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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 Annandale (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 Annandale. 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 doctors and hospitals 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.

Annandale is located in Wright 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 Wright County: Carver, Hennepin, McLeod, Meeker, Sherburne & Stearns.

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

  • Wright County     (The home county of Annandale)
    • The following are listed by their distance from Annandale, with the one closest to Annandale listed first.
    • Maple Lake
      (5 miles [8 km] to the east)
    • South Haven
      (5 miles [8 km] to the northwest)
    • Albion Center
      (6 miles [9.7 km] to the south)
      • Albion Center is located in Wright County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Albion Center
    • Silver Creek
      (7 miles [11.3 km] to the northeast)
      • Silver Creek is located in Wright County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Silver Creek
    • Albright
      (8 miles [12.9 km] to the south)
      • Albright is located in Wright County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Albright
    • Rassat
      (9 miles [14.5 km] to the southeast)
      • Rassat is located in Wright County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Rassat
    • Hasty
      (10 miles [16.1 km] to the northeast)
      • Hasty is located in Wright County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Hasty
    • Clearwater
      (11 miles [17.7 km] to the north)
    • Smith Lake
      (12 miles [19.3 km] to the south)
      • Smith Lake is located in Wright County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Smith Lake
    • Cokato
      (13 miles [20.9 km] to the south)
    • Howard Lake
      (13 miles [20.9 km] to the south)
    • Buffalo
      (13 miles [20.9 km] to the southeast)
  • Benton County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Annandale, with the one closest to Annandale listed first.
    • Duelm
      (23 miles [37 km] to the north)
      • Duelm is located in Benton County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Duelm
    • Sauk Rapids
      (23 miles [37 km] to the north)
    • Evergreen Village
      (25 miles [40.2 km] to the north)
      • Evergreen Village is located in Benton County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Evergreen Village
    • Watab
      (28 miles [45.1 km] to the north)
      • Watab is located in Benton County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Watab
    • Foley
      (29 miles [46.7 km] to the north)
  • Carver County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Annandale, with the one closest to Annandale listed first.
    • Hazelton
      (22 miles [35.4 km] to the south)
      • Hazelton is located in Carver County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Hazelton
    • Watertown
      (24 miles [38.6 km] to the southeast)
    • Hollywood
      (25 miles [40.2 km] to the south)
      • Hollywood is located in Carver County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Hollywood
    • New Germany
      (27 miles [43.5 km] to the south)
    • Mayer
      (28 miles [45.1 km] to the southeast)
  • Hennepin County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Annandale, with the one closest to Annandale listed first.
    • Greenfield
      (23 miles [37 km] to the southeast)
      • Greenfield is located in Hennepin County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Greenfield
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 3,058 people
    • Independence
      (25 miles [40.2 km] to the southeast)
      • Independence is located in Hennepin County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Independence
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 3,786 people
    • Rogers
      (27 miles [43.5 km] to the east)
      • Rogers is located in Hennepin County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Rogers
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 13,623 people
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Rogers <1>
    • Loretto
      (27 miles [43.5 km] to the southeast)
    • Maple Plain
      (28 miles [45.1 km] to the southeast)
    • Corcoran
      (30 miles [48.3 km] to the east)
    • Medina
      (30 miles [48.3 km] to the southeast)
    • Minnetrista
      (30 miles [48.3 km] to the southeast)
    • Saint Bonifacius
      (30 miles [48.3 km] to the southeast)
  • McLeod County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Annandale, with the one closest to Annandale listed first.
    • Winsted
      (21 miles [33.8 km] to the south)
    • Silver Lake
      (24 miles [38.6 km] to the south)
    • Lester Prairie
      (26 miles [41.8 km] to the south)
    • Hutchinson
      (28 miles [45.1 km] to the southwest)
    • Biscay
      (30 miles [48.3 km] to the south)
      • Biscay is located in McLeod County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Biscay
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 109 people
  • Meeker County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Annandale, with the one closest to Annandale listed first.
    • Kingston
      (10 miles [16.1 km] to the southwest)
      • Kingston is located in Meeker County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Kingston
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 162 people
    • Watkins
      (14 miles [22.5 km] to the west)
    • Dassel
      (15 miles [24.1 km] to the southwest)
    • Darwin
      (17 miles [27.4 km] to the southwest)
    • Forest City
      (17 miles [27.4 km] to the west)
      • Forest City is located in Meeker County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Forest City
    • Litchfield
      (21 miles [33.8 km] to the southwest)
    • Eden Valley
      (21 miles [33.8 km] to the west)
    • Manannah
      (24 miles [38.6 km] to the west)
      • Manannah is located in Meeker County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Manannah
    • Grove City
      (28 miles [45.1 km] to the west)
    • Cedar Mills
      (29 miles [46.7 km] to the southwest)
      • Cedar Mills is located in Meeker County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Cedar Mills
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 51 people
  • Sherburne County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Annandale, with the one closest to Annandale listed first.
    • Becker
      (14 miles [22.5 km] to the northeast)
      • Becker is located in Sherburne County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Becker
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 5,033 people
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Becker <1>
    • Clear Lake
      (14 miles [22.5 km] to the northeast)
    • Salida
      (16 miles [25.7 km] to the northeast)
      • Salida is located in Sherburne County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Salida
    • Cable
      (17 miles [27.4 km] to the north)
      • Cable is located in Sherburne County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Cable
    • Big Lake
      (19 miles [30.6 km] to the east)
    • Orrock
      (22 miles [35.4 km] to the northeast)
      • Orrock is located in Sherburne County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Orrock
    • Santiago
      (24 miles [38.6 km] to the northeast)
      • Santiago is located in Sherburne County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Santiago
    • Elk River
      (27 miles [43.5 km] to the east)
    • Zimmerman
      (28 miles [45.1 km] to the northeast)
      • Zimmerman is located in Sherburne County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Zimmerman
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 6,135 people
      • Zimmerman has also been known as:
      • Lake Fremont
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Zimmerman <1>
  • Stearns County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Annandale, with the one closest to Annandale listed first.
    • Fairhaven
      (6 miles [9.7 km] to the northwest)
      • Fairhaven is located in Stearns County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Fairhaven
    • Kimball Prairie
      (9 miles [14.5 km] to the west)
      • Kimball Prairie is located in Stearns County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Kimball Prairie
    • Kimball
      (9 miles [14.5 km] to the west)
    • Saint Augusta
      (13 miles [20.9 km] to the north)
      • Saint Augusta is located in Stearns County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Saint Augusta
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 3,900 people
    • Rockville
      (16 miles [25.7 km] to the northwest)
    • Pleasant Lake
      (18 miles [29 km] to the northwest)
      • Pleasant Lake is located in Stearns County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Pleasant Lake
    • Saint Cloud
      (20 miles [32.2 km] to the north)
    • Cold Spring
      (20 miles [32.2 km] to the northwest)
    • Waite Park
      (21 miles [33.8 km] to the north)
    • Richmond
      (23 miles [37 km] to the northwest)
    • Saint Joseph
      (23 miles [37 km] to the northwest)
    • Collegeville
      (25 miles [40.2 km] to the northwest)

