Randy Wall and his mother, Betty. Betty Wall was born on a poorfarm, and Randy's research of his mother's family led him to his great-great-uncle's grave at the poorfarm in Duluth. (MPR Photo/Chris Julin)

Randy Wall lives in a Twin Cities suburb. He's a professional pianist and an amateur genealogist. He wrote a book about his mother's family, and that project led him to the grave of his great-great-uncle at the poorfarm in Duluth. Now he's writing a book about his father's family.

Betty Wall, Randy's mother, was born on a poorfarm. Her parents were the caretakers at the poorfarm in Aitkin County, Minn. Betty Wall and her twin sister spent the first years of their lives at the farm. The poorfarm building still stands in the town of Aitkin. It's now the Sorensen-Root Funeral Home.