What's New
Recently added to the Minnesota Historical Society manuscript collections are records of two related Twin Cities-based organizations, Project 515 and Minnesotans United for All Families, that worked for the freedom of all Minnesotans to marry regardless of gender or sexual orientation. Their particular focus became a campaign to defeat a proposed amendment to the Minnesota constitution that would have defined marriage as between only one man and one woman, under the slogan "Vote No." The proposed amendment was defeated in the general election in the fall of 2012 and legislation passed in 2013 legalized marriage between same-sex and transgender couples.
Minnesota was the second state in the Midwest to legalize same-sex marriage.
Project 515 was formed in 2006 to achieve equal rights for same-sex couples, intending to eliminate, one at a time, 515 Minnesota laws it found to be discriminatory towards LGBTQ persons. In 2011 it joined with Outfront Minnesota to form Minnesotans United for All Families and mounted a large grassroots campaign to defeat the proposed constitutional amendment.
These two collections are particularly important in their documentation of a successful grassroots campaign conducted by the LGBTQ community, with the support of corporate, political, religious, and other groups.
The Project 515 records include twenty video interviews with leaders of the organization, as well as 6,146 digital files in nine compressed file directories. All are downloadable.
New and Updated Finding Aids - July 2016
| Name/Abstract | File No. |
|---|---|
| Auditor: An Inventory of Its Published Records and Reports | gr01085 |
| Reports, newsletters, and miscellaneous print and near-print items of or about the State Auditor's Office. The records cover all aspects of the department's duties and activities, particularly timber laws and sales; peat; state parks and monuments; public lands, including school, lake front, and mineral lands; iron ore and mineral reservations; energy assistance programs; taxes and tax levies; state accounting standards; public pension funds; and county finances. | |
| Benton County, Minnesota: An Inventory of Telephone Directories | lb00112 |
| A collection of telephone directories for cities in Benton County, Minnesota. Telephone directories are published by telephone companies and include alphabetical listings of residential and business phone numbers and street addresses in the white pages, and a listing of businesses arranged by subject in the yellow pages. Each entry on the inventory lists the city name, year of coverage, and the shelf number of the printed volume or microfiche set which includes that city. | |
| Brown County: Prairieville Township: An Inventory of Its Birth and Death Registers | gr01189 |
| Brown County: Sigel Township: An Inventory of Its Birth and Death Registers | gr01190 |
| Brown County: Sleepy Eye: An Inventory of Its Birth and Death Certificate Registers | gr01191 |
| Brown County: Stately Township: An Inventory of Its Birth and Death Registers | gr01192 |
| Carlton County: Twin Lakes Township: An Inventory of Its Records | gr01193 |
| Clerk's and treasurer's books, birth and death register (1941-1953), town meeting minutes (1960-1963), and election registers (1972). | |
| Carlton County: Wrenshall Township: An Inventory of Its Records | gr01194 |
| Clerk's books, board of supervisors' meeting minutes (1902-1913), road record books (1903-1940), birth and death records (1903-1951), financial records, poll lists (1936, 1940, 1956), summary statements of votes (1930-1936, 1976-1979), justice court dockets (1903-1919), wolf bounties (1903-1945), and miscellany. | |
| Gaytee Stained Glass Oral History Project: An Inventory of Its Oral History Interview and Demonstration with John Salisbury | oh148 |
 Oral history interview with John Salisbury, former employee and owner of the Gaytee Stained Glass Studios in
Minneapolis. Salisbury discusses the origins of Gaytee and some of their early works, the evolution of the stained glass trade and changes in stained glass over the decades.
