Roseau County Genealogy Records

Roseau County genealogy records are held at the combined Auditor/Recorder/Treasurer office in Roseau, with birth and death records starting in 1895 and land and court records covering the county's full history since its organization at the end of the 1800s. The Genealogy Trails project has also collected and indexed a substantial amount of material for this northwestern Minnesota county that is accessible online.

Roseau County Auditor, Recorder, and Treasurer

In Roseau County, the combined Auditor/Recorder/Treasurer office handles vital records and land documents for the county. Birth records date to 1895 and death records to 1895 as well. Marriage records are available through this office. Land records cover transactions going back to the earliest organized period of the county. The office is at 606 Fifth Avenue Southwest, Room 140, in Roseau. Call 218-463-1215 to ask about specific records and request procedures.

Vital records access in Minnesota follows Minnesota Statutes section 144.225. Births more than 100 years old and deaths more than 50 years old are open for genealogy copies without requiring proof of relationship. For more recent records, you will need to document your relationship to the person named on the record. Contact the office before submitting a request to confirm what documentation is needed for your specific situation.

Genealogy Trails for Roseau County

The Genealogy Trails project has collected and published a significant volume of Roseau County genealogy material online. Cemetery records, family histories, obituaries, and other local data have been gathered by volunteer contributors and made free to search. This is a useful first step before contacting the county office or the Minnesota Historical Society.

The Roseau County Genealogy Trails site provides free access to indexed records and researcher-contributed family history materials covering Roseau County families going back to the county's early settlement period in the 1890s and early 1900s.

The Genealogy Trails project for Roseau County covers cemetery transcriptions, obituaries, and other materials contributed by researchers who have worked on this northwestern Minnesota county, and the site is searchable at no charge.

Volunteer-contributed data like what appears on Genealogy Trails is not always complete or fully indexed. Use it to confirm leads and get starting dates, then verify key facts through official county records.

FamilySearch and Online Records

FamilySearch has a wiki page for Roseau County at familysearch.org that summarizes known record types and where they are held. FamilySearch also holds some digitized Roseau County probate and court records. Reviewing the wiki before you contact any office is a good way to understand the landscape of available records for the county.

The MHS People Records Search at mnhs.org/search/people covers several MHS databases and can return results for Roseau County names. The MHS holds state census records, naturalization records, and newspapers that may include Roseau County families who settled here from Scandinavian countries in the late 1800s and early 1900s.

For marriage records, the MOMS system at moms.mn.gov covers 1958 to 2001 statewide and is free to use. For marriages outside that range, contact the Roseau County Recorder directly.

State Vital Records Access

The Minnesota Department of Health holds statewide births from 1900 and deaths from 1908. Noncertified genealogy copies cost $13 each. Mail or fax requests to P.O. Box 64882, St. Paul, MN 55164. For details and forms, call 651-201-5970 or visit health.state.mn.us/people/vitalrecords.

Roseau County birth and death records go back to 1895. For the years 1895 to 1899, you will need to go to the county Recorder rather than the state MDH system. These five years of records predating the state central collection can fill critical gaps for researchers working on families who arrived in Roseau County in the first years of settlement.

Land Records and Probate

Federal land patents for Roseau County are searchable for free at glorecords.blm.gov. Homestead entries from the 1890s and early 1900s are included and can show when families first settled in this far-northern county. Many patents from this area will involve settlers from Norway, Sweden, and other Scandinavian countries, and the birthplace information in the patent records can help confirm family origins.

Probate and court records for Roseau County are at the District Court. For older files that may have been transferred to the state archive, contact the Minnesota Historical Society Gale Family Library at 345 Kellogg Blvd W, St. Paul. Their phone number is 651-259-3300. The MHS is the primary statewide archive and holds records transferred from county courts across Minnesota, including Roseau County.

Nearby Counties

Roseau County borders Kittson, Lake of the Woods, Marshall, and Polk counties in the northern part of Minnesota. Family research in this region often crosses into these neighboring counties.