Otter Tail County, Minnesota Genealogy

United States

Minnesota

Otter Tail County

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

Minnesota Online Genealogy Records

County Facts County seat: Fergus Falls Organized: February 28, 1870 Parent County(s): Cass, Pembina (now Kittson) Neighboring Counties Becker  • Clay  • Douglas  • Grant  • Todd  • Wadena  • Wilkin See County Maps Courthouse Location Map Adoption This page is available for adoption

County Information

Description

The County was named for Otter Tail Lake and Otter Tail River. The County is located in the west-central area of the state.

County Courthouse

Otter Tail County Courthouse
121 W Junis Ave
Fergus Falls, MN 56537
Phone: 218-560-7045
Otter Tail County Website

Clerk Deeds Court has birth and death records from 1870; marriage records from 1869; divorce records from 1897; probate and court records from 1872.

Otter Tail County, Minnesota 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 County Records
Birth*	Marriage	Death*	Court	Land	Probate	Census
1870	1869	1870	1872	1867	1872	1836
*Statewide registration started for births in 1900 and deaths in 1908. General compliance by 1915.

Record Loss

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

Boundary Changes

Parent Counties: Created from Cass and Pembina (now Kittson) Counties March 18, 1858 County seat: Fergus Falls Organized Date: February 28, 1870 Interactive Map of Minnesota County Formation History (1790-1897) - animated maps illustrating Minnesota county boundary changes Minnesota Historical Boundary Changes - list of all boundary changes by county provided by Newberry Library

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:

Cities
Battle Lake Bluffton Clitherall Dalton Deer Creek Dent Elizabeth Erhard	Fergus Falls Henning New York Mills Ottertail Parkers Prairie Pelican Rapids Perham Richville	Rothsay Underwood Urbank Vergas Vining Wadena
Unincorporated communities
Butler Carlisle Dunvilla Heinola	Luce Parkton Richdale Topelius	Wall Lake Woodland Park Wrightstown
Townships
Aastad Amor Aurdal Blowers Bluffton Buse Butler Candor Carlisle Clitherall Compton Corliss Dane Prairie Dead Lake Deer Creek Dora Dunn Eagle Lake Eastern Edna Effington	Elizabeth Elmo Erhards Grove Everts Fergus_Falls Folden Friberg Girard Gorman Henning Hobart Homestead Inman Leaf Lake Leaf Mountain Lida Maine Maplewood Newton Nidaros Norwegian Grove	Oak Valley Orwell Oscar Otter Tail Otto Paddock Parkers Prairie Pelican Perham Pine Lake Rush Lake Scambler St. Olaf Star Lake Sverdrup Trondhjem Tordenskjold Tumuli Western Woodside

Resources

Biographies

• Mason, John W., ed.; History of Otter Tail County, Minnesota: its people, industries and institutions, with biographical sketches of representative citizens and genealogical records of many of the old families (Indianapolis: B.F. Bowen, 1916) Volume 2 online at FamilySearch Digital Library, Google Books, Internet Archive.

Cemeteries

Cemeteries of Otter Tail County, Minnesota online and in print
Tombstone Transcriptions Online	BillionGraves Find A Grave MNGenWeb MN Gravestones MN Tombstone Transcription Project USGenWeb Archives
Tombstone Transcriptions in Print (Often more complete)	Family History Library WorldCat
List of Cemeteries in the County	FamilySearch Places Find A Grave
See Minnesota Cemeteries for more information.

 

Census Records

For links to Federal, State, and Territorial censuses, see Minnesota Census.

Historical populations
Census	Pop.	%±
1860	240	—
1870	1,968	720.0%
1880	18,675	848.9%
1890	34,232	83.3%
1900	45,375	32.6%
1910	46,036	1.5%
1920	50,818	10.4%
1930	51,006	0.4%
1940	53,192	4.3%
1950	51,320	−3.5%
1960	48,960	−4.6%
1970	46,097	−5.8%
1980	51,937	12.7%
1990	50,714	−2.4%
2000	57,159	12.7%
2010	57,303	0.3%
Source: "Wikipedia.org".

State Census

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

Church Records

Most church records are held by individual churches. Some denominations are gathering their records into a central repository. For more information, see Minnesota Church Records.

• FamilySearch Places
  

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

• Fergus Falls

Lutheran

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

Emigration and Immigration

• 1912-1956 Minnesota Passenger and Crew Lists, 1912-1956 at FamilySearch — How to Use this Collection; index and images.

Funeral Homes

• Belmont Karvonen Funeral Home, Karvonen Funeral & Cremation Service, Karvonen & Son Funeral Home - Henning, New York Mills, Wadena
• Furey Funeral Home - Vergas
• Glende-Nilson Funeral Home - Battle Lake, Fergus Falls
• Larson Funeral Home - Pelican Rapids
• Lind Family Funeral Home - Parkers Prairie
• Markham Funeral Home - Parkers Prairie
• Olson Funeral Home - Fergus Falls
• Schoeneberger Funeral Home - Perham

Land and Property Records

The county register of deeds keeps land records once the land was transferred to private ownership. Abstracts and indexes for these records are generally available at the county courthouse.

