Clearwater County Genealogy Records

Clearwater County genealogy records are maintained by the County Recorder and the Clerk of District Court in Bagley, along with the Clearwater County Historical Society and the MNGenWeb project. The county was carved from Beltrami County in 1902, so records from before that date are at Beltrami County offices. This page explains where to find records, who to contact, and what is available online.

Clearwater County Government and Recorder

The Clearwater County Government offices are at 213 Main Avenue North in Bagley. The county is open Monday through Friday from 8 AM to 4:30 PM. The Recorder holds land records including deeds, mortgages, and plats going back to 1903, when the county was organized. For land records before 1903, you need to check with Beltrami County, which held this area before Clearwater was split off.

Birth and death records at the county level go back to 1903. Access to recent records is limited by Minnesota Statutes section 144.225, which restricts births under 100 years and deaths under 50 years. Older records are open to the public. The Clerk of District Court holds civil court records, marriage records, divorce records, and probate filings from 1903 onward.

Clearwater County Historical Society

The Clearwater County Historical Society in Bagley holds local history materials, photographs, and genealogical resources that go beyond what county offices maintain. Director Tamara Anderson-Edevold oversees the collection. The society has materials covering the 20 townships in Clearwater County, including Bear Creek, Clover, Copley, Dudley, Eddy, Falk, Greenwood, Holst, and others.

The Historical Society holds a 1912 Atlas of Clearwater County in two parts (northern and southern portions) as well as a full version atlas. These plat maps show township layouts, property owner names, and business listings from that era. A Dunn and Bradstreet directory from 1929 covers Clearwater and neighboring counties. These sources can help you place an ancestor on a specific property in a specific year.

Clearwater County MNGenWeb

The Clearwater County MNGenWeb site is a free volunteer genealogy resource. It links to census records, cemetery transcriptions, land records, and local history materials for Clearwater County. The site also has the online indexes for birth certificates (1900-1934) and death certificates (1905-1996) maintained by the Minnesota Genealogical Society.

The Will Records index for 1849 to 1985 is another resource accessible through the MNGenWeb project. Even though Clearwater County was only formed in 1902, the index covers the broader region and can help you find probate documents from the Beltrami era as well. The Dalby Database is also referenced here for southeastern Minnesota connections some families may have before moving north.

The Clearwater County MNGenWeb volunteer archive is a free starting point for research in this north-central Minnesota county. Visit the Clearwater County MNGenWeb site to find census indexes, cemetery records, and links to regional genealogy databases.

The MNGenWeb site for Clearwater County links to statewide birth and death indexes, will records, and township-level genealogy resources for all 20 county townships.

Vital Records for Clearwater County Research

Vital records before 1908 are at the Clerk of District Court in Bagley. After 1908, birth and death records are held by the Minnesota Department of Health. Genealogy copies are noncertified and cost $13 each. You order by mail or fax only. The state office is at PO Box 9441, Minneapolis, MN 55440, phone 651-201-5970.

The Beltrami State Registrar Office in Bemidji serves the Clearwater County area for local record access. Their address is 701 Minnesota Avenue NW, Suite 100, Bemidji, MN 56601, and their phone is 218-333-4148. This office can help with records that predate Clearwater County's formation when Beltrami County held the area.

For marriages from 1958 to 2001, use the free Minnesota Official Marriage System (MOMS). Earlier marriages are at the Clerk of District Court in Bagley. The MDH Vital Records page has full instructions for ordering statewide records by mail.

The Clearwater County government portal shows current contact info for all county offices. Visit the Clearwater County government site for office information and courthouse contact details.

The Clearwater County government site lists current contact information for the Recorder, Clerk of Court, and other offices holding genealogy records in Bagley.

Available Records in Clearwater County

Clearwater County has maintained records since 1903. The Clerk of District Court holds birth, death, marriage, divorce, civil court, and probate records from that year forward. The County Recorder holds land records from 1903 onward. For records before 1903, contact Beltrami County, which is where Clearwater was carved from.

Census records for Clearwater County are available through FamilySearch and Ancestry from 1860 onward. State censuses from 1865 through 1905 can fill in gaps and often include more information than the federal counts. The MHS holds these state census records. Burial records in Clearwater County are maintained by individual town clerks and are also searchable through cemetery databases at Find a Grave and BillionGraves.

Note: Because Clearwater County was not formed until 1902, records from before that year are in Beltrami County. Check Beltrami first if your research goes back to the 1880s or 1890s in this area.

Minnesota Historical Society

The MHS Gale Family Library has newspapers, census records, and local histories for Clearwater County. Most collections are free to use on-site. The MHS People Records Search covers statewide birth and death indexes and is a good starting point. The MHS also holds naturalization records for immigrants who settled in northern Minnesota, which can be valuable for tracing families back to their country of origin.

Nearby Counties

Clearwater County borders these counties. Records before 1902 may be in Beltrami, and neighboring counties often have records for the same family groups.