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 Ceylon (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 Ceylon. 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 southeast corner of their home county. During their lives, most doctors and hospitals were in the next county to the east. 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 east 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.
Ceylon is located in Martin 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 Martin County: Emmet (IA), Kossuth (IA), Blue Earth, Cottonwood, Faribault, Jackson & Watonwan.
Below are the counties that are near Ceylon. For each of these counties, we show a sample of those communities that are closest to Ceylon:
- Martin County (The home county of Ceylon)
- The following are listed by their distance from Ceylon, with the one closest to Ceylon listed first.
- Dunnell
(7 miles [11.3 km] to the west)
- Dunnell is located in Martin County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Dunnell
- Population from the 2020 Census: 145 people
- Welcome
(9 miles [14.5 km] to the north)
- Sherburn
(9 miles [14.5 km] to the northwest)
- Fairmont
(12 miles [19.3 km] to the northeast)
- Trimont
(16 miles [25.7 km] to the north)
- Granada
(17 miles [27.4 km] to the northeast)
- Northrop
(17 miles [27.4 km] to the northeast)
- Ormsby
(22 miles [35.4 km] to the north)
- Ormsby is located in Martin County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Ormsby
- Population from the 2020 Census: 121 people
- Truman
(22 miles [35.4 km] to the northeast)
- Truman is located in Martin County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Truman
- Population from the 2020 Census: 1,028 people
- Blue Earth County
- Willow Creek
(30 miles [48.3 km] to the northeast)
- Willow Creek is located in Blue Earth County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Willow Creek
- Faribault County
- The following are listed by their distance from Ceylon, with the one closest to Ceylon listed first.
- Huntley
(24 miles [38.6 km] to the northeast)
- Huntley is located in Faribault County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Huntley
- Blue Earth
(27 miles [43.5 km] to the east)
- Blue Earth is located in Faribault County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Blue Earth
- Population from the 2020 Census: 3,098 people
- Former name for Blue Earth:
- Blue Earth City
- Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Blue Earth <1>
- Elmore
(27 miles [43.5 km] to the east)
- Elmore is located in Faribault County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Elmore
- Population from the 2020 Census: 613 people
- Winnebago
(28 miles [45.1 km] to the northeast)
- Jackson County
- The following are listed by their distance from Ceylon, with the one closest to Ceylon listed first.
- Alpha
(14 miles [22.5 km] to the northwest)
- Alpha is located in Jackson County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Alpha
- Population from the 2020 Census: 119 people
- Petersburg
(14 miles [22.5 km] to the west)
- Petersburg is located in Jackson County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Petersburg
- Jackson
(18 miles [29 km] to the west)
- Lakefield
(28 miles [45.1 km] to the west)
- Watonwan County
- The following are listed by their distance from Ceylon, with the one closest to Ceylon listed first.
- Odin
(23 miles [37 km] to the north)
- Odin is located in Watonwan County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Odin
- Population from the 2020 Census: 104 people
- Lewisville
(28 miles [45.1 km] to the north)
- Lewisville is located in Watonwan County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Lewisville
- Population from the 2020 Census: 244 people
- Butterfield
(30 miles [48.3 km] to the north)
- Butterfield is located in Watonwan County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Butterfield
- Population from the 2020 Census: 582 people
- Dickinson County (IA)
- The following are listed by their distance from Ceylon, with the one closest to Ceylon listed first.
