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 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.
Canton is located in Fillmore 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 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)
- Note: We haven't been able to verify our GPS coordinates for Harmony. Although the coordinates have been estimated, they should be in the vicinity.<1>
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Harmony
- Harmony is located in Fillmore County
- Population from the 2020 Census: 982 people
- Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Harmony <2>
- Newburg
(6 miles [9.7 km] to the northeast)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Newburg
- Newburg is located in Fillmore County
- Mabel
(8 miles [12.9 km] to the east)
- Granger
(10 miles [16.1 km] to the west)
- Note: We haven't been able to verify our GPS coordinates for Granger. Although the coordinates have been estimated, they should be in the vicinity.<1>
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Granger
- Granger is located in Fillmore County
- 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)
- Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Whalan have been provided by the GNIS.<3> The coordinates still need to be verified.
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Whalan
- Whalan is located in Fillmore County
- Population from the 2020 Census: 66 people
- Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Whalan <2>
- Carimona
(14 miles [22.5 km] to the northwest)
- Note: We haven't been able to verify our GPS coordinates for Carimona. Although the coordinates have been estimated, they should be in the vicinity.<1>
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Carimona
- Carimona is located in Fillmore County
- Bratsberg
(16 miles [25.7 km] to the northeast)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Bratsberg
- Bratsberg is located in Fillmore County
- York
(16 miles [25.7 km] to the west)
- Note: We haven't been able to verify our GPS coordinates for York. Although the coordinates have been estimated, they should be in the vicinity.<1>
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for York
- York is located in Fillmore County
- Fountain
(17 miles [27.4 km] to the northwest)
- Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Fountain have been provided by the GNIS.<3> The coordinates still need to be verified.
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Fountain
- Fountain is located in Fillmore County
- Population from the 2020 Census: 398 people
- Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Fountain <2>
- Peterson
(18 miles [29 km] to the north)
- Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Peterson have been provided by the GNIS.<3> The coordinates still need to be verified.
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Peterson
- Peterson is located in Fillmore County
- Population from the 2020 Census: 198 people
- Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Peterson <2>
- 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)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Riceford
- Riceford is located in Houston County
- Spring Grove
(14 miles [22.5 km] to the east)
- Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Spring Grove have been provided by the GNIS.<3> The coordinates still need to be verified.
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Spring Grove
- Spring Grove is located in Houston County
- Population from the 2020 Census: 1,262 people
- Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Spring Grove <2>
- Yucatan
(15 miles [24.1 km] to the northeast)
- Note: We haven't been able to verify our GPS coordinates for Yucatan. Although the coordinates have been estimated, they should be in the vicinity.<1>
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Yucatan
- Yucatan is located in Houston County
- Willington Grove
(17 miles [27.4 km] to the east)
- Note: We haven't been able to verify our GPS coordinates for Willington Grove. Although the coordinates have been estimated, they should be in the vicinity.<1>
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Willington Grove
- Willington Grove is located in Houston County
- Bee
(18 miles [29 km] to the east)
- Note: We haven't been able to verify our GPS coordinates for Bee. Although the coordinates have been estimated, they should be in the vicinity.<1>
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Bee
- Bee is located in Houston County
- Wilmington
(19 miles [30.6 km] to the east)
- Note: We haven't been able to verify our GPS coordinates for Wilmington. Although the coordinates have been estimated, they should be in the vicinity.<1>
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Wilmington
- Wilmington is located in Houston County
- Caledonia
(22 miles [35.4 km] to the east)
- Eitzen
(23 miles [37 km] to the east)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Eitzen
- Eitzen is located in Houston County
- 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)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Money Creek
- Money Creek is located in Houston County
- 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)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Troy
- Troy is located in Winona County
- Clyde
(25 miles [40.2 km] to the north)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Clyde
- Clyde is located in Winona County
- Saratoga
(26 miles [41.8 km] to the north)
- Note: We haven't been able to verify our GPS coordinates for Saratoga. Although the coordinates have been estimated, they should be in the vicinity.<1>
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Saratoga
- Saratoga is located in Winona County
- Wyattville
(29 miles [46.7 km] to the north)
- Note: We haven't been able to verify our GPS coordinates for Wyattville. Although the coordinates have been estimated, they should be in the vicinity.<1>
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Wyattville
- Wyattville is located in Winona County
- Utica
(30 miles [48.3 km] to the north)
- Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Utica have been provided by the GNIS.<3> The coordinates still need to be verified.
