FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE:  Feb. 22, 2008
CONTACT:  Chelle Somsen, (605) 773-5521

State Historical Society offers online biographical index of South Dakotans

PIERRE, S.D. – The South Dakota State Historical Society has recently added a new website to give researchers more insight into their family history.

The “Biographical Index of South Dakotans” is an online index of biographies written on prominent South Dakotans from roughly 1897 to 1930. The index lists surnames in alphabetical order giving the book number and page number in which the biography is found.

“These biographies were written in 12 different books which are found in the library of the South Dakota State Archives,” said Matthew T. Reitzel, manuscript archivist with the State Historical Society, located in the Cultural Heritage Center. “Various libraries throughout South Dakota may also have copies of the books listed in the index, and will find this website useful.”

Reitzel mentions that the index itself contains 7,139 names and that a few of the biographies also feature a photo of the individual.

“The index itself was created several years ago,” Reitzel said. “Historical Society volunteers recently transferred the typewritten index to a digital format, making it searchable online.” 

To find your South Dakota ancestors, visit the State Historical Society’s website at www.sdhistory.org or visit the Biographical Index of South Dakotans website at http://www.sdhistory.org/arc/bioindex/biographicalindex.htm

The State Archives website also has a link “For Genealogists” which has online indexes for naturalization records, newspaper databases, cemetery records, South Dakota surname indexes, and other genealogy resources.

The State Archives is open Monday through Friday and the first Saturday of each month from 9 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. Contact the archives by phone at (605) 773-3804 or email archref@state.sd.us