Brown County, Minnesota Genealogy

United States

Minnesota

Brown County

Guide to Brown County, Minnesota ancestry, genealogy and family history, birth records, marriage records, death records, census records, and military records.

Minnesota Online Genealogy Records

County Facts County seat: New Ulm Organized: February 11, 1856 Parent County(s): Blue Earth Neighboring Counties Blue Earth • Cottonwood • Nicollet • Redwood • Renville • Watonwan See County Maps Courthouse Location Map

County Information

Description

The county was named for Joseph Renshaw Brown, a member of the Governor's Council of Minnesota in 1855. The county is located in the south-central area of the state.

County Courthouse

Brown County Courthouse
14 S State St
New Ulm, MN 56073
Phone: 507-233-6600
Brown County Website

County Recorder has birth and death records from 1870, marriage records from 1857 and land records.
Clerk District Court has divorce and probate records from 1856 and court records from 1885.
Minnesota Historical Society has naturalization records.

Brown County, Minnesota Record Dates

Information for this chart was taken from various sources, often containing conflicting dates. This information should be taken as a guide and should be verified by contacting the county and/or the state government agency.

Known Beginning Dates for Government County Records
Birth*	Marriage	Death*	Court	Land	Probate	Census
1870	1857	1870	1885	1857	1856	1836
*Statewide registration started for births in 1900 and deaths in 1908. General compliance by 1915.

Record Loss

There is no known history of courthouse disasters in this county.

Boundary Changes

Parent Counties: Created from Blue Earth County 20 February 1855. County seat: New Ulm Organized Date: February 11, 1856 Interactive Map of Minnesota County Formation History (1790-1897) - animated maps illustrating Minnesota county boundary changes Minnesota Historical Boundary Changes - list of all boundary changes by county provided by Newberry Library

Populated Places

Populated Places
For a complete list of populated places, including small neighborhoods and suburbs, visit HomeTown Locator. The following are the most historically and genealogically relevant populated places in this county:

Cities
Cobden Comfrey Evan	Hanska New Ulm Sleepy Eye	Springfield
Unincorporated communities
Essig	Godahl	Leavenworth
Census-designated places
Searles
Townships
Albin Bashaw Burnstown Cottonwood Eden Home	Lake Hanska Leavenworth Linden Milford Mulligan North Star	Prairieville Sigel Stark Stately

Resources

Cemeteries

Cemeteries of Brown County, Minnesota online and in print
Tombstone Transcriptions Online	Billion Graves Find a Grave Interment.net MN Tombstone Transcription Project
Tombstone Transcriptions in Print (Often more complete)	FamilySearch Library WorldCat
List of Cemeteries in the County	FamilySearch Places Find a Grave
See Minnesota Cemeteries for more information.

Census Records

For links to Federal, State, and Territorial censuses, see Minnesota Census.

Historical populations
Census	Pop.	%±
1860	2,339	—
1870	6,396	173.5%
1880	12,018	87.9%
1890	15,817	31.6%
1900	19,787	25.1%
1910	20,134	1.8%
1920	22,421	11.4%
1930	23,428	4.5%
1940	25,544	9.0%
1950	25,895	1.4%
1960	27,676	6.9%
1970	28,887	4.4%
1980	28,645	−0.8%
1990	26,984	−5.8%
2000	26,911	−0.3%
2010	25,893	−3.8%
Source: "Wikipedia.org".

State Census

• 1835-1890 Minnesota, Compiled Census and Census Substitutes Index, 1835-1890 at Ancestry ($)
• 1849-1905 Minnesota, Territorial and State Censuses, 1849-1905 at Ancestry ($)
• 1865 Minnesota State Census, 1865 at FamilySearch — How to Use this Collection; index and images
• 1885 Minnesota State Census, 1885 at FamilySearch — How to Use this Collection; index and images
• 1905 Minnesota State Census, 1905 at FamilySearch — How to Use this Collection; index and images

Church Records

Most church records are held by individual churches. Some denominations are gathering their records into a central repository. For more information, see Minnesota Church Records.

• FamilySearch Places
  

Emigration and Immigration

• 1912-1956 Minnesota Passenger and Crew Lists, 1912-1956 at FamilySearch — How to Use this Collection; index and images

Funeral Homes

• Minnesota Valley Funeral Homes and Cremation Services in New Ulm.
• Sturm Funeral Homes in Comfrey, Sleepy Eye and Springfield.

