Montana, Flathead County Records - FamilySearch Historical Records

What is in This Collection?
This collection contains county records that cover the years 1871 to 2007. The records currently available are:


 * Coroner's records
 * Court records
 * Divorces(1895-1980)
 * Land and Property records
 * Court records (1895-1981)
 * Probate records (1895-1950)
 * Public records
 * Birth records (1881-1942)
 * Death Records (1897-2007)

Each type of record within the county was created for a different purpose, but most were created to keep track of events happening in the lives of the citizens and to track land and property ownership. The records are located at Flathead County courthouse, Kalispell, Montana.

Coverage Table
{| class="wikitable" ! Record !! Record Type !! Years
 * Coroner's || Coronor's register || 1923-1979
 * Divorce || Divorce records || 1914-1929
 * Land and Property || Deeds || 1871-1929
 * Land and Property || General index to deeds (Grantee) || 1884-1923
 * Land and Property || General Index to deeds (Grantor) || 1885-1923
 * Probate || Probate bonds and oath || 1893-1947
 * Probate || Probate decrees || 1893-1947
 * Probate || Probate documents || 1928
 * Probate || Probate journals || 1934-1961
 * Probate || Probate letters || 1911-1947
 * Probate || Probate orders index || 1893-1900
 * Probate || Probate orders || 1893-1958
 * Probate || Probate records || 1950
 * Public || Jail registers || 18931981
 * Public || Sheriff's fee book || 1946-1980
 * Public || Sheriff's prisoner list || 1933-1964
 * Probate || Probate journals || 1934-1961
 * Probate || Probate letters || 1911-1947
 * Probate || Probate orders index || 1893-1900
 * Probate || Probate orders || 1893-1958
 * Probate || Probate records || 1950
 * Public || Jail registers || 18931981
 * Public || Sheriff's fee book || 1946-1980
 * Public || Sheriff's prisoner list || 1933-1964
 * Probate || Probate records || 1950
 * Public || Jail registers || 18931981
 * Public || Sheriff's fee book || 1946-1980
 * Public || Sheriff's prisoner list || 1933-1964
 * Public || Sheriff's fee book || 1946-1980
 * Public || Sheriff's prisoner list || 1933-1964
 * Public || Sheriff's prisoner list || 1933-1964
 * Public || Sheriff's prisoner list || 1933-1964

What Can These Records Tell Me?
The following information may be found in these records:

Probate
 * Name of Deceased
 * Name of Petitioner
 * Date and place of death
 * Date of court order
 * Name of judge
 * Name of children (if any)

Divorce
 * Name of Defendant
 * Name of Plaintiff
 * Date of Marriage
 * Names of the executor, administrator, or guardian
 * Names of witnesses
 * Dates the documents were written and recorded

Jail
 * Name of Prisoner
 * The prisoner's number
 * Age
 * Height
 * Weight
 * Color of hair and eyes
 * Prisoner's complexion
 * Where prisoner was born
 * Special marks or peculiarities
 * as to prisoner or history
 * (i.e juvenile, body descriptions)

Birth
 * Name of Child
 * Sex of Child
 * Date of birth
 * Place of birth
 * Names of Parents
 * Race
 * Age of Parents at time of birth
 * Birth Place of parents
 * Occupation of parents

Death
 * Name of deceased
 * Sex
 * Race
 * Death date
 * Location of death
 * Date and place of Birth
 * Decedent*s occupation
 * Father's and Mother's names

How Do I Search This Collection?
Before searching this collection, it is helpful to know:
 * The name of your ancestor
 * The approximate date the event occurred
 * The place where the event occurred
 * The names of family members and their relationships

How Do I Analyze the Results?
Compare each result from your search with what you know to determine if there is a match. This may require viewing multiple records or images. Keep track of your research in a research log.

What Do I Do Next?
When you have located your ancestor’s record, carefully evaluate each piece of information given. These pieces of information may give you new biographical details. Add this new information to your records of each family. The information may also lead you to other records about your ancestors.

I Found the Person I Was Looking For, What Now?

 * Add any new information to your records
 * Use the age to calculate the birth date to find birth, christening, marriage, and death records
 * Use the probate date as a substitute for the death date
 * Use the name of the undertaker, mortuary, or cemetery to find funeral and cemetery records
 * Use the parents' birth places to find former residences and to establish a migration pattern for the family
 * Use the occupations to find employment or military records
 * Use the information to find the family in census records

I Can’t Find the Person I’m Looking For, What Now?

 * Try viewing the original record to see if there were errors in the transcription of the name, age, residence, etc. Remember that there may be more than one person in the records with the same name
 * Collect entries for every person who has the same surname. This list can help you identify possible relations that can be verified by records
 * If you cannot locate your ancestor in the locality in which you believe they lived, then try searching records of a nearby locality
 * Standard spelling of names typically did not exist. Try variations of your ancestor’s name while searching the index or browsing through images
 * Remember that sometimes individuals went by nicknames or alternated between using first and middle names.

Research Helps
The following articles will help you research your family in the state of Montana.
 * Montana Guided Research
 * Montana Research Tips and Strategies
 * Step-by-Step Montana Research, 1880-Present

Other FamilySearch Collections
These collections may have additional materials to help you with your research.

FamilySearch Catalog

 * Flathead County, birth records, 1881-1942
 * Flathead County, death records, 1881-2006
 * Flathead County, marriage records and index, 1838-1969
 * Flathead County, divorce records, 1905-1929
 * Flathead County, coroner's register, 1923-1979
 * Flathead County, deed records
 * Flathead County, jail registers, 1890-1973
 * Flathead County, probate records, 1893-1947
 * Flathead County, sheriff's fee book, 1946-1980
 * Flathead County, sheriff's prisoner book, 1933-1964
 * Flathead Valley Genealogical Society's obituary collection, pre 1969-1998
 * Flathead County, school census reports, 1903-1969

FamilySearch Digital Library

 * Inventory of Public Archives (Montana Historical Records Survey), Division of Community Service Programs, Works Projects Administration. Inventory of the county archives of Montana : no. 15. Flathead, no. 24. Lake, no. 27. Lincoln, no. 31. Mineral, no. 41. Ravalli, no. 45. Sanders. Bozeman, Montana : Historical Records Survey (Montana), 1940
 * Obituaries from the Daily Interlake, Kalispell, Montana, 1999 - 2004, 2011 - 2015

Citing This Collection
Citations help you keep track of places you have searched and sources you have found. Identifying your sources helps others find the records you used.