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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 Fossum (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 Fossum. 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 northwest corner of their home county. During their lives, most doctors were in the next county to the west. 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 west 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.

Fossum is located in Norman 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 Norman County: Becker, Clay, Mahnomen, Polk, Cass (ND) & Traill (ND).

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

  • Norman County     (The home county of Fossum)
    • The following are listed by their distance from Fossum, with the one closest to Fossum listed first.
    • Faith
      (4 miles [6.4 km] to the northeast)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Faith
      • Faith is located in Norman County
    • Twin Valley
      (4 miles [6.4 km] to the west)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Twin Valley have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Twin Valley
      • Twin Valley is located in Norman County
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 750 people
    • Flom
      (5 miles [8 km] to the southeast)
    • Gary
      (10 miles [16.1 km] to the northwest)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Gary have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Gary
      • Gary is located in Norman County
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 201 people
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Gary <2>
    • Flaming
      (15 miles [24.1 km] to the north)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Flaming have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Flaming
      • Flaming is located in Norman County
    • Borup
      (15 miles [24.1 km] to the west)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Borup have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Borup
      • Borup is located in Norman County
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 103 people
    • Ada
      (16 miles [25.7 km] to the west)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Ada have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Ada
      • Ada is located in Norman County
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 1,556 people
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Ada <2>
    • Rindal
      (18 miles [29 km] to the north)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Rindal have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Rindal
      • Rindal is located in Norman County
    • Hendrum
      (29 miles [46.7 km] to the west)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Hendrum
      • Hendrum is located in Norman County
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 282 people
    • Perley
      (29 miles [46.7 km] to the west)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Perley
      • Perley is located in Norman County
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 83 people
  • Becker County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Fossum, with the one closest to Fossum listed first.
    • Ogema
      (15 miles [24.1 km] to the southeast)
      • 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
    • White Earth
      (18 miles [29 km] to the southeast)
    • Callaway
      (21 miles [33.8 km] to the southeast)
      • 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>
    • Lake Park
      (24 miles [38.6 km] to the south)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Lake Park have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Lake Park
      • Lake Park is located in Becker County
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 787 people
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Lake Park <2>
    • Richwood
      (24 miles [38.6 km] to the southeast)
      • 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
    • Audubon
      (27 miles [43.5 km] to the south)
    • Elbow Lake
      (30 miles [48.3 km] to the east)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Elbow Lake have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Elbow Lake
      • Elbow Lake is located in Becker County
  • Clay County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Fossum, with the one closest to Fossum listed first.
    • Ulen
      (11 miles [17.7 km] to the south)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Ulen have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Ulen
      • Ulen is located in Clay County
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 544 people
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Ulen <2>
    • Hitterdal
      (18 miles [29 km] to the south)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Hitterdal have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Hitterdal
      • Hitterdal is located in Clay County
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 213 people
    • Felton
      (19 miles [30.6 km] to the southwest)
    • Hawley
      (25 miles [40.2 km] to the south)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Hawley have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Hawley
      • Hawley is located in Clay County
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 2,210 people
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Hawley <2>
    • Muskoda
      (28 miles [45.1 km] to the south)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Muskoda have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Muskoda
      • Muskoda is located in Clay County
  • Mahnomen County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Fossum, with the one closest to Fossum listed first.
    • Waubun
      (11 miles [17.7 km] to the east)
      • 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
      (11 miles [17.7 km] to the northeast)
      • 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
      (17 miles [27.4 km] to the northeast)
      • 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>
    • Naytahwaush
      (25 miles [40.2 km] to the east)
      • 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
      (29 miles [46.7 km] to the east)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Roy Lake
      • Roy Lake is located in Mahnomen County
  • Polk County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Fossum, with the one closest to Fossum listed first.
    • Fertile
      (21 miles [33.8 km] to the north)
    • Winger
      (22 miles [35.4 km] to the northeast)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Winger have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Winger
      • Winger is located in Polk County
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 208 people
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Winger <2>
    • Beltrami
      (26 miles [41.8 km] to the northwest)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Beltrami have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Beltrami
      • Beltrami is located in Polk County
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 99 people
    • Melvin
      (28 miles [45.1 km] to the north)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Melvin
      • Melvin is located in Polk County
    • Erskine
      (30 miles [48.3 km] to the north)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Erskine have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Erskine
      • Erskine is located in Polk County
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 467 people
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Erskine <2>
    • Fosston
      (30 miles [48.3 km] to the northeast)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Fosston have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Fosston
      • Fosston is located in Polk County
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 1,442 people
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Fosston <2>
    • McIntosh
      (30 miles [48.3 km] to the northeast)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for McIntosh have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for McIntosh
      • McIntosh is located in Polk County
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 596 people
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for McIntosh <2>

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

Newspapers Published in Fossum ...

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 30 newspapers that have been published in the area around Fossum.

Although we're unaware of any newspapers that were published in the immediate area of Fossum, there are papers which were published within 30 miles [48.3 km]<3>. A list of those papers, sorted by paper name, can be found on the Extended Newspaper List for Fossum.

