Big Stone County, Minnesota Genealogical Records Information

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Big Stone County History and Information

Big Stone County Facts

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Big Stone County was created on February 20, 1862 (Organized in 1881) from Pierce County. The County Seat is Ortonville. The County was named forBig Stone Lake. Big Stone is the translation of the Dakota name for the lake, which alludes to large outcropping of granite near the foot of the lake.

Counties adjacent to Big Stone County are Traverse County (north), Stevens County (northeast), Swift County (southeast), Lac qui Parle County (southeast), Grant County, South Dakota (southwest), Roberts County, South Dakota (northwest). Big Stone County Cities and Towns Include Barry, Beardsley, Clinton, Correll, Foster, Graceville, Johnson, Odessa, Ortonville. Townships Include Akron, Almond, Artichoke, Big Stone, Browns Valley, Foster, Graceville, Malta, Moonshine, Odessa, Ortonville, Otrey, Prior, Toqua Townships. See also County History and County Courthouse for more details.

The Big Stone County Official Government Website
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Big Stone County, Minnesota History Books at Amazon.com
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Records at the Big Stone County Courthouse

See Also Minnesota Land Records, Marriage Records, Court & Probate Records

PLEASE READ FIRST!! Please call the clerk's department to confirm hours, mailing address, fees and other specifics before visiting or requesting information because of sometimes changing contact information. Courthouse destroyed by fire in 1885

All Departments below can be contacted by clicking the link, by contacting the Phone number below for each department or contacting the County Courthouse at 20 SE 2nd Street, Ortonville, MN 56278-1544; Phone: (320) 839-2525. NOTE: The record dates below are from the earliest date to present time. At some time Big Stone County was attached to Renville and Stevens Counties for county and or judicial purposes. Some early records may be found there.

Big Stone County Recorder's Office has Birth Records from 1881, Marriage Records from 1881, Death Records from 1881 and Land Records from 1873.
The Recorders Office is responsible for all the real estate records for properties located in the County. Permanent records of deeds, mortgages and other various real estate records are recorded/filed in this office. As Local Registrar, the office protects and issues certified copies of Birth and Death records, Marriage Certificates & Military Discharge Records.

Big Stone County Court Administrator's Office has Probate Records from 1881 and has Court Records from 1881.
The Court Administrator's Office maintains court files for Civil, Criminal, Traffic, Probate, Conciliation, Juvenile, Tax and Family Court matters.

Click Here to Search Minnesota Court, Land, Wills & Financial Records! - Researchers often overlook the importance of court records, probate records, and land records as a source of family history information.

Below is a list of online resources for Big Stone County Court Records. Email us with websites containing Big Stone County Court Records by clicking the link below:

Minnesota Naturalization Records Index, 1854-1957: An index to the microfilmed Minnesota Naturalization Records
Bureau of Land Management (BLM)
Minnesota Land Records: This database contains information on Minnesota (U.S.A.) land records. The database comes from the Bureau of Land Management's Minnesota Pre-1908 Homestaed and Cash Entry Patent and Cadastral Survey Plat Index. Information recorded in the collection includes patentee name, land office, legal description, etc.
Big Stone County, Minnesota Court Books at Amazon.com

Big Stone County Tax Records

See Also Military Records in Minnesota

Click Here to Search Minnesota Military Records! - Military and civil service records provide unique facts and insights into the lives of men and women who have served their country at home and abroad.

The uses and value of military records in genealogical research for ancestors who were veterans are obvious, but military records can also be important to re-searchers whose direct ancestors were not soldiers in any war. The fathers, grandfathers, brothers, and other close relatives of an ancestor may have served in a war, and their service or pension records could contain information that will assist in further identifying the family of primary interest. Due to the amount of genealogical information contained in some military pension files, they should never be overlooked during the research process. Those records not containing specific genealogical information are of historic value and should be included in any overall research design.

