Dakota Roots Well-Chronicled

The ad read: “8,000 acres of Northern Pacific Railroad land for sale at low prices, and on five and ten years time, in fertile North Dakota. An equal amount of government lands are open for occupancy under the Homestead, Preemption and Timber Culture laws. FREE! If you are convinced that Dakota is the `Garden Spot of the World,’ the next question to settle is how to get there. The Chicago and Northwestern Railway is the pioneer Dakota line - it runs express trains daily!”

Many of our immigrant ancestors read this glowing report in “Dakota,” a book published in 1885 by the Office of the Commissioner of Immigration.

And they came, thousands of folks - the Bohemians, Czechs, French, Scandinavians, Germans and other Germans from Russia. Even some Yankees came. They came by water, rail, steamboat and covered wagon. They came seeking free land, freedom and fortune - and some to escape conditions in the Old Country.

In 1857, Sioux Falls was the first immigrant town to spring up. In 1861, Dakota Territory was established above the 43rd parallel. It included what is now the two Dakotas and Montana; in 1863, Montana was split off. Most came to claim land under various Homestead Acts or to receive land through pre-emption or tree claims. In 1889, Dakota Territory was divided into the states of North Dakota and South Dakota.

By 1890, some 348,600 souls were living in the Dakotas. By 1930, the combined population count was 1.3 million. These immigrant settlers were good, hard-working farmer people, and we’re proud to call them ancestors.

So where do you begin searching for these Dakota ancestors? I suggest “Tracing Your Dakota Roots: A How-To Book on Genealogical Research in North and South Dakota,” by Cathy Langemo and JoAnn Winistorfer, which was published last year. It’s both a beginner’s book that would apply to anyone starting to research as well as a specific guide to research in North Dakota.

Under “Vital Records,” the authors explain that the first law requiring registration of births and deaths in North Dakota was passed July 1, 1893. Repealed in 1895, it was re-enacted in 1899, but compliance was sporadic until 1923. Statewide registration of marriages began in July 1925, but earlier records can be found in some counties.

When it comes to locating church records, Dakota researchers may have an advantage over others. Much of the population was Catholic or Lutheran, and both denominations kept good records on their parishioners.

Addresses and telephone numbers for the two Roman Catholic Dioceses are:

Diocese of Bismarck, P.O. Box 1575, Bismarck, N.D. 58502-1575; (701) 223-1347.

Diocese of Fargo, P.O. Box 1750, Fargo, N.D. 57104; (701) 235-6429.

To order microfilms of most Lutheran church parish records, contact the Archives of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America at (800) 638-3522, Ext. 2818, or visit its Web site at www.elca.org

Searchers of North Dakota roots are lucky to have access to an index of deaths (plus marriages and divorces) that occurred in the state from the early 1900s to the present. For more information, contact the North Dakota Heritage Center, 612 E. Boulevard Ave., Bismarck, N.D. 58505-0830, or phone (701) 328-2091.

In addition, several genealogy groups compiled and published indexes of cemeteries throughout North and South Dakota.

More to come next week.