Genealogies

• Brown County Historical Society, Family files, ca. 1855-1990

Land and Property Records

The county register of deeds keeps land records once the land was transferred to private ownership. Abstracts and indexes for these records are generally available at the county courthouse.

Online Land Indexes and Records

• Pre-1908 Minnesota, Homestead and Cash Entry Patents, Pre-1908 at Ancestry ($)
• Full-Text Search - Land Records at FamilySearch - index & images; dates, records, and places vary; How to Search

Local Histories

Local histories are available for Brown County. County histories may include biographies, church, school and government history, and military information. For more information about local histories, see the wiki page section Minnesota Local Histories.

• Minnesota County History Name Index at Ancestry ($)
• Fritsche, L.A., History of Brown County, Minnesota: its people, industries and institutions ..., (Marceline, Mo.,: Walsworth, 1976); Digital image at FamilySearch Digital Library, Google Books, HathiTrust

Maps and Gazetteers

Click a neighboring county
for more resources

• Minnesota Maps at David Rumsey Map Collections
• FamilySearch Places: Map of cities and towns in this county - How to Use FS Places
• Minnesota Department of Transportation, Brown County municipality and township maps.

Military Records

Civil War

• 1861-1865 U.S., Civil War Soldiers, 1861-1865 at Ancestry (Free collection)
• 1861-1865 Minnesota, Civil War Records, 1861-1865 at Ancestry (Free collection)
• 1861-1865 Minnesota Civil War Soldiers at Ancestry (Free collection)
• 1861-1917 United States Civil War and Later Pension Index, 1861-1917 at FamilySearch - How to Use this Collection
• 1861-1934 U.S., Civil War Pension Index: General Index to Pension Files, 1861-1934 at Ancestry (Free collection)

Civil War service men from Brown County served in various regiments. Men often joined a company (within a regiment) that originated in their county. Listed below are many companies or regiments that were formed from men of Brown County.

-1st Regiment, Minnesota Cavalry (Mounted Rangers), Company L.

-2nd Regiment, Minnesota Cavalry, Companies G and M.

-2nd Regiment, Minnesota Infantry, Company G.

Spanish American War

• 1898-1899 Minnesota Volunteers in the Spanish American War and the Philippine Insurrection at Ancestry ($)
• 1898-1899 Minnesota, Spanish American War Muster Rolls and Casualty Lists, 1898-1899 at Ancestry (Free Index)

World War I

• 1917-1918 U.S., World War I Draft Registration Cards, 1917-1918 at Ancestry (Free collection)
• 1918-1941 Minnesota, World War I Records, 1918-1941 at FamilySearch - How to Use this Collection

World War II

• 1940-1947 Minnesota, World War II Draft Registration Cards,1940-1947 at FamilySearch — How to Use this Collection; index and images
• 1940-1947 U.S., World War II Draft Cards Young Men, 1940-1947 at Ancestry ($)
• 1942 U.S. World War II Draft Registration Cards, 1942 at Ancestry ($)

Naturalization and Citizenship

Online Naturalization Indexes and Records

• 1849-1985 Web: Minnesota, Naturalization Index, 1849-1985 at Ancestry (Free collection)
• 1872-1962 Minnesota Naturalization Records and Indexes, 1872-1962 at FamilySearch — How to Use this Collection; index and images.
• 1880-1920 Minnesota, Federal Naturalization Records, 1880-1920 at Ancestry ($)
• 1918 Web: Minnesota, Alien Registration Index, 1918 at Ancestry (Free collection)

Newspapers

• Minnesota Digital Newspaper Hub at Minnesota Historical Society — narrow to county (55 listed) or city (106 listed), search for surname, limit by date.
• 1800s-Current Minnesota, U.S., Newspapers.com™ Stories and Events Index, 1800's-Current at Ancestry — index & images ($)

Obituaries

• 1855-1990 Minnesota, Brown County, Obituaries, 1855-1990 at FamilySearch - How to Use this Collection; index and images
• 1865-2006 Minnesota Obituaries 1865-2006 at FamilySearch — How to Use this Collection; index and images
• 1891-2003 Web: Minnesota, Obituary Index, 1891-2003 at Ancestry (Free collection)

Probate Records

Probate records may include wills, bonds, petitions, accounts, inventories, administrations, orders, decrees, and distributions. They may include the decedent’s date of death, names of his or her spouse, children, parents, siblings, in-laws, etc. See Minnesota Probate Records for additional information.

