Stark County, North Dakota Genealogy

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

Description
Stark is located in the southwest area of the state.

County Courthouse
Stark County Courthouse 51 3rd St E; PO Box 130 Dickinson, ND 58602-0130 Phone: 701.264.7639 Stark County Website Clerk District Court has birth and death records from 1898, burial records, divorce and court records from 1887 and naturalization records 1887-1963; Register of Deeds has land records.

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

Boundary Changes

 * 1863: On 9 Mar 1883, old Dunn and Hettinger Counties set off.
 * 1885: On 13 March 1885, Adams County set off.
 * 1897: Absorbed old Dunn County.
 * 1905: New McKenzie County set off.
 * 1908: Dunn County set off.

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

 * Stark County Biographies on North Dakota Genealogy Trails website - alphabetical list of early settlers and prominent individuals from county histories
 * 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

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

Census Records

 * Stark County Census Records (Genealogy Trails)

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.

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

Directories

 * 1822-1995 - U.S. City Directories 1822-1995 at Ancestry ($) - collection for the City of Dickinson
 * 1902 - Dickinson Medical Directory (Genealogy Trails)
 * 1909 - Stark County Attorneys (Genealogy Trails)

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 Stark County BLM Land Records (Genealogy Trails)
 * 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

 * Stark County History (Genealogy Trails)
 * The Banat German Hungarians who came to southwestern North Dakota: wiver sach (women's stuff). 1998?. By Theresa K. Bogner Montee-Nelson. Dickinson, North Dakota: T.B. Montee-Nelson. Online at:.
 * Early history of Custer Trail in Stark County, North Dakota. n.d. By G. S. Cryne. n.p.: n.p. Online at:.
 * Stark County heritage and destiny. 1978. By Stark County Historical Society. Bismarck, North Dakota: Taylor Pub. Co.. Online at:;.

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

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 World War I World War II Korean War Vietnam War For further information see North Dakota Military Records.
 * 1861-1865 - at FamilySearch. - How to Use this Collection
 * 1883 - Stark County Pensioners on the Roll as of January 1, 1883 (Genealogy Trails)
 * 1890 - at FamilySearch. - How to Use this Collection
 * 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, Stark County, North Dakota (Genealogy Trails)
 * Military News, Stark County (Genealogy Trails)
 * World War II Army Casualties, Stark County, North Dakota (Genealogy Trails)
 * World War II Navy, Marine Corps and Coast Guard Casualties, Stark County, North Dakota (Genealogy Trails)
 * 1950-1957 - Korean War Casualties, Stark County, North Dakota (Genealogy Trails)
 * Vietnam War Casualties, Stark 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
 * 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

 * Stark County Obituaries and Death Notices (Genealogy Trails)
 * Index to Stark County Obituaries (USGenWeb Archives)

Probate Records
Online Probate Indexes and Records
 * 1800–1985 North Dakota and South Dakota Wills and Probate Records 1800-1985 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.

Marriage

 * 1872-1958 - at FamilySearch — index and images - How to Use this Collection
 * Index to Stark County Marriage Books 1-7 (USGenWeb Archives)
 * Stark County Marriage Announcements (Genealogy Trails)

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

Family History Centers

 * Dickinson North Dakota Family History Center

Libraries
Dickinson Area Public Library 139 W 3rd St Dickinson, ND 58601 701-456-7700 Website Facebook

Museums
Dickinson Museum Center 188 Museum Drive East Dickinson, ND 58601 701-456-6225 Website

Societies
Stark County Historical Society 188 Museum Drive East PO Box 146 Dickinson, ND 58602-0146 Telephone:701-456-6225 Facebook

Websites

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