Chisago County, Minnesota Genealogy

United States

Minnesota

Chisago County

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

Minnesota Online Genealogy Records

County Facts County seat: Center City Organized: January 1, 1852 Parent County(s): Ramsey, Washington Neighboring Counties Anoka • Burnett (WI) • Isanti • Kanabec • Pine • Polk (WI) • Washington See County Maps Courthouse Location Map

County Information

Description

The county was named for the Chisago Lake. The county is located in the east-central area of the state.

County Courthouse

Chisago County Courthouse
313 N Main St
Center City, MN 55012
Phone: 651-213-7010
Chisago County Website

Clerk District Court has birth and death records from 1870, marriage records from 1852, court records from 1880 and divorce records.
Probate Judge has probate records.
Register of Deeds has land records.

Chisago 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 Government County Records
Birth*	Marriage	Death*	Court	Land	Probate	Census
1870	1852	1870	1880	1852	1857	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 Ramsey and Washington Counties May 1, 1851 County seat: Center City Minnesota Individual County Chronologies - Newberry Library list of all boundary changes by county Minnesota Historical Borders - Map at Newberry Library Atlas of Historical County Boundaries; Also at: mapofus.org - animated maps illustrating Minnesota county boundary changes

Populated Places

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
Center City Chisago City Harris Lindstrom	North Branch Rush City Shafer Stacy	Taylors Falls Wyoming
Unincorporated communities
Almelund Franconia	Palmdale Rush Point	Stark Sunrise
Townships
Amador Chisago Lake Fish Lake Franconia	Lent Nessel Rushseba Shafer	Sunrise Wyoming

Resources

Biographies

• Easton, Augustus B.; History of the Saint Croix Valley; (Chicago: H.C. Cooper, Jr. & Co., 1909); Volume two (biographical) online at FamilySearch Digital Library, Google Books, HathiTrust.

Cemeteries

Cemeteries of Chisago County, Minnesota online and in print
Tombstone Transcriptions Online	BillionGraves Find a Grave MN Tombstone Transcription Project
Tombstone Transcriptions in Print (Often more complete)	FamilySearch 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	1,743	—
1870	4,358	150.0%
1880	7,982	83.2%
1890	10,359	29.8%
1900	13,248	27.9%
1910	13,537	2.2%
1920	14,445	6.7%
1930	13,189	−8.7%
1940	13,124	−0.5%
1950	12,669	−3.5%
1960	13,419	5.9%
1970	17,492	30.4%
1980	25,717	47.0%
1990	30,521	18.7%
2000	41,101	34.7%
2010	53,887	31.1%
Source: "Wikipedia.org".

State Census

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

Directories

• 1970-2024 United States, Residence Database, 1970-2024 at FamilySearch — How to Use this Collection; index, coverage may vary

Emigration and Immigration

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

Funeral Homes

• Grandstrand Funeral Home and Cremation Services in Lindstrom and North Branch.
• Olson and Swanson Funeral and Cremation Chapels in Rush City.

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 , U.S., Homestead and Cash Entry Patents, Pre-1908 at Ancestry ($)
• Full-Text Search - Land Records at FamilySearch - index & images; dates, records, and places vary; How to Search

Local Histories

Local histories are available for Chisago 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.

• Easton, Augustus B.; History of the Saint Croix Valley; (Chicago: H.C. Cooper, Jr. & Co., 1909); Volume one (historical) online at FamilySearch Digital Library, Google Books, HathiTrust.

Maps and Gazetteers

Click a neighboring county
for more resources

• Minnesota Maps at David Rumsey Map Collections
• FamilySearch Places:Cities and Towns - How to Use FS Places
• Minnesota Department of Transportation, Chisago County municipality and township maps.

Military Records

Multiple Wars

• 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 Collection)
• 1861-1865 Minnesota, U.S., Civil War Records, 1861-1865 at Ancestry (Free Collection)
• 1861-1865 Minnesota Civil War Soldiers at Ancestry (Free Collection)
• 1861-1917 United States Civil War and Later Pension Index, 1861-1917 at FamilySearch - How to Use this Collection
• 1861-1934 U.S., Civil War Pension Index: General Index to Pension Files, 1861-1934 at Ancestry (Free Collection)

Civil War service men from Chisago 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 Chisago County.

-1st Regiment, Minnesota Cavalry (Mounted Rangers), Company M.

-1st Regiment, Minnesota Infantry, Company C.

-7th Regiment, Minnesota Infantry, Company C.

Spanish-American War

• 1898-1899 , 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 collection)
• 1918-1941 Minnesota, World War I Records, 1918-1941 at FamilySearch — How to Use this Collection; index & images.
• The Chisago County War History Committee; Chisago County, Minnesota in the World War; (The Chisago County War History Committee, 1920); Online at FamilySearch Digital Library, HathiTrust.

World War II

• 1940-1947 Minnesota, World War II Draft Registration Cards,1940-1947 at FamilySearch — How to Use this Collection; index & images.
• 1940-1947 U.S., World War II Draft Cards Young Men, 1940-1947 at Ancestry ($)
• 1942 U.S., World War II Draft Registration Cards, 1942 at Ancestry ($)

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 & images.
• 1880-1920 , U.S., Federal Naturalization Records, 1880-1920 at Ancestry ($)
• 1918 Web: , U.S., Alien Registration Index, 1918 at Ancestry (Free Collection)

Newspapers

• 1800s-Current Minnesota, U.S., Newspapers.com™ Stories and Events Index, 1800's-Current at Ancestry — index & images ($)
• Minnesota Digital Newspaper Hub at Minnesota Historical Society — narrow to county (55 listed) or city (106 listed), search for surname, limit by date.

