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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 Bancroft (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 Bancroft. 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 northwest corner of their home county. During their lives, most hospitals were in the next county to the west. Almost all of the nearby churches and cemeteries were in the county to the north.

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 west contained birth and death records; the county to the north 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.

Bancroft is located in Freeborn 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 Freeborn County: Winnebago (IA), Worth (IA), Faribault, Mower, Steele & Waseca.

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

  • Freeborn County     (The home county of Bancroft)
    • The following are listed by their distance from Bancroft, with the one closest to Bancroft listed first.
    • Albert Lea
      (3 miles [4.8 km] to the south)
    • Clarks Grove
      (4 miles [6.4 km] to the north)
    • Manchester
      (5 miles [8 km] to the west)
      • Manchester is located in Freeborn County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Manchester
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 55 people
    • Hayward
      (6 miles [9.7 km] to the southeast)
    • Bath
      (8 miles [12.9 km] to the north)
      • Bath is located in Freeborn County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Bath
    • Hollandale
      (8 miles [12.9 km] to the northeast)
    • Geneva
      (9 miles [14.5 km] to the northeast)
    • Hartland
      (9 miles [14.5 km] to the northwest)
      • Hartland is located in Freeborn County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Hartland
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 307 people
    • Glenville
      (9 miles [14.5 km] to the southeast)
    • Twin Lakes
      (10 miles [16.1 km] to the south)
      • Twin Lakes is located in Freeborn County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Twin Lakes
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 149 people
    • Conger
      (10 miles [16.1 km] to the southwest)
      • Conger is located in Freeborn County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Conger
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 144 people
    • Freeborn
      (11 miles [17.7 km] to the northwest)
    • Alden
      (11 miles [17.7 km] to the west)
  • Blue Earth County
    • Pemberton
      (30 miles [48.3 km] to the northwest)
      • Pemberton is located in Blue Earth County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Pemberton
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 241 people
  • Dodge County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Bancroft, with the one closest to Bancroft listed first.
    • Westfield Center ‑ Historic
      (25 miles [40.2 km] to the northeast)
      • Westfield Center is located in Dodge County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Westfield Center
    • Hayfield
      (28 miles [45.1 km] to the northeast)
    • Claremont
      (29 miles [46.7 km] to the northeast)
  • Faribault County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Bancroft, with the one closest to Bancroft listed first.
    • Walters
      (17 miles [27.4 km] to the southwest)
      • Walters is located in Faribault County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Walters
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 67 people
    • Wells
      (18 miles [29 km] to the west)
      • Wells is located in Faribault County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Wells
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 2,157 people
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Wells <1>
    • Kiester
      (21 miles [33.8 km] to the southwest)
    • Bricelyn
      (24 miles [38.6 km] to the southwest)
      • Bricelyn is located in Faribault County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Bricelyn
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 334 people
    • Minnesota Lake
      (25 miles [40.2 km] to the west)
    • Easton
      (27 miles [43.5 km] to the west)
      • Easton is located in Faribault County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Easton
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 183 people
    • Dell
      (28 miles [45.1 km] to the west)
      • Dell is located in Faribault County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Dell
    • Frost
      (29 miles [46.7 km] to the west)
      • Frost is located in Faribault County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Frost
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 181 people
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Frost <1>
  • Mower County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Bancroft, with the one closest to Bancroft listed first.
    • Austin
      (19 miles [30.6 km] to the east)
    • Lansing
      (19 miles [30.6 km] to the east)
      • Lansing is located in Mower County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Lansing
    • Mapleview
      (19 miles [30.6 km] to the east)
      • Mapleview is located in Mower County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Mapleview
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 177 people
    • Varco
      (21 miles [33.8 km] to the east)
      • Varco is located in Mower County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Varco
    • Brownsdale
      (24 miles [38.6 km] to the east)
    • Lyle
      (24 miles [38.6 km] to the southeast)
    • Waltham
      (25 miles [40.2 km] to the east)
    • Rose Creek
      (27 miles [43.5 km] to the east)
    • Sargeant
      (28 miles [45.1 km] to the east)
      • Sargeant is located in Mower County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Sargeant
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 60 people
    • Renova ‑ Historic
      (29 miles [46.7 km] to the east)
      • Renova is located in Mower County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Renova
  • Steele County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Bancroft, with the one closest to Bancroft listed first.
    • Ellendale
      (12 miles [19.3 km] to the north)
    • River Point
      (17 miles [27.4 km] to the north)
      • River Point is located in Steele County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for River Point
    • Union
      (17 miles [27.4 km] to the northeast)
      • Union is located in Steele County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Union
    • Hope
      (18 miles [29 km] to the north)
      • Hope is located in Steele County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Hope
    • Blooming Prairie
      (18 miles [29 km] to the northeast)
    • Steele Center
      (20 miles [32.2 km] to the north)
      • Steele Center is located in Steele County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Steele Center
    • Pratt
      (24 miles [38.6 km] to the northeast)
      • Pratt is located in Steele County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Pratt
    • Havana
      (27 miles [43.5 km] to the north)
      • Havana is located in Steele County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Havana
    • Owatonna
      (27 miles [43.5 km] to the north)
  • Waseca County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Bancroft, with the one closest to Bancroft listed first.
    • New Richland
      (14 miles [22.5 km] to the northwest)
    • Vista
      (18 miles [29 km] to the north)
      • Vista is located in Waseca County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Vista
    • Waldorf
      (23 miles [37 km] to the northwest)
      • Waldorf is located in Waseca County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Waldorf
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 224 people
    • Wilton
      (23 miles [37 km] to the northwest)
      • Wilton is located in Waseca County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Wilton
    • Waseca
      (27 miles [43.5 km] to the north)
    • Alma City
      (28 miles [45.1 km] to the northwest)
      • Alma City is located in Waseca County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Alma City
  • Mitchell County (IA)
    • The following are listed by their distance from Bancroft, with the one closest to Bancroft listed first.
    • Carpenter
      (26 miles [41.8 km] to the southeast)
      • Carpenter is located in Mitchell County (IA)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Carpenter
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 108 people
    • Toeterville
      (29 miles [46.7 km] to the southeast)
  • Winnebago County (IA)
    • The following are listed by their distance from Bancroft, with the one closest to Bancroft listed first.
    • Scarville
      (20 miles [32.2 km] to the southwest)
    • Lake Mills
      (21 miles [33.8 km] to the southwest)
    • Vinje
      (22 miles [35.4 km] to the southwest)
      • Vinje is located in Winnebago County (IA)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Vinje
    • Leland
      (28 miles [45.1 km] to the southwest)
      • Leland is located in Winnebago County (IA)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Leland
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 268 people
  • Worth County (IA)
    • The following are listed by their distance from Bancroft, with the one closest to Bancroft listed first.
    • Silver Lake
      (15 miles [24.1 km] to the south)
      • Silver Lake is located in Worth County (IA)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Silver Lake
    • Northwood
      (19 miles [30.6 km] to the south)
    • Bristol
      (20 miles [32.2 km] to the south)
      • Bristol is located in Worth County (IA)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Bristol
    • Joice
      (23 miles [37 km] to the south)
      • Joice is located in Worth County (IA)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Joice
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 209 people
    • Kensett
      (25 miles [40.2 km] to the south)
      • Kensett is located in Worth County (IA)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Kensett
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 249 people
    • Bolan
      (25 miles [40.2 km] to the southeast)
      • Bolan is located in Worth County (IA)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Bolan
    • Hanlontown
      (29 miles [46.7 km] to the south)
      • Hanlontown is located in Worth County (IA)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Hanlontown
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 220 people
    • Manly
      (29 miles [46.7 km] to the south)
      • Manly is located in Worth County (IA)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Manly
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 1,271 people
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Manly <1>
    • Grafton
      (29 miles [46.7 km] to the southeast)
    • Fertile
      (30 miles [48.3 km] to the south)

