Saturday, April 7, 2012

On This Date in Minnesota History: April 7

April 7, 1858 – A bill for the admission of Minnesota into the Union was passed by the senate with only three no votes.
http://www.mnterritorialpioneers.org/info/hist/terrgovt.htm

Friday, April 6, 2012

On This Date in Minnesota History: April 6

April 6, 1956“The ore boat C. L. AUSTIN picked up the first load of taconite at Silver Bay [Minn.].”
http://www.thehistorypeople.com/data/docs/timeline-part2.pdf

Thursday, April 5, 2012

On This Date in Minnesota History: April 5

April 5, 1933 - One of the greatest April snowstorms in Minnesota began on this date. “The old Pigeon River Bridge crossing in Cook County saw 28 inches in one day from that storm. This still stands as the 24 hour state record for snowfall in April. Two Harbors in Lake County saw 17 inches of snow from the 1933 storm.”
http://climate.umn.edu/doc/journal/april_snow_records.htm
 

Wednesday, April 4, 2012

On This Date in Minnesota History: April 4

April 4, 2005 - The thirty-second coin in the State Quarter series,1 the Minnesota Quarter was the second quarter released in 2005.2

1http://www.statequarterguide.com/2005-minnesota-state-quarter/
2http://www.theus50.com/minnesota/quarter.php

Tuesday, April 3, 2012

On This Day in Minnesota History: April 3

April 3, 1970“The former Greyhound bus station in Minneapolis opened its doors as a music club, the Depot. Eight years later it would be renamed First Avenue by Steve McClellan and Jack Meyers. A cornerstone of the city's music scene, First Avenue hosted local and national acts and was featured in Prince's movie Purple Rain.”
http://www.thehistorypeople.com/data/docs/timeline-part3.pdf

Monday, April 2, 2012

On This Day in Minnesota History: April 2

April 2, 1856 – “The three settlements, Upper Town, Middle Town, and Lower Town, were granted authority by the Minnesota Territorial Legislature to incorporate into the City of St. Cloud in March 1856, and on [this date] the first town officers were chosen.”
http://wjon.com/st-cloud-becomes-one-town-on-this-date-in-central-minnesota-history/

Sunday, April 1, 2012

On This Date in Minnesota History:

April 1, 1946 - Dick Goodrich and John Kenfield “incorporated Bemidji Airlines on [this date], referring to it as the Paul Bunyan Playground Route. Daily two hour flights, costing $10.00 per passenger brought businessmen and tourists back and forth from Minneapolis and Bemidji, with one stop at St. Cloud. Bemidji was one of the first Minnesota regional cities with airline services.”
http://www.lakesnwoods.com/BemidjiHistory.htm

Valuable Information Can Be Found on Death Certificate, Part II

While the coroner provides some of the information on a death certificate, other information is provided by an informant, usually a family member or friend:  date of birth, place of birth, spouse’s name, father’s name, mother’s maiden name, current residence, etc. These are the fields that can qualify or disqualify someone as your ancestor.  Wrong father’s name, wrong place of birth, wrong birthdate can mean he or she is not your relative. 

However, information from the informant is often wrong or missing. I can’t tell you how many times I’ve found the father’s name or mother’s maiden name listed as “unknown” on a death certificate. And this is when the informant was a spouse, sibling or child of the deceased.  It can be so frustrating, especially when you’re specifically looking for the mother’s maiden name, which is often difficult to find.

My grandpa’s death certificate said his mother’s maiden name was Bradshaw (the informant was his wife, my grandma). Once I started looking for my great-grandmother, however, I discovered her maiden name was really Branshaw.  But that was only after her father had immigrated to the U.S. (Wisconsin) from Quebec, where the family name was actually Branchaud.  Apparently my great-great-grandfather felt the need to simplify or Americanize his French surname.

Do you know your mother and father’s birthdates and your paternal or maternal grandma’s maiden name?

Discover your roots and watch the branches of your family tree begin to grow.

pjefamilyresearch@gmail.com

For more information on my Family History Research services, visit TheMemoryQuilt.com and click on “Family History Research.”