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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 Fergus Falls (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 Fergus Falls. 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 southwest corner of their home county. During their lives, most doctors and hospitals were in the next county to the west. Almost all of the nearby churches and cemeteries were in the county to the south.

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 south 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.

Fergus Falls is located in Otter Tail County and is the County Seat.

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 Otter Tail County: Becker, Clay, Douglas, Grant, Todd, Wadena & Wilkin.

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

  • Otter Tail County     (The home county of Fergus Falls)
    • The following are listed by their distance from Fergus Falls, with the one closest to Fergus Falls listed first.
    • Elizabeth
      (7 miles [11.3 km] to the north)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Elizabeth have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Elizabeth
      • Elizabeth is located in Otter Tail County
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 170 people
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Elizabeth <2>
    • Underwood
      (9 miles [14.5 km] to the east)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Underwood have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Underwood
      • Underwood is located in Otter Tail County
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 364 people
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Underwood <2>
    • Dalton
      (10 miles [16.1 km] to the southeast)
    • Western
      (10 miles [16.1 km] to the southwest)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Western have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Western
      • Western is located in Otter Tail County
    • Edwards
      (12 miles [19.3 km] to the north)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Edwards
      • Edwards is located in Otter Tail County
    • Erhard
      (13 miles [20.9 km] to the north)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Erhard have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Erhard
      • Erhard is located in Otter Tail County
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 145 people
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Erhard <2>
    • Rothsay
      (16 miles [25.7 km] to the northwest)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Rothsay have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Rothsay
      • Rothsay is located in Otter Tail County
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 476 people
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Rothsay <2>
    • Battle Lake
      (17 miles [27.4 km] to the east)
    • Amor
      (18 miles [29 km] to the northeast)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Amor have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Amor
      • Amor is located in Otter Tail County
    • Pelican Rapids
      (19 miles [30.6 km] to the north)
    • Clitherall
      (21 miles [33.8 km] to the east)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Clitherall have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Clitherall
      • Clitherall is located in Otter Tail County
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 106 people
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Clitherall <2>
    • Nirvana
      (23 miles [37 km] to the east)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Nirvana
      • Nirvana is located in Otter Tail County
    • Dent
      (25 miles [40.2 km] to the northeast)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Dent have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Dent
      • Dent is located in Otter Tail County
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 185 people
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Dent <2>
  • Becker County
    • Cormorant
      (30 miles [48.3 km] to the north)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Cormorant
      • Cormorant is located in Becker County
  • Clay County
    • Barnesville
      (30 miles [48.3 km] to the northwest)
  • Douglas County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Fergus Falls, with the one closest to Fergus Falls listed first.
    • Melby
      (22 miles [35.4 km] to the southeast)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Melby
      • Melby is located in Douglas County
    • Evansville
      (26 miles [41.8 km] to the southeast)
    • Millerville
      (28 miles [45.1 km] to the southeast)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Millerville have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Millerville
      • Millerville is located in Douglas County
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 103 people
  • Grant County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Fergus Falls, with the one closest to Fergus Falls listed first.
    • Wendell
      (17 miles [27.4 km] to the south)
    • Ashby
      (18 miles [29 km] to the southeast)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Ashby have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Ashby
      • Ashby is located in Grant County
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 444 people
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Ashby <2>
    • Elbow Lake
      (20 miles [32.2 km] to the south)
    • Erdahl
      (23 miles [37 km] to the southeast)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Erdahl
      • Erdahl is located in Grant County
    • Barrett
      (27 miles [43.5 km] to the south)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Barrett have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Barrett
      • Barrett is located in Grant County
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 414 people
    • Norcross
      (29 miles [46.7 km] to the south)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Norcross have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Norcross
      • Norcross is located in Grant County
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 71 people
  • Traverse County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Fergus Falls, with the one closest to Fergus Falls listed first.
    • Tintah
      (22 miles [35.4 km] to the southwest)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Tintah
      • Tintah is located in Traverse County
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 56 people
    • Charlesville
      (24 miles [38.6 km] to the south)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Charlesville have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Charlesville
      • Charlesville is located in Traverse County
  • Wilkin County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Fergus Falls, with the one closest to Fergus Falls listed first.
    • Foxhome
      (11 miles [17.7 km] to the west)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Foxhome have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Foxhome
      • Foxhome is located in Wilkin County
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 112 people
    • Campbell
      (20 miles [32.2 km] to the southwest)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Campbell have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Campbell
      • Campbell is located in Wilkin County
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 152 people
    • Nashua
      (20 miles [32.2 km] to the southwest)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Nashua have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Nashua
      • Nashua is located in Wilkin County
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 66 people
    • Doran
      (20 miles [32.2 km] to the west)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Doran have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Doran
      • Doran is located in Wilkin County
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 47 people
    • Lawndale
      (23 miles [37 km] to the northwest)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Lawndale have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Lawndale
      • Lawndale is located in Wilkin County
    • Tenney
      (24 miles [38.6 km] to the southwest)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Tenney have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Tenney
      • Tenney is located in Wilkin County
      • Estimated population in 2011: 5 people
    • Breckenridge
      (24 miles [38.6 km] to the west)
    • Childs
      (26 miles [41.8 km] to the southwest)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Childs have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Childs
      • Childs is located in Wilkin County
    • Kent
      (30 miles [48.3 km] to the west)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Kent
      • Kent is located in Wilkin County
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 72 people
  • Richland County (ND)
    • The following are listed by their distance from Fergus Falls, with the one closest to Fergus Falls listed first.
    • Wahpeton
      (25 miles [40.2 km] to the west)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Wahpeton have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Wahpeton
      • Wahpeton is located in Richland County (ND)
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 7,728 people
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Wahpeton <2>
    • Fairmount
      (29 miles [46.7 km] to the southwest)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Fairmount have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Fairmount
      • Fairmount is located in Richland County (ND)
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 356 people
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Fairmount <2>

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

Newspapers Published in the Vicinity of Fergus Falls ...

