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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 Delft (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 Delft. 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 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 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.

Delft is located in Cottonwood 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 Cottonwood County: Brown, Jackson, Martin, Murray, Nobles, Redwood & Watonwan.

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

  • Cottonwood County     (The home county of Delft)
    • The following are listed by their distance from Delft, with the one closest to Delft listed first.
    • Bingham Lake
      (5 miles [8 km] to the south)
    • Jeffers
      (7 miles [11.3 km] to the northwest)
      • Jeffers is located in Cottonwood County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Jeffers
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 346 people
    • Windom
      (7 miles [11.3 km] to the south)
      • Windom is located in Cottonwood County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Windom
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 4,403 people
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Windom <1>
    • Mountain Lake
      (8 miles [12.9 km] to the east)
    • Storden
      (12 miles [19.3 km] to the west)
      • Storden is located in Cottonwood County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Storden
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 204 people
    • Westbrook
      (17 miles [27.4 km] to the west)
  • Brown County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Delft, with the one closest to Delft listed first.
    • Comfrey
      (12 miles [19.3 km] to the northeast)
    • Springfield
      (18 miles [29 km] to the north)
    • Leavenworth
      (21 miles [33.8 km] to the northeast)
      • Leavenworth is located in Brown County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Leavenworth
    • Cobden
      (23 miles [37 km] to the northeast)
      • Cobden is located in Brown County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Cobden
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 35 people
    • Iberia
      (26 miles [41.8 km] to the northeast)
      • Iberia is located in Brown County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Iberia
    • Evan
      (28 miles [45.1 km] to the northeast)
      • Evan is located in Brown County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Evan
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 84 people
    • Sleepy Eye
      (28 miles [45.1 km] to the northeast)
  • Jackson County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Delft, with the one closest to Delft listed first.
    • Wilder
      (12 miles [19.3 km] to the southwest)
      • Wilder is located in Jackson County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Wilder
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 56 people
    • Heron Lake
      (17 miles [27.4 km] to the southwest)
      • Heron Lake is located in Jackson County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Heron Lake
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 643 people
    • Okabena
      (20 miles [32.2 km] to the southwest)
      • Okabena is located in Jackson County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Okabena
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 195 people
    • Lakefield
      (21 miles [33.8 km] to the south)
    • Jackson
      (25 miles [40.2 km] to the south)
    • Alpha
      (26 miles [41.8 km] to the southeast)
      • Alpha is located in Jackson County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Alpha
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 119 people
  • Martin County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Delft, with the one closest to Delft listed first.
    • Ormsby
      (21 miles [33.8 km] to the southeast)
      • Ormsby is located in Martin County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Ormsby
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 121 people
    • Trimont
      (24 miles [38.6 km] to the southeast)
    • Sherburn
      (29 miles [46.7 km] to the southeast)
  • Murray County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Delft, with the one closest to Delft listed first.
    • Dovray
      (23 miles [37 km] to the west)
      • Dovray is located in Murray County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Dovray
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 51 people
    • Fulda
      (26 miles [41.8 km] to the west)
    • Avoca
      (27 miles [43.5 km] to the west)
      • Avoca is located in Murray County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Avoca
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 134 people
    • Currie
      (29 miles [46.7 km] to the west)
    • The Lakes
      (30 miles [48.3 km] to the west)
      • The Lakes is located in Murray County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for The Lakes
  • Nobles County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Delft, with the one closest to Delft listed first.
    • Dundee
      (21 miles [33.8 km] to the southwest)
      • Dundee is located in Nobles County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Dundee
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 67 people
    • Kinbrae
      (22 miles [35.4 km] to the southwest)
      • Kinbrae is located in Nobles County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Kinbrae
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 10 people
    • Brewster
      (27 miles [43.5 km] to the southwest)
      • Brewster is located in Nobles County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Brewster
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 466 people
  • Redwood County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Delft, with the one closest to Delft listed first.
    • Sanborn
      (15 miles [24.1 km] to the north)
    • Lamberton
      (19 miles [30.6 km] to the northwest)
    • Revere
      (21 miles [33.8 km] to the northwest)
    • Wanda
      (23 miles [37 km] to the north)
    • Walnut Grove
      (25 miles [40.2 km] to the northwest)
    • Clements
      (27 miles [43.5 km] to the north)
      • Clements is located in Redwood County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Clements
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 140 people
    • Wabasso
      (29 miles [46.7 km] to the north)
    • Morgan
      (30 miles [48.3 km] to the north)
      • Morgan is located in Redwood County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Morgan
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 832 people
  • Watonwan County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Delft, with the one closest to Delft listed first.
    • Darfur
      (13 miles [20.9 km] to the east)
      • Darfur is located in Watonwan County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Darfur
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 102 people
    • Butterfield
      (14 miles [22.5 km] to the east)
      • Butterfield is located in Watonwan County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Butterfield
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 582 people
    • Odin
      (19 miles [30.6 km] to the southeast)
      • Odin is located in Watonwan County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Odin
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 104 people
    • Godahl
      (23 miles [37 km] to the east)
      • Godahl is located in Watonwan County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Godahl
    • Saint James
      (23 miles [37 km] to the east)
    • La Salle
      (26 miles [41.8 km] to the east)
      • La Salle is located in Watonwan County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for La Salle
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 86 people
    • Grogan
      (27 miles [43.5 km] to the east)
      • Grogan is located in Watonwan County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Grogan

