Minnesota Genealogy: Finding Divorce Records

Learning that a family member may have been divorced 50, 75, or 150 years ago might yield a temporary shock to your system. It might also yield a plethora of family history details.

Divorce in the past is different from divorce today in some ways. Societal and family pressures may have caused a family or individual to hide the fact that a divorce took place. An abandoned woman may have listed herself as still married or as a widow and never filed for a legal divorce. Some couples just lived apart without benefit of a legal divorce. In Native American communities, tribal culture often considered divorce as simple as the couple separating and being involved in a new relationship. This practice veered toward official court proceedings in the late 19th and early 20th centuries. 

The impetus for consulting divorce or marriage dissolution files varies. For most family historians, the reason is not salacious, but to gain additional family details and to help understand family relationships. I once had a

Minnesota Historical Society website and preservation

The Minnesota Historical Society's website has many great features. I have blogged about some of these. Scroll down the right side of this blog to see the index to past posts.

One of the important sections is "Preserve Your Family Treasures" which I have found to be quite helpful. The topics discussed are oral histories, letters and papers, organizing family papers, photographs, metals, and textiles.


Click here to learn more about taking care of your family artifacts and history.

Minnesota Historical Society Tuesday a.m. research hours restored

A big change arrives at the Minnesota History Center in a couple days. Starting on Tuesday, October 1, 2014, Tuesday morning research library hours are restored.

The new hours:

• Tuesday: 9 am - 8 pm
• Wed-Sat: 9 am - 4 pm
• Sunday & Monday: Closed

Click here to learn more about this great research facility.

Online Finding Aids from the Minnesota Historical Society

When is the last time you checked the wonderful online finding aids for many of the collections at the Minnesota Historical Society? Of course, there's the library catalog, general descriptions of collections, and paragraphs describing various types of records, but have you seen the detailed inventories for others?

MHS has many in-house comprehensive finding aids but has been posting some on its website.

A few examples:

• War Records Commission: An Inventory of Its World War I Military Service Records
  Four-page questionnaires, filled out by Minnesota veterans of World War I with biographical data and details of their military service.

• Thomas Scantlebury and Family: An Inventory of Their Papers
  U.S.-Dakota War reminiscences of a soldier in Company H of the Seventh Minnesota Infantry, accompanied by three diaries (1853-1857) and miscellaneous family information relating in part to the establishment of New Auburn (Sibley County), Minnesota.

• Gillette Hospital: An Inventory of Its Admission Registers
  Admission information for children treated at the Gillette State Hospital for Crippled Children and its predecessor, the State Hospital for Crippled and Deformed Children.

• Faith United Church of Christ (Minneapolis, Minn.): An Inventory of Its Records.
  Membership, baptism, marriage, burial, and other official records of Faith United Church of Christ. Explore these and others on the MHS website.

Minnesota State Archives acquisitions

The Minnesota State Archives continues to acquire records from around the state. This is a sampling of acquisitions over the last several months:

• February 2013:  Olmsted County.  Common School District No. 95/1354 (Kalmar Township).  Clerk’s Book (dated 1882- 1887).  1 volume.
• January 2013:  Ramsey County, St. Paul school records ( I.SD. No. 625), including a photograph of the Bryant Elementary Kitchen Kabinet Orchestra (K.K.O) dated ca. 1920s. Also,  records (dated

Minnesota Historical Society Hours: changed for the better

It's been really difficult to work at the Minnesota Historical Society in recent years due to the changed hours. There were too many days where the limited hours barely allowed you to get settled in, request a set of records or wait to make copies from microfilm, and boom, it was time to leave.

As of December 1, 2012 the hours will be better for researchers. We now have four almost full days for research plus the one evening that has not changed. I have researched at MHS for 30 years and remember when it was open all day, six days a week. Many researchers have complained and some of us were assured of a change more than a year ago. It has finally happened.

