Wells County, North Dakota Genealogy

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

Description
Wells County was named after Edward Payson Wells. The County is located in the center area of the state.

County Courthouse
Wells County Courthouse 700 Railway St N PO Box 596 Fessenden, ND 58438 Phone: 701.547.3122 Wells County Website Clerk District Court has birth, marriage, death, burial, divorce probate and court records; Register of Deeds has land records

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

 * Index to Wells County Biographies on North Dakota Genealogy Trails website - 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
 * North Dakota, Biography Records at MyHeritage — index & images ($)

Cemeteries

 * Odessa Digital Library has cemetery transcriptions for cemeteries in Wells County], providing name, date of birth, and date of death where available.
 * 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 – ($), 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.
 * 1890 Veterans Census, Wells County, North Dakota (Genealogy Trails)
 * 1900 Wells County Census Index of Names (USGenWeb Archives)
 * 1900 Index of Wells County Census - images. (USGenWeb Archives)
 * 1910 Index of Wells County Census - images. (USGenWeb Archives)
 * 1920 Index of Wells County Census - images. (USGenWeb Archives)
 * 1930 Index of Wells County Census - images. (USGenWeb Archives)

Church Records
List of Churches and Church Parishes
 * FamilySearch Places

Online Church Records Wells County Church Histories Lutheran Church
 * Wells County Church Records and Histories (Genealogy Trails)
 * 1875-1940 U.S., Evangelical Lutheran Church of America, Records, 1875-1940 at Ancestry — ($); Index and images; Dates vary for each county
 * Records of Concordia Lutheran Church, Fessenden, in Evangelical Lutheran Church in America database at Archives.com ($).

Emigration and Immigration

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

Funeral Homes

 * Hertz Funeral Homes in Harvey
 * Nelson Funeral Homes in Fessenden

Land and Property Records
Online Land Records For more information see North Dakota Land and Property
 * Index to Wells County BLM Land Records by Surname (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 - ($), index and images

Local Histories

 * '76 thru '66: a pioneer story. 1966. By James D Weckerly. Lake Forest, Minnesota : Forest Lake Printing..
 * Fessenden diamond jubilee, 1893-1968. 1968. By Fessenden Diamond Jubilee Book Committee. (Fessenden, N.D.): Fessenden Diamond Jubilee Book Committee. Online at: FamilySearch Digital Library;.
 * Growing with pride; the Harvey, N.D. area, her history, her people. 1981?. Harvey, North Dakota: Harvey 75th Jubilee Committee. Online at:.
 * The history of Wells County, North Dakota: and its pioneers with a sketch of North Dakota history and the oregin [sic] of the place names. 1929. By Walter Earnest Spokesfield. (S.l.: s.n.) Online at:.

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
 * 1890 Veterans Census, Wells County, North Dakota (Genealogy Trails)
 * 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, Wells County, North Dakota (Genealogy Trails)
 * World War II Army Enlistment Records, Wells County, North Dakota (Genealogy Trails)
 * World War II Army Casualties, Wells County, North Dakota (Genealogy Trails)
 * World War II Navy, Marine Corps, and Coast Guard Casualties, Wells County, North Dakota (Genealogy Trails)
 * 1950-1957 Korean War Casualties, Wells County, North Dakota (Genealogy Trails)
 * 1957-1995 Vietnam War Casualties, Wells County, North Dakota (Genealogy Trails)

Naturalization and Citizenship
Online Naturalization Indexes and Records
 * 1868-1924 at FamilySearch — index and images - How to Use this Collection
 * 1870-1968 North Dakota, Naturalizations, 1870-1968 at MyHeritage — index & images ($)
 * 1885-1952 - (*); District Court at FamilySearch Catalog — General index, images
 * 1890-1954 - (*); District Court at FamilySearch Catalog — General index, images
 * North Dakota Naturalization Records Index at NDSU Archives – index only, covers various dates and counties

Newspapers
North Dakota Newspaper Catalogs North Dakota Newspapers Online
 * 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
 * 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

 * Wells County Obituaries and Death Notices (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 ($)

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
 * Wells County Marriage Announcements (Genealogy Trails)

Death

 * 1892-present NDDH Public Death Index, 1892-present at North Dakota Dept. of Health – index only
 * 1908-2007 North Dakota, U.S., State Death Certificates, 1908-2007 at Ancestry — index & images ($)

FamilySearch Centers

 * Grand Forks North Dakota FamilySearch Center
 * Minot North Dakota FamilySearch Center


 * Lake Region Public Library - an affiliate library

Libraries
Harvey Public Library 119 10th St E Harvey, ND 58341 701-324-2156 Email: [mailto:hpublib@gondtc.com hpublib@gondtc.com] Website

Museums
Bowdon Museum and Library 232 40th Ave NE Bowdon, ND 58418

Manfred Heritage Museum, Inc. 130 S Lake Ave PO Box 321 Harvey, ND 58341-0321 701-399-6782 Email: [mailto:manfrednd@outlook.com manfrednd@outlook.com] Website Facebook

Societies
Wells County Historical Society 903 4th St NE Fessenden, ND 58438 701-547-3684

Websites

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