Other topics include the lasting value of stained glass, memorable projects he worked on, and remembrances of working with independent artists. Also included are discussions
of window pieces now in the Minnesota Historical Society collection and a basic glass elements demonstration in the process of leaded glass window-making. Includes digital content. |
|
| Hennepin County: An Inventory of Its Minutes and Reports of County Agencies | gr00593 |
| Minutes of the General Hospital Advisory Board, several mental health and corrections organizations, Center Hospital Board, Indian Child Welfare Council, Metropolitan Inter-County Association, Regional Railroad Authority, Personnel Board, and Tuberculosis Control Advisory Board; and reports, other issuances, and scattered minutes from a variety of other county departments, agencies, and programs. Also contains the Journal of Probationers (November 1899-March 1909). | |
| Hennepin County: Bloomington: An Inventory of Its Published Records and Reports | gr01203 |
| Annual, financial, planning, and miscellaneous reports and other issuances of various city offices, agencies, commissions, and associations. | |
| Hennepin County: Board of Commissioners: An Inventory of Its Published Records and Reports | gr00591 |
| County budgets; capital improvement budget and program; county financial reports; capital budgeting task force reports; the county comprehensive plan; issues of the board's newsletter, Hennepin Reporter; and related planning reports. | |
| Hennepin County: Crystal: An Inventory of Its Miscellaneous Records | gr01202 |
| Applications for federal land and water conservation (circa 1971); budgets and financial statements (1986-1988); minutes, and some correspondence of the Environmental (1971-1973), Human Behavior (1965-1972), Human Behavior and Human Rights (1972-1976), Human Relations (1977-1981), Human Rights (1968-1973), and Youth (1973-1976) commissions; law enforcement labor contracts (1973-1981); a petition to prevent the sale of non-returnable beverage containers (1972); a zoning petition (1980); and urban development plans. | |
| Hennepin County: Hopkins: An Inventory of Its Miscellaneous Records | gr01201 |
| Ordinances (1923-1937, 3 volumes), charters (1947, 1962), city master plans (1954, circa 1964, 5 volumes), a printed course of study for the West Minneapolis public schools (1894), dedication ceremony (1965), and a business relocation guide (1971). | |
| Hennepin County: Medina: An Inventory of Its Records | gr01200 |
| Clerk's books (1913-1953), road record book (1867-1951), chattel mortgage index (1912-1913), and audit reports (1958-1976), comprehensive plan (1980), financial health profiles (1988, 1990), poll lists (1928), and treasurer's annual statements (1946-1957) and account book (1938-1955). | |
| Hennepin County: Minnetonka: An Inventory of Its Records | gr01199 |
| Records of the city of Minnetonka and of its predecessors, the township and village of Minnetonka. | |
| Hennepin County: Plymouth: An Inventory of Its Records | gr01198 |
| City administrative files, including financial records, petitions, and staff meeting minutes and related materials; files on labor negotiations with police and engineers; and annual or other reports of the city Municipal Court, Park and Recreation Department, Police Department, and Building Inspection Division. | |
| Hennepin County: Richfield: An Inventory of Its Records | gr01197 |
| Records of the city of Richfield (Hennepin County, Minnesota) including council minutes, financial records, building permits, ordinances, and related papers. | |
| Hennepin County: Robbinsdale: An Inventory of Its Records | gr01196 |
| Records of the city of Robbinsdale (Hennepin County, Minnesota) including council minute books, annual reports, and death records. | |
| Oliver W. Hughes: An Inventory of His Thule Air Base Construction Photograph Collection | sv000225 |
 Images taken by Oliver Winfield Hughes who worked on the construction of the Thule Air Base in
Greenland in 1951. Images document workers, living quarters, construction, machinery and equipment, landscape views, and airplanes. Includes digital content. |
|
| Itasca County, Minnesota: An Inventory of Telephone Directories | lb00120 |
| A collection of telephone directories for cities in Itasca County, Minnesota. Telephone directories are published by telephone companies and include alphabetical listings of residential and business phone numbers and street addresses in the white pages, and a listing of businesses arranged by subject in the yellow pages. Each entry on the inventory lists the city name, year of coverage, and the shelf number of the printed volume or microfiche set which includes that city. | |
| Elizabeth and Harry Lawrence: An Inventory of Their Oral History Interviews | oh149 |
 Interviews with Elizabeth and Harry Lawrence that focus on Dakota life and culture. Harry Lawrence's interview includes a history of the Dakota in
Minnesota, particularly their residences on the Minnesota and Mississippi Rivers, reminiscences of the U.S.-Dakota War of 1862 and Chief Little Crow's part in it. Elizabeth
Lawrence's interview includes six songs sung in the Dakota language. Elizabeth, whose Dakota name is Morning Star, was the niece of Chief Little Crow. Includes digital content. |
|
| A. R. McGILL AND FAMILY: An Inventory of Their Papers | P0988 |
 Papers of A. R.
McGill, a Nicollet County and St. Paul, Minnesota lawyer (1861-1869); private
secretary to Governor Horace Austin (1870-1874); Minnesota insurance
commissioner (1873-1887); governor (1887-1889); state senator (1899-1905); and
St. Paul postmaster (1900-1905). Includes digital content. |
|
| Minnesotans United For All Families (Organization): An Inventory of Its Records | 00410 |
| Administrative files, advertising, publicity and outreach materials, awards, correspondence, polls, reports, research files, photographs, files of campaign manager Richard Carlbom, and information about related organizations in Minnesota created by an organization leading a campaign that successfully defeated a proposed constitutional amendment that would have denied the right to marry to same-sex Minnesota couples. | |
| Chester Raymond Mueller: An Inventory of His Arlington, Minnesota Portrait Collection | sv000228 |
Portraits of men and women from around the Arlington, Minnesota area taken by Chester Raymond Mueller, a hobby photographer from Arlington.
