What's New

NHPRC Basic Project Grant

The Minnesota Historical Society is past the halfway point in its Basic Project grant awarded by the National Historical Publications and Records Commission (NHPRC). This grant significantly increases public access and discoverability to the Society's archival collections by supporting the arrangement and description of 4,700 cubic feet of backlogged government records and manuscript collections.

During the last several months, the NHPRC team has been arranging and inventorying the contents of various collections. While most of the collections consist of paper materials, many have also contained motion picture film, video recordings, audio tape reels, and sound cassettes. In some cases, these materials are poorly labeled when acquired and our team spends a little extra time to determine their content.

Watching undescribed videos

In the image above, Alex Kent samples one of a set of several videocassettes that had little identification beyond a color code. Imagine five sets of color-coded videos with little description! Samples of the videos were viewed so that they could be described more clearly for researchers who wish to use them.

Learn more about the National Historical Publications and Records Commission and how its strategic plan helps support non-federal institutions like the Minnesota Historical Society.

New and Revised Finding Aids - September 2011

Name/Abstract	File No.
Action for Corporate Accountability: An Inventory of Its Records	00374
Records encompassing the organization's activities on the infant formula issue and the Nestle boycott. These records document infant formula promotion and "bottle baby disease" through photographs, examples of packaging, advertisements, point of sale promotions, hospital visits and staff interviews, and parent interviews.
Beltrami County: Auditor: An Inventory of Its Tax Lists/Assessment Rolls	gr00463
Tax lists and assessment rolls for the civil subdivisions of Beltrami County, recording the assessed value of (sample years 1920-1922, 1930-1932, 1940-1942, 1950-1952, 1960-1962, 1969-1972, 1980-1981, 1990-1991) and taxes levied and paid on (1876-1878, 1880-1911, and sample years 1920-1922, 1930-1932, 1940-1942, 1950-1952, 1960-1962, 1969-1972, 1980-1981) taxable real and personal property. The only records present for 1940-1942 and 1990-1991 are those for the City of Bemidji.
Benjamin Franklin and Eliza Butler: An Inventory of Their Family Papers	00973
Correspondence and miscellaneous papers (1851-1884, 1898, 1957) between and received by Benjamin Franklin Butler and his wife Eliza Tucker Butler; Benjamin's appointment (1851, 1853) and discharge (1856) certificates as an officer in Riflemen Company D, First Regiment, First Brigade, Eighth Division of the Maine Volunteer Militia; and a worksheet (1957) for application for membership in the Sons of the American Revolution by grandson Arthur Butler Hall. Some of the letters have full or partial transcripts, presumably prepared by Floyd Risvold.
Carlton County: District Court An Inventory of Its Naturalization Records and Indexes	gr00378
Indexes, declarations of intention, interrogatories and depositions, orders, and final papers.
Carlton County: District Court An Inventory of Its Miscellaneous Records	gr00377
Variety of records documenting the activities administered by the court.
Chisago County: District Court: An Inventory of Its Coroners Records	gr00455
A register of coroners' inquests (1898-1961) and four inquest files (1863-1898, 1961).
Chisago County: District Court: An Inventory of Its Judgment Books	gr00454
Copies of orders and judgments issued by the district court.
Chisago County: District Court: An Inventory of Its Land Records	gr00456
Registration docket Torrens system (1911-1973), land registration docket (1974-1984), and Torrens decree record (1911-1953).
Chisago County: District Court: An Inventory of Its Minutes	gr00451
Minutes of court proceedings.
Chisago County: District Court: An Inventory of Its Miscellaneous Records	gr00453
Variety of records documenting the activities administered by the court.
Chisago County: District Court: An Inventory of Its Naturalization Records and Indexes	gr00450
Declarations of intention (first papers), 1858-1952; final papers (second papers), 1873-1906; petition and record (final papers), 1907-1954; lists of citizenship petitions granted and denied, 1929-1954; applications to take oath of allegiance (naturalization by repatriation), 1937-1953; and loose naturalization papers, A-Z, 1855-1906. Also an alphabetical card file index to the final papers.
