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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 Ellendale (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 Ellendale. 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 northeast corner of their home county. During their lives, most doctors and hospitals 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.

Ellendale is located in Steele 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 Steele County: Dodge, Freeborn, Goodhue, Mower, Rice & Waseca.

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

  • Steele County     (The home county of Ellendale)
    • The following are listed by their distance from Ellendale, with the one closest to Ellendale listed first.
    • River Point
      (5 miles [8 km] to the northeast)
      • River Point is located in Steele County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for River Point
    • Hope
      (6 miles [9.7 km] to the north)
      • Hope is located in Steele County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Hope
    • Union
      (8 miles [12.9 km] to the east)
      • Union is located in Steele County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Union
    • Steele Center
      (8 miles [12.9 km] to the northeast)
      • Steele Center is located in Steele County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Steele Center
    • Blooming Prairie
      (12 miles [19.3 km] to the east)
    • Pratt
      (12 miles [19.3 km] to the northeast)
      • Pratt is located in Steele County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Pratt
    • Owatonna
      (15 miles [24.1 km] to the north)
    • Havana
      (15 miles [24.1 km] to the northeast)
      • Havana is located in Steele County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Havana
    • Medford
      (20 miles [32.2 km] to the north)
      • Medford is located in Steele County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Medford
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 1,255 people
    • Rice Lake
      (20 miles [32.2 km] to the northeast)
      • Rice Lake is located in Steele County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Rice Lake
  • Blue Earth County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Ellendale, with the one closest to Ellendale listed first.
    • Pemberton
      (25 miles [40.2 km] to the west)
      • Pemberton is located in Blue Earth County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Pemberton
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 241 people
    • Smiths Mill
      (29 miles [46.7 km] to the northwest)
      • Smiths Mill is located in Blue Earth County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Smiths Mill
  • Dodge County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Ellendale, with the one closest to Ellendale listed first.
    • Westfield Center ‑ Historic
      (17 miles [27.4 km] to the east)
      • Westfield Center is located in Dodge County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Westfield Center
    • Claremont
      (19 miles [30.6 km] to the northeast)
    • Hayfield
      (22 miles [35.4 km] to the east)
    • Dodge Center
      (24 miles [38.6 km] to the northeast)
    • West Concord
      (27 miles [43.5 km] to the northeast)
    • Concord
      (29 miles [46.7 km] to the northeast)
      • Concord is located in Dodge County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Concord
    • Kasson
      (29 miles [46.7 km] to the northeast)
    • Mantorville
      (30 miles [48.3 km] to the northeast)
  • Faribault County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Ellendale, with the one closest to Ellendale listed first.
    • Wells
      (23 miles [37 km] to the southwest)
      • Wells is located in Faribault County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Wells
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 2,157 people
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Wells <1>
    • Walters
      (26 miles [41.8 km] to the southwest)
      • Walters is located in Faribault County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Walters
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 67 people
    • Minnesota Lake
      (26 miles [41.8 km] to the west)
    • Easton
      (30 miles [48.3 km] to the west)
      • Easton is located in Faribault County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Easton
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 183 people
  • Freeborn County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Ellendale, with the one closest to Ellendale listed first.
    • Geneva
      (3 miles [4.8 km] to the southeast)
    • Bath
      (5 miles [8 km] to the southwest)
      • Bath is located in Freeborn County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Bath
    • Clarks Grove
      (7 miles [11.3 km] to the south)
    • Hollandale
      (9 miles [14.5 km] to the southeast)
    • Hartland
      (10 miles [16.1 km] to the southwest)
      • Hartland is located in Freeborn County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Hartland
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 307 people
    • Manchester
      (12 miles [19.3 km] to the southwest)
      • Manchester is located in Freeborn County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Manchester
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 55 people
    • Albert Lea
      (15 miles [24.1 km] to the south)
    • Hayward
      (15 miles [24.1 km] to the south)
    • Freeborn
      (15 miles [24.1 km] to the southwest)
    • Oakland
      (17 miles [27.4 km] to the southeast)
      • Oakland is located in Freeborn County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Oakland
    • Alden
      (19 miles [30.6 km] to the southwest)
    • Glenville
      (20 miles [32.2 km] to the south)
    • Conger
      (21 miles [33.8 km] to the southwest)
      • Conger is located in Freeborn County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Conger
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 144 people
  • Le Sueur County
    • Waterville
      (27 miles [43.5 km] to the northwest)
  • Mower County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Ellendale, with the one closest to Ellendale listed first.
    • Lansing
      (18 miles [29 km] to the southeast)
      • Lansing is located in Mower County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Lansing
    • Mapleview
      (20 miles [32.2 km] to the southeast)
      • Mapleview is located in Mower County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Mapleview
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 177 people
    • Waltham
      (21 miles [33.8 km] to the east)
    • Austin
      (21 miles [33.8 km] to the southeast)
    • Brownsdale
      (23 miles [37 km] to the east)
    • Sargeant
      (25 miles [40.2 km] to the east)
      • Sargeant is located in Mower County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Sargeant
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 60 people
    • Varco
      (25 miles [40.2 km] to the southeast)
      • Varco is located in Mower County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Varco
    • Renova ‑ Historic
      (28 miles [45.1 km] to the east)
      • Renova is located in Mower County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Renova
    • Rose Creek
      (29 miles [46.7 km] to the southeast)
    • Lyle
      (30 miles [48.3 km] to the southeast)
  • Rice County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Ellendale, with the one closest to Ellendale listed first.
    • Morristown
      (25 miles [40.2 km] to the north)
    • Walcott
      (25 miles [40.2 km] to the north)
      • Walcott is located in Rice County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Walcott
    • Moland
      (25 miles [40.2 km] to the northeast)
      • Moland is located in Rice County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Moland
    • Warsaw
      (26 miles [41.8 km] to the north)
      • Warsaw is located in Rice County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Warsaw
    • Faribault
      (29 miles [46.7 km] to the north)
  • Waseca County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Ellendale, with the one closest to Ellendale listed first.
    • New Richland
      (9 miles [14.5 km] to the west)
    • Vista
      (10 miles [16.1 km] to the northwest)
      • Vista is located in Waseca County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Vista
    • Wilton
      (15 miles [24.1 km] to the northwest)
      • Wilton is located in Waseca County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Wilton
    • Waseca
      (17 miles [27.4 km] to the northwest)
    • Waldorf
      (20 miles [32.2 km] to the west)
      • Waldorf is located in Waseca County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Waldorf
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 224 people
    • Alma City
      (23 miles [37 km] to the northwest)
      • Alma City is located in Waseca County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Alma City
    • Palmer
      (23 miles [37 km] to the northwest)
      • Palmer is located in Waseca County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Palmer
    • Janesville
      (26 miles [41.8 km] to the northwest)
    • Elysian
      (29 miles [46.7 km] to the northwest)
  • Worth County (IA)
    • The following are listed by their distance from Ellendale, with the one closest to Ellendale listed first.
    • Silver Lake
      (27 miles [43.5 km] to the south)
      • Silver Lake is located in Worth County (IA)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Silver Lake
    • Northwood
      (29 miles [46.7 km] to the south)

