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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 Geneva (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 Geneva. 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 hospitals and doctors 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.

Geneva is located in Freeborn 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 Freeborn County: Winnebago (IA), Worth (IA), Faribault, Mower, Steele & Waseca.

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

  • Freeborn County     (The home county of Geneva)
    • The following are listed by their distance from Geneva, with the one closest to Geneva listed first.
    • Clarks Grove
      (4 miles [6.4 km] to the southwest)
    • Hollandale
      (5 miles [8 km] to the southeast)
    • Bath
      (6 miles [9.7 km] to the west)
      • Bath is located in Freeborn County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Bath
    • Hartland
      (10 miles [16.1 km] to the west)
      • Hartland is located in Freeborn County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Hartland
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 307 people
    • Hayward
      (11 miles [17.7 km] to the south)
    • Manchester
      (11 miles [17.7 km] to the southwest)
      • Manchester is located in Freeborn County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Manchester
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 55 people
    • Albert Lea
      (13 miles [20.9 km] to the south)
    • Oakland
      (13 miles [20.9 km] to the southeast)
      • Oakland is located in Freeborn County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Oakland
    • Freeborn
      (15 miles [24.1 km] to the west)
    • Glenville
      (17 miles [27.4 km] to the south)
    • Myrtle
      (18 miles [29 km] to the south)
      • Myrtle is located in Freeborn County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Myrtle
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 46 people
    • Alden
      (18 miles [29 km] to the southwest)
  • Blue Earth County
    • Pemberton
      (28 miles [45.1 km] to the northwest)
      • Pemberton is located in Blue Earth County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Pemberton
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 241 people
  • Dodge County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Geneva, with the one closest to Geneva listed first.
    • Westfield Center ‑ Historic
      (17 miles [27.4 km] to the northeast)
      • Westfield Center is located in Dodge County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Westfield Center
    • Claremont
      (20 miles [32.2 km] to the northeast)
    • Hayfield
      (21 miles [33.8 km] to the east)
    • Dodge Center
      (25 miles [40.2 km] to the northeast)
    • Kasson
      (29 miles [46.7 km] to the northeast)
    • West Concord
      (29 miles [46.7 km] to the northeast)
    • Mantorville
      (30 miles [48.3 km] to the northeast)
  • Faribault County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Geneva, with the one closest to Geneva listed first.
    • Wells
      (23 miles [37 km] to the west)
      • Wells is located in Faribault County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Wells
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 2,157 people
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Wells <1>
    • Walters
      (25 miles [40.2 km] to the southwest)
      • Walters is located in Faribault County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Walters
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 67 people
    • Minnesota Lake
      (27 miles [43.5 km] to the west)
    • Kiester
      (29 miles [46.7 km] to the southwest)
  • Mower County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Geneva, with the one closest to Geneva listed first.
    • Lansing
      (15 miles [24.1 km] to the east)
      • Lansing is located in Mower County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Lansing
    • Mapleview
      (17 miles [27.4 km] to the southeast)
      • Mapleview is located in Mower County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Mapleview
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 177 people
    • Austin
      (18 miles [29 km] to the southeast)
    • Waltham
      (19 miles [30.6 km] to the east)
    • Brownsdale
      (20 miles [32.2 km] to the east)
    • Varco
      (21 miles [33.8 km] to the southeast)
      • Varco is located in Mower County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Varco
    • Sargeant
      (23 miles [37 km] to the east)
      • Sargeant is located in Mower County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Sargeant
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 60 people
    • Renova ‑ Historic
      (25 miles [40.2 km] to the east)
      • Renova is located in Mower County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Renova
    • Rose Creek
      (26 miles [41.8 km] to the southeast)
    • Lyle
      (27 miles [43.5 km] to the southeast)
    • Dexter
      (29 miles [46.7 km] to the east)
    • Elkton
      (29 miles [46.7 km] to the east)
      • Elkton is located in Mower County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Elkton
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 148 people
  • Rice County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Geneva, with the one closest to Geneva listed first.
    • Moland
      (27 miles [43.5 km] to the north)
      • Moland is located in Rice County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Moland
    • Walcott
      (28 miles [45.1 km] to the north)
      • Walcott is located in Rice County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Walcott
    • Morristown
      (29 miles [46.7 km] to the north)
    • Warsaw
      (30 miles [48.3 km] to the north)
      • Warsaw is located in Rice County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Warsaw
  • Steele County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Geneva, with the one closest to Geneva listed first.
    • Ellendale
      (3 miles [4.8 km] to the northwest)
    • River Point
      (8 miles [12.9 km] to the north)
      • River Point is located in Steele County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for River Point
    • Union
      (8 miles [12.9 km] to the northeast)
      • Union is located in Steele County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Union
    • Hope
      (9 miles [14.5 km] to the north)
      • Hope is located in Steele County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Hope
    • Blooming Prairie
      (11 miles [17.7 km] to the east)
    • Steele Center
      (11 miles [17.7 km] to the north)
      • Steele Center is located in Steele County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Steele Center
    • Pratt
      (14 miles [22.5 km] to the north)
      • Pratt is located in Steele County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Pratt
    • Havana
      (17 miles [27.4 km] to the north)
      • Havana is located in Steele County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Havana
    • Owatonna
      (18 miles [29 km] to the north)
    • Rice Lake
      (22 miles [35.4 km] to the northeast)
      • Rice Lake is located in Steele County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Rice Lake
    • Medford
      (24 miles [38.6 km] to the north)
      • Medford is located in Steele County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Medford
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 1,255 people
  • Waseca County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Geneva, with the one closest to Geneva listed first.
    • New Richland
      (12 miles [19.3 km] to the northwest)
    • Vista
      (13 miles [20.9 km] to the northwest)
      • Vista is located in Waseca County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Vista
    • Wilton
      (18 miles [29 km] to the northwest)
      • Wilton is located in Waseca County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Wilton
    • Waseca
      (21 miles [33.8 km] to the northwest)
    • Waldorf
      (22 miles [35.4 km] to the west)
      • Waldorf is located in Waseca County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Waldorf
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 224 people
    • Alma City
      (26 miles [41.8 km] to the northwest)
      • Alma City is located in Waseca County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Alma City
    • Palmer
      (26 miles [41.8 km] to the northwest)
      • Palmer is located in Waseca County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Palmer
    • Janesville
      (30 miles [48.3 km] to the northwest)
  • Mitchell County (IA)
    • Carpenter
      (30 miles [48.3 km] to the southeast)
      • Carpenter is located in Mitchell County (IA)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Carpenter
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 108 people
  • Winnebago County (IA)
    • The following are listed by their distance from Geneva, with the one closest to Geneva listed first.
    • Scarville
      (29 miles [46.7 km] to the southwest)
    • Lake Mills
      (30 miles [48.3 km] to the southwest)
  • Worth County (IA)
    • The following are listed by their distance from Geneva, with the one closest to Geneva listed first.
    • Silver Lake
      (24 miles [38.6 km] to the south)
      • Silver Lake is located in Worth County (IA)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Silver Lake
    • Northwood
      (26 miles [41.8 km] to the south)
    • Bristol
      (30 miles [48.3 km] to the south)
      • Bristol is located in Worth County (IA)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Bristol

