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 Gem 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 Gem 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 Gem 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.
Although we can't give a definitive list, hopefully the following will give you a feel for the variations that might occur.
For example, a typical abbreviation for Gem Lake: Gem Lk.
You might be interested in other communities that are also named Gem Lake. More information can be found on our Tidbits & Trivia Page for Gem 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 southeast corner of their home county. During their lives, most doctors were in the next county to the east. 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 east 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.
Gem Lake is located in Ramsey 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 Ramsey County: Anoka, Dakota, Hennepin & Washington.
Below are the counties that are near Gem Lake. For each of these counties, we show a sample of those communities that are closest to Gem Lake:
- Ramsey County (The home county of Gem Lake)
- The following are listed by their distance from Gem Lake, with the one closest to Gem Lake listed first.
- Vadnais Heights
(Less than 2 miles to the west)
- White Bear Lake
(2 miles [3.2 km] to the northeast)
- Maplewood
(2 miles [3.2 km] to the southeast)
- White Bear Beach
(3 miles [4.8 km] to the northeast)
- White Bear Beach is located in Ramsey County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for White Bear Beach
- North Oaks
(3 miles [4.8 km] to the northwest)
- North Saint Paul
(3 miles [4.8 km] to the southeast)
- Little Canada
(3 miles [4.8 km] to the southwest)
- Cardigan Junction
(3 miles [4.8 km] to the west)
- Cardigan Junction is located in Ramsey County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Cardigan Junction
- Shoreview
(4 miles [6.4 km] to the west)
- Roseville
(6 miles [9.7 km] to the southwest)
- Arden Hills
(6 miles [9.7 km] to the west)
- Saint Paul
(7 miles [11.3 km] to the south)
- New Brighton
(7 miles [11.3 km] to the west)
- Anoka County
- The following are listed by their distance from Gem Lake, with the one closest to Gem Lake listed first.
- Centerville
(7 miles [11.3 km] to the north)
- Lino Lakes
(7 miles [11.3 km] to the north)
- Circle Pines
(7 miles [11.3 km] to the northwest)
- Lexington
(8 miles [12.9 km] to the northwest)
- Columbia Heights
(10 miles [16.1 km] to the west)
- Hilltop
(10 miles [16.1 km] to the west)
- Hilltop is located in Anoka County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Hilltop
- Population from the 2020 Census: 764 people
- Spring Lake Park
(10 miles [16.1 km] to the west)
- Blaine
(11 miles [17.7 km] to the northwest)
- Fridley
(11 miles [17.7 km] to the west)
- City of Columbus
(14 miles [22.5 km] to the north)
- City of Columbus is located in Anoka County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for City of Columbus
- Estimated population in 2015: 4,007 people
- Coon Creek
(14 miles [22.5 km] to the northwest)
- Coon Creek is located in Anoka County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Coon Creek
- Coon Rapids
(15 miles [24.1 km] to the northwest)
- Ham Lake
(15 miles [24.1 km] to the northwest)
- Carver County
- Chanhassen
(27 miles [43.5 km] to the southwest)
- Chisago County
- The following are listed by their distance from Gem Lake, with the one closest to Gem Lake listed first.
- Wyoming
(19 miles [30.6 km] to the north)
- Chisago City
(22 miles [35.4 km] to the north)
- Stacy
(23 miles [37 km] to the north)
- Lindstrom
(24 miles [38.6 km] to the north)
- Center City
(25 miles [40.2 km] to the northeast)
- Shafer
(26 miles [41.8 km] to the northeast)
- Franconia
(27 miles [43.5 km] to the northeast)
- Franconia is located in Chisago County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Franconia
- Branch
(29 miles [46.7 km] to the north)
- Branch is located in Chisago County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Branch
- Taylors Falls
(30 miles [48.3 km] to the northeast)
- Dakota County
- The following are listed by their distance from Gem Lake, with the one closest to Gem Lake listed first.
- West Saint Paul
(10 miles [16.1 km] to the south)
- Lilydale
(11 miles [17.7 km] to the southwest)
- Lilydale is located in Dakota County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Lilydale
- Population from the 2020 Census: 838 people
- South Saint Paul
(12 miles [19.3 km] to the south)
- Mendota Heights
(13 miles [20.9 km] to the south)
- Sunfish Lake
(13 miles [20.9 km] to the south)
- Mendota
(13 miles [20.9 km] to the southwest)
- Eagan
(16 miles [25.7 km] to the south)
- Inver Grove Heights
(16 miles [25.7 km] to the south)
- Nicols
(18 miles [29 km] to the southwest)
- Nicols is located in Dakota County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Nicols
- Nininger
(20 miles [32.2 km] to the south)
- Nininger is located in Dakota County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Nininger
- Rosemount
(21 miles [33.8 km] to the south)
- Apple Valley
(22 miles [35.4 km] to the south)
- Burnsville
(23 miles [37 km] to the southwest)
- Hennepin County
- The following are listed by their distance from Gem Lake, with the one closest to Gem Lake listed first.
