Montana, Lake County Records - FamilySearch Historical Records

What is in the Collection?
The collection covers the years 1857 to 2010. It consists of the following records from the county courthouse in Polson, Montana.


 * Deeds
 * School census
 * Mining records
 * Vital records (death and birth records have been indexed)
 * Probate records
 * Divorce records

What Can this Collection Tell Me?
Information found in this collection may include:


 * Name of primary individual, their age, gender and residence
 * Event date and place
 * Biographical information about parents such as date and place of birth
 * Names of heirs, such as spouse, children, other relatives, or friends
 * Names of the executor, administrator, or guardian
 * Names of witnesses
 * Dates the documents were written and recorded (used to approximate event dates since a will was usually written near the time of death)
 * Description and value of land or property
 * Occupation
 * Military information such as company, rank, and enlistment date
 * Farm information such as number and value of acres, details of crops raised
 * Statistical information about members of household

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

How Do I Search the Collection?
Before searching this collection, it is helpful to know: The age of your ancestor.
 * The name of your ancestor.
 * The type of event.
 * The approximate date the event occurred.
 * The names of family members and their relationships.

View the Images
View images in this collection by visiting the :
 * 1) Select the Record Category
 * 2) Select the Record Type, Volume, and Year Range which takes you to the images.

How Do I Analyze the Results?
Compare each result from your search with what you know to determine if there is a match. This may require viewing multiple records or images. Keep track of your research in a research log. For more tips about searching on-line collections see the on-line article FamilySearch Search Tips and Tricks.

What Do I Do Next?
Whenever possible, view the original records to verify the information and to find additional information that might not be reported. These pieces of information can lead you to additional records and family members.

I Found the Person I Was Looking For, What Now?

 * Use the age to calculate the birth date and to find additional records such as birth, christening, marriage, census, and death records.
 * Use the information to find additional family members.
 * Repeat this process with additional family members found, to find more generations of the family.
 * [Montana Church Records|Church Records]] often were kept years before government records were required and are a good source for finding ancestors before 1900.

I Can’t Find the Person I’m Looking For, What Now?

 * Try viewing the original record to see if there were errors in the transcription of the name, age, residence, etc. Remember that there may be more than one person in the records with the same name.
 * Collect entries for every person who has the same surname. This list can help you identify possible relations that can be verified by records.
 * If you cannot locate your ancestor in the locality in which you believe they lived, then try searching records of a nearby locality in an area search.
 * Standard spelling of names typically did not exist during the periods our ancestors lived in. Try variations of your ancestor’s name while searching the index or browsing through images.
 * Remember that sometimes individuals went by nicknames or alternated between using first and middle names. Try searching for these names as well.
 * Search the indexes and records of Montana, United States Genealogy.
 * Search in the Montana Archives and Libraries.

Known Issues with This Collection
For a full list of all known issues associated with this collection see the attached 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.

Citing This Collection
Citations help you keep track of places you have searched and sources you have found. Identifying your sources helps others find the records you used.


 * Collection Citation: