Resources

Start Uncovering the Past

The Research Center collections accommodate researchers of all kinds, from amateur genealogists to professional historians, and cover all aspects of Olmsted County history. See our Research page for fees and how to make a research request.

You can browse through our collection by visiting MN Collections.* New items are added every week, so check back often!

*This project was made possible in part by the people of Minnesota through a grant funded by an appropriation to the Minnesota Historical Society from the Minnesota Arts and Cultural Heritage Fund.

Resources include but are not limited to:

  • Local newspapers, 1859 to present
  • City directories, 1873 to 2022
  • Vital records (birth, death, marriage), 1871 to 1997 (end dates vary by record type)
  • Funeral home records

  • Probate and Guardianship records
  • Plat maps
  • High school yearbooks
  • Cemetery inscriptions
  • Federal census, 1857 to 1930

  • State census, 1865 to 1905
  • Scrapbooks
  • Photographs of people, places, and events

Newspaper Index

Search Rochester papers from 1859 – 1925.

Biographical Index

Search for various items in the collections, organized biographically, including photographs, diaries, letters, newspaper articles, documents, etc.

Subject Index

Search for various items in the collections, organized by subject, including photographs, diaries, letters, newspaper articles, documents, etc.

Rochester Public Library
Personals Index

Search for anniversaries, births, divorces, marriages, and obituaries that appeared in the Rochester Post Bulletin between 1984 and 2009. Obituaries after 2009 are not indexed here, but can be found in the Biographical Index.

Rochester Public Library
Subject Index

Search for local topics and issues that appeared in the Rochester Post Bulletin between 1971 and 1991. Compiled from a card index.

Photo Index  

Search for photographs from various local photographers – including Cutshall Studio, Hoffmann Studios, Elle’s Photography, Mosing Photography, and Potter Photography.

Fire Department Index

Search for personnel, buildings, articles, fire images, and equipment. These are held in the Rochester Fire Department archives. Images have been posted in low resolution.

Collection Finding Aids
and Other Resources

Finding Aids

Resources and Organizations

Local Organizations