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 Forest 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 Forest 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 Forest 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.
For example, a typical abbreviation for Forest Lake: Forest Lk.
You might be interested in other communities that are also named Forest Lake. More information can be found on our Tidbits & Trivia Page for Forest Lake.
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 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.
Forest Lake is located in Washington 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 Washington County: Anoka, Chisago, Dakota, Ramsey, Pierce (WI), Polk (WI) & Saint Croix (WI).
Below are the counties that are near Forest Lake. For each of these counties, we show a sample of those communities that are closest to Forest Lake:
- Washington County (The home county of Forest Lake)
- The following are listed by their distance from Forest Lake, with the one closest to Forest Lake listed first.
- Hugo
(6 miles [9.7 km] to the south)
- Hugo is located in Washington County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Hugo
- Population from the 2020 Census: 15,452 people
- Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Hugo <1>
- Scandia
(7 miles [11.3 km] to the east)
- Otisville
(9 miles [14.5 km] to the east)
- Otisville is located in Washington County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Otisville
- Withrow
(9 miles [14.5 km] to the south)
- Withrow is located in Washington County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Withrow
- Marine-on-Saint-Croix
(9 miles [14.5 km] to the southeast)
- Dellwood
(10 miles [16.1 km] to the south)
- Dellwood is located in Washington County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Dellwood
- Population from the 2020 Census: 1,120 people
- Duluth Junction
(12 miles [19.3 km] to the south)
- Duluth Junction is located in Washington County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Duluth Junction
- Grant
(12 miles [19.3 km] to the south)
- Grant is located in Washington County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Grant
- Population from the 2020 Census: 4,107 people
- Mahtomedi
(12 miles [19.3 km] to the south)
- Birchwood Village
(13 miles [20.9 km] to the south)
- Birchwood Village is located in Washington County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Birchwood Village
- Population from the 2020 Census: 880 people
- Willernie
(13 miles [20.9 km] to the south)
- Pine Springs
(14 miles [22.5 km] to the south)
- Pine Springs is located in Washington County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Pine Springs
- Population from the 2020 Census: 390 people
- Stillwater
(15 miles [24.1 km] to the southeast)
- Anoka County
- The following are listed by their distance from Forest Lake, with the one closest to Forest Lake listed first.
- City of Columbus
(6 miles [9.7 km] to the west)
- City of Columbus is located in Anoka County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for City of Columbus
- Estimated population in 2015: 4,007 people
- Centerville
(7 miles [11.3 km] to the southwest)
- Lino Lakes
(8 miles [12.9 km] to the southwest)
- Linwood
(10 miles [16.1 km] to the northwest)
- Linwood is located in Anoka County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Linwood
- Ham Lake
(11 miles [17.7 km] to the west)
- Circle Pines
(12 miles [19.3 km] to the southwest)
- East Bethel
(13 miles [20.9 km] to the northwest)
- Blaine
(13 miles [20.9 km] to the southwest)
- Lexington
(13 miles [20.9 km] to the southwest)
- Coopers Corner
(16 miles [25.7 km] to the northwest)
- Coopers Corner is located in Anoka County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Coopers Corner
- Cedar
(16 miles [25.7 km] to the west)
- Andover
(17 miles [27.4 km] to the west)
- Coon Rapids
(17 miles [27.4 km] to the west)
- Chisago County
- The following are listed by their distance from Forest Lake, with the one closest to Forest Lake listed first.
- Wyoming
(6 miles [9.7 km] to the north)
- Chisago City
(8 miles [12.9 km] to the north)
- Stacy
(9 miles [14.5 km] to the north)
- Lindstrom
(10 miles [16.1 km] to the northeast)
- Center City
(11 miles [17.7 km] to the northeast)
- Shafer
(13 miles [20.9 km] to the northeast)
- Branch
(15 miles [24.1 km] to the north)
- Branch is located in Chisago County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Branch
- Franconia
(15 miles [24.1 km] to the northeast)
- Franconia is located in Chisago County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Franconia
- North Branch
(17 miles [27.4 km] to the north)
- Almelund
(18 miles [29 km] to the northeast)
- Taylors Falls
(18 miles [29 km] to the northeast)
- Harris
(23 miles [37 km] to the north)
- Rush City
(29 miles [46.7 km] to the north)
- Dakota County
- The following are listed by their distance from Forest Lake, with the one closest to Forest Lake listed first.
