Upcoming Classes in February

Institutional Records Class February 13

"What Are Those 'Institutional' Records?" will be offered on Tuesday, February 13 from 6 - 7:30 p.m. State and county governments operated many institutions, from poor farms to mental and tuberculosis hospitals to orphanages to correctional facilities. Come learn about the variety of institutional records available at the Minnesota Historical Society and the special considerations for accessing restricted information. Steven Nielsen, MHS reference librarian, will be presenting this class.

• Cost: $6 for MHS members; $8 for non-members.
• The class is limited to 30.
• Register online (pre-registration is required).

Minnesota Genealogical Society Class

The Minnesota History Center will be the location for a series of intermediate genealogy classes offered by the Minnesota Genealogical Society (MGS). The series will lead students through all of the key record types and the necessary skills for success in researching genealogy. Each core lecture will be paired with a more specialized second lecture that will deepen your knowledge of genealogical records and skills.

The second pair of classes in the series will be Saturday, February 10. UM-Morris professor Harold E. Hinds, Jr., will offer "Family History Treasures Await You at the Courthouse" from 10:30 to 11:30 and "An Historian's Guide to Researching a Personal Family History" from noon to 1:00 p.m.

• Cost: $28 for MGS/MHS members and $32 for non-members.
• Classes will be limited to 30.
• Register online (pre-registration is required).

More Birth Certificates Added to Index

1925 to 1929 Added

Four more years of birth records, 1925 through 1929, are now available on the online index to birth certificates.  We're working hard to add more years. As in the past, you will be among the first to know when more data is added.

Evoking Family History through Events

A Family History Research Tip

What were the everyday lives of your ancestors like? Did they participate in special events like the Saint Paul Winter Carnival? the Minneapolis Aquatennial? the Minnesota State Fair? a county fair? a Cinco de Mayo festival? a hometown 4th of July celebration? local festivals such as Kolacky Days in Montgomery? the Governor's Fishing Opener?

Photographs, postcards, and posters from these events can be found in the Photo and Art Database and can add to your knowledge and appreciation of your ancestors' lives.

Newspaper accounts can tell you what happened and sometimes who attended. Papers from many towns, however, often listed the winners of fair ribbons, the contestants in sporting competitions, and the participants in parades. Newspapers from all around the state can be viewed at the Minnesota Historical Society Library or borrowed on Inter-library Loan and used at your local library. You may also request that our librarians search for a newspaper article for you.

The Society's Collections Management Department is currently working on a project to include cataloging and holdings statements in the online catalog for all of the newspapers. Until the project is complete, also check the Newspaper Collection or call the library to see if we have a newspaper for the town and time period you are interested in. The library's new phone number is 651-259-3300.

Other sources may also exist. For example, the Minnesota State Agricultural Society annual reports list everyone who won a ribbon at the state fair in previous years. Records of the Minnesota Board of Managers for the World's Fair, St. Louis, include lists of Minnesota visitors for May-December of 1904. Three of the eleven registers contain only Minnesota visitors.