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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 Backus (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 Backus. 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.

Backus is located in Cass County.

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

The following counties adjoin and form the boundaries of Cass County: Aitkin, Beltrami, Crow Wing, Hubbard, Itasca, Morrison, Todd & Wadena.

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

  • Cass County     (The home county of Backus)
    • The following are listed by their distance from Backus, with the one closest to Backus listed first.
    • Hackensack
      (7 miles [11.3 km] to the north)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Hackensack have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Hackensack
      • Hackensack is located in Cass County
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 308 people
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Hackensack <2>
    • Chickamaw Beach
      (8 miles [12.9 km] to the southeast)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Chickamaw Beach have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Chickamaw Beach
      • Chickamaw Beach is located in Cass County
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 110 people
    • Pine River
      (8 miles [12.9 km] to the southeast)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Pine River have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Pine River
      • Pine River is located in Cass County
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 933 people
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Pine River <2>
    • Wabedo
      (16 miles [25.7 km] to the northeast)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Wabedo
      • Wabedo is located in Cass County
    • Ah-gwah-ching
      (17 miles [27.4 km] to the north)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Ah-gwah-ching have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Ah-gwah-ching
      • Ah-gwah-ching is located in Cass County
    • Whipholt
      (17 miles [27.4 km] to the northeast)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Whipholt
      • Whipholt is located in Cass County
    • Longville
      (18 miles [29 km] to the northeast)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Longville have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Longville
      • Longville is located in Cass County
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 148 people
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Longville <2>
    • Walker
      (19 miles [30.6 km] to the north)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Walker have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Walker
      • Walker is located in Cass County
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 928 people
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Walker <2>
    • Lake Shore
      (23 miles [37 km] to the south)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Lake Shore have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Lake Shore
      • Lake Shore is located in Cass County
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 1,069 people
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Lake Shore <2>
    • North Central Cass
      (25 miles [40.2 km] to the north)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for North Central Cass have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for North Central Cass
      • North Central Cass is located in Cass County
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 29 people
    • Outing
      (26 miles [41.8 km] to the east)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Outing have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Outing
      • Outing is located in Cass County
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Outing <2>
    • East Gull Lake
      (29 miles [46.7 km] to the south)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for East Gull Lake have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for East Gull Lake
      • East Gull Lake is located in Cass County
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 1,059 people
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for East Gull Lake <2>
    • Boy River
      (30 miles [48.3 km] to the northeast)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Boy River have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Boy River
      • Boy River is located in Cass County
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 51 people
  • Crow Wing County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Backus, with the one closest to Backus listed first.
    • Jenkins
      (14 miles [22.5 km] to the southeast)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Jenkins have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Jenkins
      • Jenkins is located in Crow Wing County
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 473 people
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Jenkins <2>
    • Manhattan Beach
      (18 miles [29 km] to the east)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Manhattan Beach have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Manhattan Beach
      • Manhattan Beach is located in Crow Wing County
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 65 people
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Manhattan Beach <2>
    • Pequot Lakes
      (19 miles [30.6 km] to the southeast)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Pequot Lakes have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Pequot Lakes
      • Pequot Lakes is located in Crow Wing County
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 2,305 people
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Pequot Lakes <2>
    • Fifty Lakes
      (20 miles [32.2 km] to the east)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Fifty Lakes have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Fifty Lakes
      • Fifty Lakes is located in Crow Wing County
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 406 people
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Fifty Lakes <2>
    • Breezy Point
      (20 miles [32.2 km] to the southeast)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Breezy Point have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Breezy Point
      • Breezy Point is located in Crow Wing County
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 2,435 people
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Breezy Point <2>
    • Crosslake
      (22 miles [35.4 km] to the southeast)
    • Nisswa
      (24 miles [38.6 km] to the southeast)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Nisswa have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Nisswa
      • Nisswa is located in Crow Wing County
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 2,115 people
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Nisswa <2>
    • Lake Hubert
      (25 miles [40.2 km] to the southeast)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Lake Hubert have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Lake Hubert
      • Lake Hubert is located in Crow Wing County
    • Emily
      (26 miles [41.8 km] to the east)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Emily have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Emily
      • Emily is located in Crow Wing County
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 841 people
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Emily <2>
    • Merrifield
      (29 miles [46.7 km] to the southeast)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Merrifield have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Merrifield
      • Merrifield is located in Crow Wing County
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Merrifield <2>
  • Hubbard County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Backus, with the one closest to Backus listed first.
    • Akeley
      (15 miles [24.1 km] to the northwest)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Akeley have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Akeley
      • Akeley is located in Hubbard County
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 449 people
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Akeley <2>
    • Nevis
      (18 miles [29 km] to the northwest)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Nevis have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Nevis
      • Nevis is located in Hubbard County
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 416 people
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Nevis <2>
    • Dorset
      (22 miles [35.4 km] to the northwest)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Dorset
      • Dorset is located in Hubbard County
    • Benedict
      (24 miles [38.6 km] to the north)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Benedict have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Benedict
      • Benedict is located in Hubbard County
    • Park Rapids
      (26 miles [41.8 km] to the west)
    • Laporte
      (29 miles [46.7 km] to the northwest)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Laporte have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Laporte
      • Laporte is located in Hubbard County
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 118 people
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Laporte <2>
  • Wadena County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Backus, with the one closest to Backus listed first.
    • Nimrod
      (21 miles [33.8 km] to the southwest)
    • Menahga
      (28 miles [45.1 km] to the west)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Menahga have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Menahga
      • Menahga is located in Wadena County
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 1,307 people
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Menahga <2>
    • Sebeka
      (30 miles [48.3 km] to the southwest)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Sebeka have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Sebeka
      • Sebeka is located in Wadena County
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 668 people
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Sebeka <2>

