Minnesota, Births and Baptisms - FamilySearch Historical Records

What is in This Collection?
The collection consists of an index to selected birth and baptism records for the years 1816 to 1990.

What Can These Records Tell Me?
The index may contain:
 * The name of the child
 * Birth date
 * Birthplace
 * Parent's names

How Do I Search the Collection?
Before searching, it is helpful to know:
 * The name of the child
 * The birth date and birth place of the child
 * The names of the child's parents

How Do I Analyze the Results?
Compare each result from your search with what you know to determine if there is a match. This may require viewing multiple records or images. Keep track of your research in a research log.

What Do I Do Next?
When you have located your ancestor’s record, carefully evaluate each piece of information given. Save a copy of the image or transcribe the information. These pieces of information may give you new biographical details or lead to other records about your ancestors. Remember this is only an index. As with any index, transcription errors may have occurred.

I Found the Person I Was Looking For, What Now?

 * Use the birth date along with the place of birth to find the family in census records.
 * Use the residence and names of the parents to locate church and land records.
 * The father’s occupation can lead you to other types of records such as employment or military records.
 * The parents' birth places can tell you former residences and can help to establish a migration pattern for the family.

I Can't Find the Person I'm Looking For, What Now?

 * Check for variant spellings of the names.
 * Look for a different index. Local genealogical and historical societies often have indexes to local records.
 * Search the records of nearby localities.

Research Helps
The following articles will help you in your research for your family in the state of Minnesota.
 * Minnesota Guided Research
 * Minnesota Record Finder
 * Research Tips and Strategies
 * Step-by-Step Research

Citing this Collection
Citations help you keep track of places you have searched and sources you have found. Identifying your sources helps others find the records you used.