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Our Genealogy Helper

Introduction ...

We have a couple of goals for our Gazetteer:

  • That it be a tool which helps us with planning our trips.
  • We're trying to shape our Gazetteer as a tool to help us understand the community in which our ancestors lived, the community that was part of their daily lives.
  • On our trips, we try to visit those places where our ancestors left their footprints.

By learning about Acton (and the surrounding area) during the time that our ancestors lived, we hope to have a better understanding of both their community and its relationship to their lifes. We hope that this tool helps to give us an insight into their world.

As we add data and organize our Gazetteer to help with our family research, we will be adding to this our Genealogical Helper for Acton. While we don't have information that is specific to any given person or family, we intend to expand our understanding about where and how people lived.

Neighboring Counties ...

When searching for family records, we have frequently made the mistake of not checking the neighboring counties.

For example, we have great-grandparents who lived in the southeast corner of their home county. During their lives, most hospitals and doctors were in the next county to the east. Almost all of the nearby churches and cemeteries were in the county to the south.

So when searching for records, we had our best success by looking in neighboring counties instead of the county in which they lived:  their home county contained property and probate records; the county to the east contained birth and death records; the county to the south contained their burial records. If we hadn't included the neighboring counties, we would have missed many valuable sources of information.

If you're in a similar situation, we hope that the following information helps.

Acton is located in Meeker County.

To see how the shape of Minnesota's counties may have changed over time, we recommend the Atlas of Historical County Boundaries.

The following counties adjoin and form the boundaries of Meeker County: Kandiyohi, McLeod, Renville, Stearns & Wright.

Below are the counties that are near Acton. For each of these counties, we show a sample of those communities that are closest to Acton:

