Montana, Lake County Records - FamilySearch Historical Records

What is in This Collection?
The collection covers the years 1857 to 2010. It consists of the following records from the county courthouse in Polson, Montana.
 * Deeds
 * School census
 * Mining records
 * Vital records (death and birth records have been indexed)
 * Probate records
 * Divorce records

What Can These Records Tell Me?
The following information may be found in these records: • 2

How Do I Search This Collection?
Before searching this collection, it is helpful to know:
 * The name of your ancestor
 * The age of your ancestor
 * The type of event
 * The approximate date the event occurred
 * The names of family members and their relationships

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.

I Found the Person I Was Looking For, What Now?

 * Search for vital records, such as birth, marriage, and death
 * Use the information to find the family in census records
 * Search for the family in land and probate records
 * Search church 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

FamilySearch Catalog

 * Lake County, birth records, 1857-1930
 * Lake County, death records, 1923-2010
 * Lake County, marriage records, 1923-1993
 * Lake County, divorce records, 1814-1958
 * Lake County, deed records, 1872-1940
 * Lake County, naturalization index, 1923-1945
 * Lake County, probate index, 1923-1950
 * Lake County, school census records, 1910-1980
 * Lake County, officials bonds index, 1923-1967

FamilySearch Digital Library

 * 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.