Mineral County, Montana Genealogy

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

Description
Mineral County is located in the northwestern area of the state.

County Courthouse
Mineral County Courthouse 300 River Street PO Box 550 Superior, MT 59872 Phone: 406.822.4541 Mineral County Website County Clerk and Recorder has birth, death, burial and land records from 1914; Clerk District Court has marriage, divorce and court records from 1914

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:

Mineral County's population has had it's highs and lows through the years. The 1870 census shows there were 1,646 people, but by 1880 there were only 270; in 1910 the population recovered to 2,900, but by 1930 it dropped to 1,626; in 1960 it rose to 3,037 and to 3,884 in 2000.

Territory and State Censuses

 * 1860 at FamilySearch Historical Records - How to Use this Collection; How to Use this Collection; index and images; Montana was included in the 1860 Washington and Nebraska Territory Censuses
 * 1870 at FamilySearch Historical Records - How to Use this Collection; How to Use this Collection; index and images; Montana Territory Census
 * 1880 at FamilySearch Historical Records - How to Use this Collection; How to Use this Collection; index and images; Montana Territory Census

Federal Census Records
Federal Censuses were taken for the state of Montana starting in 1890, although no records survived. The 1900 Census is the next Federal Census available. For links to Federal Census indexes, see Montana Census.

Church Records
Online Church Records Lutheran Church
 * 1875-1940 U.S., Evangelical Lutheran Church of America, Records, 1875-1940 at Ancestry — ($); Index and images; Dates vary for each county

Other Church Records List of Churches and Church Parishes
 * Clark Fork West Church: 75 Abba Lane, St. Regis
 * New Day Fellowship: 20 Big Creek Rd, Haugen
 * Seventh-Day Adventist Church: 511 Iron Mountain Heights, Superior
 * St. Regis Community Bible Church: 401 Main St, St. Regis
 * Superior Community Church: by Timberman's Park at the west end of Main St., Superior
 * The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints: 12 Moats Lane, Superior
 * Fold of the Messiah: a Christian church and community, Tarkio
 * FamilySearch Places

Land and Property Records
In 1906 the majority of land in Mineral County was proclaimed National Forest. There are 1,226 sections in Mineral County - of this 83.8% belongs to the Federal Government, 2.8% belongs to the State of Montana, 13.4% is privately owned....that leaves about 8% of the land available to the county.

Online Land Indexes and 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
 * 1863 - 1908 U.S. Homestead Records 1863-1908 at Ancestry - ($), index and images
 * Dates Vary United States Wills and Deeds Experimental Search at FamilySearch - incomplete index and images, counties and dates vary

Maps and Gazetteers

 * FamilySearch Places: Map of cities and towns in this county - How to Use FS Places
 * Interactive Formation Boundary Map of Montana - shows boundary changes for Montana Counties
 * Historical Maps and Atlases of Montana - maps and atlases of Montana

Online Collections
These collections are unique to Montana. You will find nationwide databases for military records on U.S. Military Online Genealogy Records and Montana Military Records. Civil War World War I World War II For further information see Montana Military Records.
 * 1890 at FamilySearch - How to Use this Collection; index
 * 1890 - 1918 Montana Military Enlistments at Montana Memory Project
 * 1904 - 1918 at FamilySearch - How to Use this Collection; index
 * 1917 - 1918 at FamilySearch - How to Use this Collection; Index and images
 * Soldiers of the Great War from the State of Montana at USGenWeb.
 * Military Enlistments Montana World War I at Montana Memory Project
 * WWII Army and Army Air Force Casualties for Montana - Index only

Naturalization and Citizenship
Online Naturalization Records
 * 1791-1992 U.S. Naturalization Record Indexes, 1791-1992 at Ancestry($), index only
 * 1868-1999 at FamilySearch - How to Use this Collection; index and images
 * 1870-1999 Montana, Federal Naturalization Records, 1870-1999 at Ancestry($), index only

Newspapers
 Montana Newspapers Online
 * Chronicling America - contains images of some Montana newspapers; searching tips
 * Elephind - Free; search engine that retrieves newspaper images from other free newspaper websites
 * GenealogyBank - ($), contains images of Montana newspapers
 * Montana Newspapers by the Montana Historical Society
 * Newspaper Archive - ($), contains images of Montana newspapers

Montana Newspaper Catalogs
 * 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

Obituaries

 * 1870 - 2010 at FamilySearch - How to Use this Collection;   Index and images; also at Ancestry; index and images
 * Obituary Daily Times - large obituary index from newspapers across the United States.