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

Cemeteries Near Bancroft ...

Below are cemeteries that are in the vicinity of Bancroft.

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

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

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

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>

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

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

  • Albert Lea
    (3 miles [4.8 km] to the south)
  • Clarks Grove
    (4 miles [6.4 km] to the north)
  • Manchester
    (5 miles [8 km] to the west)
    • Manchester is located in Freeborn County
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Manchester
    • Population from the 2020 Census: 55 people
  • Armstrong
    (6 miles [9.7 km] to the southwest)
    • Armstrong is located in Freeborn County
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Armstrong
  • Hayward
    (6 miles [9.7 km] to the southeast)
  • Bath
    (8 miles [12.9 km] to the north)
    • Bath is located in Freeborn County
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Bath
  • Glenville
    (9 miles [14.5 km] to the southeast)
  • Geneva
    (9 miles [14.5 km] to the northeast)
  • Hartland
    (9 miles [14.5 km] to the northwest)
    • Hartland is located in Freeborn County
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Hartland
    • Population from the 2020 Census: 307 people
  • Twin Lakes
    (10 miles [16.1 km] to the south)
    • Twin Lakes is located in Freeborn County
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Twin Lakes
    • Population from the 2020 Census: 149 people
  • Alden
    (11 miles [17.7 km] to the west)
  • Freeborn
    (11 miles [17.7 km] to the northwest)
  • Continue List   (13 more) ...
    • Moscow
      (12 miles [19.3 km] to the east)
      • Moscow is located in Freeborn County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Moscow
    • Gordonsville
      (13 miles [20.9 km] to the south)
      • Gordonsville is located in Freeborn County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Gordonsville
    • Myrtle
      (13 miles [20.9 km] to the southeast)
      • Myrtle is located in Freeborn County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Myrtle
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 46 people

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

Newspapers Published in Bancroft ...

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 119 newspapers that have been published in the area around Bancroft.

Although we're unaware of any newspapers that were published in the immediate area of Bancroft, there are papers which were published within 29 miles [46.7 km]<3>. A list of those papers, sorted by paper name, can be found on the Extended Newspaper List for Bancroft.

Websites to Help With Your Genealogy Research ...

When we do our genealogical research, we first visit the websites from Cyndi's List, FamilySearch and Genealogy Trails. These 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 Bancroft:

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 Bancroft, please let us know so that we can improve our accuracy.
<3>Our distances are not driving distances, but are calculated as a 'straight-line' (or 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- Bancroft) to Point B. In other words: 'As the crow flies'.