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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 Big Lake (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 Big Lake. 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.

Name Variations for Big Lake ...

When searching records, keep in mind that names and their spelling can change over time. Our sources include documents like maps, railroad schedules, Travel, Express and Shipping Guides. Many of these documents date from the 1800's and it's common to find spelling differences.

Although we can't give a definitive list, hopefully the following will give you a feel for the variations that might occur.

For example, a typical abbreviation for Big Lake: Big Lk.

You might be interested in other communities that are also named Big Lake. More information can be found on our Tidbits & Trivia Page for Big Lake.

If you have information about these names (such as the reason for the change, date of change, the origin of the name), please Contact Us.

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 hospitals 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.

Big Lake 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 Big Lake. For each of these counties, we show a sample of those communities that are closest to Big Lake:

  • Sherburne County     (The home county of Big Lake)
  • Anoka County
  • Benton County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Big Lake, with the one closest to Big Lake listed first.
    • Duelm
      (18 miles [29 km] to the northwest)
    • Foley
      (24 miles [38.6 km] to the north)
    • Ronneby
      (24 miles [38.6 km] to the north)
      • Ronneby is located in Benton County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Ronneby
    • Oak Park
      (25 miles [40.2 km] to the north)
    • Sauk Rapids
      (27 miles [43.5 km] to the northwest)
    • Gilman
      (29 miles [46.7 km] to the north)
    • Evergreen Village
      (29 miles [46.7 km] to the northwest)
      • Evergreen Village is located in Benton County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Evergreen Village
  • Carver County
  • Hennepin County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Big Lake, with the one closest to Big Lake listed first.
    • Rogers
      (13 miles [20.9 km] to the southeast)
      • Rogers is located in Hennepin County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Rogers
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 13,623 people
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Rogers <1>
    • Greenfield
      (16 miles [25.7 km] to the south)
      • Greenfield is located in Hennepin County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Greenfield
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 3,058 people
    • Dayton
      (16 miles [25.7 km] to the southeast)
    • Corcoran
      (18 miles [29 km] to the southeast)
    • Loretto
      (19 miles [30.6 km] to the south)
    • Champlin
      (19 miles [30.6 km] to the southeast)
    • Independence
      (21 miles [33.8 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
    • Maple Grove
      (21 miles [33.8 km] to the southeast)
    • Maple Plain
      (22 miles [35.4 km] to the south)
    • Medina
      (22 miles [35.4 km] to the south)
    • Hamel
      (22 miles [35.4 km] to the southeast)
    • Osseo
      (22 miles [35.4 km] to the southeast)
      • Osseo is located in Hennepin County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Osseo
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 2,703 people
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Osseo <1>
    • Brooklyn Park
      (24 miles [38.6 km] to the southeast)
  • Isanti County
  • McLeod County
    • Winsted
      (29 miles [46.7 km] to the southwest)
  • Meeker County
    • Kingston
      (29 miles [46.7 km] to the west)
      • Kingston is located in Meeker County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Kingston
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 162 people
  • Mille Lacs County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Big Lake, with the one closest to Big Lake listed first.
    • Princeton
      (18 miles [29 km] to the northeast)
    • Estes Brook
      (21 miles [33.8 km] to the north)
    • Pease
      (25 miles [40.2 km] to the north)
      • Pease is located in Mille Lacs County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Pease
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 224 people
    • Foreston
      (27 miles [43.5 km] to the north)
    • Milaca
      (29 miles [46.7 km] to the north)
      • Milaca is located in Mille Lacs County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Milaca
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 2,899 people
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Milaca <1>
  • Ramsey County
    • Mounds View
      (30 miles [48.3 km] to the southeast)
  • Stearns County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Big Lake, with the one closest to Big Lake listed first.
    • Fairhaven
      (22 miles [35.4 km] to the west)
    • Saint Augusta
      (23 miles [37 km] to the west)
    • Saint Cloud
      (25 miles [40.2 km] to the northwest)
    • Kimball Prairie
      (27 miles [43.5 km] to the west)
      • Kimball Prairie is located in Stearns County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Kimball Prairie
    • Kimball
      (27 miles [43.5 km] to the west)
    • Pleasant Lake
      (28 miles [45.1 km] to the northwest)
      • Pleasant Lake is located in Stearns County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Pleasant Lake
    • Waite Park
      (28 miles [45.1 km] to the northwest)
    • Rockville
      (29 miles [46.7 km] to the west)
    • Evergreen Village
      (30 miles [48.3 km] to the northwest)
      • Evergreen Village is located in Stearns County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Evergreen Village
    • Sartell
      (30 miles [48.3 km] to the northwest)
  • Wright County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Big Lake, with the one closest to Big Lake listed first.
    • Monticello
      (3 miles [4.8 km] to the southwest)
    • Albertville
      (7 miles [11.3 km] to the southeast)
    • Otsego
      (7 miles [11.3 km] to the southeast)
    • Saint Michael
      (9 miles [14.5 km] to the south)
    • Hasty
      (11 miles [17.7 km] to the west)
    • Silver Creek
      (11 miles [17.7 km] to the west)
      • Silver Creek is located in Wright County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Silver Creek
    • Hanover
      (12 miles [19.3 km] to the south)
    • Buffalo
      (12 miles [19.3 km] to the southwest)
    • Maple Lake
      (14 miles [22.5 km] to the southwest)
    • Clearwater
      (15 miles [24.1 km] to the west)
    • Rockford
      (16 miles [25.7 km] to the south)
    • Rassat
      (17 miles [27.4 km] to the southwest)
    • Albion Center
      (19 miles [30.6 km] to the southwest)

