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 Independence (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 Independence. 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 hospitals and 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.
Independence is located in Hennepin 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 Hennepin County: Anoka, Carver, Dakota, Ramsey, Scott, Sherburne & Wright.
Below are the counties that are near Independence. For each of these counties, we show a sample of those communities that are closest to Independence:
- Hennepin County (The home county of Independence)
- The following are listed by their distance from Independence, with the one closest to Independence listed first.
- Maple Plain
(2 miles [3.2 km] to the east)
- Loretto
(4 miles [6.4 km] to the northeast)
- Greenfield
(5 miles [8 km] to the north)
- Greenfield is located in Hennepin County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Greenfield
- Population from the 2020 Census: 3,058 people
- Medina
(6 miles [9.7 km] to the east)
- Minnetrista
(6 miles [9.7 km] to the south)
- Mound
(6 miles [9.7 km] to the south)
- Orono
(6 miles [9.7 km] to the southeast)
- Orono is located in Hennepin County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Orono
- Population from the 2020 Census: 8,348 people
- Long Lake
(7 miles [11.3 km] to the east)
- Crystal Bay
(7 miles [11.3 km] to the southeast)
- Crystal Bay is located in Hennepin County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Crystal Bay
- Spring Park
(7 miles [11.3 km] to the southeast)
- Hamel
(8 miles [12.9 km] to the east)
- Saint Bonifacius
(8 miles [12.9 km] to the south)
- Minnetonka Beach
(8 miles [12.9 km] to the southeast)
- Minnetonka Beach is located in Hennepin County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Minnetonka Beach
- Population from the 2020 Census: 584 people
- Anoka County
- The following are listed by their distance from Independence, with the one closest to Independence listed first.
- Anoka
(19 miles [30.6 km] to the northeast)
- Ramsey
(20 miles [32.2 km] to the northeast)
- Coon Creek
(21 miles [33.8 km] to the northeast)
- Coon Creek is located in Anoka County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Coon Creek
- Columbia Heights
(22 miles [35.4 km] to the east)
- Fridley
(22 miles [35.4 km] to the east)
- Hilltop
(22 miles [35.4 km] to the east)
- Hilltop is located in Anoka County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Hilltop
- Population from the 2020 Census: 764 people
- Coon Rapids
(22 miles [35.4 km] to the northeast)
- Spring Lake Park
(23 miles [37 km] to the east)
- Andover
(24 miles [38.6 km] to the northeast)
- Nowthen
(25 miles [40.2 km] to the northeast)
- Nowthen is located in Anoka County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Nowthen
- Population from the 2020 Census: 4,732 people
- Blaine
(26 miles [41.8 km] to the northeast)
- Lexington
(27 miles [43.5 km] to the east)
- Circle Pines
(28 miles [45.1 km] to the east)
- Carver County
- The following are listed by their distance from Independence, with the one closest to Independence listed first.
- Watertown
(7 miles [11.3 km] to the southwest)
- Victoria
(11 miles [17.7 km] to the south)
- Mayer
(12 miles [19.3 km] to the southwest)
- Hazelton
(12 miles [19.3 km] to the west)
- Hazelton is located in Carver County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Hazelton
- Hazeltine
(13 miles [20.9 km] to the south)
- Hazeltine is located in Carver County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Hazeltine
- Waconia
(13 miles [20.9 km] to the south)
- Chanhassen
(13 miles [20.9 km] to the southeast)
- Hollywood
(15 miles [24.1 km] to the southwest)
- Hollywood is located in Carver County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Hollywood
- Hydes Lake
(15 miles [24.1 km] to the southwest)
- Hydes Lake is located in Carver County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Hydes Lake
- New Germany
(16 miles [25.7 km] to the southwest)
- Chaska
(17 miles [27.4 km] to the south)
- Cologne
(17 miles [27.4 km] to the south)
- Dahlgren
(17 miles [27.4 km] to the south)
- Dahlgren is located in Carver County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Dahlgren
- Dakota County
- The following are listed by their distance from Independence, with the one closest to Independence listed first.
- Burnsville
(27 miles [43.5 km] to the southeast)
- Nicols
(27 miles [43.5 km] to the southeast)
- Nicols is located in Dakota County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Nicols
- Mendota
(28 miles [45.1 km] to the east)
- Lilydale
(29 miles [46.7 km] to the east)
- Lilydale is located in Dakota County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Lilydale
- Population from the 2020 Census: 838 people
- Mendota Heights
(29 miles [46.7 km] to the east)
- Eagan
(29 miles [46.7 km] to the southeast)
- West Saint Paul
(30 miles [48.3 km] to the east)
- McLeod County
- The following are listed by their distance from Independence, with the one closest to Independence listed first.
