Minnesota, Birth and Death Records - FamilySearch Historical Records

Record Description
This collection includes deaths for the cities of Minneapolis and St. Paul. The records are usually handwritten on a pre-printed form. The collection includes records from 1866 to 1916.

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.

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. 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.

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
To begin your search it is helpful to know


 * The name of your ancestor.
 * Other identifying information such as the death date and death place.

Search the Collection
To search the collection fill in the requested information in the boxes on the initial search page. This search will return a list of possible matches. Compare the information about the individuals in the list to what you already know about your ancestors to determine if this is the correct family or person. You may need to look at the information on several individuals comparing the information about them to your ancestors to make this determination. Keep in mind:


 * There may be more than one person in the records with the same name.
 * You may not be sure of your own ancestor’s name.
 * Your ancestor may have used different names, or variations of their name, throughout their life.
 * If your ancestor used an alias or a nickname, be sure to check for those alternate names.
 * Even though these indexes are very accurate they may still contain inaccuracies, such as altered spellings, misinterpretations, and optical character recognition errors if the information was scanned.

For tips about searching on-line collections see the on-line video at FamilySearch Search Tips.

Using the Information
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.
 * Use the parent’s birth places to find former residences and to establish a migration pattern for the family.

Tips to Keep in Mind

 * Occupations listed can lead you to employment records or other types of records such as military records.
 * 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.
 * 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.

Unable to Find Your Ancestor?

 * 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.

Known Issues with This Collection
For a full list of all known issues associated with this collection see the attached Wiki article. If you encounter additional problems, please email them to [mailto:support@familysearch.org support@familysearch.org]. Please include the full path to the link and a description of the problem in your e-mail. Your assistance will help ensure that future reworks will be considered.

Related Websites
St. Paul Archives

Related Wiki Articles

 * Minnesota
 * Minnesota Vital Records

Citation for This Collection
The following citation refers to the original source of the information published in FamilySearch.org Historical Records collections. Sources include the author, custodian, publisher, and archive for the original records.