Faribault County Death Records and Obituaries

Faribault County obituary records and death certificates are held by the county Recorder in Blue Earth and by the Minnesota Department of Health. Whether you need a certified death certificate or are searching for a historical death notice from a family member who passed away years ago, Faribault County has records going back well over a century. This page outlines where to look, what each source holds, and how to get access to death records tied to the county.

Faribault County Recorder - Death Certificates

The Faribault County Recorder in Blue Earth is the local office for death records filed in the county. The Recorder holds death certificates and registers vital events that take place within county limits. If you need a certified copy of a death certificate for someone who died in Faribault County, this is the right office to contact. Staff can search by name and pull records from the local database.

Certified death certificates from the Faribault County Recorder cost $13 for the first copy. Additional copies ordered at the same time run $6 each, as set under Minnesota Statutes section 144.226. Under Minnesota Statutes section 144.225, non-certified copies of death records are public records and available to anyone. You do not need to be a family member to get a non-certified copy.

To request a record, contact the office by phone or visit in person. Mail requests are also accepted. Include the name of the deceased, the year of death if known, and a copy of your ID. The office address and phone number are listed in the table below.

The Faribault County Recorder's office page shows current hours and what to bring when requesting death records in person.

The Recorder processes both in-person and mail requests for death records filed in Faribault County.

Search Faribault County Death Records Online

The MDH Death Search Index covers Minnesota deaths from 1997 to the present. You can search by name at health.state.mn.us death search. The tool is free and returns basic information like the name, date, and county of death. Once you confirm a record exists, you can order a certified copy from MDH or from the Faribault County Recorder.

For deaths before 1997, the Minnesota Historical Society holds death certificates from 1904 through 2001. Their people search at mnhs.org/search/people lets you look up records by name. The MNHS collection also includes death cards from 1904 to 1907. Records from MNHS are non-certified public copies and carry enough detail for genealogy purposes.

If the death you are searching for happened before 1904, your best options are the county Recorder for records going back to the county's early years, newspaper archives, and cemetery records. The MNHS Newspaper Hub at mnhs.org/newspapers/hub includes digitized papers from across Minnesota, and Faribault County papers may have printed obituaries not captured in official records.

Faribault County Historical Society

The Faribault County Historical Society at faribaultcountyhistory.org maintains local history collections that include obituary files, newspaper clippings, and community records from across the county. If you are looking for a death notice that may not be in the official vital records system, the historical society is a natural next step. Their collections cover materials that go beyond what the county Recorder holds, especially for older deaths and deaths in small rural communities.

Local newspapers have historically been the best source for detailed obituaries in small Minnesota counties like Faribault. Published obituaries often list survivors, church membership, occupation, and personal history in a way that death certificates do not. Many of these papers have not been fully digitized, so an in-person visit to the historical society or the county library is often the only way to find them. The MNHS Newspaper Hub at mnhs.org/newspapers/hub is a good starting point to check what is available online before making a trip.

Faribault County Genealogy Resources

The Faribault County MNGenWeb project at faribault.mngenweb.net is a free site with transcribed vital records, obituaries, cemetery data, and other genealogy materials for the county. Volunteers have compiled records from published sources and original documents over many years. It is a good place to check if you are just beginning your research and want to see what is already indexed.

FamilySearch maintains a Minnesota vital records guide at familysearch.org. The guide covers the history of death registration in Minnesota, explains how the county and state systems work together, and points to the major online collections. It is free and written for people who are not familiar with Minnesota records.

The MDH vital records page at health.state.mn.us/vitalrecords/death explains how to request a death certificate from the state by mail. The county registrar directory at health.state.mn.us/registrars confirms the Faribault County Recorder as the local contact for in-person requests.

Minnesota Historical Society and MDH Records for Faribault County

MNHS holds a statewide archive of death certificates from 1904 through 2001. For Faribault County, this collection covers nearly a century of deaths that may not be easily accessible through the county office alone. The records are non-certified copies and are available to the public. You do not need to show any family connection to access MNHS death records. Start your search at mnhs.org/search/people.

The Minnesota Department of Health at health.state.mn.us holds certified death records for the state going back to 1908. For Faribault County deaths, MDH is an alternative to the county office if you prefer to order by mail directly from the state. Processing times by mail are typically a few weeks. If you need the record fast, an in-person visit to the county Recorder in Blue Earth is the quicker option.

Cities in Faribault County

Faribault County includes several small communities. Death records for all of them are kept at the county Recorder in Blue Earth and at the Minnesota Department of Health in St. Paul.

Communities in Faribault County include Blue Earth, Wells, Winnebago, Bricelyn, Frost, and Delavan. None of the cities in Faribault County meet the population threshold for a dedicated page on this site. All death certificate and obituary record requests tied to any of these communities should go to the Faribault County Recorder or MDH.

Nearby Counties

These counties share borders with Faribault County. Each has its own vital records office for death certificates and obituary records.