Chouteau County, Montana Genealogy

United States Montana Chouteau County

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

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Description
Chouteau County was established in 1865 and in 1882, it was named after Pierre Chouteau Jr. Pierre Chouteau Jr. was a well known fur trader that established a trading post later known as Fort Benton. The county seat is Fort Benton. It is located in the north central area.

County Courthouse
Chouteau County Courthouse 1308 Franklin Street Fort Benton, MT 59442 Phone: 406.622.5151 Chouteau County Website County Clerk has birth and death records from 1895, burial records and land from 1878; Clerk Courts has marriage records from 1888, divorce and court records from 1879 probate records from 1892

Chouteau County, Montana Record Dates

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 * width="91%" bgcolor="#e4d8e5" align="center" colspan="7" | Beginning Dates for Major County Records
 * width="13%" bgcolor="#e4d8e5" align="center" | Birth*
 * width="13%" bgcolor="#e4d8e5" align="center" | Marriage
 * width="13%" bgcolor="#e4d8e5" align="center" | Death*
 * width="13%" bgcolor="#e4d8e5" align="center" | Court
 * width="13%" bgcolor="#e4d8e5" align="center" | Land
 * width="13%" bgcolor="#e4d8e5" align="center" | Probate
 * width="13%" bgcolor="#e4d8e5" align="center" | Census
 * width="13%" align="center" | 1895*
 * width="13%" align="center" | 1882*
 * width="13%" align="center" | 1895*
 * width="13%" align="center" | 1865
 * width="13%" align="center" | 1865
 * width="13%" align="center" | 1865
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 * colspan="7" | * For earlier dates, try... Church &#124; Obituaries &#124; Cemeteries
 * }
 * width="13%" align="center" |
 * colspan="7" | * For earlier dates, try... Church &#124; Obituaries &#124; Cemeteries
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Record Loss
There is no known history of courthouse disasters in this county.

Boundary Changes

 * Interactive Formation Boundary Map of Montana - shows boundary changes for Montana Counties
 * Montana Historical Boundary Changes - list of all boundary changes by county provided by Newberry Library


 * Parent County: created 2 February 1865 as an original county.
 * County seat: Fort Benton

Populated Places
Indian Reservation

The Rocky Boy's Indian Reservation is located primarily in Hill County, with a smaller portion in northeastern Chouteau County.


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Federal Census Records
Federal Censuses were taken for Montana starting in 1870. For links to federal census indexes, see "Montana Census" link above.

Church Records
LDS Ward and Branch Records


 * Fort Benton

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



 * See an interactive map of Chouteau County cemeteries and modern-day townships. (Histopolis)
 * Interactive Formation Boundary Map of Montana - shows boundary changes for Montana Counties
 * Historical Maps and Atlases of Montana - maps and atlases of Montana

Military Records
Civil War World War I For further information see Montana Military Records.
 * 1890 at FamilySearch.— index
 * 1890 - 1918 Montana Military Enlistments at Montana Memory Project
 * 1917 - 1918 at FamilySearch — 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

Newspapers
 Montana Newspapers Online Montana Newspaper Catalogs
 * GenealogyBank - ($), contains images of Montana newspapers
 * Newspaper Archive - ($), contains images of Montana newspapers
 * Chronicling America - contains images of some Montana 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

Other Records
Public Records


 * 1876 - 2011 at | FamilySearch — images

Probate Records

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

Birth

 * 1840–2004 -  at FamilySearch — index and images

Marriage

 * 1881-1900 - Western States Marriage Index includes marriages from 1881-1900

Death

 * 1840–2004 -  at FamilySearch — index and images

Family History Centers

 * Fort Benton Montana Family History Center

Websites

 * Ancestry Chouteau_County,_Montana $
 * USGenWeb Chouteau County, Montana project. May have maps, name indexes, history or other information for this county.
 * - 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