- West Saint Paul
(24 miles [38.6 km] to the south)
- Lilydale
(25 miles [40.2 km] to the south)
- Lilydale is located in Dakota County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Lilydale
- Population from the 2020 Census: 838 people
- South Saint Paul
(26 miles [41.8 km] to the south)
- Mendota Heights
(27 miles [43.5 km] to the south)
- Mendota
(27 miles [43.5 km] to the south)
- Sunfish Lake
(27 miles [43.5 km] to the south)
- Eagan
(30 miles [48.3 km] to the south)
- Inver Grove Heights
(30 miles [48.3 km] to the south)
- Hennepin County
- The following are listed by their distance from Forest Lake, with the one closest to Forest Lake listed first.
- Saint Anthony
(20 miles [32.2 km] to the southwest)
- Brooklyn Center
(21 miles [33.8 km] to the southwest)
- Brooklyn Park
(21 miles [33.8 km] to the southwest)
- Champlin
(21 miles [33.8 km] to the west)
- Osseo
(23 miles [37 km] to the southwest)
- Crystal
(24 miles [38.6 km] to the southwest)
- Minneapolis
(24 miles [38.6 km] to the southwest)
- Robbinsdale
(24 miles [38.6 km] to the southwest)
- New Hope
(25 miles [40.2 km] to the southwest)
- Dayton
(25 miles [40.2 km] to the west)
- Golden Valley
(26 miles [41.8 km] to the southwest)
- Maple Grove
(26 miles [41.8 km] to the southwest)
- Medicine Lake
(28 miles [45.1 km] to the southwest)
- Isanti County
- The following are listed by their distance from Forest Lake, with the one closest to Forest Lake listed first.
- Weber
(17 miles [27.4 km] to the northwest)
- Weber is located in Isanti County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Weber
- Isanti
(21 miles [33.8 km] to the northwest)
- Minnesota Boys Town
(23 miles [37 km] to the northwest)
- Minnesota Boys Town is located in Isanti County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Minnesota Boys Town
- Cambridge
(25 miles [40.2 km] to the northwest)
- Bradford
(27 miles [43.5 km] to the northwest)
- Bradford is located in Isanti County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Bradford
- Crown
(27 miles [43.5 km] to the northwest)
- Crown is located in Isanti County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Crown
- Grandy
(28 miles [45.1 km] to the northwest)
- Stanchfield
(30 miles [48.3 km] to the north)
- Ramsey County
- The following are listed by their distance from Forest Lake, with the one closest to Forest Lake listed first.
- White Bear Beach
(10 miles [16.1 km] to the south)
- White Bear Beach is located in Ramsey County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for White Bear Beach
- White Bear Lake
(11 miles [17.7 km] to the south)
- North Oaks
(12 miles [19.3 km] to the southwest)
- Gem Lake
(14 miles [22.5 km] to the south)
- Gem Lake is located in Ramsey County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Gem Lake
- Population from the 2020 Census: 536 people
- Vadnais Heights
(14 miles [22.5 km] to the south)
- Shoreview
(14 miles [22.5 km] to the southwest)
- Maplewood
(15 miles [24.1 km] to the south)
- Cardigan Junction
(15 miles [24.1 km] to the southwest)
- Cardigan Junction is located in Ramsey County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Cardigan Junction
- Mounds View
(15 miles [24.1 km] to the southwest)
- North Saint Paul
(16 miles [25.7 km] to the south)
- Arden Hills
(16 miles [25.7 km] to the southwest)
- Little Canada
(17 miles [27.4 km] to the south)
- New Brighton
(17 miles [27.4 km] to the southwest)
- Sherburne County
- Elk River
(30 miles [48.3 km] to the west)
- Polk County (WI)
- The following are listed by their distance from Forest Lake, with the one closest to Forest Lake listed first.
