The Ancestor Hunt regularly adds and updates new collection links, as well as searches for and fixes broken links.
(This page's most recent update is January 2025)
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Another type of genealogy record that provides tremendous value is tax records. Like city directories and voting registers, they provide information for us between federal censuses. They also can go back to colonial times.
Types of Taxes
- Income tax
- Federal direct tax
- Poll or head tax
- Real property, e.g., land
- Personal property, e.g., livestock, equipment, carriages, enslaved persons
- Other, such as special levies for roads, schools, etc.
Types of Information
- Date
- Residence address; property, license, or goods; value; tax amount; possibly profession, occupation, or trade
- Name of the taxpayer, usually white adult males
- Town/township/city, county, and state of residence
- Owner and/or renter of the property
- Number of white adult males in the home
- Type and value of property
- Livestock owned
- Personal property owned
- Amount of tax owed
- Profession, occupation, or trade
- Number of school-aged children
- Number of enslaved persons
Derivative information, such as birth date, death date, and date of marriage can often be estimated or determined from the presence or absence of a person in a tax list.
Good primers regarding the genealogical value of tax records and more details can be found in these articles:
- The Genealogical Benefits of Tax Records
- Using Poll Tax Records for Genealogy
- Genealogy 101: Tax Records
- Back to the Basics with Tax Records: Part 1
- Back to the Basics with Tax Records: Part 2
- Back to the Basics with Tax Records: Part 3
- United States Taxation
- The Value of Using US Tax Records in Genealogy Research
Note: Some links listed take you to a FamilySearch Collection of digital images. Near the bottom of the page under Film/Digital Notes is the name of each sub-collection. If there is a camera icon at the right of the name (in the Format column) then the collections’ images are browsable. If there is a camera with a key icon, it is only available at a Family History Center or affiliated library. If there is a film reel icon, then it is only available in microfilm format, not digital. To take full advantage make sure that you are logged in to FamilySearch. The results may be different if you are signed in, rather than not.
Minnesota Tax Records
Listed below are links to tax records that are available for free online for the state:
- Becker County, Inheritance Taxes Paid
- Benton County, Tax Records, 1860-1910
- Big Stone County, Tax Records, 1875-1900
- Blue Earth County, Tax Records, 1863-1901
- Brown County, Inheritance Taxes Paid
- Brown County, Tax Records, 1858-1886
- Carver County, Inheritance Taxes Paid
- Chisago County, Inheritance Taxes Paid
- Dakota County, Tax Records, 1880-1901
- Dodge County, Tax Records, 1861-1910
- Douglas County, Tax Records, 1890
- Fillmore County, Tax Records, 1901
- Freeborn County, Inheritance Taxes Paid
- Goodhue County, Inheritance Taxes Paid
- Goodhue County, Tax Records, 1862-1897
- Grant County, Inheritance Taxes Paid
- Hennepin County, Tax Records, 1860-1901
- Houston County, Tax Records, 1861-1901
- Isanti County, Tax Records, 1870-1901
- Kanabec County, Tax Records, 1859-1901
- Kittson County, Tax Records, 1879-1910
- Le Sueur County, Inheritance Taxes Paid
- Lyon County, Tax Records, 1873-1898
- Madelia Township, Tax Records, 1858-1886
- Martin County, Inheritance Taxes Paid
- McLeod County, Inheritance Taxes Paid
- Mille Lacs County, Personal Property Taxes Paid
- Mille Lacs County, Tax Records, 1875-1887
- Minnesota, Bound Tax Revenue Assessment Lists for 1862-1866
- Murray County, Inheritance Taxes Paid
- Nicollet County, Inheritance Taxes Paid
- Nicollet County, Tax Records, 1857-1910
- Norman County, Tax Records, 1882-1910
- Olmsted County, Inheritance Taxes Paid
- Olmsted County, Tax Records, 1890-1901
- Pipestone County, Inheritance Taxes Paid
- Pipestone County, Tax Records, 1879-1901
- Polk County, Inheritance Taxes Paid
- Ramsey County, Tax Records, 1893-1901
- Redwood County, Inheritance Taxes Paid
- Redwood County, Tax Records, 1858-1886
- Rock County, Inheritance Taxes Paid
- Roseau County, Tax Records, 1895-1910
- Scott County, Inheritance Taxes Paid
- Sherburne County, Tax Records, 1860-1901
- Sibley County, Tax Records, 1864-1901
- St. Louis County, Inheritance Taxes Paid
- Starbuck, Pope County, Taxes Paid
- Stearns County, Tax Records, 1858-1886
- Stearns County, Tax Records, 1860-1910
- Swift County, Inheritance Taxes Paid
- United States Internal Revenue Assessment Lists, 1862-1874
- Wabasha County, Inheritance Taxes Paid
- Waseca County, Taxpayers, 1940
- Washington County, Inheritance Taxes Paid
- Washington County, Tax Records, 1861-1901
- Watonwan County, Inheritance Taxes Paid
- Winona County, Inheritance Taxes Paid
- Winona County, Tax Records, 1857-1901
- Wright County, Inheritance Taxes Paid
- Yellow Medicine County, Personal Property Taxpayers of 1872
- Yellow Medicine County, Tax Records, 1858-1886
Good Luck and Happy Hunting!