Cass County, North Dakota Genealogy

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

Description
Cass County was named in honor of a railroad executive George Washington Cass. The County is located in the southeast area of the state.

County Courthouse
Cass County Courthouse 211 9th Street South PO Bo 2806 Fargo, ND 58103-1833 Phone: 701.241.5646 Cass County Website Clerk District Court has divorce and court records from 1885.

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

 * Index to Cass County Biographies (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

Census Records

 * Cass County Census Records (USGenWeb Archives)

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 Mortality Schedule, Cass County (Genealogy Trails)
 * 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.

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 — ($); Index and images; Dates vary for each county
 * Records of the American Lutheran Church, Enderlin, in Evangelical Lutheran Church in America database at Archives.com ($).
 * Records of the American Lutheran Church, Enderlin, in Evangelical Lutheran Church in America database at Archives.com ($).
 * Records of First Lutheran Church, Fargo, in Evangelical Lutheran Church in America database at Archives.com ($).
 * Records of the Lutheran Church, Hickson, in Evangelical Lutheran Church in America database at Archives.com ($).
 * Records of Zion Lutheran Church, Harwood, in Evangelical Lutheran Church in America database at Archives.com ($).

Directories

 * 1822 - 1995 U.S. City Directories 1822-1995 at Ancestry ($) - collection for the City of Fargo

Emigration and Immigration

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

Funeral Homes

 * Boulger Funeral Home - Fargo
 * Hanson-Runsvold Funeral Home - Fargo
 * Fredrikson-Boulger Funeral Chapel – Kindred
 * Wildeman-Boulger Funeral Home – Hillsboro
 * West Funeral Home - Casselton, West Fargo

US GenWeb

 * Cass County Funeral Home Records Index

Land and Property Records

 * Cass County BLM Records Index (USGenWeb Archives)

Local Histories

 * Cass County History Topics (Genealogy Trails)
 * Centennial; first one hundred years : centennial project of the Fargo Genealogy Society. 1975. Fargo, North Dakota: Fargo Genealogy Society;
 * Vol. 1 FamilySearch Digital Library
 * Vol. 2 FamilySearch Digital Library

Maps and Gazetteers

 * FamilySearch Places:Cities and Towns- 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 Vietnam War For further information see North Dakota Military Records.
 * 1861-1865 - at FamilySearch. - How to Use this Collection
 * 1890 - at FamilySearch. - How to Use this Collection
 * Pensioners on the Rolls as of Jan 1, 1883 (Genealogy Trails)
 * 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, Cass County (Genealogy Trails)
 * World War II Army Casualties, Cass County Genealogy Trails)
 * World War II Navy Casualties, Cass County (Genealogy Trails)
 * Korean War Casualties, Cass County (Genealogy Trails)
 * Vietnam War Casualties, Cass County (Genealogy Trails)

Naturalization and Citizenship
Online Naturalization Indexes and Records
 * 1868-1924 - at FamilySearch — index and images - How to Use this Collection
 * 1873-1946 (*); District Court at FamilySearch Catalog — index, images
 * 1882-1944 (*); District Court at FamilySearch Catalog — images
 * 1929-1946 (*); 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 Catalogs
 * 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

North Dakota Newspapers Online
 * 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

 * Early Cass County Obituaries and Death Notices from newspapers. (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 ($)
 * 1876-1949 Cass County, N.D., Probate Records (1876-1949) at NDSU Archives — index.

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

 * 1870-1944 - Cass County, N.D. Marriage Licenses (1870-1944)
 * 1872-1882 - Cass County ND Marriages, 1872-1882 (Genealogy Trails)
 * 1872-1958 - at FamilySearch — index and images - How to Use this Collection
 * 1872-2017 North Dakota, U.S., Select County Marriage Records, 1872-2017 at Ancestry - index & images ($)
 * Marriage Announcements, various from newspapers. (Genealogy Trails)

Death
Online Death Indexes and Records


 * 1892-present - NDDH Public Death Index, 1892-present at North Dakota Dept. of Health – index only

Divorce

 * Cass County, N.D. Divorce and Civil Cases Records (1870-1942)

Family History Centers

 * Fargo North Dakota Family History Center

Libraries
Fargo Public Library Central Library 102 3rd St N, Fargo, ND 58102 Telephone: 701-241-1492 E-mail: [mailto:askreference@cityoffargo.com askreference@cityoffargo.com] Website

Societies
Cass County Historical Society 1351 Main Ave W West Fargo 58078-1321 Telephone: 701-282-2822 E-mail: [mailto:mwarren@bonanzaville.com mwarren@bonanzaville.com] Website

Casselton Historical Society PO Box 86 Casselton, ND 58012 Telephone: 701-347-4163

Red River Valley Genealogy Society c/o Linda Zeutschel PO Box 9284 Fargo, ND 58106 Telephone: 701-239-4129 or 701-282-2076 Website

Websites

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