Historic and unique barns in Minnesota

I love to just get in the car and drive out of the city on county roads and highways rather than always being on the interstate. The great variety of barns that I see is one reason, though I do not descend from a family of farmers. One of the first genealogy lectures I attended way back in the 1980s was about types of barns that were built by our ancestors. Last month as I drove on I-94 through Wisconsin, I noticed that one of my favorite barns had either collapsed or was being torn down. It was always a beacon with it's lower level windows lit up in the very early morning hours.

One online news source here in Minnesota has been running a series of articles about places, things, and heritage in general pertaining to history in Minnesota. This past March it was about barns and if you want to share in my joy at reading this it's on Minnesota Post. Unfortunately, I missed the exhibition that the article discusses.

 http://www.minnpost.com/stroll/2014/03/they-disappear-look-closely-these-nearby-barns

Hennepin County, Minnesota new consolidated Records Center

I love progress! The Hennepin County (Minnesota) government is finally announcing the consolidation of court cases. A plus is that records once stored offsite will be more readily available once the project is finished.

"The new Records Center allows citizens to look up records from various cases in one place, ranging from civil and conciliation to criminal, housing and probate/mental health. The center is located in the B Vault in the lower level of the Hennepin County Government Center, 300 S. 6th St., in Minneapolis."

"Hennepin County is still in the process of digitizing the equivalent of 180 semitrailer truck loads of record accumulated over 130 years."

Read the full StarTribune article here. 

Learn more about hours, access and pricing (gulp!) here. 

Don't forget to check FamilySearch.org (FamilySearch catalog) and the Minnesota Historical Society catalog for some Hennepin County records.

St. Paul's Pilgrim Baptist Church celebrates 150 years

Sasha Aslanian, a reporter from Minnesota Public Radio, has a wonderful story today about Pilgrim Baptist Church. The church is celebrating 150 year of existence. It was founded by former slaves.

Sasha relates ". . . Robert Hickman, an escaped slave from Missouri who 150 years ago led slaves traveling north on the Underground Railroad, a physical and spiritual migration that Pilgrim Baptist celebrates this month."

The name Hickman is definitely a recognizable one in St. Paul's black community. Unfortunately, when they arrived in St. Paul, members of the group were forced to separate with some going to different places in Minnesota. This sad occurrence may have solved a research mystery for me.

 " In 1866, Pilgrim Baptist Church moved to a permanent home in downtown St. Paul, making it the first predominantly black church in Minnesota. Church members celebrated with a baptism on the shore of the Mississippi."  Today the church is located on Central Avenue in St. Paul.

Robert Hickman, a 39 year old preacher is listed on the 1870 census of St. Paul, Ramsey County, Minnesota (page 15/1097, line 6). The census entry states he was born in Missouri. Here is a view of his household on that census from Ancestry.com.

 Please click here to read the great story on MPR's website.

For more on Robert, read this website www.blackpast.org/?q=aah/hickman-robert-t-1831-1900

Minnesota records live on FamilySearch

Have you recently checked the Minnesota category of the Historical Record Collections at FamilySearch? It has 22 section of material related to the state. Add a lot more when you check out the U.S. census records. Many have digitized images, some are record abstracts, and some are indexes. Check out the list below (and many others) at https://familysearch.org/search/collection/list#page=1&countryId=18. Check back at least every month to see if more had been added. Once you are on the page, check the last column to see when each collection was last updated.

Happy Birthday, Minnesota!

Why is it that some dates just stick in our minds? For me, one is the date of Minnesota statehood. On May 11, 1858 Minnesota became the 32nd state in the United States.

That's 155 years ago. One of my great grandfathers, Michael Hanley, had already arrived in Minnesota Territory. He is on the 1857 census as a farmhand in Winona County. He later lived in the city of Winona. His brother is also listed but in a different household.

The annual history tour that I take with my three youngest grandchildren will include Winona this summer. The 11 year old asked to visit all the addresses where his ancestors resided. I will be doing just that at 478 Wilson Street in Winona. I will also tell them about the Hanley family.

Minnesota Genealogy Ambassador Award

Earlier this month at the banquet during the Minnesota Genealogical Society's annual North Star Conference, I was presented with an award. It's the "Minnesota Genealogy Ambassador Award for representing Minnesota on the national genealogy scene and bringing honor to Minnesota genealogy."

