Minnesota Family History Research

Tuesday, January 30, 2018

On This Date in Minnesota History: January 29

January 30, 1968 - On this date, Ron Yary from USC was the first overall pick of the 1968 NFL Draft by the Minnesota Vikings, who had traded Fran Tarkenton to the New York Giants for that selection, becoming the first offensive lineman ever to be selected first overall. He played from 1968 to 1981 with the Minnesota Vikings, and 1982 with the Los Angeles Rams. During Yary's tenure with the Vikings, the team won 11 division titles.

Yary was inducted to the Vikings Ring of Honor in 2000, and became a member of the Pro Football Hall of Fame in 2001.

http://www.onthisday.com/events/january/30

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ron_Yary

Ron Yary
http://store.dougjohnsonsports.com/images/RonYary8x10ZZ.jpg

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If you are interested in finding out more about your family history in Minnesota, I specialize in researching genealogical and historical records in Minn. and western Wis., including: census records, birth records, death certificates, obits, grave site photos, ship passenger lists, marriage records and declarations of intent/naturalization records. I will visit locations to research local history and county records, as well as take photos. Quick turnaround on MNHS records. Both short searches and family history reports available.

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

Website: TheMemoryQuilt.com > click on Family History

Contact me at: pjefamilyresearch@gmail.com

Monday, January 29, 2018

On This Date in Minnesota History: January 29

January 29, 1920 – Minnesota’s new barless and boltless prison will soon throw open its doors to receive women 18 years old or older, and when the doors are closed they will not shut out hope, cheer and human friendliness.

Letters sent out today by the Minnesota State Board of Control to every judge in the state carried the information that the new reformatory in Shakopee is ready for occupancy and that women now may be committed there.

Inmates will live for the present in the administration building, which has rooms for 18, in addition to the administration staff, but when the cottages are completed, will be quartered separately. Twenty women, now at the state penitentiary in Stillwater, will be moved to Shakopee as soon as the cottages are ready, Miss Florence Monahan, superintendent, explains.

Women’s Reformatory in Shakopee¹

The reformatory is situated one mile west of Shakopee on a bluff overlooking the Minnesota River. The administration building faces south and includes a 167 acre farm on the reformatory property.

“The first thing the women committed will do is to make curtains for the windows of the building,” said Miss Monahan. “They will make their own clothes and later will tint the walls of the building. The women will do all the domestic work. They will be trained in household arts, in farming and gardening.”

Women prisoners working the farm²

Miss Monahan has been working with the board of control since Oct., when she went east to attend a prison convention in Boston and to visit the leading reformatories for women.

“Uniforms will not be worn,” she said, “but instead women will wear attractive, serviceable dresses of different colors. White is to be worn on Sunday. As is customary in other reformatories, there will be a system of grading and marking. Every woman will enter the second grade. If she does well, she will be put in the first grade and, if not, in the third. The third grade is also for those who run away or commit any offense against the institution. Privileges will be granted according to the grades.

“Life will be made as nearly normal as possible, with plenty of work, plenty of sleep, good food, recreation and an opportunity for training. Classes will be arranged for illiterates, if needed, and also for any woman to study any subject she wants.”
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The women’s reformatory at Shakopee opened Feb. 2, 1920, to take care of all women sentenced to prison in Minnesota.

No women prisoners have as yet been received at the institution, but the first four are to be transferred from Stillwater at once. The institution is now able to care for 25 women. A section not yet completed will enlarge the capacity to 50.

There are no bars on the windows and there will be no guards, armed with rifles, walking posts. The purpose of the institution will be to give women an opportunity to retrieve themselves and return at the expiration of their sentence to civil life again, according to Superintendant Monahan.

The women will be engaged in caring for the gardens, cows, chickens and in other pursuits.

The Daily People’s Press; “New Prison for Women Opens at Shakopee. Institution Will Be Without Bars and Fetters.”; Jan. 30, 1920; p. 1.

