Listed record inventories
Selected holdings and indexes for Dawes County, checked against the repository descriptions linked below. Date spans may contain gaps; an index is not a complete set of original records.
County government
- Election records1887–1966
Marriages, births and deaths
- Marriage records on microfilm1886–1958
See the repository's descriptions and search options
Repository access note: Selected series from the History Nebraska county finding aid. Date spans describe the listed material and may include gaps. The guide distinguishes original records, microfilm and copies; check it for precise holdings and access. This is not a complete inventory of records still held by county offices.
Sources: the catalogs and repository descriptions linked on the entries above. Selected inventories do not establish complete coverage of every record type or online access to original documents. Read the repository access note for source dates and limitations.
Where to find the records
- Dawes County official website
Hours, addresses and phone numbers for the register of deeds, the county clerk, the county court, the clerk of the district court and history Nebraska, and any online record search the county offers.
- The register of deeds
Deeds and other land records.
- The county clerk
Marriage licenses and records (some counties' early marriage records are at History Nebraska).
- The county court
Probate (wills and estates).
- The clerk of the district court
Divorces, naturalizations and civil and criminal cases.
- History Nebraska
In Lincoln: the State Archives, with county records, the state censuses and newspapers.
- History Nebraska (State Archives)free
The state historical society and State Archives in Lincoln, with county records, newspapers and photographs.
- FamilySearch Catalogfree
Search by place for "Nebraska, Dawes" 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: Sioux County
Check the parent county for earlier records: Sioux County
Later formed partly from Dawes County: Box Butte County
Records stay with the county that created them. If your ancestor lived here before 1885, search the parent county. The Atlas of Historical County Boundaries shows each boundary change.
Research tip
Nebraska began statewide registration of births and deaths in 1904. Many settlers claimed land under the Homestead Act; their federal case files are at the National Archives and can name family and neighbors.