Montana, Big Horn County Records - FamilySearch Historical Records

Record Description
The collection consists of deeds, homesteads, probate, naturalization and vital records located at the county clerk/recorder's and clerk of court's offices in Hardin. This collection covers the years 1908 to 1960. It is being published as images become available.

For a list of records by document type and dates currently published in this collection, select the Browse.

Record Content
The records may contain any of the following pieces of information:


 * Individual names
 * Ages
 * Birth dates and places
 * Death dates and places
 * Marriage dates and places
 * Relationships
 * Residences

How to Use the Record
To begin your search it is helpful to know the following:


 * Name
 * Type of event
 * Approximate date of event

Search the Collection
To search the collection ⇒Select "Browse through images" on the initial collection page: ⇒Select the “Record Category” ⇒Select the “Record Type, Record Description, and Year Range” which takes you to the images.

Search the collection by image comparing the information with what you already know about your ancestors to determine which one is your ancestor. You may need to compare the information about more than one person to make this determination.

As you are searching it is helpful to know such information as your ancestor’s given name and surname, some identifying information such as residence and age, and family relationships. Remember that there may be more than one person in the records with the same name as your ancestor and that your ancestor may have used nicknames or different names at different times.

Using the Information
When you have located your ancestor’s record, carefully evaluate each piece of information given. Save a copy of the image or transcribe the information. These pieces of information may give you new biographical details such as a title, an occupation, or land ownership. Add this new information to your records of each family. You should also look for leads to other records about your ancestors. For example:


 * Use the names and places to search for church and census records.
 * If an age is listed, use it to determine an approximate birth date.
 * Use the naturalization information to help you locate immigration records such as a passenger lists which would usually be kept records at the port of entry into the United States.

Tips to Keep in Mind

 * It may helpful to extract information on all individuals with the same surname within each record type. These individuals may be family members of your ancestor. Try to arrange these individuals into family groups.
 * The witnesses named in the records may have been relatives of the primary person in the record. You should also search for them in the records.
 * Birth places can tell you former residences and can help to establish a migration pattern for the family.

Unable to Find Your Ancestor?

 * Look for variant spellings of the surnames.
 * Look for an index. There are often indexes at the beginning of each volume. Local genealogical and historical societies often have indexes to local records.
 * Search the indexes and records of nearby counties.

Related Websites
Big Horn County, Montana Clerk and Recorder

Related Wiki Articles

 * Montana
 * Montana Probate Records
 * Montana Vital Records
 * Montana Land and Property
 * Montana Naturalization and Citizenship

Citing FamilySearch Historical Collections
When you copy information from a record, you should list where you found the information. This will help you or others to find the record again. It is also good to keep track of records where you did not find information, including the names of the people you looked for in the records.

A suggested format for keeping track of records that you have searched is found in the wiki article Help:How to Cite FamilySearch Collections.

Citation for This Collection
The following citation refers to the original source of the information published in FamilySearch.org Historical Record collections. Sources include the author, custodian, publisher and archive for the original records.

Citation Example for a Record Found in This Collection
“Argentina, Buenos Aires, Catholic Church Records, 1635-1981,” images, FamilySearch (https://familysearch.org: accessed 28 February, 2012), La Plata &gt; San Ponciano &gt; Matrimonios 1884-1886 &gt; image 71 of 389 images, Artemio Avendano and Clemtina Peralta, 1884; citing Parroquia de San Ponciano en la Plata, Buenos Aires, Argentina, Matrimonios. San Ponciano, La Plata.