Washington County, Minnesota Genealogy
Guide to Washington County, Minnesota ancestry, family history, and genealogy birth records, marriage records, death records, census records, family history, and military records.
| Washington County, Minnesota | |
| Map | |
 Location in the state of Minnesota, United States Genealogy | |
 Location of Minnesota in the U.S. | |
| Facts | |
| Founded | October 27, 1849 |
|---|---|
| County Seat | Stillwater |
| Courthouse | |
| Address | Washington County Courthouse 14949-62nd St N; Stillwater, MN 55082 Phone:. 651.430.6000 Washington County Website |
Contents
- 1 County Information
- 2 County Courthouse
- 3 History
- 4 Places/Localities
- 5 Resources
- 6 Societies and Libraries
- 7 Websites
- 8 References
County Information[edit | edit source]
Description[edit | edit source]
The County was named for George Washington. The County is located in the east central area of the state. [1]
Washington County, Minnesota Record Dates[edit | edit source]
| Birth* | Marriage | Death* | Court | Land | Probate | Census |
| 1870 | 1845 | 1870 | 1847 | 1856 | 1850 | 1836 |
County Courthouse[edit | edit source]
Clerk District Court has birth and death records from 1870,
marriage records from 1845, divorce and court records
from 1847 and probate records from 1850. [3]
History[edit | edit source]
Parent County[edit | edit source]
- 1849--Washington County was created 27 October 1849 from St. Croix County in Wisconsin Territory.
County seat: Stillwater [4]
- For a brief history of how Washington County was named, click here, then select Washington County.
Boundary Changes[edit | edit source]
Record Loss[edit | edit source]
There is no known history of courthouse disasters in this county.
Places/Localities[edit | edit source]
Populated Places[edit | edit source]
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:[5]
| Cities | ||
| Unincorporated communities | ||
| Townships | ||
| Ghost towns | ||
Neighboring Counties[edit | edit source]
- Anoka
- Chisago
- Dakota
- Pierce County, Wisconsin
- Polk County, Wisconsin
- Ramsey
- St. Croix County, Wisconsin
Resources[edit | edit source]
Cemeteries[edit | edit source]
| Tombstone Transcriptions Online | Tombstone Transcriptions in Print | List of Cemeteries in the county |
| Findagrave.com | Family History Library | Findagrave.com |
| USGenWeb | WorldCat | Billion Graves |
| MNGenWeb Archives | FamilySearch Places | |
| Tombstone Project | ||
| MNGravestones | ||
| Billion Graves | ||
| See Minnesota Cemeteries for more information. | ||
Census[edit | edit source]
| Historical populations | ||
|---|---|---|
| Census | Pop. | %± |
| 1850 | 1,056 | — |
| 1860 | 6,123 | 479.8% |
| 1870 | 11,809 | 92.9% |
| 1880 | 19,563 | 65.7% |
| 1890 | 25,992 | 32.9% |
| 1900 | 27,808 | 7.0% |
| 1910 | 26,013 | −6.5% |
| 1920 | 23,761 | −8.7% |
| 1930 | 24,753 | 4.2% |
| 1940 | 26,430 | 6.8% |
| 1950 | 34,544 | 30.7% |
| 1960 | 52,432 | 51.8% |
| 1970 | 83,003 | 58.3% |
| 1980 | 113,571 | 36.8% |
| 1990 | 145,896 | 28.5% |
| 2000 | 201,130 | 37.9% |
| 2010 | 238,136 | 18.4% |
| Source: "Wikipedia.org". | ||
State Census
- 1865 - Minnesota State Census, 1865 at FamilySearch — index and images
- 1885 - Minnesota State Census, 1885 at FamilySearch — index and images
- 1905 - Minnesota State Census, 1905 at FamilySearch — index and images
Church[edit | edit source]
Most church records are held by individual churches. Some denominations are gathering their records into a central repository. For more information, see Minnesota Church Records.
Lutheran[edit | edit source]
St. Paul's Lutheran Church, Lake Elmo
- Records of the St. Paul's Lutheran Church, Lake Elmo, in Evangelical Lutheran Church in America database at Archives.com ($).[6]
Washington County
- Records of the American Lutheran Church, Washington County, in Evangelical Lutheran Church in America database at Archives.com ($).
List of Churches and Church Parishes
Court[edit | edit source]
Emigration and Immigration[edit | edit source]
- 1912 - 1956 - Minnesota Passenger and Crew Lists, 1912-1956 at FamilySearch — index and images
Land[edit | edit source]
The county register of deeds keeps land records once the land was transferred to private ownership. Abstracts and indexes for these records are generally available at the county courthouse.
Land records for Minnesota are listed in the Place Search of the FamilySearch Catalog under:
MINNESOTA, Washington – LAND AND PROPERTY
Local Histories[edit | edit source]
Local histories are available for Washington County, Minnesota Genealogy. County histories may include biographies, church, school and government history, and military information. For more information about local histories, see the wiki page section Minnesota Local Histories.
Maps[edit | edit source]
- FamilySearch Places:Cities and Towns- How to Use FS Places
for more resources
- Family Maps of Washington County, Minnesota Genealogy (land patent maps) at HistoryGeo.com ($). Free surname search.
Military[edit | edit source]
Civil War[edit | edit source]
Civil War service men from Washington 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 Washington County.
- - 1st Regiment, Minnesota Infantry, Company B.
