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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 Greenleaf (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 Greenleaf. 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 doctors and hospitals 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.

Greenleaf is located in Meeker 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 Meeker County: Kandiyohi, McLeod, Renville, Stearns & Wright.

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

  • Meeker County     (The home county of Greenleaf)
    • The following are listed by their distance from Greenleaf, with the one closest to Greenleaf listed first.
    • Cedar Mills
      (3 miles [4.8 km] to the south)
      • Cedar Mills is located in Meeker County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Cedar Mills
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 51 people
    • Darwin
      (8 miles [12.9 km] to the northeast)
    • Litchfield
      (9 miles [14.5 km] to the north)
    • Dassel
      (10 miles [16.1 km] to the northeast)
    • Cosmos
      (10 miles [16.1 km] to the southwest)
    • Rosendale
      (10 miles [16.1 km] to the west)
      • Rosendale is located in Meeker County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Rosendale
    • Grove City
      (13 miles [20.9 km] to the northwest)
    • Forest City
      (14 miles [22.5 km] to the north)
      • Forest City is located in Meeker County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Forest City
    • Kingston
      (16 miles [25.7 km] to the northeast)
      • Kingston is located in Meeker County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Kingston
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 162 people
    • Manannah
      (18 miles [29 km] to the north)
      • Manannah is located in Meeker County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Manannah
    • Eden Valley
      (22 miles [35.4 km] to the north)
    • Watkins
      (22 miles [35.4 km] to the north)
  • Carver County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Greenleaf, with the one closest to Greenleaf listed first.
    • Hazelton
      (26 miles [41.8 km] to the east)
      • Hazelton is located in Carver County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Hazelton
    • Hollywood
      (26 miles [41.8 km] to the east)
      • Hollywood is located in Carver County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Hollywood
    • New Germany
      (26 miles [41.8 km] to the east)
    • Mayer
      (30 miles [48.3 km] to the east)
  • Kandiyohi County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Greenleaf, with the one closest to Greenleaf listed first.
    • Atwater
      (16 miles [25.7 km] to the northwest)
    • Lake Lillian
      (18 miles [29 km] to the west)
    • Kandiyohi
      (23 miles [37 km] to the northwest)
      • Kandiyohi is located in Kandiyohi County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Kandiyohi
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 477 people
    • Blomkest
      (25 miles [40.2 km] to the west)
      • Blomkest is located in Kandiyohi County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Blomkest
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 157 people
    • Svea
      (25 miles [40.2 km] to the west)
      • Svea is located in Kandiyohi County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Svea
    • Spicer
      (27 miles [43.5 km] to the northwest)
      • Spicer is located in Kandiyohi County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Spicer
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 1,224 people
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Spicer <1>
    • Willmar
      (27 miles [43.5 km] to the west)
    • Wilmar
      (27 miles [43.5 km] to the west)
      • Wilmar is located in Kandiyohi County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Wilmar
    • Hawick
      (28 miles [45.1 km] to the northwest)
      • Hawick is located in Kandiyohi County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Hawick
    • Roseland
      (29 miles [46.7 km] to the west)
      • Roseland is located in Kandiyohi County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Roseland
    • New London
      (30 miles [48.3 km] to the northwest)
  • McLeod County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Greenleaf, with the one closest to Greenleaf listed first.
    • Hutchinson
      (9 miles [14.5 km] to the southeast)
    • Biscay
      (16 miles [25.7 km] to the southeast)
      • Biscay is located in McLeod County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Biscay
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 109 people
    • Silver Lake
      (16 miles [25.7 km] to the southeast)
    • Stewart
      (18 miles [29 km] to the south)
      • Stewart is located in McLeod County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Stewart
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 533 people
    • Brownton
      (19 miles [30.6 km] to the south)
    • Sumter
      (21 miles [33.8 km] to the southeast)
      • Sumter is located in McLeod County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Sumter
    • Winsted
      (22 miles [35.4 km] to the east)
    • Lester Prairie
      (23 miles [37 km] to the east)
    • Fernando
      (23 miles [37 km] to the south)
      • Fernando is located in McLeod County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Fernando
    • Glencoe
      (23 miles [37 km] to the southeast)
    • Plato
      (27 miles [43.5 km] to the southeast)
  • Renville County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Greenleaf, with the one closest to Greenleaf listed first.
    • Buffalo Lake
      (18 miles [29 km] to the south)
    • Hector
      (20 miles [32.2 km] to the southwest)
    • Bird Island
      (24 miles [38.6 km] to the southwest)
    • Olivia
      (28 miles [45.1 km] to the southwest)
  • Sibley County
    • New Auburn
      (26 miles [41.8 km] to the southeast)
  • Stearns County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Greenleaf, with the one closest to Greenleaf listed first.
    • Kimball Prairie
      (23 miles [37 km] to the northeast)
      • Kimball Prairie is located in Stearns County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Kimball Prairie
    • Kimball
      (23 miles [37 km] to the northeast)
    • Fairhaven
      (26 miles [41.8 km] to the northeast)
      • Fairhaven is located in Stearns County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Fairhaven
    • Paynesville
      (28 miles [45.1 km] to the northwest)
    • Roscoe
      (30 miles [48.3 km] to the north)
  • Wright County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Greenleaf, with the one closest to Greenleaf listed first.
    • Cokato
      (16 miles [25.7 km] to the east)
    • Smith Lake
      (19 miles [30.6 km] to the east)
      • Smith Lake is located in Wright County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Smith Lake
    • Albright
      (20 miles [32.2 km] to the northeast)
      • Albright is located in Wright County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Albright
    • Howard Lake
      (21 miles [33.8 km] to the east)
    • Albion Center
      (24 miles [38.6 km] to the northeast)
      • Albion Center is located in Wright County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Albion Center
    • South Haven
      (24 miles [38.6 km] to the northeast)
    • Annandale
      (25 miles [40.2 km] to the northeast)
    • Waverly
      (26 miles [41.8 km] to the east)
    • Rassat
      (26 miles [41.8 km] to the northeast)
      • Rassat is located in Wright County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Rassat
    • Montrose
      (29 miles [46.7 km] to the east)
    • Maple Lake
      (29 miles [46.7 km] to the northeast)

