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Lincoln County History and Information |
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Lincoln County was created on November 4, 1873 (Organized in 1881) from Lyon County. The County Seat is Ivanhoe. The County was named for Abraham Lincoln, member of Congress from Illinois, 1847-49; president of the United States, 1861-65.
Counties adjacent to Lincoln County are Yellow Medicine County (north), Lyon County (east), Pipestone County (south), Brookings County, South Dakota (west), Deuel County, South Dakota (northwest). Cities and Towns Include Arco, Hendricks, Ivanhoe, Lake Benton, Tyler, Verdi. Townships Include Alta Vista, Ash Lake, Diamond Lake, Drammen, Hansonville, Hendricks, Hope, Lake Benton, Lake Stay, Limestone, Marble, Marshfield, Royal, Shaokatan, Verdi Townships. See also County History and County Courthouse for more details.
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See Also Minnesota Land Records, Marriage Records, Court & Probate Records
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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 PO Box 29, Ivanhoe, MN 56142-0029; Phone: (507) 694-1529. NOTE: The record dates below are from the earliest date to present time. At some time Lincoln County was attached to Redwood County for county and or judicial purposes. Some early records may be found there.
Lincoln County Recorder's Office has Birth Records from 1879, Marriage Records from 1879, Death Records from 1879 and Land Records from 1874.
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.
Lincoln County Court Administrator's Office has Probate Records from 1878 and has Court Records from 1880.
The Court Administrator's Office maintains court files for Civil, Criminal, Traffic, Probate, Conciliation, Juvenile, Tax and Family Court matters.
Below is a list of online resources for Lincoln County Court Records. Email us with websites containing Lincoln County Court Records by clicking the link below:
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See Also Research In Tax Records
The Minnesota Historical Society holds large numbers of county property tax records, filed under the respective county. Some of the tax records are for specific municipalities. No determination has been made concerning tax record holdings in the county courthouse.
Below is a list of online resources for Lincoln County Tax Records. Email us with websites containing Lincoln County Tax Records by clicking the link below:
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- Lincoln County Treasurers Office - The treasurer is responsible for keeping a complete accounting of all monies collected and expended by all the county departments. This includes the investing of available funds and accurately distributing the interest received. The department is also responsible for the collection of taxes and distribution to the various taxing entities within the County.
- Lincoln County, Minnesota Tax Books at Amazon.com
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See Also Vital Records in Minnesota
Some documents are just too important to wait six weeks for. With VitalChek Express Certificate Service you won’t have to. Birth, Marriage, Divorce & Death Certificates Signed. Sealed. Delivered. Often in as few as three business days!
Minnesota Department of Health, Attention: Office of the State Registrar, P.O. Box 64882, St. Paul, MN 55164. It is no longer necessary to go to the registrar's office of the county where the birth or death took place. You may go to a registrar's office in any county in Minnesota for births that took place during of after 1900 and for deaths that took place during or after 1997. They have the following records:
- Birth Certificates: Avalible since 1900 to 3 months ago.
- Cost: $16.00 for Certified and $13.00 for Non-Certified Certificates. For births that took place before 1900, go to the local registrar office in the county where the birth took place.
- Processing Time: Filled requests take 4-6 weeks when ordered by mail (Application for Certified and Non-certified) or 2-5 Days when you order online.
- Death Certificates: Avalible since Jan 1908.
- Cost: $13.00 for Certified and Non-Certified Certificates. For deaths that took place before 1900, go to the local registrar office in the county where the death took place.
- Processing Time: Filled requests take 4-6 weeks when ordered by mail (Application for Certified and Non-certified) or 2-5 Days when you order online.
- Marriage Certificates: Certified copies may be available from the Local Registrar in the county where the license was issued or you can order them online.
- Divorces: Certified copies may be available from the Local Registrar in the county where the divorce was granted.
Order On-Line: To obtain a certified copy of a vital record by on-line purchase with a credit card, please link to VitalChek.
Order In Person: The Dept of Health no longer accepts walk-in or phone orders because of a change in Minnesota law. However, you may complete your requests by mail or online.
Below is a list of online resources for Lincoln County Vital Records. Email us with websites containing Lincoln County Vital Records by clicking the link below:
- Search the Social Security Death Index for FREE
- Minnesota Birth Index, 1935-2002: This database is an index created by the Minnesota Department of Health to approximately 5.2 million births occurring in the State of Minnesota, USA, between 1935 and 2002. Information contained in this index includes child's full name, father's full name, mother's maiden name, birth date, birth county, and state file number.
