Union County, South Dakota Genealogy

United States South Dakota Union County

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

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County Courthouse
Union County Courthouse PO Box 757 Elk Point, SD 57025-0757 Phone: 605.356.2132 Register of Deeds has birth records from 1866, marriage records from 1886, death records from 1905, burial records from 1961, land records from 1863 and military discharge records from 1919; Clerk Court has probate records from 1875, court records from 1890 and divorce records

Union County, South Dakota Record Dates

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 * width="84%" bgcolor="#e4d8e5" align="center" colspan="7" | Beginning Dates for Major County Records
 * width="12%" bgcolor="#e4d8e5" align="center" | Birth*
 * width="12%" bgcolor="#e4d8e5" align="center" | Marriage
 * width="12%" bgcolor="#e4d8e5" align="center" | Death*
 * width="12%" bgcolor="#e4d8e5" align="center" | Court
 * width="12%" bgcolor="#e4d8e5" align="center" | Land
 * width="12%" bgcolor="#e4d8e5" align="center" | Probate
 * width="12%" bgcolor="#e4d8e5" align="center" | Census
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 * width="12%" align="center" |1870
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 * width="12%" align="center" |1870
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Record Loss
There is no known history of courthouse disasters in this county.

Boundary Changes

 * 1862--Union County was created 10 April 1862 from unorganized territory.
 * County seat: Elk Point
 * Interactive Formation Boundary Map of North Dakota - shows boundary changes for South Dakota Counties
 * South Dakota Historical Boundary Changes - list of all boundary changes by county provided by Newberry Library

Populated Places

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Census Records
1905, 1915, 1925, 1935, and 1945 censuses may include unique information: Ethnic Background, Maiden Name, Church Affiliation and Military Service
 * 1905 — at FamilySearch Historical Records — index and images
 * 1915 — at FamilySearch Historical Records — index and images
 * 1925 — at FamilySearch Historical Records — index and images
 * 1935 — at FamilySearch Historical Records — index and images
 * 1945 — at FamilySearch Historical Records — index and images

Church Records
Lutheran

'''Emmanuel Lutheran Church, Beresford


 * Records of Emmanuel Lutheran Church, Beresford, in Evangelical Lutheran Church in America database at Archives.com ($).

'''St. Paul's Lutheran Church


 * Records of St. Paul's Lutheran Church, Union County, in Evangelical Lutheran Church in America database at Archives.com ($).

Land and Property Records
Online Land Records


 * 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

Maps and Gazetteers

 * Interactive Formation Boundary Map of South Dakota - shows boundary changes for South Dakota Counties
 * Historical Maps and Atlases of South Dakota - maps and atlases of South Dakota

Military Records
Civil War World War I
 * 1861 - 1941 South Dakota, Grand Army of the Republic Membership Records, 1861-1941 at FamilySearch
 * 1861 -1865 at FamilySearch.
 * 1890 at FamilySearch.
 * 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.

Newspapers
 South Dakota Newspapers Online South Dakota Newspaper Catalogs
 * GenealogyBank - ($), contains images of South Dakota newspapers
 * Newspaper Archive - ($), contains images of South Dakota newspapers
 * Chronicling America - contains images of some South 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.

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

Societies
Union County Historical Society PO Box 552 124 East Main Street Elk Point SD 57025-0552 Telephone: 605-356-3433 or 356-2507 E-mail:[mailto:www.acsnet.com/~jkjar www.acsnet.com/~jkjar] Website

Websites

 * USGenWeb project. May have maps, name indexes, history or other information for this county. Select the state, then the county.