Images include informal portraits of local farmers, laborers, and craftsmen, many in their working clothes. Includes digital content. |
|
| NORTHERN PACIFIC RAILWAY COMPANY. GENERAL CLAIMS DEPARTMENT: An Inventory of Its Records | 01017 |
| Register of injuries sustained, annual summaries of claims, and case files of the General Claims Department. | |
| Project 515 (Minneapolis, Minn.): An Inventory of Its Records | 00378 |
 Paper and electronic records of a Minneapolis-based organization working
to achieve equal rights for same sex couples under the law, particularly through the defeat of a proposed amendment to the Minnesota constitution that would have proscribed
same-sex marriage and the subsequent passage of legislation that opened marriage to all couples. Includes articles of incorporation and bylaws, minutes, correspondence and
memoranda, committee files, financial data, files of directors and key officials, digitized interviews with board members, information about donors and community support,
publications and promotions, and files about related organizations with which Project 515 cooperated. Includes digital content. |
|
| William H. Spoor: An Inventory of His Papers | 00412 |
 Papers of Minneapolis businessman and Pillsbury Company executive William H. Spoor, including biographical data and miscellany; materials relating
to Pillsbury, Capital City Renaissance, the Minnesota Historical Society, Minnesota Meeting, and the United Negro College Fund; appointment calendars; and scrapbooks
containing correspondence, news clippings, and related materials regarding Spoor's life and work. |
|
| Stearns County, Minnesota: An Inventory of Telephone Directories | lb00114 |
| A collection of telephone directories for cities in Stearns County, Minnesota. Telephone directories are published by telephone companies and include alphabetical listings of residential and business phone numbers and street addresses in the white pages, and a listing of businesses arranged by subject in the yellow pages. Each entry on the inventory lists the city name, year of coverage, and the shelf number of the printed volume or microfiche set which includes that city. | |
| Swift County: Benson: An Inventory of Its Birth and Death Records | gr01195 |
| Birth and death records (11 volumes). All volumes are indexed. | |
| Twin Cities Public Television: An Inventory of Its Videorecordings | sv000196 |
| Interviews conducted by Beth Friend with people from all walks of life (mainly Minnesotans), including influential people in the arts, sports, politics, government and business, and people who have struggled in life, overcome obstacles and share their experiences. | |
| U.S. Office of Indian Affairs. Northern Superintendency: An Inventory of Its Records at the Minnesota Historical Society | M527 |
| Primarily correspondence, reports, procedural issuances, financial documents, licenses, and various other records that were either created by or received by the superintendent. They document the entire spectrum of the management of Indian affairs within the Northern Superintendency, which was established in 1851 as successor to the Michigan and Wisconsin superintendencies and (after 1856) the Minnesota superintendency. It was responsible for Indian tribes resident in Wisconsin and Minnesota, and certain tribes or agencies in Michigan and Nebraska. It was discontinued on June 30, 1876. | |
| Vance Vannote: An Inventory of His Women of White Earth Photograph Collection | sv000227 |
 Portraits of women who were tribal members of White Earth in the late 1990s and who were documented by photographer
Vance Vannote as a "contemporary perspective of women enrolled in the White Earth Reservation." The majority of the portraits in this collection were featured in Vannote's
book Women of White Earth except for the photographs taken of Kathleen Renee Annette, Lena Desizlets, and Winona LaDuke. The portraits are arranged in the same order as each
woman appears in Vannote’s book. Includes digital content. |
|
| Washington County, Minnesota: An Inventory of Telephone Directories | lb00113 |
| A collection of telephone directories for cities in Washington County, Minnesota. Telephone directories are published by telephone companies and include alphabetical listings of residential and business phone numbers and street addresses in the white pages, and a listing of businesses arranged by subject in the yellow pages. Each entry on the inventory lists the city name, year of coverage, and the shelf number of the printed volume or microfiche set which includes that city. | |
| Wilkin County: District Court: An Inventory of Its Civil and Criminal Case Files | gr00764 |
| Civil case files (1883-1950) and criminal case files (1917-1955). The civil case files prior to 1917 may include criminal cases. Also one unnumbered civil case file (1909) and one 1922 civil case file transcript. | |
New and Updated Catalog Records
| Commerce Department. Insurance Division. Attorney general opinions, 1880-1939. |
| Opinions written by the Attorney General in response to inquiries made by the Commissioner of the Insurance Department. The Insurance Department was reorganized in 1925, along with several other state offices, into the Commerce Department. |
| Health Department. Birth certificates, 1900-1934. |
| Information on a birth certificate may include: first, middle, and last name; sex; race; date and place of birth; fathers name, age, occupation, and place of birth; mother's maiden name, age, occupation, and place of birth; the number of previous children born to this mother; name and address of the attending physician or midwife; name and address of the person providing information about the birth; and the certificate number. The forms are not always complete, so not all of this information will be on every certificate. |
| Health Department. Death certificates, 1908-2001 [microform]. |
| Death certificates and, occasionally, other documents containing information on deaths that occurred in Minnesota during the years 1908-2001. |
| Jeanette DeCamp Sweet photograph collection. |
| Photographs of Jeanette [i.e. Janette] DeCamp Sweet and her children, Benjamin, Wellington and Warren shortly after their release from captivity by the Dakota in 1862. Also includes one carte-de-visite of Shakopee and Medicine Bottle, two Dakota leaders who were tried and executed for war crimes committed during the U.S.-Dakota War of 1862 and who had purportedly guided Sweet and her children to safety at Fort Ridgely. The collection also contains a one-page note written by Sweet's great-granddaughter identifying her and her son Benjamin (tintype). |