- Saint Anthony
(8 miles [12.9 km] to the west)
- Minneapolis
(12 miles [19.3 km] to the southwest)
- Brooklyn Center
(14 miles [22.5 km] to the west)
- Robbinsdale
(14 miles [22.5 km] to the west)
- Brooklyn Park
(15 miles [24.1 km] to the west)
- Crystal
(15 miles [24.1 km] to the west)
- Richfield
(16 miles [25.7 km] to the southwest)
- Golden Valley
(16 miles [25.7 km] to the west)
- New Hope
(16 miles [25.7 km] to the west)
- Saint Louis Park
(17 miles [27.4 km] to the southwest)
- Osseo
(17 miles [27.4 km] to the west)
- Medicine Lake
(18 miles [29 km] to the west)
- Bloomington
(19 miles [30.6 km] to the southwest)
- Isanti County
- Weber
(29 miles [46.7 km] to the north)
- Weber is located in Isanti County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Weber
- Scott County
- The following are listed by their distance from Gem Lake, with the one closest to Gem Lake listed first.
- Savage
(26 miles [41.8 km] to the southwest)
- Shakopee
(28 miles [45.1 km] to the southwest)
- Prior Lake
(30 miles [48.3 km] to the southwest)
- Washington County
- The following are listed by their distance from Gem Lake, with the one closest to Gem Lake listed first.
- Birchwood Village
(3 miles [4.8 km] to the east)
- Birchwood Village is located in Washington County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Birchwood Village
- Population from the 2020 Census: 880 people
- Mahtomedi
(4 miles [6.4 km] to the east)
- Pine Springs
(4 miles [6.4 km] to the east)
- Pine Springs is located in Washington County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Pine Springs
- Population from the 2020 Census: 390 people
- Willernie
(4 miles [6.4 km] to the east)
- Dellwood
(4 miles [6.4 km] to the northeast)
- Dellwood is located in Washington County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Dellwood
- Population from the 2020 Census: 1,120 people
- Duluth Junction
(6 miles [9.7 km] to the east)
- Duluth Junction is located in Washington County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Duluth Junction
- Grant
(6 miles [9.7 km] to the east)
- Grant is located in Washington County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Grant
- Population from the 2020 Census: 4,107 people
- Oakdale
(6 miles [9.7 km] to the southeast)
- Hugo
(7 miles [11.3 km] to the north)
- 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>
- Withrow
(8 miles [12.9 km] to the northeast)
- Withrow is located in Washington County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Withrow
- Lake Elmo
(8 miles [12.9 km] to the southeast)
- Landfall
(8 miles [12.9 km] to the southeast)
- Landfall is located in Washington County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Landfall
- Population from the 2020 Census: 733 people
- Stillwater
(10 miles [16.1 km] to the east)
- Pierce County (WI)
- The following are listed by their distance from Gem Lake, with the one closest to Gem Lake listed first.
- Prescott
(24 miles [38.6 km] to the southeast)
- Prescott is located in Pierce County (WI)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Prescott
- Population from the 2020 Census: 4,279 people
- River Falls
(24 miles [38.6 km] to the southeast)
- River Falls is located in Pierce County (WI)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for River Falls
- Population from the 2020 Census: 16,306 people
- Polk County (WI)
- The following are listed by their distance from Gem Lake, with the one closest to Gem Lake listed first.
- Osceola
(24 miles [38.6 km] to the northeast)
- Osceola is located in Polk County (WI)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Osceola
- Population from the 2020 Census: 2,580 people
- Horse Creek
(26 miles [41.8 km] to the northeast)
- Horse Creek is located in Polk County (WI)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Horse Creek
- Dresser
(28 miles [45.1 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
- Saint Croix County (WI)
- The following are listed by their distance from Gem Lake, with the one closest to Gem Lake listed first.
