Using a grant from the former Professional Librarians Union of Minneapolis (PLUM) and Minnesota Legacy funds, the Hennepin County Library has digitized Minneapolis City Directories for the years 1859-1917, allowing researchers to find former local residents, their occupations and local businesses. The site is searchable at: http://box2.nmtvault.com/Hennepin2/.

What an incredible tool for those of us researching Minneapolis residents during these years! I did a quick query for my husband's (Swedish) grandparents. His mother spelled their name "Ellison," but the directories generally showed the family as "Eliason."  From the comfort of my home-computer, I quickly found the Ellisons/Eliasons living at several different addresses in Minneapolis. They moved frequently, much more often than indicated by family lore. Note: If your search results in several hits, you can easily move forward and backward using the toolbar at the upper left (i.e., arrows next to the directory page number).