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
Thursday, April 5, 2012
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
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
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/
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
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.”
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.”
Thursday, March 15, 2012
Valuable Information Can Be Found on Death Certificate, Part I
Death certificates provide a great deal of information for family history researchers besides cause of death (COD), although COD itself can sometimes be quite interesting. I once pulled a death certificate for a client where a widowed farmer in his late-70s was thrown against a barn and then trampled to death by a bull. According to his obituary1, his badly crushed body was found by his sister. The farmer had been driving cattle into her farmyard.
For family history researchers, other data fields on a death certificate provide the information they’re most interested in. COD, place of death and date of death are provided by the coroner; a source and information you can trust. Place of death and date of death can lead you to an obituary, which may give you additional information that will be discussed in a later blog.
Often, the name of the cemetery or the name of the town where the burial took place is also on the death certificate. Again, information you can usually trust. Check findagrave.com to see if a photo of the deceased’s gravesite is on the website, or if any other family members are buried in the same cemetery. Sometimes county websites will include local cemetery maps and burial listings, in case you’re interested in visiting or taking a photo of your ancestor’s gravesite.
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.”
For family history researchers, other data fields on a death certificate provide the information they’re most interested in. COD, place of death and date of death are provided by the coroner; a source and information you can trust. Place of death and date of death can lead you to an obituary, which may give you additional information that will be discussed in a later blog.
Often, the name of the cemetery or the name of the town where the burial took place is also on the death certificate. Again, information you can usually trust. Check findagrave.com to see if a photo of the deceased’s gravesite is on the website, or if any other family members are buried in the same cemetery. Sometimes county websites will include local cemetery maps and burial listings, in case you’re interested in visiting or taking a photo of your ancestor’s gravesite.
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.”
1Cannon Falls Beacon; “Florence Township Resident Killed by a Bull”; Nov. 7, 1941; Front page.
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