Applying for Membership in the Minnesota Territorial Pioneers

Minnesota Territory

Do you have ancestors who lived in Minnesota Territory before May 11, 1858? If so, you are eligible to apply for membership in the Minnesota Territorial Pioneers, Inc.

Each application must include and document at least one Minnesota Pioneer ancestor. We encourage applicants with more than one pioneer ancestor to include documentation and proof of lineage for each one. There is no additional charge for submitting multiple pioneers. The following two criteria must be met (for at least one Pioneer Ancestor) for any applicant to be recommended for membership:

1) The Minnesota Pioneer Ancestor is documented in a publication that was produced during the Minnesota Territorial era or immediately after. This documentation should be a copy of the original document.

2) The applicant can trace and document his/her direct ancestry from each Minnesota Pioneer submitted. Documentation for this can be dates and places of marriage, dates and places of birth, certificates of baptism, certificates of marriage or other official records. While actual documents are not required to meet these criteria, the physical location of these records is required; copies of these records will also be accepted. Each application must stand on its own merit.

A fifteen dollar ($15) payment is required when the application is submitted. The membership committee reviews and researches each application and supporting documents and then recommends acceptance or rejection to the Board of Directors. The Board then votes to recommend or reject the application. The Board’s recommendations are submitted to the General Membership at the Annual Membership Meeting every May for final approval. You will be notified of the membership's decision and, if accepted, you will be asked to remit your membership dues at that time. Both yearly and lifetime membership plans are available.

You'll find a link to the MTP membership application and lineage form at the top of this page. Please complete them both and send them along with supporting documentation and a check or money order for $15 to:

Minnesota Territorial Pioneers

Suite 328

176 Snelling Avenue North

St. Paul, Minnesota 55104

We encourage you to include a complete list of descendants for our records. One of the primary goals of the Minnesota Territorial Pioneers is to collect as much information as possible about life in Minnesota Territory. Any family stories passed down from your ancestors about daily pioneer life or events will be greatly appreciated.

For more information please contact Mary Casebolt, MTP Secretary, by telephone at (651) 379-1849 and leave a message, or e-mail MTP at mnterritorialpioneers@yahoo.com. On behalf of the Membership Committee and the Board of Directors, we look forward to welcoming you to the Minnesota Territorial Pioneers!

Our Links Page includes links to websites that may be of assistance in gathering necessary documentation for your MTP application. For more information about the Minnesota Territory, click here.

Clicking on the application or lineage links above should automatically display the .pdf documents in a new window. If this does not happen, you do not have the software necessary to read the document on your computer. Click on the link above to download a free pdf reader from the Adobe website.