- Osceola
(13 miles [20.9 km] to the east)
- Osceola is located in Polk County (WI)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Osceola
- Population from the 2020 Census: 2,580 people
- Dresser
(17 miles [27.4 km] to the northeast)
- Dresser is located in Polk County (WI)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Dresser
- Population from the 2020 Census: 864 people
- Horse Creek
(18 miles [29 km] to the east)
- Horse Creek is located in Polk County (WI)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Horse Creek
- Saint Croix Falls
(18 miles [29 km] to the northeast)
- Saint Croix Falls is located in Polk County (WI)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Saint Croix Falls
- Population from the 2020 Census: 2,059 people
- Centuria
(23 miles [37 km] to the northeast)
- Centuria is located in Polk County (WI)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Centuria
- Population from the 2020 Census: 905 people
- Deronda
(25 miles [40.2 km] to the east)
- Deronda is located in Polk County (WI)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Deronda
- Volga ‑ Historic
(28 miles [45.1 km] to the east)
- Volga is located in Polk County (WI)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Volga
- Balsam Lake
(28 miles [45.1 km] to the northeast)
- Balsam Lake is located in Polk County (WI)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Balsam Lake
- Population from the 2020 Census: 978 people
- Amery
(29 miles [46.7 km] to the east)
- Amery is located in Polk County (WI)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Amery
- Population from the 2020 Census: 2,799 people
- Milltown
(29 miles [46.7 km] to the northeast)
- Milltown is located in Polk County (WI)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Milltown
- Population from the 2020 Census: 875 people
- Saint Croix County (WI)
- The following are listed by their distance from Forest Lake, with the one closest to Forest Lake listed first.
- Somerset
(16 miles [25.7 km] to the southeast)
- Somerset is located in Saint Croix County (WI)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Somerset
- Population from the 2020 Census: 2,992 people
- North Hudson
(20 miles [32.2 km] to the southeast)
- North Hudson is located in Saint Croix County (WI)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for North Hudson
- Population from the 2020 Census: 3,833 people
- Star Prairie
(21 miles [33.8 km] to the east)
- Star Prairie is located in Saint Croix County (WI)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Star Prairie
- Population from the 2020 Census: 549 people
- Burkhardt
(21 miles [33.8 km] to the southeast)
- Burkhardt is located in Saint Croix County (WI)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Burkhardt
- Hudson
(22 miles [35.4 km] to the southeast)
- Hudson is located in Saint Croix County (WI)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Hudson
- Population from the 2020 Census: 14,168 people
- New Richmond
(22 miles [35.4 km] to the southeast)
- New Richmond is located in Saint Croix County (WI)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for New Richmond
- Population from the 2020 Census: 9,730 people
- Roberts
(27 miles [43.5 km] to the southeast)
- Roberts is located in Saint Croix County (WI)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Roberts
- Population from the 2020 Census: 2,018 people
- Deer Park
(28 miles [45.1 km] to the east)
- Deer Park is located in Saint Croix County (WI)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Deer Park
- Population from the 2020 Census: 212 people
- Erin Corner
(28 miles [45.1 km] to the southeast)
- Erin Corner is located in Saint Croix County (WI)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Erin Corner
For an expanded list of the communities that are closest to Forest Lake, see our County-by-County Page for Forest Lake.
Cemeteries Near Forest Lake ...
Below are cemeteries that are in the vicinity of Forest 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.
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 Forest Lake - one of the links might be able to help.
If not found below, our Cemetery List for Forest Lake covers a larger area, with the cemeteries listed in alphabetical order.
The following cemeteries are listed based on their distance from Forest Lake, with the one closest to Forest Lake listed first.
