North Dakota Genealogy Search

North Dakota family history begins with the Red River settlements of the 1870s and the homestead and railroad boom of the 1880s, when Norwegian, German Russian and other immigrants took up land across Dakota Territory. The State Historical Society of North Dakota in Bismarck holds the territorial and state records, county records on microfilm and nearly every North Dakota newspaper, and the state censuses of 1915 and 1925 and the 1885 Dakota Territory census cover the settlement generation.

North Dakota's Department of Health posts a free public death index, and the homestead files at the National Archives name most first families.

Official sources on this page were checked on September 25, 2026.

North Dakota statewide genealogy links

• Search the State Historical Society of North Dakota Census Records
• State Historical Society of North Dakota Military Records
• North Dakota Department of Health and Vital Records
• State Historical Society of North Dakota Land Records
• North Dakota Public Records
• State Historical Society of North Dakota ArchivesNaturalization Records
• NDGenWeb ProjectSearch USGenWeb Archives

North Dakota began statewide birth and death registration in 1907, with some records from 1893, and the North Dakota Department of Health and Human Services Vital Records office in Bismarck holds the certificates. Death records are public and the state posts a free online North Dakota Public Death Index covering 1881 onward, while birth records are restricted for 100 years. Marriage licenses were issued by each county's clerk of court from the county's founding, and the state has a marriage index from 1925, and divorce records sit with the district court clerk.

• North Dakota Public Death IndexFree online index of North Dakota deaths from 1881, checked September 25, 2026
• North Dakota Vital RecordsBirth, death, marriage and divorce certificates from 1907, checked September 25, 2026
• North Dakota Vital Records guideHow to order certificates and what is public

The State Historical Society holds the 1885 Dakota Territory census, the North Dakota state censuses of 1915 and 1925, the state's Spanish-American War and World War I service records, the North Dakota State Penitentiary registers, county records on microfilm, naturalization records from the county courts with a statewide index and the largest North Dakota newspaper collection. Federal land patents and homestead entries for North Dakota are at the General Land Office site, with the full homestead files at the National Archives. The Institute for Regional Studies at North Dakota State University in Fargo holds Red River Valley records and the Germans from Russia collection, and the National Archives at Kansas City holds North Dakota's federal court and Bureau of Indian Affairs records.

• State Historical Society of North DakotaState censuses, naturalizations, county records and newspapers, checked September 25, 2026
• Germans from Russia Heritage CollectionNorth Dakota State University collection for German Russian families, checked September 25, 2026
• National Archives at Kansas CityFederal court and Indian agency records for North Dakota, checked September 25, 2026
• FamilySearch North Dakota research guideFree indexed North Dakota records and images, checked September 25, 2026

North Dakota county recorders hold deeds and mortgages from each county's founding, clerks of the district court hold marriage licenses, probate, divorce, civil and naturalization files, and most recorders post indexes online. The State Historical Society has microfilmed the older books of the 53 counties, and the Cass County records, covering Fargo, and the Burleigh County records, covering Bismarck, are the largest sets. North Dakota's county genealogical societies have indexed cemeteries and obituaries.

• North Dakota County Public RecordsCounty recorders and district court clerks for all 53 counties
• North Dakota Court RecordsNorth Dakota Courts public search and probate records

These federal and national sources complement North Dakota's state-level records. They are the authoritative sources you should cross-check when North Dakota state records are incomplete or out-of-state activity matters.

NARA, National Archives The federal government's primary archive. Holds the U.S. census (1790, 1950), ship passenger lists, naturalization records, military service files, and land entry files.

FamilySearch Free online genealogy platform operated by The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. Digitized microfilm copies of many county and state records worldwide.

Library of Congress, Local History & Genealogy The LoC's research guides, city directories, newspapers, and Civil War records, most accessible free online through loc.gov.