It was an easy award to win and receive. Easy to win because I love Minnesota and the fantastic resources for family and social history. I love talking about my home state and those resources. I have been a member of the Minnesota Genealogical Society for 30 years (well, I did forget to renew for a time) and was one of the founders of the MGS library. Of course I promote MGS!

There are many other Minnesota residents who are also good ambassadors for the state, for Minnesota history, genealogy, and MGS. I am honored to be chosen.

Minnesota 1940 census is 19% indexed

That is amazing news. In less than a month since the 1940 census was made public, volunteers have indexed 19% of the 1940 U.S. census for Minnesota. I love indexing my home state. I recognize many names or can easily figure out what the enumerator wrote in most cases. I love seeing the multi-generation families all living in the same house. Yesterday I indexed four batches.

I do have to use other databases and indexes to help figure out the given or surname for some of the entries. Those names have to be indexed as the census enumerator wrote them. For Minnesota  and other place names, the spelling is to be corrected to the proper spelling. One helpful Minnesota place name guide is Minnesota Place Names: A Geographical Encyclopedia (3d ed) which is also online in expanded and searchable format at http://mnplaces.mnhs.org/upham/index.cfm

A bit of bad news, there is still 81% of the 1940 census for Minnesota to be indexed. It takes many people to accomplish 100%. On average, how many batches (pages) are you indexing in a week? My work and other volunteering schedules have kept me from doing as many as I want to do. But, I am averaging a dozen batches a week. Promise me you will try indexing at least a couple batches in the five days. Then tell me you were able to stop with just two!

A friend in Arizona sent me an email to tell me that since her home state of Indiana is all indexed and Arizona, her state of residence, is also indexed, she is now indexing in states that mean something to her genealogy friends. I love that she is helping to index Minnesota!

To sign up visit www.familysearch.org and click on the 1940 census image. That will take you to a page where you can quickly sign up. You may also indicate that you are doing this under the auspices of the Minnesota Genealogical Society or any other group.

Minnesota genealogy webinar

I just did a run-through of my Minnesota Genealogy Crash Course for Family Tree University. I will be presenting it live next Wednesday, April 25th at 7:00 pm here in the Midwest. That will be at 8:00 Eastern, 6:00 Mountain, and 5:00 Pacific.

Diane Haddad at the Genealogy Insider just posted some teasers about the presentation. Click here to read that and for the link to sign up for the class.

Minnesota genealogy webinar April 25th

On Wednesday, April 25th, I will be presenting a webinar on Minnesota genealogy. It's part of Family Tree University. I have been researching, writing, and teaching about Minnesota genealogical research for more years than I am willing to admit. When I began my Minnesota research, the late Minnesota Historical Society librarian, Wiley Pope, gave me stacks of his personal genealogy periodicals to read. Then I used to sit at the state archives and read through the voluminous finding aids to learn more about the government, business, personal, military, organizational, and other collections. Then I would request box after box of these records to actually see what was in them. Fast forward to today and we have many finding aids, records, and indexes online. Having Minnesota ancestry is wonderful. I think it's the best! I love telling others about it whether through classes, private consultations, articles, or webinars. 

Join me on your computer for the webinar next Wednesday. Visit the Family Tree University website to see a bit more about this Minnesota Genealogy Crash Course and to sign up. The early bird price is only $39.00. Listening live also comes with the opportunity to ask questions.

The webinar is at 8:00 pm. EDT, 7:00 CDT, 6:00 MDT, and 5:00 PDT.

Current Plat Book for St. Louis County, Minnesota

The 2012 editions of the St. Louis County Minnesota Land Atlas and Plat Books are now available. This county is in Northeastern Minnesota and runs north to the Canadian border. Duluth, Hibbing, Hermantown, Chisholm, Ely, Eveleth, and the famous Embarass are some of the cities in this beautiful county. It also includes parts of Superior National Forest, the Boundary Waters Canoe Area, and Voyageurs National Park. The southeast part of the county borders Lake Superior.

Because of the vast land that this county covers, there are two parts, one for the northern half and another for the southern half. The books show detailed land ownership and property size, along with roads, lakes, section boundaries, and other reference data.

For purchase details in today's Duluth News-Tribune click here. Or visit the county website here.

MN family digs grave for their own gravedigger father

What a tribute to their deceased father.

"RICHMOND, Minn. -- On Wednesday afternoon at Sts. Peter and Paul cemetery in Richmond, Harold Hemmesch's family gathered to dig his grave.It wasn't the first time Hemmesch's children dug into the ground of the cemetery. Their father had been a gravedigger for 50 years, and they had all grown up helping him dig graves."  Richmond is in the St. Cloud, Minnesota area in central Minnesota.

