Search Bloomington Genealogy Records

Bloomington genealogy records are managed through Hennepin County, which holds vital records for births, deaths, and marriages in the city. The Bloomington Historical Society and the Hennepin County Library both offer strong local history resources for family research. Whether you're searching online or planning an in-person visit, this guide shows you where to look and what each resource holds.

Hennepin County Vital Records for Bloomington

Bloomington is part of Hennepin County, which handles all vital records for residents of the city. Birth, death, and marriage records tied to Bloomington are accessible through the Hennepin County vital records office. Certified copies require proof of identity and relationship to the person named on the record, as outlined under Minn. Stat. 144.225.

For older genealogical records not held at the county level, the MHS People Records Search database is a free online tool. It includes birth indexes from 1900 to 1934, death records from 1904 to 2001, and census data from 1849 to 1905. Marriage records from 1958 onward can be searched at moms.mn.gov. Early land records are in the BLM General Land Office database.

Bloomington Historical Society

The Bloomington Historical Society keeps local history archives focused on the city and the Minnesota River Valley. The society operates the Old Town Hall Museum at 10200 Penn Avenue South, where collections include the Norling Collection, historic photographs, military-themed displays, settlement era artifacts, and a dugout canoe. For family history researchers, the most useful materials are yearbooks, school records, and the 100 Historic Sites documentation page that tracks the city's built history.

Admission to the museum is free, with donations appreciated. The society can also point researchers toward additional local resources. If your family has deep roots in Bloomington or the surrounding Minnesota River Valley, a visit to the Old Town Hall Museum is a practical first step for local context and records not held elsewhere.

The Bloomington Historical Society holds archives focused on the city's local heritage and Minnesota River Valley families.

The society's collection includes military displays, settlement records, and school yearbooks that can help trace local family histories.

Hennepin County Library Resources

Bloomington falls within the Hennepin County Library system, which gives residents access to the full Special Collections division at Minneapolis Central Library. This is one of the better genealogy library systems in the state. A free library card unlocks both in-person and online resources across dozens of research databases.

The library holds city directories for Edina, Hopkins, Minneapolis, and St. Louis Park from the early to mid-1900s. Digital Sanborn Maps from 1867 to 1970 cover building layouts in the metro area. The Minnesota Digital Library and Minnesota Digital Newspaper Hub are accessible online from home. For in-depth research, the Special Collections division at Minneapolis Central Library holds archival materials that go well beyond what's available digitally.

The City of Bloomington website provides access to city services and local government contacts that can help locate administrative records.

City of Bloomington records can complement county and library genealogy sources for a more complete family history picture.

Note: The Star Tribune newspaper archive is only accessible inside Hennepin County Library buildings, not from home.

MHS and Statewide Genealogy Tools

The Minnesota Historical Society provides several databases useful for Bloomington ancestry research. The People Records Search covers birth, death, and census records across the state. Many of these can be accessed for free online at mnhs.org/search/people without visiting the Gale Family Library in St. Paul.

The MDH Vital Records office at health.state.mn.us/people/vitalrecords is the central state agency for certified vital record copies. You can request records by mail (PO Box 9441, Minneapolis MN 55440) or call 651-201-5970. For marriage records, use MOMS at moms.mn.gov to search statewide. Land patent records for early Bloomington settlers can be searched at no cost through the BLM GLO Records database.

Nearby Cities

Bloomington is in the southern part of the Twin Cities metro. Many nearby cities share the Hennepin County records system.