Search Pipestone County Genealogy Records
Pipestone County genealogy records date to 1877 and include births, deaths, marriages, land transfers, probate files, court records, and naturalization records. The County Recorder in Pipestone holds the primary collection, while the Pipestone County Museum, FamilySearch, and state archives provide additional resources for researching families in this southwest Minnesota county.
Pipestone County Overview
Pipestone County Recorder and Courthouse
The Pipestone County Recorder's Office is at 416 South Hiawatha Ave., Pipestone, MN 56164. Phone: 507-825-1135. Website: pipestone-county.com. The Recorder holds birth records from November 16, 1877, death records from July 20, 1878, and marriage records from 1877. Land records go back to 1879. These cover the earliest period of organized county settlement.
For certified copies of vital records, you can visit in person or submit a request by mail. A public viewing station is available at the Recorder's Office for genealogy research. If you want to look at records yourself before ordering certified copies, the public station is a good option. Certified birth records cost $26 for the first copy and $19 for each additional copy. Certified death records are $13 for the first copy and $6 for each additional copy. Marriage certificates are $9.
The Clerk District Court at the same courthouse holds birth, marriage, divorce, probate, and court records from 1877. Probate records from that year document the estates of some of the county's earliest settlers. These files can be rich with genealogy detail, including heir names, property descriptions, and sometimes handwritten notes or correspondence.
| Office | Details |
|---|---|
| County Recorder | 416 S Hiawatha Ave, Pipestone, MN 56164 |
| Phone | 507-825-1135 |
| Website | pipestone-county.com |
| Birth Records | From November 16, 1877 |
| Death Records | From July 20, 1878 |
| Marriage Records | From 1877 |
| Land Records | From 1879 |
| Probate / Court Records | From 1877 |
| Certified Birth | $26 first copy, $19 each additional |
| Certified Death | $13 first copy, $6 each additional |
| Marriage Certificate | $9 |
The Pipestone County government website is shown below, where you can find current department contacts and information for record requests.
Visit the Pipestone County Government website for department directories, phone numbers, and online record request details.
Use the county website to confirm current office hours and forms before making an in-person visit or mailing a records request to Pipestone.
Pipestone County Museum and Historical Society
The Pipestone County Museum at pipestonecountymuseum.com/genealogy holds genealogy research resources for the county. The museum's genealogy section includes early phone books, plat maps, an index of births, marriages and obituaries from local newspapers, and other materials. These sources can fill in gaps between official records and help you understand where an ancestor lived and worked in the county.
The newspaper obituary index at the museum is particularly valuable for researchers who cannot visit in person. An index entry can confirm a death date and provide a citation for the original newspaper, which you can then request from the museum or locate through the Minnesota Digital Newspaper Hub. Plat maps at the museum show property owners by township and can help you identify an ancestor's farm location.
Contact the museum directly to ask about research services and whether remote requests are accepted. Museum staff can often answer specific questions by email or phone if you cannot visit Pipestone in person. Military records for Pipestone County veterans may also be available through the museum's collections.
Available Records in Pipestone County
Pipestone County has a solid set of genealogy records going back to the county's organization in the late 1870s. Here is what is available and where to find it:
- Birth records from November 16, 1877 (County Recorder; MDH certified from 1900)
- Death records from July 20, 1878 (County Recorder; MDH from 1908)
- Marriage records from 1877 (County Recorder; MOMS index online)
- Land records from 1879 (County Recorder)
- Probate records from 1877 (Clerk District Court)
- Court records from 1877 (Clerk District Court)
- Divorce records (Clerk District Court)
- Naturalization records (county court and MHS)
- Military records (museum and MHS)
- Federal census records 1880-1940 (FamilySearch, Ancestry)
- State census records 1885, 1905 (MHS)
The FamilySearch wiki for Pipestone County at familysearch.org lists all available digital collections and research tips. The RAOGK (Random Acts of Genealogical Kindness) site for Pipestone County at raogk.org connects researchers with local volunteers who can look up records in person on your behalf.
How to Search Pipestone County Records
Use the free Minnesota Official Marriage System at moms.mn.gov for marriage records from 1877 onward. Search by name or filter by Pipestone County to confirm a record before ordering a certified copy. The system covers marriages statewide from 1850 and is the fastest online tool for checking marriage data.
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. Use this for older death records or to search between federal census years in Pipestone County.
For certified vital records, contact the Minnesota Department of Health Vital Records at PO Box 9441, Minneapolis, MN 55440. Phone: 651-201-5970. They accept mail and fax requests only. Certified births cost $26 and deaths cost $13. Access rules are set by Minnesota Statute 144.225.
For online requests, birth certificates for anyone born in Minnesota from 1935 to present and death certificates from 1997 to present can be ordered through MDH. Historical records before those dates are best accessed through the county recorder or the MHS People Search.
Note: Mail requests to the Pipestone County Recorder require a notarized signature on the application form and payment by check. Call 507-825-1135 to get current forms and instructions before sending a mail request.
MHS and State Resources
The Minnesota Historical Society Gale Family Library (345 Kellogg Blvd W, St. Paul, 651-259-3300) holds naturalization records, state census materials, and newspaper archives for Pipestone County. The library is open Tuesday through Saturday and many collections must be used in person. Naturalization records from Pipestone County's immigrant communities are a key source for tracing families back to Europe.
The regional MHS research center for southwest Minnesota is the Southwest Minnesota Historical Center in Marshall (507-537-7373). This center is much closer to Pipestone than the main St. Paul library and holds collections for southwest Minnesota counties. Call ahead to confirm which Pipestone County collections are available in Marshall.
Federal land patents before 1908 are free to search at glorecords.blm.gov. Pipestone County land patents document the original grantees for each parcel settled in the late 1870s and 1880s. The Minnesota Genealogical Society at mngs.org (651-330-9312) offers additional databases and research tools for Minnesota family history.
Nearby Counties
Pipestone County borders Lincoln, Lyon, Murray, Nobles, and Rock Counties. If an ancestor lived near a county line, records may be held in a neighboring county office.