Yellowstone County, Montana Genealogy

United States Montana Yellowstone County

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

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County Courthouse
Yellowstone County Courthouse 217 N 27th Street PO Box 35001 Billings, MT 59107-5001 Phone: 406.256.2785 Yellowstone County Website County Clerk Recorder has birth, death, land, and military records from 1883. Clerk District Court has marriage, divorce, probate and court records.

Yellowstone County, Montana Record Dates

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 * width="91%" bgcolor="#e4d8e5" align="center" colspan="7" | Beginning Dates for Major County Records
 * width="13%" bgcolor="#e4d8e5" align="center" | Birth*
 * width="13%" bgcolor="#e4d8e5" align="center" | Marriage
 * width="13%" bgcolor="#e4d8e5" align="center" | Death*
 * width="13%" bgcolor="#e4d8e5" align="center" | Court
 * width="13%" bgcolor="#e4d8e5" align="center" | Land
 * width="13%" bgcolor="#e4d8e5" align="center" | Probate
 * width="13%" bgcolor="#e4d8e5" align="center" | Census
 * width="13%" align="center" | 1884*
 * width="13%" align="center" | 1887*
 * width="13%" align="center" | 1884*
 * width="13%" align="center" | 1883
 * width="13%" align="center" | 1883
 * width="13%" align="center" | 1883
 * width="13%" align="center" |
 * colspan="7" | * For earlier dates, try... Church &#124; Obituaries &#124; Cemeteries
 * }
 * width="13%" align="center" |
 * colspan="7" | * For earlier dates, try... Church &#124; Obituaries &#124; Cemeteries
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Record Loss
There is no known history of courthouse disasters in this county.

Boundary Changes

 * Interactive Formation Boundary Map of Montana - shows boundary changes for Montana Counties
 * Montana Historical Boundary Changes - list of all boundary changes by county provided by Newberry Library


 * Parent County: created 26 February 1883 from Gallatin, Meagher, Custer, and Carbon
 * County Seat: Billings 

Populated Places
Indian Reservation

The Crow Indian Reservation is located primarily in Big Horn County, with a smaller portion in Yellowstone County.


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Federal Census Records
Federal Censuses were taken for Montana starting in 1870. For links to federal census indexes, see Montana Census.

Church Records
'''LDS Ward and Branch Records


 * Billings

Directories
The Parmly Billings Library has made the following available online:


 * Early Billings City Directories: 1883, 1894, 1900-1901, 1903-1904

Maps and Gazetteers



 * Interactive Formation Boundary Map of Montana - shows boundary changes for Montana Counties
 * Historical Maps and Atlases of Montana - maps and atlases of Montana

Military Records
Civil War World War I For further information see Montana Military Records.
 * 1890 at FamilySearch.— index
 * 1890 - 1918 Montana Military Enlistments at Montana Memory Project
 * 1917 - 1918 at FamilySearch — Index and images
 * Soldiers of the Great War from the State of Montana at USGenWeb.
 * Military Enlistments Montana World War I at Montana Memory Project

Newspapers

 * NewspaperArchive.com ($) has a collection of digitized Montana newspapers online including Billings newspapers that reported on residents of Yellowstone County. This database is sometimes free at libraries.
 * Parmly Billings Library: Vital Statistics from early Billings Gazettes Newspapers covering 1882-1902.
 * Parmly Billings Library: Billings Gazette Indexes from 1930s and 1940s

Probate Records
'''Online Probate Records


 * 1831 – 1952 Montana Wills and Probate Records 1831-1952 at Ancestry.com — index and images $

Vital Records
The following is courtesy of the Parmly Billings Library Genealogical Resources:


 * Vital Statistics from EarlyBilling Gazettes: Over 13,000 births, deaths, business licenses and other records from the early residents as recorded in this newspaper. The index is from 1882-1901 as well as additional indexes covering up to the 1930s.

Birth

 * 1840 - 2004 at FamilySearch — index and images
 * 1840 - 2004 Montana, County Births and Deaths, 1840 - 2004 at Ancestry ($) — index

Marriage

 * 1881-1903 - Western States Marriage Index marriages from 1881-1903

Death

 * 1840–2004 -  at FamilySearch — index and images

Family History Centers

 * Billings Montana Family History Center
 * Gardiner Montana Family History Center

Libraries

 * Parmly Billings Library Genealogical Resources

Societies
Yellowstone Genealogy Forum Mailing address: Yellowstone Genealogy Forum c/o Billings Public Library 510 North Broadway Billings MT 59101
 * The Yellowstone Genealogy Forum meets on the 4th Tuesday of every month (except December) at 7:00 p.m. Come early as social time begins at 6:30 p.m.

Websites

 * - 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
 * Montana State Historical Society
 * Yellowstone County GenWeb
 * Yellowstone County Genealogy Forum
 * Yellowstone National Park History &amp; Culture