Historical Societies (Olmsted County)
Olmsted County Historical Society Library
1195 West Circle Dr. SW
Rochester, MN 55902
Phone: (507) 282-9447
Web Address: olmstedhistory.com
Email: services@olmstedhistory.com
Hours: Tuesday—Saturday 9:00 a.m.—5:00 p.m.
Resources Available:
Books & Other Published Materials
Indexed local histories of Olmsted County
Extensive collection of books and periodicals on Minnesota history and the Civil War; complete collection of Minnesota
Legislative manuals
DAR lineage books
Savage and other genealogical resources
Biographical index to military resources at Olmsted County Historical Society Library
Cemetery Indexes (Olmsted County)
Indexed transcripts from Olmsted, Mower, Wabasha & Winona counties (MN), and some from Dodge, Goodhue, Fillmore, & Houston counties.
Indexed funeral home records from many Olmsted County undertakers and records of one funeral home in Pine Island, Goodhue County; also a scrapbook from Vine Funeral Home in Olmsted County that is indexed.
County Histories & Biographical Sketches
Histories of 40 other Minnesota counties for surrounding counties
Biographical index to military resources at Olmsted County Historical Society Library
Census
Federal Census--Minnesota portion: 1850, 1860 (print index), 1870 (print index), 1880 (microfilm Soundex index), 1900 (microfilm Soundex index), 1910, 1920 (microfilm Soundex index), 1930
State Census: 1857 (Olmsted County index), 1865, 1875, 1885, 1895, 1905
City & County Directories
Rochester city directories (1873-1993)
Olmsted County directories
Newspapers published in Olmsted County
The newspaper coverage is from 1859-present for the city of Rochester; also have some microfilm of area newspapers: Byron (1868-1970), Chatfield (1857-1902), Dover (1906; 1908; 1941-1945), Elgin (1904-1942), Eyota (1869-1878), Pine Island (1882-1885; 1890-1910), Renville (1917), St. Charles (1867-1874) and Stewartville (1893-1976).
Manuscripts & Public Records Collections
Rochester city clerk's records, 1858-1958
Vertical files, pertaining to Rochester & Olmsted County, containing photographs, family histories, manuscripts, pamphlets, etc.
Wedding scrapbooks, 1934-1959 (indexed)
Church Records
Immanuel Lutheran Church Records (Potsdam, MN) (indexed)
Photographs
Cutshall photography collection [first 40,000 of approximately 65,000 are indexed]
Hoffman photo collection (not indexed)
Probate Records
Indexed probate & guardianship records from Olmsted County, 1864-mid 1950s
War Information
World War II service information sheets for Olmsted County (indexed)
Draft registrations for World War I for Minnesota (whole state)
Newspaper Indexes
Index 1859-1912 of early Rochester newspapers
Biographical index to miscellaneous sources
Obituary index to the Rochester Post-Bulletin, 1979-present
Plat maps and books
Olmsted County: 1877, 1896, 1964, 1973, 1978, 1982, 1983, 1986, 1989, 1993
Also have some plat maps for surrounding counties and Sanborn Fire Insurance Maps of Rochester for 1899, 1904, 1914, 1920, 1928
Vital Records Indexes
City of Rochester birth & death, 1871-1940 (indexed)
Olmsted County
Births, 1871-1930 (indexed)
Marriages, 1856-1955
Deaths, 1871-1997 (missing mid 1992-mid 1994)
Other Minnesota counties include Blue Earth, Carver, Dodge, Fillmore, Freeborn, Goodhue, Jackson, Mower, Nicollet, Pipestone, Rice, Scott, Steele, Wabasha, Waseca, Winona
Iowa counties include Allamakee, Howard, Mitchell, Winneshiek
Yearbooks
Rochester: Century High School, 1998-present
Lourdes High School (Catholic), 1946-1994 (some issues missing)
Mayo High School, 1967-present (missing 1987-1988)
Rochester Junior College (later rochester Community College), 1928-1984