Swift County, Minnesota Genealogy
Guide to Swift County, Minnesota ancestry, genealogy and family history, birth records, marriage records, death records, census records, family history, and military records.
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County Information
Description
The County was named for Henry Adoniram Swift, the governor of Minnesota in 1863. The County is located in the west-central area of the state.[3]
County Courthouse
Swift County Courthouse
301 14th St N
PO Box 50
Benson, MN 56215
Phone: 320-843-2744
Swift County Website
County Treasurer has birth records from 1870, marriage records from 1871 and death records from 1872.
Clerk Courts has divorce, court and probate records.
County Recorder has land records. [4]
Swift 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.
| Birth* | Marriage | Death* | Court | Land | Probate | Census |
| 1870 | 1871 | 1872 | 1874 | 1871 | 1873 | 1836 |
Record Loss
|
There is no known history of courthouse disasters in this 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:[9]
| Cities | ||
| Unincorporated communities | ||
| Townships | ||
History Timeline
Resources
Bible Records
Biographies
Business, Commerce, and Occupations
Cemeteries
Census Records
For links to Federal, State, and Territorial censuses, see Minnesota Census.
| Historical populations | ||
|---|---|---|
| Census | Pop. | %± |
| 1880 | 7,473 | — |
| 1890 | 10,161 | 36.0% |
| 1900 | 13,503 | 32.9% |
| 1910 | 12,949 | −4.1% |
| 1920 | 15,093 | 16.6% |
| 1930 | 14,735 | −2.4% |
| 1940 | 15,469 | 5.0% |
| 1950 | 15,837 | 2.4% |
| 1960 | 14,936 | −5.7% |
| 1970 | 13,177 | −11.8% |
| 1980 | 12,920 | −2.0% |
| 1990 | 10,724 | −17.0% |
| 2000 | 11,956 | 11.5% |
| 2010 | 9,783 | −18.2% |
| 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 and images.
- 1875 Minnesota State Census, 1875 at FamilySearch — How to Use this Collection; index and images.
- 1885 Minnesota State Census, 1885 at FamilySearch — How to Use this Collection; index and images.
- 1905 Minnesota State Census, 1905 at FamilySearch — How to Use this Collection; index and 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.
Lutheran Church 1781-1969 U.S., Evangelical Lutheran Church in America Church Records, 1781-1969 at Ancestry ($)
Court Records
Directories
Emigration and Immigration
- 1912-1956 Minnesota Passenger and Crew Lists, 1912-1956 at FamilySearch — How to Use this Collection; index and images.
Ethnic, Political, and Religious Groups
Funeral Homes
Genealogies
Guardianship
Land and Property Records
The county register of deeds keeps land records once the land was transferred to private ownership. Abstracts and indexes for these records are generally available at the county courthouse.
Online Land Indexes and Records
- Pre-1908 Minnesota, U.S., Homestead and Cash Entry Patents, Pre-1908 at Ancestry ($)
- Standard atlas of Swift County, Minnesota : including a plat book of the villages, cities and townships of the county. Alden Publisher, Chicago 1907. FamilySearch Digital Library
Local Histories
Local histories are available for Swift 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.
- Peterson, Clarence Stewart. Swift County's first pioneers : Minnesota territorial centennial, 1849-1949. Online at: FamilySearch Digital Library, HathiTrust.
Maps and Gazetteers
for more resources
- Minnesota Maps at David Rumsey Map Collection
- Standard atlas of Swift County, Minnesota : including a plat book of the villages, cities and townships of the county. Alden Publisher, Chicago 1907. FamilySearch Digital Library
- FamilySearch Places:Cities and Towns- How to Use FS Places
- Minnesota Department of Transportation, Swift County municipality and township maps
Migration
Military Records
Multiple Wars
- 1861-1917 United States Civil War and Later Pension Index, 1861-1917 at FamilySearch — How to Use this Collection; Free index, images ($)
- 1898-1899 Minnesota Volunteers in the Spanish American War and the Philippine Insurrection at Ancestry; Free index
Civil War
- 1861-1865 U.S., Civil War Soldiers, 1861-1865 at Ancestry; Free index
- 1861-1865 Minnesota, U.S., Civil War Records, 1861-1865 at Ancestry; Free index
- 1861-1865 Minnesota Civil War Soldiers at Ancestry; Free index
- 1861-1934 U.S., Civil War Pension Index: General Index to Pension Files, 1861-1934 at Ancestry; Free index
Spanish-American War
- 1898 U.S., Spanish American War Volunteers Index to Compiled Military Service Records, 1898 at Ancestry; Free index
- 1898-1899 Minnesota, U.S., Spanish American War Muster Rolls and Casualty Lists, 1898-1899 at Ancestry; Free index
World War I
- 1917-1918 U.S., World War I Civilian Draft Registrations, 1917-1918 at Ancestry (Free collection)
- 1917-1918 U.S., World War I Draft Registration Cards, 1917-1918 at Ancestry; Free index
- 1918-1941 Minnesota, World War I Records, 1918-1941 at FamilySearch — How to Use this Collection
World War II
- 1940-1947 Minnesota, World War II Draft Registration Cards,1940-1947 at FamilySearch — How to Use this Collection; index and images
- 1940-1947 U.S., World War II Draft Cards Young Men, 1940-1947 at Ancestry; Free index
- 1942 U.S., World War II Draft Registration Cards, 1942 at Ancestry; Free index
Naturalization and Citizenship
Online Naturalization Indexes and Records
- 1849-1985 Web: Minnesota, U.S., Naturalization Index, 1849-1985 at Ancestry (Free collection)
- 1872-1962 Minnesota Naturalization Records and Indexes, 1872-1962 at FamilySearch — How to Use this Collection; index and images
- 1880-1920 Minnesota, U.S., Federal Naturalization Records, 1880-1920 at Ancestry ($)
- 1918 Web: Minnesota, U.S., Alien Registration Index, 1918 at Ancestry (Free collection)
Newspapers
- Minnesota Digital Newspaper Hub at Minnesota Historical Society; narrow to county or city, search for surname, limit by date.
