Sherburne County Genealogy Records

Sherburne County genealogy records are available through the County Recorder in Elk River and the Sherburne History Center, which holds thousands of photographs, probate records, church records, school records, and newspapers on microfilm going back to 1855, along with transcribed birth and death records from 1870 to the early 1900s that are available online. The History Center is one of the more active local genealogy resources in central Minnesota.

Sherburne County Recorder

The Sherburne County Recorder in Elk River handles vital records and land documents for the county. Birth records date to 1870 and death records also start in 1870. Marriage records go back to 1858. Divorce records run from 1884 forward. Land records start in 1856 and cover property transactions through the present. This is a fairly deep collection for a county this size, and the Recorder's office is the primary point of access for official vital and land records.

Vital records access follows Minnesota Statutes section 144.225. Births over 100 years old and deaths over 50 years old are open to the public for genealogy research. Newer records require documentation of a qualifying relationship. For questions about a specific record or request procedures, contact the Recorder's office directly in Elk River.

Sherburne History Center

The Sherburne History Center is the main local genealogy resource for this county and holds an exceptional range of materials. Their collection includes thousands of photographs, probate records, county clubs and organizations records, original church records donated by local congregations, and school records. Newspapers on microfilm go back to 1855, which is before the county was even formally organized. A state-of-the-art microfilm reader is available at the History Center for in-person research.

The History Center has also done transcription work on early vital records. Sherburne County births from 1870 to 1899 have been transcribed and are available online. Deaths from 1870 to 1923 have also been transcribed. These transcriptions give you a searchable index without needing to visit the county office or the MHS. They are not complete, but they cover the most-researched early period.

Church records at the Sherburne History Center can be particularly valuable for Scandinavian families who settled in this part of Minnesota in the late 1800s. Lutheran and other congregational records often include baptism registers, confirmation lists, and membership records that go back further than county vital records in some cases. If you have Sherburne County ancestors from before 1900, asking the History Center about church records for the township where they lived is worth doing.

Sherburne County MNGenWeb

The Sherburne County MNGenWeb site at sherburne.mngenweb.net/records.html provides free access to volunteer-gathered genealogy data for the county. Cemetery transcriptions, obituaries, and family data are available. This site is a good early stop in research, since it indexes materials that volunteers have collected from local sources over many years.

The Sherburne County MNGenWeb project collects cemetery records, researcher-submitted genealogy data, and local record indexes for families throughout Sherburne County going back to early settlement in the 1850s.

The MNGenWeb project for Sherburne County provides indexed genealogy data, cemetery records, and family submissions that can accelerate your research before you contact official county offices or visit the History Center.

The FamilySearch Wiki for Sherburne County at familysearch.org is another good starting point, listing known record types and their locations for the county.

Vital Records Search

The Minnesota Department of Health holds statewide vital records with births from 1900 and deaths from 1908. Noncertified genealogy copies cost $13 each and must be requested by mail or fax to P.O. Box 64882, St. Paul, MN 55164. Visit health.state.mn.us/people/vitalrecords or call 651-201-5970 for forms and instructions.

For Sherburne County births and deaths before 1900, start with the transcribed records at the Sherburne History Center. Births from 1870 to 1899 and deaths from 1870 to 1923 have been transcribed and are searchable online. For records not found in the transcriptions, contact the County Recorder directly or visit in person in Elk River.

Marriage records from 1958 to 2001 are searchable through MOMS at moms.mn.gov at no charge. For marriages outside that window, contact the Recorder or check the MHS marriage index.

Land and Probate Records

Federal land patents for Sherburne County can be searched for free at glorecords.blm.gov. Homestead entries from the 1860s and 1870s show when families first settled in this part of central Minnesota. The county's land records at the Recorder go back to 1856 and cover continuous property ownership through the present.

Probate records for Sherburne County start in 1893. The Sherburne History Center holds probate records as part of their collection, making them accessible locally rather than requiring a trip to the MHS. Court records run from 1877 forward. For files that have been transferred to the state archive, the MHS Gale Family Library at 345 Kellogg Blvd W, St. Paul, is open Tuesday through Saturday at 651-259-3300.

The MHS People Records Search at mnhs.org/search/people covers multiple MHS databases and can return results for Sherburne County names from state census records, newspapers, and naturalization records.

Nearby Counties

Sherburne County borders Anoka, Benton, Isanti, Mille Lacs, Stearns, and Wright counties in central Minnesota. Family research in this area often extends into these neighboring counties.