Guide to Brule County, South Dakota ancestry, genealogy and family history, birth records, marriage records, death records, census records, family history, and military records.
Brule County was named after Brulé subtribe of Lakota people.[3]
It's county seat is Chamberlain. It was organized 1875. It is located in the southern area of the state.[4]
Register of Deeds has birth and death records from 1905, burial records from 1941 and land records from 1880;
County Treasurer has marriage records from 1882;
County Clerk has divorce records from 1885, probate and naturalization records from 1880 and court records from 1882[5]
Brule County, South Dakota Record Dates
Information for this chart was taken from various sources, often containing conflicting dates. This information should be taken as a guide and should be verified by contacting the county and/or the state government agency.
Before South Dakota was a state in 1889, parts of South Dakota were included in the 1836 Iowa Territory census (also known as Wisconsin Territory), 1840 Iowa Territory census, 1850 Minnesota Territory census, and the 1860-1880 Dakota Territory censuses.[9] See links listed below.
Federal Censuses were taken for the state of South Dakota starting in 1890, although only one page survived. The 1900 Census is the next Federal Census available. For links to Federal census indexes, see South Dakota Census.
Church Records
Church records vary significantly depending on the denomination and the record keeper. They may contain information about members of the congregation, such as age, date of baptism, christening, or birth; marriage information and maiden names; and death date. For general information about South Dakota denominations, view the South Dakota Church Records wiki page.
Land and property records can place an ancestor in a particular location, provide economic information, and reveal family relationships. Land records include: deeds, abstracts and indexes, mortgages, leases, grants and land patents.
See South Dakota Land and Property for additional information about early South Dakota land grants. After land was transferred to private ownership, subsequent transactions were usually recorded at the county courthouse, where records are currently housed.
Local histories are available for Brule County, South Dakota Genealogy. County and town histories may include biographies, church, school and government history, and military information. For more information about local histories, see the wiki page section South Dakota Local Histories.
Of rails and trails, a centennial journey, 1889-1989. 1989. By Barbara Speck. Dallas, Texas : Curtis Media. Online at:; At various libraries (WorldCat).
Elephind - Free; search engine that retrieves newspaper images from other free newspaper websites
South Dakota 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
Other Records
Periodicals
Probate Records
In most counties in South Dakota, probate records have been kept by the county judge. They include wills, fee books, claim registers, legacy records, inheritance records, probate ticklers, and dockets. The records are available at the county courthouse.
The FamilySearch Catalog lists films of probate records. To find the records for this county, use the Place Search for South Dakota, Brule then click Probate records.
South Dakota tax records complement land records and can be used to supplement the years between censuses. There may be gaps of several years in the records.
Vital Records
Vital Records consist of births, adoptions, marriages, divorces, and deaths recorded on registers, certificates, and documents. See the CDC Where to Write website for information on acquiring copies of these records.
Family History Centers provide one-on-one assistance and free access to premium genealogical websites. In addition, many centers have free how-to genealogy classes.
Libraries
Museums
Societies
Lyman-Brule Genealogical Society 110 E Lawler Chamberlain, SD 57325 Website
Brule County Historical Society PO Box 47 Kimball, SD 57355 Website
Websites
USGenWeb project. May have maps, name indexes, history or other information for this county. Select the state, then the county.
↑The Handybook for Genealogists : United States of America, 10th ed., (Draper, UT: Everton Publishers, 2002)Brule County, South Dakota, p.622
↑Alice Eichholz, ed. Ancestry’s Red Book: American State, County, and Town Sources, Rev. ed. (Provo, Utah: Ancestry, 1992), 671; Alice M. Hetzel, U.S. Vital Statistics System: Major Activities and Developments, 1950-95 (Hyattsville, Md.: U.S. Dept. of Health and Human Services, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, National Center for Health Statistics, [1997]), 58.
↑The Handybook for Genealogists: United States of America,10th ed. (Draper, UT:Everton Publishers, 2002).