The other heartwarming part of this story is the wonderful care that Harold gave to this cemetery. Click here to read the full story on the website of the Twin Cities' TV station, KARE11.

If you have St. Cloud area ancestry (Benton, Sherburne, and Stearns counties), you might be interested in the cemetery compilation of the St. Cloud Area Genealogists. It was very helpful in researching my brother-in-law's ancestry.

Minnesota Vital Records

This is an overview of what exists for Minnesota birth, death, and marriage records and ways to access them. This is not a 100% comprehensive finding aid, but it should lead you to more records.

Birth & Death Records
Birth and death records were generally created at the county level beginning in 1870 or later if the county was not in existence in 1870. Most early recordings were a one line entry across two pages in a registration volume and the information is not extensive. In some localities these were also recorded at the township level until the mid 1950s. Many of the township records books can be found at the Minnesota Historical Society (MHS). For many years, the cities of St. Paul and Minneapolis also registered births and deaths. Today these are found with their respective counties. Beginning in 1900 for birth records, and in 1908 for death records, the event was also reported to the Minnesota Department of Health (MDH). You may find differences in all versions in the years there were multiple reportings.

For death records before 1908, contact the county in which the person died. Some are also at the Family History Library and the Minnesota Historical Society. MHS has microfilms of the MDH death record cards for 1900-1907. The microfilmed records may be viewed on-site at MHS,

Even though there are early registrations of births and deaths in Minnesota, not all events were registered. It was well into the 20th century before the registrations were “complete.” In the 1940s the state health department was still urging complete compliance with the registration laws. You may be among the fortunate researchers who find that a delayed birth certificate was created and there might be supporting documentation. The person

My Hanley and Welch families and the Minnesota Genealogical Society in Winona

I am looking forward to being a part of the MGS all day meeting in Winona, Minnesota on June 25th. It's the birthplace of my Grandpa Mike.

My maternal grandfather Maurice Michael Hanley was born there 12 September 1893. His parents were Michael Hanley and Johanna Welch/Walsh. Johanna was the sister of other Welch's who came to Winona from the parish of Ballyferriter which is situated on the beautiful Dingle Peninsula in County Kerry, Ireland.

Among the families that some of these Welch siblings and others married into were Feiten, Hinds, McGrath, and Kellner.

Michael Hanley, the father of Maurice Michael (Grandpa Mike), was first married to Margaret Carney and they had six children. Michael and Johanna also had six children. Grandpa Mike's sister Mabel Hanley Hewson was the one who gave me the family connections.

It will be my first time to present a lecture in Winona. The day has many other speakers. To see the full program, register for the day, and order your lunch, click here. The day is co-hosted by the Winona County Historical Society.

Historical projects in Minnesota

One way to find out about what historical projects are cropping up around Minnesota is by checking out the Minnesota Historical and Cultural Grants program that operates under the auspices of the Minnesota Historical Society. Grants are awarded for projects that will preserve and enhance Minnesota’s cultural and historical resources. Libraries, archives, churches, historical societies, ethnic organizations, universities, cities, and other groups have been the award recipients. Many of the projects have a direct impact on family history. Just a sampling of the grants in the last couple years:

• Commission of Deaf, DeafBlind, and Hard of Hearing Minnesotans (Saint Paul) - To record, preserve and make available oral/visual histories of deaf, deaf/blind and
  hard of hearing Minnesotans, $64,100. 
• Macalester College, DeWitt Wallace Library (Saint Paul) - To digitize and make accessible issues of the college's student and community newspapers and catalogs, $10,888. 
• Blue Earth County Historical Society (Mankato) - To add 140 rolls of microfilmed newspapers to broaden public accessibility to primary records, $3,837.
• Historical and Cultural Society of Clay County (Moorhead) - To add 126 rolls of microfilmed

Combine genealogy, history, and a visit to part of Minnesota's beautiful lake country!

Combine genealogy, history, and a visit to part of Minnesota's beautiful lake country! The Becker County Historical Society and Heart O’Lakes Genealogical Society announce their first joint open house on Saturday, July 10, from 2 to 4 p.m. in the Becker County History Museum. The museum is in Detroit Lakes, Minnesota at 714 Summit Ave at Front Street. Detroit Lakes is in Northwestern Minnesota and is definitely a vacation destination.