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 Fossum:

Cemeteries Near Fossum ...

Below are cemeteries that are in the vicinity of Fossum.

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

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

  • East Wild Rice Lutheran Cemetery
    (Less than 2 miles to the south)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the East Wild Rice Lutheran Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the East Wild Rice Lutheran Cemetery
  • Bethlehem Cemetery
    (2 miles [3.2 km] to the southeast)
    • 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
  • Immanuel Lutheran Cemetery
    (3 miles [4.8 km] to the south)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Immanuel Lutheran Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Immanuel Lutheran Cemetery
  • St. Olaf Lutheran Cemetery
    (4 miles [6.4 km] to the northeast)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the St. Olaf Lutheran Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the St. Olaf Lutheran Cemetery
  • Zion Memorial Gardens
    (4 miles [6.4 km] to the west)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Zion Memorial Gardens have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Zion Memorial Gardens
  • St. Williams Cemetery
    (4 miles [6.4 km] to the west)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the St. Williams Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the St. Williams Cemetery
  • Twin Valley City Cemetery
    (4 miles [6.4 km] to the west)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Twin Valley City Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Twin Valley City Cemetery
  • Zion Cemetery
    (4 miles [6.4 km] to the west)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Zion Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Zion Cemetery
  • Hlubek Cemetery
    (5 miles [8 km] to the north)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Hlubek Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Hlubek Cemetery
  • Syre Cemetery
    (5 miles [8 km] to the southwest)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Syre Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Syre Cemetery
  • Aspelund Norwegian Lutheran Cemetery
    (5 miles [8 km] to the south)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Aspelund Norwegian Lutheran Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Aspelund Norwegian Lutheran Cemetery
  • Trinity Cemetery
    (5 miles [8 km] to the northwest)
    • 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
  • Continue List   (143 more) ...
    • Immanuel Cemetery
      (6 miles [9.7 km] to the north)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Immanuel Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Immanuel Cemetery
    • Walworth Baptist Cemetery
      (6 miles [9.7 km] to the south)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Walworth Baptist Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Walworth Baptist Cemetery
    • West Wild Rice Cemetery
      (6 miles [9.7 km] to the west)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the West Wild Rice Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the West Wild Rice 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.<4>

The Rand McNally Atlas shows that in 1895, Fossum had a post office and no railroad service.

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

  • Faith
    (4 miles [6.4 km] to the northeast)
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Faith
    • Faith is located in Norman County
  • Twin Valley
    (4 miles [6.4 km] to the west)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Twin Valley have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Twin Valley
    • Twin Valley is located in Norman County
    • Population from the 2020 Census: 750 people
  • Syre
    (5 miles [8 km] to the southwest)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Syre have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Syre
    • Syre is located in Norman County
  • Heiberg
    (5 miles [8 km] to the northwest)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Heiberg have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Heiberg
    • Heiberg is located in Norman County
  • Gary
    (10 miles [16.1 km] to the northwest)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Gary have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Gary
    • Gary is located in Norman County
    • Population from the 2020 Census: 201 people
    • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Gary <2>
  • Ulen
    (11 miles [17.7 km] to the south)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Ulen have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Ulen
    • Ulen is located in Clay County
    • Population from the 2020 Census: 544 people
    • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Ulen <2>
  • Ada
    (16 miles [25.7 km] to the west)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Ada have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Ada
    • Ada is located in Norman County
    • Population from the 2020 Census: 1,556 people
    • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Ada <2>
  • Hitterdal
    (18 miles [29 km] to the south)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Hitterdal have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Hitterdal
    • Hitterdal is located in Clay County
    • Population from the 2020 Census: 213 people
  • White Earth
    (18 miles [29 km] to the southeast)
  • Rindal
    (18 miles [29 km] to the north)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Rindal have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Rindal
    • Rindal is located in Norman County
  • Felton
    (19 miles [30.6 km] to the southwest)
  • Fertile
    (21 miles [33.8 km] to the north)
  • Continue List   (15 more) ...
    • Winger
      (22 miles [35.4 km] to the northeast)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Winger have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Winger
      • Winger is located in Polk County
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 208 people
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Winger <2>
    • Lockhart
      (22 miles [35.4 km] to the northwest)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Lockhart have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Lockhart
      • Lockhart is located in Norman County
    • Winnipeg Junction
      (23 miles [37 km] to the south)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Winnipeg Junction have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Winnipeg Junction
      • Winnipeg Junction is located in Clay County

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

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

The official website for Norman County: www.co.norman.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 obstructions like rivers, canyons, lakes, et cetera - it's truly a line from Point A (ie- Fossum) to Point B.Our distance measurements begin at a specific point in Fossum. The point we use is located at these GPS coordinates - Latitude: 47.2386, Longitude: -96.1762       In this case, the coordinates for Fossum have been provided by the Geographic Names Information System (GNIS).
<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 Fossum, please let us know so that we can improve our accuracy.




 

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This page was last modified/updated: 07 Apr 2024