Gallatin County Links

Libraries| Cemeteries and Mortuaries | Historical and Genealogical Societies

County and City Offices

Gallatin County Courthouse
311 W. Main Street
406-582-3050

Land records from 1895. Available on film giving legal description and plat location. Unfortunately, many of the earlier owners have been erased. There is also an early grantee-grantor index in print format.

Birth & Death: Very incomplete from 1895 to 1906, complete from 1907.
Military Service: from 1919.

Fees: Birth­$5.00, Death­$3.00, searches over a period of years­$.50, other documents­$.50 first page and $.25 each page thereafter.

Gallatin County Clerk of the District Court
615 South 16th Street, Room 302,
406-582-2165

Probate from 1867
Marriages from approximately 1877
Naturalization from approximately. 1880
Divorce, Civil & Criminal Courts from about 1886

Fees: Marriage $1.00 uncertified, $3.00 certified, by mail $5 certified only. Searches over a period of years: $.50 per year per name. Other documents: $.50 per copy for first five pages, and then $.25 for each page thereafter.

Libraries

Bozeman Public Library
220 E. Lamme,
Bozeman, MT 59715
406-582-2400 

BridgerNet, the Library catalog, can be accessed online at the web address above. There are no original records housed at the Library. There are a few publications of extracts from cemetery, mortuary, and early newspapers. The Library has titles that are useful in doing genealogy research for circulation and reference; how to get started, writing family histories/memoirs, photo preservation, etc. There are also local histories and city directories. There is a selected bibliography, “Genealogical Resources at Bozeman Public Library,” available at the Information Desk.

1. “Genealogy Web Sites” is a binder at the reference desk with examples of useful genealogy web sites. The Library offers “Genealogy on the Internet” classes twice a year. Please call for further information.

2. InterLibrary Loan. The Library offers a loan service for titles that are not in the Library collection but available for loan from other libraries. For further information please call the Information Desk.

The city directories at the Bozeman Public Library list the churches existing for that year.  Call the specific church for availability and dates of records.

Bozeman Stake Family History Center
The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints,
2915 Colter Ave. (South Third and Henderson)
Bozeman, MT 59715

406-586-3880, ext. 15
Hours: Tuesday, Wednesday, Thursday, 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. and 6 p.m. to 9 p.m.  Closed between Christmas week and New Year’s Day.

Family Search offers the data bases of Ancestral File, International Genealogical Index, Social Security Death Index, Old Scottish Records, and Military Records (causalities of the Korean and Vietnam Wars). Some of these options are available at http://www.familysearch.org .

The Family History Library in Salt Lake City is the largest holder of genealogy related information in the world. Many of these holdings are film/fiche that can be ordered and read at the Family History Center in Bozeman. (Film fee is $3.30 for 45-day use, fiche fee is 15¢/fiche for an indefinite loan). There are some Montana census and other films on indefinite loan at the Center.

Personal Ancestral file is a computer program available at the Center to record, manage, and share genealogical information. The current version is available for free download.

PERSI (PERiodical Source Index) is a partial index to Indiana’s Allen County Public Library, largest English-language genealogy and local history periodical collection in the world with more than 3200 current subscriptions and more than 4100 titles. Photocopies of the articles can be ordered.

There is a limited number of genealogical reference books available for use in the Center.

Cemeteries and Mortuaries

Sunset Hills Cemetery

Cemetery ­ From Main St. go south on Buttonwood, 406-586-7238, 7:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m., M-F

Sunset Hills Cemetery records are available for public use. Hours are 8 a.m. to 5 p.m., M-F, closed holidays. Information can be accessed by name of the deceased. Burial date and lot location is given. There are lot and plot, and map books which give the exact location of the grave. Call Darla at the City Finance Office.

Dahl Mortuary Funeral Chapel
300 Highland Blvd.
Bozeman, MT 59715

406-586-5298
Records are available from 1939. The staff will search the records. Verification of relationship and date of death is required. Please call for appointment. Hours are 8 a.m. to 5 p.m., Monday through Friday.

Dokken-Nelson Funeral Service
113 S. Willson,
Bozeman, MT 59715

406-587-3184
Records are available from 1900. The staff will search the records. Hours are 9 a.m. to 5 p.m., Monday through Friday.

Historical and Genealogical Societies

Gallatin County Pioneer Museum and Historical Society
317 W. Main Street
Bozeman, MT

406-522-8122

Hours 10 to 4:30, M-F, 1-4 Sat.
Library and photo archives has primary and secondary source documents including unpublished manuscripts, biographies, obituaries, newspapers, and primary military history, maps, genealogical materials, as well as history books (out of print and current), high school yearbooks, and magazines. The photo archives contains more than 8000 images which are photocopied and filed in notebooks by subject. Copies of these images may be purchased by the public.

Note: The Museum of the Rockies also has a photo archive. Call for an appointment 406-994-2551.

Gallatin Genealogical Society
The society’s collection is housed at the Family History Center. It is “Reference Only” except to members of the society. They publish a quarterly, “Gallatin Trails.” The society published an index of local mortuary records. This index is available at the Bozeman Public Library, Montana Room (929.3 MORTUARY). See “Community Resources” menu option of the Bozeman Public Library catalog  for current officers and meeting schedule.