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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 Grove City (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 Grove City. 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 northwest corner of their home county. During their lives, most doctors were in the next county to the west. 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 west 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.

Grove City 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 Grove City. For each of these counties, we show a sample of those communities that are closest to Grove City:

  • Meeker County     (The home county of Grove City)
    • The following are listed by their distance from Grove City, with the one closest to Grove City listed first.
    • Litchfield
      (7 miles [11.3 km] to the east)
    • Manannah
      (7 miles [11.3 km] to the northeast)
      • Manannah is located in Meeker County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Manannah
    • Rosendale
      (7 miles [11.3 km] to the south)
      • Rosendale is located in Meeker County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Rosendale
    • Forest City
      (11 miles [17.7 km] to the east)
      • Forest City is located in Meeker County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Forest City
    • Eden Valley
      (13 miles [20.9 km] to the northeast)
    • Darwin
      (14 miles [22.5 km] to the east)
    • Cosmos
      (14 miles [22.5 km] to the south)
    • Cedar Mills
      (16 miles [25.7 km] to the southeast)
      • Cedar Mills is located in Meeker County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Cedar Mills
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 51 people
    • Watkins
      (17 miles [27.4 km] to the northeast)
    • Dassel
      (18 miles [29 km] to the east)
    • Kingston
      (18 miles [29 km] to the east)
      • Kingston is located in Meeker County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Kingston
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 162 people
  • Kandiyohi County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Grove City, with the one closest to Grove City listed first.
    • Atwater
      (4 miles [6.4 km] to the west)
    • Kandiyohi
      (12 miles [19.3 km] to the west)
      • Kandiyohi is located in Kandiyohi County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Kandiyohi
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 477 people
    • Spicer
      (13 miles [20.9 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>
    • Hawick
      (15 miles [24.1 km] to the northwest)
      • Hawick is located in Kandiyohi County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Hawick
    • New London
      (16 miles [25.7 km] to the northwest)
    • Lake Lillian
      (17 miles [27.4 km] to the southwest)
    • Willmar
      (17 miles [27.4 km] to the west)
    • Wilmar
      (17 miles [27.4 km] to the west)
      • Wilmar is located in Kandiyohi County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Wilmar
    • Regal
      (19 miles [30.6 km] to the northwest)
      • Regal is located in Kandiyohi County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Regal
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 35 people
    • Svea
      (19 miles [30.6 km] to the southwest)
      • Svea is located in Kandiyohi County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Svea
    • Blomkest
      (22 miles [35.4 km] to the southwest)
      • Blomkest is located in Kandiyohi County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Blomkest
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 157 people
    • Pennock
      (24 miles [38.6 km] to the west)
      • Pennock is located in Kandiyohi County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Pennock
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 509 people
  • McLeod County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Grove City, with the one closest to Grove City listed first.
    • Hutchinson
      (23 miles [37 km] to the southeast)
    • Silver Lake
      (29 miles [46.7 km] to the southeast)
    • Biscay
      (30 miles [48.3 km] to the southeast)
      • Biscay is located in McLeod County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Biscay
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 109 people
  • Renville County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Grove City, with the one closest to Grove City listed first.
    • Bird Island
      (28 miles [45.1 km] to the south)
    • Buffalo Lake
      (28 miles [45.1 km] to the south)
    • Hector
      (28 miles [45.1 km] to the south)
    • Olivia
      (29 miles [46.7 km] to the southwest)
  • Stearns County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Grove City, with the one closest to Grove City listed first.
    • Paynesville
      (15 miles [24.1 km] to the north)
    • Roscoe
      (19 miles [30.6 km] to the north)
    • Kimball Prairie
      (21 miles [33.8 km] to the northeast)
      • Kimball Prairie is located in Stearns County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Kimball Prairie
    • Kimball
      (21 miles [33.8 km] to the northeast)
    • Lake Henry
      (22 miles [35.4 km] to the north)
      • Lake Henry is located in Stearns County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Lake Henry
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 113 people
    • Richmond
      (22 miles [35.4 km] to the north)
    • Saint Martin
      (24 miles [38.6 km] to the north)
    • Cold Spring
      (24 miles [38.6 km] to the northeast)
    • Fairhaven
      (25 miles [40.2 km] to the northeast)
      • Fairhaven is located in Stearns County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Fairhaven
    • Belgrade
      (25 miles [40.2 km] to the northwest)
      • Belgrade is located in Stearns County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Belgrade
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 787 people
    • Spring Hill
      (26 miles [41.8 km] to the north)
      • Spring Hill is located in Stearns County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Spring Hill
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 95 people
    • Rockville
      (27 miles [43.5 km] to the northeast)
  • Wright County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Grove City, with the one closest to Grove City listed first.
    • Cokato
      (24 miles [38.6 km] to the east)
    • South Haven
      (24 miles [38.6 km] to the northeast)
    • Albright
      (27 miles [43.5 km] to the east)
      • Albright is located in Wright County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Albright
    • Annandale
      (28 miles [45.1 km] to the east)
    • Smith Lake
      (28 miles [45.1 km] to the east)
      • Smith Lake is located in Wright County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Smith Lake
    • Albion Center
      (29 miles [46.7 km] to the east)
      • Albion Center is located in Wright County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Albion Center
    • Howard Lake
      (30 miles [48.3 km] to the east)

