Family Tree Magazine, an American magazine devoted to genealogy, has named the NDSU Institute for Regional Studies website the best for doing genealogical and family history research in the state of North Dakota. In the article “2010 Best State Websites” in the December issue, the magazine presents the “best websites that specialize in genealogy research for each of the 50 U.S. states. The 75 stellar sites on the list represent the go-to bookmarks for browsing America’s past, state by state.”
The article’s reference to the institute’s website states, “Search the statewide North Dakota Biography Index, 212,000 naturalization records, the 1885 Dakota Territory census, obituaries from the Fargo Forum newspaper and indexes to Cass County marriages, divorces and probate cases. ‘Fact pages’ will help you start your North Dakota research.”
Rick Crume, local genealogist, speaker and author of “Plugging into Your Past: How to Find Real Family History Records Online,” said "Being selected for inclusion in this list is a real honor and something you can rightfully brag about. I'd easily rate (the institute's website) the top genealogical site for North Dakota."
All total, the various institute databases contain almost 750,000 North Dakota names. Not included in this number are the databases to the Forum newspaper index and the contents on Digital Horizons website.
The article about the best genealogy sites for all 50 states is available at http://familytreemagazine.com/article/2010-best-state-websites. To use the various institute online indexes and databases go to www.ndsu.edu/archivesand click on the “Databases and Indexes” link as well as “Genealogy and Family History.”