The Minneapolis Morning Tribune; “Shakopee Woman’s Reformatory Opens. First Four Prisoners to Be Transferred Immediately From Stillwater.”; Feb. 3, 1920; p. 14.

¹http://s3.amazonaws.com/libapps/accounts/2491/images/MS3.9_SH7.2W_m1.jpg

²https://mn.gov/doc/assets/farm1926_tcm1089-287797.jpg

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

Website: TheMemoryQuilt.com > click on Family History

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Sunday, January 28, 2018

On This Date in Minnesota History: January 28

January 28, 1909 – One of the most destructive fires in the history of Big Falls, Minn., occurred early this morning just after midnight. J. J. Curey and Joseph Leblane, two homesteaders who were sleeping in a building lost their lives. Paul Lawrence, owner of a saloon and restaurant in the burned building, lies in the Bemidji hospital near death, being badly burned on his hands, feet and neck. Mrs. Lawrence’s condition is still more pitiful.

In attempting to get out of her room on the second story of the building, she was badly burned on the left side and back, and her feet cut while crossing the street to a place of safety. Two unidentified guests were sleeping in the third story of the building and were forced to jump, one breaking his hip. All the injured people were given temporary care by Dr. Ratcliff and were brought to St. Anthony’s Hospital in Bemidji this morning.

The Minneapolis Tribune; “Big Falls, Minn., Fire. Homesteaders Asleep When Flames Suddenly Break. Several Others Painfully Injured in Making Escape.”; Jan. 28, 1909; p. 3.

http://www.lakesnwoods.com/images/BigFal66.jpg

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Saturday, January 27, 2018

On This Date in Minnesota History: January 27

January 27, 1904 – Bert Loomis and H. E. Anderson, who are employed at John Sibley’s camp on the Boy River, were treed by wolves early this morning and compelled to remain in hiding for two hours, when the animals were frightened away.

Boy River¹

The men had been staying at a camp belonging to Samuel Simpson, of Minneapolis, and before daylight they arose and started to the Sibley headquarters. They had walked only a short distance when the wolves appeared. The men lost no time in getting up into a tree. In the dim light they could distinguish the animals circling about their perch. Then the wolves took up their station under the tree, snapping and snarling and making vain efforts to reach their prey.

Although the men were in danger of freezing, they huddled together as best they could and waited for relief. When the sun came up the beasts heard a noise that frightened them and made off through the woods. Then Loomis and Anderson came down and finished their journey. Wolves are more plentiful in the north woods this season than for many years.

Minnesota Wolves²

The Saint Paul Globe; “With Wolves Below. Two Men Hold Anxious Session In a Tree.”; Jan. 28, 1904; p. 1.

¹https://www.bestplaces.net/images/city/boyriver_mn.gif

²https://i.pinimg.com/736x/b8/be/20/b8be20d2bec98dc97f9ddb88a92a0cc3--wild-wolf-timeline-photos.jpg

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

Website: TheMemoryQuilt.com > click on Family History

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Friday, January 26, 2018

On this Date in Minnesota History: January 26

January 26, 1992 - Super Bowl XXVI was played at the Hubert H. Humphrey Metrodome in Minneapolis, Minn.; the first time the Super Bowl was held in that city. The Washington Redskins defeated the Buffalo Bills by the score of 37–24.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Super_Bowl_XXVIaaaqqqqq22

Super Bowl XXVI at the Hubert H. Humphrey Metrodome

http://www.stadiumsofprofootball.com/superbowl/images/metro_top.jpg

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

Website: TheMemoryQuilt.com > click on Family History

Contact me at: pjefamilyresearch@gmail.com

Thursday, January 25, 2018

On This Date in Minnesota History: January 25

January 25, 1904 – Fire this afternoon in Owatonna, believed to be due to a defective flue, damaged the administration or main building of the Minnesota State Public School for Dependent and Neglected Children to the extent of $75,000. There was $50,000 insurance on the building.

