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The Commemorative Quarter for Minnesota





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 Bee (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 Bee. 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 northeast 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 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 east 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.

Bee is located in Houston 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 Houston County: Allamakee (IA), Winneshiek (IA), Fillmore, Winona, La Crosse (WI) & Vernon (WI).

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

  • Houston County     (The home county of Bee)
    • The following are listed by their distance from Bee, with the one closest to Bee listed first.
    • Wilmington
      (3 miles [4.8 km] to the northeast)
      • Note: We haven't been able to verify our GPS coordinates for Wilmington. Although the coordinates have been estimated, they should be in the vicinity.<1>
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Wilmington
      • Wilmington is located in Houston County
      • Google driving directions:
      • From your current location to Wilmington
      • From Bee to Wilmington
    • Eitzen
      (5 miles [8 km] to the east)
    • Willington Grove
      (5 miles [8 km] to the north)
    • Spring Grove
      (5 miles [8 km] to the northwest)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Spring Grove have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Spring Grove
      • Spring Grove is located in Houston County
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 1,262 people
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Spring Grove <3>
    • Caledonia
      (9 miles [14.5 km] to the north)
    • Riceford
      (9 miles [14.5 km] to the northwest)
    • Yucatan
      (13 miles [20.9 km] to the northwest)
      • Note: We haven't been able to verify our GPS coordinates for Yucatan. Although the coordinates have been estimated, they should be in the vicinity.<1>
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Yucatan
      • Yucatan is located in Houston County
      • Google driving directions:
      • From your current location to Yucatan
      • From Bee to Yucatan
    • Reno
      (16 miles [25.7 km] to the northeast)
    • Houston
      (18 miles [29 km] to the north)
    • Brownsville
      (19 miles [30.6 km] to the northeast)
    • Hokah
      (21 miles [33.8 km] to the northeast)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Hokah have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Hokah
      • Hokah is located in Houston County
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 548 people
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Hokah <3>
    • Money Creek
      (22 miles [35.4 km] to the north)
    • La Crescent
      (26 miles [41.8 km] to the northeast)
  • Fillmore County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Bee, with the one closest to Bee listed first.
    • Mabel
      (10 miles [16.1 km] to the west)
    • Newburg
      (13 miles [20.9 km] to the west)
    • Bratsberg
      (18 miles [29 km] to the northwest)
    • Canton
      (18 miles [29 km] to the west)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Canton have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Canton
      • Canton is located in Fillmore County
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 342 people
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Canton <3>
    • South Rushford
      (22 miles [35.4 km] to the northwest)
    • Harmony
      (22 miles [35.4 km] to the west)
      • Note: We haven't been able to verify our GPS coordinates for Harmony. Although the coordinates have been estimated, they should be in the vicinity.<1>
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Harmony
      • Harmony is located in Fillmore County
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 982 people
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Harmony <3>
      • Google driving directions:
      • From your current location to Harmony
      • From Bee to Harmony
    • Peterson
      (23 miles [37 km] to the northwest)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Peterson have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Peterson
      • Peterson is located in Fillmore County
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 198 people
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Peterson <3>
    • Rushford Village
      (23 miles [37 km] to the northwest)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Rushford Village have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Rushford Village
      • Rushford Village is located in Fillmore County
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 838 people
    • Rushford
      (23 miles [37 km] to the northwest)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Rushford have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Rushford
      • Rushford is located in Fillmore County
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 1,695 people
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Rushford <3>
    • Whalan
      (23 miles [37 km] to the northwest)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Whalan have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Whalan
      • Whalan is located in Fillmore County
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 66 people
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Whalan <3>
    • Lanesboro
      (25 miles [40.2 km] to the northwest)
    • Preston
      (28 miles [45.1 km] to the northwest)
    • Granger
      (28 miles [45.1 km] to the west)
      • Note: We haven't been able to verify our GPS coordinates for Granger. Although the coordinates have been estimated, they should be in the vicinity.<1>
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Granger
      • Granger is located in Fillmore County
      • Google driving directions:
      • From your current location to Granger
      • From Bee to Granger
  • Winona County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Bee, with the one closest to Bee listed first.
    • Nodine
      (28 miles [45.1 km] to the north)
    • Dakota