- North Hudson
(14 miles [22.5 km] to the east)
- 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
- Hudson
(15 miles [24.1 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
- Burkhardt
(18 miles [29 km] to the east)
- Burkhardt is located in Saint Croix County (WI)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Burkhardt
- Somerset
(18 miles [29 km] to the east)
- Somerset is located in Saint Croix County (WI)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Somerset
- Population from the 2020 Census: 2,992 people
- New Richmond
(24 miles [38.6 km] to the east)
- 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
(24 miles [38.6 km] to the east)
- Roberts is located in Saint Croix County (WI)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Roberts
- Population from the 2020 Census: 2,018 people
- Star Prairie
(26 miles [41.8 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
- Erin Corner
(29 miles [46.7 km] to the east)
- Erin Corner is located in Saint Croix County (WI)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Erin Corner
- Hammond
(30 miles [48.3 km] to the east)
- Hammond is located in Saint Croix County (WI)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Hammond
- Population from the 2020 Census: 1,890 people
For an expanded list of the communities that are closest to Gem Lake, see our County-by-County Page for Gem Lake.
Cemeteries Near Gem Lake ...
Below are cemeteries that are in the vicinity of Gem 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 Gem Lake - one of the links might be able to help.
If not found below, our Cemetery List for Gem Lake covers a larger area, with the cemeteries listed in alphabetical order.
The following cemeteries are listed based on their distance from Gem Lake, with the one closest to Gem Lake listed first.
- Union Cemetery
(Less than 2 miles to the northeast)
- Evergreen Cemetery
(2 miles [3.2 km] to the east)
- Lakeview Cemetery
(2 miles [3.2 km] to the east)
- St. Mary of the Lake Cemetery
(2 miles [3.2 km] to the north)
- St. Marys of the Lake Cemetery
(2 miles [3.2 km] to the north)
- St. Johns Cemetery
(3 miles [4.8 km] to the southwest)
- St. Marys Cemetery
(3 miles [4.8 km] to the southeast)
- Forest Lawn Cemetery
(4 miles [6.4 km] to the south)
- Mt. Zion Cemetery
(4 miles [6.4 km] to the south)
- Sons of Jacob Cemetery
(4 miles [6.4 km] to the south)
- Sons of Moses Cemetery
(4 miles [6.4 km] to the south)
- Chesed Shel Emes Cemetery
(4 miles [6.4 km] to the south)
- Continue List (264 more) ...
- Mary T Hill Cemetery
(4 miles [6.4 km] to the northwest)
- St. Paul's Priory Cemetery
(5 miles [8 km] to the southeast)
- Bethany Cemetery
(5 miles [8 km] to the northwest)
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 Gem Lake in the Atlas, the following 1895 communities would have been found near the current location of Gem Lake.
These communities are listed based on their distance from Gem Lake, with the one closest to Gem Lake listed first.
- White Bear Lake
(2 miles [3.2 km] to the northeast)
- Little Canada
(3 miles [4.8 km] to the southwest)
- North Saint Paul
(3 miles [4.8 km] to the southeast)
- White Bear Beach
(3 miles [4.8 km] to the northeast)
- White Bear Beach is located in Ramsey County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for White Bear Beach
- Cardigan Junction
(3 miles [4.8 km] to the west)
- Cardigan Junction is located in Ramsey County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Cardigan Junction
- Gladstone
(4 miles [6.4 km] to the south)
- Gladstone is located in Ramsey County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Gladstone
- Mahtomedi
(4 miles [6.4 km] to the east)
- Dellwood
(4 miles [6.4 km] to the northeast)
- Dellwood is located in Washington County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Dellwood
- Population from the 2020 Census: 1,120 people
- Hazel Park
(5 miles [8 km] to the southeast)
- Hazel Park is located in Ramsey County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Hazel Park
- Oakdale
(6 miles [9.7 km] to the southeast)
- Duluth Junction
(6 miles [9.7 km] to the east)
- Duluth Junction is located in Washington County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Duluth Junction
- Saint Paul
(7 miles [11.3 km] to the south)
- Continue List (15 more) ...
- Hugo
(7 miles [11.3 km] to the north)
- 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>
- Centerville
(7 miles [11.3 km] to the north)
- New Brighton
(7 miles [11.3 km] to the west)
We've also created an expanded list of communities that existed in the 1890's and were located in the area around Gem Lake. See our List of 1890's Communities around Gem Lake.
Newspapers Published in Gem 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 442 newspapers that have been published in the area around Gem Lake.
Although we're unaware of any newspapers that were published in the immediate area of Gem Lake, there are papers which were published within 22 miles [35.4 km]<4>. A list of those papers, sorted by paper name, can be found on the Extended Newspaper List for Gem Lake.
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 helpful 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 Gem Lake:
- Websites specific to Minnesota
- Pages specific to Ramsey County
- Genealogy information for nearby counties
- Anoka County
- Carver County
- Chisago County
- Dakota County
- Hennepin County
- Isanti County
- Scott County
- Washington County
- Pierce 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> | 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 Gem Lake, 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' (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- Gem Lake) to Point B. In other words: 'As the crow flies'. |