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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 Fairmont (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 Fairmont. 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 Fairmont ...

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.

In past government published Postal Guides, Fairmont was referred to as Fairmont Courthouse.

You might be interested in other communities that are also named Fairmont. More information can be found on our Tidbits & Trivia Page for Fairmont.

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.

For more information about how community names might have been affected by the Board of Geographic Names (BGN), see our page about Placename Rules.

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 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.

Fairmont is located in Martin County and is the County Seat.

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 Martin County: Emmet (IA), Kossuth (IA), Blue Earth, Cottonwood, Faribault, Jackson & Watonwan.

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

  • Martin County     (The home county of Fairmont)
    • The following are listed by their distance from Fairmont, with the one closest to Fairmont listed first.
    • Northrop
      (5 miles [8 km] to the north)
    • Granada
      (6 miles [9.7 km] to the northeast)
    • Welcome
      (7 miles [11.3 km] to the west)
    • Truman
      (12 miles [19.3 km] to the north)
      • Truman is located in Martin County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Truman
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 1,028 people
    • Ceylon
      (12 miles [19.3 km] to the southwest)
    • Sherburn
      (13 miles [20.9 km] to the west)
    • Trimont
      (14 miles [22.5 km] to the northwest)
    • Dunnell
      (17 miles [27.4 km] to the west)
      • Dunnell is located in Martin County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Dunnell
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 145 people
    • Ormsby
      (18 miles [29 km] to the northwest)
      • Ormsby is located in Martin County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Ormsby
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 121 people
  • Blue Earth County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Fairmont, with the one closest to Fairmont listed first.
    • Willow Creek
      (19 miles [30.6 km] to the northeast)
    • Amboy
      (22 miles [35.4 km] to the northeast)
    • Vernon Center
      (25 miles [40.2 km] to the northeast)
      • Vernon Center is located in Blue Earth County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Vernon Center
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 313 people
  • Cottonwood County
    • Mountain Lake
      (30 miles [48.3 km] to the northwest)
  • Faribault County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Fairmont, with the one closest to Fairmont listed first.
    • Huntley
      (12 miles [19.3 km] to the northeast)
    • Winnebago
      (16 miles [25.7 km] to the northeast)
    • Blue Earth
      (17 miles [27.4 km] to the east)
    • Elmore
      (21 miles [33.8 km] to the southeast)
      • Elmore is located in Faribault County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Elmore
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 613 people
    • Delavan
      (23 miles [37 km] to the east)
      • Delavan is located in Faribault County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Delavan
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 166 people
    • Frost
      (26 miles [41.8 km] to the east)
      • Frost is located in Faribault County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Frost
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 181 people
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Frost <1>
    • Dell
      (27 miles [43.5 km] to the east)
    • Easton
      (28 miles [45.1 km] to the east)
      • Easton is located in Faribault County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Easton
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 183 people
  • Jackson County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Fairmont, with the one closest to Fairmont listed first.
    • Alpha
      (20 miles [32.2 km] to the west)
      • Alpha is located in Jackson County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Alpha
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 119 people
    • Petersburg
      (24 miles [38.6 km] to the west)
    • Jackson
      (26 miles [41.8 km] to the west)
  • Watonwan County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Fairmont, with the one closest to Fairmont listed first.
    • Lewisville
      (18 miles [29 km] to the north)
      • Lewisville is located in Watonwan County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Lewisville
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 244 people
    • Odin
      (20 miles [32.2 km] to the northwest)
    • Saint James
      (24 miles [38.6 km] to the north)
    • Grogan
      (25 miles [40.2 km] to the north)
    • Butterfield
      (26 miles [41.8 km] to the northwest)
      • Butterfield is located in Watonwan County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Butterfield
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 582 people
    • Madelia
      (27 miles [43.5 km] to the north)
    • La Salle
      (29 miles [46.7 km] to the north)
      • La Salle is located in Watonwan County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for La Salle
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 86 people
  • Dickinson County (IA)
    • Superior
      (28 miles [45.1 km] to the southwest)
      • Superior is located in Dickinson County (IA)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Superior
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 124 people
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Superior <1>
  • Emmet County (IA)
    • The following are listed by their distance from Fairmont, with the one closest to Fairmont listed first.
    • Dolliver
      (15 miles [24.1 km] to the southwest)
    • Armstrong
      (17 miles [27.4 km] to the south)
    • Gruver
      (21 miles [33.8 km] to the southwest)
      • Gruver is located in Emmet County (IA)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Gruver
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 82 people
    • Ringsted
      (24 miles [38.6 km] to the south)
    • Estherville
      (25 miles [40.2 km] to the southwest)
    • Hoprig
      (27 miles [43.5 km] to the south)
    • Wallingford
      (28 miles [45.1 km] to the southwest)
  • Kossuth County (IA)
    • The following are listed by their distance from Fairmont, with the one closest to Fairmont listed first.
    • Swea City
      (19 miles [30.6 km] to the south)
    • Ledyard
      (21 miles [33.8 km] to the southeast)
    • Gerled
      (22 miles [35.4 km] to the southeast)
    • Seneca
      (24 miles [38.6 km] to the south)
    • Lakota
      (26 miles [41.8 km] to the southeast)
      • Lakota is located in Kossuth County (IA)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Lakota
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 275 people
    • Bancroft
      (27 miles [43.5 km] to the southeast)
    • Fenton
      (30 miles [48.3 km] to the south)
      • Fenton is located in Kossuth County (IA)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Fenton
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 225 people
    • Lone Rock
      (30 miles [48.3 km] to the south)
  • Winnebago County (IA)
    • Rake
      (29 miles [46.7 km] to the southeast)
      • Rake is located in Winnebago County (IA)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Rake
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 206 people

