RESEARCH SERVICES
The Minnesota Historical Society Library offers a variety of research services. A fee is charged for all research performed by staff.
Basic Research Requests
To submit a basic research request, please click on one of the record categories below.
- Census, Federal (Minnesota)
- City Directory Search Request
- Court Case Search Request
- Divorce Records (these are in the District Court case files)
- Land Survey Field Notes Request
- Legislative Document Search Request
- Marriage Record Request
- Military
Records Request
- Naturalization
Record Request
- Obituary Request
- Other Newspaper
Article Request
Search These Online Indexes Yourself
- Birth Records (search the online index)
- Census, State (Minnesota) (search the online index)
- Death Records (search the online index)
If you don't find the person you are looking for, you may submit an In-Depth Research Request if you want staff to do research for you. Fees are charged for the staff time involved in doing the research, whether or not your person/family is found. Supply as much information as possible on different spellings of the name(s) and other variations.
In-Depth Research Requests
Requests falling within the guidelines of the in-depth research request will be any topic not covered in the basic research request. Typically, in-depth questions will be those that involve more complex research, in more sources, with more analysis required in the answer sent.
- General In-depth Library Search request form
Payment and Delivery General Information
This general information applies to most types of research requests. Please see the individual research requests for more specific information related to that request type.
Payment
- Prepayment is required and non-refundable.
- Minnesota Historical Society members receive a 10% discount on all requests except Birth Records.
Visit our Membership page to find out how to become a Society member.
Delivery
- Fees are charged for the staff time involved in doing the research, whether or not an answer is found.
- In most cases, requesters will receive a written summary of work done.
- Turn-around time can be as much as 15 business days if we are busy, dating from the receipt of payment.
- The response will be sent via e-mail or personal letter with unofficial and uncertified copies, if applicable. Requests in most cases can also be faxed (20-page limit), but there is an additional $3.00 charge.
- Included in the fee are up to five standard-sized photocopies from paper and/or microform. If additional or oversized copies are needed, they will be invoiced separately.
- Birth Records, Death Records, Land Survey Field Notes, and Minnesota state census requests have their own fee structure; please see the information for those types of requests.
- Researchers requesting searches for naturalization records, state censuses, obituaries, or newspaper articles have the option of borrowing the appropriate microfilm on Inter-library loan to do their own searches.
