Elko County, Nevada Genealogy

Guide to Elko County, Nevada ancestry, genealogy and family history, birth records, marriage records, death records, census records, family history, and military records.



Description
The county was possibly named for the herds of elk once inhabiting the area. It is located in the northeastern area of the state.

County Courthouse
Elko County Courthouse571 Idaho Street, #204 Elko, NV 89801-3787 Phone: 775-738-4600 Elko County Website County Clerk has marriage applications, divorce, probate and court records from 1876. County Recorder has birth, death, burial and land records. Courthouse History

Record Loss
There is no known history of courthouse disasters in this county.

Boundary Changes

 * Parent County: created 5 March 1869 from St. Mary's
 * County seat: Elko
 * Interactive Formation Boundary Map of Nevada - shows boundary changes for Nevada Counties
 * Nevada Historical Boundary Changes - list of all boundary changes by county provided by Newberry Library

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:

Cemeteries
The following web site has additional information on Elko county cemeteries.


 * Interment.net Nevada cemetery records by county.

State and Territory Census Records

 * 1850  at FamilySearch Historical Records — index and images; Nevada was included in both the 1850 New Mexico and Utah Territory Censuses. - How to Use this Collection
 * 1860  at FamilySearch Historical Records — index and images; Nevada was included in both the 1860 New Mexico and Utah Territory Censuses. - How to Use this Collection
 * 1860 Nevada, Compiled Census Index, 1860-1910 at Ancestry ($), index
 * 1862-1863 1862-1863 Nevada Territory Tax List - Index
 * 1875 Nevada State Census, 1875 at Ancestry.com ($), index

Federal Census Records
Federal Censuses were taken for the state of Nevada starting in 1870. Although, those living in south-eastern Nevada in 1870 may be enumerated in Utah or Arizona because of disputed boundaries with Nevada. For links to Federal Census indexes, see Nevada Census.

Church Records
Ward and Branch Records of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints

List of Churches and Church Parishes
 * Carlin
 * Elko
 * Metropolis – There is no ward or branch in Metropolis. Contact the Wells ward.
 * Montello – There is no Ward or Branch in Montello. Contact the Wells Ward.
 * Ruby Valley
 * Wells - Located at 951 Lake Ave, Wells, NV 89835 (not a mailing address). Historical records are not kept at this location, nor does the local ward bishop have access to records of deceased individuals. Church records are usually found in the towns rather than on the county level. Search the FamilySearch Catalog - Place Search for the appropriate town in.
 * FamilySearch Places

Directories

 * 1868-1869 Nevada Directory 1868-1869 at Ancestry ($), index only, includes settlers of Nevada.

Land and Property Records
For more information see Nevada Land and Property
 * 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.com ($), index and images

Local Histories

 * Elko County and Its Vast Mineral Wealth. c1998. By the Elko Chamber of Commerce. Salt Lake City, Utah : Genealogical Society of Utah..
 * Midas, Nevada. By Alan H. Patera. Journal Article: Western places : a chronicle of western settlement - v. 1 (1992) - v. 1, no. 1 (Feb. 1992). FamilySearch Catalog.
 * Old Heart of Nevada: Ghost Towns and Mining Camps of Elko County. c1998. By Shawn R. Hall. Reno, Nevada : University of Nevada Press..
 * This Land Was Ours: An In-Depth Study of a Frontier Community. c1973. By Edna B. Patterson. Springville, Utah : Art City Pub..
 * Thomas Wellington Dove - Mining Engineer, and Tuscarora Revisited. c1998. By Charles Beardsley. Salt Lake City, Utah : Genealogical Society of Utah..
 * Together In My Name: A Centennial Tribute to the Little Church of the Crossroads, Lamoille, Nevada. c1990. By Linda E. Stapley.  Elko, Nevada : Linda E. Stapley..
 * Utah People in the Nevada Desert: Homestead and Community on a Twentieth Century Farmers' Frontier. c1994. By Marshall E. Bowen.  Logan, Utah : Utah State University Press..

Online County Histories
 * The History of Development of Elko County. c1910. By Lulu Belle Hurley. Lake Grove, Reno, Nevada : n.p. Online at:  FamilySearch Digital Library;.
 * History of Elko General Hospital : The Beginning and the End. By Howard Hickson. Journal Article: Northeastern Nevada Historical Society quarterly - 2007 - v. 2007, no. 1 (2007). Available through:  FamilySearch Catalog.
 * Hospital History. By George Manilla. Journal Article: Northeastern Nevada Historical Society quarterly - 2007 - v. 2007, no. 1 (2007). Available through: FamilySearch Catalog.
 * Nevada Guide to Genealogical Records. c1998. By Diane E Greene. Baltimore, Md. : Reprinted for Clearfield Co. by Genealogical Pub. Co. Online at: Google Books;.
 * Post-World War II Surgery in Elko. By Hugh S. Collett. Journal Article: Northeastern Nevada Historical Society quarterly - 2007 - v. 2007, no. 1 (2007). Available through: FamilySearch Catalog.
 * Reminiscences of Elko General Hospital. By Caesar Salicchi. Journal Article: Northeastern Nevada Historical Society quarterly - 2007 - v. 2007, no. 1 (2007). Available through: FamilySearch Catalog.

