Steele County, North Dakota Genealogy

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

Description
The county was named for Edward Steele of the Red River Land Company. The County is located in the center east area of the state.

County Courthouse
Steele County Courthouse 201 Washington Ave W PO Box 296 Finley, ND 58230 Phone: 701.524.2152 Steele County Website Clerk District Court has birth and death records 1894-1896 and 1900-1901, divorce and court records from 1886; County Judge has marriage records from 1883 and probate records from 1886; Register of Deeds has land 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

 * Index to Steele 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
 * North Dakota, Biography Records at MyHeritage — index & images, ($)

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 – ($), 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 1900 Census Surname Index With Page Image Scans By Township (USGenWeb Archives)
 * 1910 Index of Steel County Census Records - images. (USGenWeb Archives)
 * 1920 Index of Steel County Census Records - images. (USGenWeb Archives)
 * 1930 Index of Steel County Census Records - images. (USGenWeb Archives)

Church Records
List of Churches and Church Parishes
 * FamilySearch Places

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

Directories

 * 1909 Steele County Attorneys (USGenWeb Archives)

Emigration and Immigration

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

Funeral Homes

 * City of Finley Funeral Home Index at USGenWeb Archives
 * Quam-Plaisted-Cushman Funeral Home in Finley

Land and Property Records
Online Land Records For more information see North Dakota Land and Property
 * Index to Steele County BLM Land Records (USGenWeb Archives)
 * 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 - ($), index and images

Local Histories

 * Steele County ND History (Genealogy Trails)
 * History of Riverside Township, Steele County. By Myrtle Bemis. n.p.: n.p. (FamilySearch)
 * Index to Early Township Histories (Genealogy Trails)

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
 * Steele County Townships Map (USGenWeb Archives)

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
 * 1883 Steele County ND 1883 Pensioners List (Genealogy Trails)
 * 1890 at FamilySearch - How to Use this Collection
 * 1890 Steele County ND 1890 Veterans Census (Genealogy Trails)
 * 1893 Steele County ND 1892 Members of the Grand Army of the Republic (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 Inductees, Steel County, North Dakota (Genealogy Trails)
 * World War I Casualties, Steel County, North Dakota (Genealogy Trails)
 * World War II Army Steel County, North Dakota (Genealogy Trails),
 * World War II Navy, Marine Corps and Coast Guard Casualties, Steel County, North Dakota (Genealogy Trails)
 * World War II Enlistments, Steel County, North Dakota (Genealogy Trails)
 * 1950-1957 Korean War Casualties, Steel County, North Dakota (Genealogy Trails)
 * 1957-1995 Vietnam War Casualties, Steel 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
 * 1870-1968 North Dakota, Naturalizations, 1870-1968 at MyHeritage — index & images, ($)
 * 1883-1947 - (*); District Court at FamilySearch Catalog — images
 * 1890-1947 - (*); District Court at FamilySearch Catalog — images
 * 1920-1948 - (*); 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 North Dakota Newspapers Online
 * 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

 * Index to Steel 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 ($)
 * Steele County ND Wills, Legal Records and Notices at Genealogy Trails

School Records

 * 1905-1939 Hope High School Graduates (Genealogy Trails)
 * 1907-1950 Hope High School Teachers (Genealogy Trails)
 * 1919-1930 Finley High School Graduates (Genealogy Trails)

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
 * Index to Steel County Marriage Announcements, Alphabetical by grooms' names and brides' names. (Genealogy Trails)
 * Steele County Marriage Announcements (Genealogy Trails)

Death

 * 1892-present NDDH Public Death Index, 1892-present at North Dakota Dept. of Health – index only
 * 1908-2007 North Dakota, U.S., State Death Certificates, 1908-2007 at Ancestry — index & images, ($)
 * Index to Steele County Obituaries and Death Notices (Genealogy Trails)

FamilySearch Centers

 * Grand Forks North Dakota FamilySearch Center


 * Lake Agassiz Regional Library - Climax Public Library - an affiliate library
 * Lake Agassiz Regional Library - Halstad Link Branch - an affiliate library
 * Lake Agassiz Regional Library - Hendrum Link Branch - an affiliate library

Museums
Steele County Museum 301 Steele Avenue PO Box 144 Hope, North Dakota 58046 701-945-2394 Email: [mailto:steelecomuseum@gmail.com steelecomuseum@gmail.com] Website Facebook

Societies
Steele County Historical Society 301 Steele Ave PO Box 144 Hope, North Dakota 58046 701-945-2394 E-mail: [mailto:steelecomuseum@sgmail.com steelecomuseum@gmail.com] Website Facebook

Websites

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