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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 Boyd (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 Boyd. 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 northwest corner of their home county. During their lives, most doctors and hospitals were in the next county to the west. 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 west 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.

Boyd is located in Lac qui Parle 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 Lac qui Parle County: Big Stone, Chippewa, Swift, Yellow Medicine, Deuel (SD) & Grant (SD).

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

  • Lac qui Parle County     (The home county of Boyd)
    • The following are listed by their distance from Boyd, with the one closest to Boyd listed first.
    • Dawson
      (8 miles [12.9 km] to the northwest)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Dawson have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Dawson
      • Dawson is located in Lac qui Parle County
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 1,378 people
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Dawson <2>
    • Providence
      (10 miles [16.1 km] to the west)
      • Note: We haven't been able to verify our GPS coordinates for Providence. Although the coordinates have been estimated, they should be in the vicinity.<3>
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Providence
      • Providence is located in Lac qui Parle County
    • Madison
      (17 miles [27.4 km] to the northwest)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Madison have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Madison
      • Madison is located in Lac qui Parle County
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 1,376 people
    • Louisburg
      (25 miles [40.2 km] to the northwest)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Louisburg have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Louisburg
      • Louisburg is located in Lac qui Parle County
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 43 people
    • Bellingham
      (27 miles [43.5 km] to the northwest)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Bellingham have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Bellingham
      • Bellingham is located in Lac qui Parle County
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 147 people
    • Marietta
      (27 miles [43.5 km] to the northwest)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Marietta have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Marietta
      • Marietta is located in Lac qui Parle County
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 138 people
    • Nassau
      (30 miles [48.3 km] to the northwest)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Nassau have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Nassau
      • Nassau is located in Lac qui Parle County
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 66 people
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Nassau <2>
  • Big Stone County
    • Correll
      (29 miles [46.7 km] to the northwest)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Correll have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Correll
      • Correll is located in Big Stone County
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 31 people
  • Chippewa County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Boyd, with the one closest to Boyd listed first.
    • Montevideo
      (11 miles [17.7 km] to the northeast)
    • Watson
      (12 miles [19.3 km] to the northeast)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Watson have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Watson
      • Watson is located in Chippewa County
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 192 people
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Watson <2>
    • Milan
      (17 miles [27.4 km] to the north)
    • Maynard
      (21 miles [33.8 km] to the east)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Maynard have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Maynard
      • Maynard is located in Chippewa County
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 344 people
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Maynard <2>
    • Big Bend City
      (21 miles [33.8 km] to the north)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Big Bend City have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Big Bend City
      • Big Bend City is located in Chippewa County
    • Clara City
      (27 miles [43.5 km] to the east)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Clara City have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Clara City
      • Clara City is located in Chippewa County
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 1,273 people
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Clara City <2>
  • Lyon County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Boyd, with the one closest to Boyd listed first.
    • Taunton
      (19 miles [30.6 km] to the southwest)
    • Minneota
      (20 miles [32.2 km] to the south)
    • Cottonwood
      (20 miles [32.2 km] to the southeast)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Cottonwood have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Cottonwood
      • Cottonwood is located in Lyon County
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 1,223 people
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Cottonwood <2>
    • Ghent
      (23 miles [37 km] to the south)
    • Marshall
      (28 miles [45.1 km] to the south)
  • Renville County
    • Sacred Heart
      (27 miles [43.5 km] to the east)
  • Swift County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Boyd, with the one closest to Boyd listed first.
    • Appleton
      (24 miles [38.6 km] to the north)
    • Holloway
      (27 miles [43.5 km] to the north)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Holloway have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Holloway
      • Holloway is located in Swift County
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 85 people
    • Danvers
      (30 miles [48.3 km] to the north)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Danvers have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Danvers
      • Danvers is located in Swift County
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 89 people
  • Yellow Medicine County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Boyd, with the one closest to Boyd listed first.
    • Clarkfield
      (6 miles [9.7 km] to the southeast)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Clarkfield have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Clarkfield
      • Clarkfield is located in Yellow Medicine County
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 775 people
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Clarkfield <2>
    • Hazel Run
      (11 miles [17.7 km] to the southeast)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Hazel Run have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Hazel Run
      • Hazel Run is located in Yellow Medicine County
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 56 people
    • Saint Leo
      (11 miles [17.7 km] to the southwest)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Saint Leo have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Saint Leo
      • Saint Leo is located in Yellow Medicine County
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 90 people
    • Granite Falls
      (17 miles [27.4 km] to the east)
    • Hanley Falls
      (17 miles [27.4 km] to the southeast)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Hanley Falls
      • Hanley Falls is located in Yellow Medicine County
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 273 people
    • Porter
      (19 miles [30.6 km] to the southwest)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Porter have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Porter
      • Porter is located in Yellow Medicine County
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 164 people
    • Canby
      (20 miles [32.2 km] to the southwest)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Canby
      • Canby is located in Yellow Medicine County
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 1,645 people
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Canby <2>
    • Wood Lake
      (22 miles [35.4 km] to the southeast)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Wood Lake have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Wood Lake
      • Wood Lake is located in Yellow Medicine County
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 395 people
    • Echo
      (28 miles [45.1 km] to the southeast)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Echo have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Echo
      • Echo is located in Yellow Medicine County
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 247 people
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Echo <2>
  • Deuel County (SD)
    • Gary
      (27 miles [43.5 km] to the west)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Gary have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Gary
      • Gary is located in Deuel County (SD)
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 229 people
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Gary <2>

