Ramsey County, Minnesota Genealogy

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

Description
The County was named for Alexander Ramsey, the first governor of the Minnesota Territory. The County is located in the east-central area of the state.

County Courthouse
Ramsey County Courthouse 15 Kellogg Blvd W St. Paul, MN 55102 Phone: 651-266-8500 Ramsey County Website

Clerk District Court has birth and death records from 1870, marriage records from 1850, divorce and court records from 1900, and probate records from 1849. Historical Society has court records from 1858-1899 and land records.

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:

Census Records
State Census
 * 1835-1890 U.S., Compiled Census and Census Substitutes Index, 1835-1890 at ($)
 * 1849-1905 U.S., Territorial and State Censuses, 1849-1905 at ($)
 * 1865 at FamilySearch — How to Use this Collection; index and images.
 * 1875 at FamilySearch — How to Use this Collection; index and images.
 * 1885 at FamilySearch — How to Use this Collection; index and images.
 * 1905 at FamilySearch — How to Use this Collection; index and images.

Church Records

 * FamilySearch Places

The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints Ward and Branch Records
 * St. Paul

Lutheran
 * 1781-1969 U.S., Evangelical Lutheran Church in America Church Records, 1781-1969 at Ancestry ($)

Directories

 * 1856-1922 St. Paul City Directories at St. Paul Public Library
 * 1863-1924 St. Paul City Directories 1863-1924 at Fold3 ($)

Emigration and Immigration

 * 1912-1956 at FamilySearch — How to Use this Collection; index and images.

Land and Property Records
Online Land Indexes and Records
 * Pre-1908 Minnesota, U.S., Homestead and Cash Entry Patents, Pre-1908 at Ancestry ($)

Local Histories

 * Neill, Edward D.; Williams, John Fletcher; History of Ramsey County and the City of St. Paul: including the explorers and pioneers... (Minneapolis, Minnesota: North Star Pub., 1881) Online at FamilySearch Digital Library, HathiTrust, Google Books, Internet Archive.
 * Williams, John Fletcher; A History of the City of Saint Paul and of the County of Ramsey, Minnesota (Saint Paul: Published by the Society, 1876) Online at FamilySearch Digital Library; HathiTrust, Google Books.

Maps and Gazetteers

 * Minnesota Maps at David Rumsey Map Collection
 * FamilySearch Places:Cities and Towns- How to Use FS Places
 * Minnesota Department of Transportation, Ramsey County municipality and township maps

Military Records
Multiple Wars
 * 1861-1917 at FamilySearch — How to Use this Collection; Free index, images ($)
 * 1898-1899 Minnesota Volunteers in the Spanish American War and the Philippine Insurrection at Ancestry ($)

Civil War Civil War service men from Ramsey County served in various regiments. Men often joined a company (within a regiment) that originated in their county. Listed below are many companies or regiments that were formed from men of Ramsey County.
 * 1861-1865 U.S., Civil War Soldiers, 1861-1865 at Ancestry; Free index
 * 1861-1865 U.S., Civil War Records, 1861-1865 at ; Free index
 * 1861-1865 Minnesota Civil War Soldiers at Ancestry; Free index
 * 1861-1934 U.S., Civil War Pension Index: General Index to Pension Files, 1861-1934 at Ancestry; Free index
 * - 1st Regiment, Minnesota Cavalry (Mounted Rangers), Company G.
 * - 1st Battalion, Minnesota Infantry Volunteers, Company A.
 * - 1st Regiment, Minnesota Infantry, Companies A and F.
 * - 1st Regiment, Minnesota Heavy Artillery, Companies G and H.
 * - 2nd Regiment, Minnesota Infantry, Companies B, D, F, G, H, I and K.
 * - 2nd Regiment, Minnesota Cavalry, Company A.
 * - 3rd Regiment, Minnesota Infantry, Company B.
 * - 4th Regiment, Minnesota Infantry, Companies E, G, and K.
 * - 5th Regiment, Minnesota Infantry, Companies D, E, F, and I.
 * - 6th Regiment, Minnesota Infantry, Companies A and G.
 * - 7th Regiment, Minnesota Infantry, Company H.
 * - 8th Regiment, Minnesota Infantry, Companies H and K.
 * - 10th Regiment, Minnesota Infantry, Companies H and K.
 * - Brackett's Battalion, Minnesota Cavalry, Companies A and C.
 * - Hatch's Independent Battalion, Minnesota Cavalry, Companies A and D.
 * - 2nd Minnesota Company Sharpshooters, Second Company only.

