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Resources at Montana Historical Society Research Center
Local History and Biographical Sketches
Local History: Almost every county in Montana has had its history compiled by local researchers. Many of these county histories were written during the mid-1970s to celebrate the nation's bicentennial. Examine these county histories for information on the specific property that you are researching. Look also for clues about the historical development of the community or region at the time building were constructed, and the prominence of the historical building owners. Please list the local histories, pamphlets, etc. that you found useful, and be sure to list author, title, publisher, date of publication, and page numbers.
- County History Books: produced by the volunteer efforts of citizens of the various counties, many include biographical Sketches of county residents
Biographies: Many prominent Montanans paid to have their life story printed in state histories. "Subscription" biographies were often written in the most complimentary fashion, but still provide substantial information on a person's contributions to local history. Check for biographical files and these references at the MHS Library and many local libraries:
- Progressive men of the state of Montana: This book was originally published over 100 years ago. It is an 1886-page reference work containing over 2500 biographies, nearly 200 of which are illustrated with portraits. From Charlie Russell to all the early governors, there are biographies of most people who were prominent in Montana history between the 1850's and 1900.
- History of Montana: 1735-1885, H.A. Leeson, Chicago: Warner, Bear & Co., 1885.
- History of Montana, Joaquin Miller, Chicago: Lewis Publishing Co., 1894.
- History of Montana, Robert George Raymer, Chicago: Lewis Publishing Co., 3 vol., 1930.
- A History of Montana, Helen F. Sanders, Chicago: Lewis Publishing Co., 1913.
- Montana: Its Story and Biography, Tom Stout, Chicago: American Historical Society, 1921.
- A History of Montana, Merrill G. Burlingame and K. Ross Toole, New York: Lewis Publishing Co., 1957.
- Legislator Index and Biographical Sketches: card index and biographical sheets on Montana legislators
- Obituary Index:card index of obituaries appearing in Montana newspapers; incomplete for the 20th century, but fairly comprehensive for the 1864-1900 period
- Society of Montana Pioneers: reminiscences, collected during the period 1884-1943, of early Montana pioneers (Manuscript Collection 64)
- Society of Sons and Daughters of Montana Pioneers:biographical sketches, 1884-1955; Necrology lists, 1914-1956. (Manuscript Collection 68)
- Subscription Histories/General State Histories:Produced during the 1890s and early 1900s, these typically focused on the pioneers and on the wealthy citizens. There is a card index to individuals in the histories.
- Vertical File Index: Extensive clippings/ephemera files include 4,000 biographical files, mainly of the prominent, artistic, or notorious.
Cemetery and Funeral Home Records
Cemetery Records
- Benton Avenue Cemetery (Helena)--Names on tombstones, maps, and receipts for plot care and record of burials, 1870-1886. (Small Collection 1012 and Small Collection 1887)
- Forestvale Cemetery (Helena)--Burial registers and other records, 1890-1971. (Manuscript Collection 240)
- Hebrew Benevolent Association of Helena--Record of burials, 1865-1884, in the Jewish cemetery, Home of the Peace Cemetery (Manuscript Collection 38)
- McAllister Cemetery/Meadow Creek Cemetery (Madison County)--Burial permits, 1908-1911; corpse transportation forms, 1907-1917; lot purchases, 1892-1945; minute book with lot listings, 1886-1892. (Small Collection 1725)
Funeral Home Records
- Tuttle Undertaking Parlors (Anaconda)--Four funeral registers, 1898-1920, listing name, age, address, date, and cause of death, burial date, cemetery, and expenses. (Small Collection 1643)
Tombstones
- Butte Tombstone Company--Records of the company include customer orders for tombstones, 1904-1925; also, a small subgroup of customer orders placed with the Idaho Falls Monument Company or burials in Idaho in 1922 only. (Manuscript Collection 247)
Brand Records
These records of the Brands-Enforcement Division of the Montana Department of Livestock (State Microfilm 52) consist of brand registration books and indexes. Brands were registered for a ten year time period and had to be re-registered, starting in 1911, in the first year of each decade.
The brand registers are organized by the decade in which the brand was registered.
Two types of indexes available for each decade of registrations:
The same brand could be registered to more than one person, for a different location or a different animal.
When a brand was not re-registered in the first year of the decade by the individual who owned it previously, it was then available for someone else to register. So, the same brand is generally owned by more than one family/ranch/individual over a period of time.
City directories for the major towns in Montana, plus many directories often include the smaller surrounding towns and farmers/ranchers in nearby counties, especially for the 1900-1920 period. Not all of these smaller towns and counties are included in the following list:
These include mostly businesses, very few individuals are listed, Minnesota, the Dakotas, and Montana, 1886-1918; Montana only, 1921.
arranged by county
Beaverhead County
Chouteau County
Custer County
Dawson County
Deer Lodge County
Fergus County
Jefferson County
Lewis and Clark County
Madison County
Meagher County
Missoula County
Richland County
Yellowstone County
Fort Assiniboine was a military post located near present-day Havre, Montana, that was operated for many years by African-American soldiers. Records (1879-1906) include incoming correspondence re the Riel Rebellion, Canadian Indians, and other topics re the Fort and military business (original copies of letters on Microfilm 54). The bulk of the collection consists of correspondence registers, reports, orders, and miscellany.
This collection consists of microfilm copies of monthly returns (1879-1903) for troops based at Fort Assiniboine, Montana, Territory.