      (30 miles [48.3 km] to the north)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Dakota have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Dakota
      • Dakota is located in Winona County
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 307 people
  • Allamakee County (IA)
    • The following are listed by their distance from Bee, with the one closest to Bee listed first.
    • Dorchester
      (3 miles [4.8 km] to the southeast)
    • Quandahl
      (3 miles [4.8 km] to the southwest)
      • Note: We haven't been able to verify our GPS coordinates for Quandahl. Although the coordinates have been estimated, they should be in the vicinity.<1>
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Quandahl
      • Quandahl is located in Allamakee County (IA)
      • Google driving directions:
      • From your current location to Quandahl
      • From Bee to Quandahl
    • Lycurgus
      (13 miles [20.9 km] to the southeast)
      • Note: We haven't been able to verify our GPS coordinates for Lycurgus. Although the coordinates have been estimated, they should be in the vicinity.<1>
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Lycurgus
      • Lycurgus is located in Allamakee County (IA)
      • Google driving directions:
      • From your current location to Lycurgus
      • From Bee to Lycurgus
    • New Albin
      (14 miles [22.5 km] to the east)
    • Waukon
      (16 miles [25.7 km] to the south)
    • Lansing
      (19 miles [30.6 km] to the southeast)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Lansing have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Lansing
      • Lansing is located in Allamakee County (IA)
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 933 people
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Lansing <3>
    • Elon
      (20 miles [32.2 km] to the southeast)
      • Note: We haven't been able to verify our GPS coordinates for Elon. Although the coordinates have been estimated, they should be in the vicinity.<1>
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Elon
      • Elon is located in Allamakee County (IA)
      • Google driving directions:
      • From your current location to Elon
      • From Bee to Elon
    • Dalby
      (22 miles [35.4 km] to the southeast)
    • Rossville
      (23 miles [37 km] to the southeast)
    • Waterville
      (24 miles [38.6 km] to the southeast)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Waterville have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Waterville
      • Waterville is located in Allamakee County (IA)
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 142 people
    • Volney
      (27 miles [43.5 km] to the south)
    • Postville
      (28 miles [45.1 km] to the south)
    • Harpers Ferry
      (29 miles [46.7 km] to the southeast)
  • Clayton County (IA)
    • Hardin
      (29 miles [46.7 km] to the south)
      • Note: We haven't been able to verify our GPS coordinates for Hardin. Although the coordinates have been estimated, they should be in the vicinity.<1>
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Hardin
      • Hardin is located in Clayton County (IA)
      • Google driving directions:
      • From your current location to Hardin
      • From Bee to Hardin
  • Howard County (IA)
  • Winneshiek County (IA)
  • Crawford County (WI)
    • The following are listed by their distance from Bee, with the one closest to Bee listed first.
    • De Soto
      (19 miles [30.6 km] to the east)
    • Freeman
      (25 miles [40.2 km] to the east)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Freeman have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Freeman
      • Freeman is located in Crawford County (WI)
    • Ferryville
      (26 miles [41.8 km] to the southeast)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Ferryville have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Ferryville
      • Ferryville is located in Crawford County (WI)
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 173 people
  • La Crosse County (WI)
    • The following are listed by their distance from Bee, with the one closest to Bee listed first.
    • La Crosse
      (27 miles [43.5 km] to the northeast)
    • Shelby
      (27 miles [43.5 km] to the northeast)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Shelby have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Shelby
      • Shelby is located in La Crosse County (WI)
    • North La Crosse
      (28 miles [45.1 km] to the northeast)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for North La Crosse have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for North La Crosse
      • North La Crosse is located in La Crosse County (WI)
    • French Island
      (29 miles [46.7 km] to the northeast)
    • Grand Crossing
      (29 miles [46.7 km] to the northeast)
  • Vernon County (WI)
    • The following are listed by their distance from Bee, with the one closest to Bee listed first.
    • Genoa
      (18 miles [29 km] to the east)
    • Stoddard
      (20 miles [32.2 km] to the northeast)
    • Retreat
      (24 miles [38.6 km] to the east)
    • Newton
      (26 miles [41.8 km] to the east)
      • Note: We haven't been able to verify our GPS coordinates for Newton. Although the coordinates have been estimated, they should be in the vicinity.<1>
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Newton
      • Newton is located in Vernon County (WI)
      • Google driving directions:
      • From your current location to Newton
      • From Bee to Newton
    • Purdy
      (26 miles [41.8 km] to the east)
      • Note: We haven't been able to verify our GPS coordinates for Purdy. Although the coordinates have been estimated, they should be in the vicinity.<1>
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Purdy
      • Purdy is located in Vernon County (WI)
      • Google driving directions:
      • From your current location to Purdy
      • From Bee to Purdy
    • Chaseburg
      (26 miles [41.8 km] to the northeast)
    • Fargo
      (30 miles [48.3 km] to the east)
      • Note: We haven't been able to verify our GPS coordinates for Fargo. Although the coordinates have been estimated, they should be in the vicinity.<1>
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Fargo
      • Fargo is located in Vernon County (WI)
      • Google driving directions:
      • From your current location to Fargo
      • From Bee to Fargo

