Minnesota, Birth and Death Records - FamilySearch Historical Records

Collection Time Period
Records in this collection are for the years 1866 to 1916.

Record Description
This collection includes deaths for the cities of Minneapolis and St. Paul. The records are usually handwritten on a pre-printed form.

Record Content
The index usually includes the following information: 


 * Full name of deceased
 * Calculated date of birth
 * Death date and place
 * Burial date and place
 * Name of father
 * Name of mother
 * Name of spouse
 * Birth date and place
 * Race

The death records may include the following information: 


 * Full name of deceased
 * Maiden name (if deceased is a married woman)
 * Sex
 * Age
 * Birthplace
 * Race
 * Death date
 * Death place
 * Cause of death
 * Occupation
 * Nationality of parents
 * Citizenship
 * Name of father
 * Birthplace of father
 * Name of mother
 * Birthplace of mother
 * Single, married, widowed, or divorced
 * Age at the time of marriage
 * Number of children
 * Name and address of informant or person certifying the death

How to Use the Record
Begin your search by finding your ancestors in the index. Name indexes to deaths make it possible to access a specific record quickly. Remember that these indexes may contain inaccuracies, such as altered spellings, misinterpretations, and optical character recognition errors if the information was scanned.

When searching the index it is helpful to know the following:


 * The place where the death occurred
 * The name of the person at the time of death
 * The approximate death date

Use the locator information found in the index (such as page, entry, or certificate number) to locate your ancestor in the death records. Compare the information in the death record to what you already know about your ancestor to determine if this is the correct person. You may need to compare the information of more than one person to make this determination.

When you have located your ancestor’s death record, carefully evaluate each piece of information given. These pieces of information may give you new biographical details that can lead you to other records about your ancestors. Add this new information to your records of each family. For example:


 * Use the birth date or age along with the place of birth to find or verify their birth records and parents' names.
 * Use the birth date or age along with the place of birth to find the family in census records.
 * Use the residence and names of the parents (if the deceased is a child) to locate church and land records.
 * Occupations listed can lead you to employment records or other types of records such as military records.
 * Use the parent’s birth places to find former residences and to establish a migration pattern for the family.
 * The name of the officiator is a clue to their religion or area of residence in the county.
 * The name of the undertaker or mortuary could lead you to funeral and cemetery records, which often include the names and residences of other family members.
 * Compile the entries for every person who has the same surname; this is especially helpful in rural areas or if the surname is unusual.
 * Continue to search the records to identify children, siblings, parents, and other relatives of the deceased who may have died or been buried in the same county or nearby. This can help you identify other generations of your family or even the second marriage of a parent. Repeat this process for each new generation you identify.
 * When looking for a person who had a common name, look at all the entries for the name before deciding which is correct.

If you are unable to find the ancestors you are looking for, try the following:


 * Check for variant spellings of the surnames.
 * Check for a different index. There are often indexes at the beginning of each volume.
 * Search the indexes and records of nearby counties.

Keep in mind:


 * The information in these records is usually reliable, but depends upon the reliability of the informant.
 * Earlier records may not contain as much information as the records created after the late 1800s.
 * There is also some variation in the information given from one record to another record.

Record History
Minnesota vital records registration began in 1870, and was the responsibility of each county for the next thirty-seven years. The cities of St. Paul and Minneapolis began keeping death records four years earlier in 1866. In 1907, the state of Minnesota took over the responsibility of keeping birth and death records.

Why this Record Was Created
Deaths were recorded to better serve public health needs. They were also used in connection with the probate of wills and the administration of estates.

Record Reliability
The information recorded about the death is usually reliable, including the cause of death, the name of the attending physician or medical professional, the name and address of the funeral home, and the date and place of burial. The accuracy of other information depends on the reliability of the informant, often a family member.

Related Websites
St. Paul Archives

Related Wiki Articles
Minnesota

Minnesota Vital Records

Citing FamilySearch Historical Collections
When you copy information from a record, you should also list where you found the information. This will help you or others to find the record again. It is also good to keep track of records where you did not find information, including the names of the people you looked for in the records.

A suggested format for keeping track of records that you have searched is found in the Wiki Article: How to Cite FamilySearch Collections.

Examples of Source Citations for a Record in This Collection
"Minnesota, Death Records, 1866-1916." index and images, FamilySearch  (https://www.familysearch.org:  accessed 2 June 2011). entry for Jerome Kessler, died 28 March 1916; citing Death Records, FHL microfilm 1,309,202; The St. Paul and Minneapolis Departments of Health.

Sources of Information for This Collection
“Minnesota Municipal Deaths, 1866-1916,” index, FamilySearch (http://familysearch.org/); from The St. Paul and Minneapolis Departments of Health. FHL microfilm, 99 films, Family History Library Salt Lake City, Utah.