Freeborn County, Minnesota Genealogy

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

Description
The County was named for William Freeborn, an early Minnesota politician. The County is located in the south-central area of the state.

County Courthouse
Freeborn County Courthouse 411 S Broadway Avenue Albert Lea, MN 56007 Phone: 507-377-5299 Freeborn County Website Clerk District Court has birth and death records from 1870, marriage and court records from 1857. County Recorder has land records from 1854. Probate Office has probate records from 1866.

Populated Places
 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:

Census Records
State Census
 * 1835-1890 U.S., Compiled Census and Census Substitutes Index, 1835-1890 at ($)
 * 1849-1905 U.S., Territorial and State Censuses, 1849-1905 at ($)
 * 1865 at FamilySearch — How to Use this Collection; index and images.
 * 1875 at FamilySearch — How to Use this Collection; index and images.
 * 1885 at FamilySearch — How to Use this Collection; index and images.
 * 1905 at FamilySearch — How to Use this Collection; index and images.

Church Records
Lutheran
 * FamilySearch Places
 * The Evangelical Lutheran Church in America database at Archives.com ($) has the following church records:
 * Concordia (Bear Lake) Lutheran Church, Twin Lakes
 * Concordia Lutheran Church, Albert Lea
 * First Lutheran Church, Albert Lea
 * Freeborn Lutheran Church, Clarks Grove
 * Lime Creek Lutheran Church, Emmons


 * Minnesota Historical Society has a Collection Finding Aid for the following:
 * Lutheran Church in America: An Inventory of Selected Congregational Records of the American Lutheran Church in Minnesota

Emigration and Immigration

 * 1912-1956 at FamilySearch — How to Use this Collection; index and images.

Land and Property Records
Online Land Indexes and Records
 * Pre-1908 Minnesota, U.S., Homestead and Cash Entry Patents, Pre-1908 at Ancestry ($)

Local Histories

 * Neill, Edward D.; Bryant, Charles S.; History of Freeborn County: including Explorers and pioneers of Minnesota, ... (Minneapolic: Minnesota Historical Company, 1882) Online at FamilySearch Digital Library, Internet Archive, Ancestry ($).
 * Curtiss-Wedge, Franklyn; Kellar, Martin V.; History of Freeborn County, Minnesota (Tuscon, Arizona: W.C. Cox & Co., 1974) Online at FamilySearch Digital Library, Internet Archive.

Maps and Gazetteers

 * FamilySearch Places:Cities and Towns- How to Use FS Places
 * Minnesota Maps at David Rumsey Map Collection
 * Minnesota Department of Transportation, Freeborn County municipality and township maps

Military Records
Mulitple Wars
 * 1861-1917 at FamilySearch - How to Use this Collection; free index; images ($).
 * 1898-1899 Minnesota Volunteers in the Spanish American War and the Philippine Insurrection at Ancestry ($)

Civil War
 * 1861-1865 U.S., Civil War Soldiers, 1861-1865 at Ancestry; free index
 * 1861-1865 U.S., Civil War Records, 1861-1865 at ; free index
 * 1861-1865 Minnesota Civil War Soldiers at Ancestry; free index
 * 1861-1934 U.S., Civil War Pension Index: General Index to Pension Files, 1861-1934 at Ancestry; free index

Civil War service men from Freeborn County served in various regiments. Men often joined a company (within a regiment) that originated in their county. Listed below are companies or regiments that were formed from men of Freeborn County.
 * - 1st Regiment, Minnesota Cavalry (Mounted Rangers), Company H
 * - 2nd Regiment, Minnesota Cavalry, Company C
 * - 4th Regiment, Minnesota Infantry, Company F
 * - 5th Regiment, Minnesota Infantry, Company C
 * - 10th Regiment, Minnesota Infantry, Company E
 * - 15th Regiment, Wisconsin Infantry, Company K

Spanish-American War
 * 1898 U.S., Spanish American War Volunteers Index to Compiled Military Service Records, 1898 at Ancestry; free index
 * 1898-1899 U.S., Spanish American War Muster Rolls and Casualty Lists, 1898-1899 at ; free index

World War I
 * 1917-1918 U.S., World War I Civilian Draft Registrations, 1917-1918 at Ancestry; free collection
 * 1917-1918 U.S., World War I Draft Registration Cards, 1917-1918 at Ancestry; free index, images ($)
 * 1918-1941 at FamilySearch — How to Use this Collection; index and images.
 * 1917-1919 - C.E. Wood, comp. An Honor roll : containing a pictorial record of the gallant and courageous men from Freeborn County, Minnesota, U.S.A., who served in the Great War, 1917-1918-1919.Albert Lea, Minnesota : Albert Lea Pub. Co, 1919?

