RESOURCES
Besides exhibits and artifacts, the Houston County Historical Society has extensive resources, including: microfilm for Houston County births, deaths and marriages; land and probate records; declarations of intent and natrualization records; county newspapers, Houston County state and federal census; county Lutheran and Presbyterian church records; and over 20,000 photographs and growing. Our library includes: county histories, plat books and maps, church and community histories, cemetery recordings and records, obituaries, clippings and ephemera files, genealogies, some school, business and church records.
Resources Available:
Books & Other Published Materials
- Index to Minnesota in the Civil & Indian Wars (microfiche); cannot be copied
- Church histories and directories
- Writings of Houston County authors, histories of some villages
- Index to the Luxembourger Gazette, 1870s-1918
- Luxembourgers in the New World v. 1 & 2 by Nicholas Gonner
Cemetery Indexes (Houston County)
- Houston County's 152 burial sites (stone recordings done in 1976, with some updated and some on computer); organized by township
- La Crescent, Minnesota: Prospect Hill Cemetery original record books (often give date and place of birth and sometimes names of a relative)
- Allamakee County, Iowa
- Winneshiek County, Iowa
- Winona County, Minnesota
Census
- Federal (Minnesota portion): 1850 [paper, whole state], 1860, 1870 [index for Houston County], 1880, 1890 [a special census of Union veterans & their widows], 1900, 1910, 1920, 1930
- State: 1857, 1865, 1875, 1885, 1895, 1905
City & County Directories
- Telephone directories from Houston and Fillmore Counties (1911-2002; 2009)
- County directories (1902 onward)
County Histories & Biographical Sketches
- Histories of Houston County: 1882 (indexed), 1919 (biographical sketches indexed), 1982 (indexed)
- Various histories of other counties and towns
Newspapers published in Houston County
- Brownsville:
- Free Press News (1865-1869; 1899-1901 [three issues]; 1904; 1906-1920)
- Southern Minnesota Herald (1855-1859)
- Western Progress (1869-1874)
- Caledonia:
- Argus (1888; 1890-2006; December 2011)
- Journal 1868-1872; 1874-1884 [misc.]; 1878-1879; 1885-1886; 1889-1899; 1901; 1902-1904; 1906-1958)
- Tribune (1897-1898)
- Hokah:
- Blade Chief (1857-1862; 1876-1877; 1874-1884 [misc.]; 1882-1938; 1942-1945; 1947-1948; 1938-1949 [misc.]; 1952-1953)
- Sun Tribune (1886-1899; 1917-1925)
- Houston:
- Banner (1999-2004; 2004-current)
- Gazette & County Journal (1976-1993)
- Signal (1882-1987)
- La Crescent:
- Cooperator (1891-1892)
- Echo (1963-1967)
- Houston County News (1968-2002; 2006; December 2011)
- Patrol (1888-1889)
- Rural News (1986-1989)
- Times (1950-1953)
- Times-Hokah Chief (1954-1963)
- Rushford:
- Star (August 11, 1876 - February 17, 1881; January 6, 1881 - December 28, 1882)
- Spring Grove:
- Herald (1893-2004; 2006; December 2011)
Manuscripts & Public Records Collections
- Public Records
- Houston Co. Alien Registration Forms, 1918 (1 roll microfilm)
- Houston Co. District Court Naturalizations, 1854-1943 (4 rolls microfilm)
- Tax records 1861-1900 (personal property & real estate) on microfilm; 1901-present, organized by township
- Tax receipts, 1863-1930
- Land records (microfilm): grantor indexes, 1854-1888; grantee indexes, 1857-1888; deeds, 1852-1919 (no mortgage records)
- Probate & Will records: probate records index, 1860-1892; probate records, nos. 1-2150, latest March 1917; wills, 1884-1919 (each book indexed)
- World War I Draft Registrations (microfilm)
- Civil War Records of Houston County by David Klinski: 8 years of intensive research filed by township. These include veterans of War of 1812, Black Hawk War, Mexican War and Spanish American War as well as Civil War.
- Manuscripts - Church Records
- Caledonia, Brownsville and Houston Episcopal Churches, 1864-1924 (also on microfilm)
- Caledonia Presbyterian Church, 1859-1958 (microfilm)
- German Lutheran Church at Brownsville (later United Church of Christ; currently Zion Evangelical Church) photostats; many records in German
- baptism, 1863-1939;
- marriage, 1870-1878;
- burial, 1888-1939;
- list of confirmands and communicants
- Hokah Presbyterian Church, 1868-1944; microfilm
- Hokah United Church of Christ (formerly Evangelical and Reformed; currently Community Church), photostats; some records in German; earliest record book, 1872-1892
- Hokah United Methodist Church (formerly German Methodist Episcopal; some records in German)
- original record books:
- baptism, 1881-1991;
- marriage, 1882-1992
- death, 1919-1990, some earlier deaths in membership records
- membership lists beginning in 1858 (some records are from other churches on the circuit: Pine Creek, Crooked Creek and Union)
- Hope Presbyterian Church, Union Township, session minutes and lists of members, 1894-1942 (microfilm)
- La Crescent Presbyterian Church, 1859-1958 (microfilm)
- Money Creek Baptist Church, 1859-1958 (1 book)
- Oak Ridge Lutheran Church, 1895-1944 (records in paper); this is the church that was dismantled and rebuilt in Norway as an example of an immigrant church in America
- Peace Church in Crooked Creek Township (formerly Evangelical and Reformed, the United Church of Christ; now Independent). This church maintains a cemetery.
