Griggs County, North Dakota Genealogy

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

Description
Griggs County was named for Alexander Griggs of Grand Forks who was a Red River steamboat man and local entrepreneur. The County is located in the east-central area of the state.

County Courthouse
Griggs County Courthouse 808 Rollin Ave SW Cooperstown, ND 58425 Phone: 701.797.2772 Griggs County Website Clerk District Court has birth cords from 1880

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:

See Also
 * National Register of Historic Places listings in Griggs County, North Dakota
 * U.S. Navy ship named after this county

Biographies

 * Griggs 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

Census Records

 * Griggs County Census Records (USGenWeb Archives)

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.com – ($), 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.

Church Records
List of Churches and Church Parishes
 * FamilySearch Places

Online Church Records Griggs County Church Histories Lutheran Church
 * Griggs County Church Histories and Records
 * 1875-1940 U.S., Evangelical Lutheran Church of America, Records, 1875-1940 at Ancestry — ($); Index and images; Dates vary for each county
 * Records of Trinity Lutheran Church, Griggs County, in Evangelical Lutheran Church in America database at Archives.com ($).

Directories

 * Cooperstown Medical Directory 1902 (USGenWeb Archives)

Emigration and Immigration

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

Funeral Homes

 * Cooperstown - Funeral Home Index, Surnames A-G at USGenWeb Archives
 * Cooperstown - Funeral Home Index, Surnames H-M at USGenWeb Archives
 * Cooperstown - Funeral Home Index, Surnames N-Z at USGenWeb Archives
 * Quam-Plaisted-Cushman Funeral Home in Cooperstown

Land and Property Records
Online Land Records For more information see North Dakota Land and Property
 * Griggs County BLM Records, Surnames A-G (USGenWeb Archives)
 * Griggs County BLM Records, Surnames H-N (USGenWeb Archives)
 * Griggs County BLM Records, Surnames O-Z (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 - ($), index and images

Local Histories

 * History Topics (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

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 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 Jan 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, Griggs County (Genealogy Trails)
 * World War II Army Casualties, Griggs County (Genealogy Trails)
 * World War II Navy Casualties, Griggs County (Genealogy Trails)
 * Vietnam War Casualties, Griggs County (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, ($)
 * 1882-1945 - (*); District Court at FamilySearch Catalog — images
 * 1887-1943 - (*); 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

 * Griggs County Obituaries and Death Notices from newspapers. (Genealogy Trails)

Probate Records
Online Probate Indexes and Records
 * 1878–1928 North Dakota and South Dakota Wills and Probate Records 1878-1928 at Ancestry.com — index & images, ($)

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
 * Griggs County Marriage Announcements from newspapers. (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, ($)
 * Griggs County Obituaries and Death Notices from newspapers. (Genealogy Trails)

FamilySearch Centers

 * Grand Forks North Dakota FamilySearch Center


 * Lake Region Public Library - an affiliate library
 * Lake Agassiz Regional Library - Climax Public Library - an affiliate library

Museums
Ronald Reagan Minuteman Missile State Historic Site 555 113-1/2 Ave NE Hwy 45 PO Box 6 Cooperstown ND 58425-0006 701-797-3691 Website

Societies
Griggs County Historical Society PO Box 242 203 12th Street Southeast Cooperstown, ND 58425-0242 701-797-2992 Website

Websites

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