Obituaries

• 1813-Onward Minnesota Obituaries at MyHeritage — index ($)
• 1865-2006 Minnesota Obituaries 1865-2006 at FamilySearch — How to Use this Collection; index & images.
• 1891-2003 Web: , 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 ($)
• 1810-1962 Minnesota, Chisago County, Wills, 1810-1962(*); Probate Court at FamilySearch Catalog — images
• 1849-1985 Minnesota Will Records, 1849-1985 at FamilySearch — How to Use this Collection; index
• Full-Text Search - Wills and Probate Records at FamilySearch - index & images; dates, records, and places vary; How to Search

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.
• 1936-2007 United States, Social Security Numerical Identification Files (NUMIDENT), 1936-2007 at FamilySearch - How to Use this Collection; index

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 ($)
• 1935-2000 Minnesota, U.S., Birth Index, 1935-2000 at Ancestry ($)
• Minnesota, Births at MyHeritage — index ($)

Marriage

• 1850-2019 Web: Minnesota, U.S., Marriages from the Minnesota Official Marriage System, 1850-2019 at Ancestry (Free collection)
• 1850-Onward Minnesota, Marriages at MyHeritage — index ($)
• 1860-1949 Minnesota, County Marriages, 1860-1949 at FamilySearch — How to Use this Collection; index & images
• 1885-present Minnesota Official Marriage System at MOMS.mn.gov; search by county, name or date, and request copy.
• 1970-2003 Minnesota Marriage Records Index, 1970-2003 at Archives ($)
• 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 & images
• 1887-2001 Minnesota Deaths, 1887-2001 at FamilySearch — How to Use this Collection; index & 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 Chisago County. For state-wide archival repositories, see Minnesota Archives and Libraries.

St. Cloud State University Archives
400 6th Ave S
St. Cloud, MN 56301-4498
Phone: 320-308-4753
Email: archives@stcloudstate.edu
Website
Facebook

FamilySearch Centers

FamilySearch Center and Affiliate Library Locator map - search for local FamilySearch Centers or Affiliate Libraries

• FamilySearch 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 FamilySearch center.
  

Local Centers and Affiliate Libraries

• North Branch Minnesota FamilySearch Center
• Pine City Minnesota FamilySearch Center
• Princeton Minnesota FamilySearch Center
• Great River Regional Library - multiple branches - an affiliate library.
• Ramsey County Public Library - White Bear Lake - an affiliate library.

Libraries

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

Chisago Lakes Area Library
11754 302nd St
Chisago City, MN 55013
Phone: 651-257-2817
Website

North Branch Area Library
6355 379th St
North Branch, MN 55056
Phone: 651-674-8443
Website

Rush City Public Library
240 W Fourth St
Rush City, MN 55069
Phone: 320-358-3948
Website

Taylors Falls Public Library
473 Bench St
Taylors Falls, MN 55084
Phone: 651-465-6905
Website
Facebook

Wyoming Area Giese Memorial Library
26855 Forest Blvd
PO Box 39
Wyoming, MN 55092
Phone: 651-462-9001
Website
Facebook

Museums

Amador Heritage Center
Maple Street and CSAH #12
Amador Township, MN
Mailing Address: 15695 – 368th St
Almelund, MN 55012
Phone: 651-269-3580
Email: lin.strong269@gmail.com
Website
Facebook

Chisago County Historical Society Museum
12795 Lake Blvd
PO Box 146
Lindstrom, MN 55045
Phone: 651-257-5310
Email: chisagohistory@frontiernet.net
Website
Facebook

Societies

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

Center City Historical Society
313 N Main St
PO Box 366
Center City, MN 55012
Phone: 651-257-6691

Chisago County Genealogical Group
PO Box 360
Center City, MN 55012

Chisago County Historical Society
12795 Lake Blvd
PO Box 146
Lindstrom, MN 55045
Phone: 651-257-5310
Email: chisagohistory@frontiernet.net
Website
Facebook

Friends of the Karl Oskar House
Formerly Lindstrom Historical Society
Ki-Chi-Saga Park
29061 Glader Blvd
PO Box 12
Lindstrom, MN 55045
Phone: 651-257-2519, 651-464-3594
Email: friendsofkarloskarhouse@gmail.com
Website
Facebook

Taylors Falls Historical Society
272 W Government St
PO Box 333
Taylors Falls, MN 55084
Phone: 651-329-0985
Email: tfhistory@gmail.com
Website
Facebook

Websites

• Iron Range Research Center The Iron Range Research Center contains one of the largest collections of genealogical and local history research materials in the Upper Midwest and includes census, naturalization records, passenger arrival records, mining company newsletters, and a survey of Women in Industry taken in 1919, among many others.
• USGenWeb Archives for Chisago County.
• Chisago County at Cyndi's List
• Research at Minnesota Historical Society — links to Records and Indexes; See also MHS Wiki Page
• Chisago County MNGenWeb Project, a member of The MNGenWeb Project, an affiliate of The USGenWeb Project.
• 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.