- Minnesota Marriage Collection, 1958-2001: This database is an index to individuals who were married in the state of Minnesota (U.S.A.) from 1958-2001. Information that may be found in this database for each entry includes bride and groom's full names, their ages, birth dates, and marriage date and place.
- Minnesota Divorce Index, 1970-1995: This database contains a statewide index of divorces filed in Minnesota between 1970 and 1995. Information that may be found in this database includes: husband's name and age, wife's name and age, divorce date, and divorce county.
- Minnesota Death Index, 1908-2002: This database is an index of deaths recorded by the State of Minnesota, USA, from 1908 to 2002. The index includes: name of the deceased, city and county of death, date of death, birth date, birthplace, mother's maiden name, and state file number.
- Lincoln County, Minnesota Birth, Marriage & Death Books at Amazon.com
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See Also Research In Census Records
Countywide Records: Federal Population Schedules that exist for Lincoln County, Minnesota are 1880, 1890 (fragment, see below), 1900, 1910, 1920 and 1930. Other Federal Schedules to look at when researching your Family Tree in Lincoln County, Minnesota are Industry and Agriculture Schedules availible for the years 1880. The Mortality Schedules for the years 1880. There are free downloadable and printable Census forms to help with your research. These include U.S. Census Extraction Forms and U.K. Census Extraction Forms.
See Also Statewide Records that exist for Minnesota
Below is a list of online resources for Lincoln County Census Records. Email us with websites containing Lincoln County Census Records by clicking the link below:
- Minnesota Census, 1835-90: This database contains indexes to the Minnesota (U.S.A.) portions of the 1850-1880 U.S. Federal Censuses as well as indexes to the 1835-1839 Tax Lists, 1849 Territorial Census, and the 1890 Veteran's Schedule. Information contained in these indexes can include name, state, county, township, year of record, and name of record set.
- Minnesota Territorial and State Censuses, 1849-1905: This database contains the Minnesota territorial and state censuses from 1849-1905. Information available for an individual will vary according to the census year and the information requested on the census form. Some of the information contained in this database though includes: name, enumeration place, age, gender, race, and birthplace.
- Census Online - Minnesota Census Records
- The USGenWeb Archives Minnesota CENSUS IMAGES PROJECT
- Lincoln County, Minnesota Census Books at Amazon.com
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Genealogy Atlases has images of old American atlases during the years 1795, 1814, 1822, 1823, 1836, 1838, 1845, 1856, 1866, 1879 and 1897 for other states.
You can view rotating animated maps for Minnesota showing all the county boundaries for each census year overlayed with past and present maps so you can see the changes in county boundaries. You can view a list of maps for other states at Census Maps
You can view rotating animated maps for Minnesota showing all the county boundary changes for each year overlayed with past and present maps so you can see the changes in county boundaries . You can view a list of maps for other states and State Department of Transportation Maps at County Maps. The Minnesota Department of Transportation has county maps the show the locations of churches, cemeteries, roads, ect... free for viewing or download here
Below is a list of online resources for Lincoln County Maps. Email us with websites containing Lincoln County Maps by clicking the link below:
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See Also Military Records in Minnesota
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 Lincoln County Military Records. Email us with websites containing Lincoln 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.
- Lincoln County, Minnesota Military Books at Amazon.com
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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 Lincoln County Genealogical Addresses. Email us with websites containing Lincoln County Genealogical Addresses by clicking the link below:
- Lincoln County Historical Society, 406 Brooks St, Hendricks MN 56136
Museum: 610 West Elm, Hendricks MN, Phone: 507 275-3537
- Lake Benton Area Historical Society, PO Box 267, Lake Benton MN 56149-0267
Location: 108 South Center Street, Lake Benton MN, Phone: 507 368-4480
- 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
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See Also Church & Cemetery Records in Minnesota
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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 Lincoln County. Some transcriptions are online. A great site is the Lincoln 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 Lincoln County Cemetery & Church Records. Email us with websites containing Lincoln County Cemetery & Church Records by clicking the link below:
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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 Lincoln County Family Trees, web forums and other family type information. Email us with websites containing Lincoln County Family Trees, web forums and other family type information by clicking the link below:
- Search 60 Years Of Everton Data: For the first time ever you can get access to more than 150,000 pedigree files and family group sheets from Evertons. Learn More
- Search the Family Tree DNA Project - Use DNA testing to break through your genealogical barriers!