  • Meeker County     (The home county of Acton)
    • The following are listed by their distance from Acton, with the one closest to Acton listed first.
    • Rosendale
      (3 miles [4.8 km] to the southwest)
      • Rosendale is located in Meeker County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Rosendale
    • Grove City
      (4 miles [6.4 km] to the north)
    • Litchfield
      (7 miles [11.3 km] to the northeast)
    • Cosmos
      (10 miles [16.1 km] to the south)
    • Manannah
      (11 miles [17.7 km] to the north)
      • Manannah is located in Meeker County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Manannah
    • Cedar Mills
      (11 miles [17.7 km] to the southeast)
      • Cedar Mills is located in Meeker County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Cedar Mills
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 51 people
    • Darwin
      (12 miles [19.3 km] to the east)
    • Forest City
      (12 miles [19.3 km] to the northeast)
      • Forest City is located in Meeker County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Forest City
    • Dassel
      (16 miles [25.7 km] to the east)
    • Eden Valley
      (17 miles [27.4 km] to the north)
    • Kingston
      (18 miles [29 km] to the northeast)
      • Kingston is located in Meeker County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Kingston
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 162 people
    • Watkins
      (20 miles [32.2 km] to the northeast)
  • Kandiyohi County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Acton, with the one closest to Acton listed first.
    • Atwater
      (6 miles [9.7 km] to the northwest)
    • Kandiyohi
      (13 miles [20.9 km] to the west)
      • Kandiyohi is located in Kandiyohi County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Kandiyohi
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 477 people
    • Lake Lillian
      (14 miles [22.5 km] to the southwest)
    • Spicer
      (17 miles [27.4 km] to the northwest)
      • Spicer is located in Kandiyohi County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Spicer
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 1,224 people
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Spicer <1>
    • Svea
      (18 miles [29 km] to the west)
      • Svea is located in Kandiyohi County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Svea
    • Willmar
      (18 miles [29 km] to the west)
    • Wilmar
      (18 miles [29 km] to the west)
      • Wilmar is located in Kandiyohi County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Wilmar
    • Hawick
      (19 miles [30.6 km] to the northwest)
      • Hawick is located in Kandiyohi County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Hawick
    • New London
      (20 miles [32.2 km] to the northwest)
    • Blomkest
      (20 miles [32.2 km] to the southwest)
      • Blomkest is located in Kandiyohi County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Blomkest
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 157 people
    • Regal
      (23 miles [37 km] to the north)
      • Regal is located in Kandiyohi County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Regal
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 35 people
    • Roseland
      (24 miles [38.6 km] to the southwest)
      • Roseland is located in Kandiyohi County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Roseland
  • McLeod County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Acton, with the one closest to Acton listed first.
    • Hutchinson
      (19 miles [30.6 km] to the southeast)
    • Biscay
      (25 miles [40.2 km] to the southeast)
      • Biscay is located in McLeod County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Biscay
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 109 people
    • Silver Lake
      (25 miles [40.2 km] to the southeast)
    • Stewart
      (26 miles [41.8 km] to the south)
      • Stewart is located in McLeod County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Stewart
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 533 people
    • Brownton
      (28 miles [45.1 km] to the southeast)
    • Sumter
      (30 miles [48.3 km] to the southeast)
      • Sumter is located in McLeod County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Sumter
  • Renville County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Acton, with the one closest to Acton listed first.
    • Hector
      (23 miles [37 km] to the south)
    • Buffalo Lake
      (24 miles [38.6 km] to the south)
    • Bird Island
      (24 miles [38.6 km] to the southwest)
    • Olivia
      (26 miles [41.8 km] to the southwest)
    • Danube
      (29 miles [46.7 km] to the southwest)
  • Stearns County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Acton, with the one closest to Acton listed first.
    • Paynesville
      (20 miles [32.2 km] to the north)
    • Kimball Prairie
      (23 miles [37 km] to the northeast)
      • Kimball Prairie is located in Stearns County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Kimball Prairie
    • Kimball
      (23 miles [37 km] to the northeast)
    • Roscoe
      (24 miles [38.6 km] to the north)
    • Lake Henry
      (26 miles [41.8 km] to the north)
      • Lake Henry is located in Stearns County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Lake Henry
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 113 people
    • Richmond
      (26 miles [41.8 km] to the north)
    • Fairhaven
      (27 miles [43.5 km] to the northeast)
      • Fairhaven is located in Stearns County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Fairhaven
    • Saint Martin
      (28 miles [45.1 km] to the north)
    • Cold Spring
      (28 miles [45.1 km] to the northeast)
    • Rockville
      (30 miles [48.3 km] to the northeast)
    • Belgrade
      (30 miles [48.3 km] to the northwest)
      • Belgrade is located in Stearns County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Belgrade
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 787 people
  • Wright County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Acton, with the one closest to Acton listed first.
    • Cokato
      (22 miles [35.4 km] to the east)
    • South Haven
      (25 miles [40.2 km] to the northeast)
    • Albright
      (26 miles [41.8 km] to the east)
      • Albright is located in Wright County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Albright
    • Smith Lake
      (26 miles [41.8 km] to the east)
      • Smith Lake is located in Wright County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Smith Lake
    • Howard Lake
      (28 miles [45.1 km] to the east)
    • Annandale
      (28 miles [45.1 km] to the northeast)
    • Albion Center
      (29 miles [46.7 km] to the east)
      • Albion Center is located in Wright County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Albion Center

For an expanded list of the communities that are closest to Acton, see our County-by-County Page for Acton.

Cemeteries Near Acton ...

Below are cemeteries that are in the vicinity of Acton.

This is a new section and is likely to have errors. If you find an error, such as a missing cemetery or we have the wrong name, please let us know. If you know of them, we would also appreciate learning about previous or alternate names.

Although we don't have the information ourselves, if you need information about a burial or interment, photos, transcripts, how to contact the cemetery or local authorities, please visit our list of websites on our Genealogy Helper Page for Acton - one of the links might be able to help.

If not found below, our Cemetery List for Acton covers a larger area, with the cemeteries listed in alphabetical order.

The following cemeteries are listed based on their distance from Acton, with the one closest to Acton listed first.

  • Ness Cemetery
    (2 miles [3.2 km] to the east)
  • First Lutheran Cemetery
    (4 miles [6.4 km] to the north)
  • New Immanuel Lutheran Cemetery
    (4 miles [6.4 km] to the north)
  • Oak Grove Cemetery
    (5 miles [8 km] to the west)
  • Immanuel Cemetery
    (5 miles [8 km] to the southwest)
  • Bethlehem Cemetery
    (5 miles [8 km] to the northwest)
  • Rosendale Cemetery
    (6 miles [9.7 km] to the southwest)
  • Ripley Cemetery
    (6 miles [9.7 km] to the east)
  • Bethlehem Cemetery
    (6 miles [9.7 km] to the northwest)
  • Atwater Union Cemetery
    (6 miles [9.7 km] to the northwest)
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Atwater Union Cemetery
    • To give a relative sense of its location, the Atwater Union Cemetery is a large cemetery that is located outside and to the southwest of Atwater.
    • The Atwater Union Cemetery has also been known as:
    • Union Cemetery
    • Jump to Find-A-Grave: FG ID #83741 <2>
  • Calvary Cemetery
    (7 miles [11.3 km] to the northeast)
  • St. Marys Cemetery
    (7 miles [11.3 km] to the northwest)
  • Continue List   (211 more) ...

