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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 Country Acres (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 Country Acres. 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 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.

Country Acres is located in McLeod 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 McLeod County: Carver, Meeker, Renville, Sibley & Wright.

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

  • McLeod County     (The home county of Country Acres)
    • The following are listed by their distance from Country Acres, with the one closest to Country Acres listed first.
    • Winsted
      (Less than 2 miles to the south)
    • Lester Prairie
      (6 miles [9.7 km] to the south)
    • Silver Lake
      (8 miles [12.9 km] to the southwest)
    • Plato
      (13 miles [20.9 km] to the south)
    • Glencoe
      (14 miles [22.5 km] to the south)
    • Biscay
      (14 miles [22.5 km] to the southwest)
      • Biscay is located in McLeod County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Biscay
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 109 people
    • Hutchinson
      (16 miles [25.7 km] to the west)
    • Sumter
      (19 miles [30.6 km] to the southwest)
      • Sumter is located in McLeod County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Sumter
    • Brownton
      (22 miles [35.4 km] to the southwest)
    • Stewart
      (27 miles [43.5 km] to the southwest)
      • Stewart is located in McLeod County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Stewart
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 533 people
    • Fernando
      (29 miles [46.7 km] to the southwest)
      • Fernando is located in McLeod County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Fernando
  • Carver County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Country Acres, with the one closest to Country Acres listed first.
    • Hazelton
      (5 miles [8 km] to the east)
      • Hazelton is located in Carver County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Hazelton
    • Hollywood
      (6 miles [9.7 km] to the southeast)
      • Hollywood is located in Carver County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Hollywood
    • New Germany
      (7 miles [11.3 km] to the southeast)
    • Mayer
      (9 miles [14.5 km] to the southeast)
    • Watertown
      (10 miles [16.1 km] to the east)
    • Hydes Lake
      (14 miles [22.5 km] to the southeast)
      • Hydes Lake is located in Carver County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Hydes Lake
    • Young America
      (14 miles [22.5 km] to the southeast)
    • Norwood
      (15 miles [24.1 km] to the southeast)
    • Norwood Young America
      (15 miles [24.1 km] to the southeast)
      • Norwood Young America is located in Carver County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Norwood Young America
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 3,794 people
    • Waconia
      (15 miles [24.1 km] to the southeast)
    • Hamburg
      (17 miles [27.4 km] to the south)
      • Hamburg is located in Carver County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Hamburg
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 526 people
    • Cologne
      (18 miles [29 km] to the southeast)
  • Hennepin County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Country Acres, with the one closest to Country Acres listed first.
    • Saint Bonifacius
      (15 miles [24.1 km] to the east)
    • Independence
      (17 miles [27.4 km] to the east)
      • Independence is located in Hennepin County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Independence
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 3,786 people
    • Minnetrista
      (17 miles [27.4 km] to the east)
    • Maple Plain
      (19 miles [30.6 km] to the east)
    • Mound
      (19 miles [30.6 km] to the east)
      • Mound is located in Hennepin County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Mound
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 9,404 people
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Mound <1>
    • Greenfield
      (19 miles [30.6 km] to the northeast)
      • Greenfield is located in Hennepin County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Greenfield
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 3,058 people
    • Spring Park
      (20 miles [32.2 km] to the east)
    • Loretto
      (21 miles [33.8 km] to the east)
    • Orono
      (22 miles [35.4 km] to the east)
      • Orono is located in Hennepin County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Orono
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 8,348 people
    • Tonka Bay
      (22 miles [35.4 km] to the east)
      • Tonka Bay is located in Hennepin County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Tonka Bay
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 1,551 people
    • Crystal Bay
      (23 miles [37 km] to the east)
      • Crystal Bay is located in Hennepin County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Crystal Bay
    • Long Lake
      (23 miles [37 km] to the east)
  • Meeker County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Country Acres, with the one closest to Country Acres listed first.
    • Dassel
      (14 miles [22.5 km] to the northwest)
    • Darwin
      (19 miles [30.6 km] to the northwest)
    • Kingston
      (19 miles [30.6 km] to the northwest)
      • Kingston is located in Meeker County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Kingston
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 162 people
    • Cedar Mills
      (23 miles [37 km] to the west)
      • Cedar Mills is located in Meeker County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Cedar Mills
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 51 people
    • Forest City
      (25 miles [40.2 km] to the northwest)
      • Forest City is located in Meeker County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Forest City
    • Litchfield
      (25 miles [40.2 km] to the northwest)
    • Watkins
      (29 miles [46.7 km] to the northwest)
  • Scott County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Country Acres, with the one closest to Country Acres listed first.
    • Belle Plaine
      (27 miles [43.5 km] to the southeast)
    • Jordan
      (29 miles [46.7 km] to the southeast)
    • Marystown
      (30 miles [48.3 km] to the southeast)
      • Marystown is located in Scott County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Marystown
  • Sherburne County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Country Acres, with the one closest to Country Acres listed first.
    • Salida
      (28 miles [45.1 km] to the northeast)
      • Salida is located in Sherburne County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Salida
    • Becker
      (29 miles [46.7 km] to the north)
      • Becker is located in Sherburne County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Becker
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 5,033 people
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Becker <1>
    • Big Lake
      (29 miles [46.7 km] to the northeast)
  • Sibley County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Country Acres, with the one closest to Country Acres listed first.
    • Green Isle
      (20 miles [32.2 km] to the south)
    • New Auburn
      (22 miles [35.4 km] to the south)
    • Arlington
      (25 miles [40.2 km] to the south)
    • Gaylord
      (30 miles [48.3 km] to the south)
  • Stearns County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Country Acres, with the one closest to Country Acres listed first.
    • Fairhaven
      (25 miles [40.2 km] to the north)
      • Fairhaven is located in Stearns County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Fairhaven
    • Kimball Prairie
      (26 miles [41.8 km] to the northwest)
      • Kimball Prairie is located in Stearns County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Kimball Prairie
    • Kimball
      (26 miles [41.8 km] to the northwest)
  • Wright County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Country Acres, with the one closest to Country Acres listed first.
    • Howard Lake
      (6 miles [9.7 km] to the north)
    • Waverly
      (7 miles [11.3 km] to the northeast)
    • Smith Lake
      (7 miles [11.3 km] to the northwest)
      • Smith Lake is located in Wright County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Smith Lake
    • Montrose
      (9 miles [14.5 km] to the northeast)
    • Cokato
      (9 miles [14.5 km] to the northwest)
    • Albright
      (11 miles [17.7 km] to the north)
      • Albright is located in Wright County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Albright
    • Rassat
      (12 miles [19.3 km] to the north)
      • Rassat is located in Wright County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Rassat
    • Delano
      (13 miles [20.9 km] to the east)
    • Albion Center
      (14 miles [22.5 km] to the north)
      • Albion Center is located in Wright County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Albion Center
    • Buffalo
      (16 miles [25.7 km] to the northeast)
    • Rockford
      (17 miles [27.4 km] to the northeast)
    • Maple Lake
      (18 miles [29 km] to the north)