Chisago County: District Court: An Inventory of Its Registration and Certificate Records	gr00452
Records or registers for purchasers and sellers of liquor, town and village officers, optometrists, basic sciences, and veterinarians.
Edmund Franklin Ely: An Inventory of His Family Papers	00974
Typewritten copies of diaries (1833-1854, with gaps) and correspondence (1835-1904) of this missionary of the American Board of Commissioners for Foreign Missions to the Ojibwe Indians in Minnesota and on the southern shore of Lake Superior; biographical information; and maps and plats mainly of Northern Minnesota.
Filipino Community Oral History Project: An Inventory of Its Oral Histories	oh126
Filipino Minnesotans speak about their experiences coming to Minnesota. The narrators discuss their personal stories of living in the Philippines and Minnesota. The project interviews a range of Filipinos from diverse backgrounds. Interviewed were conducted by Lita Malicsi. This oral history project is part of the larger Asian American and Pacific Islander Oral History Project and is a partnership between the Minnesota Historical Society and the Council on Asian Pacific Minnesotans.
Game and Fish Commission: An Inventory of Its Game and Fish Distribution Records	gr00445
Records of fish delivered to Minnesota lakes and streams by the state fish hatcheries (1903-1919); and a list of lakes and rivers in the state, noting water appearance and the species of food fish found in each [1901?]. One volume also includes information on shipments of pheasants (1907-1910) and deer and moose (1907-1911).
General Federation of Women's Clubs of Minnesota: An Inventory of Its Records	00454
Records of a state association organized in 1895 as an affiliation of local women's clubs throughout Minnesota.
Grant County: Assessor: An Inventory of Its Assessment Rolls	gr00462
Assessment rolls for the years 1876, 1880-1901, and the sample years 1910-1911, 1920-1921, 1930-1931, 1940-1941, 1950-1951, 1960-1961, 1970-1971, 1980-1981, and 1990-1991. There are also reassessments for 1991.
Edward D. Neill and Family: An Inventory of Neill Family Papers	p2668
Neill's papers document his career as a student at Amherst and Andover (1842-1844), a Presbyterian home missionary in Illinois (1847-1848), a Presbyterian minister in St. Paul, Minnesota (1849-1860), the founder of churches in Minnesota, state superintendent of education and chancellor of the University of Minnesota (1858-1861), chaplain of the First Minnesota Volunteer Infantry and of the Philadelphia hospitals (1861-1864), American consul at Dublin, Ireland (1869-1871), and president of and professor at Macalester College (1873-1893).
J. Neils Lumber Company: An Inventory Its Records	00977
Records include minutes; financial journals, log books; correspondence; and oral history interviews relating to a Minnesota based logging company, with facilities in Montana and Washington state.
Jobs and Training Department: Rehabilitation Services Division: An Inventory of Its Minnesota Supported Employment Project Files	gr00446
The records consist of minutes, notices, schedules, reports, and background materials that document the division's administration of the project.
Jobs and Training Department: Rehabilitation Services Division: An Inventory of Its Subject Files	gr00447
General subject files and cooperative agreement files of the Rehabilitation Services Division, particularly its Office of Vocational Rehabilitation, documenting its oversight of and support for employment services to disabled residents. Prior to the mid-1980s, the division was known as the Vocational Rehabilitation Division.
Labor and Industry Department: Commissioner's Office: An Inventory of Its Records	gr00449
The records include correspondence, Occupational Safety and Health Division records, Workers' Compensation Division records, general subject files, and public hearing records.
Labor and Industry Department: Labor Standards Division: An Inventory of Its Records	gr00448
Hearing transcripts, correspondence, exhibits, reports, resolutions and minutes, rules and regulations, newspaper clippings, press releases, and case files documenting the activities of this division.
Dorothy Horton McGee: An Inventory the McGee Family Papeers	00400
Family correspondence, genealogical and family history files, and papers documenting the military careers of Hugh Henry McGee (1905-1919) and John Hugh McGee (1970s).
Northwest Area Foundation Records: An Inventory of Its Records	00669
