Meeker County, Minnesota Genealogy

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

Description
The County was named for Bradley B. Meeker, an associate justice of the Minnesota Territorial Supreme Court from 1849 to 1853. The County is located in the central area of the state.

County Courthouse
Clerk District Court has birth, marriage, death, divorce and court records from 1870, probate records from 1858, school records, naturalization records from 1884. Court Recorder has land record.

Parent County
1856--Meeker County was created 23 February 1856 from Davis (Eliminated) County. County seat: Litchfield


 * For a brief history of how Meeker County was named, click here. Then select Meeker County.

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

Townships

 * Acton
 * Cedar Mills
 * Collinwood
 * Cosmos
 * Danielson
 * Darwin
 * Dassel
 * Ellsworth
 * Forest City
 * Forest Prairie
 * Greenleaf
 * Harvey
 * Kingston
 * Litchfield
 * Manannah
 * Swede Grove
 * Union Grove

Neighboring Counties

 * Kandiyohi
 * McLeod
 * Renville
 * Stearns
 * Wright

Books

 * Album of history and biography of Meeker County, Minnesota, Chicago : Alden, Ogle &amp; Co., 1888. -- viii, 9-610 p. ports.  Find a copy at Family History Library  or WorldCat.  Contains sketches of cities and towns and biographies of old settlers and representative men and more.
 * Illustrated album of biography of Meeker and McLeod counties, Minnesota Chicago : Alden, Ogle, 1888. 791 p. ports.  Find a copy at Family History Library  or WorldCat.

Census
State Census
 * 1865 - at FamilySearch — index and images
 * 1885 - at FamilySearch — index and images
 * 1905 - at FamilySearch — index and images

Lutheran

 * Records of the American Lutheran Church, Litchfield, in Evangelical Lutheran Church in America database at Archives.com ($).

Emigration and Immigration

 * 1912 - 1956 - at FamilySearch — index and images

Maps

 * 1874 Map of Litchfield, Meeker, Minnesota from the David Rumsey Map Collection.

Civil War
Civil War service men from Freeborn County served in various regiments. Men often joined a company (within a regiment) that originated in their county. Listed below are companies or regiments that were formed from men of Freeborn County.


 * - 2nd Regiment, Minnesota Cavalry, Company D.

Obituaries

 * 1865-2006 - at FamilySearch— index and images

Probate
Online Probate Records
 * 1801 - 1999 Minnesota Wills and Probate Records 1801-1999 at Ancestry.com — index and images $

Marriage

 * 1860 - 1949 at FamilySearch — index and images

Death

 * 1850-2001 - at FamilySearch — index and images
 * Online Minnesota Death Records & Indexes

Societies and Libraries
Meeker County Historical Society 308 N Marshall Ave Litchfield MN 55355-2112 Telephone: 320-693-9811 Website

Dassel Area Historical Society 901 1st St. N Dassel, MN Telephone: 320-275-3077

Southwest Minnesota Historical Center Social Science 141 Southwest Minnesota State University 1501 State Street Marshall, MN 56258 Telephone: 507-537-7373

Family History Centers

 * Introduction to Family History Centers

Websites

 * Meeker County, MN Genealogy Forum (GenForum)