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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 Brewster (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 Brewster. 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 southwest 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 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.

Brewster is located in Nobles 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 Nobles County: Lyon (IA), Osceola (IA), Cottonwood, Jackson, Murray & Rock.

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

  • Nobles County     (The home county of Brewster)
    • The following are listed by their distance from Brewster, with the one closest to Brewster listed first.
    • Kinbrae
      (8 miles [12.9 km] to the north)
    • Worthington
      (8 miles [12.9 km] to the southwest)
    • Dundee
      (10 miles [16.1 km] to the north)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Dundee have been provided by the GNIS.<3> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Dundee
      • Dundee is located in Nobles County
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 67 people
    • Round Lake
      (11 miles [17.7 km] to the south)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Round Lake have been provided by the GNIS.<3> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Round Lake
      • Round Lake is located in Nobles County
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 364 people
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Round Lake <2>
    • Org
      (12 miles [19.3 km] to the southwest)
    • Reading
      (12 miles [19.3 km] to the west)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Reading have been provided by the GNIS.<3> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Reading
      • Reading is located in Nobles County
    • Bigelow
      (17 miles [27.4 km] to the southwest)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Bigelow have been provided by the GNIS.<3> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Bigelow
      • Bigelow is located in Nobles County
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 226 people
    • Rushmore
      (17 miles [27.4 km] to the west)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Rushmore have been provided by the GNIS.<3> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Rushmore
      • Rushmore is located in Nobles County
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 334 people
    • Wilmont
      (18 miles [29 km] to the west)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Wilmont have been provided by the GNIS.<3> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Wilmont
      • Wilmont is located in Nobles County
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 322 people
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Wilmont <2>
    • Ransom
      (19 miles [30.6 km] to the southwest)
    • Adrian
      (23 miles [37 km] to the west)
    • Lismore
      (24 miles [38.6 km] to the west)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Lismore have been provided by the GNIS.<3> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Lismore
      • Lismore is located in Nobles County
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 218 people
    • Leota
      (28 miles [45.1 km] to the west)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Leota have been provided by the GNIS.<3> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Leota
      • Leota is located in Nobles County
  • Cottonwood County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Brewster, with the one closest to Brewster listed first.
    • Windom
      (21 miles [33.8 km] to the northeast)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Windom have been provided by the GNIS.<3> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Windom
      • Windom is located in Cottonwood County
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 4,403 people
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Windom <2>
    • Westbrook
      (23 miles [37 km] to the north)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Westbrook have been provided by the GNIS.<3> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Westbrook
      • Westbrook is located in Cottonwood County
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 712 people
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Westbrook <2>
    • Storden
      (24 miles [38.6 km] to the north)
    • Bingham Lake
      (25 miles [40.2 km] to the northeast)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Bingham Lake have been provided by the GNIS.<3> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Bingham Lake
      • Bingham Lake is located in Cottonwood County
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 126 people
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Bingham Lake <2>
    • Jeffers
      (28 miles [45.1 km] to the northeast)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Jeffers have been provided by the GNIS.<3> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Jeffers
      • Jeffers is located in Cottonwood County
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 346 people
  • Jackson County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Brewster, with the one closest to Brewster listed first.
    • Okabena
      (8 miles [12.9 km] to the east)
    • Heron Lake
      (10 miles [16.1 km] to the northeast)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Heron Lake have been provided by the GNIS.<3> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Heron Lake
      • Heron Lake is located in Jackson County
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 643 people
    • Sioux Valley
      (13 miles [20.9 km] to the southeast)
    • Lakefield
      (14 miles [22.5 km] to the east)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Lakefield have been provided by the GNIS.<3> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Lakefield
      • Lakefield is located in Jackson County
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 1,602 people
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Lakefield <2>
    • Wilder
      (16 miles [25.7 km] to the northeast)
    • Jackson
      (24 miles [38.6 km] to the east)
    • Petersburg
      (29 miles [46.7 km] to the east)
      • Note: We haven't been able to verify our GPS coordinates for Petersburg. Although the coordinates have been estimated, they should be in the vicinity.<1>
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Petersburg
      • Petersburg is located in Jackson County
      • Google driving directions:
      • From your current location to Petersburg
      • From Brewster to Petersburg
    • Alpha
      (30 miles [48.3 km] to the east)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Alpha have been provided by the GNIS.<3> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Alpha
      • Alpha is located in Jackson County
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 119 people
  • Murray County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Brewster, with the one closest to Brewster listed first.
    • Fulda
      (13 miles [20.9 km] to the northwest)
    • Avoca
      (19 miles [30.6 km] to the northwest)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Avoca have been provided by the GNIS.<3> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Avoca
      • Avoca is located in Murray County
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 134 people
    • Iona
      (21 miles [33.8 km] to the northwest)
    • Dovray
      (24 miles [38.6 km] to the north)
    • Slayton
      (24 miles [38.6 km] to the northwest)
    • Currie
      (27 miles [43.5 km] to the north)
    • Chandler
      (28 miles [45.1 km] to the northwest)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Chandler have been provided by the GNIS.<3> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Chandler
      • Chandler is located in Murray County
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 246 people
    • Hadley
      (28 miles [45.1 km] to the northwest)
  • Rock County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Brewster, with the one closest to Brewster listed first.
    • Kenneth
      (30 miles [48.3 km] to the west)
    • Magnolia
      (30 miles [48.3 km] to the west)
  • Dickinson County (IA)
    • The following are listed by their distance from Brewster, with the one closest to Brewster listed first.
    • Lake Park
      (18 miles [29 km] to the southeast)
    • Orleans
      (25 miles [40.2 km] to the southeast)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Orleans have been provided by the GNIS.<3> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Orleans
      • Orleans is located in Dickinson County (IA)
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 591 people
    • Okoboji
      (26 miles [41.8 km] to the southeast)
    • Spirit Lake
      (26 miles [41.8 km] to the southeast)
    • Wahpeton
      (26 miles [41.8 km] to the southeast)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Wahpeton have been provided by the GNIS.<3> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Wahpeton
      • Wahpeton is located in Dickinson County (IA)
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 353 people
    • Arnolds Park
      (28 miles [45.1 km] to the southeast)
    • West Okoboji
      (28 miles [45.1 km] to the southeast)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for West Okoboji have been provided by the GNIS.<3> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for West Okoboji
      • West Okoboji is located in Dickinson County (IA)
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 303 people
    • Milford
      (30 miles [48.3 km] to the southeast)
  • Lyon County (IA)
  • Osceola County (IA)
    • The following are listed by their distance from Brewster, with the one closest to Brewster listed first.
    • Harris
      (17 miles [27.4 km] to the south)
    • Ocheyedan
      (19 miles [30.6 km] to the south)
    • Allendorf
      (21 miles [33.8 km] to the southwest)
    • Sibley
      (24 miles [38.6 km] to the southwest)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Sibley have been provided by the GNIS.<3> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Sibley
      • Sibley is located in Osceola County (IA)
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 2,586 people
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Sibley <2>
    • May City
      (26 miles [41.8 km] to the south)
    • Cloverdale
      (26 miles [41.8 km] to the southwest)
    • Melvin
      (29 miles [46.7 km] to the south)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Melvin have been provided by the GNIS.<3> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Melvin
      • Melvin is located in Osceola County (IA)
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 197 people

