Genealogical Resources in University Archives

University Archives is St. Cloud State University’s record of university history and publications. The Archives maintains the University’s corporate memory by preserving and making available records, photographs, and publications of long-term value.

The Archives detail the University’s development and serves as a resource of information about St. Cloud State’s programs, people, policies and properties.

In addition to information about St. Cloud State, the Archives houses and manages records from organizations related to the University along with collections of rare books and publications by Minnesota authors.

University Archives is also open by appointment to the campus community and public for research, scholarship and to promote knowledge and understanding of the University’s origins, aims, programs and goals.

University Archives can be located on Miller Center's third floor, room 314. Office hours are Monday through Friday, 8am-430pm during the academic year with limited summer hours. Contact via email at archives@stcloudstate.edu or by telephone at 320.308.4753.

University Archives has many resources that provide genealogical information on those who have been employed or attended at St. Cloud State. Those with the most high value for genealogical research are online for access at any time with a computer and an Internet connection.

The digital objects are mostly connected archival indexes/finding aids in our Archon portal. Click on the link and then find the year needed.  Then click on the green triangle.  In the left hand column, click on "Download Original File" link underneath the thumbnail. Then the digital object will be downloaded as keyword searchable PDF.

• 1924 to 2015 online
• Students include address, hometown, year in school
• Also employees – faculty, staff, administrators
• Information on people depend on on the year

• 1869-2012 in print and online
• Trace curriculum, housing, tuition, fees, enrollment, almost everything, to 1869
• List of students from 1870s to 1920s by class and sometimes laboratory school students
• Graduate catalogs: http://libsys.stcloudstate.edu/archon/?p=collections/findingaid&id=17&q
• Summer catalogs: http://libsys.stcloudstate.edu/archon/?p=collections/findingaid&id=18&q

Alumni directories: http://www.stcloudstate.edu/library/archives/histories/alumni.aspx

Information includes:

• Alumni directories for 1908, 1940, 1992, and 1998
• Name, address, occupation, and family - depends when the alumni directory was published
• Includes only those individuals who graduated from St. Cloud State
• Organized sometimes alphabetically or by graduation date, depending on date
• Print version for 2010 is available only in University Archives

Transcript index: http://www.stcloudstate.edu/library/archives/histories/transcript-index.aspx

This is only an index to the names of individuals who have a transcript in University Archives and are not digitized.

Information includes:

• Date from mid-1870s to late 1930s
• Lists name, age when entered, hometown, father’s name, father’s occupation, family nationality, and school last attended
• Index to nearly 20,000 names in 15 volumes in University Archives
• Three indexes available - last name, date first attended, date graduated
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Normalia annual (1902-1904): http://www.stcloudstate.edu/library/archives/histories/normalia.aspx
Other annuals, including the Talahi (1922-2003): http://www.stcloudstate.edu/library/archives/histories/talahi.aspx

Information includes:

• Images of individuals, groups, athletics, and campus buildings and events
• Information depends on the year - some years contain much information, others not as much
• Published consecutively from 1922 to 1971

Commencement programs: http://libsys.stcloudstate.edu/archon/?p=collections/findingaid&id=7&q

Information includes:

• 1871 to the present, with programs missing for 1895, 1955, and 1956
• List students, their degree and any honors
• For those programs published once a year, will include when received (fall, winter, spring, summer)

St. Cloud State has had three student newspapers:

Normalia (1892-1904): http://libsys.stcloudstate.edu/archon/?p=collections/findingaid&id=21&q
Normal School Recorder (1916-1918): http://libsys.stcloudstate.edu/archon/?p=collections/findingaid&id=22&q
Chronicle (1924-present): http://libsys.stcloudstate.edu/archon/?p=collections/findingaid&id=24&q

The Chronicle is only available in digital form from 1924 through October 1972. Copies after 1972 are availble in University Archives as print or in the library's microform collection (until 1996).

WPA biographical sketches: http://libsys.stcloudstate.edu/archon/?p=collections/findingaid&id=177&q

Information includes:

• Summaries of interviews of people who lived in Stearns County
• Contains 1500+ names with interviews often done by children and spouses of the subject
• Some information copied form published sources
• About half of the summaries have been digitized - University Archives working on digitizing the remainder
• Done by the Works Progress Administration in the 1930s

University Archives contains several oral histories collections.  Many have transcripts available online and some audio.
 

• Interviews with alums, faculty, staff, and administrators, done mostly in the 1970s and 1980s
• http://libsys.stcloudstate.edu/archon/?p=collections/findingaid&id=36&q

• Interviews with WWII veterans who grew up and/or lived in central Minnesota, done mostly in the late 1980s, early 1990s
• http://libsys.stcloudstate.edu/archon/?p=collections/findingaid&id=144&q

• Interviews with local citizens, done in the 1970s and 1980s
• http://libsys.stcloudstate.edu/archon/?p=collections/findingaid&id=182&q

• Interviews with local politicians at the state level, done in the 1970s and 1980s
• http://libsys.stcloudstate.edu/archon/?p=collections/findingaid&id=183&q

• Interviews with members of central Minnesota churches, done in the 1970s and 1980s
• http://libsys.stcloudstate.edu/archon/?p=collections/findingaid&id=184&q