In addition to vital records such as birth and death records, we make extensive use of local detailed tax records.  Township meeting records also provide valuable information regarding township infrastructure, historic events and local officials.

Land records are important records of the history of early Norwegian Americans, many of whom acquired their farm lands through homesteading.  Later land records provide financial information, probate and transfer information, and clues to local infrastructure and easements.

Wills and probate records provide clues to relatives and neighbors, as well as an understanding of financial conditions. Other public records show marriage, divorce, adoptions (although adoptions in the 19th century were often informal), and court proceedings including law suits.