Stearns County, MinnesotaEdit This Page
From FamilySearch Wiki
United States 
Minnesota Stearns County
Guide to Stearns County Minnesota genealogy. Birth records, marriage records, death records, census records, family history, and military records.
| Stearns County, Minnesota | |
| Map | |
 Location in the state of Minnesota | |
 Location of Minnesota in the U.S. | |
| Facts | |
| Founded | February 20, 1855 |
|---|---|
| County Seat | St. Cloud |
| Courthouse | |
| Address | Stearns County Courthouse 705 Courthouse Sq St. Cloud, MN 56303 Phone: 320.656.3855 Stearns County Website |
Contents |
County Courthouse
Court Adminostratpr has divorce, probate and court records.
County Recorder has land records.
License Center has birth, marriage and death records. [1]
History
Parent County
- 1855--Stearns County was created 20 February 1855 from Cass, Nicollet, Pierce (Eliminated 20 Feb 1862), and Sibley Counties.
- County seat: St. Cloud [2]
- For a brief history of Stearns County's name, click here, then select Stearns County.
Boundary Changes
Record Loss
Places/Localities
Populated Places
Cities: Avon | Sartell | Spring Hill | St. Cloud | St. Joseph
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.
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, Stearns – LAND AND PROPERTY
Local Histories
Local histories are available for Stearns 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.
- William Bell Mitchell, History of Stearns County, Minnesota. Chicago : H.C. Cooper, Jr., 1915
- Newton Horace Winchell, History of the Upper Mississippi Valley. Minneapolis: Minnesota Historical Co., 1881
Maps
Military
Civil War
Civil War service men from Stearns County served in various regiments. Men often joined a company (within a regiment) that originated in their county. Listed below are companies or regiments that were formed from men of Stearns County.
- - 1st Regiment, Minnesota Cavalry (Mounted Rangers), Company D.
- - 1st Regiment, Minnesota Infantry, Companies D and E.
- - 3rd Regiment, Minnesota Infantry, Company I.
- - 4th Regiment, Minnesota Infantry, Companies D and G.
- - 7th Regiment, Minnesota Infantry, Company I.
- - Hatch's Independent Battalion, Minnesota Cavalry, Company E.
Newspapers
Additional newspapers abstracts can sometimes be found using search phrases such as Stearns County, Minnesota newspapers in online catalogs like:
- WorldCat
- FamilySearch. Do a Stearns County, Minnesota Place-name search for these and other records in the Family History Library Catalog (For instructions see, FHL Catalog Place-name Search).
All newspapers are available on microfilm at Stearns History Museum
- St. Cloud Times, 1861-2011 (weekly and daily)
- Der Nordstern, 17 Feb 1876 - 27 Aug 1931 (1886 is missing)
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
- Stearns History Museum Archives
- Introduction to LDS Family History Centers
- St Cloud Minnesota Family History Center
Family History Centers
Web Sites
- Stearns History Museum Archives
- Stearns County, MN Genealogy Forum (GenForum)
- Family History Library Catalog
References
- ↑ Handybook for Genealogists: United States of America, 10th ed. (Draper, Utah: Everton Pub., 2002), Stearns County, Minnesota page 368, At various libraries (WorldCat); FHL Book 973 D27e 2002.
- ↑ The Handybook for Genealogists: United States of America,10th ed. (Draper, UT:Everton Publishers, 2002).
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 4 June 2013, at 21:42.
- This page has been accessed 1,828 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