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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 Courtland (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 Courtland. 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 hospitals and doctors 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.

Courtland is located in Nicollet 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 Nicollet County: Blue Earth, Brown, Le Sueur, Renville & Sibley.

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

  • Nicollet County     (The home county of Courtland)
    • The following are listed by their distance from Courtland, with the one closest to Courtland listed first.
    • Nicollet
      (7 miles [11.3 km] to the east)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Nicollet have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Nicollet
      • Nicollet is located in Nicollet County
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 1,175 people
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Nicollet <2>
    • Oshawa
      (11 miles [17.7 km] to the east)
    • Lafayette
      (12 miles [19.3 km] to the north)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Lafayette have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Lafayette
      • Lafayette is located in Nicollet County
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 492 people
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Lafayette <2>
    • New Sweden
      (12 miles [19.3 km] to the northeast)
      • Note: We haven't been able to verify our GPS coordinates for New Sweden. Although the coordinates have been estimated, they should be in the vicinity.<3>
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for New Sweden
      • New Sweden is located in Nicollet County
      • Google driving directions:
      • From your current location to New Sweden
      • From Courtland to New Sweden
    • North Mankato
      (16 miles [25.7 km] to the east)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for North Mankato have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for North Mankato
      • North Mankato is located in Nicollet County
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 14,052 people
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for North Mankato <2>
    • Saint Peter
      (19 miles [30.6 km] to the east)
  • Blue Earth County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Courtland, with the one closest to Courtland listed first.
    • Judson
      (8 miles [12.9 km] to the southeast)
    • Lake Crystal
      (12 miles [19.3 km] to the southeast)
    • Garden City
      (17 miles [27.4 km] to the southeast)
    • Skyline
      (17 miles [27.4 km] to the southeast)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Skyline have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Skyline
      • Skyline is located in Blue Earth County
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 299 people
    • Rapidan
      (18 miles [29 km] to the southeast)
    • Mankato
      (19 miles [30.6 km] to the east)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Mankato have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Mankato
      • Mankato is located in Blue Earth County
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 43,435 people
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Mankato <2>
    • Good Thunder
      (22 miles [35.4 km] to the southeast)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Good Thunder have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Good Thunder
      • Good Thunder is located in Blue Earth County
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 566 people
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Good Thunder <2>
    • Vernon Center
      (22 miles [35.4 km] to the southeast)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Vernon Center have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Vernon Center
      • Vernon Center is located in Blue Earth County
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 313 people
    • Eagle Lake
      (23 miles [37 km] to the east)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Eagle Lake have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Eagle Lake
      • Eagle Lake is located in Blue Earth County
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 3,123 people
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Eagle Lake <2>
    • Madison Lake
      (26 miles [41.8 km] to the east)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Madison Lake have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Madison Lake
      • Madison Lake is located in Blue Earth County
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 1,202 people
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Madison Lake <2>
    • Willow Creek
      (26 miles [41.8 km] to the south)
    • Beauford
      (26 miles [41.8 km] to the southeast)
      • Note: We haven't been able to verify our GPS coordinates for Beauford. Although the coordinates have been estimated, they should be in the vicinity.<3>
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Beauford
      • Beauford is located in Blue Earth County
      • Google driving directions:
      • From your current location to Beauford
      • From Courtland to Beauford
  • Brown County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Courtland, with the one closest to Courtland listed first.
    • Searles
      (5 miles [8 km] to the southwest)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Searles have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Searles
      • Searles is located in Brown County
    • New Ulm
      (6 miles [9.7 km] to the northwest)
    • Hanska
      (11 miles [17.7 km] to the southwest)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Hanska have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Hanska
      • Hanska is located in Brown County
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 372 people
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Hanska <2>
    • Essig
      (13 miles [20.9 km] to the west)
    • Iberia
      (17 miles [27.4 km] to the west)
    • Sleepy Eye
      (19 miles [30.6 km] to the west)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Sleepy Eye have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Sleepy Eye
      • Sleepy Eye is located in Brown County
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 3,329 people
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Sleepy Eye <2>
    • Leavenworth
      (22 miles [35.4 km] to the west)
    • Cobden
      (24 miles [38.6 km] to the west)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Cobden have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Cobden
      • Cobden is located in Brown County
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 35 people
    • Evan
      (25 miles [40.2 km] to the west)
    • Comfrey
      (29 miles [46.7 km] to the west)
  • Le Sueur County
  • Martin County
    • Truman
      (30 miles [48.3 km] to the south)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Truman have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Truman
      • Truman is located in Martin County
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 1,028 people
  • McLeod County
  • Redwood County
    • Morgan
      (30 miles [48.3 km] to the west)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Morgan have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Morgan
      • Morgan is located in Redwood County
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 832 people
  • Renville County
    • Fairfax
      (25 miles [40.2 km] to the northwest)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Fairfax have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Fairfax
      • Fairfax is located in Renville County
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 1,119 people
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Fairfax <2>
  • Sibley County
  • Watonwan County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Courtland, with the one closest to Courtland listed first.
    • Madelia
      (15 miles [24.1 km] to the south)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Madelia have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Madelia
      • Madelia is located in Watonwan County
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 2,226 people
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Madelia <2>
    • La Salle
      (17 miles [27.4 km] to the southwest)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for La Salle have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for La Salle
      • La Salle is located in Watonwan County
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 86 people
    • Godahl
      (18 miles [29 km] to the southwest)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Godahl have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Godahl
      • Godahl is located in Watonwan County
    • Grogan
      (19 miles [30.6 km] to the southwest)
      • Note: We haven't been able to verify our GPS coordinates for Grogan. Although the coordinates have been estimated, they should be in the vicinity.<3>
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Grogan
      • Grogan is located in Watonwan County
      • Google driving directions:
      • From your current location to Grogan
      • From Courtland to Grogan
    • Lewisville
      (24 miles [38.6 km] to the south)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Lewisville have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Lewisville
      • Lewisville is located in Watonwan County
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 244 people
    • Saint James
      (24 miles [38.6 km] to the southwest)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Saint James have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Saint James
      • Saint James is located in Watonwan County
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 4,358 people
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Saint James <2>
    • Darfur
      (28 miles [45.1 km] to the southwest)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Darfur have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Darfur
      • Darfur is located in Watonwan County
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 102 people