World War II
 * 1940-1947 at FamilySearch — How to Use this Collection; index and images
 * 1940-1947 U.S., World War II Draft Cards Young Men, 1940-1947 at Ancestry; free index, images ($)
 * 1942 U.S., World War II Draft Registration Cards, 1942 at Ancestry; free index, images ($)

Naturalization and Citizenship
Online Naturalization Indexes and Records
 * 1849-1985 Web: Minnesota, U.S., Naturalization Index, 1849-1985 at Ancestry (Free collection)
 * 1853-1956 Minnesota Historical Society has a Collection Finding Aid for naturalization records in the Freeborn County District Court.
 * 1872-1962 at FamilySearch — How to Use this Collection; index and images.
 * 1880-1920 U.S., Federal Naturalization Records, 1880-1920 at ($)
 * 1918 Web: Minnesota, U.S., Alien Registration Index, 1918 at Ancestry (Free collection)

Newspapers

 * Minnesota Digital Newspaper Hub at Minnesota Historical Society — narrow to county (55 listed) or city (106 listed), search for surname, limit by date.

Obituaries

 * 1865-2006 at  — How to Use this Collection; index and images.
 * 1891-2003 Web: Minnesota, U.S., Obituary Index, 1891-2003 at Ancestry (Free collection)

Probate Records
Online Probate Indexes and Records
 * 1801-1925 Minnesota, U.S., Wills and Probate Records, 1801-1925 at Ancestry ($) — index and images
 * 1849-1985 at FamilySearch — How to Use this Collection - Three Minnesota counties are not in this collection: Hennepin, Marshall, and St. Louis.

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.

Birth

 * 1840-1980 U.S., Births and Christenings Index, 1840-1980 at ($)
 * 1900-1934 Minnesota People Records Search - Births at Minnesota Historical Society - free index, images ($)
 * 1900-1934 Minnesota, Birth Index, 1900-1934 at MyHeritage; index ($)
 * 1935-2000 U.S., Birth Index, 1935-2000 at ($)

Marriage

 * 1850-2019 Minnesota, U.S., Marriages from the Minnesota Official Marriage System, 1850-2019 at (Free collection)
 * 1860-1949 at  — How to Use this Collection; index and images
 * 1885-present Minnesota Official Marriage System at MOMS.mn.gov; search by county, name or date, and request copy.
 * 1970-2003 Minnesota Marriage Records Index, 1970-2003 at Archives ($)
 * 1976-2003 Minnesota, Marriages, 1976-2003 at MyHeritage; index ($)

Death

 * 1850-2001 at FamilySearch — How to Use this Collection; index and images
 * 1887-2001 at FamilySearch — How to Use this Collection; index and images
 * 1904-2001 Minnesota People Records Search - Deaths at Minnesota Historical Society - free index, images ($)
 * 1904-2001 Minnesota, Death Index, 1904-2001 at MyHeritage; index ($)
 * 1908-2017 U.S., Death Index, 1908-2017 at ($)

Divorce

 * 1970-1995 U.S., Divorce Index, 1970-1995 at ($)
 * 1970-2003 Minnesota Divorce Records Index, 1970-2003 at Archives ($)

Family History Centers

 * Austin Minnesota Family History Center
 * Faribault Minnesota Family History Center
 * Rochester Minnesota Family History Center
 * Rochester Public Library - an affiliate library
 * Waseca County Historical Center - an affiliate library.

Libraries

 * Albert Lea Public Library 211 E Clark St Albert Lea, MN 56007 Phone: 507-377-4350 Email: [mailto:alpl.library@gmail.com alpl.library@gmail.com] Website
 * Wells Public Library 54 1st Street SW Wells, MN 56097 Phone: 507-553-3702 Email: [mailto:tflnotices@tds.lib.mn.us tflnotices@tds.lib.mn.us] Website
 * Freeborn County Historical Museum and Library 1031 Bridge Ave Albert Lea, MN 56007 Phone: 507-373-8003 Website

Museums

 * Freeborn County Historical Museum and Library 1031 Bridge Ave Albert Lea, MN 56007 Phone: 507-373-8003 Website

Societies

 * Freeborn County Genealogical Society P.O. Box 403 1033 Bridge Ave Albert Lea, MN 56007
 * Alden Community Historical Society P.O. Box 323 Alden, MN 56009 Website
 * Hollandale Area Historical Society P.O. Box 184 Hollandale, MN 56045-0184 Phone: 507-889-4491
 * Clarks Grove Area Heritage Society P.O. Box 188 Clarks Grove, MN 56016-0188 Facebook
 * Southern Minnesota Historical Center Mankato State University Mankato, MN 56001 Phone: 507-389-1029 Email: [mailto:archives@mnsu.edu archives@mnsu.edu] Website

Websites

 * Freeborn County MNGenWeb Project, a member of MNGenWeb Project, an affiliate of USGenWeb Project.
 * Minnesota Historical Society — links to Records and Indexes; See also MHS Wiki Page
 * Iron Range Research Center - The Iron Range Research Center contains one of the largest collections of genealogical and localhistory research materials in the Upper Midwest and includes census, naturalization records, passenger arrival records, mining company newsletters, and a survey of Women in Industry taken in 1919, among many others.
 * Freeborn County USGenWeb Archives, a member of MN USGenWeb Archives, an affiliate of USGenWebArchives.
 * – 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.