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

Cemeteries Near Brewster ...

Below are cemeteries that are in the vicinity of Brewster.

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

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

  • Sacred Heart Cemetery
    (Less than 2 miles to the south)
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Sacred Heart Cemetery
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Sacred Heart Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<3> The coordinates still need to be verified.
  • Trinity Cemetery
    (Less than 2 miles to the southwest)
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Trinity Cemetery
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Trinity Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<3> The coordinates still need to be verified.
  • Hersey Cemetery
    (Less than 2 miles to the southwest)
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Hersey Cemetery
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Hersey Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<3> The coordinates still need to be verified.
  • Grace Cemetery
    (6 miles [9.7 km] to the southeast)
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Grace Cemetery
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Grace Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<3> The coordinates still need to be verified.
  • St. Marys Cemetery
    (7 miles [11.3 km] to the southwest)
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the St. Marys Cemetery
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the St. Marys Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<3> The coordinates still need to be verified.
  • Worthington Twp. Cemetery
    (7 miles [11.3 km] to the southwest)
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Worthington Twp. Cemetery
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Worthington Twp. Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<3> The coordinates still need to be verified.
  • St. John's Cemetery
    (7 miles [11.3 km] to the east)
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the St. John's Cemetery
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the St. John's Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<3> The coordinates still need to be verified.
  • Kinbrae Cemetery
    (7 miles [11.3 km] to the north)
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Kinbrae Cemetery
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Kinbrae Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<3> The coordinates still need to be verified.
  • St. Marys Cemetery
    (9 miles [14.5 km] to the north)
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the St. Marys Cemetery
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the St. Marys Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<3> The coordinates still need to be verified.
  • Church of the Brethren Cemetery
    (9 miles [14.5 km] to the west)
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Church of the Brethren Cemetery
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Church of the Brethren Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<3> The coordinates still need to be verified.
  • Garden of Memories
    (10 miles [16.1 km] to the southwest)
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Garden of Memories
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Garden of Memories have been provided by the GNIS.<3> The coordinates still need to be verified.
  • St. Pauls Cemetery
    (10 miles [16.1 km] to the southeast)
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the St. Pauls Cemetery
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the St. Pauls Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<3> The coordinates still need to be verified.
  • Continue List   (103 more) ...
    • Lakeside Cemetery
      (10 miles [16.1 km] to the northeast)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Lakeside Cemetery
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Lakeside Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<3> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Sacred Heart Cemetery
      (10 miles [16.1 km] to the northeast)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Sacred Heart Cemetery
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Sacred Heart Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<3> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • First Lutheran Cemetery
      (10 miles [16.1 km] to the north)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the First Lutheran Cemetery
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the First Lutheran Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<3> 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.<4>

