Montana, Toole County Records - FamilySearch Historical Records

What is in This Collection?
The collection consists of probate, naturalization and marriage records from the county courthouse in Shelby, Montana, for the years 1913 to 1960. Some records include:
 * Naturalization Index, 1914-1956
 * Naturalization Card Index, 1913-1945
 * Certificates and Petitions of Naturalization, 1914-1956

What Can These Records Tell Me?
The following information may be found in these records:

County
 * Name of the primary individual
 * Age
 * Event date
 * Event place
 * Parents' names including mother's maiden name
 * Parents' age, birth place and residence
 * Occupations
 * 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
 * Address or residence

How Do I Search This Collection?
Before searching the collection, it is helpful to know:
 * The name of your ancestor
 * The age of your ancestor
 * The names of relatives
 * The type of event such as marriage or naturalization
 * The approximate date of the event.

How Do I Analyze the Results?
Compare each result from your search with what you know to determine if there is a match. This may require viewing multiple records or images. Keep track of your research in a research log.

I Found the Person I Was Looking For, What Now?

 * Search for birth, marriage and death records
 * Use the probate date as a substitute for the death date
 * Use the parents' birth places to find former residences and to establish a migration pattern for the family
 * Use the occupations to find employment or military records
 * Search for the family in census records

I Can’t Find the Person I’m Looking For, What Now?

 * Try viewing the original record to see if there were errors in the transcription of the name, age, residence, etc. Remember that there may be more than one person in the records with the same name
 * Collect entries for every person who has the same surname. This list can help you identify possible relations that can be verified by records
 * If you cannot locate your ancestor in the locality in which you believe they lived, then try searching records of a nearby locality
 * Standard spelling of names typically did not exist. Try variations of your ancestor’s name while searching the index or browsing through images
 * Remember that sometimes individuals went by nicknames or alternated between using first and middle names

Research Helps
The following articles will help you research your family in the state of Montana.
 * Montana Guided Research
 * Montana Research Tips and Strategies
 * Step-by-Step Montana Research, 1880-Present

Other FamilySearch Collections
These collections may have additional materials to help you with your research.

FamilySearch Catalog

 * Mountain View Cemetery. Shelby. registers of burials, 1944-1978
 * Toole County, District Court, index to court cases, 1910-2012
 * Toole County, marriage records, 1913-2012
 * Toole County, naturalization records, 1913-1955
 * Toole County, probate estate files, 1913-1940
 * Toole County, various probate estate records, 1910-2013
 * Toole County, wills, 1910-1940
 * Toole County, Sweet Grass, manifests of alien arrivals, 1917-1954

FamilySearch Digital Library

 * Historical Records Survey, Division of Women's and Professional Projects, Works Progress Administration. Inventory of the county archives of Montana, no. 51, Toole County (Shelby) Missoula, Montana : Historical Records Survey (Montana), 1938

Citing This Collection
Citations help you keep track of places you have searched and sources you have found. Identifying your sources helps others find the records you used.