This series consists of over 1500 biographical sketches created by the Works Progress Administration (WPA) from 1936 though 1939. These sketches focus on early settlers of Stearns County, Minnesota, who lived predominantly during the 1800s, though a few can be dated to the late 1700s. By keeping their focus on the "common" person in society, the WPA biographies present examples of how the working class spent their lives. In addition, there are several immigrant accounts that share struggles and triumphs of settling in Stearns County.
A combination of interviews, information taken from books or newspapers, census data and courthouse records are put together in these files to create as complete of a genealogical picture as possible. All files are different - some may contain a combination of an interview summary, information taken from published sources, and census data and courthouse from the Stearns County courthouse. If the interview is not conducted with the subject themselves, they were usually conducted with a family member. This information is listed at the end of each sketch along with the name of the interviewer. Birth and death dates were included if known. It is believed that the people presented in these biographies were selected at random which come from diverse backgrounds. Some of the subjects discuss their interactions with Native Americans, while others briefly talk about their daily routine.
The finding aid for the biographies can be found here.
Visit the University Archives for more information.
Interviews
Schafer, John (1837 - ), Tresa Gruber
Schallert, Rudolph (1861 - ), Walter B. Haupt
Scharver, Henry W. (1870 - 1930), Alexander Pallansch
Schaum, Adam (1856 - ), Tresa Gruber
Scheibel, Frank Joseph (1864 - ), Nick P. Kruchten
Scheibel, Mike (1868 - ), Walter B. Haupt
Schenk, John (1830 - 1930), Gilbert Bunt and Malinda Bunt
Schepers, Lambert B. (1867 - ), Nick P. Kruchten and Dean Nelson
Scherfenberg, George G. (1867 - ), Walter Jernberg
Schieffer, Mathew (1867 - ), Melba Peterson
Schirber, John (1858 - ), Dean Nelson
Schlagheck, John J. (1862 - 1931), Tresa Gruber
Schleicher, Fritz (1858 - ), Walter B. Haupt
Schleppenbach, John (1862 - 1910), Walter B. Haupt
Schmidt, John (1863 - 1924), Tresa Gruber
Schmiginsky, William (1861 - ), Clarence Chisholm
Schmitt, Charles T. (1858 - 1937), Walter Jernberg
Schmitt, John (1823 - 1895), Tresa Gruber
Schmitt, Lawrence (1831 - 1883), Walter Jernberg
Schmitt, Peter D. (1854 - 1933), Walter Jernberg
Schneider, Anton (1862 - ), Walter B. Haupt
Schneider, Joseph H. ( - 1919), Walter Jernberg
Schneider, Michael (1855 - ), Nick P. Kruchten
Schoenleben, John F. (1865 - ), Clarence Chisholm
Scholen, Michael (1849 - 1921), Virgil Chirhart
Schreifels, Nick H. (1869 - ), Alexander Pallansch
Schreiner, Chrystom R.C. (1859 - ), Tresa Gruber
Schroeder, Andrew Lucas (1868 - 1931), Tresa Gruber
Schroeder, Frank (1857 - 1936), Nick P. Kruchten and Dean Nelson
Schroeder, Fred (1839 - 1931), Tresa Gruber
Schroeder, William F.E. (1845 - 1919), Clarence Chisholm
Schuler, Andrew, Nick P. Kruchten
