Cascade County, Montana Genealogy

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

Description
Cascade County's is located in the west central area of the state. The county was named for the falls on the Missouri River.

County Courthouse
Cascade County Courthouse 425 2nd Ave N Great Falls, MT 59401 Phone: 406–454–6800 Cascade County Website

Record Loss
There is no known history of courthouse disasters in this county.

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: Some small towns have vanished. Montana is a newer State so land offices have a record of the populated or once populated towns. Many people homesteaded farms and did not live in towns records. Homestead records are part of the BLM or Bureau of Land Management and may not listed by county but by plot numbers. The County courthouse land records have several types of records, one type is plot.

Cemeteries

 * 1880-2009 - at FamilySearch - How to Use this Collection; Index and images

Territory and State Censuses

 * 1860 - at FamilySearch Historical Records - How to Use this Collection; index and images; Montana was included in the 1860 Washington and Nebraska Territory Censuses
 * 1870 - at FamilySearch Historical Records - How to Use this Collection; index and images; Montana Territory Census
 * 1880 - at FamilySearch Historical Records - How to Use this Collection; index and images; Montana Territory Census

Federal Census Records
Federal Censuses were taken for the state of Montana starting in 1890, although no records survived. The 1900 Census is the next Federal Census available. For links to Federal Census indexes, see Montana Census.
 * 1910-1956 - at FamilySearch - How to Use this Collection; Index and images

Church Records
Online Church Records Lutheran Church Presbyterian Church List of Churches and Church Parishes
 * 1875-1940 - U.S., Evangelical Lutheran Church of America, Records, 1875-1940 at Ancestry — ($); Index and images; Dates vary for each county
 * 1911-1923 - U.S., Presbyterian Records, 1701-1970 at Ancestry — ($); Index and images; Grace Presbyterian Church of Great Falls, Baptisms, Births, Marriages, Deaths, 1911-1923
 * 1916-1921 - U.S., Presbyterian Records, 1701-1970 at Ancestry — ($); Index and images; Immanuel Presbyterian Church of Square Butte, Baptisms, Births, Deaths, 1916-1921
 * 1919-1924 - U.S., Presbyterian Records, 1701-1970 at Ancestry — ($); Index and images; Community Presbyterian Church of Square Butte, Baptisms, Births, Deaths, 1919-1924
 * FamilySearch Places

County Records
1880-2009 - at FamilySearch - How to Use this Collection; index and images.

Court Records

 * 1916-1937 (*); District Court at FamilySearch Catalog — images

Genealogies

 * 1500-2000 - at FamilySearch - How to Use this Collection;  Index and images.

Land and Property Records
Online Land Records


 * Land Patent Search - index to federal patents and homesteads on the Bureau of Land Management website, some images available
 * 1796-1907 - U.S. General Land Office Records, 1796-1907 at Ancestry - index, info taken from Bureau of Land Management website
 * 1863-1908 - U.S. Homestead Records 1863-1908 at Ancestry.com - ($), index and images
 * 1880-1936 - at FamilySearch - How to Use this Collection;  Index and images.

Local Histories
On September 12, 1887, "An Act Creating Cascade County, its Boundaries, provisions for its organization and the officers to fill the various positions until the first election," was passed by the Territorial Legislative Assembly. Cascade County had been formed from parts of Meagher, Choteau and Lewis and Clarke* Counties. Great Falls was designated as the County Seat until otherwise determined by law.

Many communities have published histories of the area. Example: Great Falls Memories, A Photo album - 1884 to 1939. A compilation of photo histories of the city, transportation, people, commerce, industry, education, community, disasters, recreation and celebrations, business profiles. This a typical type of project that cities and communities undertake to commemorate the subject.

