Stearns County, Minnesota Genealogy

Guide to Stearns County, Minnesota ancestry, genealogy and family history, birth records, marriage records, death records, census records, family history, and military records.

Description
The County was named for Charles Thomas Stearns who was a member of the Territorial Council. The County is located in the central area of the state.

County Courthouse
Stearns County Courthouse 705 Courthouse Sq St. Cloud, MN 56303 Phone: 320-656-3620 Stearns County Website Court Administrator has divorce, probate and court records. County Recorder has land records. License Center has birth, marriage and death records.

Populated Places
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:

Census Records
State Census
 * 1835-1890 U.S., Compiled Census and Census Substitutes Index, 1835-1890 at ($)
 * 1849-1905 U.S., Territorial and State Censuses, 1849-1905 at ($)
 * 1865 at FamilySearch — How to Use this Collection; index and images.
 * 1875 at FamilySearch — How to Use this Collection; index and images.
 * 1885 at FamilySearch — How to Use this Collection; index and images.
 * 1905 at FamilySearch — How to Use this Collection; index and images.

Church Records

 * FamilySearch Places

Emigration and Immigration

 * 1912-1956 at FamilySearch — How to Use this Collection; index and images.

Funeral Homes

 * Benson Funeral Home - St. Cloud
 * Daniel Funeral Homes - Clearwater, St. Cloud, St. Joseph, Sartell, Paynesville
 * Miller-Carlin Funeral Homes - Albany, Holdingford, St. Cloud
 * Patton-Schad Funeral & Cremation Service - Freeport, Grey Eagle, Melrose, Sauk Center
 * Peterson-Johnson Funeral Home - Milaca
 * Whispering Pines Funeral & Cremation Service - Walker
 * Williams Dingmann Family Funeral Homes - Avon, Becker, Big Lake, Clear Lake, Eden Valley, Long Prairie, Princeton, St. Cloud, Sauk Rapids

Land and Property Records
Online Land Indexes and Records
 * Pre-1908 Minnesota, U.S., Homestead and Cash Entry Patents, Pre-1908 at Ancestry ($)

Online Books
 * Stearns County, Minnesota, 1896 plat book index online at: FamilySearch Digital Library

Local Histories

 * William Bell Mitchell, History of Stearns County, Minnesota. Chicago H.C. Cooper, Jr., 1915. Online at: FamilySearch Digital Library Vol 1; FamilySearch Digital Library Vol 2, Vols. 1 and 2 at HathiTrust, Volume 1 at Google Books, Volume 2 at Google Books.
 * Charles S Bryant, History of the Upper Mississippi Valley. Minneapolis: Minnesota Historical Co., 1881. Online at: FamilySearch Digital Library, Google Books, HathiTrust, Internet Archive.
 * Historical Records Survey, United States. Work Projects Administration. Inventory of the county archives of Minnesota, no. 73, Stearns County, 1940 Online at: FamilySearch Digital Library

Maps and Gazetteers

 * Minnesota Maps at David Rumsey Map Collection
 * FamilySearch Places:Cities and Towns- How to Use FS Places
 * Minnesota Department of Transportation, Stearns County municipality and township maps

Military Records
Multiple Wars
 * 1861-1917 at FamilySearch — How to Use this Collection; Free index, images ($)
 * 1898-1899 Minnesota Volunteers in the Spanish American War and the Philippine Insurrection at Ancestry ($)

Civil War Civil War service men from Stearns 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 Stearns County.
 * 1861-1865 U.S., Civil War Soldiers, 1861-1865 at Ancestry; Free index
 * 1861-1865 U.S., Civil War Records, 1861-1865 at ; Free index
 * 1861-1865 Minnesota Civil War Soldiers at Ancestry; Free index
 * 1861-1934 U.S., Civil War Pension Index: General Index to Pension Files, 1861-1934 at Ancestry; Free index
 * - 1st Regiment, Minnesota Cavalry (Mounted Rangers), Company D.
 * - 1st Regiment, Minnesota Infantry, Companies D and E.
 * - 3rd Regiment, Minnesota Infantry, Company I.
 * - 4th Regiment, Minnesota Infantry, Companies D and G.
 * - 7th Regiment, Minnesota Infantry, Company I.
 * - 9th Regiment, Minnesota Infantry, Company G
 * - Hatch's Independent Battalion, Minnesota Cavalry, Company E.

