Kandiyohi County, Minnesota Genealogical Records Information

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Kandiyohi County History and Information

Kandiyohi County Facts

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Kandiyohi County was created on March 20, 1858 (Organized in 1871) from Davis, Meeker, Pierce, Renville and Stearns Counties. The County Seat is Willmar. The County was named for Kandiyohi Lake. Kandiyohi is the Dakota name for several lakes, meaning "where the buffalo fish come".

Counties adjacent to Kandiyohi County are Stearns County (north), Meeker County (east), Renville County (south), Chippewa County (southwest), Swift County (west and northwest), Pope County (northwest). Cities and Towns Include Atwater, Blomkest, Kandiyohi, Lake Lillian, New London, Pennock, Prinsburg, Raymond, Regal, Spicer, Sunburg, Willmar. Townships Include Arctander, Burbank, Colfax, Dovre, East Lake Lillian, Edwards, Fahlun, Gennessee, Green Lake, Harrison, Holland, Irving, Kandiyohi, Lake Andrew, Lake Elizabeth, Lake Lillian, Mamre, New London, Norway Lake, Roseland, Roseville, St. Johns, Whitefield, Willmar Townships. See also County History and County Courthouse for more details.

The Kandiyohi County Official Government Website
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Kandiyohi County, Minnesota History Books at Amazon.com
Family History Library - The largest collection of free family history, family tree and genealogy records in the world.

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Records at the Kandiyohi 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.

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 1900 Highway 294, Suite 2020, Willmar, MN 56201; Phone: (320) 231-6215. NOTE: The record dates below are from the earliest date to present time.

Kandiyohi County Recorder's Office has Birth Records from 1870, Marriage Records from 1880, Death Records from 1870 and Land Records from 1858.
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.

Kandiyohi County Court Administrator's Office has Probate Records from 1867 and has Court Records from 1871.
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 Kandiyohi County Court Records. Email us with websites containing Kandiyohi 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.
Kandiyohi County, Minnesota Court Books at Amazon.com

Kandiyohi 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 Kandiyohi County Military Records. Email us with websites containing Kandiyohi 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.
Kandiyohi County, Minnesota Military Books at Amazon.com

Kandiyohi 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 Kandiyohi County Genealogical Addresses. Email us with websites containing Kandiyohi County Genealogical Addresses by clicking the link below:

Kandiyohi County Historical Society, 610 Highway 71 NE, Willmar MN 56201-2650, Phone: 320 235-1881
Atwater Area Historical Society, PO Box 258, Atwater MN 56209
Museum: 108 3rd St N., Atwater MN
Heritage Searchers of Kandiyohi County, PO Box 175, Willmar MN 56201-0175
Location: Genealogical Research Library within Willmar Public Library, 410 SW 5th St, Willmar.
Local Minnesota Researchers, Find a local researcher or become a local researcher.
Southwest Minnesota Historical Center, Southwest State University–BA 509, Marshall, MN 56258
Serves Cottonwood, Jackson, Kandiyohi, Lac qui Parle, Lincoln, Lyon, McLeod, Meeker, Murray, Nobles, Pipestone, Redwood, Renville, Rock, and Yellow Medicine 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

Kandiyohi 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 Kandiyohi County. Some transcriptions are online. A great site is the Kandiyohi 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 Kandiyohi County Cemetery & Church Records. Email us with websites containing Kandiyohi 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.
Kandiyohi County, Minnesota Cemetery Books at Amazon.com
Kandiyohi 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 Kandiyohi County Family Trees, web forums and other family type information. Email us with websites containing Kandiyohi County Family Trees, web forums and other family type information by clicking the link below:

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Sites on USGenweb: [ Kandiyohi County ] [ Minnesota ] [ Main Page ]
Kandiyohi County USGenweb Archives
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Genealogy Encyclopedia: General Abbreviations, Early Illnesses, Nickname Meanings, Worldwide Epidemics, Early Occupations, Common Terms, Censuses Explained, Free Genealogical Forms
Minnesota Family Group Sheets
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Minnesota Family & Local History Records - The Family & Local Histories Collection lets you read journals, memoirs, and other first-hand historical narratives right on your computer. Gathered from some of the world's finest libraries, these materials may provide hard-to-find town, county, and state information; tax records and wills; military, church, and court records; as well as photographs, stories, and maps.
Genealogical Document Search and Retrieval Service
Kandiyohi 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,

Originally, what is now Kandiyohi County was two separate counties - Kandiyohi and Monongalia. Both were established in 1858 and both functioned independently until the two counties merged twelve years later in an economical move. The people of the two counties realized that both counties were too small to function efficiently and economically as separate governmental units, so they formed one county government in a very lop-sided referendum.

