Clay County, Minnesota Genealogy

United States

Minnesota

Clay County

Guide to Clay 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: Moorhead Organized: March 18, 1858 Parent County(s): Pembina (Extinct) now Kittson Neighboring Counties Becker • Cass (ND) • Norman • Otter Tail • Richland (ND) • Wilkin See County Maps Courthouse Location Map

Henry Clay

County Information

Description

The county is named after U.S. Speaker of the House Henry Clay (1777-1852), a member of the United States Senate from Kentucky and United States Secretary of State in the 19th century. The county is located in the west-central area of the state.

County Courthouse

Clay County Courthouse
807 11th Street North
Moorhead, MN 56560
Phone: 218-299-5012
Clay County Website

Birth, marriage, death and land records from 1872, Military records from 1917, Divorce and court records from 1931, and Probate records from 1885

Clay 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
1872	1872	1872	1931	1872	1885	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: Originally named Breckenridge, Clay County was created from Pembina (Extinct) now Kittson March 18, 1858. On March 6, 1862, Breckenridge was renamed Clay County. County seat: Moorhead 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

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
Barnesville Comstock Dilworth Felton	Georgetown Glyndon Hawley Hitterdal	Moorhead Sabin Ulen
Unincorporated communities
Downer Kragnes	Manitoba Junction Rollag	Rustad Tansem
Census-designated places
Baker	Oakport
Townships
Alliance Barnesville Cromwell Eglon Elkton Elmwood Felton Flowing Georgetown Glyndon	Goose Prairie Hagen Hawley Highland Grove Holy Cross Humboldt Keene Kragnes Kurtz Moland	Moorhead Morken Oakport Parke Riverton Skree Spring Prairie Tansem Ulen Viding
Ghost towns
Dale	Muskoda	Winnipeg Junction

Resources

Biographies

• Turner, John; Semling, C. Knut; History of Clay and Norman counties, Minnesota, their people, industries, ..., (Indianapolis, Indiana: B.F. Bowen & Company, 1918); Volume two online at FamilySearch Digital Library, Internet Archive; Alphabetical listing at Historical & Cultural Society of Clay County.
• Minnesota, Clay County, biography files, 1950's-1980's; Online at FamilySearch Library Catalog; Scroll down to Film/Digital Notes, then select the camera icon to view images.

Cemeteries

Cemeteries of Clay County, Minnesota online and in print
Tombstone Transcriptions Online	BillionGraves Find a Grave Interment.net MN Tombstone Transcription Project MNGenWeb Project USGenWeb Archives
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	72	—
1870	92	27.8%
1880	5,887	6298.9%
1890	11,517	95.6%
1900	17,942	55.8%
1910	19,640	9.5%
1920	21,780	10.9%
1930	23,120	6.2%
1940	25,337	9.6%
1950	30,363	19.8%
1960	39,080	28.7%
1970	46,585	19.2%
1980	49,327	5.9%
1990	50,422	2.2%
2000	51,229	1.6%
2010	58,999	15.2%
Source: "Wikipedia.org".

State Census

• 1835-1890 , 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 & 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

• Dobmeier Funeral and Cremation Service in Barnesville.
• Fargo-Moorhead Cremation in Moorhead.
• Korsmo Funeral and Cremation Service in Moorhead.
• Wright Funeral Home and Cremation Service in Hawley and Moorhead.

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

• 1872-1947 Minnesota, Clay County Land and Property Records, 1872-1947 at FamilySearch — How to Use this Collection
• 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 Clay 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.

• Turner, John; Semling, C. Knut; History of Clay and Norman counties, Minnesota, their people, industries, ..., (Indianapolis, Indiana: B.F. Bowen & Company, 1918); Volume one online at FamilySearch Digital Library.

Maps and Gazetteers

Click a neighboring county
for more resources

• Clay County, Minnesota Map at David Rumsey Map Collections
• FamilySearch Places: Map of cities and towns in this county - How to Use FS Places
• Minnesota Department of Transportation, Clay County municipality and township maps.

Military Records

Multiple Wars

• 1898-1899 Minnesota Volunteers in the Spanish American War and the Philippine Insurrection at Ancestry ($)
• Clay County, veteran's record of service card file, 1940

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)

Spanish-American War

• 1898 U.S., Spanish American War Volunteers Index to Compiled Military Service Records, 1898 at Ancestry (Free collection)
• 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 Civilian Draft Registrations, 1917-1918 at Ancestry (Free collection)
• 1917-1918 U.S., World War I Draft Registration Cards, 1917-1918 at Ancestry ($)
• 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 & images.
• 1940-1947 U.S., World War II Draft Cards Young Men, 1940-1947 at Ancestry ($)
• 1942 U.S., World War II Draft Registration Cards, 1942 at Ancestry ($)
• 1940-Clay County, veteran's record of service card file, 1940

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

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

Obituaries

• 1813-Onward Minnesota Obituaries at MyHeritage — index ($)
• 1865-2006 Minnesota, Obituaries 1865-2006 at FamilySearch — How to Use this Collection; index & images.
• 1865-2006 Minnesota, Clay and Steele County Obituaries, 1865-2006 at FamilySearch — How to Use this Collection; index & images
• 1891-2003 Web: Minnesota, U.S., Obituary Index, 1891-2003 at Ancestry (Free Index)

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 ($)
• 1817-1981 Minnesota, Clay County, Will Records, 1817-1981(*); 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

School Records

Online School Indexes and Records

• 1909-1962 Minnesota, Clay County, School Census Records, 1909-1962 at FamilySearch — How to Use this Collection; index & images

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 Clay County. For state-wide archival repositories, see Minnesota Archives and Libraries.

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

• Detroit Lakes Minnesota FamilySearch Center
• Fargo North Dakota FamilySearch Center
• Lake Agassiz Regional Library - Moorhead Public Library - an affiliate library.
• Park Rapids Minnesota Library - an affiliate library.

Libraries

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

Fargo Public Library
Main Library
101 4th St N
Fargo, ND 58102
Phone: 701-241-1472
Email: reference@fargolibrary.org
Website
Facebook

Lake Agassiz Regional Library
118 5th St S
Moorhead, MN 56560-2756
Phone: 218-233-3757, 800-247-0449
Email: pio@larl.org
Website
Facebook

Northwest Minnesota Historical Center (NMHC)
Minnesota State University
1104 7th Ave S
Moorhead, MN 56563
Phone: 800-593-7246
Website

Museums

Hjemkomst Center
202 1st Ave N
Moorhead, MN 56560
Phone: 218-299-5511
Email: communications@hcsmuseum.org
Website
Facebook

Ulen Museum
35 1st St NW
PO Box 403
Ulen, MN 56585
Phone: 218-596-8884
Email: visitor@ulenmuseum.com
Website
Facebook

Societies

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

Barnesville Heritage Society
PO Box 126
412 6 Street NE
Barnesville, MN 56514
Phone: 218-354-2364

Historical and Cultural Society of Clay County
The Hjemkomst Center
202 1st Ave N
Moorhead, MN 56560
Phone: 218-299-5511
Email: communications@hcsmuseum.org
Website
Facebook

Websites

• The Clay County MNGenWeb Project, a member of The MNGenWeb Project, an affiliate of The USGenWeb Project.
• PeopleFINDER (Family History) at Minnesota Historical Society
• USGenWeb Archives for Clay County.
• Clay County at Cyndi's List
• Minnesota Genealogy Trails
• 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.
• Historical & Cultural Society of Clay County
• 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.