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 Becker (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 Becker. 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 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.
Becker is located in Sherburne 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 Sherburne County: Anoka, Benton, Isanti, Mille Lacs, Stearns & Wright.
Below are the counties that are near Becker. For each of these counties, we show a sample of those communities that are closest to Becker:
- Sherburne County (The home county of Becker)
- The following are listed by their distance from Becker, with the one closest to Becker listed first.
- Salida
(3 miles [4.8 km] to the southeast)
- Salida is located in Sherburne County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Salida
- Orrock
(7 miles [11.3 km] to the northeast)
- Orrock is located in Sherburne County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Orrock
- Clear Lake
(7 miles [11.3 km] to the northwest)
- Big Lake
(7 miles [11.3 km] to the southeast)
- Santiago
(11 miles [17.7 km] to the north)
- Santiago is located in Sherburne County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Santiago
- Zimmerman
(13 miles [20.9 km] to the east)
- 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>
- Cable
(13 miles [20.9 km] to the northwest)
- Cable is located in Sherburne County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Cable
- Elk River
(15 miles [24.1 km] to the east)
- Anoka County
- The following are listed by their distance from Becker, with the one closest to Becker listed first.
- Nowthen
(19 miles [30.6 km] to the east)
- Nowthen is located in Anoka County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Nowthen
- Population from the 2020 Census: 4,732 people
- Ramsey
(22 miles [35.4 km] to the east)
- Saint Francis
(24 miles [38.6 km] to the east)
- Oak Grove
(26 miles [41.8 km] to the east)
- Anoka
(26 miles [41.8 km] to the southeast)
- Andover
(27 miles [43.5 km] to the east)
- Cedar
(28 miles [45.1 km] to the east)
- Bethel
(29 miles [46.7 km] to the east)
- Coopers Corner
(30 miles [48.3 km] to the east)
- Coopers Corner is located in Anoka County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Coopers Corner
- Benton County
- The following are listed by their distance from Becker, with the one closest to Becker listed first.
- Duelm
(13 miles [20.9 km] to the north)
- Duelm is located in Benton County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Duelm
- Foley
(19 miles [30.6 km] to the north)
- Ronneby
(20 miles [32.2 km] to the north)
- Ronneby is located in Benton County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Ronneby
- Sauk Rapids
(20 miles [32.2 km] to the northwest)
- Oak Park
(22 miles [35.4 km] to the north)
- Oak Park is located in Benton County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Oak Park
- Evergreen Village
(22 miles [35.4 km] to the northwest)
- Evergreen Village is located in Benton County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Evergreen Village
- Gilman
(24 miles [38.6 km] to the north)
- Watab
(25 miles [40.2 km] to the northwest)
- Watab is located in Benton County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Watab
- Carver County
- The following are listed by their distance from Becker, with the one closest to Becker listed first.
- Watertown
(28 miles [45.1 km] to the south)
- Hazelton
(29 miles [46.7 km] to the south)
- Hazelton is located in Carver County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Hazelton
- Hennepin County
- The following are listed by their distance from Becker, with the one closest to Becker listed first.
- Rogers
(19 miles [30.6 km] to the southeast)
- Greenfield
(21 miles [33.8 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
- Dayton
(23 miles [37 km] to the southeast)
- Corcoran
(25 miles [40.2 km] to the southeast)
- Loretto
(25 miles [40.2 km] to the southeast)
- Independence
(26 miles [41.8 km] to the south)
- Independence is located in Hennepin County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Independence
- Population from the 2020 Census: 3,786 people
- Champlin
(26 miles [41.8 km] to the southeast)
- Maple Plain
(27 miles [43.5 km] to the south)
- Medina
(27 miles [43.5 km] to the southeast)
- Hamel
(28 miles [45.1 km] to the southeast)
- Maple Grove
(28 miles [45.1 km] to the southeast)
- Osseo
(29 miles [46.7 km] to the southeast)
- Isanti County
- The following are listed by their distance from Becker, with the one closest to Becker listed first.
