What's New
Collections Management staff seek to optimize access to the Minnesota Historical Society's research collections by preserving the collections in our care, physically processing them to make them usable by researchers, creating finding aids to promote their discovery, and reformatting them to reach wider audiences.
One recent project highlights all aspects of these responsibilities and demonstrates how we continue to care for the collections in our custody over time. This project focused on the Dakota Conflict of 1862 Manuscripts Collections, a topical compilation of 147 small collections of letters, reminiscences, diaries, and similar materials concerning the U.S.Dakota War of 1862.
Some of the collections in this compilation were first received by the Society as early as the 1880s. As each was received, it was carefully housed following archival practice and a finding aid was created to provide access. Beginning in the 1930s these descriptions were included in printed collection guides and were published in the National Union Catalog of Manuscript Collections in the 1960s. But these published descriptions only gave wider access to the catalog records and not to the content of the collections themselves.
Then, in the 1980s, the many individual collections were compiled into the larger Dakota Conflict of 1862 Manuscripts Collection for easier research access and, in 1994, the entire collection was microfilmed. While the microfilm did provide broader access to the materials themselves, microfilm is no longer a format researchers would prefer to use.
Most recently with the help of volunteer Nicole Foss, each collection in the compilation has been digitized and linked to a web-accessible finding aid. This project has resulted in enriching broad and deep access to the whole of this compilation and could not have been accomplished without the support, professionalism and dedication of our many donors, staff, and volunteers.
Message from Lieutenant Timothy J. Sheehan, commander of the guard at the Lower Sioux Indian Agency, to his superior officer Captain John S. Marsh, at Fort Ridgely, requesting he come to the agency immediately or recall the men to the post, August 5, 1862. Forms part of the John S. Marsh Military Papers, Dakota Conflict of 1862 Manuscripts Collection.
New and Updated Finding Aids - December 2014
| Name/Abstract | File No. |
|---|---|
| Dakota Conflict of 1862 Manuscripts Collections: An Inventory of Collections | 01166 |
 Small
collections of letters, reminiscences, reports, diaries,
and similar materials dealing with the U.S.-Dakota War
of 1862 and related activities of 1862-1865 in Minnesota
and Dakota Territory.Includes digital content. |
|
| Adjutant General: An Inventory of Its Correspondence | gr00871 |
| Correspondence documenting the activities of the adjutant general's office, particularly relating to pensions and bonuses, relations with the U. S. War Department, graves registration, and service records. | |
| Adjutant General: National Guard: An Inventory of Its Administrative Files | gr00859 |
| Records documenting the activities and duties of the National Guard, including clothing and supplies, personnel, instruction, equipment and ordnance, court martial, enlistment, unit establishment and name changes, expeditions, finances, pensions, history, injuries and deaths, officer examinations, officer rosters, World War I casualties, U. S. Military Code, and relationship with the U. S. War Department. | |
| Adjutant General: National Guard: An Inventory of Its Correspondence | gr00860 |
| Letters and related material covering all aspects of the administration and duties of the National Guard. | |
| Adjutant General: National Guard: An Inventory of Its Encampment and Facilities Files | gr00861 |
| Records of encampments held in various locations around the state for National Guard units to drill, train, and have shooting competitions and field inspections. | |
| Adjutant General: National Guard: An Inventory of Its Home Guard Records | gr00862 |
| Enlistment papers and oaths of office for each soldier and administrative files. | |
| Adjutant General: National Guard: An Inventory of Its Inspection Rolls and Reports | gr00863 |
| Various reports and rolls kept by the National Guard documenting personnel, supplies, equipment, movement, drills and parades, and field inspections. | |
| Adjutant General: National Guard: An Inventory of Its Motor Corps Records | gr00864 |
| Enlistment papers and oaths of office for each soldier serving in this auxiliary division of the National Guard, a uniformed, armed military body of business and professional men who used their own motor vehicles for any duty on which the state saw fit to call them. | |
| Adjutant General: National Guard: An Inventory of Its Motor Corps Records | gr00864 |
| Enlistment papers and oaths of office for each soldier serving in this auxiliary division of the National Guard, a uniformed, armed military body of business and professional men who used their own motor vehicles for any duty on which the state saw fit to call them. | |
| Adjutant General: National Guard: An Inventory of Its Muster Rolls | gr00865 |
| Compilations of service information on individuals who served in guard and militia regiments. | |
| Adjutant General: National Guard: An Inventory of Its Ordnance and Supplies Reports | gr00866 |
