Montana, Flathead County Records - FamilySearch Historical Records

United States Montana Flathead County

What is in the Collection?
This collection contains county records that cover the years 1871 to 1981. The records currently available are:


 * Coroner's records
 * Court records
 * Divorces(1895-1980)
 * Land and Property records
 * Court records (1895-1981)
 * Probate records (1895-1950)
 * Public records

Each type of record within the county was created for a different purpose, but most were created to keep track of the vital events happening in the lives of the citizens and to safeguard their legal interests and the legal interests of their heirs. Facts current at the time of the event are generally reliable.

The records are located at Flathead County courthouse, Kalispell, Montana.

What Can this Collection Tell Me?
Divorce records may include the following information:


 * Name of Defendant
 * Name of Plaintiff
 * Date of Marriage
 * 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)

Jail Records may include the following information:


 * The prisoner's number
 * Name of Prisoner
 * Age
 * Height
 * Weight
 * Color of hair and eyes
 * Prisoner's complexion
 * Where prisoner was born
 * Special marks or peculiarities as to prisoner or history (i.e juvenile, body descriptions)

Probate orders may include the following information:


 * Name of Deceased
 * Name of Petitioner
 * Date and place of death
 * Date of court order
 * Name of judge
 * Name of children (if any)

How Do I Search the Collection?
To begin your search it is helpful to know:
 * The name of your ancestor.
 * The approximate date the event occurred.
 * The place where the event occurred.
 * The names of family members and their relationships.

View images in this collection by visiting the Browse Page: To search the collection you will need to follow this series of links: ⇒Select "Browse through images" on the initial collection page ⇒Select the "Record Category" ⇒Select the "Record Type, Volume, and Year Range" which takes you to the images.

Look at each image comparing the information with what you already know about your ancestors to determine which one is your ancestor. You may need to compare the information about more than one person 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.

What Do I Do Next?
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.

I Found Who I was Looking for, What Now?

 * Use the probate date as a substitute death date.
 * Use the marriage date and place as the basis for compiling a new family group or for verifying existing information.
 * Use the birth date or age along with the place of birth of each partner to find a couple's birth records and parents' names.
 * Use the birth date or age along with the place of birth to find the family in census records.
 * Use the residence and names of the parents to locate church and land records.
 * Use the parents' birth places to find former residences and to establish a migration pattern for the family.
 * The name of the officiator may be a clue to their religion or area of residence in the county.
 * The name of the undertaker, mortuary, or cemetery could lead you to funeral and cemetery records, which often include the names and residences of other family members.

I Can't Find Who I'm Looking for, What Now?

 * Check for variant spellings of the surnames.
 * Check for a different index. There are often indexes at the beginning of each volume.
 * Search the indexes and records of nearby counties.

Citing 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.

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