- Crown
(20 miles [32.2 km] to the east)
- Crown is located in Isanti County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Crown
- Bradford
(26 miles [41.8 km] to the east)
- Bradford is located in Isanti County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Bradford
- Dalbo
(29 miles [46.7 km] to the northeast)
- McLeod County
- Winsted
(30 miles [48.3 km] to the south)
- Meeker County
- The following are listed by their distance from Becker, with the one closest to Becker listed first.
- Kingston
(24 miles [38.6 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
(26 miles [41.8 km] to the west)
- Dassel
(29 miles [46.7 km] to the southwest)
- Mille Lacs County
- The following are listed by their distance from Becker, with the one closest to Becker listed first.
- Estes Brook
(19 miles [30.6 km] to the north)
- Estes Brook is located in Mille Lacs County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Estes Brook
- Princeton
(19 miles [30.6 km] to the northeast)
- Pease
(24 miles [38.6 km] to the northeast)
- Pease is located in Mille Lacs County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Pease
- Population from the 2020 Census: 224 people
- Foreston
(25 miles [40.2 km] to the north)
- Foreston is located in Mille Lacs County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Foreston
- Population from the 2020 Census: 527 people
- Milaca
(28 miles [45.1 km] to the north)
- Stearns County
- The following are listed by their distance from Becker, with the one closest to Becker listed first.
- Fairhaven
(16 miles [25.7 km] to the west)
- Fairhaven is located in Stearns County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Fairhaven
- Saint Augusta
(16 miles [25.7 km] to the west)
- Saint Augusta is located in Stearns County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Saint Augusta
- Population from the 2020 Census: 3,900 people
- Saint Cloud
(18 miles [29 km] to the northwest)
- Waite Park
(20 miles [32.2 km] to the northwest)
- Kimball Prairie
(21 miles [33.8 km] to the west)
- Kimball Prairie is located in Stearns County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Kimball Prairie
- Kimball
(21 miles [33.8 km] to the west)
- Pleasant Lake
(21 miles [33.8 km] to the west)
- Pleasant Lake is located in Stearns County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Pleasant Lake
- Rockville
(22 miles [35.4 km] to the west)
- Evergreen Village
(23 miles [37 km] to the northwest)
- Evergreen Village is located in Stearns County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Evergreen Village
- Sartell
(23 miles [37 km] to the northwest)
- Saint Joseph
(24 miles [38.6 km] to the northwest)
- Collegeville
(27 miles [43.5 km] to the northwest)
- Cold Spring
(27 miles [43.5 km] to the west)
- Wright County
- The following are listed by their distance from Becker, with the one closest to Becker listed first.
- Hasty
(4 miles [6.4 km] to the west)
- Hasty is located in Wright County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Hasty
- Monticello
(6 miles [9.7 km] to the southeast)
- Silver Creek
(6 miles [9.7 km] to the southwest)
- Silver Creek is located in Wright County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Silver Creek
- Clearwater
(8 miles [12.9 km] to the west)
- Maple Lake
(12 miles [19.3 km] to the southwest)
- Buffalo
(14 miles [22.5 km] to the south)
- Albertville
(14 miles [22.5 km] to the southeast)
- Otsego
(14 miles [22.5 km] to the southeast)
- Annandale
(14 miles [22.5 km] to the southwest)
- Saint Michael
(15 miles [24.1 km] to the southeast)
- Rassat
(16 miles [25.7 km] to the south)
- Rassat is located in Wright County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Rassat
- Albion Center
(17 miles [27.4 km] to the southwest)
- Albion Center is located in Wright County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Albion Center
- South Haven
(17 miles [27.4 km] to the west)
For an expanded list of the communities that are closest to Becker, see our County-by-County Page for Becker.
Cemeteries Near Becker ...
Below are cemeteries that are in the vicinity of Becker.
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 Becker - one of the links might be able to help.
If not found below, our Cemetery List for Becker covers a larger area, with the cemeteries listed in alphabetical order.
The following cemeteries are listed based on their distance from Becker, with the one closest to Becker listed first.
