NEED HELP WITH YOUR RESEARCH?

The Minnesota Genealogical Society (MGS) Research Team is made up of volunteers willing to help you with your genealogy questions!

Contact the research team at research@mngs.org  research@mngs.org to begin.

Please have specific research questions. Some sample research questions:

• Where was my grandfather born?
• When did my grandmother immigrate?
• When and where did my great grandparents get married?

Help us by providing as much information as possible, including:

• Ancestor’s Full Name: Include any known variations or maiden names.
• Dates of Birth, Marriage, and Death: Even approximate dates are helpful.
• Places of Birth, Marriage, and Death: Be as specific as possible (city, county, state, country).
• Relationships: Identify parents, siblings, spouses, and children.

GENEALOGY RESEARCH

Our volunteer genealogy team offers research services to support the library. Here is how our process works:

• Initial Review: We start with a complimentary 30-minute evaluation of your research question (no actual research is done during this step).
• Price Estimate: Following the evaluation, we will contact you with an estimated timeframe and cost for your project.
• Rates & Payment: Research is billed at $40.00 per hour (with a one-hour minimum). Payment is required in advance based on the approved estimate.
• Scheduling & Delivery: Our services are provided by dedicated volunteers, so research may not begin immediately upon payment. However, we make every effort to complete all projects in a timely manner and will email you the findings as soon as they are ready.

COPYING SERVICES FOR MATERIALS AT THE MGS HOFFMAN RESEARCH LIBRARY

Due to U.S. copyright laws, we are unable to copy entire books without approval from the publisher/author.

If you are looking for photocopies of pages from books or other materials held in our library, we can accommodate that request. The minimum rate is $15.00 for four pages scanned and emailed, $1.00 a page thereafter. If you are not sure what you need from a particular book, we can send an index or table of contents. Same copying fees apply.

Visit our library page for details on resources available at the MGS Hoffman Research Library: https://mngs.org/Hoffman-Research-Library

WHEN TO LOOK ELSEWHERE

We cannot research outside the MGS Hoffman Research Library; for example, at the Minnesota Historical Society. Their records are available at https://www.mnhs.org/search/collections.

We do not interpret DNA test results, nor do we assist adoptees with searching for biological family.

The Minnesota Genealogical Society does not participate in interlibrary loans. Our collection does not circulate and is available for research only at the MGS library. If you want to borrow a copy, check WorldCat to locate a copy nearest to you: https://search.worldcat.org/