State School at Owatonna Administration Building

There was no loss of life, nor was anyone hurt. The children in the building were removed on the first alarm and were comfortably housed in the cottages. Some of the 37 school employees lost their personal effects.

The blaze was discovered about 2 p.m. by Ray Naylor, a bookkeeper, as he was coming from one of the cottages, and he at once turned in an alarm. An attempt was made to fight the flames with the school fire apparatus, but owing to the elevated position of the building and a stiff northwest wind, the fire was soon beyond control. Added to this there was only one way of getting into the attic, where the fire started, and the firemen could not get enough streams of water in play to check the flames.

A view of the fire¹

In the south wing of the building were 15 babies, and these were quickly carried to a place of safety. Some of the employees made a dash into the building to save some of their personal belongings, but the smoke was so dense that they were driven back.

When the Owatonna fire department, which had been summoned on the first alarm, arrived the central portion of the structure was a mass of flames, but by hard work the south wing was saved with comparatively little damage, but the rest of the structure is practically ruined. The roof of the burned portion fell in and now all that remains is the walls, though they are probably so badly damaged that they will have to be torn down.

The school was established by a law enacted in 1885 and was opened in Dec. 1886. It is located on a farm of 240 acres adjoining the townsite of Owatonna on the west, and the buildings are situated on an eminence overlooking the town and the Straight River. The Institution comprises nine principal buildings, the central one of which was the administration building burned today. The older children are quartered in cottage surrounding the main building.

The administration building was one of the structures erected at the time the school was first established in 1886, and at the time it was burned contained the offices of the superintendent and other officials, a library, public reception room, assembly hall, children’s and employees’ dining rooms, sewing rooms, nursery apartments and the private rooms of some of the employees.

The principal buildings are the school, added in recent years, the hospital with its necessary quarantine building, the superintendent’s residence and five detached cottages that now furnish quarters for nearly all of the children. Besides these buildings there are the laundry and heating plant, barns, greenhouses, workshops, implement house and hennery.

The Saint Paul Globe; “State School at Owatonna Badly Damaged by Fire. Central Portion and North Wing of the Administration Building is Destroyed, With Loss of $75,000, Partly Covered by Insurance—Inmates Are All Removed Without Injury and Comfortably Housed in the Surrounding Cottages.”; Jan. 26, 1904; p. 3.

¹https://www.facebook.com/minnesota.state.public.school.orphanagemuseum/photos/a.10152202297650262.913748.467619155261/10156081477710262/?type=3&theater

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

Website: TheMemoryQuilt.com > click on Family History

Contact me at: pjefamilyresearch@gmail.com

Wednesday, January 24, 2018

On This Date in Minnesota History: January 24

January 24, 1916 - A tragedy that stirred every heart in Austin, Minn., occurred this afternoon when John Peterson went to the home of Mrs. Johanna Sorenson and shot her to death with a .38 caliber revolver, then turned the gun on himself with fatal results.

.38 caliber bullets¹

There was no one in the house with them at the time and just what took place is not absolutely known, but the facts appear to be as follows:

Peterson had been paying his attentions to Mrs. Sorenson and it is generally believed that there was an understanding between them that they would marry someday. She had, it is believed, accepted a certificate of deposit and a deed for a house and lot from him, also numerous presents, including a set of furs.

Mrs. Makepeace, a neighbor, called on Mrs. Sorenson only a few minutes before the tragedy occurred and the couple was in the kitchen, he sitting at a table while she was stirring up a cake for her daughter’s birthday, which is tomorrow.

Mrs. Makepeace accompanied Mrs. Sorenson into the next room to look at a new plant, and noticed the expression on Mrs. Sorenson’s face, asked her if she was sick. Mrs. Sorenson said no, and asked her friend to remain, but Mrs. Makepeace said she couldn’t stay and returned home. It seemed to her that Mrs. Sorenson had decided not to accept Peterson’s further attentions.