Minute books, subject files, project files (on microfiche), and microfilmed administrative files, annual reports, board agendas, executive directors' files, and other records of a St. Paul-based foundation established in 1934 by railroad executive Louis W. Hill that for many years awarded grants to a wide variety of programs in states from Minnesota to the Pacific Northwest, and that later narrowed its focus to programs seeking to reduce poverty.
Pine County: Auditor An Inventory of Its Tax Lists	gr00461
Tax lists for the civil subdivisions of Pine County, recording the taxes assessed and paid on real and personal property for the years 1880-1901 and the sample years 1910-1911, 1920-1921, 1930-1931, 1940-1941, 1950-1951, 1960-1961, 1970-1971, and 1980-1981.
Ramsey County: Auditor An Inventory of Its Abstracts of Votes	gr00394
Abstracts of votes for primary (September), and general (November) elections for national, state, and county officers for St. Paul and Ramsey County, and for primary (March) and general (April) elections for St. Paul city officers and city charter amendments. Also special primary elections and the April 2008 U.S. Senate recount results (Franken and Coleman).
Ramsey County: St. Paul: City Planning Board An Inventory of Its Maps and Drawings	gr00034
City zoning maps (1922, with amendments through 1975); drawings by architect C. H. Johnston of the Minnesota State Centre and War Memorial and the Veterans Memorial Building (undated); Cass Gilbert plan adapted to Capitol grounds only (undated); a drawing of the St. Paul city business district, showing location of buildings (with notes on age and height), parking lots, and open spaces (1947); and maps and drawings of city street layout and proposed freeway construction (1958-1972).
Ramsey County: Board of County Commissioners An Inventory of Its Subject Files	gr00385
Agendas, minutes, requests for board action, reports, memos, correspondence, proposals, photographs, and related materials documenting such topics as human services, emergency medical services, Midway Stadium appraisals, the Old Federal Courts Building, pollution control, Rice Creek Watershed District, Woodview Detention Home, taxes, Long Lake-Rush Lake Regional Park, Aldrich Arena, Ancker Hospital, county government reorganization, microfilming, civil defense, Lake Owasso Children's Home, and Mississippi River Parkway Commission. The photographs include aerial views of the city (undated), various city buildings, particularly the St. Paul City Hall/Ramsey County Court House (undated), county commissioners (1889, 1951-1954), and the county public works maintenance department (2000).
Ramsey County: District Court: An Inventory of Its Civil Case File Exhibits	gr00381
These materials were originally filed with the court as exhibits to case files. The case files were microfilmed by the county and the exhibits removed following filming. Mainly black and white photographs of the St. Paul area, they depict street scenes, buildings, business vehicles, docks, the steamboat S. S. Samson, railway stops and crossings, railroad tracks and cars, interiors and exteriors of various downtown businesses, 1965 Mississippi River flooding, and results of a 1904 cyclone. There is also a 1901 map of St. Paul, a 1900 scale drawing of the Como-Harriet Electric Railway line along the south side of Como Park, and the abstract for the former Miller Hospital site (currently the Minnesota History Center site).
Ramsey County: St. Paul-Ramsey County Mental Health Board An Inventory of Its Minutes and Agenda Packets	gr00384
Minutes and agenda packets of the full board (1962-1975) and committees on mental retardation (1970-1975) and board and care homes (1970-1973).
Ramsey County: St. Paul: City Attorney: An Inventory of Its Civil Action Registers	gr00383
Registers of civil cases filed with the city attorney. Each entry may include the names of parties and attorneys, court file number, and case summary. There is also an office docket for December 1935-September 1942.
Ramsey County: St. Paul: Housing and Redevelopment Authority An Inventory of Its Project Photographs	gr00387
Photographs of residential and commercial buildings in the city of St. Paul, Minnesota.
Ramsey County: St. Paul: Housing and Redevelopment Authority An Inventory of Its Redevelopment Project Files	gr00386
Correspondence, reports, maps and site plans, photographs, legal documents, public hearing materials, and appraisal records documenting the redevelopment activities of the St. Paul Housing and Redevelopment Authority (HRA) during the 1950s and 1960s.
Ramsey County: St. Paul: Housing and Redevelopment Authority Project Photographs (Master List)	gr00387a

