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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 Blaine (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 Blaine. 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 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.

Blaine is primarily located in Anoka County. A portion of Blaine extends into Ramsey 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 Anoka County: Chisago, Hennepin, Isanti, Ramsey, Sherburne & Washington.

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

  • Anoka County     (The home county of Blaine)
    • The following are listed by their distance from Blaine, with the one closest to Blaine listed first.
    • Lexington
      (2 miles [3.2 km] to the southeast)
    • Circle Pines
      (3 miles [4.8 km] to the southeast)
    • Spring Lake Park
      (4 miles [6.4 km] to the south)
    • Coon Creek
      (4 miles [6.4 km] to the west)
      • Coon Creek is located in Anoka County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Coon Creek
    • Coon Rapids
      (4 miles [6.4 km] to the west)
    • Ham Lake
      (5 miles [8 km] to the north)
    • Lino Lakes
      (6 miles [9.7 km] to the east)
    • Fridley
      (6 miles [9.7 km] to the southwest)
    • Centerville
      (7 miles [11.3 km] to the east)
    • Andover
      (8 miles [12.9 km] to the northwest)
    • Columbia Heights
      (8 miles [12.9 km] to the south)
    • Hilltop
      (8 miles [12.9 km] to the south)
      • Hilltop is located in Anoka County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Hilltop
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 764 people
    • Anoka
      (8 miles [12.9 km] to the west)
  • Carver County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Blaine, with the one closest to Blaine listed first.
    • Chanhassen
      (26 miles [41.8 km] to the southwest)
    • Hazeltine
      (30 miles [48.3 km] to the southwest)
      • Hazeltine is located in Carver County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Hazeltine
    • Victoria
      (30 miles [48.3 km] to the southwest)
  • Chisago County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Blaine, with the one closest to Blaine listed first.
    • Wyoming
      (15 miles [24.1 km] to the northeast)
    • Stacy
      (18 miles [29 km] to the northeast)
      • Stacy is located in Chisago County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Stacy
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 1,525 people
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Stacy <1>
    • Chisago City
      (20 miles [32.2 km] to the northeast)
    • Lindstrom
      (23 miles [37 km] to the northeast)
    • Branch
      (24 miles [38.6 km] to the northeast)
      • Branch is located in Chisago County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Branch
    • Center City
      (24 miles [38.6 km] to the northeast)
    • North Branch
      (26 miles [41.8 km] to the northeast)
    • Shafer
      (26 miles [41.8 km] to the northeast)
    • Franconia
      (28 miles [45.1 km] to the northeast)
      • Franconia is located in Chisago County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Franconia
    • Almelund
      (30 miles [48.3 km] to the northeast)
  • Dakota County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Blaine, with the one closest to Blaine listed first.
    • Lilydale
      (18 miles [29 km] to the south)
      • Lilydale is located in Dakota County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Lilydale
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 838 people
    • West Saint Paul
      (18 miles [29 km] to the south)
    • Mendota
      (19 miles [30.6 km] to the south)
    • Mendota Heights
      (20 miles [32.2 km] to the south)
    • Sunfish Lake
      (21 miles [33.8 km] to the south)
    • South Saint Paul
      (22 miles [35.4 km] to the southeast)
    • Eagan
      (23 miles [37 km] to the south)
      • Eagan is located in Dakota County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Eagan
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 65,975 people
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Eagan <1>
    • Inver Grove Heights
      (24 miles [38.6 km] to the south)
    • Nicols
      (24 miles [38.6 km] to the south)
      • Nicols is located in Dakota County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Nicols
    • Burnsville
      (28 miles [45.1 km] to the south)
    • Apple Valley
      (29 miles [46.7 km] to the south)
    • Rosemount
      (30 miles [48.3 km] to the south)
  • Hennepin County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Blaine, with the one closest to Blaine listed first.
    • Brooklyn Center
      (8 miles [12.9 km] to the southwest)
    • Brooklyn Park
      (8 miles [12.9 km] to the southwest)
    • Champlin
      (9 miles [14.5 km] to the west)
    • Saint Anthony
      (10 miles [16.1 km] to the south)
    • Osseo
      (10 miles [16.1 km] to the west)
      • 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>
    • Crystal
      (11 miles [17.7 km] to the southwest)
    • Robbinsdale
      (11 miles [17.7 km] to the southwest)
    • New Hope
      (12 miles [19.3 km] to the southwest)
    • Maple Grove
      (12 miles [19.3 km] to the west)
    • Minneapolis
      (13 miles [20.9 km] to the south)
    • Dayton
      (13 miles [20.9 km] to the west)
    • Golden Valley
      (14 miles [22.5 km] to the southwest)
    • Medicine Lake
      (15 miles [24.1 km] to the southwest)
  • Isanti County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Blaine, with the one closest to Blaine listed first.
    • Weber
      (21 miles [33.8 km] to the north)
      • Weber is located in Isanti County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Weber
    • Isanti
      (22 miles [35.4 km] to the north)
    • Crown
      (22 miles [35.4 km] to the northwest)
      • Crown is located in Isanti County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Crown
    • Bradford
      (25 miles [40.2 km] to the north)
      • Bradford is located in Isanti County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Bradford
    • Minnesota Boys Town
      (26 miles [41.8 km] to the north)
      • Minnesota Boys Town is located in Isanti County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Minnesota Boys Town
    • Cambridge
      (27 miles [43.5 km] to the north)
  • Ramsey County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Blaine, with the one closest to Blaine listed first.
    • Mounds View