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

Cemeteries Near Delft ...

Below are cemeteries that are in the vicinity of Delft.

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 Delft - one of the links might be able to help.

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

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

  • Delft Cemetery
    (Less than 2 miles to the south)
  • Voth Cemetery
    (Less than 2 miles to the southeast)
  • Carson Cemetery
    (2 miles [3.2 km] to the east)
  • Resthaven Memory Gardens
    (5 miles [8 km] to the south)
  • Delton Cemetery
    (5 miles [8 km] to the northeast)
  • Jeffers Cemetery
    (6 miles [9.7 km] to the northwest)
  • Mennonite Cemetery
    (7 miles [11.3 km] to the east)
  • Christian Reformed Cemetery
    (7 miles [11.3 km] to the northeast)
  • Lakeview Cemetery
    (8 miles [12.9 km] to the south)
  • St. John's Lutheran Cemetery
    (8 miles [12.9 km] to the east)
  • St. Francis Xavier Cemetery
    (9 miles [14.5 km] to the south)
  • Red Rock Cemetery
    (9 miles [14.5 km] to the northwest)
  • Continue List   (128 more) ...

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 Delft in the Atlas, the following 1895 communities would have been found near the current location of Delft.

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

  • Bingham Lake
    (5 miles [8 km] to the south)
  • Windom
    (7 miles [11.3 km] to the south)
    • Windom is located in Cottonwood County
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Windom
    • Population from the 2020 Census: 4,403 people
    • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Windom <1>
  • Mountain Lake
    (8 miles [12.9 km] to the east)
  • Wilder
    (12 miles [19.3 km] to the southwest)
    • Wilder is located in Jackson County
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Wilder
    • Population from the 2020 Census: 56 people
  • Comfrey
    (12 miles [19.3 km] to the northeast)
  • Storden
    (12 miles [19.3 km] to the west)
    • Storden is located in Cottonwood County
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Storden
    • Population from the 2020 Census: 204 people
  • Butterfield
    (14 miles [22.5 km] to the east)
    • Butterfield is located in Watonwan County
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Butterfield
    • Population from the 2020 Census: 582 people
  • Sanborn
    (15 miles [24.1 km] to the north)
  • Heron Lake
    (17 miles [27.4 km] to the southwest)
    • Heron Lake is located in Jackson County
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Heron Lake
    • Population from the 2020 Census: 643 people
  • Westbrook
    (17 miles [27.4 km] to the west)
  • Springfield
    (18 miles [29 km] to the north)
  • Odin
    (19 miles [30.6 km] to the southeast)
    • Odin is located in Watonwan County
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Odin
    • Population from the 2020 Census: 104 people
  • Continue List   (14 more) ...
    • Lamberton
      (19 miles [30.6 km] to the northwest)
    • Okabena
      (20 miles [32.2 km] to the southwest)
      • Okabena is located in Jackson County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Okabena
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 195 people
    • Dundee
      (21 miles [33.8 km] to the southwest)
      • Dundee is located in Nobles County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Dundee
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 67 people

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

Newspapers Published in Delft ...

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 83 newspapers that have been published in the area around Delft.

Although we're unaware of any newspapers that were published in the immediate area of Delft, there are papers which were published within 30 miles [48.3 km]<4>. A list of those papers, sorted by paper name, can be found on the Extended Newspaper List for Delft.

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 helpful 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 Delft:

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 Delft, 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' (or 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- Delft) to Point B. In other words: 'As the crow flies'.