Local  and Internet

Genealogical Research Opportunities

 

 

Free On the Internet

Obituaries - Legacy.com - - http://www.legacy.com/ns/

Cemetery markers - graves - obituaries - FindaGrave.com  - - http://www.findagrave.com/

Cemetery markers - BillionGraves.com - - http://billiongraves.com/

Obituaries - Goggle a local newspaper

A list of Genealogy websites from the Duluth Public Library - - click here

An expanded list of websites for Jewish Genealogy  - -   click here          

                courtesy and with permission of Jewish Genealogy Society Los Angeles   

Compilation of 3700+ links to genealogy pages on Facebook - -   click here          

                Katherine R. Willson has compiled 3700+ links to genealogy pages on Facebook.

                 The list is organized by US states and several countries.

                  More than 60 of the pages include the term "Jewish".

                    Click for a free pdf download of the "Genealogy Links on Facebook".

The Ancestor Hunt - -   click here     

                Find your ancestors in Historic Jewish Amarican Newspapers.

Your local library online - check their website -

                   your library card may give you access to subscription databases

 

 

The Minnesota History Center

For those interested in history--family history or otherwise--a wonderful venue is the Minnesota History Center at 345 W. Kellogg Blvd.; St. Paul, Minnesota; 651/259-3000.  

You may wish to explore the Minnesota History Center web site: http://www.minnesotahistorycenter.org/  

 

Saturday, June 21:

The library hours on Saturday are 9 a.m. to 4 p.m.  Arrangements have been made for staff 

members on the 2nd floor library of the History Center to be available for those who wish to use computers and microfilm.  It will be helpful if you are prepared ahead of time with a list of things you would like to accomplish.  

Admission to the Minnesota History Center is $11 for adults; $9 for seniors 65+ and college students; $6 children 6-17; free for children under 5. Exhibit hours are 10 a.m. - 5 p.m.  There are several exhibits on view such as "Toys of the '50's, '60's and 70's; Weather; The War of 1812; and Minnesota Immigration".  You can also witness new Americans taking the Oath of Citizenship at a naturalization ceremony going from 10 a.m. to 1 p.m. too!

 

The Minneapolis Central branch

                                        of the Hennepin County Library

The library will be open June 21, 2014, from 9:00am-5:00pm. Gayle Wolfson will set aside any information on the Minneapolis Jewish community for us if we ask. They do not have material for Duluth. On the 4th floor they have 4 computers with ancestry.com site. First come, first served.  This floor is open from 10:00am-4:30pm. Volunteers are there from 1:00pm-4:00pm to assist. Their address is:    300 Nicollet Mall          Phone: 612-543-8200

 e-mail address: specialcoll@hclib.org;

 website: https://www.hclib.org/pub/search/specialcolletions/

 

 

Minneapolis Central Library

We are very fortunate to have another location for family research on June 21, 2014 at the Minneapolis Central Library. “Trudi, librarian and genealogist extraordinaire is working that day.” She will be able to give us a tour of the genealogy resources on the 4th floor. A time has yet to be determined. Also there will be a genealogy volunteer from 1:00pm to 4:00pm and a staff member available for an orientation to the collection. Please let us know if you are interesting in attending. 

 

Minneapolis Central Library
300 Nicollet Mall,    Minneapolis, MN 55401
For directions, hours, and parking information: www.hclib.org 
612-543-8000

My contact: JoEllen

4th floor genealogy collection phone number: 612 543-8181

4th floor Special Collections 612 543-543-8200

Note: It will be very helpful if you prepare yourself for the visit by making a list of things that you would like to accomplish. It has been my experience that the time goes very quickly.

Submitted by Karen Entous - May 16, 2014

 

Listing of more Genealogy Resources from Minneapolis Central (pdf) - click here

 

Jewish Historical Society of the Upper Midwest

Located at the Andersen Library at the University of Minnesota

Kate Dietrick, Archivist,

Nathan and Theresa Berman Upper Midwest Jewish Archives

Assistant Archivist, ASC Central Processing

320 Elmer L. Andersen Library

222 21st Ave S.

Minneapolis, MN, 55455

612/625-0192                                https://www.ib.umn.edu/umja

The Jewish Historical Society of the Upper Midwest will be open June 20, 2014 for those who would like to do research. Please call ahead and tell them that you are coming.