- - 2nd Regiment, Minnesota Cavalry, Company K.
- - 2nd Regiment, Minnesota Infantry, Company F.
- - 3rd Regiment, Minnesota Infantry, Companies B and F.
- - 5th Regiment, Minnesota Infantry, Company K.
- - 6th Regiment, Minnesota Infantry, Company I.
- - 7th Regiment, Minnesota Infantry, Company C.
- - 8th Regiment, Minnesota Infantry, Company C.
World War II[edit | edit source]
- 1940-1945 - Minnesota, World War II Draft Registration Cards,1940-1947 at FamilySearch — index and images
Naturalization and Citizenship[edit | edit source]
- 1872-1962 - Minnesota Naturalization Records and Indexes, 1872-1962 at FamilySearch — index
Newspapers[edit | edit source]
Additional newspapers abstracts can sometimes be found using search phrases such as Washington County, Minnesota Genealogy newspapers in online catalogs like:
- WorldCat
- FamilySearch. Do a Washington County, Minnesota Genealogy Place-name search for these and other records in the FamilySearch Catalog (For instructions see, FamilySearch Catalog Places Search).
Obituaries[edit | edit source]
- 1865 - 2006 - Minnesota Obituaries 1865-2006 at FamilySearch— index and images
Probate[edit | edit source]
Probate records may include, wills, bonds, petitions, accounts, inventories, administrations, orders, decrees, and distributions. They may include the decedent’s date of death, names of his or her spouse, children, parents, siblings, in-laws, etc. See Minnesota Probate Records for additional information. Online Probate Records
- 1801 - 1999 Minnesota Wills and Probate Records 1801-1999 at Ancestry.com — index and images $
Taxation[edit | edit source]
Since Minnesota tax records include only persons who owned taxable property, many residents were not included. Still they complement land records and can be used in place of missing censuses or the years between censuses. There may also be gaps. For more information, see the wiki page Minnesota Taxation.
Vital Records[edit | edit source]
Vital Records consist of births, adoptions, marriages, divorces, and deaths recorded on registers, certificates, and documents.
A copy or an extract of most original records can be purchased from the Minnesota State Registrar of Vital Records, or the County Clerk's office of the county where the event occurred. See also Minnesota Vital Records.
Birth[edit | edit source]
- 1900-1934 Minnesota, Birth Index, 1900-1934 at MyHeritage($) — index
Marriage[edit | edit source]
- 1850-2019 WEB: Minnesota, Marriages from the Minnesota Official Marriage System, 1850-2019 at Ancestry($) — index
- 1860 - 1949 Minnesota, County Marriages, 1860-1949 at FamilySearch — index and images
- 1976-2003 Minnesota, Marriages, 1976-2003 at MyHeritage($) — index
Death[edit | edit source]
- 1850-2001 - Minnesota, County Deaths, 1850-2001 at FamilySearch — index and images
- 1887-2001 - Minnesota Deaths, 1887-2001 at FamilySearch — index and images
- 1904-2001 Minnesota, Death Index, 1904-2001 at MyHeritage($) — index
Societies and Libraries[edit | edit source]
Afton Historical Society
3165 St. Croix Trail South
PO Box 178
Afton, MN 55001
Telephone: 651-436-3500
Website
Washington County Historical Society
PO Box 167
602 North Main St
Stillwater MN 55082-0167
Telephone: 651-439-5956
Website
South Washington Heritage Society
1221 Summit Ave.
St. Paul Park, MN 55071-1445
Website
Family History Centers[edit | edit source]
Family History Centers provide one-on-one assistance, free access to center-only databases, and to premium genealogical websites.
FamilySearch Affiliate Libraries have access to most center-only databases, but may not always have full services normally provided by a family history center.
Local Centers and Libraries
Websites[edit | edit source]
- Washington County Name Index compiled by the Washington County Historical Society (150,000+ records)
- Washington County, MN Genealogy Forum (GenForum)
- FamilySearch Catalog
References[edit | edit source]
- ↑ Wikipedia contributors, "Washington County, Minnesota" in https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Washington_County,_Minnesota accessed 15 Nov 2018
- ↑ Handybook for Genealogists: United States of America, 10th ed. (Draper, Utah: Everton Pub., 2002), Washington County, Minnesota. Page 362-370 At various libraries (WorldCat); FHL Book 973 D27e 2002; Alice Eichholz, ed. Ancestry’s Red Book: American State, County, and Town Sources, Third ed. (Provo, Utah: Ancestry, 2004), 362-365.
- ↑ Handybook for Genealogists: United States of America, 10th ed. (Draper, Utah: Everton Pub., 2002), Washington County, Minnesota page 369, At various libraries (WorldCat); FHL Book 973 D27e 2002.
- ↑ The Handybook for Genealogists: United States of America,10th ed. (Draper, UT:Everton Publishers, 2002).
- ↑ Wikipedia contributors, "Washington County, Minnesota," in Wikipedia: the Free Encyclopedia, https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Washington_County,_Minnesota, accessed 3 March 2020.
- ↑ "Evangelical Lutheran Church in America: An Inventory of Selected Congregational Records of the American Lutheran Church in Minnesota at the Minnesota Historical Society," Collection Finding Aids, Minnesota Historical Society, http://www.mnhs.org/library/findaids/01009.xml, accessed 10 June 2013.
