Williams County, North Dakota Genealogy

United States

North Dakota

Williams County

Guide to Williams County, North Dakota ancestry, genealogy and family history, birth records, marriage records, death records, census records, family history, and military records.

North Dakota Online Genealogy Records

County Facts County seat: Williston Organized: November 30, 1892 Parent County(s): Buford (Old) and Flannery (Old) Neighboring Counties Burke  • Divide  • McKenzie  • Mountrail  • Richland (MT)  • Roosevelt (MT)  • Sheridan (MT) See County Maps Courthouse Location Map Adoption This page is available for adoption

County Information

Description

The name comes from Erastus Appelman Williams. The County is located in the northwest area of the state.

County Courthouse

Williams County Courthouse
Box 2047
Williston, ND 58802
Phone: 701.572.1729
Williams County Website

District Court Clerk has birth, marriage, death, burial, probate, court and naturalization records;
County Treasurer Recorder has land records;
Veterans Service Office has military records.

Williams County, North Dakota Record Dates

Information for this chart was taken from various sources, often containing conflicting dates. This information should be taken as a guide and should be verified by contacting the county and/or the state government agency.

Known Beginning Dates for Major Records
Birth*	Marriage	Death*	Court	Land	Probate	Census
1870	1892	1881	1890	1890	1890	1836
*State Dept. of Vital Records started births and deaths in 1923. Full compliance by 1924.

Record Loss

There is no known history of courthouse disasters in this county.

Boundary Changes

Parent County: Williams County was created from 30 November 1892 Buford (Old) and Flannery (Old) Counties. County seat: Williston Interactive Formation Boundary Map of North Dakota - shows boundary changes for North Dakota Counties North Dakota Historical Boundary Changes - list of all boundary changes by county provided by Newberry Library

Populated Places

For a complete list of populated places, including small neighborhoods and suburbs, visit Hometown Locator. The following are the most historically and genealogically relevant populated places in this county:

Cities
Alamo Epping Grenora	Ray Springbrook Tioga	Wildrose Williston (county seat)
Unincorporated communities
Buford Corinth Hanks	McGregor Trenton	Wheelock Zahl
Townships
Athens Barr Butte Big Meadow Big Stone Blacktail Blue Ridge Bonetraill Brooklyn Buford Bull Butte Champion Climax Cow Creek Dry Fork Dublin East Fork Ellisville Equality	Farmvale Golden Valley Good Luck Grenora Hardscrabble Hazel Hebron Judson Lindahl Marshall Missouri Ridge Mont New Home Oliver Orthell Pherrin Pleasant Valley Rainbow	Rock Island Round Prairie Sauk Valley Scorio South Meadow Springbrook Stony Creek Strandahl Tioga Trenton Truax Twelve Mile Tyrone View West Bank Wheelock Williston Winner

Resources

Biographies

• Williams County Biographies on North Dakota Genealogy Trails website - alphabetical list of early settlers and prominent individuals from county histories
• Index to Williams County Biographies (USGenWeb Archives)
• North Dakota Biography Index at North Dakota State University Archives - Index only; gives references to publications containing information on North Dakotans, living and deceased

Cemeteries

Cemeteries of Williams County, North Dakota online and in print
Tombstone Transcriptions Online	Findagrave USGenWeb Archives BillionGraves
Tombstone Transcriptions in Print (Often more complete)	FamilySearch WorldCat
List of Cemeteries in the County	Findagrave BillionGraves FamilySearch Places
See North Dakota Cemeteries for more information

• 1877-1999 - North Dakota, Cemetery Records, 1877-1999 at FamilySearch — index and images - How to Use this Collection

Census Records

Historical populations
Census	Pop.	%±
1880	14	—
1890	109	678.6%
1900	1,530	1303.7%
1910	14,234	830.3%
1920	17,980	26.3%
1930	19,553	8.7%
1940	16,315	−16.6%
1950	16,442	0.8%
1960	22,051	34.1%
1970	19,301	−12.5%
1980	22,237	15.2%
1990	21,129	−5.0%
2000	19,761	−6.5%
2010	22,398	13.3%
Source: "Wikipedia.org".

Before North Dakota was a state in 1889, parts of North Dakota were included in the 1836 Iowa Territory census (also known as Wisconsin Territory), 1840 Iowa Territory census, 1850 Minnesota Territory census, and the 1860-1880 Dakota Territory censuses. See links listed below.

