Ojibwe or Anishinaabe people arrived in Minnesota from the east hundreds of years ago by way of the Great Lakes. Their tradition recounts that they needed to settle in a place where food grows on the water. That food, wild rice, has been both a food resource and a mainstay of their culture, supporting families for many generations.
All people typically leave records of births and deaths, marriages, education, employment, religious and political affiliations, military service, property ownership, and relationships to government and the law, ranging from paying taxes and registering a business, to annutiy rolls, and church records. The Minnesota Historical Society Library has many of these records, as well as additional valuable items.
This guide will help your research your family history by exploring:
Watch this quick tutorial for an overview on researching ethnic records at the MNHS library.
Katie Jean Davey
Reference Librarian
