Genealogy: Research Your Family

It's never too late to get started on your genealogy!

The library can help!

The Northfield Library has microfilm for the Northfield News covering the years 1879-April 2009.    There is a card index which covers the years up to 1987.   The Online Selco Newspaper Index includes the years 1987-March 2008.   The Library keeps about 6 years of bound volumes of the Northfield News in the building.  Previous years are kept at the Northfield Historical Society. 

The local history collection at the Northfield Public Library includes books, atlases, plat maps, local high school yearbooks, scrapbooks, newspaper and census microfilm, clippings, family histories, telephone books and more.  The Reference staff can look up articles or obituaries in the local newspaper.  We will respond to genealogical requests as time permits.  The Reference staff is not able to do in depth genealogical research.  Please contact the Northfield Historical Society or the Rice County Historical Society for names of people who do research for a fee.

All titles are located in the Northfield Public Library Pye Conference Room - all have the call number R Pye 929.2

Please ask at the reference desk for assistance

Albers Family, 1855-1976  (1976)

Albers Family, 1855-1991 (1991)

Descendents of Henry Wells- Henry Wells  (2003)

Embracing Two Worlds: the Thorvald Muller Family of Kimballton - Barbara Lund-Jones and John W. Nielsen (1998)

From Lantern to Yardlight - Emma Quie Bonhus  (1948)

Garden Spot of the World: Sanderson Family History - Edith Hurlbutt Sanderson  (1971)

Supplement to the Garden Spot of the World - Sanderson (1972)

Genealogy of the Grover Family, the Hall Family and Allied Families - Grover   (1986)

Heinrick Grosser and his Descendents - Peggy Rice Grosser   (1988)

Jeremiah Bunday Family: Allied Family Hunt, Sherwood, Bennett - Dorothy Hunt Jones (1980)

Law Family of Wanlockhead, Scotland, and Northfield, Minnesota, 1812-1986; allied Families, Carlaw, Beckstead, Hunter, Abernathy, Lorimer, Bowler, Rankin, Masson, Taylor and others - Margaret D. Leslie Lindner (1986)

Like Father, Like Son: the Gilfillan Story - Merrill Jarchow  (1986)

Noble Women, restless men: the Rippley Family in Wisconsin, North Dakota, Minnesota and Montana - La Vern Rippley (1996)

Parrish Family: including the allied families of Belt, Boyd, Cole and Malone, Clokey, Garrett, Merryman, Parson, Price, Tipton: with special reference to Mercelia Louise Boyd - Kathrine Gottschalk (1988)

Paternal Ancestry and Descendents of Ole Olsen Lysne, 1854-1938 - Warren Herbert Lysne (1996)

Pslambook... and a good pair of shoes: 13 Generations of the Floren and Haugen Family: from Tangvold Far, Hegra Parish, Stjordalen, Norway to Valley Grove, Norhtfield, Minnesota - Carol-Jean Swanson Boevers (2002)

Reminiscences of the Family- Florence Richardson Street  (1983)

Scriver Saga- Jeannette Scriver Burch (1985)

With Love and Affection - Allegra Struthers Dunphy (1972)

Certified birth and death records are available from the Rice County Recorder from 1870 to the present date.  These records will only be released to immediate family members or persons with "tangible interest" in the requested certificate.  (Note that brothers and sisters are not considered immediate family - see the Minnesota Department of Health website which explains "tangible interest".  Marriage records are also available from 1856 to the present date.  They can be requested by anyone.  Request forms can be downloaded at www. health.state.mn.us or by calling the Rice County Recorder at 507-645-9576 (from Northfield) or 507-332-6114

The library has collection of Northfield High School Yearbooks (Norhian) dating back to 1948.  We are missing 2014.  According to our best calculations 1948 was the first year the Norhian was published.  We do have a few of the yearbooks - Orange and Black - 1914, 1916, 1921 and 1927.  It also appears that there were no yearbooks published between 1928-1947.  All of our yearbooks are located in a locked case in the Pye Room upstairs at the library.  Please see the reference desk for assistance.  We do hold a valid I.D. while the yearbooks are being used. 

Please note that the yearbooks have also  been scanned. You will need a Facebook account to access.