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

Cemeteries Near Fairmont ...

Below are cemeteries that are in the vicinity of Fairmont.

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

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

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

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>

The Rand McNally Atlas shows that Fairmont had a population of 1,205 people in 1895 with a post office and railroad service. In 2020, Fairmont had a population of 9,922 people.

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

  • Welcome
    (7 miles [11.3 km] to the west)
  • Huntley
    (12 miles [19.3 km] to the northeast)
  • Sherburn
    (13 miles [20.9 km] to the west)
  • Pilot Grove
    (14 miles [22.5 km] to the southeast)
    • Pilot Grove is located in Faribault County
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Pilot Grove
  • Nashville Center
    (14 miles [22.5 km] to the northeast)
    • Nashville Center is located in Martin County
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Nashville Center
  • Dolliver
    (15 miles [24.1 km] to the southwest)
  • South Branch
    (16 miles [25.7 km] to the north)
    • South Branch is located in Watonwan County
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for South Branch
  • Swea ‑ Historic
    (16 miles [25.7 km] to the south)
    • Swea is located in Kossuth County (IA)
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Swea
  • Winnebago
    (16 miles [25.7 km] to the northeast)
  • Dunnell
    (17 miles [27.4 km] to the west)
    • Dunnell is located in Martin County
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Dunnell
    • Population from the 2020 Census: 145 people
  • Armstrong
    (17 miles [27.4 km] to the south)
  • Blue Earth
    (17 miles [27.4 km] to the east)
  • Continue List   (16 more) ...
    • Maple Hill
      (19 miles [30.6 km] to the southwest)
      • Maple Hill is located in Emmet County (IA)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Maple Hill
    • Willow Creek
      (19 miles [30.6 km] to the northeast)
    • Odin
      (20 miles [32.2 km] to the northwest)

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

Newspapers Published in the Vicinity of Fairmont ...

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 117 newspapers that have been published in the area around Fairmont.

We have organized these newspapers into two lists:

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

Websites to Help With Your Genealogy Research ...

When we do our genealogical research, we like to start with 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 Fairmont:

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 Fairmont, 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 things like rivers, canyons, lakes, et cetera - it's truly a line from Point A (ie- Fairmont) to Point B. In other words: 'As the crow flies'.