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Nobles County History and Information |
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Nobles County was created on May 23, 1857 (Organized in 1870) from Brown County. The County Seat is Worthington. The County was named for William H. Nobles, member of the territorial legislature in 1854 and 1856.
Counties adjacent to Nobles County are Murray County (north), Cottonwood County (northeast), Jackson County (east), Osceola County, Iowa (southeast), Lyon County, Iowa (southwest), Rock County (west). Cities and Towns Include Adrian, Bigelow, Brewster, Dundee, Ellsworth, Kinbrae, Lismore, Round Lake, Rushmore, Wilmont, Worthington. Townships Include Bigelow, Bloom, Dewald, Elk, Graham Lakes, Grand Prairie, Hersey, Indian Lake, Larkin, Leota, Lismore, Little Rock, Lorain, Olney, Ransom, Seward, Summit Lake, Westside, Wilmont, Worthington 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 315 10th Street, P.O. Box 757, Worthington, MN 56187-2315; Phone: (507)372-8241. NOTE: The record dates below are from the earliest date to present time. At some time Nobles County was attached to Martin County for county and or judicial purposes. Some early records may be found there.
Nobles County Recorder's Office has Birth Records from 1869, Marriage Records from 1872, Death Records from 1870 and Land Records from 1872.
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.
Nobles County Court Administrator's Office has Probate Records from 1873 and has Court Records from 1874.
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 Nobles County Court Records. Email us with websites containing Nobles 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 Nobles County Tax Records. Email us with websites containing Nobles County Tax Records by clicking the link below:
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- Nobles 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.
- Nobles 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 Nobles County Vital Records. Email us with websites containing Nobles 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.
- Nobles 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 Nobles County, Minnesota are 1860, 1870, 1880, 1890 (fragment, see below), 1900, 1910, 1920 and 1930. Other Federal Schedules to look at when researching your Family Tree in Nobles County, Minnesota are Industry and Agriculture Schedules availible for the years 1860, 1870 and 1880. The Mortality Schedules for the years 1860, 1870 and 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 Nobles County Census Records. Email us with websites containing Nobles 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
- Nobles 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 Nobles County Maps. Email us with websites containing Nobles 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 Nobles County Military Records. Email us with websites containing Nobles 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.
- Nobles 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 Nobles County Genealogical Addresses. Email us with websites containing Nobles County Genealogical Addresses by clicking the link below:
- Nobles County Historical Society, 407 12th St Suite 2, Worthington MN 56187-2472, Phone: 507 376-4431
- Nobles County Genealogical Society, 407 12th St Suite 2, Worthington MN 56187-2472
- 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 Nobles County. Some transcriptions are online. A great site is the Nobles 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 Nobles County Cemetery & Church Records. Email us with websites containing Nobles 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 Nobles County Family Trees, web forums and other family type information. Email us with websites containing Nobles 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: [ Nobles County ] [ Minnesota ] [ Main Page ]
- Nobles 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
- Nobles 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,
Nobles County was first occupied by the Sisseton Indians. The first white man to set foot on the land was Joseph Nicolas Nicollet, who came to map out the area in 1842 and named the lakes Okabena (there was also in East Okabena), Ocheyedan and the Kanaranzi River. The first settlement was near Graham Lakes. Township surveys were run along the Iowa Border in 1852, laying out the Lake and continued eastward. The territory was organized in 1849. In 1856, there was a great influx of settlers into Minnesota. The panic of 1857 stopped that. During this period only trappers visited Nobles County. Trapping was profitable during the early days. Nobles County was created by the Minnesota Legislature on May 23, 1857, just before the full force of the panic was felt. Settlers were also discouraged from coming by the Indian Massacre of 1857. At this time, a band of Sioux has ruthlessly murdered settlers in Spirit Lake and along the Des Moines River in Jackson and Cottonwood Counties. The few whites in the area were understandably reluctant to stay.
County Government did not start until 1870. The first railroad was built in 1871 from Mankato through Worthington to LeMars, Iowa. This later became the Chicago, St. Paul, Minneapolis and Omaha. During the summer of 1867, a mail route was established from Blue Earth City through the Graham Lakes settlement to Yankton, South Dakota. In January, a Post Office was established in each settlement. The population in the spring of 1870 was 117 and nearly doubled by fall.
In 1871, a group of men from Toledo, Ohio organized a company to locate a colony of settlers in some western county. After traveling 20,000 miles in the Midwest, they decided on Nobles County and by the spring of 1872, hundreds of people came in and took up land. The mail was brought to Worthington by train and an overland route was established from there to Sioux Falls. Post offices were established in Dewald (one mile northeast of Rushmore), Adrian and Westside Township. Worthington became the County Seat in 1873. The railroad gave the county a block of land in the heart of the City of Worthington to be used for a courthouse, which was built in 1877. The building was replaced in 1894 by a stately building of red brick and massive stone foundation featuring a tower and elaborate cornice work.
The census of 1861: 11 families, 35 persons, (3 from Norway, 3 from Bavaria, 1 from Ireland and the rest from the eastern states).
In 1880, the population was 4,435. In 1895, the population was 11,905 and in 1970, the population was up to 22,959.
The Indians and the early settlers found a beautiful land covered with prairie grass and wild flowers. There were ducks, wild geese, brant, curlew, pelicans, prairie chickens and some big game. Land sold for eight to ten dollars an acre but some Okabena lakeshore brought $50.00 to $100.00. The government gave the railroads the odd numbered sections of land adjoining the railroad to encourage the building of the railroads.
From 1873 to 1879 the settlers suffered through plagues of grasshoppers and terrible winters. The January 7-8-9 blizzard of 1873 was one of the worst storms that covered the Northwest area. Seventy lives were lost—four in Minnesota.
County Courthouse
Nobles County's first courthouse was a two-story frame building built in 1877 at a cost of $1,124. When the second courthouse was built in 1894, the wooden building was moved. It eventually became a store, and as late as the 1980s, it served as an apartment house.
The 1894, three-story building was built of brick and stone at a cost of $42,469. Albert Bryan designed the Romanesque style building, shown above in 1940. In 1954, lightning struck the courthouse tower, which was later shaved off by repair crews.
The Nobles County Government Center was built in three phases from 1974-1979 for nearly $3.6 million. The building's smooth gray granite face is cut in tall blocks and plays against the texture of small granite squares, which face the topless towers bulging from the building's sides. The main floors jut out above the foundation in and along the top edge.
The three buildings are spread along the slight slope of the square. An outdoor plaza is sheltered by their walls. Granite, oak paneling, and fabric finishes the inside of the building.
Phase one of the project built the law enforcement center and jail. The courts building and the county administration building followed on the site of the then-demolished 1894 courthouse. Alfred Berreau designed the complex and Robert Olesen, from Loeffel-Engstrand Company, built it.
The current Prairie Justice Center was completed in 2002. Courts, law enforcement, probation, and the county attorney's officed moved into the Justice Center on July 1, 2002. The county's other offices remain downtown at the Government Center.
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