- Account books 1947-1967, 1952-1959
- Ladies Aid 1939-1940
- Membership and dues books covering period 1885-1970
- Minutes 1885-1987
- Service Flag, 23 November 1947 13 blue stars, 3 gray
- Women's Guild 1954-1973, 1984-1986; Treasurer's Book 1960-1964
- Young People's League 1925-1945
- Miscellaneous papers: Cemetery by Laws; Yoking agreement with St. Peter's UCC; Incorporation Papers 1 January 1886; 10 Marriage Licenses 1970s; Bulletins, Deeds, Invoices, Minutes of annual meetings
- Sheldon Presbyterian Church, 1860-1963 (microfilm) session minutes and church registers
- South Ridge United Methodist Church, Mound Prairie Township (formerly Evangelical and United Brethren)
- Original Records
- Birth, death, marriage 1874-1990 (some in German)
- Board minutes 1874-1900 (German)
- Guest Book 1932-2001
- Membership, officers, history 1874-1990
- Minnesota Centennial 1855-1955
- Photo album 115 photos
- 75th Anniversary 1874-1949
- Sunday school 1923-1998
- Treasurer's books 1874-1949, 1954-1988
- Trustees books 1874-1990
- United Methodist Women 1985-1996
- Women's Missionary Society 15 October 1943-6 December 1983
- Women's Workbooks (food lists, etc) 1950-1992
- A variety of German and English song books
- Miscellaneous documents: history, clippings, Sunday school and youth photos, brochures, newsletters
- Photostats of earliest record book: baptism, 1940-1987
- marriage, 1897-1998
- burial, 1898-1990 (burial records contain early birth dates)
- membership and officer lists
Evangelical Lutheran Church in America records, some in Norwegian, all on microfilm
- Central Lutheran in Winona, 1873-1922; 1871-1917 (reel 73)
- Cedar Valley Lutheran in Houston, 1870-1945 (reel 73)
- Cross of Christ Lutheran in Houston, 1854-1917; 1862-1918 (reel 76)
- Faith Lutheran in Black Hammer, (reel 74); 1895-1982 (reel 75); 1858-1881 (reel 76)
- First Lutheran in Onalaska, 1870-1900 (reel 41)
- La Crosse Pastoral Conference, 1870-1889 (reel 41)
- Immanuel Lutheran in Caledonia,(reel 73)
- Our Savior's Lutheran in Riceford, 1881-1981 (reel 76)
- St. Peter's Lutheran in Houston, 1858-1910; 1851-1909 (reel 76); includes records of the Stone Church, the oldest Lutheran Church building in Minnesota
- Trinity Lutheran in Spring Grove, 1857-1861; 1891-1920 (reel 74); 1857-1861; 1891-1920 (reel 75)
- Wilmington Lutheran, 1892-1917 (reel 73)
- also many church records from Lutheran churches in Iowa and North Dakota
Photographs
- 20,500 photographs arranged by subject and by family collections
- 5140 negatives organized plus many more; many glass negatives
Newspaper Indexes
- Vertical files of clippings, ephemera, genealogy & family history and obituaries (accessed through a card file)
Plat maps and books
- Iowa
- State: 1875
- Allamakee County: 1917
- Minnesota
- State: 1874
- Dodge County: 1937
- Hennepin County: 1873, 1898, 1913 (microfilm)
- Houston County: 1878, 1896, 1931 and more from 1850-1994; 1871 wall map is earliest map showing land ownership; microfilm: 1878, 1898, 1931
- Jackson County: 1887, 1914, 1936 (microfilm)
- Kandiyohi County: 1886, 1905, 1932 (microfilm)
- Kitson County: 1912 (microfilm)
- Olmsted County: 1970
Vital Records Indexes
- On microfilm:
- birth indexes, 1870-1939
- birth records, 1870-1917
- delayed birth records, 1939-1983 (3 reels; a few date to 1860s)
- death indexes, 1870-1982
- death records, 1870-1941
- marriage records, 1854-1917 (each book indexed)
Yearbooks
- Caledonia:
- Caledonia High School (1908, 1912, 1924, 1936, 1937, 1940, 1942, 1947, 1954, 1956, 1959, 1960-1971, 1973-1979, 1981, 1982-1989, 2006-2010; also Welcome Grads of 1965, 40th Class Reunion 1965-2005)
- Loretto High School (Catholic) (1937, 1939, 1940, 1944, 1947, 1949, 1977, 1994; also class yearbooks 1930, 1939; 50 year class reunion, 1944-1994 (biographical); 50 year class reunion 1947-1997)
- Caledonia Elementary School (2000)
- Houston:
- Houston High School (1955, 1956, 1959, 1961-63, 1965-68, 1970, 1973, 1976, 1982, 1984, 1987-1988, 1991, 1994, 1999, 2004)
- La Crescent:
- La Crescent Middle & High School (1970, 1974, 1985-1989)
- Spring Grove:
- Spring Grove High School (1956)