Itasca County, Minnesota Genealogy

United States

Minnesota

Itasca County

Guide to Itasca 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: Grand Rapids Organized: 07 March 1891 Parent County(s): Original County Neighboring Counties Aitkin • Beltrami • Cass • Koochiching • St. Louis See County Maps Courthouse Location Map

County Information

Description

The county was named for Two Latin words for "truth" and "head". The county is located in the north-central area of the state.

County Courthouse

Itasca County Courthouse
123 4th Street NE
Grand Rapids, MN 55744
Phone: 218) 327-2870
Itasca County Website

County Recorder-Registrar has birth and marriage records from 1891, death records from 1894, burial records from 1900, land records from 1883 and military records from 1919.
Court Administrator has probate records from 1896, divorce and court records from 1950.
Minnesota Historical Society has divorce and court records to 1950.

Itasca 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
1891	1891	1894	1891	1883	1896	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

1849--Itasca County was created 27 October 1849 from non-county area in Minnesota Territory (remnant of Wisconsin Territory). Organized Date: 07 March 1891 County seat: Grand Rapids 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
Bigfork Bovey Calumet Cohasset Coleraine Deer River	Effie Grand Rapids Keewatin La Prairie Marble	Nashwauk Squaw Lake Taconite Warba Zemple
Unincorporated communities
Alvwood Bass Lake Bear River Bergville Blackberry Bowstring Dora Lake Dunbar Goodland Grattan	Gunn Houpt Jessie Lake Mack Marcell Martin Max Orth Pengilly Pomroy	Rosy Spring Lake Suomi Swan River Talmoon Togo Wawina Wirt
Census-designated places
Ball Club	Inger
Townships
Alvwood Arbo Ardenhurst Balsam Bearville Bigfork Blackberry Bowstring Carpenter Deer River Feeley Good Hope Goodland Grand Rapids	Grattan Greenway Harris Iron Range Kinghurst Lake Jessie Lawrence Lone Pine Marcell Max Moose Park Morse Nashwauk Nore	Oteneagen Pomroy Sago Sand Lake Spang Splithand Stokes Third River Trout Lake Wabana Wawina Wildwood Wirt
Unorganized territories
Bowstring Lake Deer Lake	Effie Liberty	Little Sand Lake Northeast Itasca

History Timeline

It was organized in 1857, then deorganized in 1858, and reorganized in 1891. It was attached to Washington, Crow Wing, Benton, Chisago, Morrison, St. Louis, and Aitkin counties.

Resources

Cemeteries

Cemeteries of Itasca County, Minnesota online and in print
Tombstone Transcriptions Online	BillionGraves Find a Grave MNGenWeb 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.	%±
1850	97	—
1860	51	−47.4%
1870	96	88.2%
1880	124	29.2%
1890	743	499.2%
1900	4,573	515.5%
1910	17,208	276.3%
1920	23,876	38.7%
1930	27,224	14.0%
1940	32,996	21.2%
1950	33,321	1.0%
1960	38,006	14.1%
1970	35,530	−6.5%
1980	43,069	21.2%
1990	40,863	−5.1%
2000	43,992	7.7%
2010	45,058	2.4%
Source: "Wikipedia.org".

State Census

• 1835-1890 Minnesota, 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

• Carroll Funeral Home in Bigfork and Deer River.
• Libbey Funeral Home and Cremation Services in Grand Rapids.
• Peterson Funeral Chapel of Coleraine in Coleraine.
• Rowe Funeral Home and Crematory in Grand Rapids.

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 Minnesota, 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 Itasca 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.

• Rottsolk, James E.; Pines, Mines, and Lakes: the Story of Itasca County, Minnesota (Itasca County Historical Society, 1960) Online at FamilySearch Digital Library.

Maps and Gazetteers

Click a neighboring county
for more resources

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

Military Records

• 1861-1917 United States Civil War and Later Pension Index, 1861-1917 at FamilySearch - How to Use this Collection; Free index, images ($)
• 1898-1899 Minnesota Volunteers in the Spanish American War and the Philippine Insurrection at Ancestry ($)

Civil War

• 1861-1865 U.S. Civil War Soldiers, 1861-1865 at Ancestry; Free index
• 1861-1865 , U.S., Civil War Records, 1861-1865 at Ancestry; Free index
• 1861-1865 Minnesota Civil War Soldiers at Ancestry; Free index
• 1861-1934 U.S., Civil War Pension Index: General Index to Pension Files, 1861-1934 at Ancestry; Free index

Spanish-American War

• 1898 U.S., Spanish American War Volunteers Index to Compiled Military Service Records, 1898 at Ancestry; Free index
• 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 Civilian Draft Registrations, 1917-1918 at Ancestry (Free collection)
• 1917-1918 U.S., World War I Draft Registration Cards, 1917-1918 at Ancestry; Free index
• 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; Free index
• 1942 U.S., World War II Draft Registration Cards, 1942 at Ancestry; Free index

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
• 1891-2003 Web: Minnesota, 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 ($)
• 1849-1985 Minnesota Will Records, 1849-1985 at FamilySearch — How to Use this Collection; index
• 1898-1918 Minnesota, Itasca County, Will Records, 1898-1918(*); at FamilySearch Catalog — images
• 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 Itasca 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

• Bemidji Minnesota FamilySearch Center
• Duluth Minnesota FamilySearch Center
• Virginia Minnesota FamilySearch Center
• Jessie F. Hallett Memorial Library - an affiliate library.
• Park Rapids Minnesota Library - an affiliate library.

Libraries

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

Arrowhead Library System
5528 Emerald Ave
Mountain Iron, MN 55768
Phone: 218-741-3840
Email: als@alslib.info
Website
Facebook

Museums

Itasca County Historical Society Museum
201 N Pokegama Ave
Grand Rapids, MN 55744
Phone: 218-326-6431
Email: ichs@paulbunyan.net
Website
Facebook

Societies

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

Itasca County Historical Society
201 N Pokegama Ave
Grand Rapids, MN 55744
Phone: 218-326-6431
Email: ichs@paulbunyan.net
Website
Facebook

Websites

• Research at Minnesota Historical Society — links to Records and Indexes; See also MHS Wiki Page
• 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.
• Itasca County MNGenWeb Project, a member of MNGenWeb Project, an affiliate of USGenWeb Sites
• Itasca, a member of MN USGenWeb Archives, an affiliate of USGenWeb Archives. for Minnesota; select desired 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.