Montana, Granite County Records - FamilySearch Historical Records

What is in This Collection?
This collection contains images and an index of probate, land and property, naturalization, divorce and vital records from the County Clerk's Office in Philipsburg, Montana. Granite County was founded in 1893 from sections of Deer Lodge and Missoula Counties. Early records are housed in Butte, Silver Bow County (1865-1867) or in Anaconda, Deer Lodge County(1868-1896). Today the Granite County seat is in Philipsburg. This collection is being published as images become available.

The probate courts (1864-1889) had jurisdiction over adoptions, marriages, probates, civil suits and criminal matters. After 1889 jurisdiction was transferred to the district courts. These records can be located in the office of the county clerk.

Birth and death registers were required to be kept and filed in the county beginning in 1895 though there are some earlier records. By 1905 these records were required to be registered on a state level but this law wasn't fully complied with until about 1915. Certified copies of birth and death records can be obtained from The Department of Health and Environmental Science in Helena and also the County Clerk/Recorder. Marriage and divorce records are available from the clerk of district court in Granite county. They were registered on a state level beginning in July 1943.

Land and naturalization records are kept in the county and district courts with no name index available before 1908. The earliest land records are at the National Archives in Denver, Colorado.

Coverage Map and Tables
Montana County Marriage Holdings Montana County Death Holdings Montana County Birth Holdings

What Can These Records Tell Me?
Key genealogical facts found in this collection may include:


 * Name of the primary individual
 * Age
 * Event date
 * Event place
 * Parents' names including mother's maiden name
 * Parents' age, birth place and residence
 * Occupations
 * Names of heirs, such as spouse, children, other relatives, or friends
 * Name of the executor, administrator, or guardian
 * Names of witnesses
 * Dates the documents were written and recorded (used to approximate event dates since a will was usually written near the time of death)
 * Description and value of personal property or land owned by the deceased
 * Address or residence

How Do I Search This Collection?
Before searching this collection, it is helpful to know:
 * The name of your ancestor
 * The approximate date of the event
 * The type of event
 * The names of family members and their relationships

View the Images
View images in this collection by visiting the :
 * 1) Select the Record Category
 * 2) Select the Record Type, Volume, and Year Range which takes you to the images.

How Do I Analyze the Results?
Compare each result from your search with what you know to determine if there is a match. This may require viewing multiple records or images. Keep track of your research in a research log.

What Do I Do Next?
Whenever possible, view the original records to verify the information and to find additional information that might not be reported. These pieces of information can lead you to additional records and family members.

I Found the Person I Was Looking For, What Now?

 * Use the age to calculate the birth date to find other records such as birth, christening, marriage, census, and death records.
 * Use the probate date as a substitute death date.
 * Use the name of the undertaker, mortuary, or cemetery to find funeral and cemetery records.
 * Use the parents' birth places to find former residences and to establish a migration pattern for the family.
 * Use the occupations to find employment or military records.
 * Use the information to find additional family members.
 * Repeat this process with additional family members found, to find more generations of the family.
 * Church Records often were kept years before government records were required and are a good source for finding ancestors before 1900.

I Can’t Find the Person I’m Looking For, What Now?

 * Try viewing the original record to see if there were errors in the transcription of the name, age, residence, etc. Remember that there may be more than one person in the records with the same name.
 * Collect entries for every person who has the same surname. This list can help you identify possible relations that can be verified by records.
 * If you cannot locate your ancestor in the locality in which you believe they lived, then try searching records of a nearby locality in an area search.
 * Standard spelling of names typically did not exist during the periods our ancestors lived in. Try variations of your ancestor’s name while searching the index or browsing through images.
 * Remember that sometimes individuals went by nicknames or alternated between using first and middle names. Try searching for these names as well.
 * Search the indexes and records of Montana, United States Genealogy.
 * Search in the Montana Archives and Libraries.

Known Issues with This Collection
For a full list of all known issues associated with this collection see the attached Wiki article. If you encounter additional problems, please email them to [mailto:support@familysearch.org support@familysearch.org]. Please include the full path to the link and a description of the problem in your e-mail. Your assistance will help ensure that future reworks will be considered.

Citing This Collection
Citations help you keep track of places you have searched and sources you have found. Identifying your sources helps others find the records you used.


 * Collection Citation:

"Montana, Granite County Records, 1865-2009." Database with images. FamilySearch. http://FamilySearch.org : 14 June 2016. Citing Granite County Clerk's Office, Philipsburg.

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