Below is a list of online resources for Big Stone County Military Records. Email us with websites containing Big Stone County Military Records by clicking the link below:

Minnesota Civil War Soldiers: List of over 26,000 soldiers mustered from Minnesota during the American Civil War
Minnesota Volunteers in the Spanish American War and the Philippine Insurrection: This database indexes names of persons from Minnesota who enlisted in the Spanish American War.
Minnesota Society of Daughters of the American Revolution
National Society of Daughters of the American Revolution, 1776 D Street NW, Washington, D.C. 20006; Phone: (202) 628-1776
Minnesota Society of Sons of the American Revolution
National Society of Sons of the American Revolution, 1000 South Fourth Street, Louisville, Kentucky 40203; (502) 589-1776
Organization Index to Pension Files of Veterans Who Served Between 1861 and 1900 from the State of Minnesota (The National Archives): View, Print Copy & Save Original Pension applications for service in the U.S. Army between 1861 and 1917, grouped according to the units in which the veterans served.
Southern Claims Commission from the State of Minnesota (The National Archives): View, Print Copy & Save Original Documents In the 1870s, southerners claimed compensation from the U.S. government for items used by the Union Army, ranging from corn and horses, to trees and church buildings.
Big Stone County, Minnesota Military Books at Amazon.com

Big Stone County Genealogical Addresses

See Also Other Minnesota Genealogical Addresses

The Repositories in this section are Archives, Libraries, Museums, Genealogical and Historical Societies. Many County Historical and Genealogical Societies publish magazines and/or news letters on a monthly, quarterly, bi-annual or annual basis. Contacting the local societies should not be over looked. State Archives and Societies are usually much larger and better organized with much larger archived materials than their smaller county cousins but they can be generalized and over look the smaller details that local societies tend to have. Libraries can also be a good place to look for local information. Some libraries have a genealogy section and may have some resources that are not located at archives or societies. Also, take a special look at any museums in the area. They sometimes have photos and items from years gone by as well as information of a genealogical interest. All these places are vitally important to the family genealogist and must not be passed over.

Below is a list of online resources for Big Stone County Genealogical Addresses. Email us with websites containing Big Stone County Genealogical Addresses by clicking the link below:

Big Stone County Historical Society, 985 US Highway 12, Ortonville MN 56278; Phone: 320 839-3359 - Museum: Junction of Highways 12, 75, and 7, Ortonville; Hours: Monday-Saturday 10-5 and Sunday 1-4
Local Minnesota Researchers, Find a local researcher or become a local researcher.
West Central Minnesota Historical Center, University of Minnesota–Morris, Morris, MN 56267
Serves Big Stone, Chippewa, Douglas, Grant, Pope, Stevens, Swift, and Traverse counties.
Minnesota State Archives, 345 W. Kellogg Blvd., St. Paul, MN 55102-1906 • 651-259-3260
Minnesota Historical Society, 345 W. Kellogg Blvd., St. Paul, MN 55102-1906 • 651-259-3000
Minnesota Genealogical Society, 1185 Concord St. N. Suite 218, South St. Paul, MN 55075-1187; (651) 455-9057
National Archives - Great Lakes Region (Chicago), 7358 South Pulaski Road, Chicago, Illinois 60629-5898; 773-948-9001; E-mail: chicago.archives@nara.gov (Maintains retired records from Federal agencies and courts in Illinois, Indiana, Michigan, Minnesota, Ohio, and Minnesota.)
Minnesota Newspapers & Periodicals Records - Newspapers and periodicals are the diaries of local communities. They are excellent sources of family history details - often recorded nowhere else. Look for obituaries, marriages, legal notices, and more found in our Historical Newspaper Archives.
Minnesota Genealogical Society Books at Amazon.com

Big Stone County Church & Cemeteries

Click Here to Search Minnesota Obituary Records! - This database is a compilation of obituaries published in U.S. newspapers, collected from various online sources. Obituaries can vary in the amount of information they contain, but many of them are genealogical goldmines, including information such as names, dates, places of birth and death, marriage information, and family relationships.

There are many churches and cemeteries in Big Stone County. Some transcriptions are online. A great site is the Big Stone County Tombstone Transcription Project.

The Minnesota Historical Records Survey Project of Madison published the Directory of Churches and Religious Organizations in Minnesota in 1941 and Guide to Church Vital Statistics Records in Minnesota in 1942. There are also numerous publications by the project for specific denominations. Extensive microfilm collections of church records in Minnesota are available through the FHL. The State Historical Society of Minnesota and Area Research Centers have a variety of church records including microfilm and original records.

Numerous cemeteries have been read and transcribed by local genealogical societies in Minnesota. The transcriptions are frequently deposited with an Area Research Center, a local library, or the State Historical Society of Minnesota. A considerable number have been printed in the Minnesota State Genealogical Society Newsletter. Some have been privately published.