Spanish-American War
 * 1898 U.S., Spanish American War Volunteers Index to Compiled Military Service Records, 1898  at ; Free index
 * 1898-1899 U.S., Spanish American War Muster Rolls and Casualty Lists, 1898-1899 at ; Free index

World War I
 * 1917-1918 U.S., World War I Civilian Draft Registrations, 1917-1918 at Ancestry (Free collection)
 * 1917-1918 U.S., World War I Draft Registration Cards, 1917-1918 at Ancestry; Free index, images ($)
 * 1918-1941 at FamilySearch — How to Use this Collection
 * 1917-1918 Franklin F. Holbrook, ed. St. Paul and Ramsey County in the war of 1917-1918. St. Paul, Minn. : Ramsey County War Records Commission, 1929

World War II
 * 1940-1947 at FamilySearch — How to Use this Collection; index and images
 * 1940-1947 U.S., World War II Draft Cards Young Men, 1940-1947 at Ancestry; Free index, images ($)
 * 1942 U.S., World War II Draft Registration Cards, 1942 at Ancestry; Free index

Naturalization and Citizenship
Online Naturalization Indexes and Records
 * 1849-1985 Minnesota, U.S., Naturalization Index, 1849-1985 at (Free collection)
 * 1872-1962 at FamilySearch — How to Use this Collection; index and images
 * 1880-1920 U.S., Federal Naturalization Records, 1880-1920 at ($)
 * 1918 Web: Minnesota, U.S., Alien Registration Index, 1918 at Ancestry (Free collection)

Newspapers

 * 1880-1884 Daily Globe (Saint Paul, Minn.) at Chronicling America
 * 1884-1896 St. Paul Daily Globe (Saint Paul, Minn.) at Chronicling America
 * 1896-1905 The Saint Paul Globe (Saint Paul, Minn.) at Chronicling America
 * 1889-19?? The appeal. (Saint Paul, Minn.) at Chronicling America; African-American newspaper.
 * Minnesota Digital Newspaper Hub at Minnesota Historical Society; narrow to county or city, search for surname, limit by date.

Obituaries

 * 1865-2006 at  — How to Use this Collection; index and images
 * 1891-2003 Minnesota, U.S., Obituary Index, 1891-2003 at (Free collection)

Probate Records
Online Probate Indexes and Records
 * 1801-1999 U.S., Wills and Probate Records, 1801-1925 at ; index and images ($)
 * 1849-1985 at FamilySearch — How to Use this Collection; Three Minnesota counties are not in this collection: Hennepin, Marshall, and St. Louis.

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

 * 1840-1980 U.S., Births and Christenings Index, 1840-1980 at ($)
 * 1900-1934 Minnesota People Records Search - Births at Minnesota Historical Society - free index, images ($)
 * 1900-1934 Minnesota, Birth Index, 1900-1934 at MyHeritage; index ($)
 * 1935-2000 U.S., Birth Index, 1935-2000 at ($)

Marriage

 * 1850-2019 Minnesota, U.S., Marriages from the Minnesota Official Marriage System, 1850-2019 at (Free collection)
 * 1860-1949 at  — How to Use this Collection; index and images
 * 1885-present Minnesota Official Marriage System at MOMS.mn.gov; search by county, name or date, and request copy.
 * 1970-2003 Minnesota Marriage Records Index, 1970-2003 at Archives ($)
 * 1976-2003 Minnesota, Marriages, 1976-2003 at MyHeritage; index ($)

Death

 * 1850-2001 at FamilySearch — How to Use this Collection; index and images
 * 1866-1916 at FamilySearch — How to Use this Collection; index and some images (collection only covers Minneapolis and St. Paul)
 * 1887-2001 at FamilySearch — How to Use this Collection; index and images
 * 1904-2001 Minnesota People Records Search - Deaths at Minnesota Historical Society - free index, images ($)
 * 1904-2001 Minnesota, Death Index, 1904-2001 at MyHeritage; index ($)
 * 1908-2017 U.S., Death Index, 1908-2017 at ($)

Divorce

 * 1970-1995 U.S., Divorce Index, 1970-1995 at ($)
 * 1970-2003 Minnesota Divorce Records Index, 1970-2003 at Archives ($)

Family History Centers

 * Minneapolis Minnesota Family History Center
 * St Paul Minnesota Family History Center
 * Oakdale Minnesota Family History Center
 * Minnesota Historical Society - an affiliate library.
 * Ramsey County Public Library - multiple branches - an affiliate library.
 * University of Minnesota Libraries - multiple branches - an affiliate library.