The Rand McNally Atlas shows that Brewster had a population of 100 people in 1895 with a post office and railroad service. In 2020, Brewster had a population of 466 people.

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

  • Worthington
    (8 miles [12.9 km] to the southwest)
  • Okabena
    (8 miles [12.9 km] to the east)
  • Kinbrae
    (8 miles [12.9 km] to the north)
  • Heron Lake
    (10 miles [16.1 km] to the northeast)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Heron Lake have been provided by the GNIS.<3> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Heron Lake
    • Heron Lake is located in Jackson County
    • Population from the 2020 Census: 643 people
  • Dundee
    (10 miles [16.1 km] to the north)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Dundee have been provided by the GNIS.<3> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Dundee
    • Dundee is located in Nobles County
    • Population from the 2020 Census: 67 people
  • Round Lake
    (11 miles [17.7 km] to the south)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Round Lake have been provided by the GNIS.<3> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Round Lake
    • Round Lake is located in Nobles County
    • Population from the 2020 Census: 364 people
    • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Round Lake <2>
  • Org
    (12 miles [19.3 km] to the southwest)
  • Sioux Valley
    (13 miles [20.9 km] to the southeast)
  • Fulda
    (13 miles [20.9 km] to the northwest)
  • Lime Creek
    (14 miles [22.5 km] to the north)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Lime Creek have been provided by the GNIS.<3> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Lime Creek
    • Lime Creek is located in Murray County
  • Lakefield
    (14 miles [22.5 km] to the east)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Lakefield have been provided by the GNIS.<3> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Lakefield
    • Lakefield is located in Jackson County
    • Population from the 2020 Census: 1,602 people
    • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Lakefield <2>
  • Wilder
    (16 miles [25.7 km] to the northeast)
  • Continue List   (15 more) ...
    • Rushmore
      (17 miles [27.4 km] to the west)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Rushmore have been provided by the GNIS.<3> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Rushmore
      • Rushmore is located in Nobles County
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 334 people
    • Bigelow
      (17 miles [27.4 km] to the southwest)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Bigelow have been provided by the GNIS.<3> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Bigelow
      • Bigelow is located in Nobles County
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 226 people
    • Harris
      (17 miles [27.4 km] to the south)

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

Newspapers Published in the Vicinity of Brewster ...

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 111 newspapers that have been published in the area around Brewster.

We have organized these newspapers into two lists:

  • A Local Newspaper List - focusing on the papers published in the immediate area of Brewster. There are actually two parts to this list - papers printed in the immediate area of Brewster and those printed in the larger area surrounding Brewster.
  • An Extended Newspaper List - a longer list, sorted by paper name and containing those papers published within 30 miles [48.3 km]<5> of Brewster.

Websites to Help With Your Genealogy Research ...

When we do our genealogical research, we first turn to 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 Brewster:

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

The official website for Nobles County: www.co.nobles.mn.us/

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>While we're fans and frequent users of TripAdvisor, you should know that we're also members of the TripAdvisor affiliate program.
<3>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.
<4>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 Brewster, please let us know so that we can improve our accuracy.
<5>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- Brewster) to Point B.Our distance measurements begin at a specific point in Brewster. The point we use is located at these GPS coordinates - Latitude: 43.6978, Longitude: -95.4679    









 

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This page was last modified/updated: 28 Apr 2025