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

Newspapers Published in the Vicinity of Backus ...

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 44 newspapers that have been published in the area around Backus.

We have organized these newspapers into two lists:

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

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 helpful websites 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 Backus:

Cemeteries Near Backus ...

Below are cemeteries that are in the vicinity of Backus.

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.

If you need information about a burial or interment, photos, transcripts, how to contact the cemetery or local authorities, please visit our selection of Genealogy Websites (see below).

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

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

  • Evergreen Cemetery
    (Less than 2 miles to the east)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Evergreen Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Evergreen Cemetery
  • Pine River Cemetery
    (4 miles [6.4 km] to the southeast)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Pine River Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Pine River Cemetery
  • Hillcrest Cemetery
    (6 miles [9.7 km] to the north)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Hillcrest Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Hillcrest Cemetery
  • Finnelly Cemetery
    (8 miles [12.9 km] to the north)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Finnelly Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Finnelly Cemetery
  • Pine Ridge Cemetery
    (9 miles [14.5 km] to the southeast)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Pine Ridge Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Pine Ridge Cemetery
  • Ponto Lake Cemetery
    (9 miles [14.5 km] to the east)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Ponto Lake Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Ponto Lake Cemetery
  • Bethlehem Cemetery
    (11 miles [17.7 km] to the southwest)
  • White Oak Cemetery
    (11 miles [17.7 km] to the northwest)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the White Oak Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the White Oak Cemetery
  • Anderson Cemetery
    (12 miles [19.3 km] to the south)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Anderson Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Anderson Cemetery
  • Maple Hill Cemetery
    (12 miles [19.3 km] to the south)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Maple Hill Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Maple Hill Cemetery
  • Lemon Cemetery
    (12 miles [19.3 km] to the west)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Lemon Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Lemon Cemetery
  • Norwood Cemetery
    (13 miles [20.9 km] to the southeast)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Norwood Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Norwood Cemetery
  • Continue List   (62 more) ...
    • Mayo Creek Cemetery
      (14 miles [22.5 km] to the south)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Mayo Creek Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Mayo Creek Cemetery
    • Jenkins Cemetery
      (14 miles [22.5 km] to the southeast)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Jenkins Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Jenkins Cemetery
    • Wabedo Cemetery
      (14 miles [22.5 km] to the east)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Wabedo Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Wabedo Cemetery

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.<5>

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

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

  • Hackensack
    (7 miles [11.3 km] to the north)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Hackensack have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Hackensack
    • Hackensack is located in Cass County
    • Population from the 2020 Census: 308 people
    • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Hackensack <2>
  • Pine River
    (8 miles [12.9 km] to the southeast)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Pine River have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Pine River
    • Pine River is located in Cass County
    • Population from the 2020 Census: 933 people
    • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Pine River <2>
  • Nimrod
    (21 miles [33.8 km] to the southwest)
  • Ellis
    (22 miles [35.4 km] to the south)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Ellis have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Ellis
    • Ellis is located in Cass County
  • Hubbard
    (23 miles [37 km] to the west)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Hubbard have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Hubbard
    • Hubbard is located in Hubbard County
  • Park Rapids
    (26 miles [41.8 km] to the west)
  • Menahga
    (28 miles [45.1 km] to the west)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Menahga have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Menahga
    • Menahga is located in Wadena County
    • Population from the 2020 Census: 1,307 people
    • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Menahga <2>

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

The official website for Backus: www.backusmn.com/

The official website for Cass County: www.co.cass.mn.us/

The official website for State of Minnesota: https://mn.gov/

Footnotes ...

<1>The location has been supplied by the Geographic Names Information System - which is maintained by the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS). While these values should be definitive, we found that accuracy can vary and you should double-check the location if accuracy is required.
<2>While we're fans and frequent users of TripAdvisor, you should know that we're also members of the TripAdvisor affiliate program.
<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- Backus) to Point B.Our distance measurements begin at a specific point in Backus. The point we use is located at these GPS coordinates - Latitude: 46.8205, Longitude: -94.5148       In this case, the coordinates for Backus have been provided by the Geographic Names Information System (GNIS).
<4>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.
<5>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 Backus, please let us know so that we can improve our accuracy.




 

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This page was last modified/updated: 07 Apr 2024