Montana, Rosebud County Records - FamilySearch Historical Records

Collection Time Period
The records in this collection are for the years 1878 to 1945.

Record Description
This collection contains the following various records from the county clerk’s office:


 * Vital records (births, marriages, and deaths) 1882 to 1930
 * Deeds 1878 to 1945
 * Mining claims 1919 to 1940
 * Wills 1887 to 1971
 * probate records 1901 to 1941 (book #2 is missing)
 * Voter records for various years

Some of the records are handwritten on loose pages. However, most of the records are handwritten on pre-printed pages or typed. Many of the records are arranged in alphabetical order.

Record Content
The biographical information found in the probate cases is:


 * Name of the testator or deceased
 * Names of heirs, such as spouse, children, other relatives, or friends
 * Name of the executor, administrator, or guardian
 * Names of witnesses
 * Dates the documents were written and recorded (used to approximate event dates since a will was usually written near the time of death)
 * Description and value of personal property or land owned by the deceased

The biographical information found in the delayed birth records is:


 * Child’s name
 * Birth date
 * Birth place
 * Child’s gender
 * Parent’s names
 * Parents residence
 * Mother’s age
 * Father’s occupation
 * Number of children of mother

The biographical information found in the marriage records is:


 * Names of bride and groom
 * Marriage date
 * Marriage place
 * Ages or birth dates
 * Birth place of bride and groom
 * Occupations
 * Parent’s names

The biographical information found in the voter registrations is:


 * Name of voter
 * Address

How to Use the Record
Begin your search by finding your ancestors in the index. Name indexes make it possible to access a specific record quickly. Remember that these indexes may contain inaccuracies, such as altered spellings, misinterpretations, and optical character recognition errors if the information was scanned.

When searching the index it is helpful to know the following:


 * The place where the birth or death occurred.
 * The approximate date the event occurred.
 * The name of the individual or individuals such as the names of the infant, or the deceased.

Use the locator information found in the index (such as page, entry, or certificate number) to locate your ancestors in the records. Some on-line indexes, such as indexes to FamilySearch Historical Records, will take you directly to an image. Compare the information in the record to what you already know about your ancestors to determine if this is the correct person. You may need to compare the information of more than one person to make this determination.

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 that can lead you to other records about your ancestors. Add this new information to your records of each family. For example:


 * Use the marriage date and place as the basis for compiling a new family group or for verifying existing information.
 * Use the birth date or age along with the place of birth of each partner to find a couple's birth records and parents' names.
 * Use the birth date or age along with the place of birth to find the family in census records.
 * Use the residence and names of the parents to locate church and land records.
 * Occupations listed can lead you to employment records or other types of records such as military records.
 * Use the parent’s birth places to find former residences and to establish a migration pattern for the family.
 * The name of the officiator may be a clue to their religion or area of residence in the county.
 * The name of the undertaker, mortuary, or cemetery could lead you to funeral and cemetery records which often include the names and residences of other family members.
 * Compile the entries for every person who has the same surname as the bride or groom, this is especially helpful in rural areas or if the surname is unusual.
 * Continue to search the records to identify children, siblings, parents, and other relatives who may have been born, married, or died in the same county or nearby. This can help you identify other generations of your family or even the second marriage of a parent. Repeat this process for each new generation you identify.
 * When looking for a person who had a common name, look at all the entries for the name before deciding which is correct.

Keep in mind:


 * The information in the records is usually reliable, but depends upon the reliability of the informant.
 * Earlier records may not contain as much information as the records created after the late 1900.
 * There is also some variation in the information given from one record to another record.

If you are unable to find the ancestors you are looking for, try the following:


 * Check for variant spellings of the surnames.
 * Check for a different index. There are often indexes at the beginning of each volume.
 * Search the indexes and records of nearby counties.

For a summary of this information see the wiki article: United States, How to Use the Records Summary (FamilySearch Historical Records)

Record History
County officials began keeping records from the time the county was formed.

Why this Record Was Created
Each type of record within the county was created for a different purpose, but most were created to keep track of the vital events happening in the lives of the citizens and to safeguard their legal interests.

Probate records were used to legally dispose of a person’s estate after his or her death. If the deceased had made a will, the probate process transferred the following from the deceased to an executor or executrix: the legal responsibility for payment of taxes, care and custody of dependent family members, liquidation of debts, and transfer of property title to heirs. If there was no will, the transfer went to an administrator or administratrix. A guardian or conservator was appointed if the deceased had heirs younger than 21 or if the heirs were incompetent due to disability or disease.

Marriage records were created to legalize marital relationships and to safeguard the interest of the wife and other heirs.

Voter registrations were created to track those were eligible to vote and to ensure their right to vote.

Record Reliability
The death date, residence, and other facts that were current at the time of the probate proceedings are reliable, but realize that there is still a chance of misinformation. The records may omit the names of deceased family members or those who had previously received an inheritance. In some cases, the spouse mentioned in the will was not the parent of the children mentioned. Also, some wills do not name family members.

The birth and marriage records are usually reliable depending upon the reliability of the informant.

Related Websites
Montana Rosebud County Free Public Records

Rosebud County Cemetery Records

Related Wiki Articles
Montana Probate Records

Montana Land and Property

Montana Vital Records

Montana Vital Records Index

Sources of Information for This Collection
“Montana Rosebud County Records,” database, FamilySearch (http://familysearch.org/); from Rosebud County Clerk’s Office, Forsyth, Montana. FHL digital images, Family History Library Salt Lake City, Utah.

Citing FamilySearch Historical Collections
When you copy information from a record, you should also 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 citing FamilySearch Historical Collections, including how to cite individual archives is found in the following link: How to Cite FamilySearch Collections

Examples of Source Citations for a Record in This Collection
"Montana, Rosebud County Records." database and images, FamilySearch: accessed March 25, 2011. entry for Clara Elizabeth Colling, born September 9, 1905, citing County Records, Rosebud, Birth, death index, 1882-1908. vol. 1, Image 3; Rosebud County Clerk's Office, Forsyth, Montana.