HEALTH DEPARTMENT:

This microfilm reproduces death certificates, 1900 and 1918-1947 (bulk 1928-1947), for Native Americans who either 1) died in Minnesota and were enrolled in or otherwise connected with Indian tribes or bands located in Minnesota and other states (South Dakota, Wisconsin, Montana, and Nevada); or 2) died in other states and Canada but were enrolled in or otherwise connected with tribes or bands located in Minnesota.

The Native American death certificates included in this microfilm edition are not considered “official” death records. Official Minnesota death certificates, as well as a set of delayed death certificates, also include death certificates for Native Americans. Both of these record series also are available on microfilm (cataloged separately). Occasionally there are death certificates for the same individual in more than one of these series that may give the same, conflicting, and/or additional information.

Administrative information about the history of this record series is lacking. It appears that the death certificate forms originated in Indian agencies and local jurisdictions in Minnesota, other states, and Canada. The circumstances of their arrival at the Minnesota Department of Health’s Division of Vital Statistics—which was responsible for the general supervision of the state’s registration system for births, deaths, and stillbirths—are not known.

Most of the deaths and stillbirths are recorded on Standard Certificate of Death forms issued by the United States Bureau of the Census. Some of them, however, are recorded on forms issued by the Minnesota Department of Health or government agencies of other states and Canada. Death certificates for stillbirths may be accompanied by a birth certificate issued by the same entity as the death certificate and/or by death and birth reports recorded on U. S. Indian Service Census Record Cards issued by the Department of the Interior’s Office of Indian Affairs. On rare occasions multiple versions of a death certificate for the same individual are present in this record series, sometimes giving varying information. Occasionally, other documentsrelating to a particular death or stillbirth, such as a coroner’s certificate of death or a permit authorizing removal of a decedent’s remains from the place of death to a place of burial, may follow the death certificate on the microfilm.

The informational categories in the Bureau of the Census Certificate of Death forms and those issued by Minnesota, other states, and Canada are basically the same, although they vary somewhat over time. Not all forms are filled out completely, primarily because informants did not know the information. In some instances additional information about the death may be handwritten or typed on the reverse side of the certificate. The back of a certificate containing such information appears on the microfilm following the front of the certificate. Each certificate includes some or all of the following information:

• date and place of death;

• deceased person’s full name, sex, color or race, tribal affiliation and blood quantum, age, date and place of birth, marital status, usual place of residence, and usual occupation;

• spouse’s name, father’s name and birthplace, and mother’s full maiden name and birthplace; • name and address of the person providing the personal information about the deceased;

• immediate (primary) and contributing causes of death and the duration of each; and name and address of the physician or official submitting the information about the death;

• date, place, and location of burial, cremation, or removal; and name and address of the mortician and/or funeral director;

• date the certificate was filed and name of the person submitting the certificate.

Each Certificate of Stillbirth includes the date and location of the stillbirth; child’s name and sex; father’s name, color or race, age, birthplace, and usual occupation; mother’s full maiden name, mailing address, color or race, age, birthplace, and other children born to her; and name of the person providing the personal data and his or her relationship to the child.

The death and birth reports recorded on U. S. Indian Service Census Record Cards that accompany some stillbirth certificates include the state, Indian agency, reservation, and tribe; allotment number; name of the head of household; child’s name, sex, date of birth, relationship to the head of household, and place of residence (state, Indian agency or county, reservation or municipality); percentage (exact fraction) of Indian blood of the father, mother, and enrollee and whether each is full blood, over ½ blood, over or under ¼ blood, or non-Indian; and date and cause(s) of death.

Some filled-in information on the certificates and supplementary documents may be difficult to read on the microfilm due to typed copies made with worn carbon paper or a worn typewriter ribbon, handwritten entries in faint and/or smudged and/or different-colored pencil and/or ink, stamped entries made with a worn or lightly inked stamp and/or different-colored inks, water damage, and darkened tape used to repair tears and the discolored paper beneath it. These conditions can produce especially poor contrast between the color of the text and the color of the paper, making legible photographic reproduction especially difficult. In an effort to increase the legibility of the information on the microfilm, some certificates may be filmed more than once at different camera settings, with a target identifying the intentional duplicate exposure. Some information may be obliterated by ink stains or lost due to paper tears.

The death certificates for each state and Indian agency, as well as some time periods, are preceded on the microfilm by an introductory target. A running target at the top of each film frame gives the microfilm frame number.