Lincoln County, South Dakota Genealogy

United States South Dakota Lincoln County

Guide to Lincoln 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
Lincoln County Courthouse 100 E 5th Street Carton, SD 57013-1732 Phone: 605.987.5661 Register of Deeds has birth and death records from 1905, land and burial records; County Treasurer has marriage records from 1890; Clerk Court has probate records from 1890, court and divorce records from 1872

Lincoln 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--Lincoln County was created 5 April 1862 from unorganized territory.
 * County seat: Carton
 * 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 ($).

'''Grand Valley Lutheran Church, Canton


 * Records of Grand Valley Lutheran Church, Canton, in Evangelical Lutheran Church in America database at Archives.com ($).

'''Lennox


 * Records of the American Lutheran Church, Lennox, 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

Local Histories

 * The History of Lincoln County, South Dakota. 1985. By Lincoln County History Committee (South Dakota). Canton, South Dakota : Lincoln County History Committee. Online at: ;.

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

 * 1861-1941 - at FamilySearch — index and images

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 $

Websites

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