Most Cascade County local histories have been indexed by the Great Falls Genealogy Society and are available to the the public on their web site: Great Falls Genealogical Society


 * Mountains and Meadows: A Pioneer History of Cascade, Chestnut Valley, Hardy, St. Peter's Mission and Castner Falls 1805 to 1925. c190-?. By Mrs. Clarence J Conrad Rowe. Great Falls, Montana : Blue Print & Letter Co..

Maps and Gazetteers

 * FamilySearch Places:Cities and Towns- How to Use FS Places
 * See an interactive map of Cascade County cemeteries and modern-day townships. (Histopolis)
 * Interactive Formation Boundary Map of Montana - shows boundary changes for Montana Counties
 * Historical Maps and Atlases of Montana - maps and atlases of Montana

Online Collections
These collections are unique to Montana. You will find nationwide databases for military records on U.S. Military Online Genealogy Records and Montana Military Records. Civil War World War I
 * 1890 at FamilySearch - How to Use this Collection; index
 * 1890-1918 Montana Military Enlistments at Montana Memory Project
 * 1896-1911 - at FamilySearch - How to Use this Collection; Index and images.
 * 1904-1918 - at FamilySearch - How to Use this Collection; index
 * 1917-1918 at FamilySearch - How to Use this Collection; Index and images
 * Soldiers of the Great War from the State of Montana at USGenWeb.
 * Honor rolls Containing a Pictorial Record of the Gallant and Courageous Men from Cascade County, Mont., U.S.A. Who Served in the Great War, 1917-1918-1919 (digitized book)
 * Military Enlistments Montana World War I at Montana Memory Project

 World War I 
 * The honor roll : Cascade County, Mont., U.S.A., 1917-1918-1919.Great Falls, Montana :, 1919?

World War II For further information see Montana Military Records.
 * WWII Army and Army Air Force Casualties for Montana - Index only

Naturalization and Citizenship
Online Naturalization Records
 * 1791 - 1992 - U.S. Naturalization Record Indexes, 1791-1992 at Ancestry — ($), index only
 * 1868 - 1999 - at FamilySearch - How to Use this Collection; index and images
 * 1870 - 1999 - Montana, Federal Naturalization Records, 1870-1999 at Ancestry — ($), index only
 * 1888 - 1966 - at FamilySearch - How to Use this Collection; Index and images.
 * 1924 - 1999 - Montana Naturalization Records, 1868-1999 – Browseable images only.

Naturalization records are located at the History Museum. The complete index to the records is located at the Great Falls Genealogy Society Library.

Newspapers
 Montana Newspapers Online
 * Chronicling America - contains images of some Montana newspapers; searching tips
 * Elephind - Free; search engine that retrieves newspaper images from other free newspaper websites
 * GenealogyBank - ($), contains images of Montana newspapers
 * Great Falls Tribune - Based out of Great Falls, MT
 * Montana Newspapers by the Montana Historical Society
 * Newspaper Archive - ($), contains images of Montana newspapers

Montana Newspaper Catalogs
 * U.S. Newspaper Directory, 1690-Present on Chronicling America - contains a list of all known newspapers and the dates they cover; once you locate a newspaper name, contact the local library to see if they have copies of the newspaper

Obituaries

 * 1880-2002 - at FamilySearch - How to Use this Collection; Index and images.
 * Obituary Daily Times - large obituary index from newspapers across the United States.(Ancestry)

See also United States Obituaries for more about finding United States obituaries.

Other Records
Voter Records


 * 1889-1934 - at FamilySearch - How to Use this Collection; Index and images.
 * 1937-2000 - at FamilySearch - How to Use this Collection; Index and images.

Public Records

County Clerk has birth, death and land records from 1917. Clerk of the Court has marriage, divorce, probate and court records.

Cascade County Courthouse is located at 425 Second Ave North, old stone structure. The Clerk and Recorder office is located on the main floor in the east end of building. Local US Census film readers are available. The deeds and land records office is also on the main floor.
 * Cascade County Montana Courthouse link
 * 1958–1978 - at FamilySearch - How to Use this Collection; Index and images.

