Montana Research Guide Digital Download

You'll love this if…

• You're getting started tracing your ancestors in Montana
• You want new ideas and resources to get past a Montana brick wall
• Your genealogy search is focused mainly on Montana

Trace your Montana ancestors with the advice and resources in our State Research Guide! This four-page download includes:

• a how-to article detailing Montana’s history and records, with helpful advice on tracking your family there
• the best websites, books and other resources for Montana research, handpicked by our editors and experts
• listings of key libraries, archives and organizations that hold the records you need
• timeline of key events in the state's history

Here's a sampling of the helpful tips you'll get in the Montana guide:

• The Continental Divide, which runs through the state, helped define the land's territorial history. Land west of the Divide was part of Oregon Country, while land east was part of the Louisiana Purchase and later Nebraska and Dakota Territories.
• State-level birth and death registration began in 1907, but the legislature first required practitioners such as doctors and midwives to keep them earlier in 1895.
• Montana's natural resources drove many miners to the region, especially after the early-1880s discovery of copper in Butte. This led to multiple boomtowns and the rise of "copper kings."

Plus, each guide contains active web links for one-click access to every recommended online resource. You can view this PDF on your computer and print pages for reference.