Clay County, South Dakota Genealogy

United States South Dakota  Clay County

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

County Courthouse
Clay County Courthouse 211 W Main Street PO Box 403 Vermillion, SD 57069 Phone: 605.677.2871 Register of Deeds has birth and death records from 1905, marriage records from 1880, land records from 1863 and burial records from 1962; Clerk Court has probate records from 1875, court records from 1866 and divorce records from 1889

History


The county is named after U.S. Speaker of the House Henry Clay (1777-1852).

Parent County
1862--Clay County was created 10 April 1862 from unorganized territory. County seat: Vermillion

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

Neighboring Counties

 * Cedar County, Nebraska
 * Dixon county, Nebraska
 * Lincoln
 * Turner
 * Union
 * Yankton

Census
1905, 1915, 1925 State Censuses --Unique information could include: Ethnic Background, Maiden Name, Church Affiliation &amp; Military Service


 * 1905 — at FamilySearch Historical Records — index and images

1915 state census with images can be viewed free at FamilySearch Record Search


 * 1925 — at FamilySearch Historical Records — index and images

1935 state census with images can be viewed free at FamilySearch Record Search

1945 state census with images can be viewed free at FamilySearch Record Search

Lutheran

 * Records of Trinity Lutheran Church, Vermillion, in Evangelical Lutheran Church in America database at Archives.com ($).

Military

 * 1861-1941 - at FamilySearch — index and images

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

Societies and Libraries
Clay County Historical Society Inc. 15 Austin St. Vermillion, SD 57069 email:[mailto:claycohistory@yahoo.com] Website

Czech Heritage Preservation Society, Inc. Board of Directors and Officers Box 87 Tabor, SD 57063 Phone:605-589-3494 Website We have various old books, including a translation of a history book from the Czech language to English by our society. We have the first local newspaper on microfilm from the time it was started in 1905 until 1950. We also maintain several old log buildings in a park.

Tea Area Historical Society 27371-467th Ave. Lennox, SD 57039 Phone: 605-368-2455 Website Hours By appointment Finding Aids:Card catalog, typewritten registers/inventories

Timber Lake and Area Historical Society  Timber Lake and Area Museum PO Box 181 Timber Lake, SD 57656 Phone: 605-865-3553 Fax:605-865-3787 Email:[mailto:tlmuseum@sd.value.net] Website Holdings:Agriculture, genealogy, local history, Native Americans, religion

Family History Centers

 * Vermillion South Dakota Family History Center

Web Sites

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