Records consist of Fort Assiniboine and Coal Banks summer camp post returns (1879-1911); a chronology and description of the fort (1877-1911); and miscellany. Post returns include names of officers and enlisted men, and records of events and communications received.
These records of the U.S. War Department consist of a "Register of Enlistments of Indian Scouts" (1866-1877) in the U.S. Army, including name, date and place of birth, tribe, occupation, date and place of enlistment, enlisting officer, physical description, discharge information, etc. The largest numbers of enlistments are from Arizona, Nebraska, and Dakota.
These records include only men serving in the Montana National Guard or who entered federal service via the Montana National Guard. The collection consist of general correspondence (1913-1959) concerning Fort William Henry Harrison and the Montana National Guard; legal documents; armory inspection reports (1922-1940); draft registration cards (1917); muster rolls and personal data (1898-1899, 1904-1917) for several volunteer infantry regiments; and a card file (1898-1945) for enlistments in the Spanish-American War, World War I, and World War II, including women nurses.
Records consist of a list of all Korean conflict honorarium claims, arranged by claim number. In addition there is a Vietnam Veterans Bonus Division Subgroup which consists of general correspondence (1974-1976), reflecting the Division's legal and administrative activities; news releases (1974, n.d.); reports (1978); and miscellany, including lists of Montana Vietnam veterans (arranged by claim number), receiving the honorarium as well as information concerning the World War I Honorarium Adjusted Compensation Division payments.
These records of the U.S. Internal Revenue Service consist of assessment lists (1864-1872) for Montana Territory, listing date, name, location, occupation, valuation, etc. Indexes arranged by district. District 1 includes Boulder Valley, Bozeman, Brown's Columbia, Hot Springs, Virginia City and Warm Springs; district 2 includes Bannack and Marysville; district 3 includes Blackfoot, Butte, Deer Lodge, Frenchtown, Lincoln, Missoula, Pacific City, Silver Bow, St. Ignatius, and Willow Creek; district 4 includes Canyon Ferry, Fort Benton, Helena, and Jefferson City. Some pages of originals were torn.
Bureau of Land Management Website: The Bureau of Land Management maintains a website designed to aid you in your search for homestead and patent information. A handy interactive database and easy-to-use search engine allow you to locate the dates, legal location, and patent numbers for homestead claims filed with the General Land Office. In some cases, digitized copies of the original patents are available online at: http://www.glorecords.blm.gov/
Bureau of Land Management State Office: The Bureau of Land Management State Office has the serial register books, historical indices, and tract book information for each township in Montana. These documents are arranged by township, range and section, and are the original, hand-written entries of applicants for homestead and cash purchases of property from the United States government. The information includes the type of homestead/purchase, the patentee’s name, the legal location of the property, the date of application, date of patent/cancellation, and patent number.
Also available are the original GLO survey maps that date to the late 1880s through the 1920s, some with updates and resurveys. These maps were drawn for each township prior to its being released for entry. Together with the survey notes, they offer wonderful historic views and descriptions of the landscape, including existing buildings, transportation routes, and topography.
The BLM State Offices are located at 5001 Southgate Drive, P.O. Box 36800, Billings, MT 59107-6800. They can be reached by phone (406) 896-5004 or email: mtinfo@mt.blm.gov.
Homestead Records: The National Archives maintains the Case Reports for homesteads. These files contain information homestead applicants filed with the local land office during the patenting process. They include descriptions of buildings and improvements and their dates of construction; the number of acres broken each year and the crops planted; a list of family members and their places of birth; and for foreign-born applicants, the port and date of entry into the United States. More detailed descriptions of life on the homestead are sometimes given, especially if the final patent application was challenged. Case Reports can be obtained through the BLM State Office or by writing: Old Military and Civil Records (NWCTB-Land), Textual Archives Services Division, National Archives and Records Administration, 700 Pennsylvania Avenue NW, Washington, D.C. 20408-0001. Send the National Archives an e-mail at inquire@nara.gov or call (301) 713-6800 to request order forms (NATF Form 84) for copies of land entry files. To locate the report, the Archives needs the name of the patentee, the state in which the land was located, the land office location, approximate date of entry, the type of entry (cash, homestead, mineral, etc.), legal location and, if possible, the patent number. This information is available on the BLM website. Be prepared to wait several weeks for the information to be returned to you. The cost for the service is $17.75, but do not include a payment with your request.
Plat Books
Title Records
This collection consists of an abstract of title for lots 1-33 of Cramer's Subdivision, Lewis and Clark County, Montana. The abstract (1951) was created by the Helena Abstract and Title Company on behalf on Robert Mills to clarify his claim on the Cramer subdivision lots. The document gives a detailed history of ownership for properties which include the site of the Montana Wesleyan University.
These records are available for all Montana, though the period of history covered varies from county to county. The Montana Historical Society has a set of these records, and specific county information may be available at local libraries.
Indexes
These records consist of an index to marriages in Montana. The index is arranged alphabetically, by both the bride and groom's name, within each year. Included are spouse name, marriage date, county, and page number for records located at the Vital Records and Health Statistics Bureau.
Marriage Certificates/Licenses
This collection consists of microfilmed copies of marriage records (1864-1993) for all counties in Montana
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Sacramental Records
City Directories
Business Gazetteers
Voter Records
Military Records
Internal Revenue Service Records
Land Records
Marriage Records
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