History ~ Biographies ~ Maps ~ 'What's New' ~ Lookups ~ Old Cottonwood Queries ~ Odds and Ends

Brief History of Cottonwood County [Wiki]

Cottonwood: Cities,Towns and Townships
Cities and Towns
Bingham Lake, Comfrey (part), Jeffers, Mountain Lake, Storden, Westbrook, Windom

Townships
Amboy, Amo, Ann, Carson, Dale, Delton, Germantown, Great Bend, Highwater, Lakeside, Midway, Mountain Lake, Rose Hill, Selma, Southbrook, Springfield, Storden, Westbrook

Cottonwood County Neighbors:
Brown ~ Jackson ~ Martin ~ Murray ~ Nobles ~ Redwood ~ Watonwan
"Hometown Locator"

Maps
Getty Geographical Thesaurus ~ Perry Castaneda ~ Quadrangles Surveyor's Base Maps
Historic Map Works ~ Genealogical University of Minnesota ~ Maps ~ Bureau of Land Management
Minnesota Mining Maps ~ USGS Maps ~ 1869 Railroad Map Sanborn Maps: Library of Congress
Michael Fox Map Collection ~ Digitized Plat Maps / Atlases ~ Map Goose
Township Plat Map & Interactive Map of Minnesota
MN Land Plats-Maps
https://www.mngeo.state.mn.us/glo/index.html
Plat Books for Cottonwood County
Borchert Map Library
1926 Atlas: Cottonwood County


Biographies
"Personal Recollections
Of
Minnesota and Its People"
Early History of Minneapolis
John H Stevens, Minneapolis, Minn, 1890
The Index is Here ~ Read Online or Download

History of Cottonwood and Watonwan Counties, Minnesota
John A Brown, Editor-in-Chief: 1916, B F Bowen & Co., Inc, Indianopolis, Indiana
Vols I, II
Read Online or Download
Chapters:
III: Pioneer Settlement ~ VI: Townships ~ XVI: Military Matters
Vol II: Biographies, The Biographical Index is Here

Centenniel History of Cottonwood County, Minnesota
1849-1949, Windom, Minnesota
Cottonwood Historical Society

"History of the Great Northwest and it's Men of Progress"
CGW Hyde, 1901
Pub: The Minneapolis Journal - The Index is here.
Read Online or Download

"Appleton's Cyclopaedia of American Biography "
by Wilson, James Grant, 1832-1914; Fiske, John, 1842-1901
Publication date 1900
Appleton Review ~ Archive.org [All Volumes]

Biography: William Seeger, Sr


"What's New"
The National Archives has a really nice set of digitized records that can be free accessed.
Please use this link for access.

Obituaries: Heritage Hub
March: 1897 ~ "Mr" Christianson
5 April 1988 - 31 December 2023 - Please Use This Link
Articles from the following:
Star Tribune: Newspaper of the Twin Cities (MN)
Free Press, The (Mankato, MN)
St. Paul Pioneer Press: Web Edition Articles (MN)
Lookups Available: Contact Martha

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Family Search "Collections"
There is a wealth of Family and Historical information contained on the FamilySearch WebSite.
It can be overwhelming to figure out where to start.
So, here are concentrated categories of databases

Cemeteries, Etc [Burial, Cemeteries, Coroner, Funeral Homes, Graves]ves]
Church Records [ Baptism's, Catholic Church, Christenings, Church [General]]
Legal Documents and Resources [Court, Estate, Probate Records]
Migration - Naturalization - Travel [ Border Crossings, Migration, Naturalization, Passenger Lists, Passports]
Military [Bounty [Land], Military [Misc], Pensions, Soldiers, Veteran's, War[s]]
Odds and Ends [Applications, Homestead, Membership, Native Americans, Parish [Location & Church], Pioneers, Prison, Voting, Obituaries, Veteran & Soldier's Homes, Children's Home]
Vital Records [Birth, Marriage, Divorce, Death, Mortality Records]

