Step-by-Step North Dakota Research, 1893-Present

Step 1. Find out everything possible from living relatives and their family records.
Every good genealogy project starts with finding all the clues that can be gathered from living relatives — both from their memories and from documents or memorabilia in their homes.

What are the best questions to ask?
In order to extend research, ask for names, dates, and places. Everything about who a relative was and when and where they lived is a clue to a new record search. For ideas, see :
 * 50 Questions to Ask Relatives About Family History


 * Creating Oral Histories

What documents should be collected or copied?
Because these records cover names, dates, places, and relationships, they are a valuable source of clues. Look for them in your home, your parents' home, and ask living grandparents to check for them.

Step 2. Find ancestors in every possible census record, 1900-1940, online.

 * A census is a count and description of the population for a given date. A census took a "snapshot" of a family on a certain day.
 * For each person living in a household (depending on the year), their name, age, birthplace, relationship to head of household, place of birth for father and mother, citizenship status, year of immigration, mother of how many children and number of children living, native language, and whether they were a veteran of the military can be listed.
 * Searching for a family in census records every ten years can identify all the children in a family.
 * Searching in earlier census records to find someone as a child can identify parents.

Using clues to lead to census record searches.
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Step 3: Find birth, marriage, and death certificates for ancestors and their children.
States, counties, or (even towns in some states) recorded births, marriages, and deaths.
 * In addition to the child's name, birth date, and place of birth, a birth certificate may give the birthplaces of the parents, their ages, and occupations.
 * A marriage certificate might list the parents of the bride and groom.
 * A death certificate may give the person's birth date and place, parents' names and birthplaces, and spouse's name.

Using census clues to lead to a birth certificate.
Census information gives approximate birth years and probable birth places, and that information leads to finding important birth records. In addition to basic birth date and place, a birth certificate can give age, birthplace, occupation, etc. about the parents. Currently (June 2023), there are no online birth certificates.

Using census clues to lead to a marriage certificate.
Finding marriage records can: Example of marriage certificate. br>
 * establish the full identity of the wife, with her maiden name and possible birth details.
 * find the names of the parents of the bride and groom.

Using census clues to lead to a death certificate.
Moving forward in time, older generations stop showing up in the census. That is a clue that they probably died in the last 10 years. The death certificate is important because of all the possible secondary data beyond just the date and place of death: Example of a death certificate. -
 * birth date and place of the deceased
 * maiden name of the wife
 * names of the deceased's parents
 * birth places of the deceased's parents.

How to Find the Records
There are basically three ways to find these indexes or full original certificates:
 * online databases
 * writing to a county courthouse (prior to the beginning of state civil registration)
 * purchasing them through the mail

Records at the County Courthouse.
These records were originally created by county clerks, and then copies were sent to the state. County clerks can be willing to help find all the birth records for one family or perform other searches that the state would not do. To contact county clerks by e-mail or telephone, go to the Wiki article for each county. Links to the county Wiki articles are found at the end of this page or by clicking here: North Dakota Counties.

Order Certificates from North Dakota Vital Records Department.
Almost always the full original certificate will contain information not contained in the index. Although it costs money, consider sending for the full original certificates, particularly for direct line ancestors (grandparents, great-grandparents, etc).


 * Where to Write for North Dakota Birth, Marriage, Death and Divorce Records

For more information on birth, marriage, and death records in North Dakota, see How to Find North Dakota Birth Records, How to Find North Dakota Marriage Records, and How to Find North Dakota Death Records.

Step 4: Try to find additional details about ancestors in obituaries, cemetery records, and Social Security records online.
There are additional record collections available, based upon a person's death: obituaries, cemetery records, and Social Security records. These are a great source for more details about a person. Here are some examples; notice the level of details.

Obituaries

 * Fargo Forum Obituary Index
 * Online North Dakota Death Records &amp; Indexes
 * ObitsArchive North Dakota
 * — index and images

Cemeteries

 * Billion Graves
 * at FamilySearch - How to Use This Collection
 * BillionGraves Index at Findmypast ($)
 * Find-A-grave
 * at FamilySearch - How to Use This Collection
 * U.S., Find A Grave Index, 1600s-Current at Ancestry
 * North Dakota Cemeteries at Odessa Digital Library
 * at FamilySearch - How to Use this Collection. also at Ancestry ($)
 * at FamilySearch - How to Use This Collection
 * North Dakota Cemetery Records at AccessGenealogy
 * North Dakota Cemetery Records at Interment
 * North Dakota Gravestones Photo Project at North Dakota Gravestones
 * North Dakota Tombstone Transcription Project at USGenWeb
 * United States Deaths & Burials 1833-1970 in North Dakota at Findmypast ($)http://www.idreamof.com/cemetery/nd.html I Dream of Genealogy]

U.S. Social Security Death Index and Social Security Applications and Claims Index, 1936-2007

 * The U.S. Social Security program began in 1935 but most deaths recorded in the index happened after 1962.
 * The Social Security Death index includes those who had a Social Security number and/or applied for benefits.
 * You can search these records online at
 * Also at Ancestry.com, ($), index.
 * The Social Security Applications and Claims Index, 1936-2007 picks up where the Social Security Death Index (SSDI) leaves off, by providing information filed in the application or claims process.
 * The Social Security Applications and Claims Index, 1936-2007 picks up where the Social Security Death Index (SSDI) leaves off, by providing information filed in the application or claims process.


