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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 Elbow Lake (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 Elbow Lake. 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.

Name Variations for Elbow Lake ...

When searching records, keep in mind that names and their spelling can change over time. Our sources include documents like maps, railroad schedules, Travel, Express and Shipping Guides. Many of these documents date from the 1800's and it's common to find spelling differences.

Although we can't give a definitive list, hopefully the following will give you a feel for the variations that might have occurred.

For example, a typical abbreviation for Elbow Lake: Elbow Lk.

If you have information about these names (such as the reason for the change, date of change, the origin of the name), please Contact Us.

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 northeast corner of their home county. During their lives, most doctors were in the next county to the east. 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 east 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.

Elbow Lake is primarily located in Becker County. A portion of Elbow Lake extends into Clearwater 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 Becker County: Clay, Clearwater, Hubbard, Mahnomen, Norman, Otter Tail & Wadena.

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

  • Becker County     (The home county of Elbow Lake)
    • The following are listed by their distance from Elbow Lake, with the one closest to Elbow Lake listed first.
    • Pine Point
      (14 miles [22.5 km] to the southeast)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Pine Point have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Pine Point
      • Pine Point is located in Becker County
    • Ponsford
      (14 miles [22.5 km] to the southeast)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Ponsford have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Ponsford
      • Ponsford is located in Becker County
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Ponsford <2>
    • White Earth
      (14 miles [22.5 km] to the west)
    • Two Inlets
      (16 miles [25.7 km] to the southeast)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Two Inlets
      • Two Inlets is located in Becker County
    • Richwood
      (17 miles [27.4 km] to the southwest)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Richwood have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Richwood
      • Richwood is located in Becker County
    • Ogema
      (17 miles [27.4 km] to the west)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Ogema have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Ogema
      • Ogema is located in Becker County
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 183 people
    • Rochert
      (20 miles [32.2 km] to the south)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Rochert have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Rochert
      • Rochert is located in Becker County
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Rochert <2>
    • Osage
      (20 miles [32.2 km] to the southeast)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Osage have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Osage
      • Osage is located in Becker County
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Osage <2>
    • Callaway
      (20 miles [32.2 km] to the southwest)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Callaway have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Callaway
      • Callaway is located in Becker County
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 227 people
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Callaway <2>
    • Wolf Lake
      (25 miles [40.2 km] to the south)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Wolf Lake have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Wolf Lake
      • Wolf Lake is located in Becker County
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 55 people
    • Evergreen
      (27 miles [43.5 km] to the south)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Evergreen
      • Evergreen is located in Becker County
    • Detroit Lakes
      (27 miles [43.5 km] to the southwest)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Detroit Lakes have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Detroit Lakes
      • Detroit Lakes is located in Becker County
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 9,255 people
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Detroit Lakes <2>
    • Audubon
      (28 miles [45.1 km] to the southwest)
  • Clearwater County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Elbow Lake, with the one closest to Elbow Lake listed first.
    • Long Lost Lake
      (9 miles [14.5 km] to the east)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Long Lost Lake have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Long Lost Lake
      • Long Lost Lake is located in Clearwater County
      • Estimated population in 2015: 44 people
    • Rice Lake
      (16 miles [25.7 km] to the north)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Rice Lake have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Rice Lake
      • Rice Lake is located in Clearwater County
    • Minerva
      (17 miles [27.4 km] to the northeast)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Minerva
      • Minerva is located in Clearwater County
    • Bagley
      (26 miles [41.8 km] to the north)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Bagley have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Bagley
      • Bagley is located in Clearwater County
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 1,439 people
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Bagley <2>
    • Shevlin
      (29 miles [46.7 km] to the northeast)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Shevlin have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Shevlin
      • Shevlin is located in Clearwater County
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 179 people
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Shevlin <2>
  • Hubbard County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Elbow Lake, with the one closest to Elbow Lake listed first.
    • Lake George
      (26 miles [41.8 km] to the east)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Lake George have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Lake George
      • Lake George is located in Hubbard County
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Lake George <2>
    • Park Rapids
      (27 miles [43.5 km] to the southeast)
    • Dorset
      (30 miles [48.3 km] to the southeast)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Dorset
      • Dorset is located in Hubbard County
  • Mahnomen County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Elbow Lake, with the one closest to Elbow Lake listed first.
    • Naytahwaush
      (8 miles [12.9 km] to the northwest)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Naytahwaush have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Naytahwaush
      • Naytahwaush is located in Mahnomen County
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Naytahwaush <2>
    • Roy Lake
      (12 miles [19.3 km] to the north)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Roy Lake
      • Roy Lake is located in Mahnomen County
    • Waubun
      (18 miles [29 km] to the west)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Waubun have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Waubun
      • Waubun is located in Mahnomen County
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 401 people
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Waubun <2>
    • Mahnomen
      (22 miles [35.4 km] to the northwest)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Mahnomen have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Mahnomen
      • Mahnomen is located in Mahnomen County
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 1,220 people
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Mahnomen <2>
    • Bejou
      (28 miles [45.1 km] to the northwest)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Bejou have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Bejou
      • Bejou is located in Mahnomen County
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 90 people
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Bejou <2>
  • Norman County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Elbow Lake, with the one closest to Elbow Lake listed first.
    • Faith
      (27 miles [43.5 km] to the west)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Faith
      • Faith is located in Norman County
    • Flom
      (27 miles [43.5 km] to the west)
  • Polk County
    • Lengby
      (25 miles [40.2 km] to the north)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Lengby have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Lengby
      • Lengby is located in Polk County
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 86 people

