Montana, Cascade County Records - FamilySearch Historical Records

Record Description
The collection consists of county record collections from the following record custodians.

History Museum in Great Falls:


 * Probate
 * Voter register
 * Naturalization and immigration records

Great Falls Genealogy Society:


 * Probate case files, # 535-3165, 1903-1926
 * Court orders for dependent children, 1903-1937
 * Old age applications
 * Naturalization records, pre 1945

County Clerk's Office:

Deeds from 1880-1941 and index to 1995.

This collection is being published as images become available. It covers the years 1880 to 2009.

Coverage Map
To see a coverage map of FamilySearch's holdings of Montana marriages click here.

Record Content
Information in the birth index includes the following:


 * Date of filing
 * Parents' names
 * Parents' birth place
 * Parents' residence
 * Child's date of birth
 * Child's gender
 * Child's race

Information in the death index includes the following:


 * Filing date of death record
 * Name of deceased
 * Age in years, months and days
 * Gender, race, marital status and residence of deceased
 * Birth date and place of birth
 * Date of death
 * Cause of death
 * Name of spouse, if married
 * Date and place of burial
 * Book and page number where recorded

Information found in marriage records may include:


 * Groom's name, age, race and residence
 * Groom's date of birth and place of birth
 * How many times previously married
 * Groom's parents' names, including maiden name of mother
 * Bride's name, age, race and residence
 * Bride's date of birth and place of birth
 * How many times previously married
 * Bride's parents' names, including maiden name of mother
 * Names of witnesses

Information in declarations of intent to naturalize includes:


 * Court and date of filing
 * Name, age and occupation of applicant
 * Physical description
 * Birth date and place of birth
 * Current residence
 * Last residence before immigration
 * Marital status
 * Name of spouse
 * Spouse's birth date and place of birth
 * Spouse's last place of residence
 * Date and place of arrival in the U.S.

Information in naturalization certificates include the following:


 * Name
 * Age
 * Court where declaration of intent was filed
 * Spouse's name and residence
 * Names of dependent children
 * Volume and page number where certificate is filed

Information in court orders may include the following:


 * Court where will is filed
 * Date of filing
 * Name of deceased
 * Name of executor
 * Conditions of the will
 * Name of spouse
 * Names of dependents or minor children
 * Name of other relatives
 * Names of neighbors and witnesses
 * Land descriptions
 * Inventory of property or estate

Information in military rolls usually include the following:


 * Names of citizens subject to military duty
 * If citizen is able-bodied
 * If citizen is between the ages of 18 and 45
 * If citizen is a civil military officer
 * If citizen is a civil officer of the state
 * If citizen is subject to military duty

Information found in the school records include:


 * County, town and school district
 * Name and age of child
 * Month of birth
 * Gender
 * Names of parents or guardians
 * Address

How to Use the Record
When searching the records it is helpful to know the following:


 * Name of the ancestor
 * Type of event such as marriage or naturalization
 * Approximate date of event

Search the Collection
To search the collection fill in the requested information in the boxes on the initial search page. This search will return a list of possible matches. Compare the information about the individuals in the list to what you already know about your ancestors to determine if this is the correct family or person. You may need to look at the information on several individuals comparing the information about them to your ancestors to make this determination. Keep in mind:


 * There may be more than one person in the records with the same name.
 * You may not be sure of your own ancestor’s name.
 * Your ancestor may have used different names, or variations of their name, throughout their life.
 * If your ancestor used an alias or a nickname, be sure to check for those alternate names.
 * Even though these indexes are very accurate they may still contain inaccuracies, such as altered spellings, misinterpretations, and optical character recognition errors if the information was scanned.

For tips about searching on-line collections see the on-line article FamilySearch Search Tips and Tricks.

Using the Information
When you have located your ancestor’s record, carefully evaluate each piece of information given. These pieces of information may give you new biographical details. Add this new information to your records of each family. The information may also lead you to other records about your ancestors. The following examples show ways you can use the information:


 * Use the residence and names of the parents to locate church, land, and census records.
 * Use ages to determine approximate birth dates.
 * Use will filing or probating dates as approximate death dates.

Tips to Keep in Mind

 * Search for records of people in the county who shared a surname. These may have been the couple’s parents, uncles, or other relatives. Your ancestor may have been an heir who sold inherited land that had belonged to parents or grandparents.
 * To find later generations, search the land records a few years before and after a person’s death. Your ancestor may have sold or given land to his or her heirs before death, or the heirs may have sold the land after the individual died. For daughters, the names of their husbands are often provided. For sons, the given names of their wives may be included. Heirs may have sold their interest in the land to another heir, although the record may not indicate this. Continue this process for identifying each succeeding generation.
 * When looking for a person who had a common name, look at all the entries for the name before deciding which is correct.
 * Some counties were subdivided or the boundaries may have changed. Consider searching neighboring counties as well since that courthouse may have been more convenient for the person.
 * Witnesses and neighbors, even those with a different surname, may have been relatives, in-laws, or even a widowed mother who has remarried. You may want to check the records of these witnesses and neighbors, especially if they are frequently found in your ancestor’s land records.
 * The information in the records is usually reliable, but depends upon the reliability of the informant.
 * Earlier records may not contain as much information as the records created after the late 1900.
 * There is also some variation in the information given from one record to another record.

Unable to Find Your Ancestor?

 * Check for variant spellings of the surnames.
 * Check for indexes. There are often indexes at the beginning of each volume.
 * Search the indexes for the “parent” county to find the original purchase of a parcel of land. You may also need to search a neighboring county since that courthouse may have been more convenient for the person to record the deed.
 * Make a list of all residences mentioned in the records within a year or two of when your ancestors came to the county — regardless of surname. Then search the records of places that seem likely or that occur frequently.
 * Create a database for other people with the same surname who lived in the county. Doing this may help you identify which individuals were related. If your ancestor’s records do not contain the information you need, a county database might give you a more complete picture.

For a summary of this information see the wiki article: United States, How to Use the Records Summary

Known Issues with This Collection
For a full list of all known issues associated with this collection see the attached Wiki article. If you encounter additional problems, please email them to [mailto:support@familysearch.org support@familysearch.org]. Please include the full path to the link and a description of the problem in your e-mail. Your assistance will help ensure that future reworks will be considered.

Related Websites

 * Great Falls/Cascade County Genealogy Society
 * Montana History and Genealogy
 * Montana Genealogy Societies Directory
 * Cascade County Montana Free Public Records

Related Wiki Articles

 * Montana
 * Montana Land and Property
 * Montana Probate Records
 * Montana Naturalization and Citizenship
 * Montana Vital Records
 * Montana Court Records

Citations for This Collection
When you copy information from a record, you should list where you found the information; that is, cite your sources. This will help people find the record again and evaluate the reliability of the source. It is also good to keep track of records where you did not find information, including the names of the people you looked for in the records. Citations are available for the collection as a whole and each record or image individually.

Collection Citation:

Image Citation: