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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 Graceville (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 Graceville. 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 northeast 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 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.

Graceville is located in Big Stone 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 Big Stone County: Lac qui Parle, Stevens, Swift, Traverse, Grant (SD) & Roberts (SD).

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

  • Big Stone County     (The home county of Graceville)
    • The following are listed by their distance from Graceville, with the one closest to Graceville listed first.
    • Barry
      (5 miles [8 km] to the west)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Barry
      • Barry is located in Big Stone County
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 15 people
    • Johnson
      (6 miles [9.7 km] to the east)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Johnson
      • Johnson is located in Big Stone County
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 27 people
    • Clinton
      (7 miles [11.3 km] to the south)
    • Beardsley
      (13 miles [20.9 km] to the west)
    • Ortonville
      (18 miles [29 km] to the south)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Ortonville have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Ortonville
      • Ortonville is located in Big Stone County
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 1,748 people
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Ortonville <1>
    • Odessa
      (21 miles [33.8 km] to the south)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Odessa have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Odessa
      • Odessa is located in Big Stone County
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 131 people
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Odessa <1>
    • Correll
      (26 miles [41.8 km] to the southeast)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Correll have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Correll
      • Correll is located in Big Stone County
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 31 people
  • Grant County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Graceville, with the one closest to Graceville listed first.
    • Herman
      (21 miles [33.8 km] to the northeast)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Herman
      • Herman is located in Grant County
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 445 people
    • Norcross
      (23 miles [37 km] to the northeast)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Norcross have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Norcross
      • Norcross is located in Grant County
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 71 people
  • Lac qui Parle County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Graceville, with the one closest to Graceville listed first.
    • Bellingham
      (30 miles [48.3 km] to the south)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Bellingham have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Bellingham
      • Bellingham is located in Lac qui Parle County
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 147 people
    • Louisburg
      (30 miles [48.3 km] to the southeast)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Louisburg have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Louisburg
      • Louisburg is located in Lac qui Parle County
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 43 people
  • Stevens County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Graceville, with the one closest to Graceville listed first.
    • Chokio
      (12 miles [19.3 km] to the east)
    • Alberta
      (18 miles [29 km] to the east)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Alberta
      • Alberta is located in Stevens County
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 102 people
    • Donnelly
      (22 miles [35.4 km] to the northeast)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Donnelly have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Donnelly
      • Donnelly is located in Stevens County
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 233 people
    • Morris
      (25 miles [40.2 km] to the east)
  • Traverse County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Graceville, with the one closest to Graceville listed first.
    • Collis
      (5 miles [8 km] to the north)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Collis
      • Collis is located in Traverse County
    • Dumont
      (10 miles [16.1 km] to the north)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Dumont have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Dumont
      • Dumont is located in Traverse County
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 87 people
    • Wheaton
      (16 miles [25.7 km] to the north)
      • Note: We haven't been able to verify our GPS coordinates for Wheaton. Although the coordinates have been estimated, they should be in the vicinity.<3>
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Wheaton
      • Wheaton is located in Traverse County
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 1,269 people
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Wheaton <1>
    • Browns Valley
      (19 miles [30.6 km] to the west)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Browns Valley have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Browns Valley
      • Browns Valley is located in Traverse County
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 522 people
    • Charlesville
      (27 miles [43.5 km] to the north)
      • Note: We haven't been able to verify our GPS coordinates for Charlesville. Although the coordinates have been estimated, they should be in the vicinity.<3>
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Charlesville
      • Charlesville is located in Traverse County
  • Grant County (SD)
    • The following are listed by their distance from Graceville, with the one closest to Graceville listed first.
    • Big Stone City
      (19 miles [30.6 km] to the south)
    • Milbank
      (25 miles [40.2 km] to the south)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Milbank have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Milbank
      • Milbank is located in Grant County (SD)
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 3,066 people
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Milbank <1>
    • Twin Brooks
      (30 miles [48.3 km] to the southwest)
  • Roberts County (SD)
    • The following are listed by their distance from Graceville, with the one closest to Graceville listed first.
    • Shady Beach
      (14 miles [22.5 km] to the southwest)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Shady Beach
      • Shady Beach is located in Roberts County (SD)
    • Hartford Beach
      (16 miles [25.7 km] to the southwest)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Hartford Beach have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Hartford Beach
      • Hartford Beach is located in Roberts County (SD)
      • Estimated population in 2014: 126 people
    • South Dakota Park
      (16 miles [25.7 km] to the southwest)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for South Dakota Park have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for South Dakota Park
      • South Dakota Park is located in Roberts County (SD)
      • Estimated population in 2014: 15 people
    • Corona
      (22 miles [35.4 km] to the southwest)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Corona have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Corona
      • Corona is located in Roberts County (SD)
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 107 people
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Corona <1>
    • Wilmot
      (23 miles [37 km] to the southwest)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Wilmot have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Wilmot
      • Wilmot is located in Roberts County (SD)
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 497 people
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Wilmot <1>
    • Rosholt
      (24 miles [38.6 km] to the northwest)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Rosholt have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Rosholt
      • Rosholt is located in Roberts County (SD)
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 424 people
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Rosholt <1>
    • Peever Flats
      (24 miles [38.6 km] to the west)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Peever Flats
      • Peever Flats is located in Roberts County (SD)
    • White Rock
      (25 miles [40.2 km] to the north)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for White Rock have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for White Rock
      • White Rock is located in Roberts County (SD)
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 3 people
    • Peever
      (25 miles [40.2 km] to the west)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Peever
      • Peever is located in Roberts County (SD)
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 162 people
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Peever <1>
    • New Effington
      (30 miles [48.3 km] to the northwest)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for New Effington have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for New Effington
      • New Effington is located in Roberts County (SD)
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 246 people
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for New Effington <1>
    • Goodwill
      (30 miles [48.3 km] to the west)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Goodwill have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Goodwill
      • Goodwill is located in Roberts County (SD)
      • Estimated population in 2014: 876 people
    • Sisseton
      (30 miles [48.3 km] to the west)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Sisseton
      • Sisseton is located in Roberts County (SD)
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 2,368 people
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Sisseton <1>