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

Cemeteries Near Geneva ...

Below are cemeteries that are in the vicinity of Geneva.

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

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

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

  • Geneva Cemetery
    (Less than 2 miles to the north)
  • Summit Cemetery
    (3 miles [4.8 km] to the northeast)
  • Clark Family Cemetery
    (3 miles [4.8 km] to the northeast)
  • First Lutheran Cemetery
    (3 miles [4.8 km] to the northwest)
  • Clarks Grove Cemetery
    (4 miles [6.4 km] to the southwest)
  • St. Ansgars Cemetery
    (4 miles [6.4 km] to the northeast)
  • Berlin Cemetery
    (5 miles [8 km] to the north)
  • St. Pauls Cemetery
    (5 miles [8 km] to the south)
  • Seventh Day Adventist (SDA) Cemetery
    (5 miles [8 km] to the south)
  • Hollandale Cemetery
    (5 miles [8 km] to the southeast)
  • St. Aidens Cemetery
    (5 miles [8 km] to the west)
  • St. Marys Cemetery
    (6 miles [9.7 km] to the east)
  • Continue List   (234 more) ...
    • Bohemian Cemetery
      (6 miles [9.7 km] to the northeast)
    • East Freeborn Cemetery
      (8 miles [12.9 km] to the south)
    • Central Lutheran Cemetery
      (9 miles [14.5 km] to the southwest)

Nearby Communities in 1895 ...

We've built the following list with information that came from an Atlas published by Rand McNally in 1895. The Atlas had details such as the population of the community (which appears to have come from the 1890 Census) and whether there was a post office and/or railroad service available. We also indicate if the community no longer exists and is now historic.<3>

The Rand McNally Atlas shows that Geneva had a population of 290 people in 1895 with a post office and no railroad service. In 2020, Geneva had a population of 537 people.

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

  • Clarks Grove
    (4 miles [6.4 km] to the southwest)
  • Bath
    (6 miles [9.7 km] to the west)
    • Bath is located in Freeborn County
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Bath
  • River Point
    (8 miles [12.9 km] to the north)
    • River Point is located in Steele County
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for River Point
  • Hartland
    (10 miles [16.1 km] to the west)
    • Hartland is located in Freeborn County
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Hartland
    • Population from the 2020 Census: 307 people
  • Manchester
    (11 miles [17.7 km] to the southwest)
    • Manchester is located in Freeborn County
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Manchester
    • Population from the 2020 Census: 55 people
  • Hayward
    (11 miles [17.7 km] to the south)
  • Moscow
    (11 miles [17.7 km] to the southeast)
    • Moscow is located in Freeborn County
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Moscow
  • Blooming Prairie
    (11 miles [17.7 km] to the east)
  • Bixby
    (11 miles [17.7 km] to the northeast)
    • Bixby is located in Steele County
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Bixby
  • Steele Center
    (11 miles [17.7 km] to the north)
    • Steele Center is located in Steele County
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Steele Center
  • Lemond
    (12 miles [19.3 km] to the northwest)
    • Lemond is located in Steele County
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Lemond
  • New Richland
    (12 miles [19.3 km] to the northwest)
  • Continue List   (17 more) ...
    • Albert Lea
      (13 miles [20.9 km] to the south)
    • Oakland
      (13 miles [20.9 km] to the southeast)
      • Oakland is located in Freeborn County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Oakland
    • Armstrong
      (14 miles [22.5 km] to the southwest)
      • Armstrong is located in Freeborn County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Armstrong

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

Newspapers Published in Geneva ...

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 145 newspapers that have been published in the area around Geneva.

Although we're unaware of any newspapers that were published in the immediate area of Geneva, there are papers which were published within 30 miles [48.3 km]<4>. A list of those papers, sorted by paper name, can be found on the Extended Newspaper List for Geneva.

Websites to Help With Your Genealogy Research ...

When we do our genealogical research, we like to start with the websites from Cyndi's List, FamilySearch and Genealogy Trails. These 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 Geneva:

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 Geneva, please let us know so that we can improve our accuracy.
<4>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- Geneva) to Point B. In other words: 'As the crow flies'.