Burke County, North Dakota Genealogy

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

Description
Named for Gov. John Burke. Government organized: July 15, 1910. County Seat: Bowbells. The County is located in northwest area of the state.

County Courthouse
Burke County Courthouse 103 Main Street SW PO Box 219 Bowbells, ND 5821-0219 Phone: 701.377.2718 Burke County Website Clerk District Court has birth records from 1905, marriage, death, burial, divorce, probate and court records from 1910, land records from 1900 and homestead patents from 1903

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

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

 * Burke County Biographies (North Dakota Genealogy Trails websote) - 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

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.
 * Burke County Census Records (USGenWeb Archives)

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

Emigration and Immigration

 * 1800-1953 at FamilySearch — index - How to Use this Collection

Land and Property Records
Online Land Records
 * Burke County BLM Land Records (USGenWeb Archives)
 * 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

For more information see North Dakota Land and Property

Local History

 * Pioneers and Progress / Burke County and White Earth Historical Society, 1971. Burke County and White Earth Historical Society, 1972.


 * Pioneers and Progress. Vol. 2. Bowbells, N.D.: Burke County Historical Society, 1989.

Maps and Gazetteers

 * FamilySearch Places: Map of cities and towns in this county - 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
 * 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, Burke County (Genealogy Trails)
 * World War II Army Casualties, Burke County (Genealogy Trails)
 * World War II Navy Casualties, Burke County (Genealogy Trails)
 * Korean War Casualties, Burke County (Genealogy Trails)
 * Vietnam War Casualties, Burke County (Genealogy Trails)

Naturalization and Citizenship
Online Naturalization Indexes and Records
 * 1868-1924 at FamilySearch — index and images - How to Use this Collection
 * 1910-1921 (*); United States. Immigration and Naturalization Service at FamilySearch Catalog — index, images
 * 1910-1955 (*); District Court at FamilySearch Catalog — images
 * North Dakota Naturalization Records Index at NDSU Archives – index only, covers various dates and counties

Newspapers
North Dakota Newspaper Catalogs
 * 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

North Dakota Newspapers Online
 * 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

 * Burke County Obituaries and Death Notices (Various) (Genealogy Trails)

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 ($)

School Records

 * 1913-1968 - List of People that graduated and attended Portal High School 1913-1968 (NDGenWeb Project)

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

 * 1904-1936 - Deaths, Births, Marriages and other items from the Portal International 1904 - 1936 (Note: complete from 1904 to Dec 1921) NDGenWeb Project

Marriage

 * 1872-1958 at FamilySearch — index and images - How to Use this Collection
 * 1872-2017 North Dakota, U.S., Select County Marriage Records, 1872-2017 at Ancestry - index & images ($)
 * Burke 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

Family History Centers

 * Minot North Dakota Family History Center
 * Sidney Montana Family History Center
 * Williston North Dakota Family History Center


 * Lake Region Public Library - an affiliate library

Societies
Burke County Historical Society 699 Peterson St 701-377-2753 Powers Lake, ND 58773 Facebook

Websites

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