Madison County, Montana Genealogy

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United States
Montana
Madison County

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

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County Facts
County seat: Virginia City
Organized: February 2, 1865
Parent County(s): Original county[1]
Neighboring Counties
Beaverhead  • Fremont (ID)  • Gallatin  • Jefferson  • Silver Bow
See County Maps
Courthouse
Madison County Courthouse.jpg
Location Map
Map of Montana highlighting Madison County.png
Adoption

County Information

Description

The Madison County was founded in 1864. County Seat is Virginia City. [2] It is located in the southwestern area of the state. Madison County was named for James Madison.[3]

County Courthouse

Madison County Courthouse
110 W Wallace Street
Virginia City, MT 59755
Phone: 406.843.4270
Madison County Website

County Clerk and Recorder has birth and death records from 1909 and land records from 1864;
Clerk Court has marriage records from 1887, divorce, probate and court from 1865[4]

Madison County, Montana 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.

Known Beginning Dates for Major Records[5]
Birth* Marriage Death* Court Land Probate Census
1909 1887 1909 1865 1864 1865 1860
*State birth and death records began in 1907.
Compliance for recording births was 1922 and 1915 for deaths.[6]

Record Loss

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

Boundary Changes


Parent County: created 2 February 1865 as an original county
County seat: Virginia City [7]

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:[8]

Towns
Unincorporated communities
  • Ruby
Census-designated places
Ghost towns


Resources

Bible Records

Biographies

Business, Commerce, and Occupations

Cemeteries

Cemeteries of Madison County, Montana online and in print
Tombstone Transcriptions Online
Tombstone Transcriptions in Print (Often more complete)
List of Cemeteries in the County
See Montana Cemeteries for more information

Census Records

Historical populations
Census Pop.  %±
1870 2,684 —
1880 3,915 45.9%
1890 4,692 19.8%
1900 7,695 64.0%
1910 7,229 −6.1%
1920 7,495 3.7%
1930 6,323 −15.6%
1940 7,294 15.4%
1950 5,998 −17.8%
1960 5,211 −13.1%
1970 5,014 −3.8%
1980 5,448 8.7%
1990 5,989 9.9%
2000 6,851 14.4%
2010 7,691 12.3%
Source: [1]

Before Montana was a state in 1889, the western portion of Montana was included in the 1860 Washington Territory and the eastern was in the unorganized parts of 1860 Nebraska Territory. The 1870 and 1880 Federal Censuses included Montana Territory. No state censuses have been taken.[9] See links listed below.

Territory and State Censuses

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

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 Montana denominations, view the Montana Church Records wiki page.

Online Church Records
Lutheran Church

Presbyterian Church

Court Records

Directories

Emigration and Immigration

Ethnic, Political, and Religious Groups

Funeral Homes

Genealogies

Guardianship

Land and Property Records

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 Montana Land and Property for additional information about early Montana land grants. After land was transferred to private ownership, subsequent transactions were usually recorded at the county courthouse, where records are currently housed.

Online Land Records

Local Histories

Local histories are available for Madison County, Montana Genealogy. County histories may include biographies, church, school and government history, and military information. For more information about local histories, see the wiki page section Montana Local Histories.

  • Golden Gulch, The Story of Montana's Fabulous Alder Gulch : Being a True, Quite Partial and Somewhat Humorous History of Alder Gulch, Montana, the state's richest placer mining district and the cradle of Montana history. c1991. By Dick Pace. Virginia City, Montana : Bovey Restorations. At various libraries(WorldCat).
  • Pioneer Trails and Trials: Madison County 1863-1920. c1983. By Madison County History Association. [Sheridan, Montana] : Madison County History Association (Montana). At various libraries(WorldCat).

Online County Histories

Maps and Gazetteers

Deer Lodge CountySilver Bow CountyJefferson CountyGallatin CountyMadison CountyBeaverhead CountyClark County, IdahoFremont County, IdahoMT Madison.png
About this image
Click a neighboring county
for more resources


Migration

Military Records

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. 

Records]] and Montana Military Records.

Naturalization and Citizenship

Online Naturalization Records

Newspapers

For more information, see Montana Newspapers.


Montana Newspapers Online

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

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

Other Records

Periodicals

Probate Records

In most counties in Montana, probate records have been kept by the county judge. They include wills, inventories, claim registers, inheritance records, probate packets, 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 Montana, Madison - Probate records.

Online Probate Records

School Records

Tax Records

Montana 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. A copy or an extract of most birth and death original records can be purchased from the Montana Department of Public Health and Human Services or the County Clerk's office of the county where the event occurred. For information about marriages, divorces, and requirements for obtaining any vital records, see the CDC Where to Write website.

Birth

Marriage

Death

Divorce

Research Facilities

Archives

Family History Centers

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

Websites

Research Guides

References

  1. ↑ The Handybook for Genealogists: United States of America,10th ed. (Draper, UT: Everton Publishers, 2002).
  2. ↑ http://genealogytrails.com/mon/madison/ accessed 11/18/2016
  3. ↑ https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Madison_County,_Montana accessed 11/18/2016
  4. ↑ The Handybook for Genealogists : United States of America, 10th ed., (Draper, UT: Everton Publishers, 2002), p. 417.
  5. ↑ Handybook for Genealogists: United States of America, 10th ed. (Draper, Utah: Everton Pub., 2002), Madison County, Montana. Page 417. At various libraries (WorldCat); FHL Book 973 D27e 2002; Alice Eichholz, ed. Ancestry’s Red Book: American State, County, and Town Sources, Third ed. (Provo, Utah: Ancestry, 2004), 406.
  6. ↑ Alice Eichholz, ed. Ancestry’s Red Book: American State, County, and Town Sources, Rev. ed. (Provo, Utah: Ancestry, 1992), 439.
  7. ↑ The Handybook for Genealogists: United States of America,10th ed. (Draper, UT:Everton Publishers, 2002).
  8. ↑ Wikipedia contributors, "Madison County, Montana," in Wikipedia: the Free Encyclopedia, https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Madison_County,_Montana, accessed 5 December 2016.
  9. ↑ ’'Handybook for Genealogists: United States of America, 10th ed. (Draper, Utah: Everton Pub., 2002), 409. At various libraries (WorldCat); FHL Book 973 D27e 2002.
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