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 87 newspapers that have been published in the area around Fergus Falls.

We have organized these newspapers into two lists:

  • A Local Newspaper List - focusing on the papers published in the immediate area of Fergus Falls. There are actually two parts to this list - papers printed in the immediate area of Fergus Falls and those printed in the larger area surrounding Fergus Falls.
  • An Extended Newspaper List - a longer list, sorted by paper name and containing those papers published within 30 miles [48.3 km]<3> of Fergus Falls.

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 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 Fergus Falls:

Cemeteries Near Fergus Falls ...

Below are cemeteries that are in the vicinity of Fergus Falls.

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 Fergus Falls covers a larger area, with the cemeteries listed in alphabetical order.

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

  • Bethlehem Cemetery
    (Less than 2 miles to the south)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Bethlehem Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Bethlehem Cemetery
  • Oak Grove Cemetery
    (Less than 2 miles to the east)
  • St. Otto's Cemetery
    (Less than 2 miles to the northeast)
  • Our Lady of Victory Catholic Church Cemetery
    (Less than 2 miles to the north)
  • State Hospital for the Insane Cemetery
    (Less than 2 miles to the north)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the State Hospital for the Insane Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the State Hospital for the Insane Cemetery
  • First Cemetery
    (2 miles [3.2 km] to the north)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the First Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the First Cemetery
  • First United Cemetery
    (2 miles [3.2 km] to the north)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the First United Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the First United Cemetery
  • Trinity Faith Cemetery
    (2 miles [3.2 km] to the northeast)
  • Trinity Cemetery
    (2 miles [3.2 km] to the northeast)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Trinity Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Trinity Cemetery
  • Knollwood Cemetery
    (3 miles [4.8 km] to the southeast)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Knollwood Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Knollwood Cemetery
  • Kongsberg Cemetery
    (3 miles [4.8 km] to the northeast)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Kongsberg Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Kongsberg Cemetery
  • Bethlehem Lutheran Cemetery
    (5 miles [8 km] to the south)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Bethlehem Lutheran Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Bethlehem Lutheran Cemetery
  • Continue List   (176 more) ...
    • Swan Lake Cemetery
      (5 miles [8 km] to the southeast)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Swan Lake Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Swan Lake Cemetery
    • Vang Cemetery
      (5 miles [8 km] to the northeast)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Vang Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Vang Cemetery
    • Evangelical Lutheran Kirchof Cemetery
      (6 miles [9.7 km] to the north)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Evangelical Lutheran Kirchof Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Evangelical Lutheran Kirchof 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>

The Rand McNally Atlas shows that Fergus Falls had a population of 3,772 people in 1895 with a post office and railroad service. In 2020, Fergus Falls had a population of 13,758 people.

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

  • Parkdale
    (4 miles [6.4 km] to the southeast)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Parkdale have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Parkdale
    • Parkdale is located in Otter Tail County
  • Wall Lake
    (5 miles [8 km] to the east)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Wall Lake have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Wall Lake
    • Wall Lake is located in Otter Tail County
  • French
    (5 miles [8 km] to the west)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for French have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for French
    • French is located in Otter Tail County
  • Elizabeth
    (7 miles [11.3 km] to the north)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Elizabeth have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Elizabeth
    • Elizabeth is located in Otter Tail County
    • Population from the 2020 Census: 170 people
    • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Elizabeth <2>
  • Carlisle
    (7 miles [11.3 km] to the northwest)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Carlisle have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Carlisle
    • Carlisle is located in Otter Tail County
  • Underwood
    (9 miles [14.5 km] to the east)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Underwood have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Underwood
    • Underwood is located in Otter Tail County
    • Population from the 2020 Census: 364 people
    • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Underwood <2>
  • Western
    (10 miles [16.1 km] to the southwest)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Western have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Western
    • Western is located in Otter Tail County
  • Dalton
    (10 miles [16.1 km] to the southeast)
  • Edwards
    (12 miles [19.3 km] to the north)
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Edwards
    • Edwards is located in Otter Tail County
  • Phelps
    (13 miles [20.9 km] to the northeast)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Phelps have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Phelps
    • Phelps is located in Otter Tail County
  • Erhard
    (13 miles [20.9 km] to the north)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Erhard have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Erhard
    • Erhard is located in Otter Tail County
    • Population from the 2020 Census: 145 people
    • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Erhard <2>
  • Maine
    (15 miles [24.1 km] to the northeast)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Maine have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Maine
    • Maine is located in Otter Tail County
  • Continue List   (15 more) ...
    • Everdell
      (15 miles [24.1 km] to the west)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Everdell have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Everdell
      • Everdell is located in Wilkin County
    • Rothsay
      (16 miles [25.7 km] to the northwest)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Rothsay have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Rothsay
      • Rothsay is located in Otter Tail County
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 476 people
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Rothsay <2>
    • Wendell
      (17 miles [27.4 km] to the south)

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

The official website for Fergus Falls: www.ci.fergus-falls.mn.us/

The official website for Otter Tail County: www.co.otter-tail.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' (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- Fergus Falls) to Point B.Our distance measurements begin at a specific point in Fergus Falls. The point we use is located at these GPS coordinates - Latitude: 46.2835, Longitude: -96.0778    
<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 Fergus Falls, please let us know so that we can improve our accuracy.




 

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This page was last modified/updated: 07 Apr 2024