“Am I in line for thin hair, big feet, heart problems, poor teeth, or artistic leanings? All of these things can be approached if you start digging into your personal history through the use of genealogy resources. Our genealogy resources are among the best in the Northwest part of Minnesota.” Solveig Kitchell, Curator
NCHGS makes it easy for those researching their family tree to find information, for example from the very basic birth and death information to cause of death or location of burial. We may even have a photo to go along with the other more detailed information. Thanks to the efforts of our many volunteers, a vast amount of information on the people of Norman County can be found in our Resource Center in the Log Museum at Prairie Village in Ada. If you are unable to visit us at Prairie Village, you will find a great deal of information on our genealogy website: Norman County Minnesota Genealogy
History of the County
Norman County was organized on February 17, 1881, from a part of Polk County which in turn had been a part of Pembina County. The name was chosen because of the great number of Norwegian immigrants who settled in the county. After the French trappers, many of the earliest settlers came from Fillmore County Minnesota around 1871.
Norman County is in the Red River Valley of Minnesota; one of the great farming regions of the world. The county is made of up twenty-four townships. Check out the map of the county as it looked in 1895.
The county seat is located in Ada, which is situated near the center of the county. Other towns and communities presently in Norman County include Hendrum, Halstad, Twin Valley, Gary, Borup, Perley, Flom, and Shelly. The county borders North Dakota on the west and is surrounded to the north by Polk County, to the east by Mahnomen County, and to the south by Clay County.