Access Olmsted County Genealogy Records
Olmsted County genealogy records go back to the 1850s and include births, deaths, marriages, land deeds, probate files, and court records. The Clerk of Court in Rochester holds the primary collection, while the History Center of Olmsted County, Rochester Public Library, FamilySearch, and state archives provide essential research resources for this southeast Minnesota county.
Olmsted County Overview
Olmsted County Courthouse and Clerk of Court
The Olmsted County Courthouse is at 151 SE 4th Street, Rochester, MN 55904. Phone: 507-328-6001. Website: olmstedcounty.gov. The Clerk of Court holds vital records including birth records (incomplete from 1871), death records (incomplete from 1871), marriage records from 1855, and divorce records from 1860. Court records go back to 1858.
For certified copies of birth, death, or marriage records, visit the courthouse or contact the office to ask about mail request procedures. Bring a valid photo ID and proof of relationship to the person named in the record. The Clerk of Court can confirm whether a specific record is on file before you submit a formal request. For older records from the 1870s, some may be incomplete because early registration was not strictly enforced.
Probate records for Olmsted County include case files from 1855 to 1955, will records from 1855 to 1964 (on FamilySearch Catalog), and guardianship case files from 1863 to 1955. These are held at the County Court level and are separate from the vital records held at the Clerk of Court. Probate files are often the richest genealogy source in a county because they detail what an ancestor owned, who the heirs were, and sometimes include family correspondence or photographs.
| Office | Details |
|---|---|
| Olmsted County Courthouse | 151 SE 4th Street, Rochester, MN 55904 |
| Phone | 507-328-6001 |
| Website | olmstedcounty.gov |
| Birth / Death Records | Incomplete from 1871 |
| Marriage Records | From 1855 |
| Divorce Records | From 1860 |
| Court Records | From 1858 |
| Probate Case Files | 1855-1955 (County Court) |
| Guardianship Files | 1863-1955 |
The Olmsted County Government portal gives researchers access to department contact information and online services for the Rochester area.
Visit the Olmsted County Government website for department directories, current office hours, and record request instructions.
The county website is the fastest way to find current phone numbers and addresses for each department before making an in-person visit or mail request to Rochester.
History Center of Olmsted County
The History Center of Olmsted County is at 1195 W Circle Dr SW, Rochester, MN 55902. Phone: 507-282-9447. Email: services@olmstedhistory.com. Website: olmstedhistory.com. The center holds local history collections, photographs, genealogy research materials, and museum galleries. It is the main non-government archive for Olmsted County genealogy research.
The History Center's research collections include local newspapers, city directories, family histories, cemetery records, and donated documents that fill in gaps between official records. For an ancestor who was a business owner, community leader, or involved in local affairs, the History Center may have news clippings, photos, or organizational records that bring the person to life beyond birth and death dates.
Contact the History Center by email at services@olmstedhistory.com to ask about available collections and research services. Some materials require an in-person visit to Rochester, while others can be researched by mail or email. The center's staff can guide you toward the most relevant collections for your specific family history questions.
Local county histories in the center's collection include "History of Olmsted County, Minnesota" by Joseph A. Leonard (1910) and "History of Winona, Olmsted, and Dodge Counties" (1884). Both include biographical sketches of early residents. The Minnesota County History Name Index on Ancestry can help you locate entries about specific families in these old histories.
Rochester Public Library and FamilySearch Center
The Rochester Public Library serves as a Family History Affiliate Library with enhanced FamilySearch access. The library holds Rochester City Directories from 1827 to 1946 and Rochester Suburban Directories from 1930 to 1940. City directories are a key resource for finding where an ancestor lived and worked in a specific year, and for tracking family movements between census years.
The Rochester Minnesota FamilySearch Center provides local research assistance to genealogists working on Olmsted County families. FamilySearch centers have trained volunteers who can help you navigate FamilySearch collections, identify relevant record sets, and interpret records in other languages. Call the Rochester library to confirm current FamilySearch Center hours before visiting.
The FamilySearch wiki for Olmsted County at familysearch.org lists all available digital collections for the county. Probate case files from 1855 to 1955 and will records from 1855 to 1964 are on FamilySearch Catalog. Federal census records from 1860 through 1940 are indexed and searchable at no cost.
Olmsted County Genealogy Records Available
Olmsted County has one of the deeper record bases in southeast Minnesota, going back to the 1850s. Here is a summary of what is available and where:
- Birth records from 1871, incomplete (Clerk of Court; MDH certified from 1900)
- Death records from 1871, incomplete (Clerk of Court; MDH from 1908)
- Marriage records from 1855 (Clerk of Court; MOMS index online)
- Divorce records from 1860 (Clerk of Court)
- Court records from 1858 (Clerk of Court)
- Probate case files 1855-1955; Will records 1855-1964 (FamilySearch Catalog)
- Guardianship case files 1863-1955 (County Court)
- City directories 1827-1946 (Rochester Public Library)
- Federal census records 1860-1940 (FamilySearch, Ancestry)
- State census records 1865, 1875, 1885, 1905 (MHS)
Note: Birth and death records before 1900 are described as incomplete because early civil registration was not consistently enforced. Cross-check with church records and census data when an official record is missing.
How to Search Olmsted County Records
Use the free Minnesota Official Marriage System at moms.mn.gov for marriage records from 1850 onward. Search by name or filter by Olmsted County to find a record before ordering a certified copy from the courthouse.
The MHS People Records Search at mnhs.org/search/people is free and covers birth records from 1900 to 1934, death records from 1904 to 2001, state census records, and veterans graves. This is the right tool for older death records and for searching between federal census years.
For certified vital record copies, contact the Minnesota Department of Health Vital Records office at PO Box 9441, Minneapolis, MN 55440. Phone: 651-201-5970. Certified birth records cost $26 and death records cost $13. Access is governed by Minnesota Statute 144.225.
The MDH also holds noncertified birth records in some cases. Noncertified records are used for genealogy research and are available under a different set of access rules. See Minnesota Statute 144.2252 for details on noncertified record access.
Minnesota Historical Society Resources
The MHS Gale Family Library (345 Kellogg Blvd W, St. Paul, 651-259-3300) is open Tuesday through Saturday and holds naturalization records, state census collections, newspaper archives, and other materials for Olmsted County. Many collections must be used in person at the library.
The MHS regional research center for southeast Minnesota is the Southeast Minnesota History Center in Winona. Call ahead to confirm which Olmsted County collections are held in Winona versus the main St. Paul library. For researchers based in Rochester, the Winona center is a closer option for materials that cannot be accessed online.
Federal land patents before 1908 are free to search at glorecords.blm.gov. These records show the original grantee for each Olmsted County parcel and the date of the original land patent. This is useful for confirming when an ancestor first settled in the county and in which township. The Minnesota Genealogical Society at mngs.org offers additional databases and research tools.
Cities in Olmsted County
Rochester is the county seat and the largest city in Olmsted County, with a dedicated genealogy records page for city-specific resources. Other communities in the county include Byron, Eyota, Oronoco, Pine Island, Stewartville, and numerous townships. For genealogy research focused on Rochester, see the city page for courthouse addresses, local library resources, and city-specific record collections.
Nearby Counties
Olmsted County borders Dodge, Fillmore, Goodhue, Rice, Steele, Wabasha, and Winona Counties. If an ancestor lived near a county line, records may be in a neighboring county's offices.