Missoula County, Montana Genealogy

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

Description
Missoula County is located in the west central area of the state.

County Courthouse
Missoula County Courthouse 200 W Broadway Street Missoula, MT 59802-4292 Phone: 406.523.4752 Missoula County Website County Clerk has birth and death from 1895 and land records; Clerk Court has marriage, divorce, probate and court records

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:

Indian Reservation A small piece of the Flathead Indian Reservation is in Missoula County. The major part of the reservation is in Lake County. Other small portions are also in Flathead and Sanders Counties.

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.

Church Records
Online Church Records Lutheran Church
 * 1875-1940 - U.S., Evangelical Lutheran Church of America, Records, 1875-1940 at Ancestry — ($); Index and images; Dates vary for each county

Other Church Records The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints Ward and Branch Records

List of Churches and Church Parishes
 * Missoula
 * Tyler
 * FamilySearch Places

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

Local Histories

 * Missoula Valley History. c1991. By Jo Rainbolt. Dallas, Texas : Curtis Media..
 * The Missoulian Souvenir of The National Irrigation Congress: Historic and Scenic Missoula and Ravalli Counties, Montana. c1968. By Wagner and Sevigne. Salt Lake City, Utah : Filmed by the Genealogical Society of Utah..

Online County Histories
 * Men and Trade On The Northwest Frontier As Shown By The Fort Owen Ledger. c1955. by George F. Weisel. Missoula, Montana : Montana State University. Online at Hathitrust;.
 * Missoula The Way It Was: A Portrait of an Early Western Town. c1972. By Lenora Koelbel. Missoula, Montana : Gateway Printing. Online at: [hhttps://books.google.com/books/about/Missoula_the_Way_it_was.html?id=E9XdPwAACAAJ Google Books];.
 * National Register of Historic Places

Maps and Gazetteers

 * FamilySearch Places:Cities and Towns- How to Use FS Places
 * See an interactive map of Missoula 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 World War II For further information see Montana Military Records.
 * 1890 at FamilySearch - How to Use this Collection; index
 * 1890 - 1918 Montana Military Enlistments at Montana Memory Project
 * 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.
 * Military Enlistments Montana World War I at Montana Memory Project
 * 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

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 - ($), contains images of Montana newspapers
 * Montana Newspapers by the Montana Historical Society
 * Newspaper Archive - ($), 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

 * Obituary Daily Times - large obituary index from newspapers across the United States.

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

Probate Records
''Online Probate Records


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

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

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 ($) — index
 * 1889 - 1947 at FamilySearch  - How to Use this Collection; index
 * 1889 - 1947 Montana Select Marriages 1889 - 1947 at Ancestry ($) — index
 * 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
 * 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

 * Missoula Montana Family History Center
 * Seeley Lake Montana Family History Center

Libraries
Missoula Public Library 301 E Main Street Missoula, Montana 59802 Telephone: (406) 721-2665 Fax: (406) 728-5900 Website Historic Collections Montana Genealogical Resources in the Missoula Public Library: The Missoula Public Library genealogy collection contains information on Missoula, Lake, Granite, Mineral, Sanders, and Ravalli counties, and to a lesser degree, Lincoln County. Genealogists may also refer to the extensive Montana Collection, located in the Audra Browman Room.

Museums
The Historical Museum at Fort Missoula 3400 Captain Rawn Way Missoula, MT 59804 406-728-3476 E-mail: [mailto:fortmissoula@missoulacounty.us fortmissoula@missoulacounty.us] Website Facebook

Societies

 * Western Montana Genealogical Society PO Box 2714 Missoula, MT 59806 Email: [mailto:mchs1976@blackfoot.net mchs1976@blackfoot.net] Website


 * The Historical Museum at Fort Missoula 3400 Captain Rawn Way Missoula, MT 59804 (406) 728-3476 E-mail: [mailto:fortmissoula@missoulacounty.us fortmissoula@missoulacounty.us] Website Facebook

Websites

 * Montana Census Records at Census Finder
 * USGenWeb Missoula County, MontanaMay 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