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Genealogy Research in Nevada

© Kathleen M. Brune

Searching for that ever-elusive ancestor in Nevada? Here are some resources to help you with your tracking.

Have an ancestor that you have just got to find, but you are unsure of where to begin? Or, perhaps you are a seasoned genealogist and have just run into one of our many stumbling blocks while searching. Luckily, in the state of Nevada, there are many resources for us to use both online and on land. First, though, we need to know the basic facts for searching in Nevada. Then, we can determine our research outline.

Vital Records

Vital records were not kept on the statewide level until 1911. Several counties have records available prior to that time, but you’ll need to contact those counties directly for information. Keep in mind also that if you are looking for vital records, access is often restricted. You will need to contact the state to see if you qualify for access; generally, however, you will qualify if you are a direct descendant of the individual you are requesting the information for. Records available at the state level are birth and death records from 1911, and marriage records after 1969. For more information, write to: State Office of Vital Records, Capitol Complex, 505 E. King Street, Room 102, Carson City, NV 89710. The telephone number is 775-687-4480.

If the records you are looking for are from before the dates listed above, you can try contacting the county directly, by writing to: County Recorder, County Courthouse, (County Seat), NV (zip code). Or, you can check out the USGenWeb Project's Nevada website. There, you’ll find a county breakdown of genealogy websites that will in turn list individual county information.

Census Records

Ok, now that we know where to find vital records, how about census records? Well, there are many places you can get this information. One of the first places you may want to check is online, at the USGenWeb Census Project. This is a volunteer-based census project dedicated to transcribing all US census records for use on the web—free. Since the project does require volunteers for this huge task, you may find that the census you need is not available there at this time. If you find it’s not available, don’t panic. You still have many other places to go. Heritage Quest will allow you to rent fiche with census records for the area you are searching, if you are a member. Don’t have a reader of your own? You may want to check your local library, or LDS (Latter-Day Saints) library. At either of these places, you may borrow and and read fiche onsite only, but the services are usually free. Ancestry.com and GenealogyLibrary.com (which used to be FamilyTreeMaker.com) both offer memberships that will allow you to either view census records online, if ready, or to purchase CD’s of census records.

The copyright of the article Genealogy Research in Nevada in Nevada is owned by Kathleen M. Brune. Permission to republish Genealogy Research in Nevada in print or online must be granted by the author in writing.