Barnes County, North Dakota Genealogy

United States North Dakota Barnes County

Guide to Barnes County, North Dakota ancestry, genealogy and family history, birth records, marriage records, death records, census records, family history, and military records.

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Description
North Dakota is bordered on the north by the Canadian provinces of Saskatchewan and Manitoba; on the west by Montana; on the south by South Dakota; and on the east— across the Red River of the North and the Bois de Sioux River— by Minnesota. The Missouri River flows through the western part of the state, forming Lake Sakakawea behind the Garrison Dam.

Farms and ranches stretch across the rolling plains from the Red River Valley in the east to the rugged Badlands in the west. The geographic center of the North American continent is located near Rugby.

Admitted as a state: November 2, 1889

On March 2, 1861, President James Buchanan signed the bill creating the Dakota Territory, which originally included the area covered today by both Dakotas as well as Montana and Wyoming. The name was taken from that of the Dakota or Sioux Indian Tribe. Beginning about 1877, efforts were made to bring Dakota into the Union as both a single state and as two states. The latter was successful and on November 2, 1889, both North Dakota and South Dakota were admitted. Since President Benjamin Harrison went to great lengths to obscure the order in which the statehood proclamations were signed, the exact order in which the two states entered is unknown. However, because of alphabetical position, North Dakota is often considered the 39th state. Dakota is the Sioux Indian word for "friend."

Capitol City: Bismarck, ND State Motto: Liberty and Union Now and Forever, One and Inseparable

County Courthouse
Barnes County Courthouse 230 4th S NE Valley City, ND 58072 Phone: 701-845-8512 Barnes County Website Clerk District Court has birth, death, burial and court records; County Judge has marriage and probate records

Barnes County, North Dakota Record Dates

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 * width="84%" bgcolor="#e4d8e5" align="center" colspan="7" | Beginning Dates for Major County Records
 * width="12%" bgcolor="#e4d8e5" align="center" | Birth*
 * width="12%" bgcolor="#e4d8e5" align="center" | Marriage
 * width="12%" bgcolor="#e4d8e5" align="center" | Death*
 * width="12%" bgcolor="#e4d8e5" align="center" | Court
 * width="12%" bgcolor="#e4d8e5" align="center" | Land
 * width="12%" bgcolor="#e4d8e5" align="center" | Probate
 * width="12%" bgcolor="#e4d8e5" align="center" | Census
 * width="12%" align="center" |1893
 * width="12%" align="center" |1882
 * width="12%" align="center" |1893
 * width="12%" align="center" |1875
 * width="12%" align="center" |1875
 * width="12%" align="center" |1875
 * width="12%" align="center" |1880
 * colspan="7"|
 * }
 * width="12%" align="center" |1880
 * colspan="7"|
 * }
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Record Loss
There is no known history of courthouse disasters in this county.

Boundary Changes
1873--Barnes County was created 4 January 1873 from Pembina County. County seat: Valley City
 * Interactive Formation Boundary Map of North Dakota - shows boundary changes for North Dakota Counties
 * North Dakota Historical Boundary Changes - list of all boundary changes by county provided by Newberry Library

Populated Places
The following are locations in the county

Cities


 * Dazey
 * Fingal
 * Kathryn
 * Leal
 * Litchville
 * Nome
 * Oriska
 * Pillsbury
 * Rogers
 * Sanborn
 * Sibley
 * Tower City
 * Valley City (county seat)
 * Wimbledon

Townships


 * Alta
 * Barnes
 * Anderson
 * Ashtabula
 * Baldwin
 * Binghampton
 * Brimer
 * Cuba
 * Dazey
 * Alta
 * Edna
 * Ellsbury
 * Getchell
 * Grand Prairie
 * Green
 * Greemland
 * Hemen
 * Hobart
 * Lake Town
 * Mansfield
 * Marsh
 * Meadow Lake
 * Minnie Lake
 * Nelson
 * Noltimier
 * Norma
 * Oakhill
 * Oriska
 * Pierce
 * Potter
 * Raritan
 * Rogers
 * Rosebud
 * Sibley Trail
 * Skandia
 * Spring Creek
 * Springvale
 * Stewart
 * Svea
 * Thordenskjold
 * Uxbridge
 * Valley
 * Weimer