- Superior
(17 miles [27.4 km] to the southwest)
- Terril
(23 miles [37 km] to the southwest)
- Terril is located in Dickinson County (IA)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Terril
- Population from the 2020 Census: 338 people
- Orleans
(23 miles [37 km] to the west)
- Orleans is located in Dickinson County (IA)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Orleans
- Population from the 2020 Census: 591 people
- Spirit Lake
(24 miles [38.6 km] to the west)
- Arnolds Park
(27 miles [43.5 km] to the southwest)
- Okoboji
(27 miles [43.5 km] to the west)
- Milford
(29 miles [46.7 km] to the southwest)
- Old Town
(29 miles [46.7 km] to the southwest)
- Old Town is located in Dickinson County (IA)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Old Town
- West Okoboji
(29 miles [46.7 km] to the southwest)
- West Okoboji is located in Dickinson County (IA)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for West Okoboji
- Population from the 2020 Census: 303 people
- Wahpeton
(29 miles [46.7 km] to the west)
- Wahpeton is located in Dickinson County (IA)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Wahpeton
- Population from the 2020 Census: 353 people
- Emmet County (IA)
- The following are listed by their distance from Ceylon, with the one closest to Ceylon listed first.
- Dolliver
(4 miles [6.4 km] to the south)
- Gruver
(10 miles [16.1 km] to the south)
- Gruver is located in Emmet County (IA)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Gruver
- Population from the 2020 Census: 82 people
- Armstrong
(12 miles [19.3 km] to the southeast)
- Armstrong is located in Emmet County (IA)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Armstrong
- Population from the 2020 Census: 841 people
- Estherville
(13 miles [20.9 km] to the southwest)
- Wallingford
(16 miles [25.7 km] to the southwest)
- Wallingford is located in Emmet County (IA)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Wallingford
- Population from the 2020 Census: 168 people
- Ringsted
(17 miles [27.4 km] to the south)
- Hoprig
(18 miles [29 km] to the south)
- Hoprig is located in Emmet County (IA)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Hoprig
- Kossuth County (IA)
- The following are listed by their distance from Ceylon, with the one closest to Ceylon listed first.
- Swea City
(19 miles [30.6 km] to the southeast)
- Seneca
(20 miles [32.2 km] to the southeast)
- Seneca is located in Kossuth County (IA)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Seneca
- Fenton
(23 miles [37 km] to the southeast)
- Fenton is located in Kossuth County (IA)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Fenton
- Population from the 2020 Census: 225 people
- Ledyard
(24 miles [38.6 km] to the east)
- Gerled
(24 miles [38.6 km] to the southeast)
- Gerled is located in Kossuth County (IA)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Gerled
- Bancroft
(26 miles [41.8 km] to the southeast)
- Bancroft is located in Kossuth County (IA)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Bancroft
- Population from the 2020 Census: 684 people
- Lone Rock
(26 miles [41.8 km] to the southeast)
- Lakota
(28 miles [45.1 km] to the east)
- Lakota is located in Kossuth County (IA)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Lakota
- Population from the 2020 Census: 275 people
- Burt
(30 miles [48.3 km] to the southeast)
- Burt is located in Kossuth County (IA)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Burt
- Population from the 2020 Census: 493 people
- Palo Alto County (IA)
- The following are listed by their distance from Ceylon, with the one closest to Ceylon listed first.
- Graettinger
(21 miles [33.8 km] to the south)
- Emmetsburg
(28 miles [45.1 km] to the south)
- Cylinder
(30 miles [48.3 km] to the south)
- Cylinder is located in Palo Alto County (IA)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Cylinder
- Population from the 2020 Census: 84 people
- Ruthven
(30 miles [48.3 km] to the southwest)
For an expanded list of the communities that are closest to Ceylon, see our County-by-County Page for Ceylon.
Cemeteries Near Ceylon ...
Below are cemeteries that are in the vicinity of Ceylon.
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 Ceylon - one of the links might be able to help.
If not found below, our Cemetery List for Ceylon covers a larger area, with the cemeteries listed in alphabetical order.
The following cemeteries are listed based on their distance from Ceylon, with the one closest to Ceylon listed first.