Spanish-American War
 * 1898 U.S., Spanish American War Volunteers Index to Compiled Military Service Records, 1898  at ; Free index
 * 1898-1899 U.S., Spanish American War Muster Rolls and Casualty Lists, 1898-1899 at ; Free index

World War I
 * 1917-1918 U.S., World War I Civilian Draft Registrations, 1917-1918 at Ancestry (Free collection)
 * 1917-1918 U.S., World War I Draft Registration Cards, 1917-1918 at Ancestry; Free index, images ($)
 * 1918-1941 at FamilySearch — How to Use this Collection

World War II
 * 1940-1947 at FamilySearch — How to Use this Collection; index and images
 * 1940-1947 U.S., World War II Draft Cards Young Men, 1940-1947 at Ancestry; Free index, images ($)
 * 1942 U.S., World War II Draft Registration Cards, 1942 at Ancestry; Free index

Naturalization and Citizenship
Online Naturalization Indexes and Records
 * 1849-1985 Minnesota, U.S., Naturalization Index, 1849-1985 at (Free collection)
 * 1872-1962 at FamilySearch — How to Use this Collection; index and images
 * 1880-1920 U.S., Federal Naturalization Records, 1880-1920 at ($)
 * 1918 Web: Minnesota, U.S., Alien Registration Index, 1918 at Ancestry (Free collection)

Newspapers
All newspapers are available on microfilm at Stearns History Museum
 * Minnesota Digital Newspaper Hub at Minnesota Historical Society; narrow to county or city, search for surname, limit by date.
 * St. Cloud Times, 1861-2011 (weekly and daily)
 * Der Nordstern, 17 Feb 1876 - 27 Aug 1931 (1886 is missing)

Obituaries

 * 1865-2006 at  — How to Use this Collection; index and images
 * 1891-2003 Minnesota, U.S., Obituary Index, 1891-2003 at (Free collection)

Probate Records
Online Probate Indexes and Records
 * 1801-1925 U.S., Wills and Probate Records, 1801-1925 at ; index and images ($)
 * 1849-1985 at FamilySearch — How to Use this Collection; Three Minnesota counties are not in this collection: Hennepin, Marshall, and St. Louis.

Social Security Records

 * 1935-2014 at FamilySearch — How to Use this Collection; index. Also at Ancestry, findmypast, Fold3, GenealogyBank, MyHeritage, and Steve Morse. Click here for more information.
 * 1936-2007 U.S., Social Security Applications and Claims Index, 1936-2007 at Ancestry ($); index, click here for more information.

Birth

 * 1840-1980 U.S., Births and Christenings Index, 1840-1980 at ($)
 * 1900-1934 Minnesota People Records Search - Births at Minnesota Historical Society - free index, images ($)
 * 1900-1934 Minnesota, Birth Index, 1900-1934 at MyHeritage; index ($)
 * 1935-2000 U.S., Birth Index, 1935-2000 at ($)

Marriage

 * 1850-2019 Minnesota, U.S., Marriages from the Minnesota Official Marriage System, 1850-2019 at (Free collection)
 * 1860-1949 at  — How to Use this Collection; index and images
 * 1885-present Minnesota Official Marriage System at MOMS.mn.gov; search by county, name or date, and request copy.
 * 1970-2003 Minnesota Marriage Records Index, 1970-2003 at Archives ($)
 * 1976-2003 Minnesota, Marriages, 1976-2003 at MyHeritage; index ($)

Death

 * 1850-2001 at FamilySearch — How to Use this Collection; index and images
 * 1887-2001 at FamilySearch — How to Use this Collection; index and images
 * 1904-2001 Minnesota People Records Search - Deaths at Minnesota Historical Society - free index, images ($)
 * 1904-2001 Minnesota, Death Index, 1904-2001 at MyHeritage; index ($)
 * 1908-2017 U.S., Death Index, 1908-2017 at ($)

Divorce

 * 1970-1995 U.S., Divorce Index, 1970-1995 at ($)
 * 1970-2003 Minnesota Divorce Records Index, 1970-2003 at Archives ($)

Family History Centers

 * Alexandria Minnesota Family History Center
 * Princeton Minnesota Family History Center
 * St Cloud Minnesota Family History Center
 * Great River Regional Library - multiple locations - an affiliate library.
 * Sherburne History Center - an affiliate library.

