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 | |
![]() 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]
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 | ||
Tombstone Project | ||
MNGravestones | ||
EPodunk | ||
Billion Graves | ||
See Minnesota Cemeteries for more information. |
Census[edit | edit source]
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. For contact information, check a phone directory, such as SearchBug or Dex Knows. Some denominations are gathering their records into a central repository. For more information about these major repositories, 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 ($).[5]
Washington County
- Records of the American Lutheran Church, Washington County, in Evangelical Lutheran Church in America database at Archives.com ($).
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]
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 Place-name 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]
Minnesota tax records complement land records and can be used in place of censuses before 1820 or to supplement the years between censuses. Because only persons who owned taxable property were listed, many residents were not included in tax lists. There may also be gaps of several years in the tax records of some counties. 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, the County Clerk's office of the county where the event occurred], order electronically online ($) or download an application for Minnesota Birth Certificate and Death Certificates Applications to mail.
See also Minnesota Vital Records or How to order Minnesota Vital Records. For information about restrictions and costs for certificates, see the CDC Where to Write for Vital Records site.
Birth[edit | edit source]
Marriage[edit | edit source]
- 1860 - 1949 Minnesota, County Marriages, 1860-1949 at FamilySearch — index and images
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
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 and free access to premium genealogical websites. In addition, many centers have free how-to genealogy classes.
- For current information about a center near you, go to the Family History Center Map
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).
- ↑ "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.
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