Things you can find in person in Sibley County:
The Sibley County Courthouse is in Gaylord. Turn North off Highway 19
at the stoplight, and it will be straight ahead about 2 blocks. The
County Recorder's office is up a half-flight of stairs, the first door on the
right. The office is open Monday through Friday, 8 A.M. to 5 P.M.
Certified copies of documents cost $11.00 and $14.00 each. The staff can
make you uncertified photocopies for $1.00 per page. At present, there
is no charge to look at the books. Don't forget to sign the guest book.
By the way, if you are looking for marriage records for early Swedish
Lutheran settlers of the Winthrop area, they may be in Nicollet County,
because until about 1885, the nearest church was the one in Bernadotte.
And if you cannot find what you are looking for for residents of Henderson,
try LeSueur.
The County Recorder's office has land records from about 1860. They
won't have original homestead records, but all transfers after that will be
recorded. You will need to find the exact legal description of the land
from a plat map or homestead record, and then you can look up the history of
that parcel in the books. There may also be a record of a probate order
which transferred title to the land upon the death of its owner.
Be polite, come prepared, and remember: the people in the office have their
own jobs to do. They are not there to do your research for you.
We hear a rumor that there are also tax records at the courthouse, probably
in the Assessor's office.
The County Recorder's office has a lovely plat map, circa 1895, hanging on
the wall. The Sibley County Historical Society in Henderson has plat
maps and directories from nearly every decade.
The Sibley County Historical Society has a complete set of Minnesota and U.
S. Census population schedules from 1850-1920 on microfilm.
The Court Administrator's office is on the second floor of the Courthouse
Annex. Copies of documents cost $5.00 each. You will need the date
of death, but if they aren't too busy, they might be able to look one or two
things up for you. I found a record of one relative who had died in
California (which I didn't know) but since he still owned a farm in Sibley
County, it was probated. Probate records often will list all surviving
heirs and where they live. Come prepared to spend some time looking, and
please treat the papers as the historical documents that they are.
The Sibley County Historical Society has the various Henderson newspapers
on microfilm (copied from the collection of the Minnesota Historical Society), and bound volumes of the Arlington
Enterprise.
The Winthrop News, Gibbon Gazette, and the Gaylord Hub have bound volumes of back
issues. These newspapers are very fragile, and some are hard to get
at. If you call and ask, they may allow you to examine them; but
remember, they are not in business to help you do your research. They
are in the business of putting out newspapers, and they may be too busy to
help you. The Sibley County Historical Society is trying very hard to
get microfilm made to fill the gaps in the Minnesota Historical Society
archives, and may some day have a complete set of film in Henderson, also.
Click here to see the
list of books at the Sibley County Historical Society.
In addition to its library of historical reference books, the Sibley County
Historical Society maintains an archive of genealogical material donated by
people who have researched families with ties to Sibley County. Click
here to see the list.
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