      (4 miles [6.4 km] to the south)
    • Shoreview
      (6 miles [9.7 km] to the southeast)
    • Arden Hills
      (7 miles [11.3 km] to the south)
    • New Brighton
      (7 miles [11.3 km] to the south)
    • North Oaks
      (8 miles [12.9 km] to the southeast)
    • Cardigan Junction
      (9 miles [14.5 km] to the southeast)
      • Cardigan Junction is located in Ramsey County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Cardigan Junction
    • Roseville
      (10 miles [16.1 km] to the south)
    • Vadnais Heights
      (10 miles [16.1 km] to the southeast)
    • Gem Lake
      (11 miles [17.7 km] to the southeast)
      • Gem Lake is located in Ramsey County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Gem Lake
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 536 people
    • Little Canada
      (11 miles [17.7 km] to the southeast)
    • White Bear Beach
      (11 miles [17.7 km] to the southeast)
      • White Bear Beach is located in Ramsey County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for White Bear Beach
    • White Bear Lake
      (11 miles [17.7 km] to the southeast)
    • Falcon Heights
      (12 miles [19.3 km] to the south)
  • Scott County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Blaine, with the one closest to Blaine listed first.
    • Savage
      (29 miles [46.7 km] to the south)
    • Shakopee
      (30 miles [48.3 km] to the southwest)
  • Sherburne County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Blaine, with the one closest to Blaine listed first.
    • Elk River
      (20 miles [32.2 km] to the northwest)
    • Zimmerman
      (26 miles [41.8 km] to the northwest)
      • 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>
    • Big Lake
      (28 miles [45.1 km] to the northwest)
  • Washington County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Blaine, with the one closest to Blaine listed first.
    • Hugo
      (10 miles [16.1 km] to the east)
      • Hugo is located in Washington County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Hugo
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 15,452 people
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Hugo <1>
    • Dellwood
      (12 miles [19.3 km] to the east)
      • Dellwood is located in Washington County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Dellwood
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 1,120 people
    • Forest Lake
      (13 miles [20.9 km] to the northeast)
    • Birchwood Village
      (13 miles [20.9 km] to the southeast)
      • Birchwood Village is located in Washington County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Birchwood Village
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 880 people
    • Mahtomedi
      (14 miles [22.5 km] to the southeast)
    • Willernie
      (14 miles [22.5 km] to the southeast)
    • Grant
      (15 miles [24.1 km] to the east)
      • Grant is located in Washington County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Grant
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 4,107 people
    • Withrow
      (15 miles [24.1 km] to the east)
      • Withrow is located in Washington County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Withrow
    • Pine Springs
      (15 miles [24.1 km] to the southeast)
      • Pine Springs is located in Washington County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Pine Springs
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 390 people
    • Duluth Junction
      (16 miles [25.7 km] to the southeast)
      • Duluth Junction is located in Washington County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Duluth Junction
    • Oakdale
      (17 miles [27.4 km] to the southeast)
      • Oakdale is located in Washington County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Oakdale
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 27,773 people
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Oakdale <1>
    • Landfall
      (18 miles [29 km] to the southeast)
      • Landfall is located in Washington County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Landfall
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 733 people
    • Lake Elmo
      (19 miles [30.6 km] to the southeast)
  • Wright County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Blaine, with the one closest to Blaine listed first.
    • Otsego
      (21 miles [33.8 km] to the west)
    • Albertville
      (22 miles [35.4 km] to the west)
    • Hanover
      (22 miles [35.4 km] to the west)
    • Saint Michael
      (23 miles [37 km] to the west)
    • Rockford
      (26 miles [41.8 km] to the west)
    • Delano
      (29 miles [46.7 km] to the west)
    • Monticello
      (30 miles [48.3 km] to the west)
  • Polk County (WI)
    • The following are listed by their distance from Blaine, with the one closest to Blaine listed first.
    • Osceola
      (26 miles [41.8 km] to the northeast)
      • Osceola is located in Polk County (WI)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Osceola
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 2,580 people
    • Horse Creek
      (30 miles [48.3 km] to the east)
      • Horse Creek is located in Polk County (WI)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Horse Creek
    • Dresser
      (30 miles [48.3 km] to the northeast)
      • Dresser is located in Polk County (WI)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Dresser
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 864 people
  • Saint Croix County (WI)
    • The following are listed by their distance from Blaine, with the one closest to Blaine listed first.
    • North Hudson
      (24 miles [38.6 km] to the southeast)
      • North Hudson is located in Saint Croix County (WI)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for North Hudson
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 3,833 people
    • Somerset
      (26 miles [41.8 km] to the east)
      • Somerset is located in Saint Croix County (WI)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Somerset
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 2,992 people
    • Hudson
      (26 miles [41.8 km] to the southeast)
      • Hudson is located in Saint Croix County (WI)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Hudson
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 14,168 people
    • Burkhardt
      (28 miles [45.1 km] to the east)
      • Burkhardt is located in Saint Croix County (WI)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Burkhardt