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

Cemeteries Near Country Acres ...

Below are cemeteries that are in the vicinity of Country Acres.

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 Country Acres - one of the links might be able to help.

If not found below, our Cemetery List for Country Acres covers a larger area, with the cemeteries listed in alphabetical order.

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

  • Holy Trinity Cemetery
    (Less than 2 miles to the south)
  • Swedish Cemetery
    (2 miles [3.2 km] to the east)
  • Nylunda Cemetery
    (2 miles [3.2 km] to the northeast)
  • Woodland Cemetery
    (3 miles [4.8 km] to the northeast)
  • Old Holy Trinity Cemetery
    (4 miles [6.4 km] to the southwest)
  • St. James Cemetery
    (5 miles [8 km] to the north)
  • Howard Lake Cemetery
    (5 miles [8 km] to the north)
  • Lester Prairie City Cemetery
    (6 miles [9.7 km] to the south)
  • St. Paul Cemetery
    (6 miles [9.7 km] to the south)
  • St. Peter Cemetery
    (6 miles [9.7 km] to the south)
  • St. Mark Cemetery
    (6 miles [9.7 km] to the southeast)
  • St. John's Lutheran Church Cemetery
    (6 miles [9.7 km] to the southeast)
  • Continue List   (264 more) ...
    • St. Marys Cemetery
      (7 miles [11.3 km] to the northeast)
    • Mission Cemetery
      (7 miles [11.3 km] to the north)
    • Reinmuth Cemetery
      (7 miles [11.3 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.<3>

While we didn't find Country Acres in the Atlas, the following 1895 communities would have been found near the current location of Country Acres.

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

  • Winsted
    (Less than 2 miles to the south)
  • Lester Prairie
    (6 miles [9.7 km] to the south)
  • Hollywood
    (6 miles [9.7 km] to the southeast)
    • Hollywood is located in Carver County
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Hollywood
  • Howard Lake
    (6 miles [9.7 km] to the north)
  • New Germany
    (7 miles [11.3 km] to the southeast)
  • Smith Lake
    (7 miles [11.3 km] to the northwest)
    • Smith Lake is located in Wright County
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Smith Lake
  • Waverly
    (7 miles [11.3 km] to the northeast)
  • Silver Lake
    (8 miles [12.9 km] to the southwest)
  • Mayer
    (9 miles [14.5 km] to the southeast)
  • Montrose
    (9 miles [14.5 km] to the northeast)
  • Cokato
    (9 miles [14.5 km] to the northwest)
  • Watertown
    (10 miles [16.1 km] to the east)
  • Continue List   (15 more) ...
    • Plato
      (13 miles [20.9 km] to the south)
    • Delano
      (13 miles [20.9 km] to the east)
    • Biscay
      (14 miles [22.5 km] to the southwest)
      • Biscay is located in McLeod County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Biscay
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 109 people

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

Newspapers Published in Country Acres ...

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 148 newspapers that have been published in the area around Country Acres.

Although we're unaware of any newspapers that were published in the immediate area of Country Acres, there are papers which were published within 29 miles [46.7 km]<4>. A list of those papers, sorted by paper name, can be found on the Extended Newspaper List for Country Acres.

Websites to Help With Your Genealogy Research ...

When we do our genealogical research, we start with the websites from Cyndi's List, FamilySearch and Genealogy Trails. These websites either 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 Country Acres:

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 Country Acres, 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- Country Acres) to Point B. In other words: 'As the crow flies'.