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Utica
- Utica is located in Winona County
- Population from the 2020 Census: 275 people
- Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Utica <2>
- 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)
- Note: We haven't been able to verify our GPS coordinates for Quandahl. Although the coordinates have been estimated, they should be in the vicinity.<1>
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Quandahl
- Quandahl is located in Allamakee County (IA)
- Dorchester
(21 miles [33.8 km] to the east)
- Lycurgus
(28 miles [45.1 km] to the southeast)
- Note: We haven't been able to verify our GPS coordinates for Lycurgus. Although the coordinates have been estimated, they should be in the vicinity.<1>
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Lycurgus
- Lycurgus is located in Allamakee County (IA)
- Waukon
(29 miles [46.7 km] to the southeast)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Waukon
- Waukon is located in Allamakee County (IA)
- Population from the 2020 Census: 3,600 people
- Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Waukon <2>
- Chickasaw County (IA)
- Jerico
(29 miles [46.7 km] to the southwest)
- Note: We haven't been able to verify our GPS coordinates for Jerico. Although the coordinates have been estimated, they should be in the vicinity.<1>
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Jerico
- Jerico is located in Chickasaw County (IA)
- 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)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Florenceville
- Florenceville is located in Howard County (IA)
- Cresco
(14 miles [22.5 km] to the southwest)
- Forest City ‑ Historic
(15 miles [24.1 km] to the west)
- Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Forest City have been provided by the GNIS.<3> The coordinates still need to be verified.
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Forest City
- Forest City is located in Howard County (IA)
- Vernon Springs
(16 miles [25.7 km] to the southwest)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Vernon Springs
- Vernon Springs is located in Howard County (IA)
- Lime Springs
(18 miles [29 km] to the west)
- Davis Corners
(21 miles [33.8 km] to the southwest)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Davis Corners
- Davis Corners is located in Howard County (IA)
- 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)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Hesper
- Hesper is located in Winneshiek County (IA)
- Bluffton
(8 miles [12.9 km] to the south)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Bluffton
- Bluffton is located in Winneshiek County (IA)
- Kendallville
(8 miles [12.9 km] to the southwest)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Kendallville
- Kendallville is located in Winneshiek County (IA)
- Highlandville
(14 miles [22.5 km] to the southeast)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Highlandville
- Highlandville is located in Winneshiek County (IA)
- 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)
- Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Calmar have been provided by the GNIS.<3> The coordinates still need to be verified.
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Calmar
- Calmar is located in Winneshiek County (IA)
- Population from the 2020 Census: 934 people
- Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Calmar <2>
- 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.
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 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)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Prosper Cemetery
- Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Prosper Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<3> The coordinates still need to be verified.
- Lenora Cemetery
(3 miles [4.8 km] to the northeast)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Lenora Cemetery
- Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Lenora Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<3> The coordinates still need to be verified.
- Amish Cemetery
(3 miles [4.8 km] to the northwest)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Amish Cemetery
- Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Amish Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<3> The coordinates still need to be verified.
- State Line Methodist Cemetery
(4 miles [6.4 km] to the southwest)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the State Line Methodist Cemetery
- Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the State Line Methodist Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<3> The coordinates still need to be verified.
- Henrytown Lutheran Cemetery
(4 miles [6.4 km] to the north)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Henrytown Lutheran Cemetery
- Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Henrytown Lutheran Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<3> The coordinates still need to be verified.
- Henry Cemetery
(4 miles [6.4 km] to the north)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Henry Cemetery
- Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Henry Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<3> The coordinates still need to be verified.