 * If you find an ancestor in the SSDI index, you can order a copy of their original Social Security application (SS-5). If you can prove the individual has died (by sending an obituary or copy of their cemetery headstone), the application will also give the deceased's parents' names, if listed.

For more information, see North Dakota Obituaries and North Dakota Cemeteries.

Step 5: Search military records: World War I draft cards.
There are many different types of military records: draft records, enlistment records, service records, pension records, etc. Information in military records can vary from a simple lists of name, age, and residence, to more detailed records including name, residence, age, occupation, marital status, birthplace, physical description, number of dependents, pensions received, disabled veterans, needy veterans, widows or orphans of veterans, and other information. - Example of a World War I draft card. - Example of a World War II draft card.





'''Search the World War I and World War II Draft Collections for male relatives.
- For more information and additional collections, see North Dakota Military Records.
 * , index and images.
 * , index and images.

Step 6: Look for church records online.
Church records function as vital records. Church records are particularly helpful prior to the advent of civil registration. Example of a baptism record as proof of birth.
 * An infant christening or baptism record documents a birth.
 * Many, if not most, people are married in a church, and then a record is created by the minister.
 * Likewise, ministers presided over funerals, then creating a burial record, which documents a death.



Germans from Russia

 * Odessa3.org - This site contains German-Russian emigrant ancestry in pocket settlements in mid-west states of North Dakota, South Dakota and Nebraska . Contains transcribed minutes of meetings, membership lists (some with parentage listed), birth, deaths, and marriages.

Reorganized Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (Community of Christ)

 * Early Members of the Reorganized Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints

Dutch Reformed

 * 1639-1989 U.S., Dutch Reformed Church Records in Selected States, 1639-1989, index and images, incomplete.($)
 * 1701-1995 U.S., Selected States Dutch Reformed Church Membership Records, 1701-1995, index and images, incomplete.($)

Quaker (Society of Friends)

 * U.S., Published Quaker Family Histories, 1845-192

Lutheran

 * 1781-1969 U.S., Evangelical Lutheran Church in America Church Records, 1781-1969, index and images, incomplete($).
 * 1800-1947 U.S., Evangelical Lutheran Church in America, Swedish American Church Records, 1800-1947, index and images, incomplete.($)

- For help with church records kept in North Dakota, see North Dakota Church Records. To search records by denomination, if you know your ancestors religion, go to Searching for Church Records by Denomination.

Step 7: Search for wills and probate packets.

 * County probate records include '''probate proceedings, petitions, affidavits, orders for sales, reports of sales, administrators' and executors' bonds, guardianship papers, wills, and letters of administration.
 * In a will book, usually just a transcription of the will is recorded. But all of these other records are kept in a probate packet.
 * Administrations are probate proceedings that handled an estate if no known will existed.

Search these indexes and images for probate records.

 * United States Wills and Deeds Experimental Search: Dakota Territory
 * North Dakota and South Dakota, Wills and Probate Records, 1800-1985($), index and images, incomplete.
 * 1800 – 1985 North Dakota and South Dakota Wills and Probate Records 1800-1985 at Ancestry.com — index and images $

Probate Information in County Wiki Articles
Each North Dakota county Research Wiki page lists additional probate sources, including where to write for records: North Dakota Counties

For more information, see North Dakota Probate Records and United States Probate Records.

Step 8: Search land records online.
These records will give the They can contain clues to
 * names of the buyer (grantee) and seller (grantor),
 * previous or new residence of the parties to the deed
 * the date they obtained the land,
 * the description of exact location of the land, sometimes mentioning neighbors.
 * family members who shared ownership of the land,
 * sold or gave land to a child, or
 * officially witnessed the sale.

Search for any ancestor's land records.

 * United States Wills and Deeds Experimental Search: North Carolina
 * 1788-1960s U.S. Land Patent Search at Bureau of Land Management, index and some records
 * 1820-1908 at FamilySearch - How to Use this Collection; images only
 * 1861-1932 at FamilySearch — How to Use this Collection - images
 * 1863-1908 U.S., Homestead Records, 1863-1908 at Ancestry - index and images ($)
 * North Dakota Plat map indexes by county, index
 * Survey Plats and Field Notes at Bureau of Land Management - index
 * Land Owner Search at Historygeo.com ($), index to maps of original land owners

For more information, see North Carolina Land and Property and United States Land and Property.

