Montana, Sanders County Records - FamilySearch Historical Records

What is in This Collection?
The collection consists of images to county birth, death, marriage, veteran burials, voter, naturalization, land and probate records located in the county courthouse in Thompson Falls. The death certificates have been indexed. This collection includes records from 1866 to 2010.

What Can These Records Tell Me?
The following information may be found in these records:

County
 * Name of primary individual or individuals
 * Ages
 * Date and place of birth, death, or marriage
 * Names of parents, siblings, family members, witnesses, or heirs
 * Residences
 * Occupations
 * Place of origin
 * Estate inventories
 * Property descriptions
 * Amount of monies transacted

How Do I Search This Collection?
Before searching this collection, it is helpful to know:
 * The name of your ancestor
 * The approximate date of the event

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

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?

 * Search for vital records, such as birth, marriage and death
 * Use the probate date as a substitute for the death date
 * Use the parents' birth places to find former residences and to establish a migration pattern for the family
 * Use the occupations to find employment or military records
 * Search for the family in census records

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
 * Standard spelling of names typically did not exist. 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

Research Helps
The following articles will help you in your research for your family in the state of Montana.
 * Montana Guided Research
 * Montana Research Tips and Strategies
 * Step-by-Step Montana Research, 1880-Present

Family History Library Holdings

 * Sanders Co. burial index for war veterans, 1929-2009
 * Sanders Co. birth records, 1915-1930
 * Sanders Co. death records, 1919-2010
 * Sanders Co. marriage records, 1906-1960
 * Sanders Co. land records, 1866-2007
 * Sanders Co. naturalization records, 1906
 * Sanders Co. probate records, 1905-1956
 * Sanders Co. Thompson Falls voter index, 1911-1919

Related Digital Books

 * Lorraine Dufresne A heritage remembered : early and later days in the history of western Sanders County. S.l. : L. Dufresne, 1981
 * Inventory of Public Archives (Montana Historical Records Survey), Division of Community Service Programs, Works Projects Administration. Inventory of the county archives of Montana : no. 15. Flathead, no. 24. Lake, no. 27. Lincoln, no. 31. Mineral, no. 41. Ravalli, no. 45. Sanders. Bozeman, Montana : Historical Records Survey (Montana), 1940

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.