 

 

Iron Range Research Center

Minnesota Discovery Center

1005 Discovery Drive

Chisholm, MN 55719

800 372-6437

218 254-1222

 

Instructions for searching Alien Registration of 1918 and Naturalization Papers

 

http://www.ironrangeresearchcenter.org/

Type in last name, first name, and county if you know it. Duluth is St. Louis.

Search for Alien Registration of 1918.

Search for Naturalization Records.

Becoming a citizen was a 2 step process.

Copy and paste the information in a word document.

Write down the microfilm code as well so that when you are in St. Paul at the Minnesota History Center you will be ready for your search. When looking at the reel, there maybe more than one document next to each other for your family. You want to capture all of them.

If you need help finding this information, Sue, from the Iron Range Research Center will assist us. Her phone and e-mail address is:

Phone: (218) 254-1222
Email: 
yourroots@mndiscoverycenter.com

 

 

Here is a sample of what I found for my great grandfather Abraham Coran.

Naturalization Record - #306724

FIRST NAME:

ABRAHAM

LAST NAME:

CORAN

COUNTY:

St. Louis (Duluth)

STATE:

MINNESOTA

 

CODE:

105

REEL:

45

VOLUME:

4

PAGE:

139

Top of Form

 

 

 

 

Bottom of Form

Here is a sample of what I found for my grandfather Samuel Hoffman.

Alien Registration of 1918 - #162170

FIRST NAME:

Samuel

LAST NAME:

Hoffman

FULL NAME:

Hoffman, Samuel

AGE:

30

LOCALITY:

Duluth

COUNTY:

St. Louis

STATE:

MINNESOTA

REGISTRATION DATE:

1918

 

CODE:

41

REEL:

15

VOLUME:

9

PAGE:

286

 

Naturalization Record - #277383

FIRST NAME:

SAMUEL

LAST NAME:

HOFFMAN

COUNTY:

St. Louis (Duluth)

STATE:

MINNESOTA

 

CODE:

41

REEL:

15

VOLUME:

9

PAGE:

286

 

Naturalization Record - #308992

FIRST NAME:

SAMUEL

LAST NAME:

HOFFMAN

COUNTY:

St. Louis (Duluth)

STATE:

MINNESOTA

 

CODE:

114

REEL:

54

VOLUME:

13

PAGE:

58

Perhaps Sam had to go through the process more than once.

 

From Steve Heifetz:

 

I also note that when you get to the history center, they have bound books by county (duluth is St Louis county-Duluth  not St Louis County) of the reel number etc.

I can help because there is something called the SAM number that isn't on the website and we need the sam number to then find the reel.

But I urge people to "pre-search" and be creative in the spelling,.  Remember the ancestors came from Europe and didn't speak/spell their names like they do now. EXAMPLE my grandfather Harry Heifetz was listed as Girsch Chaifetz, his brother that came on the same ship/same time is listed as Movsa Cheifec and his sister came later the same year and is listed as Anna Haifetz    One of the Garon's is listed as Garan etc

 

It is easier to do background search before coming to the library and be creative on spelling and using "soundex" and also if you go to the duluth book in the library it narrows the search (versus on line search)

 

 

I tried the ironrange website and it wasn't searching until I went to "all " counties, not just st louis county/duluth--but the ancestry site did work.

If they list alien registration and naturalization you want both but usually they are next to each other on the reel. I think when the relatives came they signed an intent to become citizen--"alien registration" then 7 years later they were naturalized.  Also useful to see who witnessed the paper since that is probably a relative

 

 

Contact the Research Center

Phone: (218) 254-1222                  Email: yourroots@mndiscoverycenter.com

 

The Iron Range Research Center is located at Minnesota Discovery Center and is three hours north of the Twin Cities and 1.5 hours north of Duluth.  Please, follow signage to our entrance.  

Map of our facilities

Google Maps

 

 

 

Iron Range Research Center
1005 Discovery Drive
Chisholm, MN 55719

 

 

Hours          

 Tues-Sat: 10 am – 5 pm  

 Sun-Mon: Closed

 

 

There is no fee for admission.

http://www.ironrangeresearchcenter.org/media/minnesota-map_small.png

 

Submitted by Karen Alpert Entous

April 29, 2014