Otter Tail County, MinnesotaEdit This Page
From FamilySearch Wiki
United States 
Minnesota Otter Tail County
Guide to Otter Tail County Minnesota genealogy. Birth records, marriage records, death records, census records, family history, and military records.
| Otter Tail County, Minnesota | |
| Map | |
 Location in the state of Minnesota | |
 Location of Minnesota in the U.S. | |
| Facts | |
| Founded | March 18, 1858 |
|---|---|
| County Seat | Fergus Falls |
| Courthouse | |
| Address | Otter Tail County Courthouse 121 W Junis Avenue Fergus Falls, MN 56537 Phone: 218.739.2271 Otter Tail County Website |
Contents |
County Courthouse
Clerk Deeds Court has birth and death records from 1870,
marriage records from 1869, divorce records from 1897,
probate and court records from 1872. [1]
History
Parent County
- 1858--Otter Tail County was created 18 March 1858 from Cass and Pembina (Old) Counties County seat: Fergus Falls [2]
- For a brief history of Otter Tail County's name, click here, then select Otter Tail County.
Boundary Changes
Record Loss
Places/Localities
Populated Places
Neighboring Counties
Resources
Cemeteries
Church
Most church records are held by individual churches. For contact information, check a phone directory, such as SearchBug or Dex Knows. Some denominations are gathering their records into a central repository. For more information about these major repositories, see Minnesota Church Records.
The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints
LDS Ward and Branch Records
- Fergus Falls
Lutheran
Aurdal Lutheran Church, Underwood
- Records of the Aurdal Lutheran Church, Underwood, in Evangelical Lutheran Church in America database at Archives.com ($).[3]
Fergus Falls
- Records of the American Lutheran Church, Fergus Falls, in Evangelical Lutheran Church in America database at Archives.com ($).
Grace Lutheran Church, Erhard
- Records of the Grace Lutheran Church, Erhard, in Evangelical Lutheran Church in America database at Archives.com ($).[3]
North Immanuel Lutheran Church, Pelican Rapids
- Records of the North Immanuel Lutheran Church, Pelican Rapids, in Evangelical Lutheran Church in America database at Archives.com ($).[3]
South Immanuel Lutheran Church, Rothsay
- Records of the South Immanuel Lutheran Church, Rothsay, in Evangelical Lutheran Church in America database at Archives.com ($).[3]
Trifoldinghed Lutheran Church
- Records of the Trifoldinghed Lutheran Church, Otter Tail County, in Evangelical Lutheran Church in America database at Archives.com ($).
Trinity Lutheran Church, Pelican Rapids
- Records of the Trinity Lutheran Church, Pelican Rapids, in Evangelical Lutheran Church in America database at Archives.com ($).
United Norwegian Lutheran Church, Underwood
- Records of the United Norwegian Lutheran Church, Underwood, in Evangelical Lutheran Church in America database at Archives.com ($).
Court
Land
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.
Land records for Minnesota are listed in the Place Search of the Family History Library Catalog under:
MINNESOTA, Otter Tail – LAND AND PROPERTY
Local Histories
Local histories are available for Otter Tail County, Minnesota. 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.
- John W. Mason, ed. History of Otter Tail County, Minnesota : its people, industries and institutions, with biographical sketches of representive citizens and genealogial records of many of the old families. Indianapolis : B. F. Bowen, 1916
- Tweton, Jerome D. The New Deal: At the Grass Roots. St. Paul, MN: Minnesota Historical Society Press, 1988. Print.
Maps
- Family Maps of Otter Tail County, Minnesota (land patent maps) at HistoryGeo.com ($). Free surname search.
Military
Listing of individuals from this county for these wars:
- World War 1
- World War II
- Korean War
- Vietnam War
Newspapers
Additional newspapers abstracts can sometimes be found using search phrases such as Otter Tail County, Minnesota newspapers in online catalogs like:
- Tail+county+Minnesota+Newspapers&qt=results_page WorldCat
- FamilySearch. Do a Otter Tail County, Minnesota Place-name search for these and other records in the Family History Library Catalog (For instructions see, FHL Catalog Place-name Search).
Probate
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.
Taxation
Minnesota tax records complement land records and can be used in place of censuses before 1820 or to supplement the years between censuses. Because only persons who owned taxable property were listed, many residents were not included in tax lists. There may also be gaps of several years in the tax records of some counties. 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 State Registrar of Vital Records or the County Clerk's office of the county where the event occurred. See also Minnesota Vital Records. For information about restrictions and costs for certificates, see the CDC Where to Write for Vital Records site.
Societies and Libraries
- Otter Tail County Genealogical Society, 1110 W. Lincoln Avenue, Fergus Falls, MN 56537
Family History Centers
Web Sites
- Otter Tail County, MN Genealogy Forum (GenForum)
- Family History Library Catalog
- Otter Tail County Genealogy (Minnesota Genealogy)
References
- ↑ Handybook for Genealogists: United States of America, 10th ed. (Draper, Utah: Everton Pub., 2002), Otter County, Minnesota page 367, At various libraries (WorldCat); FHL Book 973 D27e 2002.
- ↑ The Handybook for Genealogists: United States of America,10th ed. (Draper, UT:Everton Publishers, 2002).
- ↑ 3.0 3.1 3.2 3.3 "Evangelical Lutheran Church in America: An Inventory of Selected Congregational Records of the American Lutheran Church in Minnesota at the Minnesota Historical Society," Collection Finding Aids, Minnesota Historical Society, http://www.mnhs.org/library/findaids/01009.xml, accessed 10 June 2013.
 |
This Minnesota-related article is a stub. You can help by expanding it. While this page is under construction, may we suggest Cyndi's List. |
Need additional research help? Contact our research help specialists.
Need wiki, indexing, or website help? Contact our product teams.
Did you find this article helpful?
You're invited to explain your rating on the discussion page (you must be signed in).
- This page was last modified on 11 June 2013, at 20:32.
- This page has been accessed 1,631 times.
New to the Research Wiki?
In the FamilySearch Research Wiki, you can learn how to do genealogical research or share your knowledge with others.
Learn More