Ancestry Articles, Databases and Products

State, County and Town Histories

Minnesota Native Americans, 1823
William Keating, a professor of mineralogy and chemistry at the University of Pennsylvania, wrote a two-volume narrative of a 1823 scientific expedition in what later became Minnesota. This database is the first volume of the collection. Commissioned by the War Department, the expedition traveled up the Minnesota River, around Lake Winnepeg, and then east to Lake Superior. This volume pays special attention to Native Americans of the area, including the Potawatomi, Miami, Sauk, Menomone (Menominee), Winnebago, and Dacota (Sioux). It provides descriptions of cultural practices, beliefs, health, and physical attributes of these several tribes. For researchers Minnesota Native Americans in the early nineteenth century, this can be an illuminating narrative.
Henry Schoolcraft, Travels in Minnesota and Wisconsin, 1821
The upper Mid-West was largely undocumented in the early 1800s. This collection of journal writings, published in 1821, describes the area between Detroit and Sault Ste. Marie as recorded by Henry Schoolcraft. This explorer and Indian agent includes vivid descriptions of the topography and natural history of the area. Researchers will also find information regarding the mineral wealth of Minnesota and Wisconsin, including the lead mines at Dubuque. For researchers seeking to understand the country their ancestors settled, this can be a helpful source of information.