Modesto does not sound like a Badge Sears sold, and "Minnesota" is a badge that was made by several companies for Sears, so not always a good way to try to match it up. I don't have "Modesto" listed on my Boye Case list, but even going by that is not 100% as many companies made machines with the same Badge (especially if the seller owned the name and contracted with different companys to make machines for them - like Sears did).
With a picture, we should be able to match it up rather easily for you.
if you don't have a picture, then the shape of the needle plate, the flywheel and which side the belt goes on (inside or outside) and what the tension looks like (especially if it's a leaf tension) are good clues to look at. Other things like the pillar or arm shape are clues, but there are a lot of similarities between companies, and a lot of difference between models for the same company.
BTW - most MN A are made by Davis, and Davis has a rectangular needle plate and the belt goes to the outside of the flywheel. If you needle plate is round or oval, that pretty much rules out Davis and earlier Whites. If it's oval, then it's possible to be an early Domestic or Household. Round plates - National, New Home, Singer, Free and a few more less common Manufactures. And then there are a few with odd shaped needle plates, Standard, Demorest .
New Royal also has a rectangular needle plate, they were made by Free but it's a very different machine and takes different needles, shuttle and attachments.
If the machine is pre-1900, there are several more possibilities.
one interesting note I discovered with buying do many different US made machines, for the most part, the attachments for each Manufacturer stayed rather constant - in the way they fit. So looking at the attachment mounting holes in the bed/throat plates and the type of foot and how it mounts onto the presser bar are also good clues to figure out who made it.