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

Cemeteries Near Greenleaf ...

Below are cemeteries that are in the vicinity of Greenleaf.

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

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

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

  • St. Columban Cemetery
    (Less than 2 miles to the west)
  • Ellsworth Cemetery
    (4 miles [6.4 km] to the northeast)
  • Spring Grove Cemetery
    (5 miles [8 km] to the southwest)
  • Emmanuel Evangelical Lutheran Cemetery
    (5 miles [8 km] to the south)
  • Immanuel Evangelical Lutheran Cemetery
    (5 miles [8 km] to the south)
  • Emmanuel Lutheran Cemetery
    (5 miles [8 km] to the south)
  • St. John's Cemetery
    (6 miles [9.7 km] to the south)
  • Acoma Cemetery
    (6 miles [9.7 km] to the southeast)
  • Peace Cemetery
    (7 miles [11.3 km] to the southeast)
  • Lake Jennie Cemetery
    (7 miles [11.3 km] to the east)
  • Ripley Cemetery
    (7 miles [11.3 km] to the north)
  • St. Anastasia Cemetery
    (8 miles [12.9 km] to the southeast)
  • Continue List   (208 more) ...
    • St. Johns Cemetery
      (8 miles [12.9 km] to the northeast)
    • Ness Cemetery
      (8 miles [12.9 km] to the northwest)
    • Cosmos 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 in 1895, Greenleaf had a post office and no railroad service.

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

  • Cedar Mills
    (3 miles [4.8 km] to the south)
    • Cedar Mills is located in Meeker County
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Cedar Mills
    • Population from the 2020 Census: 51 people
  • Darwin
    (8 miles [12.9 km] to the northeast)
  • Hutchinson
    (9 miles [14.5 km] to the southeast)
  • Litchfield
    (9 miles [14.5 km] to the north)
  • Cosmos
    (10 miles [16.1 km] to the southwest)
  • Dassel
    (10 miles [16.1 km] to the northeast)
  • Rosendale
    (10 miles [16.1 km] to the west)
    • Rosendale is located in Meeker County
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Rosendale
  • Lakeside
    (11 miles [17.7 km] to the south)
    • Lakeside is located in Renville County
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Lakeside
  • Grove City
    (13 miles [20.9 km] to the northwest)
  • Forest City
    (14 miles [22.5 km] to the north)
    • Forest City is located in Meeker County
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Forest City
  • Biscay
    (16 miles [25.7 km] to the southeast)
    • Biscay is located in McLeod County
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Biscay
    • Population from the 2020 Census: 109 people
  • Silver Lake
    (16 miles [25.7 km] to the southeast)
  • Continue List   (14 more) ...
    • Cokato
      (16 miles [25.7 km] to the east)
    • Kingston
      (16 miles [25.7 km] to the northeast)
      • Kingston is located in Meeker County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Kingston
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 162 people
    • Atwater
      (16 miles [25.7 km] to the northwest)

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

Newspapers Published in Greenleaf ...

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 Greenleaf.

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

Websites to Help With Your Genealogy Research ...

When we do our genealogical research, we first visit 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 Greenleaf:

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