| Returns, reports, inventories, and correspondence documenting ordnance, clothing, equipment, quartermaster supplies, and other property supplied by the state to the various militia and guard units. | |
| Adjutant General: National Guard: An Inventory of Its Published Records and Reports | gr00867 |
| Reports, circulars, bulletins, and miscellaneous print and near-print items of or about the guard. | |
| Adjutant General: National Guard: An Inventory of Its State Guard Records | gr00868 |
| Records relating to 1942 exercise operations in the Duluth area, riot duty formations, coastal artillery, strength of the Minnesota defense force, the 4th Infantry, and the service of Donald E. Bain. | |
| Adjutant General: National Guard: An Inventory of Its Unit Records | gr00869 |
| Correspondence, constitutions, bylaws, inspection reports, orders, rosters, morning reports, enlistment papers, inventories, muster rolls, and related papers documenting the activities of the individual guard units. | |
| Adjutant General: Naval Militia: An Inventory of Its Records | gr00870 |
| Correspondence (1899-1936), subject files (1895-1937), and voucher registers (1910-1924) of Minnesota's naval militia. | |
| Felix E. Bogdan: An Inventory of His Papers at the Minnesota Historical Society | p0332 |
| Correspondence and miscellaneous papers documenting the World War II experiences of Felix E. Bogdan, who served as a medic with the U.S. Army 134th Medical Regiment Division. Bogdan was stationed in Illinois, Alabama, Tennessee, Florida, New York, North Africa, and Italy during World War II. | |
| Georgiana Slade Reny: An Inventory of Her Research Files | 01180 |
| Family history research files of Georgiana Slade Reny, daughter of George and Charlotte (Hill) Slade and granddaughter of Saint Paul railroad magnate James J. Hill. | |
| Governor's Task Force on Lesbian and Gay Minnesotans: An Inventory of Its Records | gr00872 |
| Files of Geraldine Sell, chair of the Governor's Task Force on Lesbian and Gay Minnesotans, which was appointed by Governor Rudy Perpich on March 30, 1990 to conduct hearings and gather information about violence and discrimination against Minnesota's lesbian and gay population. It was a follow-up to the 1988 Governor's Task Force on Prejudice and Violence. Governor Arne Carlson continued the work of the task force until its report was completed on March 22, 1991. | |
| Human Services Department: State Operated Services: An Inventory of Its Administrative Records | gr00556 |
| Records documenting the activities and organization of State Operated Services [SOS], the area of the Human Services Department that provides direct services to people with disabilities. | |
| James M. Drew: An Inventory of His Family Papers | 01179 |
 Correspondence, diaries (1855-1893), articles,
clippings, genealogies, accounts, reminiscences, and
memorabilia relating chiefly to James Drew, a faculty
member in the University of Minnesota School of
Agriculture and Agricultural Extension Division
(1893-1933), and to his father, Edward Bolivar Drew, a
Winona County (Minn.) farmer and Minnesota legislator
(1875-1876, 1879). |
|
| JANET M. DEMING: An Inventory of Her Papers | 00825 |
| Personal papers of the owner and president of a Minneapolis-based employee-assistance firm, reflecting her personal interest in and study of social services, feminism, and civil rights in the 1960s and 1970s. | |
| Jason C. Easton: An Inventory of His Papers at the Minnesota Historical Society | 01195 |
| Business and personal papers of Easton, a banker who owned or held stock in banks at Chatfield, Lanesboro, Preston, and other towns in southern Minnesota, and was a pioneer of modern banking practices in the area. The bulk of the collection covers the period between 1870 and 1941, and is especially concentrated in the 1870s-1890s. | |
| Marilyn Tickle Bryant: An Inventory of Her Political Papers | 01181 |
| Files relating to Bryant's political activities, including her work with Senator Dave Durenberger, her work on behalf of equal rights for women, and to her interest in and work on behalf of women in politics and government. | |
| Marv Davidov: An Inventory of His Papers | 01174 |
| U.S. Army service records (1953-1961); certificate and oral history (undated, 2010); correspondence and photographs (1960s, 1975); Dave Dellinger book research materials (1960s, 1991-1993); Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) release of FBI and CIA files (1969-1979); Honeywell Project files (1977-1980s); and newspaper articles (circa 1970s) related to Marv Davidov, a long-time Twin Cities peace activist and pacifist known for being the founder of the Honeywell Project, a peaceful protest group that targeted the Honeywell Corporation for their manufacture of cluster bombs during the Vietnam War. | |
| Miss Minnesota 1960 Pageant Participants: An Inventory of Photographs | sv000163 |
|
|
|
| New Century Club: An Inventory of Its Club Records | 00073 |
| Historical information; articles of incorporation and bylaws; minutes; treasurer's journals and records; meeting presentations and papers; programs and yearbooks, and miscellaneous related records of a women's literary club organized in 1887 to promote social and literary activities and to provide intellectual stimulation for its members. | |
| Owatonna State Public School: An Inventory of Its History of Children | gr00873 |
| Covers case numbers 1-6822. Creation of the history books is thought to have ceased after 1922. Volumes may include adoption data. | |