The great catalog, helpful guides, and finding aids may be found at www.mnhs.org


The new hours:

Tuesday: noon to 8pm
Wed. - Sat.: 9am to 4pm
Sunday: Closed
Monday: Closed

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.

Research in animal bounty records

Chippewa County, Minnesota has announced that it will again pay bounties for coyotes due to the damage they are doing to farm animals. According to TwinCities.com "The Board of Commissioners voted Tuesday to pay $10 for every coyote trapped or shot in the county and brought to the sheriff's office from Dec. 1 through April 1 each year. Those that kill a coyote will be able to sell its pelt, which is worth about $15."

Historically many towns and counties have paid bounties for such animals. If you have Minnesota ancestral ties you might find details of a bounty paid to an ancestor or other family members. Within the state archives collection at the Minnesota History Center in St. Paul researchers have access to bounty records from a variety of locations. These records put the person in a specific place at a specific time. They might even help to prove that a person was still alive in a given month and year. The information varies but usually contains the name of who the bounty was paid for and the amount along with details on the animal or pelt. A few examples from the Minnesota collection:

• Wilkin County: wolf, fox, crow, lynx, bobcat, and bear bounties (1928-1965)
• Rice County: wolf bounties 1897-1900
• Eagan Township, Dakota County: wolf bounties (1889-1918)
• Sherburne County: wolf bounty certificate books (1878/1879, 1893-1897; 1897-1899)
• Bemidji Township, Beltrami County: gopher and wolf bounty records (1901-1960)

Fergus Falls [Minnesota] State Hospital

Myths & Legends: Stories from the Fergus Falls State Hospital

Today's Fergus Falls Daily Journal carried a bit of history of this hospital for the insane and an announcement about a presentation this Friday. "Join the Otter Tail County Historical Society for Myths & Legends: Stories from the Fergus Falls State Hospital on Friday, July 16, 6:30 p.m. on the State Hospital campus. The third Minnesota State Hospital for the Insane was opened in Fergus Falls in July 1890."

Click here to read the full story.
Click here to search the catalog for the many records and histories that are housed at the Minnesota Historical Society.

Limited access to microfilms at Minnesota Historical Society May 29 - June 21

The Hubbs Microfilm Room which is part of the research library at the Minnesota Historical Society will be closed from May 29 - June 21, 2010. New carpeting is being installed during this three week period. Some items such as newspapers from around the state will not be available for research.

For a list of what will be available for research (on a limited number of film readers) click here. 

Minnesota Historical Society Library Hour Changes

From the September 9, 2009 MHS Local History News:

"New Library Hours at MHS
To serve visitors better in the midst of a reduction in the Minnesota Historical Society's operating budget, hours for the library will change to reflect highest demand visitation times. Effective Tuesday September 8, 2009, new hours will be Tuesdays, noon to 8; Wednesdays through Fridays, noon to 5; Saturdays, 9 to 4; and Sundays, noon to 4. Closed Mondays and holidays."

This is truly sad news for researchers. Many long-time library staff have had their jobs terminated or changed. Hours have been continually cut over the years. By the time you get checked in, put your things in a locker, order a box of records or some books . . . and actually receive the material, it's almost time to leave. The history of Minnesota is truly being put on the back burner. It's now a chore to visit MHS. This library is the access place for hundreds of years of books, monographs, historical publications, as well as city, county and state records. Staff that remains is overworked and the knowledge of lost staff is a horrific loss.

For someone who lives a distance from the Minnesota Historical Society, the urge to drive for a day or two of research is lessened. Why drive 3 hours or plan to stay in a motel and research for a few full days only to find that the now few hours the place is open on a given day is a joke.

It's not the only locality or state doing this. The current state of historical research nationwide is getting sadder by the day. So much of what we need is not online and won't be in our lifetime. Those thousands upon thousands of boxes of original records are treasure troves for doing genealogy, community history, military history, biographies, school history, and newspaper articles. Those boxes hold first-hand accounts, true history, family treasures, and so much more. All these staff and access losses are truly tragic.