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

Cemeteries Near Ellendale ...

Below are cemeteries that are in the vicinity of Ellendale.

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

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

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

  • First Lutheran Cemetery
    (Less than 2 miles to the southwest)
  • Berlin Cemetery
    (Less than 2 miles to the north)
  • Geneva Cemetery
    (3 miles [4.8 km] to the southeast)
  • St. Ansgars Cemetery
    (3 miles [4.8 km] to the east)
  • Summit Cemetery
    (4 miles [6.4 km] to the east)
  • Clark Family Cemetery
    (4 miles [6.4 km] to the east)
  • St. Aidens Cemetery
    (5 miles [8 km] to the southwest)
  • Danish Cemetery
    (5 miles [8 km] to the north)
  • Zion Lutheran Cemetery
    (5 miles [8 km] to the northwest)
  • Bohemian Cemetery
    (6 miles [9.7 km] to the east)
  • Clarks Grove Cemetery
    (7 miles [11.3 km] to the south)
  • Holy Trinity Cemetery
    (7 miles [11.3 km] to the northeast)
  • Continue List   (229 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 Ellendale in the Atlas, the following 1895 communities would have been found near the current location of Ellendale.

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

  • Geneva
    (3 miles [4.8 km] to the southeast)
  • Bath
    (5 miles [8 km] to the southwest)
    • Bath is located in Freeborn County
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Bath
  • River Point
    (5 miles [8 km] to the northeast)
    • River Point is located in Steele County
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for River Point
  • Clarks Grove
    (7 miles [11.3 km] to the south)
  • Lemond
    (8 miles [12.9 km] to the northwest)
    • Lemond is located in Steele County
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Lemond
  • Steele Center
    (8 miles [12.9 km] to the northeast)
    • Steele Center is located in Steele County
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Steele Center
  • New Richland
    (9 miles [14.5 km] to the west)
  • Hartland
    (10 miles [16.1 km] to the southwest)
    • Hartland is located in Freeborn County
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Hartland
    • Population from the 2020 Census: 307 people
  • Bixby
    (11 miles [17.7 km] to the northeast)
    • Bixby is located in Steele County
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Bixby
  • Manchester
    (12 miles [19.3 km] to the southwest)
    • Manchester is located in Freeborn County
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Manchester
    • Population from the 2020 Census: 55 people
  • Blooming Prairie
    (12 miles [19.3 km] to the east)
  • Pratt
    (12 miles [19.3 km] to the northeast)
    • Pratt is located in Steele County
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Pratt
  • Continue List   (14 more) ...
    • Otisco
      (12 miles [19.3 km] to the northwest)
      • Otisco is located in Waseca County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Otisco
    • Meriden
      (14 miles [22.5 km] to the north)
      • Meriden is located in Steele County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Meriden
    • Freeborn
      (15 miles [24.1 km] to the southwest)

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

Newspapers Published in the Vicinity of Ellendale ...

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 164 newspapers that have been published in the area around Ellendale.

We have organized these newspapers into two lists:

  • A Local Newspaper List - focusing on the papers published in the immediate area of Ellendale. There are actually two parts to this list - papers printed in the immediate area of Ellendale and those printed in the larger area surrounding Ellendale.
  • An Extended Newspaper List - a longer list, sorted by paper name and containing those papers published within 30 miles [48.3 km]<4> of Ellendale.

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 professional and volunteer 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 Ellendale:

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