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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 Gracelock (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 Gracelock. 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 southeast corner of their home county. During their lives, most hospitals 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.

Gracelock is located in Chippewa 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 Chippewa County: Kandiyohi, Lac qui Parle, Renville, Swift & Yellow Medicine.

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

  • Chippewa County     (The home county of Gracelock)
    • The following are listed by their distance from Gracelock, with the one closest to Gracelock listed first.
    • Montevideo
      (9 miles [14.5 km] to the southwest)
    • Big Bend City
      (11 miles [17.7 km] to the northwest)
      • Big Bend City is located in Chippewa County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Big Bend City
    • Maynard
      (11 miles [17.7 km] to the southeast)
    • Watson
      (11 miles [17.7 km] to the west)
    • Clara City
      (12 miles [19.3 km] to the southeast)
    • Milan
      (16 miles [25.7 km] to the west)
  • Big Stone County
    • Correll
      (30 miles [48.3 km] to the northwest)
      • Correll is located in Big Stone County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Correll
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 31 people
  • Kandiyohi County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Gracelock, with the one closest to Gracelock listed first.
    • Raymond
      (16 miles [25.7 km] to the east)
    • Pennock
      (20 miles [32.2 km] to the east)
      • Pennock is located in Kandiyohi County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Pennock
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 509 people
    • Prinsburg
      (20 miles [32.2 km] to the east)
      • Prinsburg is located in Kandiyohi County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Prinsburg
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 497 people
    • Roseland
      (24 miles [38.6 km] to the east)
      • Roseland is located in Kandiyohi County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Roseland
    • Willmar
      (26 miles [41.8 km] to the east)
    • Wilmar
      (26 miles [41.8 km] to the east)
      • Wilmar is located in Kandiyohi County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Wilmar
    • Sunburg
      (26 miles [41.8 km] to the northeast)
      • Sunburg is located in Kandiyohi County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Sunburg
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 99 people
    • Svea
      (27 miles [43.5 km] to the east)
      • Svea is located in Kandiyohi County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Svea
    • Blomkest
      (28 miles [45.1 km] to the east)
      • Blomkest is located in Kandiyohi County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Blomkest
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 157 people
  • Lac qui Parle County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Gracelock, with the one closest to Gracelock listed first.
    • Boyd
      (20 miles [32.2 km] to the southwest)
      • Boyd is located in Lac qui Parle County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Boyd
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 154 people
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Boyd <1>
    • Dawson
      (24 miles [38.6 km] to the west)
      • Dawson is located in Lac qui Parle County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Dawson
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 1,378 people
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Dawson <1>
    • Louisburg
      (29 miles [46.7 km] to the west)
      • Louisburg is located in Lac qui Parle County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Louisburg
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 43 people
    • Madison
      (29 miles [46.7 km] to the west)
      • Madison is located in Lac qui Parle County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Madison
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 1,376 people
    • Providence
      (30 miles [48.3 km] to the southwest)
      • Providence is located in Lac qui Parle County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Providence
  • Lyon County
    • Cottonwood
      (30 miles [48.3 km] to the south)
  • Renville County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Gracelock, with the one closest to Gracelock listed first.
    • Sacred Heart
      (21 miles [33.8 km] to the southeast)
    • Renville
      (25 miles [40.2 km] to the southeast)
    • Danube
      (29 miles [46.7 km] to the southeast)
  • Swift County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Gracelock, with the one closest to Gracelock listed first.
    • De Graff
      (15 miles [24.1 km] to the north)
      • De Graff is located in Swift County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for De Graff
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 120 people
    • Murdock
      (15 miles [24.1 km] to the northeast)
      • Murdock is located in Swift County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Murdock
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 260 people
    • Kerkhoven
      (16 miles [25.7 km] to the northeast)
    • Benson
      (18 miles [29 km] to the north)
    • Danvers
      (18 miles [29 km] to the northwest)
      • Danvers is located in Swift County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Danvers
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 89 people
    • Holloway
      (20 miles [32.2 km] to the northwest)
      • Holloway is located in Swift County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Holloway
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 85 people
    • Clontarf
      (23 miles [37 km] to the north)
    • Appleton
      (23 miles [37 km] to the northwest)
    • Swift Falls
      (25 miles [40.2 km] to the north)
      • Swift Falls is located in Swift County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Swift Falls
  • Yellow Medicine County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Gracelock, with the one closest to Gracelock listed first.
    • Granite Falls
      (16 miles [25.7 km] to the south)
    • Hazel Run
      (21 miles [33.8 km] to the south)
      • Hazel Run is located in Yellow Medicine County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Hazel Run
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 56 people
    • Clarkfield
      (21 miles [33.8 km] to the southwest)
    • Hanley Falls
      (24 miles [38.6 km] to the south)
      • Hanley Falls is located in Yellow Medicine County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Hanley Falls
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 273 people
    • Wood Lake
      (27 miles [43.5 km] to the south)
      • Wood Lake is located in Yellow Medicine County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Wood Lake
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 395 people
    • Echo
      (30 miles [48.3 km] to the south)
      • Echo is located in Yellow Medicine County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Echo
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 247 people
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Echo <1>