Online Probate Indexes and Records

• 1801-1925 Minnesota, U.S., Wills and Probate Records, 1801-1925 at Ancestry ($)
• 1849-1985 Minnesota Will Records, 1849-1985 at FamilySearch — How to Use this Collection; index
• 1857-1866 A Record of Appointments, Probate Court for Brown County, Minnesota, 1857-1866(*); Probate Court at FamilySearch Catalog — index & images
• 1857-1920 Deed Records, 1857-1920; Indexes 1857-1900(*); Register of Deeds at FamilySearch Catalog — index & images
• 1857-1934 Probate Case Files, ca. 1857-1881 ; Index, ca. 1857-1934(*); Probate Court at FamilySearch Catalog — index & images
• 1858-1885 Record of Wills in Probate Court for Brown County, Minnesota, 1858-1885(*); Probate Court at FamilySearch Catalog — index & images
• 1858-1965 Minnesota, Brown County, Wills, 1858-1965(*); Probate Court at FamilySearch Catalog — images
• 1903-1943 Register of Purported Wills, 1903-1943(*); Probate Court at FamilySearch Catalog — images
• Full-Text Search - Wills and Probate Records at FamilySearch - index & images; dates, records, and places vary; How to Search

Social Security Records

• 1935-2014 United States Social Security Death Index at FamilySearch — How to Use this Collection; index. Also at Ancestry, findmypast, Fold3, GenealogyBank, MyHeritage, and Steve Morse. Click here for more information.
• 1936-2007 U.S., Social Security Applications and Claims Index, 1936-2007 at Ancestry ($) — index, click here for more information.
• 1936-2007 United States, Social Security Numerical Identification Files (NUMIDENT), 1936-2007 at FamilySearch - How to Use this Collection; index

Tax Records

Since Minnesota tax records include only persons who owned taxable property, many residents were not included. Still they complement land records and can be used in place of missing censuses or the years between censuses. There may also be gaps. For more information, see the wiki page Minnesota Taxation.

Vital Records

Vital Records consist of births, adoptions, marriages, divorces, and deaths recorded on registers, certificates, and documents.

A copy or an extract of most original records can be purchased from the Minnesota Department of Health, Office of Vital Records, or the County Clerk's office of the county where the event occurred. See also Minnesota Vital Records.

Birth

• 1840-1980 Minnesota, U.S., Births and Christenings Index, 1840-1980 at Ancestry ($)
• 1900-1934 Minnesota People Records Search - Births at Minnesota Historical Society - free index, images ($)
• 1900-1934 Minnesota, Birth Index, 1900-1934 at MyHeritage; index ($)
• 1935-2000 Minnesota, U.S., Birth Index, 1935-2000 at Ancestry ($)

Marriage

• 1850-2019 Web: Minnesota, U.S., Marriages from the Minnesota Official Marriage System, 1850-2019 at Ancestry (Free collection)
• 1860-1949 Minnesota, County Marriages, 1860-1949 at FamilySearch — How to Use this Collection; index and images
• 1885-present Minnesota Official Marriage System at MOMS.mn.gov; search by county, name or date, and request copy.
• 1970-2003 Minnesota Marriage Records Index, 1970-2003 at Archives ($)
• 1976-2003 Minnesota, Marriages, 1976-2003 at MyHeritage; index ($)

Death

• 1850-2001 Minnesota, County Deaths, 1850-2001 at FamilySearch — How to Use this Collection; index and images
• 1887-2001 Minnesota Deaths, 1887-2001 at FamilySearch — How to Use this Collection; index and images
• 1904-2001 Minnesota People Records Search - Deaths at Minnesota Historical Society - free index, images ($)
• 1904-2001 Minnesota, Death Index, 1904-2001 at MyHeritage; index ($)
• 1908-2017 Minnesota, U.S., Death Index, 1908-2017 at Ancestry ($)

Divorce

• 1970-1995 Minnesota, U.S., Divorce Index, 1970-1995 at Ancestry ($)
• 1970-2003 Minnesota Divorce Records Index, 1970-2003 at Archives ($)

Research Facilities

Archives

Listed below are archives in Brown County. For state-wide archival repositories, see Minnesota Archives and Libraries.

