Valley County Nebraska

Welcome to

Valley County NEGenWeb

Part of the USGenWeb Project

The Valley County Site Needs A New Coordinator! Please contact David Gochenour or Linda Ziemann if you would like to volunteer!

Historical Note

Valley County, Nebraska was named because of its location in the North Loup River Valley. The first homestead in Valley County was selected in 1871. Early settlers included Danish immigrants and Seventh Day Baptists. In March of 1871, the state legislature provided for a county organization which was concluded two years later in 1873. The county seat was located at Ord, Nebraska, where it remains today despite the early rivalry of the community of North Loup.

In 1874, a military post known as Fort Hartsuff was established in the North Loup Valley because of the threat of Indian attacks. Although the Indian danger soon subsided, the construction of the post offered jobs and wages for many of the farmers in the area who had been impoverished by drought and grasshopper invasions. In 1881, Fort Hartsuff was abandoned as an active military post. Fort Hartsuff State Historical Park now serves as a local tourist attraction.

Vital Record Information

Statewide registration of births & deaths began in 1905 and was generally complied with by 1920. For more information, send a self-addressed, stamped envelope along with your inquiry to:

Health Records Management
P.O. Box 95065
14th and M Streets
Lincoln, Nebraska
68509-5007.

The state did not records births, deaths and divorces before 1904, so the only records available before 1904 are marriage records. These are most likely at the Valley county courthouse.

Valley County Court
125 S 15th St
Ord, NE, 68862

PHONE:  308-728-3831
FAX:    308-728-7725

HOURS: 8AM-5PM CST

SURNAMES AND QUERIES ARE TEMPORARILY OFF-LINE

Nebraska State Historical Society leaflets
The NSHS has Records dating from 1873 - 1951 for Valley County, Nebraska. There is approximately 1 cubic foot of archived information. I've transcribed the NSHS Index of Holdings for Valley County so you can see exactly what they have.

Lookups

Settlers

NEGenWeb Resource Center

Andreas' History of Nebraska, pub. (1882)

NE Tombstone Transcription Project

Old Time Nebraska

NEGenWeb Project Online Library

NEGenWeb Military

Orphan Train

Railroad

Who's Who in NE (1940)

Two of the most valuable resources you'll find while visiting this site are the NEGenWeb Resource Center where you'll find documents we've transcribed, and the Unknown County where you can see where your ancestors may have lived.

Check the New Stuff page for links that I haven't added to the site yet.

Didn't find what you were looking for in Valley County Nebraska? Check some of these Neighboring Counties
Custer County, Nebraska
Garfield County, Nebraska
Greeley County, Nebraska
Howard County, Nebraska
Loup County, Nebraska
Sherman County, Nebraska
Wheeler County, Nebraska

Don't know where your Nebraska ancestors lived? visit our Unknown County, Nebraska.or Return to NEGenWeb.

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