Swift County, Minnesota Genealogy

Guide to Swift County, Minnesota ancestry, family history, and genealogy birth records, marriage records, death records, census records, family history, and military records.

Minnesota Online Genealogy Records

Description
The County was named for Henry Adoniram Swift, the governor of Minnesota in 1863. The County is located in the west central area of the state.

County Courthouse
County Treasurer has birth records from 1870, marriage records from 1871 and death records from 1872. Clerk Courts has divorce, court and probate records. County Recorder has land records.

Parent County

 * 1870--Swift County was created 8 November 1870 from from Chippewa County. County seat: Benson
 * For a brief history of how Swift County was named, click here, then select Swift County.

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:

Neighboring Counties

 * Big Stone
 * Chippewa
 * Kandiyohi
 * Lac Qui Parle
 * Pope
 * Stevens

Census
State Census
 * 1865 - at FamilySearch — index and images
 * 1885 - at FamilySearch — index and images
 * 1905 - at FamilySearch — index and images

Church
St. John's Lutheran Church

List of Churches and Church Parishes
 * Records of the St. John's Lutheran Church, Holloway, in Evangelical Lutheran Church in America database at Archives.com ($).
 * FamilySearch Places

Emigration and Immigration

 * 1912 - 1956 - at FamilySearch — index and images

Maps

 * FamilySearch Places:Cities and Towns- How to Use FS Places
 * Family Maps of (land patent maps) at HistoryGeo.com ($). Free surname search.

World War II

 * 1940-1945 - at FamilySearch — index and images

Naturalization and Citizenship

 * 1872-1962 - at FamilySearch — index

Obituaries

 * 1865 - 2006 - at FamilySearch— index and images

Probate
Online Probate Records
 * 1801 - 1999 Minnesota Wills and Probate Records 1801-1999 at Ancestry.com — index and images $

Birth

 * 1900-1934 Minnesota, Birth Index, 1900-1934 at MyHeritage($) — index

Marriage

 * 1850-2019 WEB: Minnesota, Marriages from the Minnesota Official Marriage System, 1850-2019 at Ancestry($) — index
 * 1860 - 1949 at FamilySearch — index and images
 * 1976-2003 Minnesota, Marriages, 1976-2003 at MyHeritage($) — index

Death

 * 1850-2001 - at FamilySearch — index and images
 * 1887-2001 - at FamilySearch — index and images
 * 1904-2001 Minnesota, Death Index, 1904-2001 at MyHeritage($) — index

Societies and Libraries
Swift County Historical Society Rt. 2 Box 4d2 Benson 56215

Swift County Historical Society 2135 Minnesota Avenue Benson, MN 56215 Telephone: 320-843-4467 Website

Family History Centers

 * Introduction to Family History Centers

Websites

 * Swift County, MN Genealogy Forum (GenForum)


 * Swift County, MNGenWeb