| Ramsey County: St. Paul: School Records: Mattocks School: An Inventory of Its Records | gr00536 |
 Records documenting
mainly the activities of the new Mattocks School, but
with historical information and photographs relating to
the old Mattocks School. Included are newsletters
(1963-1973), subject files (1949-1978), and
Parent-Teacher Association [PTA] records
(1936-1978). |
|
| Republican Party (Minn.). State Central Committee: An Inventory of Its Records | 00751 |
| Correspondence, memoranda, minutes, reports, print and near-print issuances, financial records, convention files, campaign files, Gubernatorial recount files, legislative office files, clippings, sound, visual, and graphic materials documenting the state Republican party's internal operations, organization, activities, programs, policies, and its role in Minnesota politics. Records of two of the party's state-wide auxiliary organizations are also present: College Republicans of Minnesota, and Young Republican League of Minnesota. | |
| Richard M. Eames: An Inventory of His Papers | 01178 |
| Correspondence, notebooks, deeds, plats, and miscellany of this Minnesota geologist and miner who operated around Lake Vermilion, along the north shore of Lake Superior, and as a surveyor for the Northern Pacific Railroad in western Minnesota and Dakota Territory. There is information in particular about iron, silver, and gold mining in Minnesota and about cultural activities in Duluth. | |
| ROBBINS GILMAN AND FAMILY: An Inventory of Their Papers | 00802 |
| Correspondence, diaries, newspaper clippings, scrapbooks, printed materials, genealogical information, and some early family papers of Robbins Gilman and his wife Catheryne Cooke Gilman of Minneapolis, Minnesota. Also includes papers documenting the activities of their son Logan Drinker and his wife Rhoda Raasch Gilman and their daughters Betsy (Elizabeth) and Carolyn, and papers of Leonard O. and Rhoda (Kimbro) Raasch, Rhoda Gilman's parents. Papers from other family members and related families are also present. | |
| Roger Deane Moe: An Inventory of His Papers | 01167 |
 Correspondence, subject
files, bills, speeches, publicity files, news clippings
and other legislative papers of Moe as Minnesota state
senator representing District 66 (1971-1972) and
district 2 (1973-2002). |
|
| TAX COURT: An Inventory of Its Closed [Completed] Decision Files | gr00473 |
| Case files for appeals from
orders of the Commissioner of Revenue regarding tax
disputes, or from property valuations or
classifications, that resulted in a Tax Court decision.
The court's decisions interpret the law and have
precedent value. Includes digital content. |
|
| Thomas Lowe Hughes: An Inventory of the James Lowe and Family Papers | 01182 |
| Genealogical and biographical data, research notes, correspondence, family documents, photographs, and other materials relating to the family of James Lowe (1820-1896), a Murray County, Minnesota farmer and poet who had lived in Scotland, Quebec, and Iowa before coming to Minnesota. The material was collected by his great-grandson, Thomas Lowe Hughes, and includes both original and photocopied documents. | |
New and Updated Catalog Records
| Adjutant General. Military appointments, 1858-1882. |
| Officers commissioned into Minnesota military units; each entry lists name, residence, date of appointment, office, rank, and remarks. |
| Adjutant General. Names and post offices of Minnesota soldiers. |
| Compilation of names and post office addresses of Minnesota soldiers. |
| Adjutant General. Voucher registers, 1916-1927. |
| Record of expenditures for all aspects of the Adjutant General's Office administration and activities. |
| Covey, C.H. Reminiscence of U.S-Dakota War, 1939. |
| Four page typed reminiscence of C.H. Covey, written at Santa Cruz, California, recounting his experience as a five-year-old child living outside Hutchinson, Minnesota, during the U.S.-Dakota War of 1862. |
| Charles B. Elliott papers, 1886-1934. |
| Diaries (1886-1901, 1912), correspondence (1894,1900, 1909-1934), an autobiography, and related miscellany of this judge of the Minneapolis (Minn.) municipal court and of the Hennepin County district court and the Minnesota Supreme Court, and secretary of commerce and police on the Philippine Commission (1910-1912). The papers provide data on Elliott's law practice; his work as attorney for the National Building, Loan, and Protective Union, Minneapolis; social life; the liquor problem in Minneapolis; local politics; and his activities as a lecturer and writer on legal problems. |
| Frank A. Farrell papers, 1918-1942. |
| Citations, service records, photograph, notebook, and two letters relating to Farrell's World War I service as a sergeant in the U.S. Marine Corps in Belgium, Luxembourg, France, and Germany in 1918-1919. |
| Charles W. Gordon and family papers, 1851-1911, 1987. |
| Letters giving data on C. W. Gordon's membership on the St. Paul (Minn.) Board of School Inspectors, the employees of the Gordon Ferguson Company, Roman coins, a photostat of a letter (1855) relating to Borup and Champlin's furnishing supplies to the Ojibwe Indians that includes a guarantee signed by Richards Gordon and C. H. Beaulieu; and a letter with family genealogical information (1987). Included are photostats of two letters written by Theodore Roosevelt to C. W. Gordon (1895, 1898). |