See also United States Obituaries for more about finding United States obituaries.

Probate Records
Online Probate Indexes and Records
 * 1831–1952 Montana Wills and Probate Records 1831-1952 at Ancestry.com — index and images $
 * 1914-1940 (*); District Court at FamilySearch Catalog — images
 * 1914-1947 (*); District Court at FamilySearch Catalog — images
 * Dates Vary United States Wills and Deeds Experimental Search at FamilySearch - incomplete index and images, counties and dates vary

Social Security Records

 * 1935-2014 at FamilySearch - How to Use this Collection; index. Also at Ancestry, findmypast, Fold3, GenealogyBank, MyHeritage, and Steve Morse. Click here for more information.
 * 1936-2007 U.S., Social Security Applications and Claims Index, 1936-2007 at Ancestry ($) — index, click here for more information.
 * 1936-2007 at FamilySearch - How to Use this Collection; index

Birth

 * 1840-2004 at FamilySearch - How to Use this Collection; index and images
 * 1840-2004 Montana, County Births and Deaths, 1840 - 2004 at Ancestry ($) — index
 * 1897-1988 Montana, U.S., Birth Records, 1897-1988 at Ancestry — index & images ($)

Marriage

 * 1800-1994 Montana, United States Marriages at Findmypast — index $
 * 1865-1950 at FamilySearch - How to Use this Collection; index and images
 * 1865-1950 Montana, County Marriages, 1865 - 1950 at Ancestry ($) — index
 * 1889-1947 at FamilySearch - How to Use this Collection; index
 * 1889-1947 Montana Select Marriages 1889 - 1947 at Ancestry ($) — index
 * 1943-1988 Montana, U.S., Marriage Records, 1943-1988 at Ancestry — index & images ($)
 * Western States Marriage Index - Index, incomplete, list of counties included

Death

 * 1840-2004 at FamilySearch  - How to Use this Collection; index and images
 * 1840-2004 Montana, County Births and Deaths, 1840 - 2004 at Ancestry ($) — index
 * 1860-2007 at FamilySearch - How to Use this Collection; index
 * 1868-2011 Montana, Death Index, 1868 - 2011 at Ancestry ($) — index
 * pre 1954-2002 Montana State Death Registry Index Pre 1954 & 1954 - 2002 at Montana State Genealogical Society — index
 * 1954-2011 Montana Death Records at Findmypast ($) — index

Divorce

 * 1943-1988 Montana, U.S., Divorce Records, 1943-1988 at Ancestry — index & images ($)

Voting Records

 * 1884-1992 at FamilySearch — How to Use this Collection; index & images

FamilySearch Centers

 * Missoula Montana FamilySearch Center
 * Plains Montana FamilySearch Center
 * St Maries Idaho FamilySearch Center
 * Superior Montana FamilySearch Center


 * Thompson Falls Public Library - an affiliate library

Libraries
Mineral County Public Library 301 2nd Ave East PO Box 430 Superior, MT 59872-0430 406-822-3563 Website Facebook

Museums
Mineral County Historical Society and Museum 301 2nd Avenue PO Box 533 Superior, Montana 59872-0533 Email: [mailto:mchs1976@blackfoot.net mchs1976@blackfoot.net] Website

Societies
Mineral County Museum and Historical Society 301 2nd Avenue PO Box 533 Superior, Montana 59872-0533 Email: [mailto:mchs1976@blackfoot.net mchs1976@blackfoot.net] Website

Websites

 * Mineral County at Cyndi's List — a comprehensive, categorized & cross-referenced list of links that point you to genealogical research sites online
 * Mineral County at Genealogy Trails — volunteer transcriptions of genealogical and historical data
 * Mineral County at Montana USGenWeb - free online resources for genealogical research
 * Mineral County at Montana USGenWeb Archives - free online data for genealogical research
 * Mineral County, Montana at Linkpendium - genealogy and family history
 * Mineral County, Montana Genealogy at LDSGenealogy.com - collection of links by state, county, city, and record type
 * The FamilySearch catalog contains descriptions and access information for all genealogical materials (including books, online materials, microfilm, microfiche, and publications) in their collection. Use Historical Records to search for specific individuals in genealogical records.