Lyon County
Taunton, MN Street Scene, 1917 – Courtesy of Lyon County Historical Society
Towns where Poles settled in Lyon County include:
Taunton (prior to 1888 was known as Ripon)
County-Wide Resources
Vital Records and Land Records
The Lyon County Recorder’s Office maintains birth,
marriage, death and land records.
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.
Historical Society and Museum
According to their websites: “The purpose of the Lyon County Historical Society shall be the collection, preservation and dissemination of knowledge about the history of Lyon County and to relate it to the history of the region and the state of Minnesota.”
General Genealogy Links
The following are websites with general resources and genealogy information about Lyon County:
Books about Lyon County
| book | title/author | comments |
|---|---|---|
| An Illustrated History of Lyon County Minnesota | by Arthur P. Rose Northern History Publishing Company, 1912 | Online version |
| Lyon County, Minnesota (A 37-page booklet from a book – History of the Minnesota Valley) | by Rev. Edward D. Neill | How to order |
| Lyon County Images | by Lyon County Historical Society | Order here |
| Prairie Town: A History of Marshall, Minnesota, 1872-1997 | by John Radzilowski | Order here |
Maps
The 1916 plat map is 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.
Taunton
General Genealogy Links
The following are websites with general resources and genealogy information about Taunton:
PGS-MN Newsletter Article
| newsletter | page | title/author |
|---|---|---|
| Summer 2009 | 1 | Drobne Echa Article: Installment #16 – Taunton From Wiarus, 1899 – 1907 by Greg Kishel |