- Sites on USGenweb: [ Lincoln County ] [ Minnesota ] [ Main Page ]
- Lincoln County USGenweb Archives
- [GenForum Message Boards] [Rootsweb Message Boards]
- Genealogy Encyclopedia: General Abbreviations, Early Illnesses, Nickname Meanings, Worldwide Epidemics, Early Occupations, Common Terms, Censuses Explained, Free Genealogical Forms
- Minnesota Family Group Sheets
- Meet your ancestors. Learn their stories. Start your FREE family tree.
- 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
- Lincoln County, Minnesota Family Books at Amazon.com
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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,
Early European Settlement
Two early explorers, Joseph H. Nicollet and John C. Fremont, headed a group of scientists who crossed what would someday become Lincoln County in 1838. They were part of a government exploration of the region lying between the Mississippi and the Missouri Rivers. They are the first explorers to leave an official record of an examination of the interior of our continent.
The Sisseton and Wahpeton bands of the Sioux Indians were ranging in southwestern Minnesota in the early years of the 19th century. It is not known how long they had been here. The area remained in possession of these Native Americans until the title to a vast tract in Minnesota, Iowa, and South Dakota (including the future Lincoln County) was relinquished by the Sioux to the United States government under terms of the 1851 treaties of Traverse De Sioux and Mendota.
A few people settled near Lake Benton before the summer of 1862. Later settlers in the latter 1860's discovered six partially burned houses scattered around that lake. Several tracts of land had been broken, a considerable number of logs and posts had been cut, and a quantity of rails split. Nothing is known as to who these settlers were or what their fate had been. They may have perished in a battle with Indians, or they may have joined in the exodus which depopulated the southwestern part of the State for several years.
Pioneer homes were built in scattered parts of the county in the late 1860's and early 1870's. Permanent settlers arrived in the present township of Lake Benton in 1868. Only a few came in the next fifteen years and in the spring of 1875 there were only 413 white settlers in the county.
The intensely cold winters and blizzards, summer hail and drought, insect pests, crop failures, and poverty all combined to create a feeling of discouragement. Many early settlers left in despair. Others, better suited for the difficult pioneer life by temperament, physical stamina, and social organization were soon to come in and establish their communities on a firmer basis.
The Icelandic, Danish, and Norwegian colonies were of such substantial foundation that their descendants still constitute a considerable element in the present population. The Icelandic group centers around Ivanhoe, the first of whom settled in 1878. By 1925 there were about 1,000 first- and second-generation Icelanders in the county.
Creating "Lincoln County"
Lincoln County, named after Abraham Lincoln, was created by the Minnesota Legislature on March 6, 1873. But what we know today as Lincoln County was not Minnesota's first attempt to honor the assassinated president.
A patriotic Minnesota Legislature, desiring to honor Lincoln upon his assumption of the presidency in 1861, sought to give his name to a county established from the northeastern part of the present Renville County, with the addition of the two southernmost townships now in Meeker County. But this act failed to receive the necessary ratification by the people of the affected counties.
A second attempt to honor Lincoln came in March of 1866, when the State Legislature sought to change the name of Rock County to "Lincoln" County. This act was ignored by the people of Rock County.
A third unsuccessful attempt came on February 12, 1870, on the anniversary of Lincoln's birth. Another effort was made to remove part of eastern Renville County and establish "Lincoln" County, but not with the same borders as had been proposed in 1861. Once again, this failed to be ratified by the local people.
Finally, in 1873, Lincoln County was successfully created out of the western part of Lyon County, with the support of the voters. Counties have been named for Abraham Lincoln in fifteen other states.
The Battle for the County Seat
Every county needs a county seat, a city which serves as the seat of government for the county. That fortunate community becomes the focal point of the county and is where the Courthouse is located. In the early days, being the county seat held out the potential for healthy growth and economic development; it is no wonder, then, that the location of the county seat can grow into a major controversy, as was the case in Lincoln County.
The first county seat was at "Marshfield," a community platted in 1873. However, when the cities of Tyler and Lake Benton began to develop due to the presence of railroad lines, several buildings were moved from Marshfield to each of those other cities. By the close of the winter of 1880-81, business had almost ceased at the Marshfield county seat. Today only a few abandoned buildings remain of "Marshfield."
