Brookings County, South Dakota Genealogy

United States South Dakota Brookings County

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

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County Courthouse
Brookings County Courthouse 314 6th Avenue Brookings, SD 57006 Phone: 605.692.6284 Clerk Court has divorce, probate and court records; Register of Deeds has birth, marriage, and death, from 1905, burial records from 1940, land and military records

Brookings County, South Dakota Record Dates

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 * width="84%" bgcolor="#e4d8e5" align="center" colspan="7" | Beginning Dates for Major County Records
 * width="12%" bgcolor="#e4d8e5" align="center" | Birth*
 * width="12%" bgcolor="#e4d8e5" align="center" | Marriage
 * width="12%" bgcolor="#e4d8e5" align="center" | Death*
 * width="12%" bgcolor="#e4d8e5" align="center" | Court
 * width="12%" bgcolor="#e4d8e5" align="center" | Land
 * width="12%" bgcolor="#e4d8e5" align="center" | Probate
 * width="12%" bgcolor="#e4d8e5" align="center" | Census
 * width="12%" align="center" |
 * width="12%" align="center" |1871
 * width="12%" align="center" |
 * width="12%" align="center" |
 * width="12%" align="center" |1871
 * width="12%" align="center" |
 * width="12%" align="center" |1870
 * colspan="7"|
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 * width="12%" align="center" |1870
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Record Loss
There is no known history of courthouse disasters in this county.

Boundary Changes
1862--Brookings County was created 5 April 1862 from unorganized territory. County seat: Brookings
 * Interactive Formation Boundary Map of North Dakota - shows boundary changes for South Dakota Counties
 * South Dakota Historical Boundary Changes - list of all boundary changes by county provided by Newberry Library

Populated Places

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Census Records
1905, 1915, 1925, 1935, and 1945 censuses may include unique information: Ethnic Background, Maiden Name, Church Affiliation and Military Service
 * 1905 — at FamilySearch Historical Records — index and images
 * 1915 — at FamilySearch Historical Records — index and images
 * 1925 — at FamilySearch Historical Records — index and images
 * 1935 — at FamilySearch Historical Records — index and images
 * 1945 — at FamilySearch Historical Records — index and images

Land and Property Records
Online Land Records


 * 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
 * 1861 - 1936 - U.S. Homestead Records 1861-1936 at Ancestry.com - ($), index and images

Local Histories

 * Brookings County history book : in the year of the South Dakota state centennial. 1989. By Brookings County History Book Committee. Brookings, South Dakota : Brookings County History Book Committee. Online at:;.
 * The immigrants' trek : a detailed history of the Lake Hendricks Colony in Brookings County, Dakota Territory, from 1873-1881. 197-?. By Gustav O. Sandro. S.l. : s.n. Online at:Hathitrust;.

Military Records

 * 1861-1941 - at FamilySearch — index and images

Newspapers
 South Dakota Newspapers Online South Dakota Newspaper Catalogs
 * GenealogyBank - ($), contains images of South Dakota newspapers
 * Newspaper Archive - ($), contains images of South Dakota newspapers
 * Chronicling America - contains images of some South Dakota newspapers; searching tips
 * Elephind - Free; 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.

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

Family History Centers

 * Brookings South Dakota Family History Center

Museums
Brookings County History Museum P.O. Box 608 Volga, SD 57071 Phone:(605) 627-9149 Website

Societies
Brookings Area Genealogical Society 513 3rd St. Brookings 57006 Website

Brookings County Historical Society PO Box 608 Volga, SD 57071 Telephone: 605-627-9149 Website

Websites

 * USGenWeb project. May have maps, name indexes, history or other information for this county. Select the state, then the county.