Kittson County
Lancaster Street Scene 1914 – Courtesy of LakesnWoods.com
Locations in Kittson County where Poles settled include:
Towns: Lancaster
Unincorporated Communities: Caribou
Townships: Richardville Township
County-Wide Resources
Catholic Churches and Cemeteries
The church was a central point in the lives of Polish immigrants. Learn more about the churches and cemeteries in Kittson County where Polish families worshiped.
Vital Records and Land Records
The Kittson County Recorder is the custodian of all legal records pertaining to real estate, births, marriages, and deaths.
U.S. Bureau of Land Management
The U.S. Department of Interior’s Bureau of Land Management has General Land Office Records where you can pick the state and county, then type a surname. If an ancestor purchased land, you will likely be able to see the document and details about the land and purchase.
Census Records
United States Census Records
You can find a lot of information about the U.S. Census records on the National Archives website. The U.S. Census was done every ten years from 1790 through 1950. (the site has direct links to census records for 1940 and 1950). FamilySearch and Ancestry also have census records (Ancestry requires a paid subscription).
Minnesota State Census Records
- The first Minnesota Territorial Census was taken in 1849, and was taken again in 1850, 1853, 1855, and 1857.
- After Minnesota became a State in 1858, the Minnesota State Census was taken every 10 years, in years that ended with a 5: 1865, 1875, 1885, 1895, and 1905.
- 1905 was the last year of the Minnesota State Census.
Historical Societies and Museums
The Historical Societies and Museums preserve artifacts and historical information related to Kittson County and its people.
General Genealogy Links
The following are websites with general resources and genealogy information about Kittson County:
- Genealogy Trails
- FamilySearch
- LDS Genealogy
- Kittson County Enterprise (Historic newspaper)
Maps
Plat maps are helpful in showing who owned the land that year. Click on the area you are interested in until you get to the detail level with names.
PGS-MN Newsletter Articles
(You will need to scroll down to the page indicated to find the article within the newsletter link)
| newsletter | page | TItle/Author |
|---|---|---|
| Summer 2000 | 1 | The Origin of Polish Settlement in Northwest Minnesota by John Radzilowski |
| Fall 2008 | 1 | Poznan Project: Search the Marriage Database by Kathryn Wilebski Schafer |
| Winter 2019 | 4 | Paternal Ancestry of Mary Masloski Wilebski by Kathryn Wilebski Schafer (the family emigrated from Budy, Russian Poland) |
Richardville Township
Lancaster
General Genealogy Links
Maps
Book
Golden Jubilee ’04 – ’54: Lancaster, Minnesota
by the Fiftieth Anniversary Committee, 1954