Google Books has additional books about the history and people in Elko County, Nevada. Try various search terms, including the names of people. Books designated with "Full view" can be read online.

Maps and Gazetteers
The Elko County on-line Public Record index starts in 1984. Filed maps, 1869 to present, can be searched by section, township and range or document number and can be viewed and printed.
 * FamilySearch Places:Cities and Towns- How to Use FS Places

For historical maps,search the following free sites:
 * Interactive Formation Boundary Map of Nevada - shows boundary changes for Nevada Counties
 * Historical Maps and Atlases of Nevada - maps and atlases of Nevada
 * Historical Maps of Nevada
 * David Rumsey Collection for Nevada
 * Perry-Castaneda Map Collection for Nevada

Migration
Early migration routes to and from Elko County, Nevada Genealogy for emigrant settlers included:


 * California Trail 1846 to 1869 from western Missouri to northern California
 * Central Pacific Railroad since 1869 from Ogden, Utah to Sacramento, California

Military Records
These collections are unique to Nevada. You will find nationwide databases for military records on U.S. Military Online Genealogy Records and Nevada Military Records. Civil War World War I World War II Korea War Vietnam War Other Conflicts For further information see Nevada Military Records.
 * 1861-1865  at FamilySearch — index- How to Use this Collection
 * 1863-1866 Nevada Civil War Volunteers, 1863-1866 ($) at Ancestry — index
 * Nevada - Soldiers of the Great War
 * Nevada Casualties of World War II
 * 1940-1945 - at FamilySearch — index and images- How to Use this Collection
 * Nevada Military Killed in Action in Korea
 * U.S. Military Fatal Casualties of the Korean War for Nevada
 * Nevada Military Killed in Action in Vietnam
 * The Vietnam Veterans Memorial - Nevada
 * Vietnam Conflict Casualty Lists - Nevada
 * Nevadans Killed in Action - Operation Enduring Freedom & Operation Iraqi Freedom

Naturalization and Citizenship

 * 1956-1991 Nevada, Naturalization Petitions, 1956-1991 at Ancestry - ($), index

Newspapers
Nevada Newspaper Catalogs
 * GenealogyBank ($), contains images of Nevada newspapers
 * Newspaper Archive ($), contains images of Nevada newspapers
 * Chronicling America, contains images of some Nevada newspapers; searching tips
 * Elephind, search engine that retrieves newspaper images from other free newspaper websites
 * 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

Obituaries
Many of the Elko County newspapers can be found on microfilm at the Elko County library in their entirety. The Elko library has microfilms of many different newspapers. Obituaries have been extracted from many of the Elko County newspapers. These obituaries have also been collected and put together on microfilm. These obituary collections can be accessed at the Family History Library in Salt Lake City, Utah, on microfilm numbers 1598453 and 1598454. The extracted obituaries are pulled from the following locations: Jackpot, Jarbridge, Metropolis, Montello, Owyhee, Tuscarora, and Wells, all of Elko County. Any other obituary not found in these microfilms will have to be looked for in the microfilms held by the Elko County Library.

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.

Birth

 * 1871-1992 at FamilySearch — index and images- How to Use this Collection
 * 1975-2012 Nevada Birth Index 1975-2012 at Ancestry ($)

Marriage

 * 1809-2011 Western States Marriage Index, 1809-2011 - Index, incomplete, list of counties included
 * 1862-1992 at FamilySearch — index and images- How to Use this Collection
 * 1956-2005 Nevada Marriage Index 1956-2005 at Ancestry ($)

Death

 * 1871-1992 at FamilySearch — index and images- How to Use this Collection

Divorce

 * 1809 - 2011 Western States Marriage Index, 1809-2011 - Index, incomplete, list of counties included
 * 1956 - 2005 Nevada Marriage Index 1956-2005 at Ancestry ($)

Family History Centers

 * Elko Nevada East Family History Center
 * Elko Nevada West Family History Center
 * Wells Nevada Family History Center

Libraries

 * Carlin Branch Library 811 Main ST Carlin, NV 89822 Phone: 775 754-6766 Website
 * Elko County Library 720 Court St Elko, NV 89801 Phone: 775-756-6597 Website
 * Tuscarora Library 55 Weed St Tuscarora, NV 89834 Phone: 775-756-6597 Website

Societies

 * Elko Genealogical Society 3001 North Fifth Street Elko, NV 89801 Phone: 775-738-4565
 * Northeastern Nevada Genealogical Society 1515 Idaho St. Elko, NV 89801 Phone: 775-738-3418 Website
 * Western Shoshone Historical Society 1545 Silver Eagle Elko, NV 89801-5021 Phone: 775-738-7070
 * Nevada State Genealogical Society P.O. Box 20666 Reno, NV 89515-0666 Facebook
 * Nevada Historical Society 1650 North Virginia Street Reno, NV 89503 Phone: 775-688-1190 Fax: 775-688-2917 Website
 * Tri-State Genealogical Society For Arizona, California, Nevada PO Box 21902 Bullhead City, AZ 86439 Website

Websites

 * Elko County NVGenWeb. May have maps, name indexes, history or other information for this county. Select the state, then the county.
 * Nevada Genealogy Network
 * - 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