Yellowstone County, Montana Genealogy

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

Description
It is located in the south central location of the state.

County Courthouse
Yellowstone County Courthouse 217 N 27th Street PO Box 35001 Billings, MT 59107-5001 Phone: 406.256.2785 Yellowstone County Website County Clerk Recorder has birth, death, land, and military records from 1883. Clerk District Court has marriage, divorce, probate and court records.

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

Boundary Changes
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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 The Crow Indian Reservation is located primarily in Big Horn County, with a smaller portion in Yellowstone County.

Territory and State Censuses

 * 1860 - at FamilySearch Historical Records - How to Use this Collection; index and images; Montana was included in the 1860 Washington and Nebraska Territory Censuses
 * 1870 - at FamilySearch Historical Records - How to Use this Collection; index and images; Montana Territory Census
 * 1880 - at FamilySearch Historical Records - How to Use this Collection; index and images; Montana Territory Census

Federal Census Records
Federal Censuses were taken for the state of Montana starting in 1890, although no records survived. The 1900 Census is the next Federal Census available. For links to Federal Census indexes, see Montana Census.

Church Records
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

Other Church Records The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints Ward and Branch Records

List of Churches and Church Parishes
 * Billings
 * FamilySearch Places

County Records

 * 1881-2011 - at FamilySearch - How to Use this Collection; index and images

Court Records

 * 1881-2011 (*) at FamilySearch — How to Use this Collection; index & images
 * 1905-1960 (*); District Court at FamilySearch Catalog — images

Directories
The Parmly Billings Library has made the following available online:


 * Early Billings City Directories: 1883, 1894, 1900-1901, 1903-1904

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
 * 1863 - 1908 - U.S. Homestead Records 1863-1908 at Ancestry.com - ($), index and images

Local Histories

 * Medicine; The Early Days. c1983. Billings, Montana : The 100th Birthday Medical Research Committee..
 * Trails and Tales, South of the Yellowstone : An Unrecorded History of the Area South of Billings and the Yellowstone River--Extending to the Western Portion of the Crow Reservation and Pryor Mountains. c1983. Billings, Montana : Trails and Tales Historical Committee..

Online County Histories
 * An Illustrated History of the Yellowstone Valley : Embracing the Counties of Park, Sweet Grass, Carbon, Yellowstone, Rosebud, Custer and Dawson, State of Montana. c1990. Washington [District of Columbia] : Library of Congress Photoduplication Service. Online at: Internet Archive;.

Maps and Gazetteers

 * FamilySearch Places:Cities and Towns- How to Use FS Places
 * Interactive Formation Boundary Map of Montana - shows boundary changes for Montana Counties
 * Historical Maps and Atlases of Montana - maps and atlases of Montana

Online Collections
These collections are unique to Montana. You will find nationwide databases for military records on U.S. Military Online Genealogy Records and Montana Military Records. Civil War World War I
 * 1890 at FamilySearch - How to Use this Collection; index
 * 1890 - 1918 Montana Military Enlistments at Montana Memory Project
 * 1904 - 1918 at FamilySearch - How to Use this Collection; index
 * 1917 - 1918 at FamilySearch - How to Use this Collection; Index and images
 * Soldiers of the Great War from the State of Montana at USGenWeb.
 * Military Enlistments Montana World War I at Montana Memory Project
 * W. W. Gail. Yellowstone county, Montana in the World War, 1917, 1918, 1919.Billings, Montana : W.W. Gail, c1919. FHL 978.639 M22g

'World War II'' For further information see Montana Military Records.
 * WWII Army and Army Air Force Casualties for Montana - Index only

Naturalization and Citizenship
Online Naturalization Records
 * 1791-1992 - U.S. Naturalization Record Indexes, 1791-1992 at Ancestry — ($), index only
 * 1868-1999 - at FamilySearch - How to Use this Collection; index and images
 * 1870-1999 - Montana, Federal Naturalization Records, 1870-1999 at Ancestry — ($), index only
 * 1876-1999 - Montana Naturalization Records, 1868-1999 – Browseable images only; U.S. Circuit Court covering Yellowstone County containing various naturalization records from 1876-1999.

Newspapers
 Montana Newspapers Online
 * Chronicling America - contains images of some Montana newspapers; searching tips
 * Elephind - Free; search engine that retrieves newspaper images from other free newspaper websites
 * GenealogyBank - ($), contains images of Montana newspapers
 * Montana Newspapers by the Montana Historical Society
 * Newspaper Archive - ($), contains images of Montana newspapers

Montana Newspaper Catalogs
 * 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.

Obituaries

 * Obituary Daily Times - large obituary index from newspapers across the United States.

See also United States Obituaries for more about finding United States obituaries.

Probate Records
Online Probate Indexes and Records
 * 1831 – 1952 Montana Wills and Probate Records 1831-1952 at Ancestry.com — index and images $

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.

Vital Records
The following is courtesy of the Parmly Billings Library Genealogical Resources:


 * Vital Statistics from EarlyBilling Gazettes: Over 13,000 births, deaths, business licenses and other records from the early residents as recorded in this newspaper. The index is from 1882-1901 as well as additional indexes covering up to the 1930s.

Birth

 * 1840 - 2004 at FamilySearch - How to Use this Collection; index and images
 * 1840 - 2004 Montana, County Births and Deaths, 1840 - 2004 at Ancestry ($) — index

Marriage

 * 1800 - 1994 Montana, United States Marriages at FindMyPast — index $


 * 1865 - 1950 at FamilySearch - How to Use this Collection; index and images
 * 1865 - 1950 Montana, County Marriages, 1865 - 1950 at Ancestry ($) — index
 * 1889 - 1947 at FamilySearch - How to Use this Collection; index
 * 1889 - 1947 Montana Select Marriages 1889 - 1947 at Ancestry ($) — index
 * Western States Marriage Index - Index, incomplete, list of counties included

Death

 * 1840 - 2004 at FamilySearch - How to Use this Collection; index and images
 * 1840 - 2004 Montana, County Births and Deaths, 1840 - 2004 at Ancestry ($) — index
 * 1860 - 2007 at FamilySearch - How to Use this Collection; index
 * 1868 - 2011 Montana, Death Index, 1868 - 2011 at Ancestry ($) — index
 * pre 1954 - 2002 Montana State Death Registry Index Pre 1954 & 1954 - 2002 at Montana State Genealogical Society — index
 * 1954 - 2011 Montana Death Records at FindMyPast ($) — index

Family History Centers

 * Billings Montana Family History Center

Libraries

 * Parmly Billings Library Genealogical Resources

Societies

 * Yellowstone Genealogy Forum c/o Billings Public Library 510 North Broadway Billings MT 59101 Email: [mailto:president@yellowstonegenealogy.org president@yellowstonegenealogy.org] Website


 * Yellowstone Historical Society P.O. Box 21801 Billings, MT 59104 406.861.8181 E-mail: [mailto:membership@yellowstonehistoricalsociety.com membership@yellowstonehistoricalsociety.com] Website

Websites

 * - 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
 * Montana State Historical Society
 * Yellowstone County GenWeb
 * Yellowstone County Genealogy Forum
 * Yellowstone National Park History &amp; Culture