Todd County
Main Street, Browerville Minnesota, 1910, Courtesy of MN Historical Society
Locations Where Poles Settled in Todd County include:
Towns: Browerville, Long Prairie
Townships: Burleene Township
Poles from Silesia were known to settle in Browerville.
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 Todd County where Polish families worshiped.
Vital Records and Land Records
The County Recorder and Registrar of Titles is responsible for birth, marriage, death and land records in Todd County.
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 Society and Public Libraries
The Historical Society and county public libraries provide resources related to genealogy and the history of Todd County.
General Genealogy Links
The following are websites with general resources and genealogy information about Todd County:
Books
| Title | Author/publisher | comments |
|---|---|---|
| History of Morrison and Todd Counties – Their People, Industries and. Institutions | Clara K. Fuller B. F. Bowen and Company, 1915 | Online link to book |
| Family Maps of Todd County | Gregory A. Boyd Arphax Publishing | Link to Surnames in the book (need to scroll down the page) |
PGS-MN Newsletter Article
(You will need to scroll down to the page indicated to find the article within the newsletter link)
| newsletter | page | title/Author |
|---|---|---|
| Spring 1995 | 6 | Tryba in Minnesota – Thomas Tryba by Stanley W. Kava (family came from Pilzno in Galicia) |
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.
Browerville
Polish immigrants in Browerville started arriving in 1870 from the village of Strzelce Opolskie in Upper Silesia, which is 19 miles southeast of the city of Opole. The area was Polish ethnically and one reason for emigration was the attempted Germanization of the region.
General Genealogy Links
The following are websites with general resources and genealogy information about Browerville:
Historic Newspaper
The Browerville Blade was in print from 1941-2017.
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 |
|---|---|---|
| Winter 1997 | 7 | Relatives in Browerville? Dr. Gregory J. Gazda |
| Fall 1999 | 8 | Full Circle: Polish Catholics in Browerville, MN by Harry McOuat |
Long Prairie
General Genealogy Links
The following are websites with general resources and genealogy information about Long Prairie:
Book
| Title | Author/Publisher | Comments |
|---|---|---|
| Long Prairie (Images of America) | by Jeff Lucas Arcadia Publishing, 2018 | Link to order |