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 North Dakota.
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, 2020; 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
North Dakota
- Adams County Marriage Records, 1907-1925
- Barnes County Marriage Records, 1880-1890
- Bottineau County Marriage Records, 1887-1925
- Bowman County Deaths and Obituaries
- Bowman County Marriages
- Bowman County, Marriage Records, 1907-1925
- Burke County, Marriage Records, 1907-1929
- Burleigh County, Marriage Records, 1874-1925
- Cass County Marriage Index 1872-1944
- Cass County, Marriage Records, 1872-1888
- Cass County, Death Records, 1974
- Cavalier County, Marriage Records, 1877-1925
- Dickey County Births 1887-1906
- Dickey County Marriage Index
- Dickey County, Marriage Records, 1877-1925
- Eddy County, Marriage Records, 1889-1925
- Emmons County Marriages
- Fort Berthold Agency Records, 1885-1951
- Grand Forks Coroner Inquest Records
- Grand Forks County Marriage Licenses, 1875-1925
- Grand Forks County, Marriage Records, 1875-1926
- LaMoure County St. Paul Lutheran Baptisms, Marriages, and Deaths
- LaMoure County, Marriage Records, 1883-1925
- McHenry County Marriages
- McHenry County, Marriage Records, 1905-1922
- McKenzie County, Marriage Records, 1908-1925
- McLean County, Marriage Records, 1891-1928
- Miscellaneous BMD Records by County
- Mountrail County, Marriage Records, 1909-1925
- Nelson County, Marriage Records, 1897-1919
- North Dakota Biography Index
- North Dakota Department of Health Public Death Index, 1892-present
- North Dakota Federal and State Census Mortality Schedules 1870-1880
- North Dakota, County Marriages, 1882-1925
- Oliver County Marriages
- Online Searchable Death Indexes
- Pembina County, Marriage Records, 1872-1932
- Ransom County, Marriage Records, 1882-1925
- Richland County Marriages
- Richland County, Marriage Records, 1877-1925
- Sargent County Deaths and Obituaries
- Sargent County, Marriage Records, 1885-1925
- Sioux County, Marriage Records, 1916-1925
- Standing Rock Agency Births, Marriages and Deaths, 1880-1942
- Stark County Marriages
- State Historical Society of North Dakota - Marriage Index - pre-1925
- Steele County, Marriage Records, 1887-1959
- Stutsman County Death Register - 1893-1933
- Stutsman County Death Register - 1903-1952
- Stutsman County Marriage Index 1884-1925
- Towner County Marriages 1888-1949
- Traill County Marriages 1872-1899
- Ward County Marriages
Check out the links for other states on the BMD Records page.
Good Luck and Happy Hunting!
For other Free North Dakota Links, click on the category of interest:
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