Looking for vital records in Minnesota? Here is an outline of the official dates. Be sure to check the date for formation of the county in which you are interested.
The first law re: vital records took effect in MN in 1870, but in counties with early settlements, marriages were already being recorded at the county level. For example, we started publishing marriage records for Hennepin County in our Minnesota Genealogical Journal #1, with marriages from 1853: the same issue includes Ramsey County marriage records beginning in November of 1849; Washington County from June of 1849; Benton County from June of 1850; all during the days of Minnesota Territory. MGJ #2 has records from St. Croix Territory, Wisconsin, for 1843-1849, for part of what became Minnesota Territory.
Not all marriages were recorded, especially in areas that were distant from the place of recording. A comparison of the official marriage records kept by the government to those records kept by priests and itinerant clergy include additional marriages which were never reported, and offer another avenue of research. And of course, ministers and priests still make entries in their records today, just as they did 150+ years ago.
At the same time, more records are being discovered in books that were not noted in the WPA survey from the 1930s. For example, we published marriages from Blue Earth County in the Minnesota Genealogical Journal that pre-date the marriage books in that report, and Fillmore County had a miscellaneous record book that covered marriages during the territorial period.
Official marriage records are still based in the counties, and there is no statewide index that covers all years.
The 1870 law required that births and deaths were to be reported to the local unit of government, e.g., the village or township or county where the event took place. The law was not strictly enforced until the State Health Department started to get interested in births and deaths towards the end of the 1890s to track disease. The local units of government began to send information in 1899 to the State Health Department. A card file index was created, which now resides at the Minnesota Historical Society (MHS), and is available to researchers on microfilm. (See our
. Note that divorces are included in the civil case files of the district court serving each county. Some of them have been extracted and published in the Minnesota Genealogical Journal.
A friend of mine told me when I first started to research that one had to turn over every rock in looking for evidence. That's definitely true in tracking down vital records!
© 2007, Park Genealogical Books, Roseville, MN
Park Genealogical Books
Dept. WWW
P.O. Box 130968
Roseville, MN 55113-0968
Our books are available through mail, fax or e-mail order. We accept checks, VISA, Discover and MasterCard. See our catalog.
U.S. Shipping:
Add $4.00 for the first book and $.75 for each additional volume. Minnesota residents must add sales tax.
Foreign: $5 plus actual shipping costs - you choose surface or air.
Comments and questions can be directed to Park Genealogical Books
Park's home page.....Research Hints.....Minnesota Genealogical Journal.....Order blank
Forms.....Prairie Echoes Press.....Links.....F A Q.....Park Genealogical Books
© 2005 Park Genealogical Books, Roseville MN
