McCook County, South Dakota Genealogy

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

Description
The county is named after former governor of the Dakota Territory and Civil War general Edwin Stanton McCook. It's county seat is Salem. It was organized 1873. It is located in the eastern area of the state.

County Courthouse
McCook County Courthouse 130 W Essex Avenue Salem, SD 57058 Phone: 605.425.2781 Register of Deeds has marriage records from 1882, burial records from 1895, birth and death records from 1905 and land records; Clerk Court has court and naturalization records from 1880, probate records from 1881 and some school census records from 1900

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

Boundary Changes

 * Parent County: McCook County was created 8 January 1873 from Hanson County.
 * County seat: Salem
 * Interactive Formation Boundary Map of North Dakota - shows boundary changes for South Dakota Counties
 * South Dakota Historical Boundary Changes - list of all boundary changes by county provided by Newberry Library

Populated Places
The following are locations in the county

State Census Records

 * 1885 South Dakota, Territorial Census, 1885 at Ancestry ($)
 * 1895 South Dakota, State Census, 1895 at Ancestry ($)

Federal Census Records
Federal Censuses were taken for the state of South Dakota starting in 1890, although only one page survived. The 1900 is the next Federal Census available. For links to Federal census indexes, see South Dakota Census.

Land and Property Records
Online Land Records


 * 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 - 1936 - U.S. Homestead Records 1861-1936 at Ancestry.com - ($), index and images

Maps and Gazetteers

 * Interactive Formation Boundary Map of South Dakota - shows boundary changes for South Dakota Counties
 * Historical Maps and Atlases of South Dakota - maps and atlases of South Dakota

Online Collections
These collections are unique to South Dakota. You will find nationwide databases for military records on U.S. Military Online Genealogy Records and South Dakota Military Records. Civil War World War I World War II For further information see South Dakota Military Records.
 * 1861 - 1941 South Dakota, Grand Army of the Republic Membership Records, 1861-1941 at FamilySearch
 * 1861 -1865 at FamilySearch.
 * 1885 Civil War Veteran's 1885 Census in South Dakota - Index only, Union and Confederate included
 * 1890 at FamilySearch.
 * South Dakota WWI Honor Roll by SDGenWeb - Alphabetical index; List by County
 * WWII Army and Army Air Force Casualties for South Dakota - Index only

Naturalization and Citizenship

 * 1904 - 1928 South Dakota, Federal Naturalization Records, 1904-1928 at Ancestry — index and images ($)
 * 1865 - 1972 at FamilySearch — images
 * South Dakota Naturalization Records Index:First Papers — index
 * South Dakota Naturalization Records Index:Second Papers — index
 * Name Index to Naturalization Records from Dakota Territory and South Dakota at National Archives, Kansas City — index

Newspapers
 South Dakota Newspapers Online South Dakota Newspaper Catalogs
 * GenealogyBank - ($), contains images of South Dakota newspapers
 * Newspaper Archive - ($), contains images of South Dakota newspapers
 * Chronicling America - contains images of some South Dakota newspapers; searching tips
 * Elephind - Free; search engine that retrieves newspaper images from other free newspaper websites
 * 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.

Probate Records
Online Records
 * 1800 – 1985 North Dakota and South Dakota Wills and Probate Records 1800-1985 at Ancestry.com — index and images $

School Records

 * 1879 - 1970 at FamilySearch — index and images
 * 1879 - 1970 South Dakota, School Records,1879-1970 at Ancestry — images

Birth

 * 1843 - 1914 at FamilySearch  — index
 * 1856 - 1950 South Dakota, Birth Index, 1856-1915 at Ancestry  — index ($)
 * Birth Record Search Site For South Dakota Birth Records With Birth Dates Over 100 Years — index

Marriage

 * 1950 - 2014  — index
 * 1905 - 2013 South Dakota, Marriages, 1905-2013 at Ancestry — index and images ($)

Death

 * 1879 - 1955 South Dakota, Death Index, 1879-1955 at Ancestry — index($)

Societies
McCook County Historical Society and Museum, Inc. 126 North Norton Salem, South Dakota 57058 Telephone: 605-425-2340

McCook County Museum and Historical Society 120 West Norton PO Box 176 Salem, SD 57058 Telephone: 605-425-3181

Websites

 * USGenWeb project. May have maps, name indexes, history or other information for this county. Select the state, then the county.