Ramsey County: St. Paul: Municipal Court: An Inventory of Its Criminal Dockets	gr00382
Record of court proceedings for criminal cases in the city. The volumes for the city cases predate the topical sets and may contain cases covering those crimes.
Ramsey County: St. Paul: School Records: Independent School District No. 625 An Inventory of Its Miscellaneous Records	gr00019
Assorted records documenting the districts' administration.
Ramsey County: St. Paul: Water Department An Inventory of Its Drawings and Plans	gr00430
Architectural drawings, layouts, and maps for water treatment and pumping facilities, water tanks, other waterworks buildings, and segments of the water supply and distribution systems.
James P. Shannon: An Inventory of His Papers	00085
Personal, business, and official papers documenting the life and career of a former Roman Catholic auxiliary bishop of St. Paul (Minnesota) who also pursued careers as a college administrator, lawyer, and foundation director.
Sibley County: Assessor An Inventory of Its Assessment Rolls	gr00457
Assessment rolls for the civil subdivisions of Sibley County, recording the value of taxable real and personal property for the years 1863-1901 and the sample years 1910-1911, 1920-1921, 1930-1931, 1940-1941, and 1950-1951. Many early volumes were damaged by water and mold.
Sibley County: Auditor An Inventory of Its Delinquent Tax Lists	gr00459
Delinquent tax lists for Chisago County for 1863, 1865, and 1867-1875. Entries may include the owner's name; legal description, size, and assessed valuation of the property; amounts of various taxes levied; total amount owed; and date collected. Not all years include both real and personal property records.
Sibley County: Auditor An Inventory of Its Miscellaneous Records	gr00460
Various records documenting the duties and activities of the auditor.
Sibley County: Auditor An Inventory of Its Tax Lists	gr00458
Tax lists for the civil subdivisions of Sibley County, recording the taxes assessed and paid on real and personal property owned by the residents.
Thomas S. Williamson: An Inventory of His Papers at the Minnesota Historical Society	00952
Correspondence, articles, and accounts of this physician who was also a missionary to the Dakota Indians at Lac Qui Parle and Kaposia, Minnesota.
Vietnamese Community Oral History Project: An Inventory of Its Oral Histories	oh125
Vietnamese Minnesotans speak about their experiences coming to Minnesota, being born in Minnesota, and living in both Vietnam and Minnesota. They discuss issues regarding their immigration, Vietnamese social life, customs, and language. All of the narrators express their hopes for themselves, personally, and the Vietnamese community in the future. Interviewed by Phuoc Thi Minh Tran and Simon-Hoa Phan. This oral history project is part of the larger Asian American and Pacific Islander Oral History Project and is a partnership between the Minnesota Historical Society and the Council on Asian Pacific Minnesotans.
Washington County: Independent School District No. 834, Stillwater An Inventory of Its Records at the Minnesota Historical Society	gr00370
Records documenting the administration and activities of the district.
Washington County: Stillwater An Inventory of Its Miscellaneous Records	gr00431
Assorted records documenting various aspects of the city's administration. Interest and sinking fund commissioners minutes (1876-1914), reform and investigating committee minutes (1879), chattel mortgage indexes and record book (1882-1913), city charter (1887), amendments to the city charter and ordinances (1891), a proposed new city charter (1915), health officer's record of contagious diseases (1918-1931), Water Department annual statement (1915), ledger (1856-1857), disbursement records (1883-1952), and audit reports (1930-1935). Also original street map (1858) and sectional map (circa 1870).
Waste Management Board An Inventory of Its Subject Files (Miscellaneous)	gr00432
Miscellaneous subject files dealing with such topics as above ground retrievable storage; conferences on composting, hazardous waste reduction, sustainable development, and solid waste; electric resistivity; facility siting, including reports on out of state tours and maps of proposed sites; history of the board; environmental impairment liability; and a work plan summary for the governor.
William D. Hale and Family: An Inventory of Their Papers	00871
The collection includes correspondence and miscellaneous papers, business records, and William D. Hale's diaries. Correspondence covers a range of topics from the milling, lumbering, banking, and railway interests of William D. Hale and William D. Washburn to William Hale's career with the Third Minnesota Volunteer Regiment and the Fourth United States Colored Artillery.

