In South Dakota, each county office is responsible for maintaining the records it creates. Some of these records date back more than 100 years. When the State Archives was created in 1975, it received responsibility for preserving county records as well as records of municipalities, schools, and townships. But its authority over those records is limited. Some historical county records have been transferred to the State Archives in Pierre, while others continue to be stored in county courthouses.

By law, county and local government records belong to the State of South Dakota, and must be maintained according to state administrative rules. Common Records Retention and Destruction Schedules: A Guide for South Dakota Counties (1985) describes typical series of records to be found in each county office and provides guidelines for the length of time each must be kept. This manual was developed with the assistance of the state Records Management Program, and its contents are reviewed and approved by the state Records Destruction Board.

After records have been approved for destruction by the retention manual or by the Records Destruction Board, county officers must give the State Archives 30 days notice before they can destroy the records. Archives staff reviews the records and may claim any items that have historical value. If the State Archives decides to claim county records, it also takes responsibility for moving and storing them.

Normally the State Archives does not accept county records until after they have been approved for destruction by the creating agency and the Records Destruction Board. These records are no longer needed for regular county business, but may contain important historical information. Naturalizations, school censuses, property tax assessments, and early court case files are among the records the archives regularly accepts.

County offices may also transfer records to the State Archives if they do not have safe or adequate storage facilities, and if the archives agrees to accept responsibility for the records. The State Archives does not have authority to take records from any government office without prior approval from that office.

The State Archives does not have space or resources to keep all county records. Archives staff must select those records which are likely to be used for historical research, and which can be cared for with existing staff and funds. County offices or the State Archives may also choose to microfilm records and destroy the originals to save space.

County offices regularly send lists of records being destroyed, and archives staff claims a portion of these records for the permanent collection. If a large volume of records is involved, staff may visit the courthouse to physically examine the records and pick them up if necessary. In the last two years archives staff travelled to review records in Beadle, Harding, Hutchinson, Lawrence, and Pennington counties, and also received major additions to its holdings from Day, Fall River, Jackson, Lyman, Marshall, Minnehaha, Sully, and Union counties.

 Top

Currently the State Archives is especially interested in collecting the following types of records, when offered by county offices:

  • ALL DATES—naturalizations, school censuses, probate records, aerial photos, and county commission minutes
  • Territorial era (pre-1889)—most records are accepted, since few records exist for that period
  • 1889-1910—property assessments, court case records, guardianship records, birth, marriage and death records, plat books, teacher term reports, and township and school board minutes
  • 1910-present—mothers pension records, stallion and farm name registers, and a few other selected records

State Archives holdings of records for each county vary from a few volumes to hundreds of cubic feet. In addition to county government records, the State Archives collects county and town histories, directories, atlases, maps, photographs, newspapers on microfilm, and other types of documents for all kinds of historical research.

Some people feel that moving county records to the State Archives is a disservice to local citizens. It does require a longer trip to Pierre to use them, and the archives has restrictive rules about handling and copying records in order to ensure that they are preserved. However, many people come to the State Archives hoping to find records from several counties at once, and they find it convenient to have the materials in one place. The State Archives also has secure and climate-controlled storage to protect valuable source documents.

Some county offices have good storage facilities and staff who like working with genealogists. In other cases, they are overwhelmed by stacks of old ledger books, and may have to store records in basements or warehouses where they can be damaged by water or mold. Younger staff members may not know how to use the old records, or may not feel that historical research is their primary business. If a county office cannot maintain the records properly or provide public access to them, then they should be referred to the State Archives.

 Top

Here are some things you can do to help preserve county records in South Dakota and make your research more successful:

  • Let county officers know that their records are important for genealogical research. They may not use these records in their daily business, and you can help them by explaining how you use historical records for your family history.
  • Thank those who go out of their way to help you. This will help the next person who calls for assistance.
  • Be patient about asking for records from county officers who may not handle historical research inquiries very often. Be as clear as you can about the types of records and information you need.
  • Be reasonable about requesting documents. Just because your family member lived in a certain county, it does not follow that a record exists 100 years later. Many records have been destroyed through the legal review process, and others have been lost through fire, floods, and simple misfiling. Some counties kept better records than others to begin with.
  • Don’t give up too easily if a record can’t be located. Check with other officers or staff members, compare notes with other researchers working in your area, and call back periodically. Some records do get rediscovered by staff who keep their eyes open for something requested earlier.
  • Be firm about your need to see the records. South Dakota law requires that most non-confidential records must be available for public use. If the records exist and can be located, you have a right to see them.
  • If you know of historical records that are in danger of being lost, contact the government officer in charge of the records and let him or her know about your concerns. If you do not receive an adequate response, contact the State Archivist for advice on how to proceed.
  • For information on specific county records at the State Archives, contact the archives reference desk (phone 605-773-3804, e-mail Archref@state.sd.us).
  • For more information on records preservation, procedures for destroying or transferring government records, and archives collecting policies, contact the Acting State Archivist, Marvene Riis (phone 605-773-4233, e-mail Marvene.Riis@state.sd.us).

Top

SD State Archives,  605-773-3804, fax 605-773-6041; email archref@state.sd.us