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Montana Marriage, Death, Birth Records

Prior to 1895 there were no legal requirements for keeping birth records in Montana. In 1895 the Legislative Assembly passed a law requiring all physicians and midwives to keep a register of all births. All pre-1907 birth records are filed with the county clerk in the county where the child was born. Montana began recording births and deaths on the state level in 1907. It was not until about 1915 that mandatory registration of births became more complete. By 1922 about 90 percent of the births were being registered.

The 1895 law governing births also pertained to deaths. At that time the registration of deaths was the responsibility of clergymen, coroners, physicians, sextons, and undertakers. Registration of deaths on the state level began in 1907. By 1910 the registration of deaths reached about 90 percent. It was not until about 1915 that the registration of Montana deaths became reasonably complete.

When ordering a certified copy of a birth certificate, send the full name of the individual, date and place of birth, father's name, and mother's maiden name. The bureau will provide a five-year search when the exact information is unknown. Genealogical use of the birth certificate will be accommodated by the Bureau of Records and Statistics only if proof is provided of the death of the individual named on the birth certificate.

When requesting a death certificate, the place and date of death are required. Genealogical use of the death certificate will be accommodated provided it is satisfied that the requester is engaged in legitimate genealogical activity. Searches and issuance of copies will be conducted thirty years after the date of death.

The Bureau of Records and Statistics has forms available for ordering certified copies of birth and death records. It is best to request a form prior to ordering certified copies. When writing for vital records, it is good policy to include your relationship and the purpose for the request. If the request is on behalf of another party, send a signed letter from the individual with your request giving you permission to obtain the certificate. Montana state vital records are not open to the public. They prefer to have customers fill out application forms and leave them. Orders filed this way will be filled at the earliest convenience of the staff. There are no published indexes to Montana state vital records. It takes approximately ten days to two weeks to fill requests by mail.

Marriage and divorce records are not available through the Bureau of Records and Statistics. These records may be obtained from the clerk of the district court in the county where the license or decree was issued. Divorces were registered on the state level beginning in July 1943. The Bureau of Records and Statistics may be able to forward requests for information on records after that date to the appropriate court.

The most thorough survey of what vital records exist for each county can be found in the Historical Records Survey, WPA, A Guide to Vital Records for Montana (Bozeman, Mont.: Montana State College, 1941). This WPA program inventoried the availability of birth, marriage, and divorce records of the state.

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Below is a list of online resources for Montana Vital Records.