Dakota County, Minnesota Genealogy
Guide to Dakota County, Minnesota ancestry, family history, and genealogy birth records, marriage records, death records, census records, family history, and military records.
| Dakota County, Minnesota | |
| Map | |
 Location in the state of Minnesota, United States Genealogy | |
 Location of Minnesota in the U.S. | |
| Facts | |
| Founded | October 27, 1849 |
|---|---|
| County Seat | Hastings |
| Courthouse | |
 | |
| Address | Dakota County Courthouse 1590 Highway 55 Hastings, MN 55033 Phone: 651-438-4313 Dakota County Website |
Contents
- 1 County Information
- 2 County Courthouse
- 3 History
- 4 Places/Localities
- 5 Resources
- 6 Societies and Libraries
- 7 Websites
- 8 References
County Information[edit | edit source]
Description[edit | edit source]
The County was named for the Dakota people. The County is located in the southeast area of the state.[1]
Dakota County, Minnesota Record Dates[edit | edit source]
| Birth* | Marriage | Death* | Court | Land | Probate | Census |
| 1870 | 1857 | 1870 | 1853 | 1852 | 1863 | 1836 |
County Courthouse[edit | edit source]
Clerk District Court has birth and death records from 1870, marriage records from 1857, divorce and court records from 1853. [3]
History[edit | edit source]
Parent County[edit | edit source]
1849--Dakota County was created 27 October 1849 from unorganized territory. County seat: Hastings [4]
Boundary Changes[edit | edit source]
Record Loss[edit | edit source]
There is no known history of courthouse disasters in this county.
Places/Localities[edit | edit source]
Populated Places[edit | edit source]
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:[5]
| Cities | ||
| Unincorporated communities | ||
| Townships | ||
| Ghost towns | ||
Neighboring Counties[edit | edit source]
Resources[edit | edit source]
Cemeteries[edit | edit source]
| Tombstone Transcriptions Online | Tombstone Transcriptions in Print | List of Cemeteries in the county |
| Findagrave.com | Family History Library | Findagrave.com |
| USGenWeb | WorldCat | Billion Graves |
| MNGenWeb Archives | FamilySearch Places | |
| Tombstone Project | ||
| MNInterment | ||
| Billion Graves | ||
| See Minnesota Cemeteries for more information. | ||
- Dakota County Historical Society. Online cemetery records.
Census[edit | edit source]
| Historical populations | ||
|---|---|---|
| Census | Pop. | %± |
| 1850 | 584 | — |
| 1860 | 9,093 | 1457.0% |
| 1870 | 16,312 | 79.4% |
| 1880 | 17,391 | 6.6% |
| 1890 | 20,240 | 16.4% |
| 1900 | 21,733 | 7.4% |
| 1910 | 25,171 | 15.8% |
| 1920 | 28,967 | 15.1% |
| 1930 | 34,592 | 19.4% |
| 1940 | 39,660 | 14.7% |
| 1950 | 49,019 | 23.6% |
| 1960 | 78,303 | 59.7% |
| 1970 | 139,808 | 78.5% |
| 1980 | 194,279 | 39.0% |
| 1990 | 275,227 | 41.7% |
| 2000 | 355,904 | 29.3% |
| 2010 | 398,552 | 12.0% |
| Source: "Wikipedia.org". | ||
- Dakota County Census Index at Dakota County Historical Society — Indexed years -1857, 1860, 1865, 1875, 1880, 1885, 1900, 1920; Native American Census for 1900 and 1910; Registrations for 1918.
State Census
- 1865 - Minnesota State Census, 1865 at FamilySearch — index and images
- 1885 - Minnesota State Census, 1885 at FamilySearch — index and images
- 1905 - Minnesota State Census, 1905 at FamilySearch — index and images
Church[edit | edit source]
Most church records are held by individual churches. Some denominations are gathering their records into a central repository. For more information, see Minnesota Church Records.
Catholic[edit | edit source]
- Catholic Church records, Dakota County Historical Society
Lutheran[edit | edit source]
List of Churches and Church Parishes
Court[edit | edit source]
Emigration and Immigration[edit | edit source]
- 1912 - 1956 - Minnesota Passenger and Crew Lists, 1912-1956 at FamilySearch — index and images
Ethnic[edit | edit source]
- Dakota County Census Index at Dakota County Historical Society — Native American Census for 1900 and 1910
Land[edit | edit source]
The county register of deeds keeps land records once the land was transferred to private ownership. Abstracts and indexes for these records are generally available at the county courthouse.
Land records for Minnesota are listed in the Place Search of the FamilySearch Catalog under:
MINNESOTA, Dakota – LAND AND PROPERTY
Local Histories[edit | edit source]
Local histories are available for Dakota County, Minnesota Genealogy. County histories may include biographies, church, school and government history, and military information. For more information about local histories, see the wiki page section Minnesota Local Histories.
- Dakota County Historical Society, various local historical topic.
Maps[edit | edit source]
for more resources
- Dakota County Maps at Dakota County Historical Society — Interactive maps of towns and villages; history and early landowners.
- FamilySearch Places:Cities and Towns- How to Use FS Places
Military[edit | edit source]
Civil War[edit | edit source]
Civil War service men from Dakota County served in various regiments. Men often joined a company (within a regiment) that originated in their county. Listed below are companies or regiments that were formed from men of Dakota County.
- 1st Regiment, Minnesota Cavalry (Mounted Rangers), Companies A and G.
- 1st Regiment, Minnesota Infantry, Company H.
- 2nd Regiment, Minnesota Cavalry, Companies F and H.
