RoadsideThoughts
A Gazetteer for the United States and Canada
Home >> State of Minnesota >> Grant County >> Barrett >> Genealogy HelperIndex...

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 Barrett (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 Barrett. 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 southwest corner of their home county. During their lives, most doctors were in the next county to the west. 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 west 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.

Barrett is located in Grant 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 Grant County: Douglas, Otter Tail, Pope, Stevens, Traverse & Wilkin.

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

  • Grant County     (The home county of Barrett)
    • The following are listed by their distance from Barrett, with the one closest to Barrett listed first.
    • Thorsborg
      (4 miles [6.4 km] to the north)
      • Thorsborg is located in Grant County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Thorsborg
    • Erdahl
      (6 miles [9.7 km] to the northeast)
      • Erdahl is located in Grant County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Erdahl
    • Elbow Lake
      (6 miles [9.7 km] to the northwest)
    • Hoffman
      (7 miles [11.3 km] to the southeast)
    • Ashby
      (13 miles [20.9 km] to the north)
    • Wendell
      (13 miles [20.9 km] to the northwest)
    • Herman
      (13 miles [20.9 km] to the southwest)
      • Herman is located in Grant County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Herman
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 445 people
    • Norcross
      (14 miles [22.5 km] to the west)
      • Norcross is located in Grant County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Norcross
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 71 people
  • Big Stone County
    • Johnson
      (30 miles [48.3 km] to the southwest)
      • Johnson is located in Big Stone County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Johnson
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 27 people
  • Douglas County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Barrett, with the one closest to Barrett listed first.
    • Evansville
      (11 miles [17.7 km] to the northeast)
    • Melby
      (12 miles [19.3 km] to the northeast)
      • Melby is located in Douglas County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Melby
    • Kensington
      (13 miles [20.9 km] to the southeast)
    • Brandon
      (14 miles [22.5 km] to the east)
    • Holmes City
      (17 miles [27.4 km] to the east)
      • Holmes City is located in Douglas County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Holmes City
    • Garfield
      (19 miles [30.6 km] to the east)
    • Millerville
      (19 miles [30.6 km] to the northeast)
      • Millerville is located in Douglas County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Millerville
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 103 people
    • Alexandria
      (24 miles [38.6 km] to the east)
    • Forada
      (27 miles [43.5 km] to the east)
    • Carlos
      (29 miles [46.7 km] to the east)
    • Miltona
      (30 miles [48.3 km] to the east)
    • Nelson
      (30 miles [48.3 km] to the east)
      • Nelson is located in Douglas County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Nelson
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 192 people
  • Otter Tail County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Barrett, with the one closest to Barrett listed first.
    • Dalton
      (18 miles [29 km] to the north)
    • Western
      (21 miles [33.8 km] to the northwest)
      • Western is located in Otter Tail County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Western
    • Urbank
      (23 miles [37 km] to the northeast)
      • Urbank is located in Otter Tail County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Urbank
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 52 people
    • Underwood
      (25 miles [40.2 km] to the north)
    • Battle Lake
      (27 miles [43.5 km] to the north)
    • Fergus Falls
      (27 miles [43.5 km] to the north)
    • Clitherall
      (28 miles [45.1 km] to the northeast)
    • Nirvana
      (29 miles [46.7 km] to the northeast)
      • Nirvana is located in Otter Tail County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Nirvana
    • Vining
      (29 miles [46.7 km] to the northeast)
  • Pope County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Barrett, with the one closest to Barrett listed first.
    • Farwell
      (17 miles [27.4 km] to the southeast)
      • Farwell is located in Pope County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Farwell
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 52 people
    • Cyrus
      (21 miles [33.8 km] to the south)
    • Lowry
      (23 miles [37 km] to the southeast)
    • New Prairie ‑ Historic
      (24 miles [38.6 km] to the southeast)
      • New Prairie is located in Pope County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for New Prairie
    • Starbuck
      (27 miles [43.5 km] to the southeast)
    • Long Beach
      (29 miles [46.7 km] to the southeast)
      • Long Beach is located in Pope County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Long Beach
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 417 people
    • Glenwood
      (30 miles [48.3 km] to the southeast)
  • Stevens County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Barrett, with the one closest to Barrett listed first.
    • Donnelly
      (16 miles [25.7 km] to the south)
      • Donnelly is located in Stevens County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Donnelly
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 233 people
    • Morris
      (22 miles [35.4 km] to the south)
    • Alberta
      (24 miles [38.6 km] to the south)
      • Alberta is located in Stevens County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Alberta
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 102 people
    • Chokio
      (26 miles [41.8 km] to the southwest)
    • Hancock
      (29 miles [46.7 km] to the south)
  • Traverse County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Barrett, with the one closest to Barrett listed first.
    • Charlesville
      (18 miles [29 km] to the west)
      • Charlesville is located in Traverse County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Charlesville
    • Tintah
      (21 miles [33.8 km] to the west)
      • Tintah is located in Traverse County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Tintah
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 56 people
    • Dumont
      (28 miles [45.1 km] to the southwest)
      • Dumont is located in Traverse County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Dumont
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 87 people
    • Wheaton
      (29 miles [46.7 km] to the west)
  • Wilkin County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Barrett, with the one closest to Barrett listed first.
    • Nashua
      (21 miles [33.8 km] to the northwest)
      • Nashua is located in Wilkin County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Nashua
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 66 people
    • Campbell
      (27 miles [43.5 km] to the northwest)
      • Campbell is located in Wilkin County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Campbell
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 152 people
    • Tenney
      (28 miles [45.1 km] to the west)
      • Tenney is located in Wilkin County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Tenney
      • Estimated population in 2011: 5 people

