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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 Grass 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 Grass 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 Grass 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 Grass Lake: Grass Lk.

You might be interested in other communities that are also named Grass Lake. More information can be found on our Tidbits & Trivia Page for Grass 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.

Grass Lake is located in Kanabec 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 Kanabec County: Aitkin, Chisago, Isanti, Mille Lacs & Pine.

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

  • Kanabec County     (The home county of Grass Lake)
    • The following are listed by their distance from Grass Lake, with the one closest to Grass Lake listed first.
    • Grasston
      (Less than 2 miles to the northeast)
    • Coin
      (7 miles [11.3 km] to the southwest)
      • Coin is located in Kanabec County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Coin
    • Quamba
      (9 miles [14.5 km] to the north)
      • Quamba is located in Kanabec County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Quamba
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 127 people
    • Mora
      (9 miles [14.5 km] to the northwest)
      • Mora is located in Kanabec County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Mora
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 3,583 people
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Mora <1>
    • Ogilvie
      (12 miles [19.3 km] to the west)
  • Anoka County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Grass Lake, with the one closest to Grass Lake listed first.
    • Bethel
      (26 miles [41.8 km] to the south)
    • Coopers Corner
      (26 miles [41.8 km] to the south)
      • Coopers Corner is located in Anoka County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Coopers Corner
    • Saint Francis
      (28 miles [45.1 km] to the south)
    • East Bethel
      (29 miles [46.7 km] to the south)
    • Linwood
      (29 miles [46.7 km] to the south)
      • Linwood is located in Anoka County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Linwood
    • Oak Grove
      (30 miles [48.3 km] to the south)
  • Chisago County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Grass Lake, with the one closest to Grass Lake listed first.
    • Rush City
      (11 miles [17.7 km] to the southeast)
    • Harris
      (15 miles [24.1 km] to the southeast)
    • North Branch
      (20 miles [32.2 km] to the southeast)
    • Branch
      (22 miles [35.4 km] to the southeast)
      • Branch is located in Chisago County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Branch
    • Stacy
      (27 miles [43.5 km] to the south)
      • Stacy is located in Chisago County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Stacy
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 1,525 people
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Stacy <1>
    • Almelund
      (27 miles [43.5 km] to the southeast)
    • Chisago City
      (30 miles [48.3 km] to the southeast)
  • Isanti County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Grass Lake, with the one closest to Grass Lake listed first.
    • Braham
      (3 miles [4.8 km] to the south)
    • Stanchfield
      (7 miles [11.3 km] to the south)
    • Elm Park
      (8 miles [12.9 km] to the southwest)
      • Elm Park is located in Isanti County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Elm Park
    • Grandy
      (9 miles [14.5 km] to the south)
    • Dalbo
      (13 miles [20.9 km] to the southwest)
    • Cambridge
      (14 miles [22.5 km] to the south)
    • Minnesota Boys Town
      (15 miles [24.1 km] to the south)
      • Minnesota Boys Town is located in Isanti County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Minnesota Boys Town
    • Isanti
      (20 miles [32.2 km] to the south)
    • Bradford
      (20 miles [32.2 km] to the southwest)
      • Bradford is located in Isanti County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Bradford
    • Weber
      (21 miles [33.8 km] to the south)
      • Weber is located in Isanti County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Weber
    • Crown
      (27 miles [43.5 km] to the southwest)
      • Crown is located in Isanti County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Crown
  • Mille Lacs County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Grass Lake, with the one closest to Grass Lake listed first.
    • Bock
      (18 miles [29 km] to the west)
      • Bock is located in Mille Lacs County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Bock
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 108 people
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Bock <1>
    • Milaca
      (23 miles [37 km] to the west)
      • Milaca is located in Mille Lacs County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Milaca
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 2,899 people
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Milaca <1>
    • Pease
      (23 miles [37 km] to the west)
      • Pease is located in Mille Lacs County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Pease
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 224 people
    • Princeton
      (24 miles [38.6 km] to the southwest)
    • Foreston
      (26 miles [41.8 km] to the west)
      • Foreston is located in Mille Lacs County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Foreston
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 527 people
    • Isle
      (28 miles [45.1 km] to the northwest)
      • Isle is located in Mille Lacs County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Isle
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 790 people
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Isle <1>
    • Estes Brook
      (28 miles [45.1 km] to the west)
      • Estes Brook is located in Mille Lacs County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Estes Brook
    • Wahkon
      (29 miles [46.7 km] to the northwest)
  • Pine County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Grass Lake, with the one closest to Grass Lake listed first.
    • Henriette
      (6 miles [9.7 km] to the north)
      • Henriette is located in Pine County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Henriette
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 69 people
    • Pine City
      (10 miles [16.1 km] to the east)
    • Rock Creek
      (12 miles [19.3 km] to the east)
    • Brook Park
      (12 miles [19.3 km] to the north)
      • Brook Park is located in Pine County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Brook Park
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 132 people
    • Beroun
      (13 miles [20.9 km] to the northeast)
      • Beroun is located in Pine County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Beroun
    • Hinckley
      (19 miles [30.6 km] to the northeast)
    • Cloverdale
      (26 miles [41.8 km] to the northeast)
      • Cloverdale is located in Pine County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Cloverdale
    • Sandstone
      (28 miles [45.1 km] to the northeast)
  • Burnett County (WI)
    • The following are listed by their distance from Grass Lake, with the one closest to Grass Lake listed first.
    • Randall
      (17 miles [27.4 km] to the east)
      • Randall is located in Burnett County (WI)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Randall
    • Grantsburg
      (23 miles [37 km] to the east)
      • Grantsburg is located in Burnett County (WI)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Grantsburg
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 1,296 people
    • Alpha
      (28 miles [45.1 km] to the east)
      • Alpha is located in Burnett County (WI)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Alpha
  • Polk County (WI)
    • Atlas
      (29 miles [46.7 km] to the east)
      • Atlas is located in Polk County (WI)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Atlas

