Recent State Archives Acquisitions: August 2012
Background Information
Records added this month to the State Archives collection will be especially valuable for family history and local history research.
Received from the state Human Services Department is a set of patient index cards (dated circa 1920s-1990s) for all of the state hospitals operated by the State of Minnesota. The information on the card includes patient name, birth date, county of residence, county of commitment, occupation, and date of death. This acquisition also includes patient index cards of the Rochester Social Adaptation Center which was located in the Rochester State Hospital, which no longer exists. These records will enhance access to other state hospitals’ records preserved in the State Archives.
The Marshall County District Court transferred civil (dated 1895-1928) and criminal (dated 1886-1908) case files. The civil case files continue an existing set (dated 1881-1896) of case files already preserved in the State Archives. Court records for northwestern Minnesota are underrepresented in the State Archives, so these records are a welcome addition, and will be useful to family history researchers.
St. Paul public schools are well-documented in the State Archives, and records of the Galtier School were recently donated. Included in the records are class photographs (dated 1919-2004); photographs and slides of students, staff, events, activities, and the building (dated 1930s-2005); PTA scrapbooks (dated 1959-1961); and selected subject files (dated 1966-1985). The collection does a very good job of documenting the students and staff, plus various activities and life at the school; the records inter-file with an existing set of Galtier School records preserved in the State Archives.
The Minnesota public school system continues to evolve, and in the late 1940s and 1950s rural school districts (known as common school districts) across the state started to merge with the larger independent school districts, often based in the villages and cities. Two reports important for understanding this process were received from Roseau County: Tentative Report (1948), and Final Report (November 1948) of the Roseau County School Survey Committee. These reports are useful for documenting the history and development of the Roseau County school districts, and the delivery of elementary and secondary education to the county’s children.
The daughter of the late Jon Swenson, former Stillwater High School principal, donated records of Mr. Swenson. The records include graduating class files (dated 1976-1995), which include graduation ceremony programs, speeches and other documents associated with the graduating classes. The files also include selected subject files (dated 1969-2011) concerning such topics as scholarships, distinguished alumni, honors students, school history, and the new high school building. Included in the donation are Stillwater High School yearbooks that fill in gaps in the set preserved in the Library collection.
Acquisitions
1. Human Services Department. State Operated Services Division. Aggregated Hospital Patient Index Cards (dated circa 1920s-1990s). 35 boxes.
2. Marshall County. District Court. Civil (dated 1895-1928) and criminal (dated 1886-1908) case files. 49 boxes.
3. Ramsey County. Independent School District No. 625 (St. Paul). Records of the Galtier School, including class photographs (dated 1919-2004), photographs and slides of students, staff, events, activities, building (dated 1930s-2005), PTA scrapbooks (dated 1959-1961), and selected subject files (dated 1966-1985). 2 boxes.
4. Roseau County. Superintendent of Schools. Roseau County School Survey Committee Tentative Report (1948), and Final Report (November 1948). 1 folder.
5. Washington County. Independent School District No. 834 (Stillwater). Records (dated 1976-2011) of the former Stillwater High School principal, Jon Swenson. 2 boxes.
Back to Recent Acquisitions.
September 5, 2012
