Ramsey County, North Dakota Genealogy

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

Description
The county was named for Alexander Ramsey, a U.S. Senator from Minnesota. The County is located in the northeast area of the state.

County Courthouse
Ramsey County Courthouse 524 4th Ave #4 Devils Lake, ND 58301 Phone: 701.662.7066 Ramsey County Website Clerk District Court has birth, death and burial records from 1890, divorce and court records; County Judge has marriage and probate records; Clerk District Court Website Register of Deeds has land records

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:

Biographies

 * Ramsey County Biographies on North Dakota Genealogy Trails website - Alphabetical list of early settlers and prominent individuals from county histories
 * Index to Ramsey County Biographies (USGenWeb Archives)
 * North Dakota Biography Index at North Dakota State University Archives - Index only; gives references to publications containing information on North Dakotans, living and deceased
 * North Dakota, Biography Records at MyHeritage — index & images, ($)

Cemeteries

 * 1877-1999 at FamilySearch — index and images - How to Use this Collection

Census Records

 * 1850 Index of 1880 Ramsey Census when it was still part of Pembina County in the Minnesota Territories. (Ramsey County, USGenWeb Archives)
 * 1880 Mortality Schedule (Genealogy Trails)
 * 1885 Mortality Schedule (Genealogy Trails)
 * Ramsey County Census Records (USGenWeb Archives)
 * Ramsey County Census Links (USGenWeb Project)

Territory and State Census Records

 * 1836 1836 Wisconsin Territory Census – index only; North Dakota was included in the 1836 Wisconsin Territory Census
 * 1840 at FamilySearch Historical Records — index and images; North Dakota was included in the 1840 Iowa Territory Census - How to Use this Collection
 * 1850 at FamilySearch Historical Records — index and images; North Dakota was included in the 1850 Minnesota Territory Census - How to Use this Collection
 * 1860 at FamilySearch Historical Records — index and images; North Dakota was included in the 1860 Dakota Territory Census - How to Use this Collection
 * 1870 at FamilySearch Historical Records — index and images; North Dakota was included in the 1870 Dakota Territory Census - How to Use this Collection
 * 1880 at FamilySearch Historical Records — index and images; North Dakota was included in the 1880 Dakota Territory Census - How to Use this Collection
 * 1885 Dakota Territory 1885 Census Index at NDSU Archives – index only
 * 1885, 1915, 1925 North Dakota, Territorial and State Censuses, 1885, 1915, 1925 at Ancestry – ($), index and images
 * 1915 at FamilySearch Historical Records — index and images - How to Use this Collection
 * 1925 at FamilySearch Historical Records — index and images - How to Use this Collection

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

Church Records
List of Churches and Church Parishes
 * FamilySearch Places

Online Church Records Lutheran Church
 * 1875-1940 U.S., Evangelical Lutheran Church of America, Records, 1875-1940 at Ancestry — ($); Index and images; Dates vary for each county
 * Records of Bergen Lutheran Church, Starkweather, in Evangelical Lutheran Church in America database at Archives.com ($).
 * Records of First Lutheran Church, Ramsey County, in Evangelical Lutheran Church in America database at Archives.com ($).
 * Records of St. Olof's Lutheran Church, Devil's Lake, in Evangelical Lutheran Church in America database at Archives.com ($).

Emigration and Immigration

 * 1800-1953 at FamilySearch — index - How to Use this Collection

Funeral Homes

 * Gilbertson Funeral Home in Devils Lake

Land and Property Records
For more information see North Dakota Land and Property
 * Index to Ramsey County BLM Land Records (USGenWeb Archives)
 * 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

Local Histories

 * Ramsey County, 1883-1983. 1982. [North Dakota?]: Lake Region Chautauqua Corp. Online at:;.
 * Ramsey County Historical Information. Scroll down to "Historical." (USGenWeb Archives)

Maps and Gazetteers

 * FamilySearch Places: Map of cities and towns in this county - How to Use FS Places
 * Interactive Formation Boundary Map of North Dakota - shows boundary changes for North Dakota Counties
 * North Dakota Maps at NDGenWeb -historical maps

Online Collections
These collections are unique to North Dakota. You will find nationwide databases for military records on U.S. Military Online Genealogy Records and North Dakota Military Records.