- Greenfield Cemetery
(4 miles [6.4 km] to the west)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Greenfield Cemetery
- Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Greenfield Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<3> The coordinates still need to be verified.
- St. Agnes Cemetery
(5 miles [8 km] to the south)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the St. Agnes Cemetery
- Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the St. Agnes Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<3> The coordinates still need to be verified.
- Metcalf Cemetery
(5 miles [8 km] to the south)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Metcalf Cemetery
- Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Metcalf Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<3> The coordinates still need to be verified.
- Fremont Cemetery
(6 miles [9.7 km] to the southwest)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Fremont Cemetery
- Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Fremont Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<3> The coordinates still need to be verified.
- Continue List (293 more) ...
- Barnes Cemetery
(6 miles [9.7 km] to the southwest)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Barnes Cemetery
- Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Barnes Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<3> The coordinates still need to be verified.
- Burr Oak Cemetery
(6 miles [9.7 km] to the southeast)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Burr Oak Cemetery
- Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Burr Oak Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<3> The coordinates still need to be verified.
- Garness Cemetery
(6 miles [9.7 km] to the east)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Garness Cemetery
- Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Garness 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.<5>
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)
- Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Prosper have been provided by the GNIS.<3> The coordinates still need to be verified.
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Prosper
- Prosper is located in Fillmore County
- Lenora
(3 miles [4.8 km] to the northeast)
- Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Lenora have been provided by the GNIS.<3> The coordinates still need to be verified.
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Lenora
- Lenora is located in Fillmore County
- Henrytown
(4 miles [6.4 km] to the north)
- Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Henrytown have been provided by the GNIS.<3> The coordinates still need to be verified.
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Henrytown
- Henrytown is located in Fillmore County
- Harmony
(4 miles [6.4 km] to the northwest)
- Note: We haven't been able to verify our GPS coordinates for Harmony. Although the coordinates have been estimated, they should be in the vicinity.<1>
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Harmony
- Harmony is located in Fillmore County
- Population from the 2020 Census: 982 people
- Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Harmony <2>
- Burr Oak
(5 miles [8 km] to the southeast)
- Amherst
(5 miles [8 km] to the north)
- Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Amherst have been provided by the GNIS.<3> The coordinates still need to be verified.
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Amherst
- Amherst is located in Fillmore County
- Newburg
(6 miles [9.7 km] to the northeast)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Newburg
- Newburg is located in Fillmore County
- Kendallville
(8 miles [12.9 km] to the southwest)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Kendallville
- Kendallville is located in Winneshiek County (IA)
- Bluffton
(8 miles [12.9 km] to the south)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Bluffton
- Bluffton is located in Winneshiek County (IA)
- Hesper
(8 miles [12.9 km] to the east)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Hesper
- Hesper is located in Winneshiek County (IA)
- Mabel
(8 miles [12.9 km] to the east)
- Granger
(10 miles [16.1 km] to the west)
- Note: We haven't been able to verify our GPS coordinates for Granger. Although the coordinates have been estimated, they should be in the vicinity.<1>
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Granger
- Granger is located in Fillmore County
- Continue List (19 more) ...
- Florenceville
(10 miles [16.1 km] to the west)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Florenceville
- Florenceville is located in Howard County (IA)
- Riceford
(10 miles [16.1 km] to the east)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Riceford
- Riceford is located in Houston County
- Highland
(10 miles [16.1 km] to the north)
- Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Highland have been provided by the GNIS.<3> The coordinates still need to be verified.
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Highland
- Highland is located in Fillmore County
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]<6> of Canton.
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 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
Off-the-Road Links ...
Unfortunately, we don't know of a website for Canton. If you can help, please contact us through our Feedback Page.
The official website for Fillmore County: www.co.fillmore.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> | 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 Canton, 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 obstructions like rivers, canyons, lakes, et cetera - it's truly a line from Point A (ie- Canton) to Point B.Our distance measurements begin at a specific point in Canton. The point we use is located at these GPS coordinates - Latitude: 43.5296, Longitude: -91.9300 In this case, the coordinates for Canton have been provided by the Geographic Names Information System (GNIS). |