- 3rd Regiment, Minnesota Infantry, Companies B and F.
- 4th Regiment, Minnesota Infantry, Company C.
- 5th Regiment, Minnesota Infantry, Company G.
- 6th Regiment, Minnesota Infantry, Company A.
- 7th Regiment, Minnesota Infantry, Company F.
- 8th Regiment, Minnesota Infantry, Companies F and K.
- 10th Regiment, Minnesota Infantry, Company H.
- Brackett's Battalion, Minnesota Cavalry, Company D.
- Hatch's Independent Battalion, Minnesota Cavalry , Companies C and F.
World War II[edit | edit source]
- 1940-1945 - Minnesota, World War II Draft Registration Cards,1940-1947 at FamilySearch — index and images
Naturalization and Citizenship[edit | edit source]
- 1872-1962 - Minnesota Naturalization Records and Indexes, 1872-1962 at FamilySearch — index
Newspapers[edit | edit source]
Additional newspapers abstracts can sometimes be found using search phrases such as Dakota County, Minnesota Genealogy newspapers in online catalogs like:
- WorldCat
- FamilySearch. Do a Dakota County, Minnesota Genealogy Place-name search for these and other records in the FamilySearch Catalog (For instructions see, FamilySearch Catalog Places Search).
- Dakota County Newspapers Directory. Links to locations and contact information.
Obituaries[edit | edit source]
- 1865-2006 - Minnesota Obituaries 1865-2006 at FamilySearch— index and images
- Dakota County Historical Society. Online obituaries.
Probate[edit | edit source]
Probate records may include wills, bonds, petitions, accounts, inventories, administrations, orders, decrees, and distributions. They may include the decedent’s date of death, names of his or her spouse, children, parents, siblings, in-laws, etc. See Minnesota Probate Records for additional information. Online Probate Records
- 1801 - 1999 Minnesota Wills and Probate Records 1801-1999 at Ancestry.com — index and images $
Taxation[edit | edit source]
Since Minnesota tax records include only persons who owned taxable property, many residents were not included. Still they complement land records and can be used in place of missing censuses or the years between censuses. There may also be gaps. For more information, see the wiki page Minnesota Taxation.
Vital Records[edit | edit source]
Vital Records consist of births, adoptions, marriages, divorces, and deaths recorded on registers, certificates, and documents.
A copy or an extract of most original records can be purchased from the Minnesota Department of Health, Office of Vital Records, or the County Clerk's office of the county where the event occurred. See also Minnesota Vital Records.
Birth[edit | edit source]
- 1900-1934 Minnesota, Birth Index, 1900-1934 at MyHeritage($) — index
- 1900-1934 Minnesota Births, 1900-1934 at Minnesota Historical Society - free index, images ($)
Marriage[edit | edit source]
- 1860 - 1949 Minnesota, County Marriages, 1860-1949 at FamilySearch — index and images
- 1976-2003 Minnesota, Marriages, 1976-2003 at MyHeritage($) — index
- Dakota County Historical Society. Online marriage and divorce records.
Death[edit | edit source]
- 1850-2001 - Minnesota, County Deaths, 1850-2001 at FamilySearch — index and images
- 1887-2001 - Minnesota Deaths, 1887-2001 at FamilySearch — index and images
- 1904-2001 Minnesota, Death Index, 1904-2001 at MyHeritage($) — index
- 1904-2001 Minnesota Deaths, 1904-2001 at Minnesota Historical Society - free index, images ($)
Societies and Libraries[edit | edit source]
- Dakota County Historical Society
130 3rd Ave N
South St. Paul, MN 55075-2002
Phone: 651-552-7548
Website - Dakota County Genealogical Society
130 3rd Ave N
South St. Paul, MN 55075-2002
Facebook - Dakota City Heritage Village Museum
PO Box 73
4008 220th Street West
Farmington, MN 55024-0073
Phone: 651-460-8050
Website - Farmington Area Historical Society
2890 Pilot Knob Rd
Eagan, MN 55121-1146
Phone: 651-454-4056 - Lakeville Area Historical Society
20195 Holyoke Ave
City Hall
Lakeville, MN 55044
Phone: 952-469-0373
Website - Dakota County Libraries
Family History Centers[edit | edit source]
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.
Local Centers and Affiliate Libraries
FamilySearch Affiliate Libraries[edit | edit source]
Minnesota Genealogical Society1385 Mendota Heights Rd.
Suite 100
Mendota Heights, MN 55120
Websites[edit | edit source]
References[edit | edit source]
- ↑ Wikipedia contributors, "Dakota County, Minnesota" in https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dakota_County,_Minnesota accessed 12 Nov 2018
- ↑ Handybook for Genealogists: United States of America, 10th ed. (Draper, Utah: Everton Pub., 2002), Dakota County, Minnesota. Page 362-370 At various libraries (WorldCat); FHL Book 973 D27e 2002; Alice Eichholz, ed. Ancestry’s Red Book: American State, County, and Town Sources, Third ed. (Provo, Utah: Ancestry, 2004), 362-365.
- ↑ Handybook for Genealogists: United States of America, 10th ed. (Draper, Utah: Everton Pub., 2002), Dakota County, Minnesota page 363, At various libraries (WorldCat); FHL Book 973 D27e 2002.
- ↑ The Handybook for Genealogists: United States of America,10th ed. (Draper, UT:Everton Publishers, 2002).
- ↑ Wikipedia contributors, "Dakota County, Minnesota," in Wikipedia: the Free Encyclopedia, https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dakota_County,_Minnesota, accessed 24 January 2020.