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

Cemeteries Near Courtland ...

Below are cemeteries that are in the vicinity of Courtland.

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

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

  • Fechner Farm Cemetery
    (Less than 2 miles to the south)
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Fechner Farm Cemetery
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Fechner Farm Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
  • Zimmerman Cemetery
    (Less than 2 miles to the southeast)
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Zimmerman Cemetery
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Zimmerman Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
  • Courtland Cemetery
    (Less than 2 miles to the northeast)
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Courtland Cemetery
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Courtland Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
  • Evangelical Cemetery
    (Less than 2 miles to the northwest)
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Evangelical Cemetery
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Evangelical Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
  • Cambria Cemetery
    (3 miles [4.8 km] to the southeast)
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Cambria Cemetery
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Cambria Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
  • St. John's Evangelical Lutheran Church Cemetery
    (4 miles [6.4 km] to the east)
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the St. John's Evangelical Lutheran Church Cemetery
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the St. John's Evangelical Lutheran Church Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
  • Cottonwood Cemetery
    (5 miles [8 km] to the southwest)
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Cottonwood Cemetery
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Cottonwood Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
  • St. Johns Cemetery
    (5 miles [8 km] to the southwest)
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the St. Johns Cemetery
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the St. Johns Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
  • Brighton Cemetery
    (5 miles [8 km] to the north)
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Brighton Cemetery
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Brighton Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
  • Swan Lake Lutheran Cemetery
    (5 miles [8 km] to the north)
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Swan Lake Lutheran Cemetery
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Swan Lake Lutheran Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
  • St. Josephs Cemetery
    (5 miles [8 km] to the west)
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the St. Josephs Cemetery
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the St. Josephs Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
  • Rice Lake Cemetery
    (6 miles [9.7 km] to the south)
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Rice Lake Cemetery
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Rice Lake Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
  • Continue List   (222 more) ...
    • Trinity Cemetery
      (6 miles [9.7 km] to the east)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Trinity Cemetery
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Trinity Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Nicollet County Poor Farm Cemetery
      (6 miles [9.7 km] to the northeast)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Nicollet County Poor Farm Cemetery
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Nicollet County Poor Farm Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • St. Mary's Catholic Cemetery
      (6 miles [9.7 km] to the northeast)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the St. Mary's Catholic Cemetery
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the St. Mary's Catholic Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<1> 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.<4>

