I created this ID to log the burials associated with the Goodhue County Poor Farm in Red Wing, Goodhue County, Minnesota. (technically Burnside Township, Goodhue County, Minnesota)

In a conversation with a staff member at the Goodhue County Historical Society in 2023, I was told that a list for the people buried at the poor farm and surrounding cemeteries does not exist, at least not as far as this person knew. There is an inmate (as the residents were called) register at the Minnesota Historical Society. (Item 108.I.12.8F-2.) This spans the years 1869-1963. Information that is less than 75 years old is restricted. I created a list of inmates with death dates based on the information in this book. The deaths span from 1874 to 1949. (Deaths from 1950 to 1963 are restricted.) Not all of the inmates are buried at the poor farm cemetery and not all died at the poor farm. Notes of where inmates are buried are not always included in the book at the Minnesota Historical Society. I researched death certificates and obituaries of the people on the list and added (or updated) memorials on Find A Grave. NOTE - there are more names in the book at the Minnesota Historical Society of people that lived at the poor farm for a while and left to live else where.

As I entered memorials relating to the Goodhue County Poor Farm, I found myself making two lists.

1 - a list of people that I know are not buried at the Poor Farm, but don't know where they are buried. I still want them to have a memorial, so have placed them at the Poor Farm. If you know where they are buried, please use the edit button to update. Thank you.

Joseph Blaske - death certificate states buried at Rosemount, obituary states Lakeville, poor farm records state Farmington

John Dankers - body held for dissecting purposes at Mayo Clinic

Ossian Frenquist - buried in St. Paul

Charles Gunter - buried in Hastings

Peter Johnson - buried in Minneapolis

Embert Olson - body taken to University of Minnesota for autopsy, don't know location after that

2 - a list of people that are buried at the Goodhue County Poor Farm cemetery, but were never inmates at the institution. Please note - I assume there are more than these 12 but I don't know how to trace/find them.

Albert Baker

Baby boy Beckman

Eric Brodein

John Doe

Rudolph Haggen

Jack Halen

Hans O. Hanson

Harvey Helgeson

Andy A. Johnson

John Johnson

Roy Sholt

Theodore Wolever

I researched some of the overseers of the Goodhue County Poor Farm. I am including a list of their names. This is NOT a complete list. I don't know if a complete list exists. I found the names below in census records. The list includes the census year, the overseer, his wife, birth/death years and Find A Grave IDs.

1865 and 1870

Alexander Coons       1810-1893      ID # 94275085

Rebecca Coons          1813-1894      ID # 94275086

1875

John Anderson           1839-1918      ID # 235547566

Johanna Anderson      1839-1914      ID # 235546197

1880

Sven Eastlund            1846-1896      ID # 61435378

Emma Eastlund         1849-1943      ID # 61435388

1885

William Fredine        1839-1920      ID # 116415719

Emma Fredine           1844-1924      ID # 116415717

1895, 1900 and 1905

Hans Johnson             1842-1908      ID # 91253091

Gurina Johnson          1845-1920      ID # 91253100

1910

John Munson             1858-1947      ID # 40677852

Emma Munson          1867-1930      ID # 40677950

1920

Oliver Herbert           1881-1957      ID # 135065372

Ingeborg Herbert       1877-1973      ID # 135065365

1930

Axel Olson                 1880-1950      ID # 77479886

Mary Olson                1880-1963      ID # 77479365

1940

George Hawke           1883-1956      ID # 91152216

Ellen Hawke              1883-1955      ID # 91152215

1950

Frank Johnson           1882-1963      ID # 94410197

Theresa Johnson        1890-1956      ID # 94410203

The Red Wing Republican Eagle has an article about the Goodhue County Poor Farm on page 6B of the Saturday January 1, 2000 edition. Ed Brunkhorst is identified as the last overseer when the Poor Farm closed on October 1, 1963.

Ed Brunkhorst           1896-1980      ID # 94409788

Harriett Brunkhorst   1904-1985      ID # 94409789