Manuscripts Collection
The Minnesota branch of the National Society of the Colonial Dames of America was formed in 1896 and was the fourth non-colonial state society to be admitted to the National Society. The first meeting was held on March 24, 1896 and the Minnesota society was incorporated on October 5, 1896, just four years after the national organization was founded. The 14 charter members were primarily residents of Minneapolis and Saint Paul and included Mrs. George R. Metcalf (Julia Bowen French), Mrs. Daniel R. Noyes (Helen A. Gilman), Mrs. George H. Christian (Leonora Hall), Mrs. Charles P. Noyes (Emily Hoffman Gilman), Mrs. John Quincy Adams (Ada Walker), Mrs. Edward H. Cutler (Lucy Dunbar), Mrs. Edwin G. Mason (Frances Kingsbury), Mrs. Charles Eliot Furness (Marion Ramsey), Mrs. Reece M. Newport (Eliza Thompson Edgerton), Mrs. George B. Young (Ellen Fellows), Mrs. Charles A. Bovey (Hannah Caroline Brooks), Mrs. Henry Hale (Mary Elizabeth Fletcher), Mrs. Charles McC. Reeve (Christine McLaren Lawrence), and Mrs. William H. Lee (Caroline Trumbull Isham).
The society's earliest activities consisted of a series of studies
regarding colonial history, the French and Indian Wars, and colonial landmarks.
In 1907, after a presentation of lantern slides depicting the new state
capitol, the women turned their attention away from colonialism and began to
focus on Minnesota's history. Activities that followed included the
presentation of a tablet memorializing Lt. Zebulon Montgomery Pike to Fort
Snelling (1909), the purchase of period furnishings for a room in the Sibley
House (1911), the recording of an autobiographical narrative by Dakota conflict
captive Mary Schwandt Schmidt (1914), the presentation of a tablet
memorializing Henry R. Schoolcraft to Itasca State Park (1924), and the
presentation of a tablet memorializing Governor Alexander Ramsey to the state
capitol (1929). During the 1930s the society prepared a set of illustrative
lecture slides and also published two historical works: the first being a
narrative and the diaries of five northwest fur traders; the second consisting
of a translation of Father Louis Hennepin's
In addition to its historical activities, the society has also engaged in numerous charitable activities ranging from supporting U.S. military troops with medical and recreational facilities to providing students with financial assistance.
Historical information was taken from the collection and from histories of the society available in the Minnesota Historical Society library.
Constitution and bylaws (1898, 1901, 1903, 1912-1913, 1941); minutes (1896-1967); treasurer's account book (1900-1926); historian's reports of social meetings, study meetings, and other activities (1900-1938, 1940, 1959/1960-1960/1961, 1962/1963-1976/1977); microfilmed genealogical records consisting of applications for membership ([1895]-1971); and membership directories (1905, 1907, 1917, 1925, 1938/1939, 1954/1955-1978/1979). Also included are two folders of data on Minnesota counties and county courthouses compiled by the historical activities committee ([ca. 1966]).
Histories of the Minnesota chapter of the National Society of the Colonial Dames of America, as well as a variety of historical and biographical works published by the Minnesota chapter, are available in the Minnesota Historical Society book collection.
Photographs depicting the Society's dedication of the Zebulon Montgomery Pike memorial tablet at Fort Snelling are available in the Minnesota Historical Society photograph collection.
Originals of the microfilmed genealogical records were loaned for copying by the Society.
Accession numbers: 3,148; 4,030; 7,062; 8,410; 8,946; 10,358; 11,423; 11,670; 15,677
Processed by: Monica Manny Ralston, August 2002
Catalog ID number: 09-00040520
Includes dues, expenditures, the treasurer's annual reports, and the names and addresses of members for the year 1901.
The first volume also contains reports of social and study meetings, memorials to deceased members, and a few photographs and news clippings.
The 1925 list is bound with a printed copy of the historian's report for 1925.
The genealogical records consist of applications for membership made by Minnesota branch members to the respective colonial state branches from which each Minnesota member claimed lineage. These applications contain information on the descent of the applicant from a colonial ancestor.
The microfilm was made by the Minnesota Historical Society from original applications and photostatic copies of applications loaned by the National Society of the Colonial Dames of America in the State of Minnesota. A complete set of applications were not available at the time the records were microfilmed. Names of the applicants and the ancestry they claimed are listed below. The records may not appear in absolute alphabetical order on the microfilm.
The genealogical records consist of applications for membership made by Minnesota branch members to the respective colonial state branches from which each Minnesota member claimed lineage. These applications contain information on the descent of the applicant from a colonial ancestor.
The microfilm was made by the Minnesota Historical Society from original applications and photostatic copies of applications loaned by the National Society of the Colonial Dames of America in the State of Minnesota. A complete set of applications were not available at the time the records were microfilmed. Names of the applicants and the ancestry they claimed are listed below. The records may not appear in absolute alphabetical order on the microfilm.
The genealogical records consist of applications for membership made by Minnesota branch members to the respective colonial state branches from which each Minnesota member claimed lineage. These applications contain information on the descent of the applicant from a colonial ancestor.
The microfilm was made by the Minnesota Historical Society from original applications and photostatic copies of applications loaned by the National Society of the Colonial Dames of America in the State of Minnesota. A complete set of applications were not available at the time the records were microfilmed. Names of the applicants and the ancestry they claimed are listed below. The records may not appear in absolute alphabetical order on the microfilm.