One of the main goals for genealogists is finding birth, marriage, and death (BMD) information about their ancestors.
Over the past few decades, thanks to volunteers, librarians and archivists (as well as the largest of them all - FamilySearch), a great number of indexes to birth, marriage, and death collections have been provided for free online. These searchable indexes provide specific BMD information, and sometimes scanned images of the actual birth, marriage, and death certificates themselves. These free online collections have hundreds of millions of records in them in total.
There are a great number of online and offline collections that may include birth, marriage, and death information that are not included in the lists below. For example, newspapers, draft registration files, naturalization records, etc. have BMD info. To find out which types of other records may include BMD information, please see:
- 27 Ways to Find Ancestor Birth Information
- 22 Ways to Find Ancestors Marriage Information
- 21 Ways to Find Ancestors Death Information
The lists below are specific birth, marriage, and death indexes and record collections that are available for free online for the state of Montana.
Note 1: Many of the links listed below take you to a FamilySearch Collection of digital images. In many cases there is a link to the digital collection in the middle of the page, but also near the bottom of the page under Film/Digital Notes is the name of each sub-collection. If there is a camera icon at the right of the name (in the Format column) then the collections' images are browsable. If there is a camera with a key icon, it is only available at a Family History Center or affiliated library. If there is a film reel icon, then it is only available in microfilm format, not digital. Please also note that I have listed below only BMD databases that are accessible digitally from your computer (or tablet/phone)
Note 2: I have included links to Free Ancestry records and indexes. You do not need a subscription, but do need an Ancestry account. Without a subscription you can view indexes. If there is an image associated with a record, in most cases you will need a subscription, but the index does include very usable information.
(Updated May, 2019; recently added links are in BOLD)
General U.S.
- United States Births and Christenings, 1867-1931
- United States Deaths and Burials, 1867-1961
- United States Korean War Battle Deaths, 1950-1957
- United States Marriages, 1733-1990
- United States Social Security Death Index
- United States, Freedmen's Bureau Marriages, 1861-1872
- Online Searchable Death Indexes
Montana
- Beaverhead County Births
- Beaverhead County Deaths
- Beaverhead County Marriages
- Beaverhead County Vital Records, 1862-2009
- Beaverhead County, Birth Certificates, 1902-1930
- Beaverhead County, Death Certificates, 1901-2009
- Big Horn County Deaths and Obituary Clippings
- Big Horn County Records, 1908-1960
- Big Horn County Vital Records, 1884-2011
- Big Horn County, Birth Records, 1891-1982
- Big Horn County, Death Records, 1911-2011
- Big Horn County, Marriage Records, 1913-1996
- Billings Gazette Vital Records Indexes
- Broadwater County Birth Records and Index, 1857-1930
- Broadwater County Death Records and Register of Births, 1903-2002
- Broadwater County Marriages
- Cascade County Birth, Marriage, and Death Indexes
- Cascade County Death Records
- Cascade County Vital Records, 1880-2009
- Cascade County, Birth and Death Index, 1895-1907
- Cascade County, Birth Records, 1893-1933
- Cascade County, Death Records, 1893-1908
- Cascade County, Great Falls Tribune Vital Records, 1900-1999
- Cascade County, Marriage Records, 1950-1967
- Cascade, Deer Lodge and Yellowstone Counties Marriages
- Chouteau County Vital Records,1876-2011
- Chouteau County, Birth Records, 1909-1930
- Chouteau County, Death Records, 1908-2003
- Daniels County, Birth Records, 1916-1930
- Daniels County, Death Records, 1920-2010
- Daniels County, Marriage Records, 1801-1960
- Dawson County Marriages 1882-1919
- Deer Lodge County Index to Births, ca. 1886-1942 ; Birth Records, ca. 1903-1932,
- Fallon County Vital Records Indexes
- Fergus County Death Index
- Flathead County Deaths and Marriages Indexes
- Flathead County Newspaper Vital Records
- Flathead County Records, 1871-2007
- Flathead County, Birth Records, 1881-1942
- Flathead County, Coroner's Register, 1923-1979
- Flathead County, Death Records, 1881-2006
- Flathead County, Marriage Records, 1893-1951; Index, 1838-1969
- Gallatin County, Birth Records, 1865-1930
- Gallatin County, Death Records, 1865-2004
- Gallatin County, Register of Births & Deaths, 1879-1919
- Glacier County, Marriage Records, 1919-1983