"Attendees will be given the opportunity to learn how both societies assist in historical and genealogical research requests." How perfect is this1 Check out the research library while your non-genealogy friends or family tour the museum, browse the gift shop, golf, swim, boat or even just sit and enjoy a wonderful summer day in Minnesota.

Check out the full notice from June 25th at D-L Online [Detroit Lakes].

Info on the Detroit lakes area:  http://www.visitdetroitlakes.com/
Info on Minnesota tourism:  http://www.exploreminnesota.com/

Online indexes at county historical societies in Minnesota

County historical societies in Minnesota (and in other states) are treasure troves of material useful in our family history search. This is a sampling of some online indexes for several of the county societies in Minnesota. Some of these societies have other online indexes and information on how to obtain the actual record or publication the index references.

• Carver County Historical Society Newspaper Index http://www.carvercountyhistoricalsociety.org/newspaper/search.php

• Dakota County Historical Society obituary index http://www.dakotahistory.org/research/Obit_Search.asp

• Morrison County Historical Society index of family files http://morrisoncountyhistory.org/?page_id=1177

Minnesota statewide marriage index online.

The Minnesota Association of County Officers has fulfilled our wishes. If you were not sure of which county a marriage took place in, you could only search at Ancestry.com from 1958 - 2001 or request that search from the Minnesota Department of Health. For other years you needed to know the exact county and check with that courthouse. Yes, there were microfilms of some county marriage records available at the Minnesota Historical Society or via the Family History Library in Salt Lake City.

Now you can check MOMS, the Minnesota Official Marriage System for free right on your home computer. You don't need to know which county, but that would be helpful in the case of a marriage search for a John Johnson! After locating the index entry which gives the name of the bride, groom, date of marriage, and county name, you simply click on a link in the right hand column to order the records. The order form does not clearly say if it is a photocopy of the original certificate, a digitized copy, a computer printout, or an abstract. I will do some further investigating on this. The cost is $9.00.

ALL THAT SAID, this is not a complete listing/index. I did not find the marriages listed for me, my sister, my parents, grandparents, great grandparents, or others I checked for Ramsey County. The Minnesota Historical Society's Family History News said this about MOMS: ". . . a statewide marriage index  developed by the Minnesota county recorders is now available on-line.  The system includes historical and current marriage data for persons married in Minnesota.  The data can be searched on-line, and copies of marriage certificates may be requested through the web site.  About 80% of Minnesota marriages are available in the system, with some counties continuing to add data to the system on a regular basis."

Be sure to click on "County Index Dates" at the top of the home page to see what the index date spans are for each county. Unfortunately, there are absolutely no dates given for Ramsey County. I did a search for my great grandfather's two marriages in Winona County and neither is listed even though the dates given for that county are 1854 - present. 

As the MOMS page says, "The Minnesota Official Marriage System (MOMS) is an online service designed for the general public to search and locate official marriage information and to be directed to the county which holds the custodial marriage record. MOMS was created to benefit county offices and licensing centers by using a central system in unifying all county offices in the preservation of the record, for internal searching capabilities, and the creation of the marriage record. The Minnesota Official Marriage System is funded and supported by Minnesota county government."

I am happy to see this project well underway and hope for a complete systems before too long.

Minnesota is 150 years old today

May 11th, 1858 is the date of statehood for Minnesota. 150 years ago. Probably seems pretty young to those of you with New England and Mid-Atlantic roots. I grew up in historic Reserve Township in St. Paul, Minnesota and have been a lover of history from childhood. Today I spend much of my work time researching the original settlers of the land now called Minnesota. The Indians are a vital part of the history of the land. I know some of the descendants of those Indians and understand how important that land still is to them.

One of my great grandfathers, Michael Hanley, settled in Minnesota Territory before statehood. My children have several other ancestors who settled in the Territory before it became a state.

150 years ago does seem "recent" compared to the 164 year old house I visited today. I was in Raytown, Missouri, visiting the Rice-Tremonti Home. The house was built circa 1844 and today is on the National Register of Historic Places. The site is on the historic Santa Fe, California, and Oregon Trails. I was with a friend, Jan Davenport, who is a descendant of the Archibald Rice family. We spent time talking with Roberta Bonowitz, a 97 year young whiz about Raytown history, and Mick O'Neal, another Rice descendant. The three of them spent a couple hours pouring over family history details.