Grand Forks County, North Dakota Genealogy

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

Description
The County was named for Robert W. "Bob" Rost. The County is located in the east-central area of the state.

County Courthouse
Grand Forks County Courthouse 151 S 4th Street PO Box 1477 Grand Forks, ND 58201 Phone: 701.780.8238 Grand Forks County Website Clerk District Court has birth records from 1903, death records from 1908, divorce records from 1878, burial and court reocrds, adoption records and change of name; County Judge has marriage records from 1887 and probate records from 1880; Register of Deeds has land records

Record Loss
1997 Many courthouse records were destroyed during the 1997 Red River Flood and subsequent Grand Forks downtown fire.

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

 * Grand Forks County Biographies, A-M on North Dakota Genealogy Trails website - alphabetical list of early settlers and prominent individuals from county histories
 * Grand Forks County Biographies, N-Z on North Dakota Genealogy Trails website - alphabetical list of early settlers and prominent individuals from county histories
 * Grand Forks County Biographies (USGenWeb Archives)
 * North Dakota Biography Index at North Dakota State University Archives - Index only; gives references to publications containing information on North Dakotans, living and deceased
 * Index to two Grand Forks County Biographies (NDGenWeb project)

Cemeteries

 * 1877-1999 - at FamilySearch — index and images - How to Use this Collection

Census Records

 * 1883 - Grand Forks County, Dakota Territory 1883 List of Pensioners on the Roll (USGenWeb Archives)

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 - 1885 Mortality Schedule (Genealogy Trails)
 * 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.
 * 1880, 1900, 1910, 1920, 1930 - Grand Forks County Census Records (USGenWeb Archives)
 * 1880 - 1880 Mortality Schedule (Genealogy Trails)
 * 1890 - Index to 1890 Veterans Schedule (Genealogy Trails)

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 — ($); Index and images; Dates vary for each county
 * Records of Our Savior's Lutheran Church, Grand Forks, in Evangelical Lutheran Church in America database at Archives.com ($).
 * Records of United Lutheran Church, Grand Forks County, in Evangelical Lutheran Church in America database at Archives.com ($).

Directories

 * 1822-1995 - U.S. City Directories 1822-1995 at Ancestry ($) - collection for the City of Grand Forks

Emigration and Immigration

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

Genealogies

 * Surname Resources, Grand Forks (NDGenWeb project)

Land and Property Records
Online Land Records For more information see North Dakota Land and Property
 * Index to Grand Forks 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
 * 1861 - 1908 - U.S. Homestead Records 1861-1908 at Ancestry - ($), index and images

Local Histories

 * Grand Forks County, North Dakota in the World War. 2012. Salt Lake City. Digitized by the Genealogical Society of Utah;
 * FamilySearch Digital Library
 * Hathitrust

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
 * 1890 - at FamilySearch. - How to Use this Collection
 * List of Grand Forks Pensioners on the Rolls as of January 1, 1883 (Genealogy Trails)
 * Civil War Veterans, Grand Forks County (USGenWeb Archives)
 * 1917-1918 - North Dakota Military Men 1917-1918 at Ancestry ($)
 * 1917-1918 - Roster of the men and women who served in the army or naval service (including the Marine Corps) of the United States or its allies from the state of North Dakota in the World War, 1917-1918, Vols. 1-4 at Ancestry ($)
 * 1918 - Honor Roll of a Year (Genealogy Trails)
 * World War I Honor Roll, Grand Forks County (USGenWeb Archives)
 * Congressional Medal of Honor Citation, Frederick Eliphaz Smith (USGenWeb Archives)
 * World War II Army Casualties, Grand Forks County (Genealogy Trails)
 * World War II Navy Casualties, Grand Forks County (Genealogy Trails)
 * Korean War Casualties, Grand Forks County (Genealogy Trails)
 * Vietnam War Casualties, Grand Forks County (Genealogy Trails)

Naturalization and Citizenship
Online Naturalization Indexes and Records
 * 1868-1924 - at FamilySearch — index and images - How to Use this Collection
 * 1877-1956 - (*); District Court at FamilySearch Catalog — index, images
 * 1878-1955 - (*); District Court at FamilySearch Catalog — index, images
 * 1929-1955 - (*); 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

 * Grand Forks County Obituaries and Death Notices from newspapers. (Genealogy Trails)
 * Index to Grand Forks County Obituaries (NDGenWeb project)
 * Grand Forks County Obituaries (USGenWeb Archives)

Probate Records
Online Probate Indexes and Records
 * 1878-1928 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
 * 1872-2017 North Dakota, U.S., Select County Marriage Records, 1872-2017 at Ancestry - index & images ($)
 * Grand Forks 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
 * Grand Forks Obituaries and Death Notices (Genealogy Trails)

Family History Centers

 * Grand Forks North Dakota Family History Center

Museums
Grand Forks County Historical Museum 2405 Belmont Rd Grand Forks 58201-7505 701-775-2216 Email : [mailto:gfhistory@midconetwork.com emailofsociety] Website Facebook

Societies
Grand Forks County Historical Society 2405 Belmont Rd Grand Forks 58201-7505 701-775-2216 Email : [mailto:gfhistory@midconetwork.com emailofsociety] Website Facebook

Larimore Community Museum and Historical Society 1865 39th Street ND Larimore, ND 58251 Telephone: 701-343-2238

Manvel Historical Society 2890 15th St NE Manvel, ND 58256-9754

Minnkota Genealogical Society PO Box 12744 Grand Forks, ND 58208-2744

Niagara Community Historical Society PO Box 26 Niagara, ND 58266 Telephone: 701-397-5830

Northwood Pioneer Museum and Historical Association PO Box 111 Northwood, ND 58267

Websites

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