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

Cemeteries Near Graceville ...

Below are cemeteries that are in the vicinity of Graceville.

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

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

  • Graceville Cemetery
    (Less than 2 miles to the southwest)
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Graceville Cemetery
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Graceville Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
  • Big Stone Hutterite Colony Cemetery
    (3 miles [4.8 km] to the southwest)
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Big Stone Hutterite Colony Cemetery
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Big Stone Hutterite Colony Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
  • St. Patrick Cemetery
    (5 miles [8 km] to the north)
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the St. Patrick Cemetery
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the St. Patrick Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
  • Clinton Cemetery
    (7 miles [11.3 km] to the south)
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Clinton Cemetery
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Clinton Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
  • Trinity Cemetery
    (7 miles [11.3 km] to the east)
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Trinity Cemetery
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Trinity Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
  • Trinity Evangelical Lutheran Church Cemetery
    (7 miles [11.3 km] to the east)
  • Elim Cemetery
    (8 miles [12.9 km] to the southwest)
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Elim Cemetery
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Elim Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
  • Siloah Lutheran Cemetery
    (8 miles [12.9 km] to the northwest)
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Siloah Lutheran Cemetery
    • The Siloah Lutheran Cemetery has also been known as:
    • Siloah Cemetery
  • Bailey Cemetery
    (9 miles [14.5 km] to the south)
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Bailey Cemetery
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Bailey Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
  • St. Pauli Lutheran Memorial Cemetery
    (9 miles [14.5 km] to the south)
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the St. Pauli Lutheran Memorial Cemetery
    • The St. Pauli Lutheran Memorial Cemetery has also been known as:
    • St. Paul Cemetery
    • St. Paul Church Cemetery
    • St. Paul Lutheran Memorial Cemetery
    • St. Pauli Cemetery
    • St. Pauli Church Cemetery
    • Jump to Find-A-Grave: FG ID #2586514 <4>
  • Long Island Cemetery
    (9 miles [14.5 km] to the south)
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Long Island Cemetery
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Long Island Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
  • Zion Cemetery
    (9 miles [14.5 km] to the northwest)
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Zion Cemetery
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Zion Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
  • Continue List   (106 more) ...
    • West St. Paul Cemetery
      (10 miles [16.1 km] to the south)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the West St. Paul Cemetery
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the West St. Paul Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Mills Cemetery
      (11 miles [17.7 km] to the south)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Mills Cemetery
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Mills Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Chokio Cemetery
      (11 miles [17.7 km] to the east)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Chokio Cemetery
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Chokio Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.