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

Cemeteries Near Annandale ...

Below are cemeteries that are in the vicinity of Annandale.

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 Annandale - one of the links might be able to help.

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

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

  • Woodlawn Cemetery
    (Less than 2 miles to the northeast)
  • St. Johns Cemetery
    (Less than 2 miles to the west)
  • Grace Cemetery
    (2 miles [3.2 km] to the northwest)
  • Corinna Cemetery
    (3 miles [4.8 km] to the northeast)
  • St. Mark's Cemetery
    (3 miles [4.8 km] to the north)
  • Union Cemetery
    (3 miles [4.8 km] to the west)
  • St. Ignatius Cemetery
    (4 miles [6.4 km] to the south)
  • Alamaa Cemetery
    (4 miles [6.4 km] to the south)
  • Immanuel Cemetery
    (5 miles [8 km] to the southwest)
  • National Cemetery
    (5 miles [8 km] to the southwest)
  • Fairhaven Cemetery
    (5 miles [8 km] to the northwest)
  • Our Savior Cemetery
    (6 miles [9.7 km] to the southwest)
  • Continue List   (228 more) ...
    • Riverside Cemetery
      (6 miles [9.7 km] to the southwest)
    • Apostolic Cemetery
      (6 miles [9.7 km] to the southwest)
    • Albion Cemetery
      (6 miles [9.7 km] to the south)

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.<2>

The Rand McNally Atlas shows that Annandale had a population of 211 people in 1895 with a post office and railroad service. In 2020, Annandale had a population of 3,546 people.

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

  • Maple Lake
    (5 miles [8 km] to the east)
  • South Haven
    (5 miles [8 km] to the northwest)
  • Fairhaven
    (6 miles [9.7 km] to the northwest)
    • Fairhaven is located in Stearns County
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Fairhaven
  • Silver Creek
    (7 miles [11.3 km] to the northeast)
    • Silver Creek is located in Wright County
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Silver Creek
  • Kimball Prairie
    (9 miles [14.5 km] to the west)
    • Kimball Prairie is located in Stearns County
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Kimball Prairie
  • Kingston
    (10 miles [16.1 km] to the southwest)
    • Kingston is located in Meeker County
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Kingston
    • Population from the 2020 Census: 162 people
  • Hasty
    (10 miles [16.1 km] to the northeast)
    • Hasty is located in Wright County
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Hasty
  • Clearwater
    (11 miles [17.7 km] to the north)
  • Smith Lake
    (12 miles [19.3 km] to the south)
    • Smith Lake is located in Wright County
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Smith Lake
  • Cokato
    (13 miles [20.9 km] to the south)
  • Saint Augusta
    (13 miles [20.9 km] to the north)
    • Saint Augusta is located in Stearns County
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Saint Augusta
    • Population from the 2020 Census: 3,900 people
  • Howard Lake
    (13 miles [20.9 km] to the south)
  • Continue List   (16 more) ...
    • Buffalo
      (13 miles [20.9 km] to the southeast)
    • Luxemburg
      (14 miles [22.5 km] to the northwest)
      • Luxemburg is located in Stearns County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Luxemburg
    • Becker
      (14 miles [22.5 km] to the northeast)
      • Becker is located in Sherburne County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Becker
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 5,033 people
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Becker <1>

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

Newspapers Published in the Vicinity of Annandale ...

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 104 newspapers that have been published in the area around Annandale.

We have organized these newspapers into two lists:

  • A Local Newspaper List - focusing on the papers published in the immediate area of Annandale. There are actually two parts to this list - papers printed in the immediate area of Annandale and those printed in the larger area surrounding Annandale.
  • An Extended Newspaper List - a longer list, sorted by paper name and containing those papers published within 30 miles [48.3 km]<3> of Annandale.

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 Annandale:

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>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 Annandale, please let us know so that we can improve our accuracy.
<3>Our distances are not driving distances, but are calculated as a 'point-to-point' distance. A straight line distance ignores obstructions like rivers, canyons, lakes, et cetera - it's truly a line from Point A (ie- Annandale) to Point B. In other words: 'As the crow flies'.