Finding Minnesota vital records when not recorded in the county courthouse

The first law in Minnesota requiring keeping birth, marriage and death records by governmental bodies was passed in 1870. In the late 1930s and early 1940s, the WPA surveyed and published the vital records information kept in the county courthouses at that time. Since then, many of the township and village records were transferred to the local courthouses, and even later to the State Archives at the Minnesota Historical Society. We updated and published the guides, adding other published sources (see Genealogist's Guide to Minnesota Vital Records: Vol. 1, Marriages and Divorces and Genealogist's Guide to Minnesota Vital Records: Vol. 2, Births and Deaths).

Of course, children were born, couples married and people died in the area before that requirement. And for years after 1870, only a small percentage were recorded. After all, would a new settler (perhaps an immigrant not speaking English) feel compelled during the winter to travel to the local township hall to report a birth or death? Was not adjustment to the family change perhaps more important, especially in the winter with snow, or spring and fall with working in the fields, and summer when clearing the farm taking up time? The more urban the setting, the more likely reports were made.

Marriages were more likely to be reported, even before the requirement for a license was established. The officiants at marriages were either clergy or judges, a smaller group. For some itinerant clergy, marriages would be reported in their home county, rather than in the county where the marriage took place. It was easier to file all of the marriages at once, than to make special trips to the individual courthouses.

Without an official governmental record, it is still possible to find birth and death dates for Minnesota family members.

1. Cemetery records: Transcriptions of gravestones often include birth as well as death data. Check for published sources in various periodicals and as separate volumes. Minnesota Cemetery Locations lists burying places that were included on maps or in other records, giving the land description of township and range numbers. Write to the genealogical society in your area of interest, check the county MnGenWeb and websites such as Find-A-Grave. And the Minnesota Genealogical Society (MGS) has long served as a clearinghouse on where to find cemetery transcriptions.
2. Church records: Though the government may not have been interested in vital records during the 19th century, missionaries and the early congregations were. For example, Father Ravoux was commissioned by Bishop Loras of the Diocese of Dubuque to determine if a mission should be established in what is now Minnesota. He kept two books, one for white settlers and one for Indians. His book for work among the Indians has been transcribed and published in the Minnesota Genealogical Journal: 14, September 1995, and covers the period from 1841-1845, several years before the Minnesota Territory was established in 1849.

   Similarly, Presbyterian missionaries, Gideon Pond, Samuel Pond and Dr. T.S. Williamson arrived in the 1830s, and immediately formed a congregation. Their record book begins with the organization of a church at St. Peters on the Upper Mississippi in June of 1835, with several other congregations begun over the next several decades. Those records have also been transcribed and published (see Early Presbyterian Church Records from Minnesota: 1835-1871.

   Other records have been extracted and published (see the 25-Year Index to the Minnesota Genealogist, the church records section of our catalog, and ethnic publications). Others have been microfilmed by the Minnesota Historical Society (MHS), and are available through interlibrary loan. The Congregational, Evangelical, Reformed, and United Church of Christ Churches published a guide to the location of their denominational records, beginning in 1851. Some church histories (available through denominational or local libraries) include sections with birth dates or confirmation dates for members.

   It is necessary to have some idea of the religious affiliation of your family at the time of the event, and of the kind of records typically kept that that denomination.

3. Bible records: Both the MHS and MGS libraries have family bible records. A collection of bibles can be found at the Regional Research Center at the campus of the University of Minnesota-Duluth campus. The MHS records are indexed in the MN Biography card catalog in their reading room, and MGS has published many in their quarterly, Minnesota Genealogist.
4. Newspaper accounts: Newspapers in small towns still herald births and publish full obituaries for deaths. Most of Minnesota's newspapers are on microfilm, and available through interlibrary loan from MHS. If you know the town in which the family lived and an approximate date, you might learn that "Mr. and Mrs. Jones welcomed a bright eyed baby boy on Thursday" as the only recording of your great-grandfather's birth. Most of the newspapers are not indexed.

   The St Paul Pioneer began in 1849, and extracts have been published in the Minnesota Genealogical Journal. Local genealogical societies have published extracts from their local papers as well, and some have developed indexes for vital records. Don't forget your SASE when you write to them!

5. Census: The Federal Censuses, taken in years ending in 0, are well-used resources. But Minnesota took its own state censuses every ten years, beginning in 1865 and ending in 1905. These are every name censuses and include ages for all those who are listed. Minnesota state census microfilms are available at LDS Family History Libraries and various Minnesota libraries. A Guide to the roll numbers at the MHS and at the LDS Family History Libraries is available.
6. Manuscript collections: MHS and some local historical societies hold collections of diaries and personal papers which include family data. The MHS collections are accessible through a card catalog in the Research Center, and only partially cataloged through PALS. The guides to the MHS collections can help researchers prepare for a trip to Research Center.

Remember, it's not a brick wall yet, if there's still another place to look. And it's not only possible to find what you're looking for, it's great fun to look!

© 2009 Park Genealogical Books, Roseville, MN

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