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State of North Dakota
North Dakota Vital Records • North Dakota Court Records • North Dakota Church Records
North Dakota Cemetery Records • North Dakota Land Records • North Dakota Military Records
North Dakota Archives & Societies • North Dakota Publications
Tips for Looking for North Dakota Genealogy Data
Known for having some of the coldest weather conditions in the country, the state of North Dakota is also of substantial interest to historians and genealogists as well. There is a huge amount of Native American history to be found here, but also a large amount of settlement that creates the demand for North Dakota genealogy materials.
Reliable Methods for North Dakota Genealogy Work
Today's genealogists have many resources available when conducting a North Dakota genealogy research project, and many of these resources are available right through a computer. It is now possible to seek through online resources in order to begin gathering data or even ordering copies of the materials needed for a North Dakota genealogy project.
This does not mean that all resources will be available in an electronic format, however, and many North Dakota groups and organizations are still in the process of digitizing their collections. This means that anyone doing research for North Dakota genealogy will have to begin identifying their "offline" resources too. These are valuable to those looking for North Dakota genealogy, because they may have very unique data available, and it is extremely valuable to genealogists to discover which are the online resources for North Dakota, and which are not.
A Modern Approach for North Dakota Genealogy
Public records tend to be the most useful resources for North Dakota genealogy work, and they are normally divided into the following categories:
- Local Records – a county clerk's office or website is a "must" from which you can then head to the local genealogical societies, small local libraries, historical societies, and school or college libraries for North Dakota genealogy data. This is data that is usually offline and viewable by appointment or special arrangement.
- State Records – offering everything from probate information to surname lists, state census information, private manuscripts, newspapers, military or veterans information, marriage details, maps, land records, genealogical folders, estate information, deeds, death records, cemetery information, birth certificates and more, these are available as online and offline resources for North Dakota genealogy.
- Vital Records – these records will always include birth, marriage, divorce, and death records from county, state, and national archives. Here you will find census records, newspaper items, cemetery or obituary information, military records, immigration and naturalization details, passenger lists and records as well. These are available as online and offline resources for North Dakota genealogy.
Essential Tools for North Dakota Genealogy
Modern research has introduced all new tools for North Dakota genealogy projects, and these tend to be the tools that reveal the most information with the least amount of effort. We have supplied information about the best of these tools for North Dakota genealogy below:
- ND Department of Health, Division of Vital Records, 600 East Boulevard Avenue, Dept. 301, Bismarck, ND 58505-0200; Website: http://www.cdc.gov/nchs/w2w/north_dakota.htm. This is the contact information through which you can request birth, death, marriage and divorce records via a written notice, or even online.
Additional state and local records can be found at the:
- North Dakota State Historical Society, 612 East Boulevard Ave., Bismarck, North Dakota 58505; Website: http://history.nd.gov/archives/index.html. Here you will find the official repository of the historic records of state and local government, including manuscripts, letters, diaries, photos, maps, and other unpublished materials from private individuals and organizations that document economic, social, cultural, and political life.
Finally, these three popular websites provide a tremendous amount of state-specific details to those in search of details for North Dakota genealogy projects.
- The USGenWeb Project - http://www.ndgenweb.org/;
- State census records at Genealogy Research Guides - http://www.researchguides.net/census/state.htm; and
- Genealogy Today - http://www.genealogytoday.com/genealogy/states/north_dakota.html
List of North Dakota Counties
Select a county from the table below to to view more information on genealogical information & records pertaining to each county.
