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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 Browns Valley (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 Browns Valley. 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 Browns Valley ...

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 have occurred.

  • A typical abbreviation for Browns Valley: Browns Vly. (or less commonly used: Browns Vally. or Browns Vlly.)
  • While the name of this city is Browns Valley, be aware that it's the common practice of mapmakers to remove the apostrophe from possessive names<1>. So Browns Valley may originally have been Brown's Valley.

    Sometimes the trailing 's' might be dropped altogether, in which case Browns Valley might be written as Brown Valley.

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.

Browns Valley is located in Traverse 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 Traverse County: Big Stone, Grant, Stevens, Wilkin, Richland (ND) & Roberts (SD).

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

  • Traverse County     (The home county of Browns Valley)
    • The following are listed by their distance from Browns Valley, with the one closest to Browns Valley listed first.
    • Collis
      (19 miles [30.6 km] to the east)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Collis
      • Collis is located in Traverse County
    • Dumont
      (21 miles [33.8 km] to the northeast)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Dumont have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Dumont
      • Dumont is located in Traverse County
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 87 people
    • Wheaton
      (21 miles [33.8 km] to the northeast)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Wheaton have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Wheaton
      • Wheaton is located in Traverse County
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 1,269 people
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Wheaton <3>
  • Big Stone County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Browns Valley, with the one closest to Browns Valley listed first.
    • Beardsley
      (6 miles [9.7 km] to the southeast)
    • Barry
      (13 miles [20.9 km] to the east)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Barry
      • Barry is located in Big Stone County
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 15 people
    • Graceville
      (19 miles [30.6 km] to the east)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Graceville have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Graceville
      • Graceville is located in Big Stone County
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 552 people
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Graceville <3>
    • Clinton
      (21 miles [33.8 km] to the southeast)
    • Johnson
      (26 miles [41.8 km] to the east)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Johnson
      • Johnson is located in Big Stone County
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 27 people
    • Ortonville
      (27 miles [43.5 km] to the southeast)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Ortonville have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Ortonville
      • Ortonville is located in Big Stone County
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 1,748 people
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Ortonville <3>
  • Day County (SD)
    • The following are listed by their distance from Browns Valley, with the one closest to Browns Valley listed first.
    • Grenville
      (28 miles [45.1 km] to the west)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Grenville have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Grenville
      • Grenville is located in Day County (SD)
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 50 people
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Grenville <3>
    • Waubay
      (29 miles [46.7 km] to the southwest)
  • Grant County (SD)
    • The following are listed by their distance from Browns Valley, with the one closest to Browns Valley listed first.
    • Marvin
      (23 miles [37 km] to the south)
    • Milbank
      (27 miles [43.5 km] to the south)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Milbank have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Milbank
      • Milbank is located in Grant County (SD)
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 3,066 people
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Milbank <3>
    • Twin Brooks
      (27 miles [43.5 km] to the south)
    • Big Stone City
      (27 miles [43.5 km] to the southeast)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Big Stone City have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Big Stone City
      • Big Stone City is located in Grant County (SD)
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 451 people
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Big Stone City <3>
  • Marshall County (SD)
    • The following are listed by their distance from Browns Valley, with the one closest to Browns Valley listed first.
    • Veblen
      (28 miles [45.1 km] to the northwest)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Veblen have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Veblen
      • Veblen is located in Marshall County (SD)
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 527 people
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Veblen <3>
    • Eden
      (28 miles [45.1 km] to the west)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Eden have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Eden
      • Eden is located in Marshall County (SD)
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 98 people
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Eden <3>
    • Lake City
      (29 miles [46.7 km] to the west)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Lake City have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Lake City
      • Lake City is located in Marshall County (SD)
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 51 people
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Lake City <3>
  • Roberts County (SD)
    • The following are listed by their distance from Browns Valley, with the one closest to Browns Valley listed first.
    • Peever
      (6 miles [9.7 km] to the southwest)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Peever
      • Peever is located in Roberts County (SD)
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 162 people
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Peever <3>
    • Peever Flats
      (7 miles [11.3 km] to the southwest)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Peever Flats
      • Peever Flats is located in Roberts County (SD)
    • Sisseton
      (11 miles [17.7 km] to the northwest)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Sisseton
      • Sisseton is located in Roberts County (SD)
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 2,368 people
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Sisseton <3>
    • Goodwill
      (11 miles [17.7 km] to the west)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Goodwill have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Goodwill
      • Goodwill is located in Roberts County (SD)
      • Estimated population in 2014: 876 people
    • Wilmot
      (12 miles [19.3 km] to the south)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Wilmot have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Wilmot
      • Wilmot is located in Roberts County (SD)
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 497 people
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Wilmot <3>
    • South Dakota Park
      (13 miles [20.9 km] to the southeast)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for South Dakota Park have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for South Dakota Park
      • South Dakota Park is located in Roberts County (SD)
      • Estimated population in 2014: 15 people
    • Spring Grove
      (13 miles [20.9 km] to the southwest)
      • 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 Roberts County (SD)
      • Estimated population in 2014: 125 people
    • Hartford Beach
      (14 miles [22.5 km] to the southeast)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Hartford Beach have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Hartford Beach
      • Hartford Beach is located in Roberts County (SD)
      • Estimated population in 2014: 126 people
    • Shady Beach
      (16 miles [25.7 km] to the southeast)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Shady Beach
      • Shady Beach is located in Roberts County (SD)
    • Long Hollow Housing
      (16 miles [25.7 km] to the west)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Long Hollow Housing have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Long Hollow Housing
      • Long Hollow Housing is located in Roberts County (SD)
      • Population from the 2010 Census: 192 people
    • New Effington
      (18 miles [29 km] to the north)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for New Effington have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for New Effington
      • New Effington is located in Roberts County (SD)
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 246 people
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for New Effington <3>
    • Corona
      (18 miles [29 km] to the south)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Corona have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Corona
      • Corona is located in Roberts County (SD)
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 107 people
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Corona <3>
    • Rosholt
      (19 miles [30.6 km] to the north)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Rosholt have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Rosholt
      • Rosholt is located in Roberts County (SD)
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 424 people
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Rosholt <3>

