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
Gertken, John (1848 - 1933), Walter Jernberg
Getty, John Jerome (1821 - 1895), Tresa Gruber and Dorothy Hansmann
Gieske, Bernard (1850 - ), Ann Kramer
Gilk, Joseph (1876 - ), Walter Haupt
Gilles, John M. (1875 - ), Nick P. Krutchen
Gillett, Jerome (1824 - 1887), Melba Peterson
Gilman, Charles (1803 - 1895), Tresa Gruber
Gilman, Charles Andrew (1833 - ), Tresa Gruber
Gilman, David (1812 - 1885), Tresa Gruber
Gilman, Lorenzo W. (1857 - 1931), Dorothy Hansmann
Glenz, William F. (1850 - 1902), Clarence Chisholm
Gnifkowski, Thomas, Tresa Gruber
Goetker, Henry (1846 - 1916), Walter Jernberg
Goetten, Andrew (1868 - ), Dean Nelson
Gogala, Anton, Jr. (1841 - 1920), Walter B. Haupt
Goodspeed, John, Tresa Gruber
Gordon, Bazzel W. (1865 - ), Clarence Chisholm
Gordon, Hanford Lennox (1836 - ), Tresa Gruber
Gorman, Arthur M., Walter Jernberg
Gorman, Patrick B., Walter Jernberg and Tresa Gruber
Grahm, Mrs. Ellen (Brown) (1853 - 1906), Ann Kramer
Grams, William (1854 - ), Dorothy Hansmann
Grausam, Martin (1857 - ), Walter B. Haupt
Grave, Casper M. (1860 - ), Walter B. Haupt
Gray, John (1853 - 1916), Dorothy Hansmann
Gray, Thomas J. (1851 - 1907), Tresa Gruber
Greely, Albert S. (1830 - ), Tresa Gruber
Greely, N. I. (1833 - 1892), Tresa Gruber
Gresser, Christian (1833 - 1892), Walter B. Haupt
Gretch, John (Grotch) (1866 - ), Walter B. Haupt
Greven, Frank Leo (1876 - ), N. P. Kruchten
Grimmer, Harry (1865 - 1932), Walter Jernberg
Grinols, Benjamin (1832 - ), Works Progress Administration
Groetsch, Simon (Gretsch) (ca. 1860/1870 - 1931), Walter B. Haupt
Gross, John (1869 - ), Gilbert Bunt and Walter Jernberg
Grossman, Christoph (1852 - 1910), Tresa Gruber
Gross, Michael (1869 - ), Walter Jernberg
Gross, Severin R.C. (1829 - 1893), Tresa Gruber
Gruber, Andrew (1858 - 1927), Tresa Gruber
Gulsvig, Lars (1846 - 1907), Melba Peterson
Guptil, John P., Tresa Gruber
Hackman, Frederick (1862 - ), Ann Kramer
Hackmann, Fritz (1862 - ), Melba Peterson
Haftorn, Ole P. (1836 - 1929), Melba Peterson
Hagberg, Andrew (1851 - ), Dean Nelson
Hageman, Carl (1866 - ), Ann Kramer
Hagen, Nicholas (1863 - ), Virgil Chirhart
Haines, Angus (1843 - ), Tresa Gruber
Haines, George (Addition), Clarence Chisholm
Haines, Herbert (1864 - 1938), Clarence Chisholm
Haines, James C. (1840 - 1908), Tresa Gruber
Hall, Constant (1857 - 1903), Walter Jernberg
Hall, Henry (1865 - ), Walter Jernberg
Hall, Joseph Paul (1862 - 1908), Walter Jernberg
Halverson, Hans (1837 - 1924), Melba Peterson
Halverson, Kittle (1846 - ), Tresa Gruber
Halvorson, Thor (1862 - ), Melba Peterson
Halweg, Elizabeth (Harguth) (1852 - ), Virgil Chirhart
Hamann, John, Jr. (1864 - ), Walter B. Haupt
Hamilton, Adeline (House) (1865 - ), Dorothy Hansmann
Hamilton, Elijah S. (1861 - ), Dean Nelson
Hamilton, Reverend J. F., Melba Peterson
Hammerl, Christ (1848 - ), Walter B. Haupt
Hammers, Hubert (1865 - ), Nick P. Kruckten
Hanauer, Joseph W. (1866 - ), Walter B. Haupt
Hanlon, Dennis (1860 - 1900), Walter Jernberg
Hanna, John F. (1830 - ), Melba Peterson
Hanscom, David J. (1850 - ), Tresa Gruber
Hansen, Carl J. (1850 - ), Dorothy Hansmann
Hansen, Edward H. (1882 - 1935), Dorothy Hansmann
Hansen, Hans (1846 - 1904), Dorothy Hansmann
Hansen, Nicholas, Sr. (1835 - 1910), Tresa Gruber
Hansen, Rudolph E. (1879 - ), Dorothy Hansmann
Hansen, Soren Peter (1864 - ), Dorothy Hansmann
Hanson, Burtrum Peter (1865 - 1932), Melba Peterson
Hanson, Ole Christopher (1878 - ), Melba Peterson
Harmon, Chandler (1839 - 1881), Dorothy Hansmann and Tresa Gruber
Harmon, Jesse L. (1852 - ), Melba Peterson
Harren, Henry B. (1882 - ), Walter B. Haupt
Harris, Daniel (1863 - 1928), Nick P. Kruchten and Dean Nelson
Harris, Edward (1867 - ), Dean Nelson
Harrison, Bridget (Flynn) (1846 - 1933), Melba Peterson
Harrison, E. J. (1848 - ), Melba Peterson
Hartmann, Ferdinand (1829 - ), Walter Jernberg
Hartmann, John Peter (1858 - ), Dean Nelson
Hart, William (1874 - ), Dean Nelson
Haskamp, Joseph (1825 - 1898), Ann Kramer
Hauot, Mathias (Haub) (ca. 1826/1827 - 1909), Ann Kramer and Walter B. Haupt
Hayes, Moses P. (1829 - ), Tresa Gruber
Hayter, John C. (1865 - ), Tresa Gruber
Hayward, Josiah E. (1826 - ), Tresa Gruber
Heaton, Tertius (1812 - 1900), Works Progress Administration
Hechtel, Mike (1847 - 1935), Walter Jernberg
Hecklin, Fred (1831 - ), Tresa Gruber
Hendrickson, Hans A. (1868 - ), Walter Jernberg
Hendrickson, John F. (1853 - ), Dean Nelson
Hendrickson, Rachel Mathiason (Reiquan) (1843 - 1934), Melba Peterson
Hendry, William (1843 - 1908), Melba Peterson
Hendryx, Charles F. (1847 - ), Melba Peterson and Tresa Gruber
Hendryx, James I. (1823 - 1883), Tresa Gruber