Libraries
Great River Regional Library St Cloud Branch 1300 W St Germain St St. Cloud, MN 56301 Phone: 320-650-2500 833-438-4775 Website St. Cloud State University 720 4th Avenue South St. Cloud, MN 56301-4498 Phone: 320-308-3083 Email: [mailto:library@stcloudstate.edu library@stcloudstate.edu] Website

Museums
Stearns History Museum 235 33rd Avenue South St. Cloud, MN 56301-3752 Phone: 320-253-8424 Email: [mailto:info@stearns-museum.org info@stearns-museum.org] Website Hill Museum & Manuscript Library Saint John’s University 2835 Abbey Plaza P.O. Box 7300 Collegeville, MN 56321-7300 Phone: 320-363-3514 Email: [mailto:hmml@hmml.org hmml@hmml.org] Website St. Joseph Area Historical Society Museum Box 434 25 1st Street NW St. Joseph, MN 56374 Email: [mailto:stjosephhistoricalsociety@gmail.com stjosephhistoricalsociety@gmail.com] Website

Societies

 * Albany Heritage Society Box 25 400 Railroad Ave Albany, MN 56307 Phone: 320-845-2952 Email: [mailto:arnieginny1955@gmail.com arnieginny1955@gmail.com] Website
 * Stearns County Historical Society 235 33rd Avenue S Saint Cloud, MN 56301-3752 Phone: 320-253-8424 Email: [mailto:info@stearns-museum.org info@stearns-museum.org] Website
 * Kimball Area Historical Society P.O. Box 55 5 Main St Kimball, MN 55353-0100 Phone: 320-398-5250 Email: [mailto:kimballhistory@meltel.net kimballhistory@meltel.net] Facebook
 * Melrose Area Historical Society 518 E Second St S Melrose, MN 56352-1414 Phone: 320-256-4996 Email: [mailto:rpaschke@meltel.net rpaschke@meltel.net] Website
 * Sauk Centre Area Historical Society 430 Main St S Sauk Centre, MN 56378-1509 Phone: 320-351-8777 Email: [mailto:scahs@mainstreetcom.com scahs@mainstreetcom.com] Facebook
 * Cold Spring Area Historical Society 527 Main St Cold Spring, MN 56320 Phone: 320-248-5044 Email: [mailto:bmurphy@coldspring.govoffice.com bmurphy@coldspring.govoffice.com] Website
 * Paynesville Historical Society P.O. Box 35 251 Ampe Dr Paynesville, MN 56362 Phone: 320-243-7547 Email: [mailto:paynesvillehistoricalsociety@hotmail.com paynesvillehistoricalsociety@hotmail.com] Website
 * St. Joseph Area Historical Society Box 434 St Joseph, MN 56374 Email: [mailto:stjosephhistoricalsociety@gmail.com stjosephhistoricalsociety@gmail.com] Website
 * Sartell Historical Society P.O. Box 1907 Sartell, MN 56377 Phone: 320-253-4036, ext. 1 Email: [mailto:historicalsartell@gmail.com historicalsartell@gmail.com] Website

Websites

 * Research at Minnesota Historical Society — links to Records and Indexes; See also MHS Wiki Page
 * Stearns County,a member of MN USGenWeb Archives, an affiliate of USGenWeb Archives
 * Iron Range Research Center The Iron Range Research Center contains one of the largest collections of genealogical and local history research materials in the Upper Midwest and includes census, naturalization records, passenger arrival records, mining company newsletters, and a survey of Women in Industry taken in 1919, among many others.
 * Stearns County, a member of MNGenWeb Project, an affiliate of USGenWeb Project.
 * – The FamilySearch catalog contains descriptions and access information for all genealogical materials (including books, online materials, microfilm, microfiche, and publications) in their collection.  Use Historical Records to search for specific individuals in genealogical records.