Listed record inventories
Selected holdings and indexes for Hettinger County, checked against the repository descriptions linked below. Date spans may contain gaps; an index is not a complete set of original records.
Land records
- County atlases and plat books · listed editions1917 (microfilm listed); 1963; 1970; 1976; 1984; 2000 with Adams; 2008; 2011; 2017
See the repository's descriptions and search options
Repository access note: Selected county atlas and plat-book editions listed by the State Historical Society of North Dakota. Dates are publication years, not continuous record coverage. Editions marked microfilm listed are starred in the source. Shared-county notes are retained; malformed date tokens are omitted. Consult the repository for current access.
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
- Find Hettinger County's official website
We haven't checked this county's website yet, so this opens a web search. Look for an address ending in .gov, then find the county recorder, the clerk of the district court and the State Historical Society of North Dakota.
- The county recorder
Deeds and other land records, and marriage licenses.
- The clerk of the district court
Probate (wills and estates), divorces and naturalizations; county courts were merged into the district courts in 1995.
- The State Historical Society of North Dakota
In Bismarck: the State Archives, with county records, naturalizations and newspapers.
- State Historical Society of North Dakota (State Archives)free
The State Archives in Bismarck, with county records, naturalizations, newspapers and photographs.
- FamilySearch Catalogfree
Search by place for "North Dakota, Hettinger" 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: Stark County
Check the parent county for earlier records: Stark County
Later formed partly from Hettinger County: Adams County
The Atlas data for Hettinger County begins in 1887, later than the 1883 date above, so this is the earliest boundary on file, not its original one.
Records stay with the county that created them. If your ancestor lived here before 1883, search the parent county. The Atlas of Historical County Boundaries shows each boundary change.
Research tip
Until 1889 North and South Dakota were one territory, so early records may be filed under Dakota Territory. Many settlers claimed land under the Homestead Act; their federal case files are at the National Archives.