Territory and State Census Records

• 1836 - 1836 Wisconsin Territory Census – index only; North Dakota was included in the 1836 Wisconsin Territory Census
• 1840 - United States Census, 1840 at FamilySearch Historical Records — index and images; North Dakota was included in the 1840 Iowa Territory Census - How to Use this Collection
• 1850 - United States Census, 1850 at FamilySearch Historical Records — index and images; North Dakota was included in the 1850 Minnesota Territory Census - How to Use this Collection
• 1860 - United States Census, 1860 at FamilySearch Historical Records — index and images; North Dakota was included in the 1860 Dakota Territory Census - How to Use this Collection
• 1870 - United States Census, 1870 at FamilySearch Historical Records — index and images; North Dakota was included in the 1870 Dakota Territory Census - How to Use this Collection
• 1880 - United States Census, 1880 at FamilySearch Historical Records — index and images; North Dakota was included in the 1880 Dakota Territory Census - How to Use this Collection
• 1885 Dakota Territory 1885 Census Index at NDSU Archives – index only
• 1885 Census, Williams County, North Dakota (Genealogy Trails)
• 1885, 1915, 1925 North Dakota, Territorial and State Censuses, 1885, 1915, 1925 at Ancestry.com – ($), index and images
• 1915 North Dakota Census, 1915 at FamilySearch Historical Records — index and images - How to Use this Collection
• 1925 North Dakota Census, 1925 at FamilySearch Historical Records — index and images - How to Use this Collection

Federal Census Records

Federal Censuses were taken for the state of North Dakota starting in 1890, although no records survived. The 1900 Census is the next Federal Census available. For links to Federal census indexes, see North Dakota Census.

• 1900 Federal Census, Williams County, North Dakota images. (USGenWeb Archives)
• 1910 Federal Census, Williams County, North Dakota images. (USGenWeb Archives)
• 1920 Federal Census, Williams County, North Dakota images. (USGenWeb Archives)
• 1930 Federal Census, Williams County, North Dakota images. (USGenWeb Archives)

Church Records

List of Churches and Church Parishes

• FamilySearch Places

Church records can be found online, kept onsite at the church, or housed in a church archive or library. See North Dakota Church Records for more information on how to locate the records.

Online Church Records
Lutheran Church

• 1875-1940 - U.S., Evangelical Lutheran Church of America, Records, 1875-1940 at Ancestry — ($); Index and images; Dates vary for each county
  
• Records of Bethesda Lutheran Church, Williams County, in Evangelical Lutheran Church in America database at Archives.com ($).

Directories

• 1822 - 1995 U.S. City Directories 1822-1995 at Ancestry ($) - collection for the City of Williston

Emigration and Immigration

• 1800-1953 - North Dakota, Red River Valley Genealogical Society, Pioneer Files, 1880-1953 at FamilySearch — index - How to Use this Collection

Land and Property Records

When the United States acquired North Dakota, most of the land became available for homesteading or purchase from the federal government. After land was transferred from the government to private owners, the registrar of deeds in each county recorded the land transactions in the form of deeds and mortgages. For more information, see North Dakota Land and Property.

Online Land Records

• Index to Williams County BLM Land Records (Genealogy Trails)
• Land Patent Search - index to federal patents and homesteads on the Bureau of Land Management website, some images available
• 1796 - 1907 - U.S. General Land Office Records, 1796-1907 at Ancestry - index, info taken from Bureau of Land Management website
  
• 1863 - 1908 - U.S. Homestead Records 1863-1908 at Ancestry.com - ($), index and images

For more information see North Dakota Land and Property

Local Histories

Local histories, including those of the county, are available for Williams County. These histories can include biographies, church, school and government history, and military information.

• Alamo - Appam - Corinth, North Dakota, golden jubilee, 1916 - 1966. 1966. S.l.: s.n. At various libraries (WorldCat). comments.
• Fort Union and the upper Missouri fur trade. 2001. By Barton H. Barbour. Norman, Oklahoma: University of Oklahoma Press. At various libraries (WorldCat).
• Grenora, North Dakota, golden jubilee, 1916-1966. 1966?. By Jubilee Book Committee of the Grenora Commercial Club. S.l.: s.n. At various libraries (WorldCat).
• Trail of the pioneers, 1900-1967: Barr Butte, Good Luck, Orthell and Scorio townships, Gladys, Hanks, Howard and Zahl, North Dakota. P1967. By Project Committee. [S.l.] : Project Committee. FamilySearch Digital Library; At various libraries (WorldCat).
• The Wonder of Williams; a history of Williams County [North Dakota]. 1975. By Marlene Eide. North Dakota: Williams County Historical Society (North Dakota). At various libraries (WorldCat). Index in volume 2.

Maps and Gazetteers

• FamilySearch Places:Cities and Towns- How to Use FS Places
• Interactive Formation Boundary Map of North Dakota - shows boundary changes for North Dakota Counties
• North Dakota Maps at NDGenWeb -historical maps

Military Records

Online Collections

These collections are unique to North Dakota. You will find nationwide databases for military records on U.S. Military Online Genealogy Records and North Dakota Military Records.

Civil War

• 1861-1865 - Dakota Territory Civil War Service Records of Union Soldiers, 1861-1865 at FamilySearch. - How to Use this Collection
• 1890 - United States Census of Union Veterans and Widows of the Civil War, 1890 at FamilySearch. - How to Use this Collection

World War I

• 1917-1918 - North Dakota Military Men 1917-1918 at Ancestry ($)
• 1917-1918 - Roster of the men and women who served in the army or naval service (including the Marine Corps) of the United States or its allies from the state of North Dakota in the World War, 1917-1918, Vols. 1-4 at Ancestry ($)
• World War I News Items, Williams County, North Dakota (Genealogy Trails)
• Draft Pool Quota List, Williams County (USGenWeb Project)

For further information see North Dakota Military Records.