Seeing the demise of Marshfield, the people of Lake Benton petitioned for the removal of the county seat to their village. At a county-wide election in 1881, a majority of nine votes favored relocating the county seat to Lake Benton. This narrow victory was immediately (but unsuccessfully) contested in the District Court. With the legal challenge having been dismissed in 1883, the county seat was (for a time, at least) firmly established at Lake Benton.
The establishment of the city of Ivanhoe in 1900 brought another player into the contest for the county seat. Acting upon petitions, the County Commissioners ordered a special election in 1901, calling for the county seat to be moved to Ivanhoe. The measure was passed, but the validity of the election was challenged. A legal appeal which eventually led up to the State Supreme Court found that the election was void because the County Auditor had failed to properly post notices of the Commissioner's hearing on the proposition to call the special election.
On August 5, 1904, yet another election was held on the petition to move the county seat. Out of the 2,274 votes case, 1,310 were in favor of moving the county seat to Ivanhoe, where it has remained ever since.
County Courthouse
Lincoln County began its history without a "home," that is, without a formal courthouse building to house the local government.
The first meeting of the County Commissioners was held at the home of M. S. Phillips in Marshfield. Later meeting were held in a store building. The County officials had their offices in various homes and stores in Marshfield until 1881, when they moved their official headquarters to Lake Benton. The railroad company had donated a courthouse site and the citizens of Lake Benton provided a courthouse building, which was later enlarged and improved.
Then began the "Battle for the County Seat."
In 1901, after the voters had approved moving the county seat to Ivanhoe, the county accepted a donation of a courthouse site from landowners in that community. The legal challenges to the location of the county seat delayed construction of a courthouse building until 1903, when a contract was let for building a combined jail and sheriff's residence in Ivanhoe, to be financed by an appropriation of $17,000 from accumulated tax levies.
However, later that year the Minnesota Supreme Court declared that Lake Benton, not Ivanhoe, was the county seat. Switching gears, the county decided that the old courthouse in Lake Benton should be repaired. The election of 1904 finally located the county seat in Ivanhoe and, with that decision made, plans moved forward for final construction of a new courthouse.
A contract for construction of the facility in Ivanhoe was let in 1919 at a cost of $143,200. Subsequent contracts were awarded for heating , ventilating, plumbing, electric lighting, interior marble finishing, furniture, and interior oil murals. The three-story courthouse which stands today is a structure of 108 feet x 75 feet, built of Bedford granite. Construction was completed in 1920.
Another Courthouse History
After Lincoln County was separated from Lyon County in 1873, county business was conducted in a store building in Marshfield. Less than 10 years later, the location of the railroad allowed Lake Benton to become the county seat. A building built on land donated there by a subsidiary of the Chicago Northwestern Railroad was rented and used as a courthouse.
In 1901, a new rail line led to a petition drive to move the county seat to Ivanhoe, where a courthouse site was donated by the proprietors of the town. The petition and vote succeeded, and the records were moved to a former bar in Ivanhoe, which served rent-free as a courthouse for one year. Later court sessions were held at the Wilson Opera House.
In 1903, the Minnesota Supreme Court returned the county seat to Lake Benton. Ivanhoe, in turn, appealed and won a new election in 1904. Records were moved to a newly-built jail and sheriff's residence there. The two-story brick building with crenellated tower served as the courthouse for 16 years.
Lincoln County's current courthouse, pictured above, was built in the Beaux Arts style in 1919. C. Howard Parson of Minneapolis designed the courthouse and Madsen & Peterson of Minneapolis built it at a cost of more than $200,000.
The courthouse is a three-story, 108 by 75 foot rectangle of smooth buff Kasota limestone and Kettle River sandstone. A projecting central pavilion on the east front is centered by a high portico with smooth Ionic columns that reach two stories to a pediment on which a stone eagle rests. The low first story's sandstone is coursed in horizontal bands to form a base for the levels above, which are divided into bays by shallow pilasters. A wide frieze is topped by a cornice and a stone parapet.
Inside, the central atrium has a low dome not visible from the outside. A number of the lighting fixtures are original as is the stenciling in the courtroom. The atrium ceiling curves down to a heavy molding and is centered by a large coffered skylight. The decoration was the work of the William C. Andrews Decorating Co. of Chicago. Yellow and pink interior marble was furnished and installed by Babcock & Wilson of Kasota. Various upgrades and remodeling projects have taken place over the years.
The current and former courthouse buildings were placed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1980.
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