Civil War World War I World War II Korean War For further information see North Dakota Military Records.
 * 1861 -1865 at FamilySearch - How to Use this Collection
 * 1883 Ramsey County Pensioners on the Rolls as of January 1, 1883 (Genealogy Trails)
 * 1890 at FamilySearch - How to Use this Collection
 * 1917-1918 North Dakota Military Men 1917-1918 at Ancestry ($)
 * 1917-1918 Roster of the men and women who served in the army or naval service (including the Marine Corps) of the United States or its allies from the state of North Dakota in the World War, 1917-1918, Vols. 1-4 at Ancestry ($)
 * World War I Casualties, Ramsey County, North Dakota (Genealogy Trails)
 * Medal of Honor Awardees, Ramsey County, North Dakota (Genealogy Trails)
 * Congressional Medal of Honor Citation, Frederick Eliphaz Smith (USGenWeb Archives)
 * World War II Army Casualties, Ramsey County, North Dakota (Genealogy Trails)
 * World War II Navy, Marine Corps and Coast Guard Casualties, Ramsey County, North Dakota (Genealogy Trails)
 * Korean War Casualties, Ramsey County, North Dakota (Genealogy Trails)

Naturalization and Citizenship
Online Naturalization Indexes and Records
 * 1868-1924 at FamilySearch — index and images - How to Use this Collection
 * 1870-1968 North Dakota, Naturalizations, 1870-1968 at MyHeritage — index & images, ($)
 * 1883-1953 - (*); District Court at FamilySearch Catalog — images
 * 1885-1955 - (*); District Court at FamilySearch Catalog — images
 * 1907-1955 - (*); District Court at FamilySearch Catalog — images
 * North Dakota Naturalization Records Index at NDSU Archives – index only, covers various dates and counties

Newspapers
North Dakota Newspaper Catalogs North Dakota Newspaper On Microfilm North Dakota Newspapers Online
 * Ramsey County Newspapers at Library of Congress
 * State Historical Society of North Dakota - contains inventory and catalog of all known ND newspapers
 * 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
 * Ramsey Newspapers on Microfilm State Historical Society of North Dakota
 * Chronicling America - contains images of some North Dakota newspapers; searching tips
 * Elephind - Free; search engine that retrieves newspaper images from other free newspaper websites
 * GenealogyBank ($)
 * Newspaper Archive ($)
 * Papers from the Past at Community History Archives

Obituaries

 * Ramsey County Obituaries and Death Notices (Genealogy Trails)
 * Index to Ramsey County Obituaries (USGenWeb Archives)

Probate Records
Online Probate Indexes and Records
 * 1800–1985 North Dakota and South Dakota Wills and Probate Records 1800-1985 at Ancestry.com — index and images ($)

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.

Marriage

 * 1872-1958 at FamilySearch — index and images - How to Use this Collection
 * Ramsey County Marriage Announcements (Genealogy Trails)

Death

 * 1892-present NDDH Public Death Index, 1892-present at North Dakota Dept. of Health – index only
 * Ramsey County Obituaries and Death Notices (Genealogy Trails)
 * Index to Ramsey County Obituaries (USGenWeb Archives)

FamilySearch Centers

 * Grand Forks North Dakota FamilySearch Center
 * Minot North Dakota FamilySearch Center


 * Lake Region Public Library - an affiliate library

Societies
Ramsey County Historical Society 502 4th Street PO Box 245 Devils Lake, ND 58301 701-662-3701
 * Website with Genelogical information

Websites

 * Ramsey County at Cyndi's List — a comprehensive, categorized & cross-referenced list of links that point you to genealogical research sites online
 * Ramsey County at Genealogy Trails — volunteer transcriptions of genealogical and historical data
 * Ramsey County at North Dakota USGenWeb - free online resources for genealogical research
 * Ramsey County at North Dakota USGenWeb Archives - free online data for genealogical research
 * Ramsey County, North Dakota at Linkpendium - genealogy and family history
 * Ramsey County, North Dakota 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.