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

Cemeteries Near Boyd ...

Below are cemeteries that are in the vicinity of Boyd.

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

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

  • Trinity Cemetery
    (Less than 2 miles to the west)
  • Ten Mile Lake Cemetery
    (2 miles [3.2 km] to the west)
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Ten Mile Lake Cemetery
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Ten Mile Lake Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
  • St. Petri Cemetery West
    (3 miles [4.8 km] to the northeast)
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the St. Petri Cemetery West
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the St. Petri Cemetery West have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
  • St. Petri Cemetery East
    (4 miles [6.4 km] to the northeast)
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the St. Petri Cemetery East
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the St. Petri Cemetery East have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
  • Zion Cemetery
    (5 miles [8 km] to the southwest)
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Zion Cemetery
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Zion Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
  • Our Saviour's Lutheran Cemetery
    (5 miles [8 km] to the north)
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Our Saviour's Lutheran Cemetery
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Our Saviour's Lutheran Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
  • Fridhem Cemetery
    (6 miles [9.7 km] to the south)
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Fridhem Cemetery
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Fridhem Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
  • Clarkfield Cemetery
    (6 miles [9.7 km] to the southeast)
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Clarkfield Cemetery
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Clarkfield Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
  • Sommerfeld Family Cemetery
    (6 miles [9.7 km] to the north)
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Sommerfeld Family Cemetery
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Sommerfeld Family Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
  • Camp Release Twp. Cemetery
    (7 miles [11.3 km] to the northeast)
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Camp Release Twp. Cemetery
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Camp Release Twp. Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
  • German American Cemetery
    (7 miles [11.3 km] to the northeast)
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the German American Cemetery
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the German American Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
  • Bergen Cemetery
    (8 miles [12.9 km] to the east)
  • Continue List   (136 more) ...
    • Terrace Lawn Cemetery
      (8 miles [12.9 km] to the northeast)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Terrace Lawn Cemetery
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Terrace Lawn Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Swedish Methodist Church Cemetery
      (9 miles [14.5 km] to the west)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Swedish Methodist Church Cemetery
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Swedish Methodist Church Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Swedish Methodist Church Cemetery
      (9 miles [14.5 km] to the west)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Swedish Methodist Church Cemetery
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Swedish Methodist Church Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.