Online Land Indexes and Records

• Pre-1908 Minnesota, U.S., Homestead and Cash Entry Patents, Pre-1908 at Ancestry ($)

Local Histories

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

• Mason, John W., ed.; History of Otter Tail County, Minnesota: its people, industries and institutions, with biographical sketches of representative citizens and genealogical records of many of the old families (Indianapolis: B.F. Bowen, 1916) Volume 1 online at FamilySearch Digital Library; Indexed at Ancestry ($).
• Historical Album and Centennail Book, Perham, Minnesota; 1871-1971; Online at FamilySearch Digital Library, Internet Archive.
• Minnesota Indexes at EveryNameIndex.com

Maps and Gazetteers

Click a neighboring county
for more resources

• FamilySearch Places:Cities and Towns- How to Use FS Places

Military Records

Multiple Wars

• 1861-1917 United States Civil War and Later Pension Index, 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

• 1861-1865 U.S., Civil War Soldiers, 1861-1865 at Ancestry; Free index
• 1861-1865 Minnesota, U.S., Civil War Records, 1861-1865 at Ancestry; 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

Spanish-American War

• 1898 U.S., Spanish American War Volunteers Index to Compiled Military Service Records, 1898  at Ancestry; Free index

• 1898-1899 Minnesota, U.S., Spanish American War Muster Rolls and Casualty Lists, 1898-1899 at Ancestry; Free index

World War I

• 1917-1918 U.S., World War I Draft Registration Cards, 1917-1918 at Ancestry; Free index
• 1917-1918 U.S., World War I Civilian Draft Registrations, 1917-1918 at Ancestry (Free collection)
• 1918-1941 Minnesota, World War I Records, 1918-1941 at FamilySearch — How to Use this Collection

World War II

• 1940-1947 Minnesota, World War II Draft Registration Cards,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
• 1942 U.S., World War II Draft Registration Cards, 1942 at Ancestry; Free index

Naturalization and Citizenship

Online Naturalization Indexes and Records

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

Newspapers

• Minnesota Digital Newspaper Hub at Minnesota Historical Society; narrow to county or city, search for surname, limit by date.

Obituaries

• 1865-2006 Minnesota, Obituaries 1865-2006 at FamilySearch — How to Use this Collection; index and images
• 1891-2003 Web: Minnesota, U.S., Obituary Index, 1891-2003 at Ancestry (Free collection)

Probate Records

Probate records may include wills, bonds, petitions, accounts, inventories, administrations, orders, decrees, and distributions. They may include the decedent’s date of death, names of his or her spouse, children, parents, siblings, in-laws, etc. See Minnesota Probate Records for additional information.

Online Probate Indexes and Records

• 1801-1925 Minnesota, U.S., Wills and Probate Records, 1801-1925 at Ancestry; index and images ($)
• 1849-1985 Minnesota Will Records, 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 United States Social Security Death Index 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.

Tax Records

Since Minnesota tax records include only persons who owned taxable property, many residents were not included. Still they complement land records and can be used in place of missing censuses or the years between censuses. There may also be gaps. For more information, see the wiki page Minnesota Taxation.

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 original records can be purchased from the Minnesota Department of Health, Office of Vital Records, or the County Clerk's office of the county where the event occurred. See also Minnesota Vital Records.

Birth

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

Marriage

• 1850-2019 Web: Minnesota, U.S., Marriages from the Minnesota Official Marriage System, 1850-2019 at Ancestry (Free collection)
• 1860-1949 Minnesota, County Marriages, 1860-1949 at FamilySearch — 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 Minnesota, County Deaths, 1850-2001 at FamilySearch — How to Use this Collection; index and images
• 1887-2001 Minnesota Deaths, 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 Minnesota, U.S., Death Index, 1908-2017 at Ancestry ($)

Divorce

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

Research Facilities

Archives

Listed below are archives in Otter Tail County. For state-wide archival repositories, see Minnesota Archives and Libraries.

Family History Centers

Family History Center and Affiliate Library Locator map - link to search for local Family History Centers or Affiliate Libraries

• Family History Centers provide one-on-one assistance, free access to center-only databases, and to premium genealogical websites.
• FamilySearch Affiliate Libraries have access to most center-only databases, but may not always have full services normally provided by a family history center.
  

Local Centers and Affiliate Libraries

Libraries

Listed below are libraries in Otter Tail County. For state-wide library facilities, see Minnesota Archives and Libraries.

Viking Library System
1915 Fir Ave W
Fergus Falls, MN 5653
218-739-5286
Website

Otter Tail County Historical Society Library
1110 Lincoln Ave W
Fergus Falls, MN 56537
218-736-6038
Email: otchs@prtel.com
Website

Fergus Falls Public Library
205 E Hampden Ave
Fergus Falls, MN 56537
218-739-9387
E-mail: library@ffpubliclibrary.org
Website

Museums

Otter Tail County Historical Society
1110 Lincoln Ave W
Fergus Falls, MN 56537
218-736-6038
E-mail: otchs@prtel.com
Website

History Museum of East Otter Tail County
230 1st Avenue N
Perham, MN 56573
218-346-7676
E-mail: museum@eot.com
Website

Perham Pioneer Village
44290 Highway 8
Perham, MN 56573
218-346-7678
E-mail: eothistorymuseum@gmail.com
Facebook

In Their Own Words Veterns Museum
805 W Main
Perham, MN 56573
218-346-7678
E-mail: info@itowmuseum.org
Website

Finn Creek Open Air Museum
55442 340th Street
New York Mills, MN 56567
218-385-2233
Website

Societies

Listed below are societies in Otter Tail County. For state-wide genealogical societies, see Minnesota Societies.

Otter Tail County Genealogical Society
1110 W Lincoln Ave
Fergus Falls, MN 56537
218-736-6038
E-mail: otchs@prtel.com
Website

Websites

• Otter Tail County Genealogy at ldsgenealogy.com
• Research at Minnesota Historical Society — links to Records and Indexes; See also MHS Wiki Page
• Otter Tail County at MNGenWeb Archives, affiliated with USGenWeb.
• Otter Tail County at MNGenWeb Project, affiliated with USGenWeb Project.
• Iron Range Research Center
• FamilySearch Catalog – 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.

This website requires a paid subscription for full access.

The collection is free on this subscription website.