The Rand McNally Atlas shows that in 1895, Courtland had a post office and railroad service. In 2020, Courtland had a population of 698 people.

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

  • Linden
    (6 miles [9.7 km] to the southwest)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Linden have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Linden
    • Linden is located in Brown County
  • New Ulm
    (6 miles [9.7 km] to the northwest)
  • Nicollet
    (7 miles [11.3 km] to the east)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Nicollet have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Nicollet
    • Nicollet is located in Nicollet County
    • Population from the 2020 Census: 1,175 people
    • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Nicollet <2>
  • Judson
    (8 miles [12.9 km] to the southeast)
  • Hanska
    (11 miles [17.7 km] to the southwest)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Hanska have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Hanska
    • Hanska is located in Brown County
    • Population from the 2020 Census: 372 people
    • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Hanska <2>
  • Oshawa
    (11 miles [17.7 km] to the east)
  • Lake Crystal
    (12 miles [19.3 km] to the southeast)
  • New Sweden
    (12 miles [19.3 km] to the northeast)
    • Note: We haven't been able to verify our GPS coordinates for New Sweden. Although the coordinates have been estimated, they should be in the vicinity.<3>
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for New Sweden
    • New Sweden is located in Nicollet County
    • Google driving directions:
    • From your current location to New Sweden
    • From Courtland to New Sweden
  • Bernadotte
    (13 miles [20.9 km] to the north)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Bernadotte have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Bernadotte
    • Bernadotte is located in Nicollet County
  • Essig
    (13 miles [20.9 km] to the west)
  • Norseland
    (14 miles [22.5 km] to the northeast)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Norseland have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Norseland
    • Norseland is located in Nicollet County
  • Madelia
    (15 miles [24.1 km] to the south)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Madelia have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Madelia
    • Madelia is located in Watonwan County
    • Population from the 2020 Census: 2,226 people
    • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Madelia <2>
  • Continue List   (14 more) ...

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

Newspapers Published in Courtland ...

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 128 newspapers that have been published in the area around Courtland.

Although we're unaware of any newspapers that were published in the immediate area of Courtland, there are papers which were published within 30 miles [48.3 km]<5>. A list of those papers, sorted by paper name, can be found on the Extended Newspaper List for Courtland.

Websites to Help With Your Genealogy Research ...

When we do our genealogical research, we first turn to 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 Courtland:

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

The official website for Nicollet County: www.co.nicollet.mn.us/

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

Footnotes ...

<1>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.
<2>While we're fans and frequent users of TripAdvisor, you should know that we're also members of the TripAdvisor affiliate program.
<3>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.
<4>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 Courtland, please let us know so that we can improve our accuracy.
<5>Our distances are not driving distances, but are calculated as a 'point-to-point' distance. A straight line distance ignores things like rivers, canyons, lakes, et cetera - it's truly a line drawn from Point A (ie- Courtland) to Point B.Our distance measurements begin at a specific point in Courtland. The point we use is located at these GPS coordinates - Latitude: 44.2686, Longitude: -94.3417    









 

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This page was last modified/updated: 14 Jul 2025