delano, MN, 1935.  Online at: FamilySearch Digital Library

Maps and Gazetteers

 * David Rumsey Map Collection
 * FamilySearch Places: Map of cities and towns in this county - How to Use FS Places
 * Minnesota Department of Transportation, Wright County municipality and township maps

Military Records
Multiple Wars
 * 1861-1917 at FamilySearch — How to Use this Collection; Free index, images ($)
 * 1898-1899 Minnesota Volunteers in the Spanish American War and the Philippine Insurrection at Ancestry; Free index

Civil War
 * 1861-1865 U.S., Civil War Soldiers, 1861-1865 at Ancestry; Free index
 * 1861-1865 U.S., Civil War Records, 1861-1865 at ; Free index
 * 1861-1865 Minnesota Civil War Soldiers at Ancestry; Free index
 * 1861-1934 U.S., Civil War Pension Index: General Index to Pension Files, 1861-1934 at Ancestry; Free index

Civil War service men from Wright County served in various regiments. Men often joined a company (within a regiment) that originated in their county. Listed below are companies or regiments that were formed from men of Wright County.


 * - 1st Regiment, Minnesota Infantry, Company D.
 * - 3rd Regiment, Minnesota Infantry, Company A.
 * - 8th Regiment, Minnesota Infantry, Company E.
 * - 9th Regiment, Minnesota Infantry, Company B.
 * - Hatch's Independent Battalion, Minnesota Cavalry, Company E.

Spanish-American War
 * 1898 U.S., Spanish American War Volunteers Index to Compiled Military Service Records, 1898  at ; Free index
 * 1898-1899 U.S., Spanish American War Muster Rolls and Casualty Lists, 1898-1899 at ; Free index

World War I
 * 1917-1918 U.S., World War I Civilian Draft Registrations, 1917-1918 at Ancestry (Free collection)
 * 1917-1918 U.S., World War I Draft Registration Cards, 1917-1918 at Ancestry; Free index
 * 1918-1941 at FamilySearch — How to Use this Collection

World War II
 * 1940-1947 at FamilySearch — How to Use this Collection; index and images
 * 1940-1947 U.S., World War II Draft Cards Young Men, 1940-1947 at Ancestry; Free index
 * 1942 U.S., World War II Draft Registration Cards, 1942 at Ancestry; Free index

Naturalization and Citizenship
Online Naturalization Indexes and Records
 * 1849-1985 Minnesota, U.S., Naturalization Index, 1849-1985 at (Free collection)
 * 1872-1962 at FamilySearch — How to Use this Collection; index and images
 * 1880-1920 U.S., Federal Naturalization Records, 1880-1920 at ($)
 * 1918 Web: Minnesota, U.S., Alien Registration Index, 1918 at Ancestry (Free collection)

Newspapers

 * Minnesota Digital Newspaper Hub at Minnesota Historical Society; narrow to county or city, search for surname, limit by date.

Obituaries

 * 1865-2006 at  — How to Use this Collection; index and images
 * 1891-2003 Minnesota, U.S., Obituary Index, 1891-2003 at (Free collection)

Probate Records
Online Probate Indexes and Records
 * 1801-1925 U.S., Wills and Probate Records, 1801-1925 at ; index and images ($)
 * 1849-1985 at FamilySearch — How to Use this Collection; Three Minnesota counties are not in this collection: Hennepin, Marshall, and St. Louis.

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.

Birth

 * 1840-1980 U.S., Births and Christenings Index, 1840-1980 at ($)
 * 1900-1934 Minnesota People Records Search - Births at Minnesota Historical Society - free index, images ($)
 * 1900-1934 Minnesota, Birth Index, 1900-1934 at MyHeritage; index ($)
 * 1935-2000 U.S., Birth Index, 1935-2000 at ($)

