Olmsted County, Minnesota Genealogy

Guide to Olmsted County, Minnesota ancestry, family history, and genealogy birth records, marriage records, death records, census records, family history, and military records.

County Courthouse
Clerk District Court incomplete birth and death records from 1871, marriage records from 1855, divorce records from 1860 and court records form 1858. County Court has probate records. Coroner and Department of Health have burial records

History
This county, established February 20, 1855, was named in honor of David Olmsted, first mayor of St. Paul, in 1854, who in 1855 removed to Winona, in the county of that name, adjoining Olmsted county.

Parent County

 * 1855--Olmsted County was created 20 February 1855 from Fillmore, Wabasha, and Rice Counties.

County seat: Rochester


 * For a brief history of how Olmsted County was named, click here. Then select Olmsted County.

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

Cities

 * Byron
 * Chatfield
 * Dover
 * Eyota
 * Oronoco
 * Pine Island
 * Rochester
 * Stewartville

Townships
Cascade | Dover | Eyota | Elmira | Farmington | Haverhill | High Forest &amp; 45 | Kalmar | Marion |New Haven | Orion| Oronoco | Pleasant Grove | Quincy | Rochester | Rock Dell &amp; 45| Salem | Viola

Unincorporated
Douglas

Neighboring Counties

 * Dodge
 * Fillmore
 * Goodhue
 * Mower
 * Wabasha
 * Winona

Census
Federal Census 1850, 1860, 1870, 1880 and 1900 US Federal Censuses for Olmsted, Minnesota can be found at FamilySearch Record Search]. Free searchable name indexes and images are available for most census years.

State Census
 * 1865 - at FamilySearch — index and images
 * 1885 - at FamilySearch — index and images
 * 1905 - at FamilySearch — index and images

The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints
LDS Ward and Branch Records


 * Rochester

Lutheran
Byron


 * Records of the American Lutheran Church, Byron, in Evangelical Lutheran Church in America database at Archives.com ($).

East (Byron) and West St. Olaf Congregations


 * Records of East and West St. Olaf Lutheran Congregations, Olmsted and Dodge Counties, in Evangelical Lutheran Church in America database at Archives.com ($).

Rochester


 * Records of the American Lutheran Church, Rochester, in Evangelical Lutheran Church in America database at Archives.com ($).

Zumbro Lutheran Church, Rochester


 * Records of the Zumbro Lutheran Church, Rochester, in Evangelical Lutheran Church in America database at Archives.com ($).

Emigration and Immigration

 * 1912 - 1956 - at FamilySearch — index and images

Civil War
Civil War service men from Olmsted County served in various regiments. Men often joined a company (within a regiment) that originated in their county. Listed below are many companies or regiments that were formed from men of Olmsted County.


 * - 1st Regiment, Minnesota Cavalry (Mounted Rangers), Company I.
 * - 1st Regiment, Minnesota Heavy Artillery, Company H.
 * - 2nd Regiment, Minnesota Infantry, Companies A and B.
 * - 2nd Regiment, Minnesota Cavalry, Company L.
 * - 3rd Regiment, Minnesota Infantry, Companies C and K.
 * - 5th Regiment, Minnesota Infantry, Company I.
 * - 6th Regiment, Minnesota Infantry, Company H.
 * - 8th Regiment, Minnesota Infantry, Company D.
 * - 9th Regiment, Minnesota Infantry, Company F
 * - 11th Regiment, Minnesota Infantry, Company H.
 * - Brackett's Battalion, Minnesota Cavalry, Companies C and D.

Obituaries

 * 1865-2006 - at FamilySearch— index and images

Probate
Online Probate Records
 * 1801 - 1999 Minnesota Wills and Probate Records 1801-1999 at Ancestry.com — index and images $

Marriage

 * 1860 - 1949 at FamilySearch — index and images

Death

 * 1850-2001 - at FamilySearch — index and images
 * Online Minnesota Death Records & Indexes

Societies and Libraries
Olmsted County Genealogical Society PO Box 6411 Rochester 55903 Website

Olmsted County Historical Society 1195 County Road 22 S.W. Rochester 55902 Telephone: 507-282-9447 E-mail:[mailto:services@olmstedhistory.com ervices@olmstedhistory.com] Website

Red River History Museum 211 3rd St PO Box 123 Shelly MN 56581-0123 Telephone: 218-886-8895 Website

Red River Valley Genealogical Society PO Box 9284 112 N University Drive Suite L116 Fargo, ND 58106 Website

Northwest Minnesota Historical Center Livingston Lord Library Moorhead State University Moorhead, MN 56560

Family History Centers

 * Rochester Minnesota Family History Center

Websites

 * The History Center of Olmsted County, Minnnesota


 * Olmsted County Archives - U.S. GenWeb Archives


 * Olmsted County, MN Genealogy Forum (GenForum)


 * Ole & Lena: the genealogy and local history of a Norwegian settlement (Dodge and Olmsted counties in Minnesota)