County atlases show who owned land in a given area at a given time. Also shown are natural land features, towns, railroads, churches, cemeteries, schools, businesses, and more. All of these locations may be of interest, along with the land ownership, to family historian. Each may provide information on the home of an ancestor, and potential locations of other record repositories. “When an ancestor is found, the location and shape of the farm is readily seen. The location of other relatives can be found as well as friends and neighbors.”
Between 1980 and 1994 the number of published Minnesota county atlases grew from 411 to 1072 titles. Because of the sheer quantity of atlases available, this book is extremely valuable for genealogical research. Minnesota Land Owner Maps and Directories is a reference to these county atlases. This directory provides a county by county listing of published works. For example, under Aitkin county one reference reads:
Triennial atlas & plat book, Aitkin County, Minnesota.
Sponsored by Aitkin County 4-H Leaders Federation.
(Rockford, Ill., 1969)
86 pp., illus., maps. 28 cm.
LCong, MHS, MnManS
A “Codes used in listing” section tells the reader that LCong is the Library of Congress, MHS is the Minnesota Historical Society, and MnManS is the Mankato State University, all locations where the sample listing can be found.
In addition to the atlases listing, this book carries, in the appendix, a reprint of the introduction to Windows to the Past, by Mai Treude. This reprinted introduction gives insight to land surveys and county atlases covered under the following topic headers:
- The Influence of the American Rectangular Land Survey System
- The Purpose and Use of the County Atlas
- A History of County Atlas Publishing in the United States
- A History of County Atlas Publishing in Minnesota
- Where Minnesota County Atlases Are Located
For more information, or to order Minnesota Land Owner Maps and Directories, click on the link. $14.70