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
Karsburg, August (1854 - 1919), Walter Jernberg
Katzner, John B.R.C. (1850 - ), Tresa Gruber
Katzner, John, Jr. (1869 - ), Walter B. Haupt
Kaufmann, John (ca. 1846,1849 - 1916), Tresa Gruber
Keater, Herman (1828 - 1901) and Anna (1830 - 1893), J. P. Gaetz
Keifer, Adam (1858 - 1931), Melba Peterson
Keller, Andrew (1826 - 1919), Tresa Gruber
Keller, Henry (1845 - 1907), Melba Peterson
Keller, Henry (1846 - ), Tresa Gruber
Kells, Laurel L. (1883 - ), Melba Peterson
Kells, Lucas (1841 - 1933), Melba Peterson
Kells, Lyman M. (1845 - 1923), Melba Peterson
Kelly, Dennis F. (1855 - 1939), Clarence Chisholm
Kelm, William F. (1863 - ), Clarence Chisholm
Kelsey, Menzo C. (1860 - ), Dorothy Hansmann
Kemper, Katherine (Caspers) (1855 - ), Walter B. Haupt
Kenna, Fredrick, Frederick Kenna
Kennedy, Charles A. (1853 - 1916), Dorothy Hansmann
Kennedy, James (1839 - ), Dean Nelson
Keough, James (1811 - 1896), Tresa Gruber
Keppers, Adam, Jr. (1865 - ), Walter B. Haupt
Keppers, John (1840 - 1909), Virgil Chirhart
Keppers, Nicholas, Works Progress Administration
Kerr, Charles Deal (1835 - 1896), Tresa Gruber
Kidder, Edwin (1829 - ), Tresa Gruber
Kierzek, Frank (1845 - ), Walter B. Haupt
Kiffmeyer, Bernard (1834 - 1905), Melba Peterson
Killean, Michael (1855 - ), Dorothy Hansmann
Kimball, Fry M. (1824 - ), Tresa Gruber
Kimball, James M. (1825 - 1902), Tresa Gruber
Kindler, John (1879 - ), Dean Nelson
Kindler, Julius (1841 - 1899), Dean Nelson
Kind, William (1867 - ), Ann Kramer
Kingen, Hubert (1855 - ), Virgil Chirhart
Kingsriter, George J. (1854 - 1919), Clarence Chisholm
Kinsella, James H. (1890 - 1930), Dorothy Hansmann
Kinsella, John E. (1864 - 1936), Walter Jernberg
Kinsella, John E. (1881 - 1929), Dorothy Hansmann
Kinsella, Robert B. (1840 - 1924), Dorothy Hansmann
Kinsella, Stephen (1840 - 1925), Dorothy Hansmann
Kirchner, William (1857 - ), Walter Jernberg
Kirckner, Frank X. (1856 - ), Alexander Pallansch
Kisinger, Lincoln (1864 - ), Clarence Chisholm
Kitowski, Thomas (1860 - 1936), Gilbert Bunt
Kjeldahl, Thomas (1860 - 1897), Melba Peterson
Klein, Anna (Schwarzbauer) (1865 - 1928), Melba Peterson
Klein, Nicholas J. (1856 - ), N. P. Kruchten and Dean Nelson
Klein, Peter (1835 - 1909), Dorothy Hansmann
Kleinschmidt, Henry (1869 - 1915), Dean Nelson
Kleinschmidt, Mrs. Anna (Fritzler) (Hartung) (1854 - 1936), Melba Peterson
Kleis, John E. (1868 - ), Dean Nelson
Klinkner, Michael (1834 - 1915), Tresa Gruber
Kloeppers, Herman (1868 - ), Virgil Chirhart
Kloepper, William (1865 - 1931), Walter Jernberg
Kloskowski, Frank (1861 - ), N. P. Kruchten
Knaus, Alois, Sr. (1866 - ), Dean Nelson
Knebel, Herman R. (1875 - 1935), Clarence Chisholm
Knedel, Carl (1862 - ), Clarence Chisholm
Knops, Anton (1869 - ), Ann Kramer
Knops, John (1886 - ), Walter B. Haupt
Knott, Appolonia Eva (Czikalla) (1850 - 1937), Dorothy Hansmann
Knott, Mr., Elvina Orth
Knudson, Andrew (1858 - 1921), Dorothy Hansmann
Koch, Gustave (1850 - ), Dean Nelson
Koch, John (1886 - ), Virgil Chirhart and Tresa Gruber
Koch, Mathias (1873 - ), Walter Jernberg
Koenig, Ferdinandt (1856 - 1937), Clarence Chisholm
Koerner, Charles W. (1857 - ), Gilbert Bunt and Walter Jernberg
Kolling, Mathias (1857 - ), Alexander Pallansch
Kollmann, John (1875 - ), Walter Jernberg
Kollmann, Matt (1844 - 1925), Walter Jernberg
Koons, William (1863 - 1923), Tresa Gruber
Koop, John W. (1856 - 1927), Gilbert Bunt and Walter Jernberg
Koop, J.W. (1855 - 1936) and Peter Loso (1823 - 1877), R. Parker
Kost, Benedict (1860 - 1913), Dean Nelson
Kost, John (1856 - 1927), Tresa Gruber
Kostlan, Otto Carl (1879 - ), Tresa Gruber
Kotowski, John (1857 - ), N. P. Kruchten
Kowalkowski, Joseph D. (1861 - 1918), N. P. Kruchten and Dean Nelson
Kowski, Margaret (Zimmerman) (1862 - ), Walter B. Haupt
Kraemer, Adam (1836 - 1915), Dean Nelson
Kraemer, Mathias E. (1859 - ), Dean Nelson
Kraemer, Mr. and Mrs. George (1852 - ), Anna Robischon
Kraemer, Peter (1833 - 1890), Gilbert Bunt
Kraft, Carl (1852 - ), Dorothy Hansmann
Kraker, Joseph (1842 - ), Tresa Gruber
Kramer, Frank (1862 - ), Ann Kramer
Kray, John (1833 - ), Tresa Gruber
Krebsbach, John (1827 - 1900), Dorothy Hansmann
Krebsbach, Peter Joseph (1876 - 1928), Virgil Chirhart and Tresa Gruber
Krebs, George (1874 - ), Virgil Chirhart and Tresa Gruber
Krebs, Henry (1826 - 1906), Tresa Gruber
Kremer, Albert (1857 - ), Gilbert Bunt and Walter Jernberg
Kroll, Adolph (1866 - ), Clarence Chisholm
Kroll, Gustave (1869 - ), Clarence Chisholm
Kropp, Charles (1854 - ), Tresa Gruber
Kropp, John Herman (1858 - 1897), Tresa Gruber
Kuefler, John (1863 - ), Anna Kramer
Kuepers, John (1871 - ), Walter B. Haupt
Kurrell, Fredrick, Dorothy Hansmann
