Tracing Your Ancestors in Minnesota: A Guide to the Sources, Volume 1, Fourth Edition

Tracing Your Ancestors in Minnesota: A Guide to the Sources, Volume 1, Fourth Edition

Wiley R. Pope, Alissa L. Wiener, Tracing Your Ancestors in Minnesota: A Guide to the Sources, Volume 1, Fourth Edition, © 1987, Minnesota Family Trees, St. Paul, Minnesota, Soft cover, 202 Pages, 0-936482-36-2.

Introduction

One of my favorite quotations cares from a book entitled Genealogy and Reminiscences of Our Baldwin Family, by James Baldwin, published 1916. In his introduction, Mr. Baldwin says, "The perusal of this dull subject is not a pleasant or interesting study."

I feel sorry for Mr. Baldwin as he compiled his family history from a feeling of duty and missed the excitement and adventure of genealogy. Still, I commend his efforts, for he did carpi le a useful genealogy of his family.

Genealogical research combines the best of many interests: travel, correspondence, photography, meeting people, detective-like analysis and pursuit of clues leading to information, writing and publishing.

Your ancestors are interesting people. They lived in places of historical importance, and they took part in the making of history. As you learn about them, they become real people to you, not just names, dates and places.
These volumes are intended to aid researchers in the use of Minnesota resources for tracing their own families.

In meeting this objective, volume 1 contains a guide to starting your family history, information about significant repositories of Minnesota and non-Minnesota records, and a guide to basic Minnesota research materials. Also, we include samples of practically every type of form used by United States researchers.

Other volumes contain county-by-county guides to Minnesota records, a checklist of Minnesota military records, ethnic and religious records, etc.
Many people have assisted with this book, and I fear that I may omit some who should be named.

 In particular, I appreciate the help of Alissa Wiener, Jan Sellers, Patricia Harpole, Alan Woolworth, Dallas Lindgren, Ruby Shields, Ruth Bauer, Doug Guthrie, Pru Calvin, Winona Pope, Juanita Pope, Robert Pope, Willow Pope, and Jim Millin.

The cover design is by Isabel M. Hillman.

This volume has required many years of research and writing. Although each page has been re-written many times, and facts have been checked and rechecked, an author can be confident that something has been missed. I will appreciate being notified of any errors or significant emissions.

Grateful acknowledgment is made to the following for permission to reprint their material: Everton Publishers, Inc., for the ancestor chart and family group sheet, and Mary Ellen Lewis for information from her thesis The Establishment of County Boundaries in Minnesota. Readers should be aware that in all cases the copyright remains with the originators of the materials.

Unless otherwise noted, all call numbers are for the Minnesota Historical Society Reference Library.

This fourth edition is updated to include changes in record locations and newly available information. Organization of this volume and much of the content is the same as the third edition.

Wiley R. Pope 1 November 1987

Contents

  • Introduction      
  • Abbreviations    
  • How to begin     
  • Useful addresses             
  • Research outside the hone          
  • Finding birth, marriage and death places              
  • Tracing missing persons or descendants               
  • Library research
  • Getting the rost out of the public library              
  • The genealogical library               
  • Books nost large libraries should have    
  • Genealogical lending libraries    
  • Library subject healings of special interest to genealogists . . .
  • Courthouse research      
  • Marriage records            
  • Birth records     
  • Death records   
  • Court records    
  • Naturalization records   
  • Land records     
  • Rectangular land survey system 
  • Probate records              
  • Courthouse summary     
  • Cemetery research         
  • Church and synagogue records research
  • Writing letters  
  • Research standards        
  • Genealogical survey checklist     
  • Preparing a genealogy for publication     
  • Minnesota
  • Minnesota chronology  
  • Minnesota statistics       
  • Overview of Minnesota State research   
  • Minnesota genealogical survey checklist              
  • Vital records      
  • Birth records of adopted persons             
  • Military records
  • U. S. National Archives  
  • U. S. National Archives Branch   
  • National Personnel Records Center         
  • U. S. Veterans Administration Department of Menorial Affairs. .
  • Director of National Cemetery System    
  • Minnesota Adjutant General's Office      
  • Minnesota Department of Veteran's Affairs        
  • U. S. Veteran's Benefits Department       
  • Fort Snelling National Cemetery
  • Minnesota Historical Society
  • Reference Library            
  • Newspaper Library         
  • Audio-Visual Library       
  • Manuscripts Collections
  • Minnesota State Archives            
  • Societies             
  • Military records in libraries         
  • Passenger lists and ships               .
  • Naturalization records   
  • land Records     
  • Minnesota Historical Society
  • Minnesota State Archives            
  • Manuscripts Collections
  • U. S. Bureau of Land Management           
  • U. S. National Archives  
  • Maps, atlases and gazetteers     
  • Pre-territorial, territorial and early state research . .
  • Census 
  • Census bibliography       
  • Federal census microfilms           
  • State census microfilms
  • Indexes and census-related publications
  • Soundex system overview and explanation          
  • Census abbreviations     
  • Types of federal census schedules, 1790-1900    
  • Non-population schedules           
  • Availability         
  • Other Minnesota-related census records              
  • Forms   
  • St. Paul
  • Minnesota Historical Society      
  • Reference Library            
  • Microfilm Roan (Newspaper Library)       
  • Map Library       
  • Audio-Visual Library       
  • Oral History Collection  
  • Education Division                                        
  • Manuscripts Collections
  • Minnesota State Archives            
  • Minnesota Regional Research Centers    
  • Minnesota Secretary of State     
  • St. Paul Public Library    
  • Immigration History Research Center     
  • Minneapolis       
  • University of Minnesota Libraries             
  • Minneapolis Public Library          
  • Genealogical societies in Minnesota        
  • Patriotic and hereditary societies             
  • U. S. National Archives   
  • U. S. National Archives Branches              
  • Genealogical Society of Utah      
  • (Mormon) Branch Genealogical Libraries              
  • Private researchers          »
  • The boundaries of Minnesota     
  • Maps    
  • Footnotes          
  • Index    

Paperback 3rd edition Vol 001 (November 1987)
Minnesota Family Trees; ISBN: 0936482362

Library of Congress Catalog Listing

  • LC Control Number: 88174570
  • Type of Material: Book (Print, Microform, Electronic, etc.)
  • Personal Name: Pope, Wiley R.
  • Main Title: Tracing your ancestors in Minnesota : a guide to the sources / by Wiley R. Pope, Alissa L. Wiener.
  • Edition Information: 4th ed. / revised by Wiley R. Pope.
  • Published/Created: St. Paul, MN : Minnesota Family Trees, 1987-
  • Related Names: Wiener, Alissa L., 1946-
  • Description: v. <1 > : ill.; 28 cm.
  • ISBN: 0936482362 (v. 1)
  • Notes: Includes index.
  • Subjects: Minnesota--Genealogy--Bibliography.
    Minnesota--Genealogy--Library resources.
  • LC Classification: Z1299 .P67 1987 F605
  • Dewey Class No.: 929/.1/0720776 19
  • Geog. Area Code: n-us-mn
Return to Top of Page