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

Cemeteries Near Gracelock ...

Below are cemeteries that are in the vicinity of Gracelock.

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

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

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

  • Havelock Cemetery
    (2 miles [3.2 km] to the southeast)
  • Buffalo Lake Cemetery
    (5 miles [8 km] to the northeast)
  • Hillside Cemetery
    (5 miles [8 km] to the northeast)
  • Big Bend Lutheran Church Cemetery
    (5 miles [8 km] to the northwest)
  • St. Paul's Evangelical Lutheran Cemetery
    (5 miles [8 km] to the north)
  • Louriston Twp. Cemetery
    (6 miles [9.7 km] to the northeast)
  • St. John's Cemetery
    (6 miles [9.7 km] to the north)
  • Brono Cemetery
    (7 miles [11.3 km] to the west)
  • St. John's Lutheran Church Cemetery
    (7 miles [11.3 km] to the southwest)
  • Swedish Lutheran Cemetery
    (7 miles [11.3 km] to the northeast)
  • Mandt Cemetery
    (7 miles [11.3 km] to the northwest)
  • Original Big Bend Cemetery
    (7 miles [11.3 km] to the northwest)
  • Continue List   (166 more) ...
    • Sunset Memorial Cemetery
      (8 miles [12.9 km] to the southwest)
    • Palmer Creek Cemetery
      (8 miles [12.9 km] to the south)
    • Buffalo Lake Cemetery
      (8 miles [12.9 km] to the northeast)

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 Gracelock in the Atlas, the following 1895 communities would have been found near the current location of Gracelock.

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

  • Louriston
    (6 miles [9.7 km] to the northeast)
    • Louriston is located in Chippewa County
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Louriston
  • Montevideo
    (9 miles [14.5 km] to the southwest)
  • Watson
    (11 miles [17.7 km] to the west)
  • Wegdahl
    (11 miles [17.7 km] to the south)
    • Wegdahl is located in Chippewa County
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Wegdahl
  • Maynard
    (11 miles [17.7 km] to the southeast)
  • Hagan
    (11 miles [17.7 km] to the northwest)
    • Hagan is located in Chippewa County
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Hagan
  • Clara City
    (12 miles [19.3 km] to the southeast)
  • Murdock
    (15 miles [24.1 km] to the northeast)
    • Murdock is located in Swift County
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Murdock
    • Population from the 2020 Census: 260 people
  • De Graff
    (15 miles [24.1 km] to the north)
    • De Graff is located in Swift County
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for De Graff
    • Population from the 2020 Census: 120 people
  • Lac qui Parle
    (16 miles [25.7 km] to the west)
    • Lac qui Parle is located in Lac qui Parle County
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Lac qui Parle
  • Granite Falls
    (16 miles [25.7 km] to the south)
  • Raymond
    (16 miles [25.7 km] to the east)
  • Continue List   (13 more) ...
    • Kerkhoven
      (16 miles [25.7 km] to the northeast)
    • Milan
      (16 miles [25.7 km] to the west)
    • Danvers
      (18 miles [29 km] to the northwest)
      • Danvers is located in Swift County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Danvers
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 89 people

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

Newspapers Published in Gracelock ...

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 114 newspapers that have been published in the area around Gracelock.

Although we're unaware of any newspapers that were published in the immediate area of Gracelock, 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 Gracelock.

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 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 Gracelock:

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 Gracelock, 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 obstructions like rivers, canyons, lakes, et cetera - it's truly a line from Point A (ie- Gracelock) to Point B. In other words: 'As the crow flies'.