Unincorporated communities


 * Berea
 * Cuba
 * Daily
 * Estedge
 * Eckelson
 * Hastings
 * Koldok
 * Lucca
 * North Valley City
 * Peak
 * Urbana


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State Census Records

 * 1885 Dakota Territory 1885 Census Index at NDSU Archives – index only
 * 1885, 1915, 1925 North Dakota, Territorial and State Censuses, 1885, 1915, 1925 at Ancestry.com – ($), index and images
 * 1915 at FamilySearch Historical Records — index and images
 * 1925 at FamilySearch Historical Records — index and images

Federal Census Records
Federal Censuses were taken for North Dakota starting in 1910. For links to Federal census indexes, see North Dakota Census.

Church Records
Lutheran

Skandia


 * Records of Lutheran Church, Skandia in Evangelical Lutheran Church in America database at Archives.com ($).

Spring Creek, Hasting


 * Records of Spring Creek Lutheran Church, Hasting, in Evangelical Lutheran Church in America database at Archives.com ($).

Valley City


 * Records of the American Lutheran Church, Valley City, in Evangelical Lutheran Church in America database at Archives.com ($).

Directories

 * 1822 - 1995 U.S. City Directories 1822-1995 at Ancestry ($) - collection for the City of Valley City

Land and Property Records
Online Land Records For more information see North Dakota Land and Property
 * 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
 * 1861 - 1936 - U.S. Homestead Records 1861-1936 at Ancestry.com - ($), index and images

Local Histories

 * Barnes County history : Barnes County, North Dakota. 1976. Barnes County Historical Society; Valley City, North Dakota. ;.

Maps and Gazetteers

 * Interactive Formation Boundary Map of North Dakota - shows boundary changes for North Dakota Counties
 * North Dakota Maps at NDGenWeb -historical maps
 * Family Maps of Barnes County, North Dakota Genealogy (land patent maps) at HistoryGeo.com ($). Free surname search.

Military Records
Civil War World War I
 * 1861 -1865 at FamilySearch.
 * 1890 at FamilySearch.
 * 1917 - 1918 North Dakota Military Men 1917-1918 at Ancestry ($)
 * 1917 - 1918 Roster of the men and women who served in the army or naval service (including the Marine Corps) of the United States or its allies from the state of North Dakota in the World War, 1917-1918, Vols. 1-4 at Ancestry ($)
 * For further information see North Dakota Military Records.

Naturalization and Citizenship
Online Naturalization Indexes and Records


 * North Dakota Naturalization Records Index at NDSU Archives – index only, covers various dates and counties

Newspapers
 North Dakota Newspapers Online North Dakota Newspaper Catalogs
 * GenealogyBank - ($), contains images of North Dakota newspapers
 * Newspaper Archive - ($), contains images of North Dakota newspapers
 * Chronicling America - contains images of some North Dakota newspapers; searching tips
 * Elephind - Free; search engine that retrieves newspaper images from other free newspaper websites
 * 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
 * State Historical Society of North Dakota - contains inventory and catalog of all known ND newspapers

Probate Records
''Online Probate Records


 * 1800 – 1985 North Dakota and South Dakota Wills and Probate Records 1800-1985 at Ancestry.com — index and images $

Death
Online Death Indexes and Records


 * 1892-present - NDDH Public Death Index, 1892-present at North Dakota Dept. of Health – index only

Societies
Barnes County Historical Society 315 Central Ave. N. Valley City, ND 58072-0661 Telephone: 701-845-0966 Fax: 701-845-5223 E-mail: [mailto:bchistoricalsociety@hotmail.com bchistoricalsociety@hotmail.com] Website

Websites

 * USGenWeb project. May have maps, name indexes, history or other information for this county. Select the state, then the 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.
 * Barnes County, North Dakota Genealogy and Family History (Linkpendium)