Obituaries
- 1865-2006 Minnesota, Obituaries 1865-2006 at FamilySearch — How to Use this Collection; index and images
- 1891-2003 Web: Minnesota, U.S., Obituary Index, 1891-2003 at Ancestry (Free collection)
Other Records
Periodicals
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; index and images ($)
- 1849-1985 Minnesota Will Records, 1849-1985 at FamilySearch — How to Use this Collection; Three Minnesota counties are not in this collection: Hennepin, Marshall, and St. Louis.
School Records
Social Security Records
- 1935-2014 United States Social Security Death Index at FamilySearch — How to Use this Collection; index. Also at Ancestry, findmypast, Fold3, GenealogyBank, MyHeritage, and Steve Morse. Click here for more information.
- 1936-2007 U.S., Social Security Applications and Claims Index, 1936-2007 at Ancestry ($); index, click here for more information.
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 ($)
- 1935-2000 Minnesota, U.S., Birth Index, 1935-2000 at Ancestry ($)
Marriage
- 1850-2019 Web: Minnesota, U.S., Marriages from the Minnesota Official Marriage System, 1850-2019 at Ancestry (Free collection)
- 1860-1949 Minnesota, County Marriages, 1860-1949 at FamilySearch — How to Use this Collection; index and 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 and images
- 1887-2001 Minnesota Deaths, 1887-2001 at FamilySearch — How to Use this Collection; index and 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 Swift County. For state-wide archival repositories, see Minnesota Archives and Libraries.
Family History 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
Libraries
Listed below are libraries in Swift County. For state-wide library facilities, see Minnesota Archives and Libraries.
Pioneerland Library System
Main Location:
410 5th Street SW
Willmar, MN 56201
320-235-6106
Benson Branch
Appleton Branch
Kerkhoven Branch
Website
Museums
Swift County Historical Museum
2135 Minnesota Ave
Benson, MN 56215
320-843-4467
E-mail: swiftmuseum@embarqmail.com
Website
Societies
Listed below are societies in Swift County. For state-wide genealogical societies, see Minnesota Societies.
Swift County Historical Society
2135 Minnesota Ave #2
Benson, MN 56215
320-843-4467
Email: swiftmuseum@embarqmail.com
Facebook
Websites
- Research at Minnesota Historical Society — links to Records and Indexes; See also MHS Wiki Page
- Swift County, a member of MNGenWeb Archives
- Swift County, a member of The MNGenWeb Project, an affiliate of The USGenWeb Project.
- Iron Range Research Center
- Cyndi's List: Swift County
- Minnesota Genealogy Trails
- 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.
Research Guides
References
- ↑ Minnesota Historical Boundary Changes - list of all boundary changes by county provided by Newberry Library; accessed 7 March 2021.
- ↑ Minnesota Historical Boundary Changes - list of all boundary changes by county provided by Newberry Library; accessed 7 March 2021.
- ↑ Wikipedia contributors, "Swift County, Minnesota" in https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Swift_County,_Minnesota accessed 7 March 2021
- ↑ Handybook for Genealogists: United States of America, 10th ed. (Draper, Utah: Everton Pub., 2002), Minnesota.At various libraries (WorldCat); FHL Book 973 D27e 2002.
- ↑ Handybook for Genealogists: United States of America, 10th ed. (Draper, Utah: Everton Pub., 2002), Minnesota.At various libraries (WorldCat); FHL Book 973 D27e 2002.
- ↑ Minnesota Historical Boundary Changes - list of all boundary changes by county provided by Newberry Library; accessed 7 March 2021.
- ↑ Minnesota Historical Boundary Changes - list of all boundary changes by county provided by Newberry Library; accessed 7 March 2021.
- ↑ Handybook for Genealogists: United States of America, 10th ed. (Draper, Utah: Everton Pub., 2002), Minnesota.At various libraries (WorldCat); FHL Book 973 D27e 2002.
- ↑ Wikipedia contributors, "Swift County, Minnesota," in Wikipedia: the Free Encyclopedia, https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Swift_County,_Minnesota, accessed 7 March 2021.