I'm an inveterate library user, and always have been. Big, small, local, regional, general, special collections, whatever - there are treasures to be found that help with my family research. Often they are available only in the library. For example, the Minnesota Historical Society library has an extensive card file referencing biographies in newspapers, unindexed county histories, professional association newsletters, etc. The Red Wing Public Library (and various others) has an index to the local newspapers. My grandfather grew up there, and I was pleased to find confirmation announcements, birthday parties, names of relatives and others in that index.

With increasing technology, some of those unique resources are now available more broadly, thanks to local genealogical groups and family historians. A searchable database of Willis Miller's extensive card file from Hudson, Wisconsin is now on CD. (See our catalog.) Many Minnesotans crossed the St. Croix River and appear in this database. The index for the Lake City newspapers once available only in the library is being replicated on-line.

Some libraries have made wonderful resources available on-line. Across the Red River, the North Dakota State University Libraries Institute for Regional Studies & Archives have not only made newspaper references available, but also local civil records. You can search marriages, divorces, probates and even the 1885 state census at this site. The Winona State University library offers a searchable database of the newspapers in this area.

Each of the on-line resources mentioned here contains more than obituaries. And each of the communities is located on Minnesota's border. While we're very strict about the civil dividing lines for recording government required reports , trust me, no Minnesota border requires a passport or a key to a bridge over a moat. If you haven't looked for new resources in your area of interest recently, even expanding across the official Minnesota state line into our neighbors' geographic area, now may be the time to add that task to your "to-do" list!

Happy hunting!

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