Obituary Dataset
We're working to create a searchable dataset of Miner County birth/death records, using files from the local funeral home, the Miner County Pioneer and Rural Life Museum records. The file currently includes about 5,000 birth/death records. We update the downloadable dataset regularly, as new records are added to it.
If you would like a copy of the complete obituary for an individual listed in the dataset, please send your name, mailing address and email address to Miner County Historical Society, P.O. Box 245, Howard, SD 57349 or send an email message to [email protected]. If we have an electronic copy of the obituary available, we'll send it to you via email. If we need to research and find a paper copy in the files, we ask that you send $5 to cover the cost of research and mailing.
Downloadable obituary dataset (in Excel):
If you would like a copy of the complete obituary for an individual listed in the dataset, please send your name, mailing address and email address to Miner County Historical Society, P.O. Box 245, Howard, SD 57349 or send an email message to [email protected]. If we have an electronic copy of the obituary available, we'll send it to you via email. If we need to research and find a paper copy in the files, we ask that you send $5 to cover the cost of research and mailing.
Downloadable obituary dataset (in Excel):
| Obituaries Updated December 2023 |
Funeral Programs from Local Newspapers / Funeral Home (Word file; programs mostly .pdf):
| Scanned Obituaries January 2023 |
Cemetery Research
Miner County Cemeteries and Sextons: We've put together a list of the Miner County cemeteries (legal address, physical address, sexton contact information) in case you have questions about a friend / relative buried in a cemetery in Miner County.
Downloadable File:
Downloadable File:
| Sextons Updated December 2020.xlsx |
SouthDakotaGravestones.org: Follow the link below to get to the state-wide website maintained by SouthDakotaGravestones.org The website lists, alphabetically, all the individuals buried in Miner County cemeteries, along with a photo of the gravestone marker for that individual. The website may also include newspaper articles or obituaries.
Go to: https://southdakotagravestones.org/cemeteries.php?selected_cid=48
(You can also search other counties, but the URL goes directly to the Miner County listing.)
And, stay tuned! We're working on a list of all the sextons for Miner County cemeteries, so that you'll have the information you need to contact someone to help with your cemetery research.
FindaGrave.com: Follow the link below to go to a national website that allows you to search cemeteries throughout the U.S. Select the cemetery and then examine the alphabetical list of burials in that cemetery. The list usually includes a photo of the individual or a photo of he gravestone. It also has a space for adding memories and/or background information on the individual.
Go to: www.findagrave.com/
Official Birth, Death and Marriage Records
Miner County Birth, Death and Marriage Records: The Miner County Register of Deeds office is the primary record-keeper for the county and is an excellent source for genealogy information (birth, death and marriage records), vital statistics and land title records.
Physical Address: Miner County Courthouse 1st Floor, 401 N. Main Street (corner of Park Ave. and Main Street), Howard, SD 57349. Office hours: Monday through Friday, 8:00am-12:00pm and 1:00pm-5:00pm.
Mailing address for the Register of Deeds: Miner County Register of Deeds, PO Box 546, Howard, SD 57349.772-5621. Fax: (605) 772-2138 Email: [email protected]
Offices are open. However, requests can also be left in a drop box at the north door of the Miner County Courthouse.
South Dakota Birth Records With Dates of Birth Over 100 Years of Age: As required by South Dakota Codified Law 34-25-8, the South Dakota Department of Health maintains a website on birth records for individuals with birth dates from over 100 years ago. At this time this site contains 362,892 records.
South Dakota's Vital Records System was started in July of 1905. Individuals who were born before its inception were given the opportunity to file their records after 1905. Although many records from the 1800s and early 1900s have been filed throughout the years, the records before 1905 are not complete. This site contains all of the birth records the Department of Health has on file with dates of birth over 100 years of age. If you do not locate the record on the site, that means that a record has never been filed with the SDDOH.
The site lets you search records by: birth date, first and last name, Mother's maiden name and first name, father's first name, county. You do not have to fill out every field but your search will become more specific the more fields that you complete. For example if you want to search for all birth records of individuals who have the last name of Johnson, enter Johnson in the last name field.
Go to: https://apps.sd.gov/ph14over100birthrec/index.aspx
Physical Address: Miner County Courthouse 1st Floor, 401 N. Main Street (corner of Park Ave. and Main Street), Howard, SD 57349. Office hours: Monday through Friday, 8:00am-12:00pm and 1:00pm-5:00pm.
Mailing address for the Register of Deeds: Miner County Register of Deeds, PO Box 546, Howard, SD 57349.772-5621. Fax: (605) 772-2138 Email: [email protected]
Offices are open. However, requests can also be left in a drop box at the north door of the Miner County Courthouse.
South Dakota Birth Records With Dates of Birth Over 100 Years of Age: As required by South Dakota Codified Law 34-25-8, the South Dakota Department of Health maintains a website on birth records for individuals with birth dates from over 100 years ago. At this time this site contains 362,892 records.
South Dakota's Vital Records System was started in July of 1905. Individuals who were born before its inception were given the opportunity to file their records after 1905. Although many records from the 1800s and early 1900s have been filed throughout the years, the records before 1905 are not complete. This site contains all of the birth records the Department of Health has on file with dates of birth over 100 years of age. If you do not locate the record on the site, that means that a record has never been filed with the SDDOH.
The site lets you search records by: birth date, first and last name, Mother's maiden name and first name, father's first name, county. You do not have to fill out every field but your search will become more specific the more fields that you complete. For example if you want to search for all birth records of individuals who have the last name of Johnson, enter Johnson in the last name field.
Go to: https://apps.sd.gov/ph14over100birthrec/index.aspx
Howard High School Graduation Records
Attached is a list of Howard High School alumni, with graduations dating from 1948 to 2022. The file is an Excel file. If you're looking for additional information about one of the graduates, please let us know and we'll do our best to provide additional information.
| Howard High School Graduates 1948-2022school_alumni_1948-2022.xlsx |
Miner County -- Country School Research
In 2008, Leta Trusty and the Miner County Historical Society (with funds from the Mary Chilton Chapter of the National Society Daughters of the American Revolution, Sioux Falls, published a paperback collection of memoirs and photos from Miner County's country schools, 1881-1965. It's an extraordinary collection of photos, personal histories and lists of teachers from the country grade schools across the county during that time period. The book is for sale for $20 plus postage. If you'd like a copy, please send your name, mailing address and email address to Miner County Historical Society, P.O. Box 245, Howard, SD 57349 or send an email message to [email protected].
Howard: The First Four Years 1881-1884
In 2012, the Miner County Historical Society published a compilation of editorials and articles from the first newspapers in Howard. The paper-covered book was edited by Phyllis Lauer, a long-time supporter and president of MCHS, and dedicated to the memory of Elwood Simpson. Content for the book came from newspapers at the Rural Life Museum and the Miner County Pioneer. The book is for sale for $10 plus postage. If you'd like a copy of the book, please send your name, mailing address and email address to Miner County Historical Society, P.O. Box 245, Howard, SD 57349 or send an email message to [email protected]. We are also willing to search the book electronically, to find mention of your early relatives in Miner County. Just contact us by email and we'll see what we can find.