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 Dover (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 Dover. 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.
Dover is located in Olmsted 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 Olmsted County: Dodge, Fillmore, Goodhue, Mower, Wabasha & Winona.
Below are the counties that are near Dover. For each of these counties, we show a sample of those communities that are closest to Dover:
- Olmsted County (The home county of Dover)
- The following are listed by their distance from Dover, with the one closest to Dover listed first.
- Eyota
(5 miles [8 km] to the west)
- Viola
(9 miles [14.5 km] to the northwest)
- Viola is located in Olmsted County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Viola
- Predmore
(9 miles [14.5 km] to the west)
- Predmore is located in Olmsted County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Predmore
- Simpson
(14 miles [22.5 km] to the west)
- Simpson is located in Olmsted County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Simpson
- Potsdam
(16 miles [25.7 km] to the northwest)
- Potsdam is located in Olmsted County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Potsdam
- Rochester
(17 miles [27.4 km] to the west)
- Stewartville
(19 miles [30.6 km] to the southwest)
- High Forest
(22 miles [35.4 km] to the southwest)
- High Forest is located in Olmsted County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for High Forest
- Oronoco
(24 miles [38.6 km] to the northwest)
- Byron
(25 miles [40.2 km] to the west)
- Genoa
(25 miles [40.2 km] to the west)
- Genoa is located in Olmsted County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Genoa
- Rock Dell
(25 miles [40.2 km] to the west)
- Rock Dell is located in Olmsted County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Rock Dell
- Shanty Town
(25 miles [40.2 km] to the west)
- Shanty Town is located in Olmsted County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Shanty Town
- Fillmore County
- The following are listed by their distance from Dover, with the one closest to Dover listed first.
- Chatfield
(9 miles [14.5 km] to the south)
- Fountain
(15 miles [24.1 km] to the south)
- Fillmore
(16 miles [25.7 km] to the southwest)
- Fillmore is located in Fillmore County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Fillmore
- Wykoff
(19 miles [30.6 km] to the south)
- Lanesboro
(19 miles [30.6 km] to the southeast)
- Peterson
(19 miles [30.6 km] to the southeast)
- Whalan
(19 miles [30.6 km] to the southeast)
- Preston
(20 miles [32.2 km] to the south)
- Rushford Village
(20 miles [32.2 km] to the southeast)
- Rushford Village is located in Fillmore County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Rushford Village
- Population from the 2020 Census: 838 people
- Carimona
(21 miles [33.8 km] to the south)
- Carimona is located in Fillmore County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Carimona
- Rushford
(21 miles [33.8 km] to the southeast)
- South Rushford
(22 miles [35.4 km] to the southeast)
- South Rushford is located in Fillmore County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for South Rushford
- Spring Valley
(23 miles [37 km] to the southwest)
- Goodhue County
- Pine Island
(30 miles [48.3 km] to the northwest)
- Houston County
- The following are listed by their distance from Dover, with the one closest to Dover listed first.
- Money Creek
(27 miles [43.5 km] to the east)
- Money Creek is located in Houston County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Money Creek
- Yucatan
(29 miles [46.7 km] to the southeast)
- Yucatan is located in Houston County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Yucatan
- Mower County
- The following are listed by their distance from Dover, with the one closest to Dover listed first.
- Racine
(21 miles [33.8 km] to the southwest)
- Grand Meadow
(28 miles [45.1 km] to the southwest)
- Wabasha County
- The following are listed by their distance from Dover, with the one closest to Dover listed first.
- Elgin
(11 miles [17.7 km] to the northwest)
- Plainview
(13 miles [20.9 km] to the north)
- Weaver
(19 miles [30.6 km] to the northeast)
- Weaver is located in Wabasha County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Weaver
- Minneiska
(20 miles [32.2 km] to the northeast)
- Jarrett
(20 miles [32.2 km] to the northwest)
- Jarrett is located in Wabasha County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Jarrett
- Millville
(20 miles [32.2 km] to the northwest)
- Hammond
(21 miles [33.8 km] to the northwest)
- Hammond is located in Wabasha County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Hammond
- Population from the 2020 Census: 167 people
- Kellogg
(24 miles [38.6 km] to the north)
- Zumbro Falls
(25 miles [40.2 km] to the northwest)
- Wabasha
(28 miles [45.1 km] to the north)
- Reads Landing
(29 miles [46.7 km] to the north)
- Mazeppa
(29 miles [46.7 km] to the northwest)
- Winona County
- The following are listed by their distance from Dover, with the one closest to Dover listed first.
- Saint Charles
(3 miles [4.8 km] to the east)
- Saratoga
(6 miles [9.7 km] to the southeast)
- Saratoga is located in Winona County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Saratoga
- Troy
(7 miles [11.3 km] to the southeast)
- Troy is located in Winona County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Troy
- Utica
(9 miles [14.5 km] to the east)
- Elba
(9 miles [14.5 km] to the northeast)
- Elba is located in Winona County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Elba
- Population from the 2020 Census: 156 people
- Clyde
(9 miles [14.5 km] to the southeast)
- Clyde is located in Winona County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Clyde
- Altura
(11 miles [17.7 km] to the northeast)
- Lewiston
(13 miles [20.9 km] to the east)
- Beaver ‑ Historic
(14 miles [22.5 km] to the northeast)
- Beaver is located in Winona County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Beaver
- Wyattville
(17 miles [27.4 km] to the east)
- Wyattville is located in Winona County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Wyattville
- Rollingstone
(17 miles [27.4 km] to the northeast)
- Stockton
(18 miles [29 km] to the east)
- Stockton is located in Winona County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Stockton
- Population from the 2020 Census: 773 people
- Minnesota City
(20 miles [32.2 km] to the northeast)
- Buffalo County (WI)
- The following are listed by their distance from Dover, with the one closest to Dover listed first.
