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 Canton (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 Canton. 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.
Canton is located in Fillmore 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 Fillmore County: Howard (IA), Winneshiek (IA), Houston, Mower, Olmsted & Winona.
Below are the counties that are near Canton. For each of these counties, we show a sample of those communities that are closest to Canton:
- Fillmore County (The home county of Canton)
- The following are listed by their distance from Canton, with the one closest to Canton listed first.
- Harmony
(4 miles [6.4 km] to the northwest)
- Newburg
(6 miles [9.7 km] to the northeast)
- Newburg is located in Fillmore County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Newburg
- Mabel
(8 miles [12.9 km] to the east)
- Granger
(10 miles [16.1 km] to the west)
- Granger is located in Fillmore County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Granger
- Preston
(12 miles [19.3 km] to the northwest)
- Lanesboro
(13 miles [20.9 km] to the north)
- Whalan
(14 miles [22.5 km] to the north)
- Carimona
(14 miles [22.5 km] to the northwest)
- Carimona is located in Fillmore County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Carimona
- Bratsberg
(16 miles [25.7 km] to the northeast)
- Bratsberg is located in Fillmore County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Bratsberg
- York
(16 miles [25.7 km] to the west)
- York is located in Fillmore County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for York
- Fountain
(17 miles [27.4 km] to the northwest)
- Peterson
(18 miles [29 km] to the north)
- Houston County
- The following are listed by their distance from Canton, with the one closest to Canton listed first.
- Riceford
(10 miles [16.1 km] to the east)
- Riceford is located in Houston County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Riceford
- Spring Grove
(14 miles [22.5 km] to the east)
- Yucatan
(15 miles [24.1 km] to the northeast)
- Yucatan is located in Houston County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Yucatan
- Willington Grove
(17 miles [27.4 km] to the east)
- Willington Grove is located in Houston County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Willington Grove
- Bee
(18 miles [29 km] to the east)
- Bee is located in Houston County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Bee
- Wilmington
(19 miles [30.6 km] to the east)
- Wilmington is located in Houston County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Wilmington
- Caledonia
(22 miles [35.4 km] to the east)
- Eitzen
(23 miles [37 km] to the east)
- Eitzen is located in Houston County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Eitzen
- Population from the 2020 Census: 248 people
- Houston
(24 miles [38.6 km] to the northeast)
- Money Creek
(25 miles [40.2 km] to the northeast)
- Money Creek is located in Houston County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Money Creek
- Mower County
- Le Roy
(28 miles [45.1 km] to the west)
- Winona County
- The following are listed by their distance from Canton, with the one closest to Canton listed first.
- Troy
(24 miles [38.6 km] to the north)
- Troy is located in Winona County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Troy
- Clyde
(25 miles [40.2 km] to the north)
- Clyde is located in Winona County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Clyde
- Saratoga
(26 miles [41.8 km] to the north)
- Saratoga is located in Winona County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Saratoga
- Wyattville
(29 miles [46.7 km] to the north)
- Wyattville is located in Winona County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Wyattville
- Utica
(30 miles [48.3 km] to the north)
- Allamakee County (IA)
- The following are listed by their distance from Canton, with the one closest to Canton listed first.
- Quandahl
(17 miles [27.4 km] to the east)
- Quandahl is located in Allamakee County (IA)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Quandahl
- Dorchester
(21 miles [33.8 km] to the east)
- Lycurgus
(28 miles [45.1 km] to the southeast)
- Lycurgus is located in Allamakee County (IA)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Lycurgus
- Waukon
(29 miles [46.7 km] to the southeast)
- Waukon is located in Allamakee County (IA)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Waukon
- Population from the 2020 Census: 3,600 people
- Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Waukon <1>
- Chickasaw County (IA)
- Jerico
(29 miles [46.7 km] to the southwest)
- Jerico is located in Chickasaw County (IA)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Jerico
- Howard County (IA)
- The following are listed by their distance from Canton, with the one closest to Canton listed first.
- Florenceville
(10 miles [16.1 km] to the west)
- Florenceville is located in Howard County (IA)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Florenceville
- Cresco
(14 miles [22.5 km] to the southwest)
- Forest City ‑ Historic
(15 miles [24.1 km] to the west)
- Forest City is located in Howard County (IA)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Forest City
- Vernon Springs
(16 miles [25.7 km] to the southwest)
- Vernon Springs is located in Howard County (IA)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Vernon Springs
- Lime Springs
(18 miles [29 km] to the west)
- Davis Corners
(21 miles [33.8 km] to the southwest)
- Davis Corners is located in Howard County (IA)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Davis Corners
- Chester
(21 miles [33.8 km] to the west)
- Protivin
(23 miles [37 km] to the south)
- Winneshiek County (IA)
- The following are listed by their distance from Canton, with the one closest to Canton listed first.