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

Cemeteries Near Barrett ...

Below are cemeteries that are in the vicinity of Barrett.

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

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

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

  • Bethesda Cemetery
    (Less than 2 miles to the northwest)
  • Union Cemetery
    (Less than 2 miles to the northwest)
  • Native American Burial Grounds
    (Less than 2 miles to the northwest)
  • Barrett Covenant Cemetery
    (Less than 2 miles to the east)
  • Immanuel Lutheran Cemetery
    (2 miles [3.2 km] to the southwest)
  • Fridhem Cemetery
    (3 miles [4.8 km] to the southwest)
  • Lincoln Cemetery
    (4 miles [6.4 km] to the southeast)
  • Old Lincoln Cemetery
    (4 miles [6.4 km] to the east)
  • Lund Cemetery
    (4 miles [6.4 km] to the west)
  • Bethania Cemetery
    (4 miles [6.4 km] to the west)
  • Land Cemetery
    (6 miles [9.7 km] to the southeast)
  • Zion Cemetery
    (6 miles [9.7 km] to the southeast)
  • Continue List   (175 more) ...
    • Zionsborg Cemetery
      (6 miles [9.7 km] to the east)
    • Union Cemetery
      (6 miles [9.7 km] to the northwest)
    • Bethlehem Cemetery
      (6 miles [9.7 km] to the north)

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 in 1895, Barrett had a post office and railroad service. In 2020, Barrett had a population of 414 people.

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

  • Thorsborg
    (4 miles [6.4 km] to the north)
    • Thorsborg is located in Grant County
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Thorsborg
  • Erdahl
    (6 miles [9.7 km] to the northeast)
    • Erdahl is located in Grant County
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Erdahl
  • Elbow Lake
    (6 miles [9.7 km] to the northwest)
  • Hoffman
    (7 miles [11.3 km] to the southeast)
  • Evansville
    (11 miles [17.7 km] to the northeast)
  • Melby
    (12 miles [19.3 km] to the northeast)
    • Melby is located in Douglas County
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Melby
  • Herman
    (13 miles [20.9 km] to the southwest)
    • Herman is located in Grant County
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Herman
    • Population from the 2020 Census: 445 people
  • Kensington
    (13 miles [20.9 km] to the southeast)
  • Ashby
    (13 miles [20.9 km] to the north)
  • Wendell
    (13 miles [20.9 km] to the northwest)
  • Norcross
    (14 miles [22.5 km] to the west)
    • Norcross is located in Grant County
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Norcross
    • Population from the 2020 Census: 71 people
  • Brandon
    (14 miles [22.5 km] to the east)
  • Continue List   (14 more) ...
    • Donnelly
      (16 miles [25.7 km] to the south)
      • Donnelly is located in Stevens County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Donnelly
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 233 people
    • Farwell
      (17 miles [27.4 km] to the southeast)
      • Farwell is located in Pope County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Farwell
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 52 people
    • Holmes City
      (17 miles [27.4 km] to the east)
      • Holmes City is located in Douglas County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Holmes City

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

Newspapers Published in the Vicinity of Barrett ...

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 48 newspapers that have been published in the area around Barrett.

We have organized these newspapers into two lists:

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

Websites to Help With Your Genealogy Research ...

When we do our genealogical research, we begin 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 Barrett:

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 Barrett, 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 things like rivers, canyons, lakes, et cetera - it's truly a line drawn from Point A (ie- Barrett) to Point B. In other words: 'As the crow flies'.