- Granite County Vital Records, 1865-2009
- Granite County, Birth and Death Records, 1895-1906; Index to Births (1907-1930) and Deaths (1963), 1895-1963
- Granite County, Birth Records, 1894-1930, 1938
- Granite County, Death Records, 1907-2009; Index, 1963-2009, 1912-2009
- Granite County, Marriage Records, 1893-1950; Index, 1893-1928, 1893-1950
- Havre Hill Deaths and Obituary Clippings
- Jefferson County Births, Marriages and Deaths and Indexes, 1895-2003
- Jefferson County Vital Records Indexes
- Judith Basin County Vital Records, 1887-2012
- Judith Basin County, Birth Records
- Judith Basin County, Death Records
- Judith Basin County, Marriage Records
- Lake County Vital Records, 1857-2010
- Lake County, Birth Records, 1857-1930
- Lake County, Death Records, 1923-2010
- Lake County, Marriage Records, 1923-1993
- Lewis and Clark County Birth and Death Indexes
- Lewis and Clark County Death Records, 1869-1950; Birth Records, 1841-1930; Indexes, 1841-2001
- Lewis and Clark County Marriage Records, 1865-1959 ; Index, 1865-1975
- Liberty County Deaths and Obituary Clippings
- Liberty County Marriage Applications
- Lincoln County Marriages 1893-1935
- Lincoln County, Birth Records, 1896-1930
- Lincoln County, Death Records, 1914-2010
- Madison County, Birth and Death Index, 1907-1930
- Madison County, Birth Records, 1860-1905
- Madison County, Death Record, 1910-1999
- Madison County, Marriage and Birth newspaper clippings, 1800's-1900's
- Madison County, Marriage Record, 1864-1887
- Meagher County Vital Records, 1866-2012
- Meagher County, Birth Records, 1866-1930
- Meagher County, Death Records, 1866-2012
- Mineral County Death Index
- Mineral County Death Records
- Mineral County Deaths and Obituary Clippings, 1870-2010
- Mineral County, Birth Records, 1914-1930
- Mineral County, Death and Burial Records, 1870-2010
- Mineral County, Death Records, 1914-1947
- Miscellaneous BMD Records by County
- Missoula County Vital Records Index
- Montana Death Index, 1860-2007
- Montana Early Church and Cemetery Records
- Montana Marriages, 1889-1947
- Montana State Death Index 1954-2002
- Montana State Death Index to 1953
- Montana, County Births and Deaths, 1840-2004
- Montana, County Marriages, 1865-1950
- Norske Montana Marriages
- Online Searchable Death Indexes
- Park County Marriage Records, 1887-1954 ; Index 1887-1994
- Pondera County Vital Records, 1910-2012
- Pondera County, Birth Records, 1910-1982
- Pondera County, Death Records, 1914-2012
- Pondera County, Marriage Records, 1919-1965
- Powell County, Birth Records and Index, 1907-1930
- Powell County, Death Records, 1907-2002
- Powell County Marriage Records, 1901-1950
- Ravalli County Births
- Ravalli County, Birth Records, 1909-1930; Index to Birth Records, 1911-1966
- Ravalli County, Death Records, 1897-2003; Index to Death Records, 1911-1966
- Rosebud County Vital Records, 1878-2011
- Rosebud County, Birth and Death Record, 1882-2011
- Rosebud County, Marriage Record, 1957-1960; Index, 1917-1960
- Sanders County Births
- Sanders County Deaths
- Sanders County Marriages
- Sanders County Vital Records, 1866-2010
- Sanders County, Birth Records, 1915-1930
- Sanders County, Death Records, 1919-2010
- Sanders County, Marriage Records, 1906-1950
- Sanders County, Marriage Records, 1906-1960
- Sheridan County, Birth Records, 1910-1930
- Sheridan County, Death Records, 1913-2010
- Sheridan County, Marriage Records, 1952-1960
- Silver Bow County Coroner's Register 1894-1933
- Stillwater County Births
- Stillwater County Deaths
- Stillwater County Marriages
- Sweet Grass County Marriages 1895-1949
- Sweet Grass County Newspaper Vitals Announcements
- Sweet Grass County Records, 1887-2011
- Sweet Grass County Vital Records, 1887-2011
- Sweet Grass County, Birth and Death Records, 1895-1918
- Sweet Grass County, Birth Records, 1892-1930
- Sweet Grass County, Death Records, 1904-2011
- Teton County Records, 1881-2012
- Teton County Vital Records, 1881-2012
- Teton County, Birth Records, 1897-1930
- Teton County, Death Records, 1898-2012
- Teton County, Marriage Records, 1892-1985
- Toole County Records, 1913-1960
- Toole County Vital Records, 1913-1960
- Toole County, Burial Records, 1944-1978
- Toole County, Marriage Records, 1913-2012
- Western Marriage Index
- Wibaux County Birth, Marriage, and Death Indexes
- Yellowstone County Death Records
- Yellowstone County Marriages 1882-1887
- Yellowstone County Records, 1881-2011
- Yellowstone County Vital Records, 1881-2011
- Yellowstone County, Marriage Records, 1952-1959
Check out the links for other states on the BMD Records page.
Good Luck and Happy Hunting!
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