FamilySearch Centers

FamilySearch Center and Affiliate Library Locator map - search for local FamilySearch Centers or Affiliate Libraries

• FamilySearch Centers provide one-on-one assistance, free access to center-only databases, and to premium genealogical websites.
• FamilySearch Affiliate Libraries have access to most center-only databases, but may not always have full services normally provided by a FamilySearch center.
  

Local Centers and Affiliate Libraries

• Faribault Minnesota FamilySearch Center
• Mankato Minnesota FamilySearch Center
• Waseca County Historical - an affiliate library.

Libraries

Listed below are libraries in Brown County. For state-wide library facilities, see Minnesota Archives and Libraries.

Comfrey Area Library
120 Brown St W
Comfrey, MN 56019
Phone: 507-877-6600
Email: support@tds.lib.mn.us
Website
Facebook

Dyckman Free Library
200 Main St E
Sleepy Eye, MN 56085
Phone: 507-794-7655
Email: library@sleepyeye-mn.com
Website
Facebook

Hanska Community Library
109 Broadway
PO Box 91
Hanska, MN 56041
Phone: 507-439-7323
Website
Facebook

New Ulm Public Library
17 Broadway
New Ulm, MN 56073
Phone: 507-359-8331
Email: bnnotices@tds.lib.mn.us
Website
Facebook

Springfield Public Library
120 N Cass Ave
Springfield, MN 56087
Phone: 507-723-3510
Email: libtbs@tds.lib.mn.us
Website
Facebook

Museums

Brown County Historical Society Museum
2 N Broadway
New Ulm, MN 56073
Phone: 507-233-2616
Email: director@browncountyhistorymn.org
Website
Facebook

Societies

Listed below are societies in Brown County. For state-wide genealogical societies, see Minnesota Societies.

Brown County Historical Society
2 N Broadway
New Ulm, MN 56073
Phone: 507-233-2616
Email: director@browncountyhistorymn.org
Website
Facebook

Comfrey Area Historical Society
PO Box 218
Comfrey, MN 56019-0218
Email: info@lakesnwoods.com
Website

Sleepy Eye Area Historical Society
100 Oak St NW
PO Box 544
Sleepy Eye, MN 56085
Phone: 507-794-5053
Email: semuseum@sleepyeyetel.net
Website
Facebook
Blog

Springfield Area Historical Society
11 West Central St
PO Box 113
Springfield, MN 56087
Phone: 507-723-6121, 507-723-5396
Website
Facebook

Websites

• Brown County MNGenWeb Project, a member of The MNGenWeb Project, an affiliate of The USGenWeb Project.
• Iron Range Research Center The Iron Range Research Center contains one of the largest collections of genealogical and local history research materials in the Upper Midwest and includes census, naturalization records, passenger arrival records, mining company newsletters, and a survey of Women in Industry taken in 1919, among many others.
• USGenWeb Archives for Brown County.
• Brown County at Cyndi's List
• Research at Minnesota Historical Society — links to Records and Indexes; See also MHS Wiki Page
• FamilySearch Catalog – The FamilySearch catalog contains descriptions and access information for all genealogical materials (including books, online materials, microfilm, microfiche, and publications) in their collection.  Use Historical Records to search for specific individuals in genealogical records.

This table contains the dates the local or state government began recording in the county or county equivalent. Use substitute records for earlier dates. If you believe there is an error, email us at wikisupport@familysearch.org.

This website requires a paid subscription for full access. Some subscription websites are available for free at your local FamilySearch Center or Affiliate Library.

To access available information, first log into FamilySearch.

The collection is free on this subscription website.

“Current” indicates records are available as recently as privacy laws allow. This date can change from year to year. To determine the exact dates available, contact the respective organization/repository.

Due to contractual agreements, some images and/or databases on FamilySearch.org may only be viewed at a FamilySearch Center or FamilySearch Affiliate Library.

FamilySearch affiliate libraries may have access to center-only databases, but do not always have all services normally provided by a FamilySearch center.