- Becker Cemetery
(Less than 2 miles to the north)
- Lakeside Cemetery
(4 miles [6.4 km] to the southwest)
- Riverside Cemetery
(5 miles [8 km] to the southeast)
- Snake River Cemetery
(5 miles [8 km] to the northeast)
- Highland Cemetery
(5 miles [8 km] to the west)
- St. Henrys Cemetery
(6 miles [9.7 km] to the southeast)
- Hillside Cemetery
(6 miles [9.7 km] to the southeast)
- Danish Cemetery
(6 miles [9.7 km] to the north)
- Big Lake Cemetery
(7 miles [11.3 km] to the southeast)
- St. Marcus Cemetery
(7 miles [11.3 km] to the northwest)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for St. Marcus Cemetery
- The St. Marcus Cemetery has also been known as:
- Clear Lake Cemetery
- St. Marcus Catholic Cemetery
- Jump to Find-A-Grave: FG ID #83393 <2>
- Lakeview Cemetery
(8 miles [12.9 km] to the southwest)
- Helm Cemetery
(8 miles [12.9 km] to the southeast)
- Continue List (239 more) ...
- Greenwood Cemetery
(8 miles [12.9 km] to the east)
- Two Stone Cemetery
(8 miles [12.9 km] to the northeast)
- South Santiago Cemetery
(8 miles [12.9 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.<3>
The Rand McNally Atlas shows that Becker had a population of 100 people in 1895 with a post office and railroad service. In 2020, Becker had a population of 5,033 people.
These communities are listed based on their distance from Becker, with the one closest to Becker listed first.
- Salida
(3 miles [4.8 km] to the southeast)
- Salida is located in Sherburne County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Salida
- Hasty
(4 miles [6.4 km] to the west)
- Hasty is located in Wright County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Hasty
- Silver Creek
(6 miles [9.7 km] to the southwest)
- Silver Creek is located in Wright County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Silver Creek
- Monticello
(6 miles [9.7 km] to the southeast)
- Big Lake
(7 miles [11.3 km] to the southeast)
- Orrock
(7 miles [11.3 km] to the northeast)
- Orrock is located in Sherburne County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Orrock
- Clear Lake
(7 miles [11.3 km] to the northwest)
- Clearwater
(8 miles [12.9 km] to the west)
- Bailey
(11 miles [17.7 km] to the southeast)
- Bailey is located in Sherburne County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Bailey
- Santiago
(11 miles [17.7 km] to the north)
- Santiago is located in Sherburne County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Santiago
- Maple Lake
(12 miles [19.3 km] to the southwest)
- Duelm
(13 miles [20.9 km] to the north)
- Duelm is located in Benton County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Duelm
- Continue List (14 more) ...
- Zimmerman
(13 miles [20.9 km] to the east)
- 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>
- Cable
(13 miles [20.9 km] to the northwest)
- Cable is located in Sherburne County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Cable
- Annandale
(14 miles [22.5 km] to the southwest)
We've also created an expanded list of communities that existed in the 1890's and were located in the area around Becker. See our List of 1890's Communities around Becker.
Newspapers Published in the Vicinity of Becker ...
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 109 newspapers that have been published in the area around Becker.
We have organized these newspapers into two lists:
- A Local Newspaper List - focusing on the papers published in the immediate area of Becker. There are actually two parts to this list - papers printed in the immediate area of Becker and those printed in the larger area surrounding Becker.
- An Extended Newspaper List - a longer list, sorted by paper name and containing those papers published within 30 miles [48.3 km]<4> of Becker.
Websites to Help With Your Genealogy Research ...
When we do our genealogical research, we start with 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 Becker:
- Websites specific to Minnesota
- Pages specific to Sherburne County
- Genealogy information for nearby counties
- Anoka County
- Benton County
- Carver County
- Hennepin County
- Isanti County
- McLeod County
- Meeker County
- Mille Lacs County
- Stearns County
- Wright County
- Cemetery Information and Directories for Minnesota
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 Becker, please let us know so that we can improve our accuracy. |
| <4> | Our distances are not driving distances, but are calculated as a 'straight-line' (or point-to-point) distance. A straight line distance ignores things like rivers, canyons, lakes, et cetera - it's truly a line from Point A (ie- Becker) to Point B. In other words: 'As the crow flies'. |