The log cabin home of Mark Piper, Register of Deeds of original Kandiyohi County, served, more or less, as the original courthouse. Most of the County records were kept there and the commissioners used it as a meeting place. Piper took the County records with him when he left the area during the Sioux Uprising of 1862, and the records he saved now comprise the sole record of original Kandiyohi County's first four years of existence.

At times the county used the J. C. Bright cabin for a headquarters, for which they paid Mr. Bright the sum of $10.00. Piper was paid $50.00 for the same purpose, but for a period of two years. Several other homes were used as the Courthouse for short periods of time until 1870 when the County offices were officially established in rented quarters in Kandiyohi Station.

Original Monongalia County was formally organized two months before Minnesota became a State, although local government did not have a very high priority so far as the early settlers were concerned. Officers were elected but did not qualify, so it fell to the governor to appoint the County's first sheriff. His home became Monongalia County's first jail, since he took in the prisoners almost as members of the family.

During this period the County's Commissioners seemed to have met in a convenient home or store at highly irregular intervals.

When Monongalia County was re-established in 1861, Columbia was chosen as the County seat with the Commissioners holding two meetings at Arnold's store in that settlement.

Following the Sioux Uprising, the legislature approved the most of Monongalia's County seat from Columbia to New London. This became the first official, settled government in the County. Officers used their homes as offices and the Commissioners met in a rented room above Pinney's store (rent $70.00 per annum). Economy was a watchword. A sewing thimble served as the County's seal and a wood crate served as the safe.

When Kandiyohi and Monongalia counties merged into what is now Kandiyohi County in 1870, the question of a seat for the new government stirred up a real hornet's nest. The Monongalia County people were in favor of moving the County seat to Willmar, while the people of Southern Kandiyohi County wanted it to remain in Kandiyohi Station (what is now City of Kandiyohi). The northern group sent Andrew Railson to the House of Representatives, who pledged to move the County seat, while the southern group supported Senator W. T. Bonniwell of Hutchinson, who pledged to keep the seat in Kandiyohi Station.

Railson introduced several bills in the House to move the County seat. Bonniwell blocked the passage of these bills in the Senate. One day, when Bonniwell was not in the Senate due to illness, Railson, with the aid of Lt. Gov. A. E. Rice and some friends in the Senate, got his bill through that August body by a vote of 16 to 1 in late February 1871. On November 21 Governor Austin proclaimed that the act for removing the County seat to Willmar had become law. When word of his proclamation reached Willmar two days later, the citizenry decided that they would take possession of the County records and let any legal contests come later. Accordingly, they made up a special train and a delegation, led by W. A. Calhoun, took the train to Kandiyohi Station, seized all the County records, except those of the judge of probate, and brought them to Willmar. Willmar remains the County seat to this day.

Kandiyohi Station and its supporters protested the removal of the records, giving weight to their arguments by the fact that Willmar had not provided a "County Building" as had been promised. The Commissioners had, however, rented quarters for a courthouse in a downtown Willmar commercial building for $10.00 a month. To offset the Kandiyohi Station arguments about the lack of a county building, the commissioners issued $2,000.00 in bonds for the construction of a courthouse. They also appropriated $500.00 for a jail.

County Courthouse

In 1870, voters of Kandiyohi and Monongalia counties voted to consolidate and the two counties became what is today Kandiyohi County. The courthouse became a weapon in the war between the villages of Kandiyohi and Willmar, both of which wanted to become the county seat. Kandiyohi claimed it had a building adequate to house county officials and public records. Not to be outdone, Willmar township voted to issue bonds to build a courthouse and did so that same year at a cost of $2,000. A decision to consolidate the two counties with Willmar as the county seat was later confirmed by court decree.

The first courthoue was a large white frame building, built on the same block as the current courthouse. Grand juries in the 1880s had examined the building and said it was unsafe. In 1890, the county commissioners built a new Victorian Romanesque building with a tower on the northeast corner, complete with a clock in its peaked gable. The courthouse, pictured above, cost about $30,000. At this time, the first frame building was sold to a private party and moved to a site in western Willmar, where it stood for many years. The building's key is kept by the Kandiyohi County Historical Society.

In the 1960s, it became apparent that the 1890 brick and stone building could not be remodeled to meet the needs of a growing county government. The county approved plans for a new complex of buildings, including a new courthouse. Nelson Construction Company of Willmar completed the courthouse in 1966 at a total cost of $1 million.

The building's projecting folded roofline supported by three-story pylons and its varied surface treatment reflect the style of many 1960s buildings. Gray, random-coursed ashlar covers the walls except for the front of the three-story section beneath the sawtooth roof, which is faced by smooth panels of tan stone. The pylons supporting the roof and the pagoda-like canopies over the doorways are made of polished pink granite. Terrazzo and metal decorate the interior public spaces, while the three courtrooms are finished in oak paneling.

Gauger and Associates of St. Paul designed the 174 by 68 foot building that was originally built with two stories. A third floor was added at a later date.

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