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

Cemeteries Near Bee ...

Below are cemeteries that are in the vicinity of Bee.

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 Bee covers a larger area, with the cemeteries listed in alphabetical order.

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

  • West Waterloo Ridge Cemetery
    (Less than 2 miles to the southwest)
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the West Waterloo Ridge Cemetery
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the West Waterloo Ridge Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
  • Waterloo Ridge Cemetery
    (Less than 2 miles to the southwest)
  • Old Wilmington Cemetery
    (Less than 2 miles to the northeast)
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Old Wilmington Cemetery
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Old Wilmington Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
  • Swenson Farm Cemetery
    (2 miles [3.2 km] to the west)
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Swenson Farm Cemetery
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Swenson Farm Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
  • St. Johns Methodist Cemetery
    (2 miles [3.2 km] to the southeast)
  • St. Marys Cemetery
    (3 miles [4.8 km] to the southeast)
  • St. Johns Cemetery
    (3 miles [4.8 km] to the southeast)
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the St. Johns Cemetery
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the St. Johns Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
  • Stone Cemetery
    (3 miles [4.8 km] to the northeast)
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Stone Cemetery
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Stone Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
  • Wilmington Norwegian Lutheran Cemetery
    (3 miles [4.8 km] to the northeast)
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Wilmington Norwegian Lutheran Cemetery
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Wilmington Norwegian Lutheran Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
  • Quandahl Cemetery
    (4 miles [6.4 km] to the southwest)
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Quandahl Cemetery
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Quandahl Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
  • Portland Prairie Cemetery
    (4 miles [6.4 km] to the northeast)
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Portland Prairie Cemetery
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Portland Prairie Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
  • Egge Cemetery
    (5 miles [8 km] to the southwest)
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Egge Cemetery
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Egge Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
  • Continue List   (313 more) ...

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>

The Rand McNally Atlas shows that in 1895, Bee had a post office and no railroad service.

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

  • Quandahl
    (3 miles [4.8 km] to the southwest)
    • Note: We haven't been able to verify our GPS coordinates for Quandahl. Although the coordinates have been estimated, they should be in the vicinity.<1>
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Quandahl
    • Quandahl is located in Allamakee County (IA)
    • Google driving directions:
    • From your current location to Quandahl
    • From Bee to Quandahl
  • Dorchester
    (3 miles [4.8 km] to the southeast)
  • Wilmington
    (3 miles [4.8 km] to the northeast)
    • Note: We haven't been able to verify our GPS coordinates for Wilmington. Although the coordinates have been estimated, they should be in the vicinity.<1>
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Wilmington
    • Wilmington is located in Houston County
    • Google driving directions:
    • From your current location to Wilmington
    • From Bee to Wilmington
  • Eitzen
    (5 miles [8 km] to the east)
  • Spring Grove
    (5 miles [8 km] to the northwest)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Spring Grove have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Spring Grove
    • Spring Grove is located in Houston County
    • Population from the 2020 Census: 1,262 people
    • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Spring Grove <3>
  • Willington Grove
    (5 miles [8 km] to the north)
  • Highlandville
    (6 miles [9.7 km] to the southwest)
  • Newhouse
    (6 miles [9.7 km] to the west)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Newhouse have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Newhouse
    • Newhouse is located in Houston County
  • Locust
    (9 miles [14.5 km] to the southwest)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Locust have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Locust
    • Locust is located in Winneshiek County (IA)
  • Black Hammer
    (9 miles [14.5 km] to the northwest)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Black Hammer have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Black Hammer
    • Black Hammer is located in Houston County
  • Caledonia
    (9 miles [14.5 km] to the north)
  • Riceford
    (9 miles [14.5 km] to the northwest)
  • Continue List   (14 more) ...
    • Mabel
      (10 miles [16.1 km] to the west)
    • Hesper
      (10 miles [16.1 km] to the west)
    • Springwater
      (12 miles [19.3 km] to the southwest)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Springwater have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Springwater
      • Springwater is located in Winneshiek County (IA)

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

Newspapers Published in Bee ...

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 116 newspapers that have been published in the area around Bee.

Although we're unaware of any newspapers that were published in the immediate area of Bee, there are papers which were published within 28 miles [45.1 km]<6>. A list of those papers, sorted by paper name, can be found on the Extended Newspaper List for Bee.

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 Bee:

Unfortunately, we don't know of a website for Bee. If you can help, please contact us through our Feedback Page.

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

Footnotes ...

<1>An 'estimated' location is one where we have been given GPS coordinates, but are unable to verify the accuracy of those coordinates. That said, we have some confidence that we have placed the marker near the actual location. A typical reason for being unable to verify a location is that it might be on private property or maybe historic and gone without an obvious trace.
<2>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.
<3>While we're fans and frequent users of TripAdvisor, you should know that we're also members of the TripAdvisor affiliate program.
<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 Bee, please let us know so that we can improve our accuracy.
<6>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 drawn from Point A (ie- Bee) to Point B.Our distance measurements begin at a specific point in Bee. The point we use is located at these GPS coordinates - Latitude: 43.5011, Longitude: -91.5708       In this case, the coordinates for Bee have been provided by the Geographic Names Information System (GNIS).




 

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This page was last modified/updated: 28 Apr 2025