Marriage

 * 1850-2019 Minnesota, U.S., Marriages from the Minnesota Official Marriage System, 1850-2019 at (Free collection)
 * 1860-1949 at  — How to Use this Collection; index and images
 * 1885-present Minnesota Official Marriage System at MOMS.mn.gov; search by county, name or date, and request copy.
 * 1970-2003 Minnesota Marriage Records Index, 1970-2003 at Archives ($)
 * 1976-2003 Minnesota, Marriages, 1976-2003 at MyHeritage; index ($)

Death

 * 1850-2001 at FamilySearch — How to Use this Collection; index and images
 * 1887-2001 at FamilySearch — How to Use this Collection; index and images
 * 1904-2001 Minnesota People Records Search - Deaths at Minnesota Historical Society - free index, images ($)
 * 1904-2001 Minnesota, Death Index, 1904-2001 at MyHeritage; index ($)
 * 1908-2017 U.S., Death Index, 1908-2017 at ($)

Divorce

 * 1970-1995 U.S., Divorce Index, 1970-1995 at ($)
 * 1970-2003 Minnesota Divorce Records Index, 1970-2003 at Archives ($)

FamilySearch Centers

 * Buffalo Minnesota FamilySearch Center
 * Minneapolis Minnesota FamilySearch Center
 * Great River Regional Library - multiple locations - an affiliate library.
 * Wright County Historical Society - an affiliate library.

Libraries
Great River Regional Library Buffalo Branch Library 18 NW Lake Blvd Buffalo, MN 55313 Phone: 763-682-2753 Website Wright County Heritage Center Research Library P.O. Box 304 2001 Highway 25 North Buffalo, MN 55313 Phone: 763-682-7323 Email: [mailto:info@wrighthistory.org info@wrighthistory.org] Website

Museums
Wright County Historical Society Museum 2001 Highway 25 North Buffalo, MN 55313 Phone: 763-682-7323 Email: [mailto:wrighthistory@me.com wrighthistory@me.com] Website Cokato Museum 175 4th Street SW P.O. Box 686 Cokato, MN 55321-0686 Phone: 320-286-2427 Email: [mailto:info@cokatomuseum.org info@cokatomuseum.org] Website

Societies
Wright County Historical Society P.O. Box 304 2001 Highway 25 N Buffalo, MN 55313-3303 Phone: 763-682-7323 Email: [mailto:info@wrighthistory.org info@wrighthistory.org] Website Cokato Finnish-American Society 2000 County Rd 3 SW Cokato, MN 55321-4408 Phone: 320-286-2833 Email: [mailto:heidibharveyb@gmail.com heidibharveyb@gmail.com] Facebook Cokato Historical Society Museum & Library P.O. Box 686 175 4th Street West Cokato, MN Phone: 320-286-2427 Email: [mailto:info@cokatomuseum.org info@cokatomuseum.org] Website Rockford Area Historical Society P.O. Box 186 Rockford, MN 55373-0186 Phone: 763-477-5383 Website Delano/Franklin Township Historical Society 234 Bridge Ave E Delano, MN 55328 Phone: 763-257-2963 Email: [mailto:jonsteinmetz@live.com jonsteinmetz@live.com] Website Hanover Historical Society P.O. Box 13 1010 River Road NE Hanover, MN 55341 Email: [mailto:info@hanoverhistoricalsociety.org info@hanoverhistoricalsociety.org] Website Minnesota Pioneer Park 725 Pioneer Park Trail Annandale, MN 55302 Phone: 320-274-8489 Email: [mailto:pioneerp@lakedalelink.net pioneerp@lakedalelink.net] Website St. Michael Historical Society 11800 Town Center Dr NE St. Michael, MN 55376 Phone: 763-416-7967 Email: [mailto:zahlerb66@gmail.com zahlerb66@gmail.com] Website

Websites

 * Wright County, a member of The MNGenWeb Project, an affiliate of The USGenWeb Project.
 * Research at Minnesota Historical Society — links to Records and Indexes; See also MHS Wiki Page
 * Iron Range Research Center
 * Wright County, a member of MNGenWeb Archives
 * Cyndi's List: Wright County
 * Minnesota Genealogy Trails
 * – 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.