Towner County, North Dakota Genealogy

Guide to Towner County, North Dakota ancestry, genealogy and family history, birth records, marriage records, death records, census records, family history, and military records.

Description
It was named after Oscar M. Towner (b. 1842, d. 1897). The County is located in north center area of the state.

County Courthouse
Towner County Courthouse 315 2nd Street PO Box 517 Cando, ND 58324-0517 Phone: 701.968.4345 Towner County Website District Court Clerk has marriage records from 1888, divorce records from 1890, probate records from 1886, court records from 1889, land records from 1884, and burial records.

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

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:

Biographies

 * Towner County Biographies on North Dakota Genealogy Trails website - alphabetical list of early settlers and prominent individuals from county histories
 * North Dakota Biography Index at North Dakota State University Archives - Index only; gives references to publications containing information on North Dakotans, living and deceased

Cemeteries

 * 1877-1999 - at FamilySearch — index and images - How to Use this Collection

Territory and State Census Records

 * 1836 - 1836 Wisconsin Territory Census – index only; North Dakota was included in the 1836 Wisconsin Territory Census
 * 1840 - at FamilySearch Historical Records — index and images; North Dakota was included in the 1840 Iowa Territory Census - How to Use this Collection
 * 1850 - at FamilySearch Historical Records — index and images; North Dakota was included in the 1850 Minnesota Territory Census - How to Use this Collection
 * 1860 - at FamilySearch Historical Records — index and images; North Dakota was included in the 1860 Dakota Territory Census - How to Use this Collection
 * 1870 - at FamilySearch Historical Records — index and images; North Dakota was included in the 1870 Dakota Territory Census - How to Use this Collection
 * 1880 - at FamilySearch Historical Records — index and images; North Dakota was included in the 1880 Dakota Territory Census - How to Use this Collection
 * 1885 Dakota Territory 1885 Census Index at NDSU Archives – index only
 * 1885, 1915, 1925 North Dakota, Territorial and State Censuses, 1885, 1915, 1925 at Ancestry.com – ($), index and images
 * 1915 at FamilySearch Historical Records — index and images - How to Use this Collection
 * 1925 at FamilySearch Historical Records — index and images - How to Use this Collection

Federal Census Records
Federal Censuses were taken for the state of North Dakota starting in 1890, although no records survived. The 1900 Census is the next Federal Census available. For links to Federal census indexes, see North Dakota Census.
 * 1900, 1910, 1920, 1930 - Towner County Census Records - Scroll down to "Census Records." (USGenWeb Archives)

Church Records
List of Churches and Church Parishes
 * FamilySearch Places

Online Church Records Lutheran Church
 * 1875-1940 - U.S., Evangelical Lutheran Church of America, Records, 1875-1940 at Ancestry — ($); Index and images; Dates vary for each county

Directories

 * 1902 - Cando Medical Directory (USGenWeb Archives)
 * 1909 - Towner County Attorneys (USGenWeb Archives)

Emigration and Immigration

 * 1800-1953 - at FamilySearch — index - How to Use this Collection

Funeral Homes

 * Dunnigan-Dix Funeral Home in Cando

Land and Property Records

 * Index to Towner County BLM Land Records (USGenWeb Archives)

Local Histories

 * Towner County History Topics (Genealogy Trails)
 * Towner County History - Scroll down to "History." (USGenWeb Archives)

Maps and Gazetteers

 * FamilySearch Places: Map of cities and towns in this county - How to Use FS Places
 * Interactive Formation Boundary Map of North Dakota - shows boundary changes for North Dakota Counties
 * North Dakota Maps at NDGenWeb -historical maps

Online Collections
These collections are unique to North Dakota. You will find nationwide databases for military records on U.S. Military Online Genealogy Records and North Dakota Military Records.

Civil War World War I World War II Korean War For further information see North Dakota Military Records.
 * 1957 - Armed Forces Veterans from Hansboro
 * 1861-1865 - at FamilySearch - How to Use this Collection
 * 1890 - at FamilySearch - How to Use this Collection
 * 1917-1918 - North Dakota Military Men 1917-1918 at Ancestry ($)
 * 1917-1918 - Roster of the men and women who served in the army or naval service (including the Marine Corps) of the United States or its allies from the state of North Dakota in the World War, 1917-1918, Vols. 1-4 at Ancestry ($)
 * World War I Casualties, Towner County, North Dakota (Genealogy Trails)
 * World War II Army Casualties, Towner County, North Dakota (Genealogy Trails)
 * World War II Navy, Marine Corps and Coast Guard Casualties, Towner County, North Dakota (Genealogy Trails)
 * 1950-1957 - Korean War Casualties, Towner County, North Dakota (Genealogy Trails)

Naturalization and Citizenship
Online Naturalization Indexes and Records
 * 1868-1924 - at FamilySearch — index and images - How to Use this Collection
 * 1884-1955 - (*); District Court at FamilySearch Catalog — images
 * North Dakota Naturalization Records Index at NDSU Archives – index only, covers various dates and counties

Newspapers
North Dakota Newspaper Abstracts and Excerpts Online North Dakota Newspaper Catalogs North Dakota Newspapers Online
 * Towner County Newspapers 1910-1923 (USGenWeb Archives)
 * State Historical Society of North Dakota - contains inventory and catalog of all known ND newspapers
 * 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
 * Chronicling America - contains images of some North Dakota newspapers; searching tips
 * Elephind - Free; search engine that retrieves newspaper images from other free newspaper websites
 * GenealogyBank ($)
 * Newspaper Archive ($)
 * Papers from the Past at Community History Archives

Obituaries

 * Towner County Obituaries and Death Notices (Genealogy Trails)

Probate Records
Online Probate Indexes and Records
 * 1800–1985 North Dakota and South Dakota Wills and Probate Records 1800-1985 at Ancestry.com — index and images ($)

School Records

 * Towner County School Records - Scroll down to "Schools." (USGenWeb Archives)

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.

Marriage

 * 1872-1958 - at FamilySearch — index and images - How to Use this Collection
 * 1888-1949 - Partial List of Marriage Records, Towner County, 1888-1949 (USGenWeb Archives)
 * Towner County Marriage Announcements (Genealogy Trails)

Death
Online Death Indexes and Records
 * 1892-present - NDDH Public Death Index, 1892-present at North Dakota Dept. of Health – index only
 * Towner County Obituaries and Death Notices (Genealogy Trails)

Family History Centers

 * Grand Forks North Dakota Family History Center
 * Minot North Dakota Family History Center


 * Lake Region Public Library - an affiliate library

Libraries
Cando Community Library 502 Main Street Cando, ND 58324 701-968-4549 Email: [mailto:cando.library@yahoo.com cando.library@yahoo.com] Website Facebook

Museums
Cando Pioneer Foundation Museum 502 Main Street Cando, ND 58324 701-968-3943 Website

Towner County Historical Society Museum 108 4th Avenue Munich, ND 58352 701-682-5106 Email: [mailto:dabar@utma.com dabar@utma.com]

Websites

 * Towner County at Cyndi's List — a comprehensive, categorized & cross-referenced list of links that point you to genealogical research sites online
 * Towner County at Genealogy Trails — volunteer transcriptions of genealogical and historical data
 * Towner County at North Dakota USGenWeb - free online resources for genealogical research
 * Towner County at North Dakota USGenWeb Archives - free online data for genealogical research
 * Towner County, North Dakota at Linkpendium - genealogy and family history
 * Towner County, North Dakota Genealogy at LDSGenealogy.com - collection of links by state, county, city, and record type
 * 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.