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

Cemeteries Near Grove City ...

Below are cemeteries that are in the vicinity of Grove City.

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 Grove City - one of the links might be able to help.

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

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

  • New Immanuel Lutheran Cemetery
    (Less than 2 miles to the southeast)
  • First Lutheran Cemetery
    (Less than 2 miles to the northeast)
  • Bethlehem Cemetery
    (3 miles [4.8 km] to the west)
  • Bethlehem Cemetery
    (4 miles [6.4 km] to the west)
  • St. John's Evangelical Lutheran Cemetery
    (4 miles [6.4 km] to the west)
  • St. Marys Cemetery
    (4 miles [6.4 km] to the west)
  • Atwater Union Cemetery
    (5 miles [8 km] to the west)
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Atwater Union Cemetery
    • To give a relative sense of its location, the Atwater Union Cemetery is a large cemetery that is located outside and to the southwest of Atwater.
    • The Atwater Union Cemetery has also been known as:
    • Union Cemetery
    • Jump to Find-A-Grave: FG ID #83741 <2>
  • Ness Cemetery
    (5 miles [8 km] to the southeast)
  • Burr Oak Cemetery
    (6 miles [9.7 km] to the north)
  • Oak Grove Cemetery
    (7 miles [11.3 km] to the southwest)
  • Manannah Cemetery
    (7 miles [11.3 km] to the north)
  • Ripley Cemetery
    (8 miles [12.9 km] to the east)
  • Continue List   (202 more) ...
    • Calvary Cemetery
      (8 miles [12.9 km] to the east)
    • Oakside Cemetery
      (8 miles [12.9 km] to the northwest)
    • Rosendale 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 Grove City had a population of 349 people in 1895 with a post office and railroad service. In 2020, Grove City had a population of 624 people.

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

  • Atwater
    (4 miles [6.4 km] to the west)
  • Crow River
    (6 miles [9.7 km] to the north)
    • Crow River is located in Meeker County
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Crow River
  • Rosendale
    (7 miles [11.3 km] to the south)
    • Rosendale is located in Meeker County
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Rosendale
  • Litchfield
    (7 miles [11.3 km] to the east)
  • Manannah
    (7 miles [11.3 km] to the northeast)
    • Manannah is located in Meeker County
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Manannah
  • Forest City
    (11 miles [17.7 km] to the east)
    • Forest City is located in Meeker County
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Forest City
  • Greenleaf
    (13 miles [20.9 km] to the southeast)
    • Greenleaf is located in Meeker County
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Greenleaf
  • Eden Valley
    (13 miles [20.9 km] to the northeast)
  • Spicer
    (13 miles [20.9 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>
  • Cosmos
    (14 miles [22.5 km] to the south)
  • Darwin
    (14 miles [22.5 km] to the east)
  • Paynesville
    (15 miles [24.1 km] to the north)
  • Continue List   (16 more) ...
    • Cedar Mills
      (16 miles [25.7 km] to the southeast)
      • Cedar Mills is located in Meeker County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Cedar Mills
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 51 people
    • New London
      (16 miles [25.7 km] to the northwest)
    • Lake Lillian
      (17 miles [27.4 km] to the southwest)

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

Newspapers Published in the Vicinity of Grove City ...

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 100 newspapers that have been published in the area around Grove City.

We have organized these newspapers into two lists:

  • A Local Newspaper List - focusing on the papers published in the immediate area of Grove City. There are actually two parts to this list - papers printed in the immediate area of Grove City and those printed in the larger area surrounding Grove City.
  • An Extended Newspaper List - a longer list, sorted by paper name and containing those papers published within 30 miles [48.3 km]<4> of Grove City.

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 Grove City:

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