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.<5>

The Rand McNally Atlas shows that Graceville had a population of 508 people in 1895 with a post office and railroad service. In 2020, Graceville had a population of 552 people.

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

  • Collis
    (5 miles [8 km] to the north)
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Collis
    • Collis is located in Traverse County
  • Barry
    (5 miles [8 km] to the west)
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Barry
    • Barry is located in Big Stone County
    • Population from the 2020 Census: 15 people
  • Johnson
    (6 miles [9.7 km] to the east)
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Johnson
    • Johnson is located in Big Stone County
    • Population from the 2020 Census: 27 people
  • Clinton
    (7 miles [11.3 km] to the south)
  • Dumont
    (10 miles [16.1 km] to the north)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Dumont have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Dumont
    • Dumont is located in Traverse County
    • Population from the 2020 Census: 87 people
  • Chokio
    (12 miles [19.3 km] to the east)
  • Beardsley
    (13 miles [20.9 km] to the west)
  • Wheaton
    (16 miles [25.7 km] to the north)
    • Note: We haven't been able to verify our GPS coordinates for Wheaton. Although the coordinates have been estimated, they should be in the vicinity.<3>
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Wheaton
    • Wheaton is located in Traverse County
    • Population from the 2020 Census: 1,269 people
    • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Wheaton <1>
  • Ortonville
    (18 miles [29 km] to the south)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Ortonville have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Ortonville
    • Ortonville is located in Big Stone County
    • Population from the 2020 Census: 1,748 people
    • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Ortonville <1>
  • Big Stone City
    (19 miles [30.6 km] to the south)
  • Browns Valley
    (19 miles [30.6 km] to the west)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Browns Valley have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Browns Valley
    • Browns Valley is located in Traverse County
    • Population from the 2020 Census: 522 people
  • Odessa
    (21 miles [33.8 km] to the south)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Odessa have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Odessa
    • Odessa is located in Big Stone County
    • Population from the 2020 Census: 131 people
    • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Odessa <1>
  • Continue List   (10 more) ...
    • Herman
      (21 miles [33.8 km] to the northeast)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Herman
      • Herman is located in Grant County
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 445 people
    • Corona
      (22 miles [35.4 km] to the southwest)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Corona have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Corona
      • Corona is located in Roberts County (SD)
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 107 people
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Corona <1>
    • Donnelly
      (22 miles [35.4 km] to the northeast)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Donnelly have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Donnelly
      • Donnelly is located in Stevens County
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 233 people

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

Newspapers Published in the Vicinity of Graceville ...

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 77 newspapers that have been published in the area around Graceville.

We have organized these newspapers into two lists:

  • A Local Newspaper List - focusing on the papers published in the immediate area of Graceville. There are actually two parts to this list - papers printed in the immediate area of Graceville and those printed in the larger area surrounding Graceville.
  • An Extended Newspaper List - a longer list, sorted by paper name and containing those papers published within 30 miles [48.3 km]<6> of Graceville.

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 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 Graceville:

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

The official website for Big Stone County: www.bigstonecounty.org/

The official website for State of Minnesota: https://mn.gov/

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 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.
<3>An 'estimated' location is one where we have been given GPS coordinates, but are unable to verify the accuracy of those coordinates. That said, we have some confidence that we have placed the marker near the actual location. A typical reason for being unable to verify a location is that it might be on private property or maybe historic and gone without an obvious trace.
<4>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.
<5>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 Graceville, please let us know so that we can improve our accuracy.
<6>Our distances are not driving distances, but are calculated as a 'straight-line' distance. A straight line distance ignores things like rivers, canyons, lakes, et cetera - it's truly a line drawn from Point A (ie- Graceville) to Point B.Our distance measurements begin at a specific point in Graceville. The point we use is located at these GPS coordinates - Latitude: 45.5688, Longitude: -96.4366       In this case, the coordinates for Graceville have been provided by the Geographic Names Information System (GNIS).




 

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This page was last modified/updated: 28 Apr 2025