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

Cemeteries Near Blaine ...

Below are cemeteries that are in the vicinity of Blaine.

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

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

The following cemeteries are listed based on their distance from Blaine, with the one closest to Blaine 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.<3>

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

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

  • Coon Creek
    (4 miles [6.4 km] to the west)
    • Coon Creek is located in Anoka County
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Coon Creek
  • Mounds View
    (4 miles [6.4 km] to the south)
  • Fridley
    (6 miles [9.7 km] to the southwest)
  • New Brighton
    (7 miles [11.3 km] to the south)
  • Centerville
    (7 miles [11.3 km] to the east)
  • Brooklyn Center
    (8 miles [12.9 km] to the southwest)
  • Anoka
    (8 miles [12.9 km] to the west)
  • Cardigan Junction
    (9 miles [14.5 km] to the southeast)
    • Cardigan Junction is located in Ramsey County
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Cardigan Junction
  • Champlin
    (9 miles [14.5 km] to the west)
  • Osseo
    (10 miles [16.1 km] to the west)
    • 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>
  • Hugo
    (10 miles [16.1 km] to the east)
    • Hugo is located in Washington County
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Hugo
    • Population from the 2020 Census: 15,452 people
    • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Hugo <1>
  • Crystal
    (11 miles [17.7 km] to the southwest)
  • Continue List   (14 more) ...
    • Robbinsdale
      (11 miles [17.7 km] to the southwest)
    • Little Canada
      (11 miles [17.7 km] to the southeast)
    • White Bear Lake
      (11 miles [17.7 km] to the southeast)

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

Newspapers Published in the Vicinity of Blaine ...

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 374 newspapers that have been published in the area around Blaine.

We have organized these newspapers into two lists:

  • A Local Newspaper List - focusing on the papers published in the immediate area of Blaine. There are actually two parts to this list - papers printed in the immediate area of Blaine and those printed in the larger area surrounding Blaine.
  • An Extended Newspaper List - a longer list, sorted by paper name and containing those papers published within 22 miles [35.4 km]<4> of Blaine.

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 helpful 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 Blaine:

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 Blaine, please let us know so that we can improve our accuracy.
<4>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 from Point A (ie- Blaine) to Point B. In other words: 'As the crow flies'.