The Minnesota State Old Cemetery Society, 6100 West Mequon Road, Mequon, WI 53092, publishes a newsletter and maintains an archive of tombstone inscriptions from around the state. Contact the society for membership information

Below is a list of online resources for Big Stone County Cemetery & Church Records. Email us with websites containing Big Stone County Cemetery & Church Records by clicking the link below:

Minnesota Cemetery Inscription Index, Select Counties: This database is an index to cemetery inscriptions of cemeteries in several Minnesota (U.S.A.) counties and cities. It contains the names of nearly 600,000 persons. Researchers will find birth date, death date, name of cemetery and, in some cases, the closest living relative.
Big Stone County, Minnesota Cemetery Books at Amazon.com
Big Stone County, Minnesota Church Books at Amazon.com

Family Trees & Genealogy Tidbits

Click Here to Search Minnesota Family Tree Records! - The use of published genealogies, electronic files containing genealogical lineage, and other compiled sources can be of tremendous value to a researcher.

When view family trees online or not, be sure to only take the info at face value and always follow up with your own sources or verify the ones they provide. Below is a list of online resources for Big Stone County Family Trees, web forums and other family type information. Email us with websites containing Big Stone County Family Trees, web forums and other family type information by clicking the link below:

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Sites on USGenweb: [ Big Stone County ] [ Minnesota ] [ Main Page ]
Big Stone County USGenweb Archives
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Genealogical Document Search and Retrieval Service
Big Stone County, Minnesota Family Books at Amazon.com

County History

Minnesota County History Name Index: This database is a name index of eleven county histories and plat books for the area immediately south of the city of St. Paul in the U.S. state of Minnesota. Researchers will find the name of the county resident, the book in which the person's name appears, and the page number. Where information is available, town of residence is also given.
Minnesota Crew Lists, 1929-1952: For several decades in the early half of the twentieth century, Two Harbors, Minnesota was one of the busiest iron ore loading ports in the world. This database is an index to the crew lists (NOT passenger lists) of vessels that arrived at Two Harbors,

Location and Area

Big Stone County is situated on the western border of the State almost midway between the north and south boundaries. It has Traverse County and a part of Stevens County on the north, Stevens and Swift Counties on the east, Lac qui Parle County and the Minnesota River on the south, and the Minnesota River, Big Stone Lake and the State of South Dakota on the west. The county has a total area of 522 square miles of which 31 are water.

Aborigines:

Scientists declare that men lived on the shores of Big Stone Lake and Lake Traverse nearly twelve thousand years ago. A skeleton, thought by some investigators to be that of one of these people, was exhumed from a gravel pit in Browns Valley Village a few miles north of the Big Stone County line, in 1934. It is known as “The Browns Valley Man”. With the skeletons, were six beautiful flint artifacts of the oldest type that has been classified in America.

Evidences of a more recent prehistoric occupancy of Big Stone County by an Indian-like race are plentiful. Overlooking the lower part of Big Stone Lake, scattered along the Minnesota River below the foot of the lake, and on a prominence near Artichoke Lake, are a number of artificial mounds of earth which have been scientifically surveyed and mapped. Most of these mounds are round and of considerable size and some are flat-topped. Features of the fortified site 60 feet above the river at Odessa are an embankment 722 feet long and 20 feet wide with a height of 1½ to 2 feet, and a diamond-shaped mound varying from 42 to 54 feet in diameter, with a flat top, 20 X 28 feet.

Early Settlement:

Following the Indian outbreak, western Minnesota was practically deserted, except for soldiers, stationed at various points, who patrolled the frontier to protect the settlements farther east. Sioux bands of Sisseton and Wahpeton continued for some years to wander over the nearby Dakota prairies to which they had fled. Fear of all Indians was intense. Even had the settlers been sufficiently courageous to homes in the deserted area, they could not have obtained land titles because no surveys had been made.

Settlement of the Big Stone area was accordingly delayed. There were but six houses in the county on August 13, 1870. The population consisted of two families with young children, two young couples, a bachelor living alone, and a widow whose children varied in age from a baby to two sons approaching their majority. The last-named family had a young woman helper. Of the adults, two were born in Massachusetts, two in Wisconsin, one in Kentucky, one in Tennessee, and five in Norway. Eight of the minors were born in Minnesota, five in Tennessee. Government surveys were made in 1871 and 1872. People then came in gradually, but even as late as the spring of 1875 there were only 85 families in the county. The influx of settlement that followed that date increased the population to 8731 at the close of the next quarter century.