- Buffalo
(21 miles [33.8 km] to the northeast)
- Buffalo is located in Buffalo County (WI)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Buffalo
- Buffalo City
(22 miles [35.4 km] to the northeast)
- Buffalo City is located in Buffalo County (WI)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Buffalo City
- Population from the 2020 Census: 948 people
- Cochrane
(23 miles [37 km] to the northeast)
- Cochrane is located in Buffalo County (WI)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Cochrane
- Population from the 2020 Census: 409 people
- Fountain City
(23 miles [37 km] to the northeast)
- Fountain City is located in Buffalo County (WI)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Fountain City
- Population from the 2020 Census: 842 people
- Bluff Siding
(26 miles [41.8 km] to the east)
- Bluff Siding is located in Buffalo County (WI)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Bluff Siding
- Alma
(26 miles [41.8 km] to the northeast)
- Alma is located in Buffalo County (WI)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Alma
- Population from the 2020 Census: 713 people
- Anchorage ‑ Historic
(27 miles [43.5 km] to the northeast)
- Anchorage is located in Buffalo County (WI)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Anchorage
- Marshland
(29 miles [46.7 km] to the east)
- Marshland is located in Buffalo County (WI)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Marshland
For an expanded list of the communities that are closest to Dover, see our County-by-County Page for Dover.
Cemeteries Near Dover ...
Below are cemeteries that are in the vicinity of Dover.
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 Dover - one of the links might be able to help.
If not found below, our Cemetery List for Dover covers a larger area, with the cemeteries listed in alphabetical order.
The following cemeteries are listed based on their distance from Dover, with the one closest to Dover listed first.
- Evergreen Cemetery
(Less than 2 miles to the northwest)
- Calvary Cemetery
(2 miles [3.2 km] to the east)
- Hillside Cemetery
(3 miles [4.8 km] to the east)
- Carpenter Cemetery
(3 miles [4.8 km] to the east)
- Cline Cemetery
(5 miles [8 km] to the west)
- Sinclair Cemetery
(5 miles [8 km] to the southeast)
- Smith Cemetery
(5 miles [8 km] to the east)
- St. Paul's Cemetery
(5 miles [8 km] to the northwest)
- Edith Wright Farm Cemetery
(5 miles [8 km] to the west)
- Saratoga Cemetery
(6 miles [9.7 km] to the southeast)
- Holy Redeemer Cemetery
(6 miles [9.7 km] to the west)
- Oak Grove Cemetery
(6 miles [9.7 km] to the west)
- Continue List (218 more) ...
- Coffin's Cemetery
(7 miles [11.3 km] to the southwest)
- Berea Cemetery
(7 miles [11.3 km] to the northeast)
- Oak Hill Cemetery
(7 miles [11.3 km] to the northwest)
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>
The Rand McNally Atlas shows that Dover had a population of 300 people in 1895 with a post office and railroad service. In 2020, Dover had a population of 776 people.
These communities are listed based on their distance from Dover, with the one closest to Dover listed first.
- Saint Charles
(3 miles [4.8 km] to the east)
- Eyota
(5 miles [8 km] to the west)
- Saratoga
(6 miles [9.7 km] to the southeast)
- Saratoga is located in Winona County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Saratoga
- Troy
(7 miles [11.3 km] to the southeast)
- Troy is located in Winona County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Troy
- Chatfield
(9 miles [14.5 km] to the south)
- Clyde
(9 miles [14.5 km] to the southeast)
- Clyde is located in Winona County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Clyde
- Utica
(9 miles [14.5 km] to the east)
- Elba
(9 miles [14.5 km] to the northeast)
- Elba is located in Winona County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Elba
- Population from the 2020 Census: 156 people
- Viola
(9 miles [14.5 km] to the northwest)
- Viola is located in Olmsted County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Viola
- Chester
(10 miles [16.1 km] to the west)
- Chester is located in Olmsted County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Chester
- Marion
(10 miles [16.1 km] to the west)
- Marion is located in Olmsted County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Marion
- Elgin
(11 miles [17.7 km] to the northwest)
- Continue List (16 more) ...
- Altura
(11 miles [17.7 km] to the northeast)
- Lewiston
(13 miles [20.9 km] to the east)
- Plainview
(13 miles [20.9 km] to the north)
We've also created an expanded list of communities that existed in the 1890's and were located in the area around Dover. See our List of 1890's Communities around Dover.
Newspapers Published in the Vicinity of Dover ...
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 90 newspapers that have been published in the area around Dover.
We have organized these newspapers into two lists:
- A Local Newspaper List - focusing on the papers published in the immediate area of Dover. There are actually two parts to this list - papers printed in the immediate area of Dover and those printed in the larger area surrounding Dover.
- An Extended Newspaper List - a longer list, sorted by paper name and containing those papers published within 30 miles [48.3 km]<3> of Dover.
Websites to Help With Your Genealogy Research ...
When we do our genealogical research, we begin 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 Dover:
- Websites specific to Minnesota
- Pages specific to Olmsted County
- Genealogy information for nearby counties
- Fillmore County
- Goodhue County
- Houston County
- Mower County
- Wabasha County
- Winona County
- Buffalo 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 Dover, 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' (or point-to-point) distance. A straight line distance ignores things like rivers, canyons, lakes, et cetera - it's truly a line from Point A (ie- Dover) to Point B. In other words: 'As the crow flies'. |