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There is a great site that has all sorts of links to free Historical and Genealogical Data
"The Ancestor Hunt"
Scroll down, left side has the menu
Digital Newspapers ~ Year Books & Alumni Books School Records ~ Obituaries ~ Coroner, Mortuary & Cemetery Records
BMD's ~ Birth & Marriage Records ~ Divorce & Death Records ~ Probate & Tax Records ~ Institutional & Military Records‚ Naturalizations & Immigration ~ Criminal & Digital Archives ~ Directories ~ Photos & Voter Records


Queries and Lookup Volunteers
I could find no volunteers for Cottonwood County on the old pages.
If you have local resources and wish to volunteer, Please contact Tim Stowell [State Coordinator]
Linkpendium ~ Minnesota Mail List & Queries

Lookups & Free Digital Archival Newspapers
I have access to the following Subscription Databases and am happy to do limited lookups:
Heritage Hub [Includes NewBank] ~ Access World News ~ LA Times ~ NY Times

My Heritage: Library Edition - Collections
Census & Voter Lists ~ Histories, Memories & Biographies ~ Birth, Marriage & Death
Public Records ~ Schools & Universities ~ Directories, Guides & References
Maps ~ Immigration & Travel ~ Books & Publications
Military ~ Newspapers ~ Family Trees ~ Photos ~ Government, Land, Court & Wills
I will do limited lookups on My Heritage: contact Martha [Volunteer]

and... 'History Hub' = New Lookup Service
Search for Living People: Zaba Search
And RAOGK

Free Digital Historical Newspapers
Minnesota Historical Society - General Resources
Minnesota Historical Society: Digital Newspapers

Other Sources for Free Archival Digital Newspapers
Chronicling America ~ Google News Archives
Century Past ~ Illinois Digital Collection
Historical Newspapers: Indexed by State [Some Free]

California Digital Newspapers
This Site has a great collection of CA Newspapers,
but many of them have articles from other States including Minnesota - Use this Link


'Old Cottonwood Queries'
There were a lot of old Queries and in the interest of providing them for clues,
they have been reformatted. They were contributed between 1999 and 2006.
There is no way to contact anyone who sent them in, so take them 'as is' and go from there.
Please Use This Link


FamilySearch: Film: Family Histories
Family histories: A - Dickinson, Wesley Film #398148
Family histories: Dickinson, Wesley (cont.) - Johnson, Mikal Film # 398149
Family histories: Johnson, Mikal (cont.) - Nelson, Adolf, Film # 1183245
Family histories: Nelson, Adolk (cont.) - Rossow, Erwin Film # 1183246
Family histories: Rossow, Erwin (cont.) - Sykora, Charles, Film # 1183247
Family histories: Sykora, Charles (cont.) - Zunkel, Virgil, film # 183759
Please Login to your Account and then use this Link for the Films

Cottonwood Historical Society


Odds and Ends

>>>What's New<<<
Medical Directories:
"Medical and Surgical Directory
of The United States"
R L Polk & Co, Publishers,
1886 [MN Files]

"Medical and Surgical Register
of The United States"
R L Polk, Publishers,
Detroit, Philadelphia, Chicago
1890 [MN Files]
Military Information is also included in these Books.
Such As...
Officers Of the Medical Department of the United States Army And Hospital Stewards.
Medical Corps of the United States Navy
Medical Officers Of the U. S. Marine Hospital Service.
Including Acting Assistant Surgeons And Hospital Stewards.

Note: There are more of these Directories for the following years: Scroll [Archive.org Site]
Years: 1890, 1893, 1896, 1898,1900, 1902, 1904, 1906, 1908, 1910, 1912, 1917
The National Archives has a really nice set of digitized records that can be free accessed.
Please use this link for access.


Book Assortment: Crime, Biography, Medical
There are  download links for Archive.org & Google E Book Items

"The Physicians and Surgeons of the United States"
Edited By:
William B Atkinson, M D: Author of "Hints in the Obstertic Procedure," etc...
Philadelphia: Charles Robson, 1878
There are three Indexes, "Alpha", "Local" & "Analytical" The two most useful are Alpha and Local
The Indexes are Here
The Book can be read online or downloaded.