New and Revised Catalog Records - September 2011

Name/Abstract
Ackley, G. F. (Gustavus F.). [Letter] 1855 May 7, Lakeville, Minnesota Territory [to] W. H. Castor, Chicago.
G[ustavus] F. Ackley, Lakeville, to W. H. Castor, requesting shipment of goods to his new farm in Lakeville, Minnesota Territory, describing the farm, prices, and transportation.
Carver, Henry H. [Letter] 1854 December 17, Minnesota Territory [to] Andrew West.
Letter from Henry H. Carver [?] to [Andrew] West describing his journey from Livermore, [Maine] to St. Anthony Falls, Minnesota Territory and his experiences logging about seventy-five miles from St. Anthony Falls.
Chisago County: Juvenile Court: Juvenile Court records
Records dealing with cases involving delinquent, dependent, or neglected children.
Chisago County: Probate Court:Civil and criminal registry and judgment books
Criminal action registry and judgment book, Volume 1 (1960-1972; 1 folder) and register of civil actions, Volume 1 (1962-1973; 1 folder).
Letter from Charles E. Haven to his wife, 1843 November 26.
Letter from Charles E. Haven, St. Louis to his wife, Annie, Philadelphia, detailing his journeys on the Mississippi River and in Illinois, and his business dealings.
Inventory of ordnance and ordnance stores on hand at Fort Mackinac commanded by Captain Martin Scott, 5th Infantry inspected, 1843 September 30.
An inventory for the inspection or for the correction of Third Quarter return of property or for making up the annual report for the year ended September 30th, 1843.
George Johnston papers, 1819-1858
Typed and photostatic copies of letters from Henry R. Schoolcraft, requesting information about the legends and language of the Ojibwe; letters by Ramsay Crooks and Dr. Edward Purcell; notes on Ojibwe historical lore; and Johnston's reminiscences of his life as an interpreter and early resident of Sault Ste. Marie, mentioning treaties there (1820) and at Fond du Lac (1826), and running the Ojibwe-Dakota boundary line (1835). Reserve materials are handwritten letters from Schoolcraft to Johnson writing from Detroit and describing business conditions and Indian relations on the frontier (1831, 1833).
Kenneth McKenzie papers, 1841-1849.
Includes a letter from Dr. F. S. McKenzie to Kenneth McKenzie regarding the purchase of fur trade items; a letter from Kenneth McKenzie to his wife, Mary, detailing his river voyage to Wheeling en route to New York; and a letter from Henry H. Sibley to Kenneth McKenzie offering to purchase the Baker property near Fort Snelling.
Ramsey County: Justice of the Peace: Justice of the Peace docket book
Records created by this justice court with county-wide jurisdiction; cover the years October 1895-March 1897 and July 1906-November 1947.
Ramsey County: District Court: Bar memorial service register
Records of memorial services for deceased Ramsey County judges and attorneys.
Ramsey County: County Attorney: Opinions
Topics include jurors, judgments, fees/deposits, drivers licenses, criminal, clerks/deputies appointments, Board of Audit, appeals, machine accounting, marriage, miscellaneous, taxes, trade name, venue, and investing of funds.
Ramsey County: St. Paul: St. Paul Council on Alcohol Problems and Drug Abuse minutes and agenda packets
Documents the activities of this city council.
Sibley County: Attorney: Records
Opinions related to the office and duties of the county auditor and registers of criminal actions.
Sibley County: Sheriff: Jail registers
Registers of persons incarcerated in the county jail.
Sibley County: Henderson Township: Records
Chattel mortgage record book and justice of the peace docket book.
Sibley County: School District No. 11: Clerk's book
Clerk's record.
Letter from Seth Smith to Thomas P. Knox, [between 1845 and 1848].
Undated A.D.S., Seth Smith, attorney for plaintiff, to Thomas P. Knox, Leesburg, Virginia, amended bill of complaint in the case of Ludwell Luckett v. Barton Richards et al. Document claims that the case should be expanded to include others because of intermarriage between members of the Hereford and Sublette families.
Washington County: School District No. 15, Baytown Township: Records
Records of this Baytown Township school, including clerk's register of receipts and disbursements, general ledger, treasurer's register of receipts and disbursement, and school board minutes.