Guide to Historic Vital Records for Stillwater, Minnesota
Vital records generally refer to birth, marriage, and death records. Historically, vital records in Washington County have been recorded at multiple levels of government:
- Local government registers (e.g. cities, villages, and townships)
- Local government reports to the county
- County indexes and registers
- State indexes and records
While these records sometimes contain the same information, variations are frequent enough that it is well worth checking each available version. For example, original township-level death reports through ca. 1910 often contain more information than the county death registers, which were compiled later.
Birth Records
Birth records were not established in this area until 1870.
| Record Type | Years | Availability |
|---|---|---|
| Local birth records | 1870-1910 | Stillwater City and Township 1871-1883: at MNHS (Until 1875, registers are labeled "Town of Stillwater.") - see MNHS catalog Stillwater City, 1883-1886: at MNHS - see MNHS catalog Stillwater Township, 1886-1952: at MNHS - see MNHS catalog Stillwater City, April 1897-1899: at WCHS, names indexed online |
| Local birth reports to county | 1870-1910 | At MNHS: microfilmed Stillwater city 1870-1910 and township 1871-1910 - finding aid On FamilySearch: scanned Stillwater city 1870-1910 and township 1871-1910 (partially indexed) - available online |
| County index and registers | 1870-1980s | At WCGC: index and registers 1870-1981* At MNHS: microfilmed index, registers 1870-1934*, delayed birth index and register 1867-1991 - finding aid At SPL: microfilmed index only 1870-1981 On FamilySearch: scanned index 1870-1981 and registers 1870-1934* available online * County registers for 1870-1910 were created later from the local death reports, but contain less information than the local reports. See the MNHS finding aid for details. |
| State records | 1900-present | At MNHS: 1900-1934 (indexed online) - additional information |
Marriage Records
| Record Type | Years | Availability |
|---|---|---|
| Justice of the Peace Casebook | 1839-1841 | Published in Minnesota Beginnings, pp. 246-263, available at WCHS, SPL, and MNHS |
| Early marriage licenses | 1843-1849, 1858 | At MNHS: see finding aid |
| County marriage records | 1849-1952 | On FamilySearch: marriages license registers/records 1849-1950 (some volumes missing), marriage certificates 1849-1952, indexed |
Death Records
Death records were not established in this area until 1870.
| Record Type | Years | Availability |
|---|---|---|
| Local death records | 1870-1940 | Stillwater City and Township 1871-1883: at MNHS (Until 1875, registers are labeled "Town of Stillwater.") - see MNHS catalog Stillwater City, 1883-1886: at MNHS - see MNHS catalog Stillwater City, 9/11/1905-12/31/1940, except 1914-15: at WCHS (names indexed online) Stillwater Township, 1886-1952: at MNHS - see MNHS catalog |
| Local death reports to county | 1870-1911 | At MNHS: 1870-1911 (microfilmed Stillwater city and township together) - finding aid On FamilySearch: 1870-1911 (scans of Stillwater city and township together, indexed) |
| County death registers and index | 1870-1994 | At MNHS: index 1870-1981, registers 1870-1911* and 1911-1981, certificates 1946-1994 - finding aid FamilySearch: index 1870-1981, registers 1870-1911* and 1911-1981, certificates 1946-1994 (indexed) * County registers for 1870-1911 were created later from the local death reports, but contain less information than the local reports. See the MNHS finding aid for details. |
| State death records | 1904-present | At MNHS: more information, indexed online |
Location Abbreviations
- WCHS: Washington County Historical Society
- WCGC: Washington County Government Center
- SPL: Stillwater Public Library, St. Croix Collection
- MNHS: Minnesota Historical Society, Gale Family Library
See locations for more information.