Walsh County, North Dakota Genealogy

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

Description
The county was founded in 1883. It was named after Oscar M. Towner (1842-1897), a member of the United States House of Representatives. After founding, the county government was fully organized on January 24, 1884. Its county seat is Grafton.

County Courthouse
Walsh County Courthouse 600 Cooper Avenue Grafton, ND 58237-1542 Phone: 701.352.0350 Walsh County Website Clerk District Court has marriage records records from 1884, divorce, probate and records from 1881; Register of Deeds has land records

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

Populated Places
The following are locations in the county

State Census Records

 * 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
 * 1925 at FamilySearch Historical Records — index and images

Federal Census Records
Federal Censuses were taken for North Dakota starting in 1910. For links to Federal census indexes, see North Dakota Census.

Church Records
Lutheran


 * Records of Vang Lutheran Church, Walsh County, in Evangelical Lutheran Church in America database at Archives.com ($).

Land and Property Records
Online Land Records For more information see North Dakota Land and Property
 * 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

 * Walsh heritage : a story of Walsh county and its pioneers. 1976. By Gunder V. Berg. [Grafton, North Dakota?] : Walsh County Historical Society. Online at: ; . 4 volumes.

Maps and Gazetteers

 * Interactive Formation Boundary Map of North Dakota - shows boundary changes for North Dakota Counties
 * North Dakota Maps at NDGenWeb -historical maps

Military Records
Civil War World War I
 * 1861 -1865 at FamilySearch.
 * 1890 at FamilySearch.
 * 1917 - 1918 North Dakota Military Men 1917-1918 at Ancestry ($)
 * 1917 - 1918 Roster of the men and women who served in the army or naval service (including the Marine Corps) of the United States or its allies from the state of North Dakota in the World War, 1917-1918, Vols. 1-4 at Ancestry ($)
 * For further information see North Dakota Military Records.

Naturalization and Citizenship
Online Naturalization Indexes and Records
 * North Dakota Naturalization Records Index at NDSU Archives – index only, covers various dates and counties

Newspapers
 North Dakota Newspapers Online North Dakota Newspaper Catalogs
 * GenealogyBank - ($), contains images of North Dakota newspapers
 * Newspaper Archive - ($), contains images of North Dakota newspapers
 * Chronicling America - contains images of some North 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
 * State Historical Society of North Dakota - contains inventory and catalog of all known ND newspapers

Probate Records
''Online Probate Records


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

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

Museums
Heritage Village at Grafton 695 West 12th Street Grafton, ND 58237 Telephone Number: 701-352-3280 or 701-520-1207

Societies
Walsh County Historical Society and Museum 12859 66th Street NE Park River, ND 58270 Telephone: 701-284-6828 Website

Walsh County Historical Society 323 3rd Minto, ND 58261

Walsh County Historic Preservation Commission Red River Regional Council, Chase Building 516 Cooper Ave., Suite 101 Grafton, ND 58237 Telephone: 701-352-3550

Websites

 * USGenWeb project. May have maps, name indexes, history or other information for this county. Select the state, then the county.
 * 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.
 * Walsh County, North Dakota Genealogy and Family History (Linkpendium)