Sherburne History Center Blog

Immigrant ship approaching Ellis Island 1906 With the discussions about a “wall” to prevent immigration, it seemed appropriate to explore the histories of Sherburne County residents.   These memories, collected from oral histories at the Sherburne History Center, show immigrants desperate to live in the United States.   Immigrants, one hundred years ago, sought the freedoms in the United States as desperately as immigrants today.   The poem on the Statue of Liberty rings true both today and one hundred years ago: “Give me you tired, your poor, your huddled masses yearning to breathe free.”  Here are the memories of two Sherburne County residents, Ella Kringlund and Astrid Moores.   Ella Kringlund: I will just briefly say that my father’s parents came across from Germany---they eloped when they were 18 years of age.   They did not have money to pay their transportation across, somehow they got on board ship, they were stowaways and when the...

Every student of Sherburne County History knows the namesake of the county lies with Minnesota Supreme Court Justice Moses Sherburne.  George Loomis Becker, the youngest Mayor of St. Paul, lawyer and politician, also warrants attention in Sherburne County history.  George Loomis Becker 1829-1904 The namesake of the City of Becker, George was born in Locke, New York in 1829.  He arrived In St Paul in 1849.  Elected Mayor of St. Paul in 1856 for a one year term.  Still later, he twice ran unsuccessfully for Governor.  Important for the Sherburne County story, he worked for the Saint Paul and Pacific Railroad.  From 1885 to 1901 he served as a member of the state railroad and warehouse commission.  His primary interest in those years, he promoted railroad interests and development throughout the state.  Although never a major stop on the railroad lines, Becker and area farmers utilized the rail service to ship produce and goods....

As you research the history of Sherburne County, or Minnesota for that matter, a collection of documents you might want to consider viewing are the Public Safety Commission Alien Registration and Declaration of Holdings Forms, from 1918.  The records are held by the Minnesota Historical Society.  Microfilm copies of the Sherburne County records are available at SHC These records, the alien registration forms, contain a wealth of information.  They were collected in the early days of World War I.  The Public Safety Commission set out to identify and document the individuals and the property holdings of every alien living in Minnesota. The Commission was created by the State of Minnesota, a board of seven members: including the Governor, the State Attorney General and five members appointed by the Governor.  Early in 1918, the Commission issued “Proclamation and Order No. 25” designating the week of February 25 to March 1 as Alien Registration Days. ...