Wyoming genealogy records

Births

Wyoming did not keep track of births statewide until 1909. A few communities registered births earlier, and most of these registers have been transferred to the Wyoming State Archives, which keeps a listing of names on site or by request. The State Library's guide names Albany County births from 1899, Fremont County births on the Shoshone Indian Reservation in 1884, Laramie County births from February to April 1896, and Niobrara County births from 1892.

Birth certificates give the names of both parents, usually the mother's maiden name, and some also give the birth order of the child and how many children the mother had borne and how many were living. Delayed birth certificates were issued long after the birth, for example in 1940 for a 1910 birth; in the early years, statements from doctors, midwives, parents, or close relatives were accepted as proof, so check them against other records. A birth certificate is open after 100 years and is then requested from the State Archives. A newer one requires an application and proof of identity at Wyoming Vital Statistics.

Deaths

Statewide death certificates also begin in 1909. Earlier local death registers exist for Albany County from 1899 and Laramie County from 1896 to 1900, and are mostly at the State Archives. Delayed death certificates were sometimes issued years after a death, but usually only when legal proof was needed. Some early stillbirths were given a birth certificate, a death certificate, or both, and a fetal death record becomes open to the public 50 years after the event.

Death certificates 50 or more years old are open public records. Through a partnership with Ancestry, Wyoming death certificates from 1909 to 1971 are on that site, and Wyoming residents can use that site free at any public or college library; you can also contact the State Archives directly. For a death under suspicious circumstances, look for a coroner's inquest file. For coal miners, the State Mine Inspector's annual reports describe nearly every death, often with a short biography.

Marriages and divorces

Marriages have been registered at the county level since 1869, from the organization of each county, and the county clerk keeps the books. Pre-1965 county registers are also on microfilm at the State Archives. Entries usually give the names, date, place, officiant, and witnesses, and some add ages and parental consent statements for a bride or groom under age. State marriage certificates begin in 1941 and also list the parents' names, including the mother's maiden name. Certificates over 50 years old are open, and through a partnership with Ancestry the 1941 to 1971 certificates are on that site.

Before 1941, the county district court file was the only official record of a divorce, and very early territorial divorces of the 1860s and 1870s were usually handled by the chancery court. Divorce case files are open records, though some documents may be restricted. Courts have sent many files to the State Archives but keep the indexes, so ask the county Clerk of District Court for the case number first. State divorce certificates start in 1941 and summarize the case, including the grounds and the number of children.

Census records

The State Archives has the 1870, 1880, and 1900 to 1930 censuses on microfilm in its reading room, and the 1940 census is free through the National Archives. The 1890 census was lost in a fire, but the schedules of Civil War veterans and widows survived.

The Archives' guide says the 1869 territorial census contains names of individuals, and in another passage lists the 1869, 1875, and 1885 territorial censuses as the ones with names. It also holds Cheyenne city censuses of 1875 and 1878, which name residents. The 1925 state census has statistics only, no names.

Courts, probate, and land

Probate files settle estates and may include the will, date of death, heirs, and property. Contact the Clerk of District Court in the county where the person lived at death for a docket number; many inactive files are now at the State Archives.

For land, the Archives points to land abstracts, which work like indexes to every transaction on one piece of land: who bought it, mortgages, and later sales. Most counties have a general index but there is no statewide one, so you need the county. Tax records, State Engineer water rights applications, and mining claim records can also place a person on the land.

Newspapers

Newspapers have been published in Wyoming since 1867, and the State Archives holds the largest collection of them, on microfilm. Papers published before 1923 are free and fully word searchable in the online Wyoming Newspapers database. Later papers are on microfilm at the Archives or through interlibrary loan from the University of Wyoming. Archives staff and volunteers will search a paper for you if you give a place and a date within a month, up to one hour per researcher.