Pension Records


 * 1923-1935 - at FamilySearch - How to Use this Collection; Index and images.

Probate Records

 * 1831 – 1952 Montana Wills and Probate Records 1831-1952 at Ancestry.com — index and images ($)
 * 1880–2009 at FamilySearch - How to Use this Collection; index and images
 * 1888–1978 - at FamilySearch - How to Use this Collection; Index and images.

School Records

 * 1896–1955 - at FamilySearch - How to Use this Collection; Index and images.

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.

Tax Records

 * 1891–1898 - at FamilySearch - How to Use this Collection; Index and images.

Vital Records

 * 1900-1999 - at FamilySearch - How to Use this Collection; Index and images.

Birth

 * 1840-2004 at FamilySearch - How to Use this Collection; index and images
 * 1840-2004 Montana, County Births and Deaths, 1840 - 2004 at Ancestry ($) — index
 * 1885-1933 - at FamilySearch - How to Use this Collection; Index and images.

Marriage

 * 1800-1994 - Montana, United States Marriages at FindMyPast — index $
 * 1865-1950 at FamilySearch - How to Use this Collection;  index and images
 * 1865-1950 Montana, County Marriages, 1865 - 1950 at Ancestry ($) — index
 * 1887-1950
 * 1889- 947 at FamilySearch - How to Use this Collection;  index
 * 1889-1947 Montana Select Marriages 1889 - 1947 at Ancestry ($) — index
 * 1950-1967 - at FamilySearch - How to Use this Collection; Index and images.
 * Western States Marriage Index - Index, incomplete, list of counties included

Death

 * 1840-2004 at FamilySearch - How to Use this Collection; index and images
 * 1840-2004 Montana, County Births and Deaths, 1840 - 2004 at Ancestry ($) — index
 * 1860-2007 at FamilySearch - How to Use this Collection; index
 * 1868-2011 Montana, Death Index, 1868 - 2011 at Ancestry ($) — index
 * 1895-1907 - at FamilySearch - How to Use this Collection; Index and images.
 * pre 1954-2002 Montana State Death Registry Index Pre 1954 & 1954 - 2002 at Montana State Genealogical Society — index
 * 1954-2011 Montana Death Records at findmypast ($) — index

Family History Centers

 * Belt Montana Family History Center
 * Great Falls Montana East Family History Center
 * Great Falls Montana Family History Center

Libraries
The Great Falls Public Library is located at 301 Second Ave North on a one way street going west. This the main Cascade County Library. Historical books and records are located in the Montana Room. City directories, county histories, school annuals, and historic book collections are of local interest. The Montana Room is only open to the public Monday thru Saturday from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m.

The Great Falls Genealogy Society Library is located at 301 Second Avenue North, on the third floor of the Public Library. The library is open to the public, Monday thru Saturday from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. Over 10,000 resources are available covering local, national and international locations and volunteers are on hand to assist patrons with their family research. The Society holds monthly meetings featuring programs related to family research and conducts workshops and classes on a regular basis, also open to the public. Website: Great Falls Genealogy Society

Museums
Cascade County Historical Society Museum and Archive is located at 422 Second Street South, Great Falls, Montana Relocated in the early 2000's to a larger restored warehouse. They have a large archives to research and holdings of artifacts. There is a fee. No website as of 2009. They stock community history books and local biographies to view and for purchase.

Societies
Great Falls Genealogical Society 301 2nd Avenue North, 3rd Floor Great Falls, MT 59401 (406) 727-3922 Email: [mailto:gfgenealogy@genlibrary.org gfgenealogy@genlibrary.org] Website

Cascade County Historical Society and Museum 422 2nd St. S Great Falls 59405 (406) 452-3462 Website

Websites

 * Cascade County Montana Web Site
 * USGenWeb Cascade County, Montana project. May have maps, name indexes, history or other information for this county.
 * - 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