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 Boyd had a population of 162 people in 1895 with a post office and railroad service. In 2020, Boyd had a population of 154 people.

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

  • Clarkfield
    (6 miles [9.7 km] to the southeast)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Clarkfield have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Clarkfield
    • Clarkfield is located in Yellow Medicine County
    • Population from the 2020 Census: 775 people
    • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Clarkfield <2>
  • Dawson
    (8 miles [12.9 km] to the northwest)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Dawson have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Dawson
    • Dawson is located in Lac qui Parle County
    • Population from the 2020 Census: 1,378 people
    • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Dawson <2>
  • Lac qui Parle
    (10 miles [16.1 km] to the north)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Lac qui Parle have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Lac qui Parle
    • Lac qui Parle is located in Lac qui Parle County
  • Providence
    (10 miles [16.1 km] to the west)
    • Note: We haven't been able to verify our GPS coordinates for Providence. Although the coordinates have been estimated, they should be in the vicinity.<3>
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Providence
    • Providence is located in Lac qui Parle County
  • Saint Leo
    (11 miles [17.7 km] to the southwest)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Saint Leo have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Saint Leo
    • Saint Leo is located in Yellow Medicine County
    • Population from the 2020 Census: 90 people
  • Hazel Run
    (11 miles [17.7 km] to the southeast)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Hazel Run have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Hazel Run
    • Hazel Run is located in Yellow Medicine County
    • Population from the 2020 Census: 56 people
  • Montevideo
    (11 miles [17.7 km] to the northeast)
  • Wegdahl
    (12 miles [19.3 km] to the east)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Wegdahl have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Wegdahl
    • Wegdahl is located in Chippewa County
  • Watson
    (12 miles [19.3 km] to the northeast)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Watson have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Watson
    • Watson is located in Chippewa County
    • Population from the 2020 Census: 192 people
    • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Watson <2>
  • Cerro Gordo
    (15 miles [24.1 km] to the northwest)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Cerro Gordo have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Cerro Gordo
    • Cerro Gordo is located in Lac qui Parle County
  • Milan
    (17 miles [27.4 km] to the north)
  • Hanley Falls
    (17 miles [27.4 km] to the southeast)
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Hanley Falls
    • Hanley Falls is located in Yellow Medicine County
    • Population from the 2020 Census: 273 people
  • Continue List   (14 more) ...
    • Granite Falls
      (17 miles [27.4 km] to the east)
    • Madison
      (17 miles [27.4 km] to the northwest)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Madison have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Madison
      • Madison is located in Lac qui Parle County
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 1,376 people
    • Porter
      (19 miles [30.6 km] to the southwest)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Porter have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Porter
      • Porter is located in Yellow Medicine County
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 164 people

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

Newspapers Published in the Vicinity of Boyd ...

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 104 newspapers that have been published in the area around Boyd.

We have organized these newspapers into two lists:

  • A Local Newspaper List - focusing on the papers published in the immediate area of Boyd. There are actually two parts to this list - papers printed in the immediate area of Boyd and those printed in the larger area surrounding Boyd.
  • An Extended Newspaper List - a longer list, sorted by paper name and containing those papers published within 28 miles [45.1 km]<6> of Boyd.

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 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 Boyd:

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

The official website for Lac qui Parle County: www.ci.madison.mn.us/

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

Footnotes ...

<1>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.
<2>While we're fans and frequent users of TripAdvisor, you should know that we're also members of the TripAdvisor affiliate program.
<3>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.
<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 Boyd, please let us know so that we can improve our accuracy.
<6>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- Boyd) to Point B.Our distance measurements begin at a specific point in Boyd. The point we use is located at these GPS coordinates - Latitude: 44.8511, Longitude: -95.9012       In this case, the coordinates for Boyd have been provided by the Geographic Names Information System (GNIS).




 

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This page was last modified/updated: 28 Apr 2025