The expense that went into the building of the Minnesota History Center may be for naught when people can no longer visit the exhibits, research history, or sit next to each other and see the excitement of finding that court record full of history. "To serve visitors better" is a phrase that makes no sense. Researchers don't just visit. Researchers don't want to be "served" only during the highest demand times. Research takes time --

I can now see myself lecturing -- please come to Minnesota to research your Minnesota family history. But only during the hours of 12-5. And by the way, the materials are in closed stacks so that you need to order items , have them brought out to your table, and then the library will close.

Wanna make a bet that if some clerk in a county somewhere in Minnesota needs a copy of a county record that is housed in the state archives at MHS they can get it whenever it is needed -- not just from noon-5? A legislator requesting a record at 9:00 a.m. will be served. A funeral home needing a copy of a DD214 will be served. But the taxpayers can get access only from noon-5.

Come on economy!

A sign of the times and a call for help

I love it when things grow by leaps and bounds. Unfortunately, this time it isn't something to love. Historical societies, archives, state libraries, public libraries, and other places where family historians do their research are floundering. The number of those floundering due to drastic budget and staffing cuts in today's economy is what is growing by leaps and bounds. It's impossible to miss each new cut if you read genealogy and history newsletters, websites, ezines, blogs, and even Facebook. Many of my colleagues post such things on Facebook.

My own Minnesota Historical Society has done some of that staff cutting in 2009 and needed the support of historians and genealogists. One of the latest concerns is that of the excellent Michigan Historical Library and Archives in Lansing, Michigan. As in so many states and at the federal level in the U.S. and other countries, history is being lost when there are not funds to house and preserve it.

My friends Shirley Hodges and Liz Kerstens who are both Michigan residents are among those quite concerned about the recent changes in preserving that state's history. They are among those who are keeping the topic alive on Facebook. On July 13th, Governor Jennifer Granholm issued an executive order closing the Michigan Department of History, Arts and Libraries. Its functions are to be distributed among seven other departments and some outside groups, including possibly Michigan State University. The archives would be under the Department of Natural Resources! For more of the details check out Leland Meitzler's GenealogyBlog.com

Shirley has written an article on the issue and help needed in the July 23d issue of Global Gazette. She has asked her colleagues to please share it "with anyone who might be interested in the situation that we are facing regarding the Library of Michigan. We need all of the help that we can get."

She further added: "If you don't already subscribe to the Gazette, you should do so. It is free and comes via e-mail. It is published by Global Genealogy and has lots of wonderful articles and genealogy tips. They are wonderful friends to the genealogical community." Click here for details.

If only I had that 1890 Census . . .

I would guess that is one of phrases used by most family historians over and over. I absolutely need it for my Dow family in Superior, Wisconsin. Were my Great Grandmother's brothers still living? What would be the relationships given for people living in that household? Were any of the other relatives from Canada in the household? Alas, that is not one of the surviving portions.

Stories abound concerning the population schedule of this census and why the majority of it does not exist. The initial loss was in a fire in 1921 in the Department of Commerce building in Washington, DC. Other portions were destroyed later due to the smoke and water damage. The remains include just over 6100 people. For Minnesota it includes just one family in Enumeration District 224, Rockford, Wright County, Minnesota.** The page with George, Florance, Morris, and Grace Wolford can also be viewed at Ancestry.com if you are a subscriber, Ancestry.com at your library or at HeritageQuestOnline, also via your local library.

The special schedules of this census (mortality, paupers, deaf, blind, dumb, insane and other) were damaged in a 1896 fire and were subsequently destroyed.

For a great article on the 1890 census and the loss of it, read Kellee Blake's article "First in the Path of the Firemen: The Fate of the 1890 Population Census" in Prologue, Spring 1996 issue. It is online at the National Archives Website. This is a must read for everyone working on the history of their family. Be sure to look at all three parts of the article. Prologue is a quarterly publication of the U.S. National Archives and can be ordered online.