Organization:

Big Stone was established as a county by an act of the Legislature in 1862. No attempt to organize a county government was made until 1873, when Gov. Horace Austin appointed three commissioners for that purpose. These appointed commissioners did nothing, and in March 1874, Gov. C. K. Davis appointed three others who met and named a chairman and an auditor. At their second meeting on July 20, 1874, other county officers were appointed, the boundaries of three commissioner districts were laid out, and the county seat was located at Ortonville. Soon afterward four election precincts were established. A full set of county officers, with the exception of a clerk of the district court, was elected in the fall of 1874. The county continued to function until the men elected in the fall of 1876 took office at the beginning of 1877. As a test of the validity of the county organization, suits were brought to oust these officers. The Supreme Court held that the power or “organizing” a county rested solely with the Legislature and that Big Stone County was merely “established” by that body. The county therefore had not been organized and no offices existed. The county remained unorganized until 1881, when an act of the Legislature declared it organized. The county was divided into five commissioner districts in February 1881.

Origin of Name:

Big Stone County received its name from Big Stone Lake. The name was a translation of a Sioux name for the outcrops of granite and gneiss found in the Minnesota Valley not far away.

Boundaries:

The original boundaries of Big Stone County, as defined by the Legislature in 1862, were practically the same as a present, with the exception that townships 123 and 124, range 44, were included. There townships were placed in Stevens County in 1868. The same act provided that the remaining area of the two northern tiers of townships in Big Stone County should be included in Traverse County. However, this would have left Big Stone with less than the 400 square miles that the Constitution requires. Therefore, the Stevens County provision went into effect, but the Traverse County provision was ignored. All uncertainty was cleared up by a legislative act of 1876 specifically outlining the boundaries. This act was amended in 1893 to correct a minor technical error in the description of the northwest corner.

An act approved by the Legislature in 1937, effective January 1, 1938, annexed to Big Stone County all the land situated in sections 16 and 21, township 121, range 46, in Lac qui Parle County. When Minnesota was admitted as a State in 1858, iron monuments were placed at the head of Big Stone Lake and Lake Traverse to mark that part of the western boundary of the State.

Judicial Districts:

Until July 1, 1957, Big Stone County was one of six counties constituting the 16th Judicial District of the State of Minnesota. One judge served that district. At the general election in November 1956 the voters of this state adopted Constitutional Amendment No. 1. One of the provisions of that amendment provided that there should be no judicial district in the state with less than two judges. The legislature decided to combine certain judicial districts rather than to re-carve the state into new judicial districts. The 16th Judicial District was combined with the 12th Judicial District forming the 6th Judicial District. As of July 1, 1959 the state was divided into 10 Judicial Districts and the 6th Judicial District became the 8th Judicial District of the state, but the counties in the 6th Judicial District and the number of judges in the district remained the same. A court was established in Big Stone County when it was declared organized in 1881. At the present time, the judges of the 8th Judicial District serve Big Stone County.

County Seat:

Ortonville was established as the county seat by the board of county commissioners in 1874. When the county was declared organized in 1881, Ortonville was named as the county seat until the next general election when the question of moving it to section 24, township 123, range 46 (Almond Township) was to be voted upon. The vote gave a large majority for Ortonville. The county seat has since remained there.

Schools:

The first board of county commissioners, in September 1874, established the first six school districts. In 1876 there was an enrollment of 11 with a daily attendance of eight. By 1879 the number of school districts had increased to 15, the number of schools and districts, as well as enrollment, increased rapidly, so that for the year 1885 the number of districts was 47 and the enrollment was 1,061 in summer and 983 in winter. At the present time Big Stone County taxpayers support 4 school districts.

Agriculture and Industries:

Wheat, corn, soybeans and Alfalfa are the major crops in Big Stone County. There are about 400 farms in the county. Fifteen of them are dairy farms, about 25 raise hogs and 35 have beef cow herds. Area quarries mine granite, which is locally cut and polished, is sold both wholesale and retail. 7-Up Bottling Company, now Pepsi Cola Distributing, began operation in 1892.

Recreation:

Ortonville’s 18-hole golf course, Graceville’s 9- hole golf course, Toqua Park, Big Stone State Park, Bonanza State Park and Education Center, MinnKota Archery Range, Big Stone Federal Wildlife Refuge and a number of campgrounds and resorts are just a few of the recreational opportunities available in Big Stone County. Hunting and fishing are favorite multi-season activities for residents and visitors. Snowmobiling is growing in popularity as the number of miles of groomed trails increases yearly.

County Courthouse

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