Mrs. Makepeace had not been home for 20 minutes when she heard Mrs. Sorenson scream and saw her run out of her house, where she fell on the porch. Mrs. Johnson, another neighbor, also heard Mrs. Sorenson’s scream, and the two neighbors ran to her assistance. City Carrier Thad Thompson also happened along about that time and carried Mrs. Sorenson into the house, placing her on the couch, where she passed away without speaking a word before medical aid arrived.

In the parlor lay John Peterson in a pool of blood, breathing his last. From indications, Mrs. Sorenson was gathering up the presents he had given her and had gone to get some papers from the bureau drawer and he had followed her. It is thought that he had drawn the revolver to shoot and that she had tried to grapple with him. This was indicated by the bullet wound on his breast that passed under the skin and out through his arm. Mrs. Sorenson was shot through the right breast, the bullet passing through her body. It is supposed that as soon as Mrs. Sorenson ran out of the room after being shot that Peterson threw himself on the bed and fired a bullet into his breast and the bullet was found on the bed. The blood spot on the bed matched up with the blood stain on the back of his shirt where the bullet came through his body. This is the opinion of and general evidence as found by Dr. Pierson and Dr. Leck, who were called.

Mrs. Sorenson was the widow of John Sorenson, who dropped dead three years ago. He was a blacksmith of the firm Sorenson & Nelson of Austin. Peterson, who was about 45 years of age and a bridge carpenter on the Chicago, Milwaukee & St. Paul Railway, had never been married.

The revolver was picked up from the floor where he had evidently dropped it as he staggered out of the bedroom into the parlor where he fell. There were three empty chambers and two loaded ones, indicating that three shots were fired.

Johanna Christina Margaret Skifter was born Sept. 6, 1873, in Jylland, Denmark. In 1894 she came to America with her mother and went to Grand Meadow where her father had located, he having preceded the family to this country to establish a home. In 1899 she was married to John Sorenson of Austin. The family had lived in Austin ever since. There are three children: Elgar, 16; Frances, 14; and Viola, 10. Mr. Sorenson died three years ago this coming April. He fell dead on the street when running to catch a rig to ride to his work. R. J. Skifter, the father of Mrs. Sorenson, still lives and resides in Austin. Mrs. Skifter died a year ago in October. There are two brothers, J. A. Skifter of Austin and C. R. Skifter of Grand Meadow, and four sisters living, Mrs. Ole Jacobson, Grand Meadow; Mrs. William Jensen and Mrs. J. F. Larson of Austin, and Mrs. H. L. Welkin of San Diego, Calif. The deceased was a member of the Lutheran church for years and also a member of the R. N. A. Society. Mrs. Sorenson was a quiet congenial woman, a kind neighbor and made friends of all her acquaintances. She was devoted to her home and her children, going out but little and keeping in mind her family first. The orphan children have been robbed of a good mother.

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While this is a horrifyingly sad story, for genealogists like me, this article/obit is a gold mine. Mrs. Sorenson’s maiden name, her birthdate, place of birth, sibling’s names and whereabouts, her children’s names and ages, immigration date, etc. It also mentions her husband’s name and possible date of death, along with her mother’s approximate death date. The Mower County Transcript-Republican article gives her first name (Johanna), while The Minneapolis Morning Tribune article simply refers to her as Mrs. John Sorenson.

Mower County Transcript-Republican; “Commits Murder Then Kills Self. John Peterson shoots and Kills Mrs. Johanna Sorenson Then Kills Self”; Austin, Minn.; Jan. 26, 1916; p. 1.

The Minneapolis Morning Tribune; “Man Shoots Woman and Self to Death. Dual Tragedy Follows Refusal of Widow to Wed Admirer.”; Jan. 25, 1916; p. 3.

¹http://caldwellandcompany.net/jim%2038%20colt%20special.jpg
2http://www.lakesnwoods.com/images/Austin118.jpg

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

Website: TheMemoryQuilt.com > click on Family History

Contact me at: pjefamilyresearch@gmail.com