My father was an accountant for the company which later became Northern States Power, a major utility in the midwest.  My father worked at the electric company in Minneapolis in the very early 1900's, eventually becoming a chief accountant working at LaCrosse, Wisconsin and retiring from NSP there.  My uncle was a lineman for the same electric company in Minneapolis.  It would appear that they are a very early utility company.  I do remember the huge stockpiles of coal which generated the electricity.  I believe copies of pages from the city directories (1920 or 1930 Minneapolis) used the original name of the company.  If you would like I will attempt to locate that name. Elaine Pamela Wagoner (by way of Genealogy Records Service ) wrote: > So I got my grandmother's birth registration from Hennepin Cty, MN in a little > more than a week.  She hadn't been named yet (or the name part had faded away > to > nothing), but it was the right date and parent's names.  Unfortunately it only > had my ggrandmother's first name, even though the form asked for maiden name > (luckily I know it) and it showed my ggrandfather to be born in Canada. > Gasp! > On the 1900 census it says New Hampshire.  (Gnashing of teeth) > > It did show his occupation to be that of an electrician.  So what was an > electrician in 1897?  His home was among the first to have electricity in > Minneapolis.  But what is an 1897 electrician? > > Pam > Oregon > >