1 1

Owatonna State Public School Records Request

Owatonna State Public School Records Request

The Owatonna State Public School Research Service has two options:

Index Search Request. If you do not have the case file number for the child you're looking for, order this option. Library staff will search for the child in the Owatonna State Public School records ( MN state orphanage) and send you the index information, including case file number, if found.

Full Case File Request. If you have the Owatonna Case File number, you can use it to request the child's full file. Library staff will pull the file, digitize it, make any redactions that are necessary based on the contents of the file, and send it to you via email.







Restrictions on access: Owatonna State Public School records contain private information about individuals and access to many of them is restricted.

You have indicated that the case file's subject was born before 1907. If this is accurate, the records are open to research. However, if it is discovered that any additional permission or paperwork is needed, our staff will contact you.

Restrictions on access: Owatonna State Public School records contain private information about individuals and access to many of them is restricted.

Children who were adopted: Many children who were placed in Owatonna were eventually legally adopted, and in Minnesota, adoption records, including Owatonna case files, are closed for 100 years from the date of adoption and may be viewed only with a court order from the judge of the district court in which the adoption occurred. If this is the case, staff will contact you for more information. Please see the Adoption Research: Owatonna State Public School research guide for further details.

Children who were not adopted: These files are generally restricted for 75+ years from the date of admission. In some cases records may be restricted for 100 years because of private third party data. Researchers may need to apply for permission to access records, and records of living individuals may not be accessed without that person's permission.

THIS SERVICE IS CURRENTLY UNAVAILABLE.

We expect a more extensive research service option to debut in 2024. We recommend ordering the Index Only service option or waiting for the extended service to open.

You must have the Owatonna State Public School case file number to order this service.

If you do not have the case file number, please order the index search first.

  • MNHS holds Owatonna case files between 1886 - 1945. 
  • Case files held are numbers 1 - 10,635.
  • Not all Owatonna case files were retained. If you order a file that is missing from our collections, you will be sent a detailed response and your order will be refunded in full. Missing case files are noted in the Owatonna State Public School Case Files finding aid, available here.

If you do not know the exact dates of birth, death, admission or discharge, please submit your best guesses. The date fields accept numbers or text, so please include any information that you have including broad estimates. The Additional Information box at the very bottom of this form can also be used to add information that you think may be relevant.

If any of the date fields are left blank, we may cancel and refund your order. Library researchers need as much information as possible in searching for your individual.

Due to staffing and resource changes, this research service will be unavailable during the Summer of 2025.  We expect the service to return in the Fall--please check back with us then.

Older records (before 1900) may be available in person at the Library. If you have a legal need for a record–a court date, benefits claim, etc.,-please email reference@mnhs.org and we will do our best to help.

For the Index Search Request service, library staff will search for one child in the Owatonna State Public School (state orphanage).

For the Full Case File request service, you must provide the Owatonna Case File number for staff to fulfill your request. If you do not have the case file number, order the Index Search instead.


Price
Index Search Only: $5
Full Case Files: $15

MNHS Members receive 10% discount at checkout

Processing Fee
The price of this service includes a non-refundable processing fee of $5. This is not an additional charge; however, if your order is cancelled for any reason, the Minnesota Historical Society will retain that amount.


Turnaround
Research will be completed and sent within 12 weeks. Materials are sent as digital files (PDFs) via email.

About This Research Service
The Owatonna State Public School was established by the Minnesota legislature in 1885 as a public institution for dependent and neglected children between the ages of 3 and 14 (Laws 1885 c146). The State Archives of the Minnesota Historical Society Library preserves records from the state orphanage, including the case files that were maintained for each child.

This service has two options:

Index Search ($5)

For use when determining if a child was at Owatonna and what their case file or student number was. 

Index materials include varying types of information. Most include:

  • Full Name

  • Admission Date

  • Discharge Date

  • Student Number/Case File Number

  • Names of any siblings also admitted

  • Information about foster or indenture placements

Full Case File Request ($15)

For children at Owatonna with known case file or student numbers. 

The case file or student number, the child's name and birth and admission info are required to request the case file. Please order the Index Search first if you do not have those necessary pieces of information. When you've received the index materials, then you may order the case file.

  • MNHS holds Owatonna case files between the years 1886 - 1945. 

  • Case files held are numbers 1 - 10,635.

  • Not all Owatonna case files were retained. If you order a file that is missing from our collections, you will be sent a detailed response and your order will be refunded in full. Missing case files are noted in the Owatonna State Public School Case Files finding aid, available here.

Full case files may contain some or all of the following:

  • Admission documents

  • Family history and/or reasons for placement

  • Data on medical conditions and/or medical services provided

  • Records of academic progress

  • Contracts/agreements for "placing out" with families

  • Adoption papers

  • Photographs

  • Letters to or from family members

  • Baptismal certificates

  • Follow-up reports from state investigation agents about placement or adoptive families

  • Correspondence when the child was at Owatonna

  • Correspondence after the child was discharged (often about later work/life or from family members searching for the child)

  • Death notices or certificates for children who died while under the facility's jurisdiction

Restrictions on access: Owatonna State Public School records contain private information about individuals and access to many of them is restricted.

Children's records are generally restricted for 75 years from the date of the last entry on the record, or 100 years from the date of any adoption or illegitimate birth. If restricted information is present, it will be clearly redacted. If the item is fully restricted, staff will contact you about next steps.

Questions? Email: reference@mnhs.org

Mail: MNHS Library, attn: OSPS Request, 345 W. Kellogg Blvd., St. Paul, MN 55102

 For More Information:

 

View full details