Morton County, North Dakota Genealogy

Guide to Morton 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 named for Oliver Hazard Perry Throck Morton (1823-1877), governor of Indiana during the American Civil War and later a United States Senator. It was later organized again on November 23, 1916. The County is located in the center area of the state.

County Courthouse
Morton County Courthouse 210 2nd Ave NW Mandan, ND 58554 Phone: 701.667.3355 Morton County Website Clerk District Court has birth records from 1883, marriage records from 1888, death records from 1873, burial records from 1943, divorce and probate records from 1900’s and court records from late 1800’s; Register of Deeds has land records from late 1800’s

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

 * Morton 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

Cemeteries

 * Odessa Digital Library has cemetery transcriptions for cemeteries in Morton county, providing name, date of birth, and date of death where available.
 * 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.
 * 1880, 1900, 1910, 1920, 1930 - Morton County Census Records (USGenWeb Project). Choose "Census Data" to see records available, including some indexes of surnames.
 * 1880, 1900, 1910, 1920, 1930 - Morton County Census Records (USGenWeb Archives)

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

Directories

 * 1822-1995 U.S. City Directories 1822-1995 at Ancestry ($) - collection for the City of Mandan
 * 1916 - Heil Business Directory (Morton County, North Dakota, USGenWeb Archives)

Emigration and Immigration

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

Land and Property Records
Online Land Records For more information see North Dakota Land and Property
 * Index to Morton 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
 * 1861 - 1908 - U.S. Homestead Records 1861-1908 at Ancestry.com - ($), index and images

Local Histories

 * 100 years of faith, 1897-1997; St. Anthony's Catholic Church; St. Anthony, North Dakota. 1997?. By Elfreda Ziniel. St. Anthony, North Dakota : St. Anthony's Catholic Church; St. Anthony, North Dakota. Online at:;.
 * Flasher, ND centennial, 1902-2002. 2002?. S.l. : s.n. Online at:;.
 * Mantani A history of Mandan - Morton County including Fort McKeen and Fort Abraham Lincoln : 1738-1964. 1964. By Sarah Tostevin. Mandan, North Dakota : The Mandan Chamber of Commerce.
 * Morton prairie roots. 1975. By Marion Plath Peterson. Mandan, North Dakota : Morton County Historical Society. Online at:;.

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
 * '''1883 - Pensioners on the Rolls as of January 1, 1883 (Genealogy Trails)
 * 1890 - at FamilySearch. - How to Use this Collection
 * 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, Morton County, North Dakota (Genealogy Trails)
 * World War II Army Casualties, Morton County, North Dakota (Genealogy Trails)
 * World War II Navy, Marine Corps, and Coast Guard Casualties, Morton County, North Dakota (Genealogy Trails)
 * Korean War Casualties, Morton County, North Dakota (Genealogy Trails)
 * Vietnam War Casualties, Morton 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
 * 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

 * Morton County Obituaries and Death Notices (Genealogy Trails)
 * Index to Morton County Obituaries (USGenWeb Archives)

Probate Records
''Online Probate Records


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

School Records
Flasher School History:

Flasher is a city within Morton County, North Dakota

The first school house was a one room building completed in 1902. The first regular school term was 1903-1904, there were 30 pupils. The original building of what is now the Flasher Public School was built in 1911. High school was started in the fall of 1916 with a small enrollment. From this small beginning the enrollment increased and more room was needed. The first formal graduation ceremony took place in 1922 with three graduating students.

In the spring of 1957, due to increased enrollment, it became necessary to enlarge the educational facilities. Included in the new addition were a gymnasium and a shop. In 1958 the Flasher School District 39 went through the task of reorganization. As a result, the following are now part of the Flasher School District No. 39: Weekes, Fairview, Big Bend, Fair Valley, part of Oak Coulee, Lark, Lonesome, part of Raleigh, part of Three Buttes, Freda, Timmer and Shields. In 1965 a new section of the elementary classrooms was built and in 1975 four more classrooms were added.

Taken from: ""School Reunion 1922-1977, Schools of Flasher, Freda, Raleigh"" Saturday, June 18 1977"

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
 * Morton County Marriage Announcements (Genealogy Trails)

Death
Online Death Indexes and Records
 * 1892-present - NDDH Public Death Index, 1892-present at North Dakota Dept. of Health – index only
 * 1928 - Burials from Rev Hausauer's ledger, Congregational Denomination (USGenWeb Archives)
 * Links to Morton County Obituaries (USGenWeb Archives]
 * Morton County Obituaries and Death Notices (Genealogy Trails)

Archives
North Dakota State University Archives West Building 3551 7th Avenue N Fargo, ND 58102 Mailing Address: NDSU Archives Libraries NDSU Dept #2080 PO Box 6050 Fargo, ND 58108-6050 Phone: 701-231-8914 Fax: 701-231-5632 Email: {mailto:ndsu.archives@ndsu.edu ndsu.archives@ndsu.edu] Website

Museums
Glen Ullin Museum and Auxiliary 6285 46th St. Glen Ullin, ND 58631 Phone: 701-348-3740

Societies
Almont Historical Society 4149 Co Rd 86 Almont, ND 58520 Telephone: 701-843-7515 Facebook

New Salem Historical Society 4248 43rd Ave New Salem, ND 58563-9805 Telephone: 701-843-7163

Mandan Historical Society 3827 30th Ave NW PO Box 98 Mandan, ND 58554 Telephone:701-663-5200 E-mail:[mailto:info@mandanhistory.org info@mandanhistory.org] Website

Germans From Russia Heritage Society 1125 W Turnpike Ave Bismarck ND Telephone:701-223-6167 Facebook

Websites

 * Morton County, North Dakota, USGenWeb project. May have maps, name indexes, history or other information for this county.
 * Morton County, North Dakota, USGenWeb Archives
 * 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.
 * Morton County, North Dakota Genealogy and Family History (Linkpendium)
 * Morton County Genealogy (ldsgenealogy.com)
 * Morton County, North Dakota, Genealogy and History (Genealogy Trails)