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

Cemeteries Near Grass Lake ...

Below are cemeteries that are in the vicinity of Grass 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 Grass Lake - one of the links might be able to help.

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

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

  • Grass Lake Cemetery
    (Less than 2 miles to the south)
  • Grasston Union Cemetery
    (Less than 2 miles to the north)
  • Mission Cemetery
    (3 miles [4.8 km] to the south)
  • Royalton Memorial Cemetery
    (3 miles [4.8 km] to the southeast)
  • Rice Lake Cemetery
    (4 miles [6.4 km] to the southwest)
  • Danewood Cemetery
    (4 miles [6.4 km] to the south)
  • Riverside Cemetery
    (5 miles [8 km] to the west)
  • North Maple Ridge Covenant Cemetery
    (6 miles [9.7 km] to the southwest)
  • Henriette Cemetery
    (6 miles [9.7 km] to the north)
  • Stanchfield Baptist Cemetery
    (7 miles [11.3 km] to the south)
  • St. Johns Cemetery
    (7 miles [11.3 km] to the southeast)
  • Johnson Memorial Cemetery
    (7 miles [11.3 km] to the east)
  • Continue List   (122 more) ...
    • West Rock Cemetery
      (7 miles [11.3 km] to the east)
    • St. Marys Cemetery
      (7 miles [11.3 km] to the northwest)
    • Maple Ridge Free Cemetery
      (8 miles [12.9 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.<2>

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

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

  • Braham
    (3 miles [4.8 km] to the south)
  • Brunswick
    (5 miles [8 km] to the west)
    • Brunswick is located in Kanabec County
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Brunswick
  • Stanchfield
    (7 miles [11.3 km] to the south)
  • Rush Point
    (8 miles [12.9 km] to the south)
    • Rush Point is located in Chisago County
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Rush Point
  • Mora
    (9 miles [14.5 km] to the northwest)
    • Mora is located in Kanabec County
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Mora
    • Population from the 2020 Census: 3,583 people
    • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Mora <1>
  • Pine City
    (10 miles [16.1 km] to the east)
  • Rush City
    (11 miles [17.7 km] to the southeast)
  • Springvale
    (12 miles [19.3 km] to the southwest)
    • Springvale is located in Isanti County
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Springvale
  • Rock Creek
    (12 miles [19.3 km] to the east)
  • Dalbo
    (13 miles [20.9 km] to the southwest)
  • Cambridge
    (14 miles [22.5 km] to the south)
  • Stark
    (14 miles [22.5 km] to the south)
    • Stark is located in Chisago County
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Stark
  • Continue List   (14 more) ...
    • Harris
      (15 miles [24.1 km] to the southeast)
    • Mission Creek
      (16 miles [25.7 km] to the northeast)
      • Mission Creek is located in Pine County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Mission Creek
    • Spring Lake
      (17 miles [27.4 km] to the south)
      • Spring Lake is located in Isanti County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Spring Lake

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

Newspapers Published in Grass 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 66 newspapers that have been published in the area around Grass Lake.

Although we're unaware of any newspapers that were published in the immediate area of Grass Lake, 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 Grass 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 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 Grass Lake:

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>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 Grass Lake, please let us know so that we can improve our accuracy.
<3>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- Grass Lake) to Point B. In other words: 'As the crow flies'.