Naturalization and Citizenship

Online Naturalization Indexes and Records

• 1868-1924 - North Dakota, Naturalization Records, 1868-1924 at FamilySearch — index and images - How to Use this Collection
• North Dakota Naturalization Records Index at NDSU Archives – index only, covers various dates and counties

Newspapers

For more information, see North Dakota Newspapers.

North Dakota Newspapers Online

• GenealogyBank - ($), contains images of North Dakota newspapers
• Newspaper Archive - ($), contains images of North Dakota newspapers
• Chronicling America - contains images of some North Dakota newspapers; searching tips
• Elephind - Free; search engine that retrieves newspaper images from other free newspaper websites

North Dakota Newspaper Catalogs

• U.S. Newspaper Directory, 1690-Present on Chronicling America - contains a list of all known newspapers and the dates they cover; once you locate a newspaper name, contact the local library to see if they have copies of the newspaper
• State Historical Society of North Dakota - contains inventory and catalog of all known ND newspapers

Obituaries

• Williams County Obituaries (Genealogy Bank)
• Obituary for Knutson, Anna Iversdatter, d. December 23, 1939 (USGenWeb Archives)

Probate Records

Probate records, including wills and estates, are at the county clerk's office. See also North Dakota Probate Records.

Online Probate Records

• 1800 – 1985 North Dakota and South Dakota Wills and Probate Records 1800-1985 at Ancestry.com — index and images $

Social Security Records

• 1935-2014 United States Social Security Death Index at FamilySearch - How to use this collection; index. Also at Ancestry, findmypast, Fold3, GenealogyBank, MyHeritage, and Steve Morse. Click here for more information.
• 1936-2007 U.S., Social Security Applications and Claims Index, 1936-2007 at Ancestry ($) — index, click here for more information.

Tax Records

County tax records are at the county treasurer's, auditor's or clerk's office in the county courthouse. Some tax records may have been moved to the North Dakota State Archives.

Vital Records

Birth, marriage, death, and divorce records may be recorded on registers, certificates, or other documents at the county clerk's office. Many records are also being digitized and put online. See North Dakota Vital Records for more information about availability and how to access them.

Birth

• Birth Announcements, Williams County, North Dakota (Genealogy Trails)

Marriage

• 1872-1958 - North Dakota, County Marriages, 1872-1958 at FamilySearch — index and images - How to Use this Collection
• Marriage Announcements, Williams County, North Dakota (Genealogy Trails)

Death

Online Death Indexes and Records

• 1892-present - NDDH Public Death Index, 1892-present at North Dakota Dept. of Health – index only

Research Facilities

Archives

Listed below are archives in Williams County. For state-wide archival repositories, see North Dakota Archives and Libraries.

North Dakota State University Archives
West Building 3551 7th Avenue N
Fargo, ND 58102
Mailing Address:
NDSU Archives
Libraries NDSU Dept #2080
PO Box 6050
Fargo, ND 58108-6050
Phone: 701-231-8914
Fax: 701-231-5632
Email: ndsu.archives@ndsu.edu
Website

Family History Centers

Family History Centers provide one-on-one assistance, free access to center-only databases, and to premium genealogical websites.
FamilySearch Affiliate Libraries have access to most center-only databases, but may not always have full services normally provided by a family history center.

• Family History Center and Affiliate Library Locator

Local Centers and Libraries

• Williston North Dakota Family History Center

Libraries

Listed below are libraries in Williams County. For state-wide library facilities, see North Dakota Archives and Libraries.

Museums

Fort Buford State Historic Site
15349 39th Lane NW
Williston, ND 58801
Telephone Number: 701-572-9034 or 701-328-2666
Website

Fort Union Trading Post National Historic Site
15550 Hwy. 1804
Williston, ND 58801
Telephone Number: 701-572-9083
Website

Frontier Museum
423 1st Ave. West
Williston, ND 58801
Telephone Number: 701-572-2258

Societies

Listed below are societies in Williams County. For state-wide genealogical societies, see North Dakota Societies.

Williams County Historical Society
519 11th Avenue W
Williston, ND 58801-4727
Telepone
701-577-4504

Pioneer Trails Historical Society, Hanks
2310 University Ave.
Williston, ND 58801
Telephone: 701-572-4759

Ray Opera House Museum Society
420 4th Avenue East
Ray, ND 58849
Telephone: 701-568-3437

Tioga Historical Society, Inc / Norseman Museum
P. O. Box 697
Tioga, ND 58852-0697
Telephone: 701-664-2702

Websites

• Williams County, North Dakota, USGenWeb project. May have maps, name indexes, history or other information for this county.
• Williams County, North Dakota, USGenWeb Archives
• FamilySearch Catalog The FamilySearch catalog contains descriptions and access information for all genealogical materials (including books, online materials, microfilm, microfiche, and publications) in their collection. Use Historical Records to search for specific individuals in genealogical records.
• Williams County, North Dakota Genealogy and Family History (Linkpendium)
• Williams County Genealogy (ldsgenealogy.com)
• Genealogy Trails: Williams County, North Dakota, Genealogy and History

This website requires a paid subscription for full access.