** However, there is more of the Minnesota 1890 census that survived. I can still remember the day back in the 1980s when one of the archivists told me that a portion of the 1890 census had been turned over to the state archives. It covers part of Rockville Township, Stearns County, Minnesota. It has been microfiched but few genealogical guidebooks share this information. I will write more about it in a future blog post.

Minnesota Genealogy

This was a great weekend. The Star of the North Genealogy Conference took place at the Minnesota History Center, which proved itself as a welcoming host. The conference was the annual seminar of the Minnesota Genealogical Society. Christine Rose, CG, was the main event on Saturday and I was privileged to be the main speaker on Friday. As always, attending a MGS event was like old home week as friendships were renewed. It was great to see some new faces, too.

At the Friday evening banquet, author and Professor of History, Annette Atkins, PhD, was the speaker. She began by thanking the genealogists for teaching historians like her about research. There was an audible murmur throughout the audience as this sunk in. Thanks, Annette, for recognizing the skills and knowledge of genealogists. In turn, we have learned much from the historians! This almost sounds like "working together for the common good."

Genealogical societies are always looking for volunteers to help run meetings, work in libraries, write articles, publicize the society and events, recruit other volunteers, teach classes and other tasks. One of the best things I ever did was join MGS back in 1982 and place a check mark next to the box that asked if I wanted to volunteer. I served six year on the MGS board of directors and many other years doing assorted volunteer tasks. MGS awarded certificates to an amazing array of volunteers at the banquet. What spirit among them and also of the other award winners from around the state.

I was presented the Minnesota Genealogy Ambassador Award for "Representing Minnesota Genealogy in the Region and Nation and Bringing Honor to Minnesota Genealogy." I told people that being a promoter of MGS, MHS, and Minnesota in general is an easy task. And selfishly, I am fortunate to have worked along side other volunteers who are now part of my greater family.

Star of the North Genealogy Conference

Two nationally renowned genealogists will headline the Star of the North Genealogy Conference, September 19-20, at the Minnesota History Center in St. Paul.

Minnesota professional genealogist Paula Stuart-Warren will teach a class on finding ancestral places of origin, as well as lecture on tactics for researching Midwestern ancestors with New England roots and easy ways to begin writing a family history. Stuart-Warren is a Certified Genealogist and a former Officer of the Association of Professional Genealogists.

Christine Rose, also a Certified Genealogist, will offer four lectures covering inheritance records, military records, ways to avoid erroneous conclusions and tips for solving complex genealogical problems in 25 hours or less. Rose has written many genealogical research guide books and has been an instructor at the Institute for Genealogical and Historical Research at Samford University in Birmingham, Alabama.

“This is a premier family history learning opportunity for Upper Midwest genealogists,” said Robin Panlener, President of the Minnesota Genealogical Society, sponsor of the event. “We invite family history researchers from Minnesota and neighboring states to experience the unsurpassed family history resources of the Minnesota History Center in Minnesota’s Sesquicentennial Year.”

Genealogists and family historians of all experience levels will be able to choose from 12 seminar offerings. Joe Amato, professor emeritus of history and rural studies at Southwest State University and Brigid Shields, Minnesota Historical Society reference librarian will give tips of telling family history stories. Amato is author of Jacob’s Well: a Case for Rethinking Family History.

Other classes will feature three other Certified Genealogists from Minnesota. Tom Rice will teach a class on using the internet to find unusual printed sources. Darlene Joyce will lecture on best practices for family history researchers, and J. H. Fonkert will present an illustrated talk on Midwest historical geography for genealogists.

The Friday evening program includes Minnesota Genealogical Society’s annual awards banquet. Dr. Annette Atkins, author of the Sesquicentennial retrospective, Creating Minnesota: a History from the Inside Out, is the featured speaker for the banquet. Atkins is Professor of History at St. John’s University and the College of St. Benedict.

Atkins, Amato and Rose will sign copies of their books at a 6 p.m. Friday reception preceding the banquet.

MGS will present its annual Service and Achievement Awards at the banquet.