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

Newspapers Published in the Vicinity of Browns Valley ...

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 72 newspapers that have been published in the area around Browns Valley.

We have organized these newspapers into two lists:

  • A Local Newspaper List - focusing on the papers published in the immediate area of Browns Valley. There are actually two parts to this list - papers printed in the immediate area of Browns Valley and those printed in the larger area surrounding Browns Valley.
  • An Extended Newspaper List - a longer list, sorted by paper name and containing those papers published within 29 miles [46.7 km]<4> of Browns Valley.

Websites to Help With Your Genealogy Research ...

When we do our genealogical research, we like to start with 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 Browns Valley:

Cemeteries Near Browns Valley ...

Below are cemeteries that are in the vicinity of Browns Valley.

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

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

  • Plateau Cemetery
    (Less than 2 miles to the southeast)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Plateau Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Plateau Cemetery
  • Valley View Cemetery
    (Less than 2 miles to the east)
  • Midway Cemetery
    (5 miles [8 km] to the southeast)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Midway Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Midway Cemetery
  • Beardsley Community Cemetery
    (5 miles [8 km] to the east)
  • Peever Cemetery
    (7 miles [11.3 km] to the southwest)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Peever Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Peever Cemetery
  • St. Mary Cemetery
    (7 miles [11.3 km] to the southeast)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the St. Mary Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the St. Mary Cemetery
  • Holden Cemetery
    (8 miles [12.9 km] to the southeast)
    • Note: We haven't been able to verify our GPS coordinates for the Holden Cemetery. Although the coordinates have been estimated, they should be in the vicinity.<6>
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Holden Cemetery
  • Concordia Cemetery
    (8 miles [12.9 km] to the northwest)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Concordia Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Concordia Cemetery
  • Holden Lutheran Church Cemetery
    (9 miles [14.5 km] to the southeast)
  • North Concordia Cemetery
    (9 miles [14.5 km] to the northwest)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the North Concordia Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the North Concordia Cemetery
  • Lake View Cemetery
    (9 miles [14.5 km] to the northeast)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Lake View Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Lake View Cemetery
  • Emanuel Lutheran Cemetery
    (9 miles [14.5 km] to the northwest)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Emanuel Lutheran Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Emanuel Lutheran Cemetery
  • Continue List   (88 more) ...
    • Sisseton City Cemetery
      (10 miles [16.1 km] to the northwest)
    • St. Peters Cemetery
      (11 miles [17.7 km] to the northwest)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the St. Peters Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the St. Peters Cemetery
    • Goodwill Cemetery
      (11 miles [17.7 km] to the west)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Goodwill Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Goodwill Cemetery