Schulten, C. (1831 - ), Tresa Gruber
Schultey, Tobias Herman (1848 - 1931), Alexander Pallansch
Schulty, John William (1846 - 1902), Alexander Pallansch
Schultz, William F. (1869 - ), Clarence Chisholm
Schumacher, John (1853 - ), Gilbert Bunt
Schuster, Fred G. (1867 - ), Walter Jernberg
Schwab, Carl D. (1872 - ), Dean Nelson
Schwab, Phillip (1836 - 1889), Dean Nelson
Schwagel, Frank (1865 - ), Walter Jernberg
Schwanke, William (1864 - 1926), Walter Jernberg
Schwartz, John (1822 - 1915), Tresa Gruber
Schwartz, Rudolph (1853 - 1917), Clarence Chisholm
Schwarzbauer, Stephen G. (1880 - ), Melba Peterson
Schwarz, John (1824 - ), Tresa Gruber
Schwinghammer, John, Jr., (1840 - 1917), Walter B. Haupt
Scott, Robert L., Tresa Gruber
Seabury, William L. (1864 - ), Walter Jernberg
Searle, Dolson Bush (1846 - 1909), Tresa Gruber
Searle, Frank E. (1853 - ), Tresa Gruber
Seberger, Peter J. (1864 - 1935), Walter Jernberg
Sefkow, Carl (1849 - ), Dean Nelson
Seifert, John (1850 - 1916), Nick P. Kruchten
Seldon, Thomas (1858 - ), Nick P. Kruchten
Sell, Carl (1861 - ), Nick P. Kruchten
Senkler, Albert Edward (1842 - ), Tresa Gruber
Sheldon, Horace Fuller (1841 - 1927), Clarence Chisholm
Shellinger, Joe (1864 - ), Dean Nelson
Shield, William (1878 - ), Walter Jernberg
Shoemaker, Abram (1816 - 1886), Tresa Gruber
Shoemaker, Waite Almon (1860 - ), Tresa Gruber
Shulte, Lambert, Jr. (1864 - ), Walter B. Haupt
Sias, Stephen (1830 - 1893), Works Progress Administration
Sieben, George (1844 - 1915), Dorothy Hansmann
Sieben, Jacob (1859 - 1928), Melba Peterson
Siegler, Mike (1862 - ), Walter Jernberg
Simonton, John (1826 - ), Melba Peterson
Simonton, Joseph H. (1840 - 1920), Melba Peterson
Simonton, J.S.(1840 - 1920), Tresa Gruber
Simonton, Mary Jane (Stabler) (1846 - 1935), Melba Peterson
Simonton, S. (1857 - ), Tresa Gruber
Simonton, Samuel (1838 - ), Melba Peterson
Simonton, William A. (1871 - ), Tresa Gruber
Siver, Jacob Wyman (1845 - 1917), Clarence Chisholm
Skinner, Abner B. (1843 - ), Virgil Chirhart
Skumatz, Primus (1843 - ), Tresa Gruber
Slattery, Albert, Jr. (1860 - ), Walter Jernberg
Slenta, Nels Nelson (1837 - 1923), Melba Peterson
Sloan, John R. (1824 - ), Tresa Gruber
Smart, Harrison G. (1859 - 1929), Walter Jerrnberg
Smith, Andrew J. (1839 - ), Tresa Gruber
Smith, Anna (Hewitt) (1842 - ), Melba Peterson
Smith, Henry (1838 - 1921), Melba Peterson
Smith, John G. (1834 - ), Tresa Gruber
Smith, Levi Walker (1842 - ), Melba Peterson
Smith, Martin H. (1820 - ), Tresa Gruber
Solinger, Mathias, Works Progress Administration
Sorenson, David P., Melba Peterson
Soule, William H., M.E. (1834 - 1891), Tresa Gruber
Spaulding, Alexander (1839 - ), Tresa Gruber
Spaulding, Daniel (1813 - 1886), Tresa Gruber
Spaulding, David, Tresa Gruber
Spaulding, George (1844 - ), Tresa Gruber
Spaulding, Thomas O. (1838 - ), Tresa Gruber
Spaulding, Willard (1833 - ), Tresa Gruber
Spence, James A. (1863 - ), Walter Jernberg
Spengler, Nickolas (1855 - ), Ann Kramer
Sperl, Robert (1878 - ), Walter B. Haupt
Spielmann, Gerard R.C. (1865 - ), Tresa Gruber
