Polk County, Minnesota Genealogy Records

Records that survive

These are the record series from Polk County held by the Minnesota Historical Society in St. Paul, taken from its finding aids for the county's offices, with the office that kept each and the earliest and latest years. A span can include gaps.

Search the Historical Society's catalog for this county

Source: Minnesota Historical Society, government records finding aids. The Society holds only part of each county's records; most deeds and many court and vital records are still at the county. Minnesota began statewide registration of births in 1900 and of deaths in 1908.

Where to find the records

• Polk County official website

  Hours, addresses and phone numbers for the county recorder, the district court and the Minnesota Historical Society, and any online record search the county offers.

• The county recorder

  Deeds, mortgages and other land records from the county's beginning (the recorder was called the register of deeds until 1976). County birth and death records from 1870 on were first kept by the clerk of district court; in many counties they are now with the recorder, in others with the court administrator, and some recorders also have the marriage records.

• The district court

  Civil and criminal cases, divorces and, in many counties, marriage licenses. Since Minnesota's courts were unified in the 1980s, probate (wills and estates) has been part of the district court as well.

• The Minnesota Historical Society

  In St. Paul: many counties' older probate, tax, school and other records, the state censuses of 1865 to 1905, and statewide indexes to births (1900 to 1934) and deaths (1904 to 2001).

• Minnesota Historical Society catalog: Polk Countyfree

  Everything the Society's library and archives hold for Polk County: county records, histories, directories, maps and more.

• Minnesota People Records Searchfree

  The Historical Society's indexes to Minnesota birth records (1900–1934), death records (1904–2001) and the state censuses, with copies to order.

• Minnesota Official Marriage System (MOMS)free

  A search of marriage records kept by the counties. Choose POLK under County; the years covered differ by county, and Scott and Washington counties don't take part.

• FamilySearch Catalogfree

  Search by place for "Minnesota, Polk" to find filmed and digitized records, many viewable free online with a FamilySearch account.

Offices change their hours and access rules; call before you visit.

Boundaries and parent counties

Formed from: Cass County, Pembina County (now Kittson)

Check the parent counties for earlier records: Cass County, Kittson County

Later formed partly from Polk County: Beltrami County, Norman County, Red Lake County

Records stay with the county that created them. If your ancestor lived here before 1858, search the parent county. The Atlas of Historical County Boundaries shows each boundary change.