- Scandinavian Cemetery
(Less than 2 miles to the northwest)
- Cedar Hill Cemetery
(2 miles [3.2 km] to the north)
- Calvary Cemetery
(3 miles [4.8 km] to the northwest)
- Oak Park Cemetery
(4 miles [6.4 km] to the northwest)
- St. Pauls Cemetery
(5 miles [8 km] to the north)
- South Green Lake Cemetery
(5 miles [8 km] to the northeast)
- St. Johns Cemetery
(6 miles [9.7 km] to the south)
- St. Joseph's Catholic Cemetery
(6 miles [9.7 km] to the north)
- Wyoming Methodist Cemetery
(6 miles [9.7 km] to the north)
- St. Genevieve Cemetery
(7 miles [11.3 km] to the southwest)
- Elim Cemetery
(7 miles [11.3 km] to the east)
- South Elim Lutheran Cemetery
(7 miles [11.3 km] to the east)
- Continue List (236 more) ...
- Elim Cemetery
(7 miles [11.3 km] to the east)
- Johnson Memorial Park
(7 miles [11.3 km] to the east)
- North Elim Lutheran Cemetery
(7 miles [11.3 km] to the east)
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.<4>
The Rand McNally Atlas shows that in 1895, Forest Lake had a post office and railroad service. In 2020, Forest Lake had a population of 21,285 people.
These communities are listed based on their distance from Forest Lake, with the one closest to Forest Lake listed first.
- Hugo
(6 miles [9.7 km] to the south)
- Hugo is located in Washington County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Hugo
- Population from the 2020 Census: 15,452 people
- Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Hugo <1>
- Wyoming
(6 miles [9.7 km] to the north)
- Centerville
(7 miles [11.3 km] to the southwest)
- Maple Island
(7 miles [11.3 km] to the southeast)
- Maple Island is located in Washington County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Maple Island
- Scandia
(7 miles [11.3 km] to the east)
- Chisago City
(8 miles [12.9 km] to the north)
- Withrow
(9 miles [14.5 km] to the south)
- Withrow is located in Washington County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Withrow
- Otisville
(9 miles [14.5 km] to the east)
- Otisville is located in Washington County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Otisville
- Stacy
(9 miles [14.5 km] to the north)
- White Bear Beach
(10 miles [16.1 km] to the south)
- White Bear Beach is located in Ramsey County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for White Bear Beach
- Dellwood
(10 miles [16.1 km] to the south)
- Dellwood is located in Washington County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Dellwood
- Population from the 2020 Census: 1,120 people
- Lindstrom
(10 miles [16.1 km] to the northeast)
- Continue List (14 more) ...
- Linwood
(10 miles [16.1 km] to the northwest)
- Linwood is located in Anoka County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Linwood
- White Bear Lake
(11 miles [17.7 km] to the south)
- Center City
(11 miles [17.7 km] to the northeast)
We've also created an expanded list of communities that existed in the 1890's and were located in the area around Forest Lake. See our List of 1890's Communities around Forest Lake.
Newspapers Published in the Vicinity of Forest 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 347 newspapers that have been published in the area around Forest Lake.
We have organized these newspapers into two lists:
- A Local Newspaper List - focusing on the papers published in the immediate area of Forest Lake. There are actually two parts to this list - papers printed in the immediate area of Forest Lake and those printed in the larger area surrounding Forest Lake.
- An Extended Newspaper List - a longer list, sorted by paper name and containing those papers published within 24 miles [38.6 km]<2> of Forest Lake.
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 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 Forest Lake:
- Websites specific to Minnesota
- Pages specific to Washington County
- Genealogy information for nearby counties
- Anoka County
- Chisago County
- Dakota County
- Hennepin County
- Isanti County
- Ramsey County
- Sherburne County
- Polk County
- Saint Croix 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> | Our distances are not driving distances, but are calculated as a '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- Forest Lake) to Point B. In other words: 'As the crow flies'. |
| <3> | 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. |
| <4> | 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 Forest Lake, please let us know so that we can improve our accuracy. |