- Tenhassen Cemetery
(2 miles [3.2 km] to the east)
- Lake Belt Cemetery
(2 miles [3.2 km] to the west)
- Palestine Cemetery
(3 miles [4.8 km] to the south)
- Teitje Farm Cemetery
(4 miles [6.4 km] to the east)
- Ellsworth Cemetery
(5 miles [8 km] to the southwest)
- St. Paul's Lutheran Cemetery
(5 miles [8 km] to the northeast)
- Half Moon Cemetery
(5 miles [8 km] to the northeast)
- Lincoln Twp. Cemetery
(6 miles [9.7 km] to the south)
- Lone Cedar Cemetery
(7 miles [11.3 km] to the northwest)
- Lake Fremont Cemetery
(7 miles [11.3 km] to the west)
- Prosser Cemetery
(9 miles [14.5 km] to the southwest)
- Center Chain Cemetery
(9 miles [14.5 km] to the east)
- Continue List (128 more) ...
- St. Lukes Cemetery
(9 miles [14.5 km] to the northwest)
- Sherburne City Cemetery
(9 miles [14.5 km] to the northwest)
- Trinity Lutheran Cemetery
(9 miles [14.5 km] to the north)
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.<2>
While we didn't find Ceylon in the Atlas, the following 1895 communities would have been found near the current location of Ceylon.
These communities are listed based on their distance from Ceylon, with the one closest to Ceylon listed first.
- Dolliver
(4 miles [6.4 km] to the south)
- Dunnell
(7 miles [11.3 km] to the west)
- Dunnell is located in Martin County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Dunnell
- Population from the 2020 Census: 145 people
- Maple Hill
(9 miles [14.5 km] to the south)
- Maple Hill is located in Emmet County (IA)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Maple Hill
- Sherburn
(9 miles [14.5 km] to the northwest)
- Welcome
(9 miles [14.5 km] to the north)
- Armstrong
(12 miles [19.3 km] to the southeast)
- Armstrong is located in Emmet County (IA)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Armstrong
- Population from the 2020 Census: 841 people
- Fairmont
(12 miles [19.3 km] to the northeast)
- Estherville
(13 miles [20.9 km] to the southwest)
- Swea ‑ Historic
(14 miles [22.5 km] to the southeast)
- Swea is located in Kossuth County (IA)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Swea
- Petersburg
(14 miles [22.5 km] to the west)
- Petersburg is located in Jackson County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Petersburg
- Wallingford
(16 miles [25.7 km] to the southwest)
- Wallingford is located in Emmet County (IA)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Wallingford
- Population from the 2020 Census: 168 people
- Superior
(17 miles [27.4 km] to the southwest)
- Continue List (13 more) ...
- Ringsted
(17 miles [27.4 km] to the south)
- Hoprig
(18 miles [29 km] to the south)
- Hoprig is located in Emmet County (IA)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Hoprig
- Jackson
(18 miles [29 km] to the west)
We've also created an expanded list of communities that existed in the 1890's and were located in the area around Ceylon. See our List of 1890's Communities around Ceylon.
Newspapers Published in the Vicinity of Ceylon ...
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 121 newspapers that have been published in the area around Ceylon.
We have organized these newspapers into two lists:
- A Local Newspaper List - focusing on the papers published in the immediate area of Ceylon. There are actually two parts to this list - papers printed in the immediate area of Ceylon and those printed in the larger area surrounding Ceylon.
- An Extended Newspaper List - a longer list, sorted by paper name and containing those papers published within 30 miles [48.3 km]<3> of Ceylon.
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 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 Ceylon:
- Websites specific to Minnesota
- Pages specific to Martin County
- Genealogy information for nearby counties
- Blue Earth County
- Faribault County
- Jackson County
- Watonwan County
- Dickinson County
- Emmet County
- Kossuth County
- Palo Alto 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> | 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 Ceylon, please let us know so that we can improve our accuracy. |
| <3> | Our distances are not driving distances, but are calculated as a 'straight-line' distance. A straight line distance ignores things like rivers, canyons, lakes, et cetera - it's truly a line drawn from Point A (ie- Ceylon) to Point B. In other words: 'As the crow flies'. |