Not having a personal subscription to Ancestry.com, I'm thrilled that the Minnesota Historical Society now has available on its website an index for the Minnesota State Census, 1849-1905. Best of all, it's free! It can be found at http://people.mnhs.org/census/. Though the front page only mentions the decennial 1865-1905 state censuses, the index covers the pre-statehood censuses too, including the 1849 Territorial Census, the 1857 Census (taken to prove there were enough residents to become a state), and several very local censuses taken in 1853 and 1855.
The index works like the MHS's birth and death certificates indexes, giving the researcher more control over searches: drop-down menus for "exact," "contains," "starts with," and "ends with" for both last and first names and the ability to limit the search by year and county, as well as Soundex. Some of these censuses use initials only, making "starts with" one of my favorite features. And WOTR (Write On The Record), MHS's comment feature, can be used on the census index. This means that you can report errors and MHS will make corrections. You can purchase copies of the images over the net, too, for electronic delivery.
The eight counties in the extreme southwest part of the state are an interesting study on the 1857 census. All are heavily populated with highly educated settlers, in addition to the farmers. These people have been called 'mythical,' because they exactly fill pages in the various counties, and don't show up again in 1860. Of course, in March of 1857 Inkpaduta and his band went through that area on their way from Spirit Lake, Iowa, where they wiped out several settlements. The settlers in Minnesota banded together for safety, but many left the area. You can read more about the census in this region in Minnesota Genealogical Journal: 10, September 1993, and about Spirit Lake in Legends, Letters and Lies: Readings on the Spirit Lake Massacre, both available from my bookstore. Many saw Spirit Lake as the precursor of the U.S./Dakota War in 1862.
This is a great addition to the researcher's arsenal!
Saturday, March 28, 2009
Friday, March 13, 2009
Emergency Aid for the Sufferers now available
Volume 5 of our series on claims from the Dakota War of 1862 is now available. The first four volumes concern claims to support the military: this volume concentrates on those who fled in terror, and the relief efforts to help them. The original records are in the State Auditor's files at the State Archives at the Minnesota History Center.
In its Special Session held in late September of 1862, the Minnesota Legislature authorized $25,000 for the 'sufferers.' Stories of attacks on farms fueled the exodus of settlers to places of safety. Some gathered together to build stockades, others took their children and fled to St. Anthony, St. Paul and places further east. Mankato and St. Peter became major points of refuge.
This book contains transcriptions of the requests from individual sufferers as well as from the people and businesses that provided relief to them. It includes passenger lists from steamboats, the names of those who obtained flour and/or beef from the supplies in Mankato, bills from the coffin maker in St. Peter, the doctors and pharmacists who provided medical care, lists of those still needing assistance in January of 1863, and more. The extensive index allows researchers to put together an account of what happened to families during this relatively short period.
I've put a description and order form on my website, with information about this book. The story told in these records is a sad one, further illuminating the tragedy of the U.S./Dakota War of 1862.
In its Special Session held in late September of 1862, the Minnesota Legislature authorized $25,000 for the 'sufferers.' Stories of attacks on farms fueled the exodus of settlers to places of safety. Some gathered together to build stockades, others took their children and fled to St. Anthony, St. Paul and places further east. Mankato and St. Peter became major points of refuge.
This book contains transcriptions of the requests from individual sufferers as well as from the people and businesses that provided relief to them. It includes passenger lists from steamboats, the names of those who obtained flour and/or beef from the supplies in Mankato, bills from the coffin maker in St. Peter, the doctors and pharmacists who provided medical care, lists of those still needing assistance in January of 1863, and more. The extensive index allows researchers to put together an account of what happened to families during this relatively short period.
I've put a description and order form on my website, with information about this book. The story told in these records is a sad one, further illuminating the tragedy of the U.S./Dakota War of 1862.
Monday, March 9, 2009
This and that!
Time flies! and I haven't been blogging. Here's a few updates:
1. The Minnesota Genealogical Journal: 41 is ready for mailing this week. It will still be a few days before the contents make it to my on-line catalog, but you can see them at http://www.parkbooks.com/Html/mgj41.html.
2. The Annual Civil War Symposium, sponsored by several Roundtables in the area, will be held at Fort Snelling on April 25. It will feature presentations on Gettysburg, Corinth and the Home Front. Go to http:www.parkbooks.com/Html/2009_Symposium_Notice.pdf for the flyer advertising this event.
3. The Minnesota Genealogical Society will host its spring meeting on April 18, at their offices in South St. Paul. You can find details on their website, at http://mngs.org.
4. On a more personal note: Volume 5 of my series on Claims from the Dakota War of 1862 is at the printers. This has been underway for a llllllooooonnnngggg time! It covers Emergency Aid for the Sufferers, those who requested aid from the state to help them during the War and in the following year as they fled their homes with little or nothing. This should be available in the coming weeks. There are 100 or so pages of specific requests plus another 14 of index, in 3-column format, helping researchers put together detailed information on specific people.
I'm still looking for the personal stories about people who lived in Minnesota during the Dakota War, especially those who were directly affected. Where were your ancestors?
Mary
1. The Minnesota Genealogical Journal: 41 is ready for mailing this week. It will still be a few days before the contents make it to my on-line catalog, but you can see them at http://www.parkbooks.com/Html/mgj41.html.
2. The Annual Civil War Symposium, sponsored by several Roundtables in the area, will be held at Fort Snelling on April 25. It will feature presentations on Gettysburg, Corinth and the Home Front. Go to http:www.parkbooks.com/Html/2009_Symposium_Notice.pdf for the flyer advertising this event.
3. The Minnesota Genealogical Society will host its spring meeting on April 18, at their offices in South St. Paul. You can find details on their website, at http://mngs.org.
4. On a more personal note: Volume 5 of my series on Claims from the Dakota War of 1862 is at the printers. This has been underway for a llllllooooonnnngggg time! It covers Emergency Aid for the Sufferers, those who requested aid from the state to help them during the War and in the following year as they fled their homes with little or nothing. This should be available in the coming weeks. There are 100 or so pages of specific requests plus another 14 of index, in 3-column format, helping researchers put together detailed information on specific people.
I'm still looking for the personal stories about people who lived in Minnesota during the Dakota War, especially those who were directly affected. Where were your ancestors?
Mary
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