- Burr Oak
(5 miles [8 km] to the southeast)
- Hesper
(8 miles [12.9 km] to the east)
- Hesper is located in Winneshiek County (IA)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Hesper
- Bluffton
(8 miles [12.9 km] to the south)
- Bluffton is located in Winneshiek County (IA)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Bluffton
- Kendallville
(8 miles [12.9 km] to the southwest)
- Kendallville is located in Winneshiek County (IA)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Kendallville
- Highlandville
(14 miles [22.5 km] to the southeast)
- Highlandville is located in Winneshiek County (IA)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Highlandville
- Ridgeway
(16 miles [25.7 km] to the south)
- Decorah
(17 miles [27.4 km] to the southeast)
- Spillville
(22 miles [35.4 km] to the south)
- Calmar
(24 miles [38.6 km] to the south)
- Fort Atkinson
(26 miles [41.8 km] to the south)
- Ossian
(27 miles [43.5 km] to the south)
- Festina
(28 miles [45.1 km] to the south)
For an expanded list of the communities that are closest to Canton, see our County-by-County Page for Canton.
Cemeteries Near Canton ...
Below are cemeteries that are in the vicinity of Canton.
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 Canton - one of the links might be able to help.
If not found below, our Cemetery List for Canton covers a larger area, with the cemeteries listed in alphabetical order.
The following cemeteries are listed based on their distance from Canton, with the one closest to Canton listed first.
- Calvary Catholic Cemetery
(Less than 2 miles to the north)
- Elliota Cemetery
(2 miles [3.2 km] to the south)
- Prosper Cemetery
(3 miles [4.8 km] to the east)
- Lenora Cemetery
(3 miles [4.8 km] to the northeast)
- Amish Cemetery
(3 miles [4.8 km] to the northwest)
- State Line Methodist Cemetery
(4 miles [6.4 km] to the southwest)
- Henrytown Lutheran Cemetery
(4 miles [6.4 km] to the north)
- Henry Cemetery
(4 miles [6.4 km] to the north)
- Greenfield Cemetery
(4 miles [6.4 km] to the west)
- St. Agnes Cemetery
(5 miles [8 km] to the south)
- Metcalf Cemetery
(5 miles [8 km] to the south)
- Fremont Cemetery
(6 miles [9.7 km] to the southwest)
- Continue List (293 more) ...
- Barnes Cemetery
(6 miles [9.7 km] to the southwest)
- Burr Oak Cemetery
(6 miles [9.7 km] to the southeast)
- Garness Cemetery
(6 miles [9.7 km] to the east)
Nearby Communities in 1895 ...
We've built the following list with information that came from an Atlas published by Rand McNally in 1895. The Atlas had details such as the population of the community (which appears to have come from the 1890 Census) and whether there was a post office and/or railroad service available. We also indicate if the community no longer exists and is now historic.<3>
The Rand McNally Atlas shows that Canton had a population of 281 people in 1895 with a post office and railroad service. In 2020, Canton had a population of 342 people.
These communities are listed based on their distance from Canton, with the one closest to Canton listed first.
- Prosper
(3 miles [4.8 km] to the southeast)
- Prosper is located in Fillmore County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Prosper
- Lenora
(3 miles [4.8 km] to the northeast)
- Lenora is located in Fillmore County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Lenora
- Henrytown
(4 miles [6.4 km] to the north)
- Henrytown is located in Fillmore County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Henrytown
- Harmony
(4 miles [6.4 km] to the northwest)
- Burr Oak
(5 miles [8 km] to the southeast)
- Amherst
(5 miles [8 km] to the north)
- Amherst is located in Fillmore County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Amherst
- Newburg
(6 miles [9.7 km] to the northeast)
- Newburg is located in Fillmore County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Newburg
- Kendallville
(8 miles [12.9 km] to the southwest)
- Kendallville is located in Winneshiek County (IA)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Kendallville
- Bluffton
(8 miles [12.9 km] to the south)
- Bluffton is located in Winneshiek County (IA)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Bluffton
- Hesper
(8 miles [12.9 km] to the east)
- Hesper is located in Winneshiek County (IA)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Hesper
- Mabel
(8 miles [12.9 km] to the east)
- Granger
(10 miles [16.1 km] to the west)
- Granger is located in Fillmore County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Granger
- Continue List (19 more) ...
- Florenceville
(10 miles [16.1 km] to the west)
- Florenceville is located in Howard County (IA)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Florenceville
- Riceford
(10 miles [16.1 km] to the east)
- Riceford is located in Houston County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Riceford
- Highland
(10 miles [16.1 km] to the north)
- Highland is located in Fillmore County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Highland
We've also created an expanded list of communities that existed in the 1890's and were located in the area around Canton. See our List of 1890's Communities around Canton.
Newspapers Published in the Vicinity of Canton ...
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 114 newspapers that have been published in the area around Canton.
We have organized these newspapers into two lists:
- A Local Newspaper List - focusing on the papers published in the immediate area of Canton. There are actually two parts to this list - papers printed in the immediate area of Canton and those printed in the larger area surrounding Canton.
- An Extended Newspaper List - a longer list, sorted by paper name and containing those papers published within 29 miles [46.7 km]<4> of Canton.
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 professional and volunteer 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 Canton:
- Websites specific to Minnesota
- Pages specific to Fillmore County
- Genealogy information for nearby counties
- Houston County
- Mower County
- Winona County
- Allamakee County
- Chickasaw County
- Howard County
- Winneshiek County
- Cemetery Information and Directories for Minnesota
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 Canton, please let us know so that we can improve our accuracy. |
| <4> | Our distances are not driving distances, but are calculated as a 'straight-line' distance. A straight line distance ignores obstructions like rivers, canyons, lakes, et cetera - it's truly a line from Point A (ie- Canton) to Point B. In other words: 'As the crow flies'. |