Step 9: If any ancestor was an immigrant, search immigration and naturalization records online.
The census records may show that an ancestor was born in another country. It will be necessary to try to find the town or city they were born in to continue research in the country of origin. Searches of immigration records (usually passenger lists) and naturalization (citizenship) records would be the next step.



North Dakota Immigration Records

 * North Dakota and Washington, Chinese Passenger Arrivals, 1903-1944, ($), index
 * , images
 * North Dakota Manifests of Immigrant Arrivals, 1910-1952 ($)

North Dakota Naturalization and Citizenship Online Records
NDSU Archives: North Dakota Naturalization Records Index.
 * United States Naturalization and Citizenship Online Genealogy Records
 * North Dakota, U.S., Naturalizations, 1873-1952 at Ancestry - index and images ($)

For more information, see North Dakota Emigration and Immigration and North Dakota Naturalization and Citizenship.

Step 10: For German ancestors, search Germans from Russia collections online.
In the late 1800s and early 1900s, there was a mass migration from German colonies in Russia to North and South Dakota.
 * Birth, marriage, and death records for them in Russia are collected at the Odessa3 website
 * Collections pertaining to them are also found at the Germans from Russia Heritage Collection at North Dakota State University.

Local Histories

 * Published histories of towns, counties, and states sometimes contain biographies and accounts of early or prominent families.
 * Here are several websites that feature online copies of printed county histories: North Dakota; that will bring up too many hits. Just use the name of the county and "county": for example, "Hyde County"
 * Google Books. Use keywords "North Dakota" and the county name. Hits will list online readable books, lists of libraries that carry the book, and purchasing opportunities.
 * Family History Books
 * County and Town Histories:*Internet Archive.Use keywords "North Dakota" and the county name.
 * Ancestry.com, ($). In the Card Catalog search box, use North Dakota and the name of the county.

FamilySearch Collected Local Histories

 * Local histories are extensively collected by the FamilySearch Library, public and university libraries, and state and local historical societies.
 * If you have access to the FamilySearch Library or a FamilySearch center, you can find local histories by:
 * Go to the FamilySearch Catalog.
 * In the "Place" field, type the name of your county and click "Search".
 * A list of subheadings for the county will appear. Local histories containing genealogies and biographies will be found under Biography, Genealogy, History, or History - Indexes.

Biography Collections

 * NDSU Archives - North Dakota Biography Index.
 * Compendium of history and biography of North Dakota : containing a history of North Dakota...also a compendium of biography of North Dakota. 1900, e-book
 * History of North Dakota...including the biographies of the builders of the commonwealth, part 1, part 2, e-book
 * Illustrated album of biography of the famous valley of the Red River of the North and the park regions ... of Minnesota and North Dakota. Containing biographical sketches of ... settlers and representative citizens..., e-book
 * North Dakota County and Town Histories, Digital Horizons digital library database
 * North Dakota, Biography Records at MyHeritage — index ($)

For more information, see North Dakota Biography.

Step 12: Contact a local historical or genealogical society.

 * County historical societies have collections that are frequently little known and often overlooked.
 * Many have a surname file, where they have collected genealogies, newspaper clippings, old photographs, etc.
 * Many have a sort of "pioneer ancestor" program, where people can submit pedigrees to prove they are the descendants of an early resident of the county.
 * Most keep track of queries about families that once lived in the area from other distant relatives who may actually have more family memorabilia than you.


 * If you can find the society on the internet, they may list their holdings. Or call them on the phone, find out what they have, and find out what arrangements can be made to search their collection. Frequently, you can hire one of their members to search the collection for you.
 * For more information, see North Dakota Societies.

The online directory by GenealogyInc. lists historical and genealogical societies by county: Click on the list to select a county, then scroll down to the historical or genealogical society listings.

Historical Images
Records collected and digitized by FamilySearch can all be found through their Historical Images feature.
 * North Dakota, United States Historical Images, New Version
 * North Dakota, United States Historical Images, Old Version

North Dakota Online Genealogy Records
Search any other online records listed in North Dakota Online Genealogy Records. The steps given here are intended to list record sources which can most efficiently identify descendants. Many other online records which might or might not mention descendants are listed in the North Dakota Online Genealogy Records page, including immigration records, land records, military records, newspapers, and probate records, and others. These can be records that cover a smaller group within the population, such as men who served in the military, etc.
 * North Dakota Online Genealogy Records

Step 14: Study the Research Wiki pages for any county in North Dakota.
This article focused more on North Dakota state or state-wide records. There is a separate Wiki article for each county in North Dakota. These articles give information, office addresses, and links to county records.