"Woman's Who's Who of America"
A Biographical Dictionary of Contemporary Women of the United States and Canada
1914-1915: John William Leonard, Editor-in-Chief
New York: The American Commonwealth Company
There is no Alpha Index, instead the Authors saw fit to make one that is titled: "Her Married Name".
There is an Addenda - Corrections set of pages.
The Bios are listed Alphabetically.
The Addenda and 'Married Name'
The book can be read online or downloaded

"Men of America"
A Biographical Dictionary of Contemporaries
Edited By: John W Leonard
L R Hamersly & Company
One West Thirty Fourth Street, New York city: 1908
There is no TOC or Index ~ Entries are Alphabetical :
Google Books: Read Online or Download

"Men and Women of America"
A Biographical Dictionary of Contemporaries
L R Hamersly & Company
One West Thirty Fourth Street, New York city: 1910
Copyright 1909 By
L R Hamersly & Company, New York
There is no TOC or Index ~ Entries are Alphabetical
Read Online or Download

"The American Bar"
The Professional Directoy of
Lawyers of the World
Sarah Livermore: Editor
Sixty-Second Annual Edition: 1980
Published by:
Reginald Bishop Forster & Associates, Inc
Minneapolis, Minnesota
Please use this link for Index and Split Sections

"Professional Criminals of America"
By
Thomas Byrnes
Inspector of Police and Chief of Detectives: New York City
Cassell & Company, Limited
739 & 741 Broadway, New York
Copyright, 1886 By Thomas Brynes
Index and Sections are Here
Read Online or Download [FS]

More Miscellaneous "Odds & Ends"
A new Archive Service: "Archive-It"
Here is a new way to search MN Digital Newspapers
Please use this Link

The Funeral Cards listed below are included because of the wide variety of locations for the folks

Funeral cards, 1987-1989
Authors:
Mankato Mortuary [Mankato, Minnesota]
Film # 1651939
Microfilm of original records.

The funeral cards are divided into three alphabets, one for each year 1987-1989. The information on the cards are not always complete but could give: the name and address of the deceased and the informant, birthdate and place of deceased, death date and place, where buried, length of residence in community and prior residence, parents' names and birthplace, spouse's name and marriage date, occupation, church membership, survivors' names, funeral costs, and other information.
Image Ranges:
1987: 4 - 141
1988: 142-410
1989: 411-644
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Land and Property
FS Catalog Resources:
Deed Records, 1871-1898 ; indexes, 1871-1884
Author: Cottonwood County (Minnesota). Register of Deeds
Homesteaders : Selma Township, Cottonwood County, Minnesota
Homesteaders: Westbrook Township, Cottonwood County, Minnesota]
Remember, Homestead Notices are in local Newspapers.
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Wills and Probate Records
Minnesota Will Records : Collection Record, 1849-1985
Author: Minnesota Historical Society (St. Paul, Minnesota)
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Minnesota, Cottonwood County, Will Records, 1883-1981
Author: Minnesota. Probate Court (Cottonwood County); Minnesota Historical Society (St. Paul, Minnesota)
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Probate Court Index, 1872-1985; Probate Files, ca. 1872-1900
Author: Minnesota. Probate Court (Cottonwood County)

Native American Resources
Native Americans ~ Wiki +
Additional History which includes the Dakota Wars
There are 11 federally recognized Tribes in Minnesota
A search on the Archive.org Site shows these results.
News Article: Burial Mounds
U.S.,Records Related to Enrollment of Eastern Cherokee
by Guion Miller, 1908-1910
[How to search and use the above Records]

Appletons' Cyclopedia of American Biography, 1600-1889
[Note: There are Bios for Native Americans]

Crime and Punishment
FS: United States Prison Records

Family Search, Catalog, Film: Prison Records
1617966 ~ Mc Neil Island
956170 ~ Territorial Prison at Yuma, AZ
978902 ~ CA State Prison, San Quentin, 1851-1867 [Index]
978903 ~ CA State Prison, San Quentin, 1851-1867, Register
978904 ~ CA State Prison, San Quentin, 1876-1889, Register
978905 ~ CA State Prison, San Quentin, 1889-1897, Register
978906 Vol A ~ CA State Prison, San Quentin, List of Convicts, AC
978906 Vol B
978906 Vol C
978907 ~ CA State Prison, Folsom
978907 ~ Register, 1884-1886 [Prisoner #s 11092-12354]