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

Newspapers Published in Elbow Lake ...

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 38 newspapers that have been published in the area around Elbow Lake.

Although we're unaware of any newspapers that were published in the immediate area of Elbow Lake, there are papers which were published within 29 miles [46.7 km]<3>. A list of those papers, sorted by paper name, can be found on the Extended Newspaper List for Elbow Lake.

Websites to Help With Your Genealogy Research ...

When we do our genealogical research, we first visit 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 Elbow Lake:

Cemeteries Near Elbow Lake ...

Below are cemeteries that are in the vicinity of Elbow Lake.

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

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

  • Samuel Memorial Cemetery
    (8 miles [12.9 km] to the northwest)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Samuel Memorial Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Samuel Memorial Cemetery
  • Indian Cemetery
    (9 miles [14.5 km] to the northwest)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Indian Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Indian Cemetery
  • Strawberry Lake Mennonite Cemetery
    (10 miles [16.1 km] to the southwest)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Strawberry Lake Mennonite Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Strawberry Lake Mennonite Cemetery
  • St. Theodores Cemetery
    (12 miles [19.3 km] to the southeast)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the St. Theodores Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the St. Theodores Cemetery
  • Grand Medicine Cemetery
    (12 miles [19.3 km] to the southeast)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Grand Medicine Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Grand Medicine Cemetery
  • Aura Cemetery
    (13 miles [20.9 km] to the southwest)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Aura Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Aura Cemetery
  • Breck Memorial Cemetery
    (13 miles [20.9 km] to the southeast)
  • Breck Memorial Cemetery
    (13 miles [20.9 km] to the southeast)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Breck Memorial Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Breck Memorial Cemetery
  • Lakeside Cemetery
    (13 miles [20.9 km] to the east)
  • Rice Free Lutheran Cemetery
    (13 miles [20.9 km] to the northeast)
  • Lake Grove Cemetery
    (13 miles [20.9 km] to the west)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Lake Grove Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Lake Grove Cemetery
  • St. Columbia Episcopal Church Cemetery
    (14 miles [22.5 km] to the west)
  • Continue List   (104 more) ...
    • Mt. Calvary Cemetery
      (14 miles [22.5 km] to the southeast)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Mt. Calvary Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Mt. Calvary Cemetery
    • Calvary Cemetery
      (15 miles [24.1 km] to the west)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Calvary Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Calvary Cemetery
    • Egelund Lutheran Cemetery
      (15 miles [24.1 km] to the southwest)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Egelund Lutheran Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Egelund Lutheran Cemetery

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.<5>

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

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

  • White Earth
    (14 miles [22.5 km] to the west)
  • Richwood
    (17 miles [27.4 km] to the southwest)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Richwood have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Richwood
    • Richwood is located in Becker County
  • Osage
    (20 miles [32.2 km] to the southeast)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Osage have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Osage
    • Osage is located in Becker County
    • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Osage <2>
  • Park Rapids
    (27 miles [43.5 km] to the southeast)
  • Faith
    (27 miles [43.5 km] to the west)
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Faith
    • Faith is located in Norman County
  • Audubon
    (28 miles [45.1 km] to the southwest)
  • Frazee
    (29 miles [46.7 km] to the south)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Frazee have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Frazee
    • Frazee is located in Becker County
    • Population from the 2020 Census: 1,381 people
    • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Frazee <2>

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

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

The official website for Becker County: www.co.becker.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>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 from Point A (ie- Elbow Lake) to Point B.Our distance measurements begin at a specific point in Elbow Lake. The point we use is located at these GPS coordinates - Latitude: 47.1483, Longitude: -95.5461       In this case, the coordinates for Elbow Lake have been provided by the Geographic Names Information System (GNIS).
<4>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.
<5>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 Elbow Lake, please let us know so that we can improve our accuracy.




 

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This page was last modified/updated: 07 Apr 2024