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.<7>

The Rand McNally Atlas shows that Browns Valley had a population of 498 people in 1895 with a post office and railroad service. In 2020, Browns Valley had a population of 522 people.

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

  • Beardsley
    (6 miles [9.7 km] to the southeast)
  • Goodwill
    (11 miles [17.7 km] to the west)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Goodwill have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Goodwill
    • Goodwill is located in Roberts County (SD)
    • Estimated population in 2014: 876 people
  • Wilmot
    (12 miles [19.3 km] to the south)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Wilmot have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Wilmot
    • Wilmot is located in Roberts County (SD)
    • Population from the 2020 Census: 497 people
    • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Wilmot <3>
  • Barry
    (13 miles [20.9 km] to the east)
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Barry
    • Barry is located in Big Stone County
    • Population from the 2020 Census: 15 people
  • Corona
    (18 miles [29 km] to the south)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Corona have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Corona
    • Corona is located in Roberts County (SD)
    • Population from the 2020 Census: 107 people
    • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Corona <3>
  • Graceville
    (19 miles [30.6 km] to the east)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Graceville have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Graceville
    • Graceville is located in Big Stone County
    • Population from the 2020 Census: 552 people
    • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Graceville <3>
  • Collis
    (19 miles [30.6 km] to the east)
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Collis
    • Collis is located in Traverse County
  • Clinton
    (21 miles [33.8 km] to the southeast)
  • Dumont
    (21 miles [33.8 km] to the northeast)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Dumont have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Dumont
    • Dumont is located in Traverse County
    • Population from the 2020 Census: 87 people
  • Wheaton
    (21 miles [33.8 km] to the northeast)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Wheaton have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Wheaton
    • Wheaton is located in Traverse County
    • Population from the 2020 Census: 1,269 people
    • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Wheaton <3>
  • Summit
    (22 miles [35.4 km] to the southwest)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Summit have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Summit
    • Summit is located in Roberts County (SD)
    • Population from the 2020 Census: 288 people
    • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Summit <3>
  • Marvin
    (23 miles [37 km] to the south)
  • Continue List   (7 more) ...
    • Johnson
      (26 miles [41.8 km] to the east)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Johnson
      • Johnson is located in Big Stone County
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 27 people
    • White Rock
      (26 miles [41.8 km] to the northeast)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for White Rock have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for White Rock
      • White Rock is located in Roberts County (SD)
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 3 people
    • Twin Brooks
      (27 miles [43.5 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 Browns Valley. See our List of 1890's Communities around Browns Valley.

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

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

Footnotes ...

<1>It's generally believed that possessive apostrophes are removed to prevent confusion on maps where the apostrophe may be confused with a cartographic symbol. While this is generally true, it's not uncommon to find possessive apostrophes in administrative names (such as towns or counties).
<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>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- Browns Valley) to Point B.Our distance measurements begin at a specific point in Browns Valley. The point we use is located at these GPS coordinates - Latitude: 45.5946, Longitude: -96.8328       In this case, the coordinates for Browns Valley have been provided by the Geographic Names Information System (GNIS).
<5>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.
<6>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.
<7>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 Browns Valley, please let us know so that we can improve our accuracy.




 

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This page was last modified/updated: 07 Apr 2024