Nearby Communities in 1895 ...

We've built the following list with information that came from an Atlas published by Rand McNally in 1895. The Atlas had details such as the population of the community (which appears to have come from the 1890 Census) and whether there was a post office and/or railroad service available. We also indicate if the community no longer exists and is now historic.<3>

While we didn't find Acton in the Atlas, the following 1895 communities would have been found near the current location of Acton.

These communities are listed based on their distance from Acton, with the one closest to Acton listed first.

  • Rosendale
    (3 miles [4.8 km] to the southwest)
    • Rosendale is located in Meeker County
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Rosendale
  • Grove City
    (4 miles [6.4 km] to the north)
  • Atwater
    (6 miles [9.7 km] to the northwest)
  • Litchfield
    (7 miles [11.3 km] to the northeast)
  • Greenleaf
    (9 miles [14.5 km] to the southeast)
    • Greenleaf is located in Meeker County
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Greenleaf
  • Cosmos
    (10 miles [16.1 km] to the south)
  • Crow River
    (11 miles [17.7 km] to the north)
    • Crow River is located in Meeker County
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Crow River
  • Cedar Mills
    (11 miles [17.7 km] to the southeast)
    • Cedar Mills is located in Meeker County
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Cedar Mills
    • Population from the 2020 Census: 51 people
  • Manannah
    (11 miles [17.7 km] to the north)
    • Manannah is located in Meeker County
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Manannah
  • Darwin
    (12 miles [19.3 km] to the east)
  • Forest City
    (12 miles [19.3 km] to the northeast)
    • Forest City is located in Meeker County
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Forest City
  • Lake Lillian
    (14 miles [22.5 km] to the southwest)
  • Continue List   (15 more) ...
    • Dassel
      (16 miles [25.7 km] to the east)
    • Lakeside
      (17 miles [27.4 km] to the south)
      • Lakeside is located in Renville County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Lakeside
    • Eden Valley
      (17 miles [27.4 km] to the north)

We've also created an expanded list of communities that existed in the 1890's and were located in the area around Acton. See our List of 1890's Communities around Acton.

Newspapers Published in Acton ...

An ongoing effort between the Library of Congress and the National Endowment for the Humanities (NEH) has resulted in the National Digital Newspaper Program (NDNP).

To share their results, the partnership has created the Chronicling America website. The goal of this partnership is to assemble a database about the current and historic newspapers of the United States. This includes a growing collection of scanned images from selected papers. All of it available to the public on their website.

Using information that we've taken from the Chronicling America website, we've identified 105 newspapers that have been published in the area around Acton.

Although we're unaware of any newspapers that were published in the immediate area of Acton, there are papers which were published within 30 miles [48.3 km]<4>. A list of those papers, sorted by paper name, can be found on the Extended Newspaper List for Acton.

Websites to Help With Your Genealogy Research ...

When we do our genealogical research, we like to start with the websites from Cyndi's List, FamilySearch and Genealogy Trails. These websites either offer the information directly or else point to where you can find it. Their information is open to everyone.

To help you get started, the following links will take you to the pages that are relevant to Acton:

Footnotes ...

<1>While we're fans and frequent users of TripAdvisor, you should know that we're also members of the TripAdvisor affiliate program.
<2>The Find-a-Grave website is an excellent research tool with information about a cemetery's location and interments. They also offer a forum for their members which can provide additional help. More information about Find-a-Grave can be found on their website: findagrave.com.
<3>We use the term 'Historic' broadly and it generally means that the community no longer exists. However, it can also mean that the community might still exist, but was significantly larger or had a more 'official' existence in the past than it does now. Unfortunately our sources of data have proven to be unreliable. If you can provide us with more specific information about Acton, please let us know so that we can improve our accuracy.
<4>Our distances are not driving distances, but are calculated as a 'point-to-point' distance. A straight line distance ignores things like rivers, canyons, lakes, et cetera - it's truly a line drawn from Point A (ie- Acton) to Point B. In other words: 'As the crow flies'.