Libraries

 * Ramsey County Library Multiple Locations 4560 N Victoria St Shoreview, MN 55126 Phone: 651-724-6006 Email: [mailto:jill.boldenow@co.ramsey.mn.us jill.boldenow@co.ramsey.mn.us] Website
 * Saint Paul Public Library 90 West 4th Street Saint Paul, MN 55102 Phone: 651-266-7000 Email: [mailto:therese.scherbel@ci.stpaul.mn.us therese.scherbel@ci.stpaul.mn.us] Website
 *  RCHS Mary Livingston Griggs and Mary Griggs Burke Research Center 75 W 5th Street Saint Paul, MN 55102 Phone: 651-222-0701 Email: [mailto:info@rchs.com info@rchs.com] Website

Museums

 * Gibbs Museum of Pioneer and Dakotah Life 2097 Larpenteur Ave W Falcon Heights, MN 55113 Phone: 651-646-8629 Email: [mailto:gibbs@rchs.com gibbs@rchs.com] Website
 * Minnesota Governor's Residence 1006 Summit Ave Saint Paul, MN 55105 Phone: 651-201-3464 Website
 * North Saint Paul Historical Society Museum 2666 7th Avenue North Saint Paul, MN 55109 Phone: 651-747-2432 Email: [mailto:nsphistorical@gmail.com nsphistorical@gmail.com] Website
 * White Bear Lake Area Historical Society P.O. Box 10543 White Bear Lake, MN 55110 Phone: 651-407-5327 Email: [mailto:office@whitebearhistory.org goffice@whitebearhistory.org] Website

Societies
Hamline-Midway History Group 721 Snelling Ave Saint Paul, MN 55104 Email: [mailto:sjbnab@aol.comg sjbnab@aol.comg] Hill Farm Historical Society 100 Village Center Dr, Suite 240 North Oaks, MN 55127 651-482-9934 E-mail: [mailto:Paul.Dickson@comcast.net Paul.Dickson@comcast.net] Website Historic Saint Paul 318 Landmark Center 75 West 5th Street Saint Paul, MN 55102 651-222-3049 Email: [mailto:info@historicsaintpaul.org info@historicsaintpaul.org] Website Little Canada Historical Society 515 E Little Canada Rd City Hall Little Canada, MN 55117 651-766-4044 Email: [mailto:littlecanadahs@gmail.com littlecanadahs@gmail.com] Website Maplewood Area Historical Society 2170 E County Rd D Maplewood, MN 55109 651-748-8645 Email: [mailto:info@maplewoodhistoricalsociety.org info@maplewoodhistoricalsociety.org] Website Maritime Heritage Minnesota 1214 St Paul Ave Saint Paul, MN 55116 651-261-2265 or 651-202-8811 Email: [mailto:mhm@maritimeheritagemn.org mhm@maritimeheritagemn.org] Website Minnesota Historical Society 345 W. Kellogg Blvd. St. Paul, MN 55102 651-259-3000 • 1-800-657-3773 Website New Brighton Area Historical Society PO Box 120624 1500 Old Highway 8 New Brighton, MN 55112 Email: [mailto:nbahs@me.com: nbahs@me.com] Website North Saint Paul Historical Society 2666 E 7th Avenue North Saint Paul, MN 55109 651-779-6402 Email: [mailto:nsphistorical@gmail.com nsphistorical@gmail.com] Website Ramsey County Historical Society 323 Landmark Center 75 W Fifth St Saint Paul, MN 55102 651-222-0701 Email: [mailto:info@rchs.com info@rchs.com] Website Roseville Historical Society Roseville City Hall 2660 Civic Center Dr Roseville, MN 55113 651-792-7440 Email: [mailto:rhsmn1977@yahoo.com rhsmn1977@yahoo.com] Website Saint Paul Police Historical Society 367 Grove St Saint Paul, MN 55101 651-266-5573 Website Shoreview Historical Society 4305 Parkview Ct Vadnais Heights, MN 55127 Contact: Jacci Krebsbach at 651-303-4667 Email: [mailto:pam.videen@gmail.com pam.videen@gmail.com] Website Vadnais Heights Historical Commission 800 E County Rd E Vadnais Heights, MN 55127-7117 651-204-6000 Email: [mailto:kkeefe@cityvadnaisheights.com kkeefe@cityvadnaisheights.com] White Bear Lake Area Historical Society PO Box 10543 White Bear Lake, MN 55110 651-407-5327 Email: [mailto:office@whitebearhistory.org office@whitebearhistory.org] Website

Websites

 * Ramsey County Genealogy at LDS Genealogy
 * Research at Minnesota Historical Society — links to Records and Indexes; See also MHS Wiki Page
 * Ramsey County, MN, a member of MN USGenWeb Archives, an affiliate of USGenWeb Archives.
 * Ramsey County, MN, a member of MNGenWeb Project, an affiliate of USGenWeb Project.
 * Iron Range Research Center The Iron Range Research Center contains one of the largest collections of genealogical and local history research materials in the Upper Midwest and includes census, naturalization records, passenger arrival records, mining company newsletters, and a survey of Women in Industry taken in 1919, among many others.
 * – 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.