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

Cemeteries Near Big Lake ...

Below are cemeteries that are in the vicinity of Big Lake.

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 Big Lake - one of the links might be able to help.

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

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

  • Big Lake Cemetery
    (Less than 2 miles to the north)
  • Riverside Cemetery
    (3 miles [4.8 km] to the west)
  • Hillside Cemetery
    (3 miles [4.8 km] to the southwest)
  • Helm Cemetery
    (3 miles [4.8 km] to the south)
  • Bailey Station Cemetery
    (3 miles [4.8 km] to the east)
  • Greenwood Cemetery
    (3 miles [4.8 km] to the northeast)
  • St. Henrys Cemetery
    (4 miles [6.4 km] to the southwest)
  • Svea Hill Cemetery
    (5 miles [8 km] to the northeast)
  • Meadowville Cemetery
    (6 miles [9.7 km] to the northeast)
  • Snake River Cemetery
    (7 miles [11.3 km] to the north)
  • Ostego Cemetery
    (7 miles [11.3 km] to the southeast)
  • Orono Cemetery
    (7 miles [11.3 km] to the east)
  • Continue List   (262 more) ...
    • Becker Cemetery
      (7 miles [11.3 km] to the northwest)
    • St. Albert Cemetery
      (8 miles [12.9 km] to the southeast)
    • St. Andrews Cemetery
      (8 miles [12.9 km] to the east)

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 Big Lake had a population of 150 people in 1895 with a post office and railroad service. In 2020, Big Lake had a population of 11,565 people.

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

  • Monticello
    (3 miles [4.8 km] to the southwest)
  • Bailey
    (3 miles [4.8 km] to the east)
    • Bailey is located in Sherburne County
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Bailey
  • Salida
    (4 miles [6.4 km] to the northwest)
  • Otsego
    (7 miles [11.3 km] to the southeast)
  • Orrock
    (7 miles [11.3 km] to the north)
  • Becker
    (7 miles [11.3 km] to the northwest)
    • Becker is located in Sherburne County
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Becker
    • Population from the 2020 Census: 5,033 people
    • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Becker <1>
  • Elk River
    (8 miles [12.9 km] to the east)
  • Zimmerman
    (10 miles [16.1 km] to the northeast)
  • Hasty
    (11 miles [17.7 km] to the west)
  • Silver Creek
    (11 miles [17.7 km] to the west)
    • Silver Creek is located in Wright County
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Silver Creek
  • Buffalo
    (12 miles [19.3 km] to the southwest)
  • Hanover
    (12 miles [19.3 km] to the south)
  • Continue List   (14 more) ...
    • Rogers
      (13 miles [20.9 km] to the southeast)
      • Rogers is located in Hennepin County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Rogers
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 13,623 people
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Rogers <1>
    • Maple Lake
      (14 miles [22.5 km] to the southwest)
    • Santiago
      (14 miles [22.5 km] to the north)

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

Newspapers Published in the Vicinity of Big Lake ...

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 78 newspapers that have been published in the area around Big Lake.

We have organized these newspapers into two lists:

  • A Local Newspaper List - focusing on the papers published in the immediate area of Big Lake. There are actually two parts to this list - papers printed in the immediate area of Big Lake and those printed in the larger area surrounding Big Lake.
  • An Extended Newspaper List - a longer list, sorted by paper name and containing those papers published within 28 miles [45.1 km]<4> of Big Lake.

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 Big Lake:

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