Beadle County, South Dakota Genealogy

Guide to Beadle County, South Dakota ancestry, genealogy and family history, birth records, marriage records, death records, census records, family history, and military records.

Description
Beadle County, named in honor of Brig. General William Henry Harrison Beadle is located in the central eastern area of the state. It was created by the South Dakota legislature on 1879, and organized in 1880. Cavour, is the county seat.

County Courthouse
Beadle County Courthouse 450 3rd St SW P.O. Box 55 Huron, SD 57350 Phone: 605.353.7165 Clerk of the Court has divorce records from 1884, probate and court records from 1893; Register of Deeds has birth, marriage (some as early as 1880), death, land and burial records County Auditor has tax and school records County Treasurer has real estate taxes records Director of Equalization has property tax assessment records

Record Loss
School Censuses. Early school censuses listing individual pupils before 1895 either missing or destroyed. School census returns are located in the Beadle County Courthouse, Auditor’s office, Huron, South Dakota. If you plan to visit their office, you must call ahead—certain days are better than others. School censuses are not indexed.

Populated Places
The following are locations in the county

Territory and State Census Records

 * 1836 - 1836 Wisconsin Territory Census – index only; South Dakota was included in the 1836 Wisconsin Territory Census
 * 1840 - at FamilySearch Historical Records — index and images; South Dakota was included in the 1840 Iowa Territory Census
 * 1850 - at FamilySearch Historical Records — index and images; South Dakota was included in the 1850 Minnesota Territory Census
 * 1860 - at FamilySearch Historical Records — index and images; South Dakota was included in the 1860 Dakota Territory Census
 * 1870 - at FamilySearch Historical Records — index and images; South Dakota was included in the 1870 Dakota Territory Census
 * 1880 - at FamilySearch Historical Records — index and images; South Dakota was included in the 1880 Dakota Territory Census
 * 1885 - South Dakota, Territorial Census, 1885 at Ancestry — ($); index and images
 * 1895 - South Dakota, State Census, 1895 at Ancestry — ($); index and images
 * 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

Federal Census Records
Federal Censuses were taken for the state of South Dakota starting in 1890, although only one page survived. The 1900 Census is the next Federal Census available. For links to Federal census indexes, see South Dakota Census.

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

 * Early Beadle County settlers, Grant Township, 1879-1900. 1989. By Mildred McEwen Jones. Salt Lake City, Utah : Filmed by the Genealogical Society of Utah. Online at:;.
 * Early Beadle County, 1879 to 1900. 1961. By Mildred McEwen Jones. S.l. : s.n. Online at:;.
 * A People's history of Beadle County, SD. 1986. Dallas, Texas : Taylor Publishing Co. Online at:;.

Maps and Gazetteers

 * 1895 U.S. Atlas--Beadle County [railroads and towns only]

Historic Map Works Residential Genealogy has the following maps:


 * 1906 Beadle County atlas
 * 1913 Beadle County atlas
 * 1949 Beadle County atlas
 * 1965 Beadle County atlas

and others more current.
 * 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

Online Collections
These collections are unique to South Dakota. You will find nationwide databases for military records on U.S. Military Online Genealogy Records and South Dakota Military Records. Confederates. Civil War World War I World War II For further information see South Dakota Military Records.
 * 1861 - 1941 South Dakota, Grand Army of the Republic Membership Records, 1861-1941 at FamilySearch
 * 1861 -1865 at FamilySearch.
 * 1885 Civil War Veteran's 1885 Census in South Dakota - Index only, Union and Confederate included
 * 1885 South Dakota State Historical Society 1885 Civil War Union Veterans Census
 * 1890 at FamilySearch.
 * South Dakota WWI Honor Roll by SDGenWeb - Alphabetical index; List by County
 * WWII Army and Army Air Force Casualties for South Dakota - Index only

Naturalization and Citizenship

 * 1904 - 1928 South Dakota, Federal Naturalization Records, 1904-1928 at Ancestry — index and images ($)
 * 1865 - 1972 at FamilySearch — images
 * South Dakota Naturalization Records Index:First Papers — index
 * South Dakota Naturalization Records Index:Second Papers — index
 * Name Index to Naturalization Records from Dakota Territory and South Dakota at National Archives, Kansas City — index

Newspapers
 South Dakota Newspapers Online South Dakota Newspaper Catalogs South Dakota State Historical Society--"Newspapers Search Form"
 * 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 $

School Records

 * 1879 - 1970 at FamilySearch — index and images
 * 1879 - 1970 South Dakota, School Records,1879-1970 at Ancestry — images

Vital Records
See also:South Dakota Vital Records.

Birth

 * 1843 - 1914 at FamilySearch — index
 * 1856 - 1950 South Dakota, Birth Index, 1856-1915 at Ancestry — index ($)
 * Birth Record Search Site For South Dakota Birth Records With Birth Dates Over 100 Years index
 * 1880-1911 South Dakota Birth Record Search Site, South Dakota Department of Health.

Marriage

 * 1950 - 2014 — index
 * 1905 - 2013 South Dakota, Marriages, 1905-2013 at Ancestry — index and images ($)

Death

 * 1879 - 1955 South Dakota, Death Index, 1879-1955 at Ancestry — index($)

Family History Centers

 * Huron South Dakota Family History Center

Museums
Dakotaland Museum 1616 1st St. SW Huron, SD 57350 Phone:605-352-2633 Website

Pyle House Museum 1616 1st St. SW Huron, SD 57350 Phone:605-352-2633

Societies
Beadle County Genealogical Society 1808 Indiana Ave SE Huron, SD 57350 Website

Websites

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