- Winsted
(17 miles [27.4 km] to the west)
- Lester Prairie
(18 miles [29 km] to the southwest)
- Plato
(23 miles [37 km] to the southwest)
- Silver Lake
(25 miles [40.2 km] to the west)
- Glencoe
(27 miles [43.5 km] to the southwest)
- Biscay
(30 miles [48.3 km] to the southwest)
- Biscay is located in McLeod County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Biscay
- Population from the 2020 Census: 109 people
- Meeker County
- Dassel
(29 miles [46.7 km] to the west)
- Ramsey County
- The following are listed by their distance from Independence, with the one closest to Independence listed first.
- Lauderdale
(24 miles [38.6 km] to the east)
- Lauderdale is located in Ramsey County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Lauderdale
- Population from the 2020 Census: 2,484 people
- New Brighton
(24 miles [38.6 km] to the east)
- Falcon Heights
(25 miles [40.2 km] to the east)
- Mounds View
(25 miles [40.2 km] to the east)
- Arden Hills
(26 miles [41.8 km] to the east)
- Roseville
(27 miles [43.5 km] to the east)
- Shoreview
(28 miles [45.1 km] to the east)
- Cardigan Junction
(29 miles [46.7 km] to the east)
- Cardigan Junction is located in Ramsey County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Cardigan Junction
- Little Canada
(30 miles [48.3 km] to the east)
- North Oaks
(30 miles [48.3 km] to the east)
- Saint Paul
(30 miles [48.3 km] to the east)
- Vadnais Heights
(30 miles [48.3 km] to the east)
- Scott County
- The following are listed by their distance from Independence, with the one closest to Independence listed first.
- Shakopee
(20 miles [32.2 km] to the southeast)
- Marystown
(22 miles [35.4 km] to the south)
- Marystown is located in Scott County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Marystown
- Jordan
(24 miles [38.6 km] to the south)
- Savage
(24 miles [38.6 km] to the southeast)
- Prior Lake
(25 miles [40.2 km] to the southeast)
- Belle Plaine
(27 miles [43.5 km] to the south)
- Credit River
(28 miles [45.1 km] to the southeast)
- Credit River is located in Scott County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Credit River
- Sherburne County
- The following are listed by their distance from Independence, with the one closest to Independence listed first.
- Big Lake
(21 miles [33.8 km] to the north)
- Elk River
(22 miles [35.4 km] to the north)
- Salida
(23 miles [37 km] to the north)
- Salida is located in Sherburne County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Salida
- Becker
(26 miles [41.8 km] to the north)
- Orrock
(29 miles [46.7 km] to the north)
- Orrock is located in Sherburne County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Orrock
- Zimmerman
(29 miles [46.7 km] to the north)
- Zimmerman is located in Sherburne County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Zimmerman
- Population from the 2020 Census: 6,135 people
- Zimmerman has also been known as:
- Lake Fremont
- Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Zimmerman <1>
- Sibley County
- Green Isle
(27 miles [43.5 km] to the southwest)
- Wright County
- The following are listed by their distance from Independence, with the one closest to Independence listed first.
- Rockford
(4 miles [6.4 km] to the north)
- Delano
(4 miles [6.4 km] to the west)
- Hanover
(9 miles [14.5 km] to the north)
- Montrose
(10 miles [16.1 km] to the west)
- Saint Michael
(12 miles [19.3 km] to the north)
- Buffalo
(13 miles [20.9 km] to the northwest)
- Waverly
(13 miles [20.9 km] to the west)
- Albertville
(14 miles [22.5 km] to the north)
- Rassat
(16 miles [25.7 km] to the northwest)
- Rassat is located in Wright County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Rassat
- Otsego
(17 miles [27.4 km] to the north)
- Howard Lake
(18 miles [29 km] to the west)
- Monticello
(19 miles [30.6 km] to the north)
- Albion Center
(20 miles [32.2 km] to the northwest)
- Albion Center is located in Wright County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Albion Center
For an expanded list of the communities that are closest to Independence, see our County-by-County Page for Independence.
Cemeteries Near Independence ...
Below are cemeteries that are in the vicinity of Independence.
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 Independence - one of the links might be able to help.
If not found below, our Cemetery List for Independence covers a larger area, with the cemeteries listed in alphabetical order.
The following cemeteries are listed based on their distance from Independence, with the one closest to Independence listed first.
- Lewis Cemetery
(Less than 2 miles to the southeast)
- Oakland Cemetery
(3 miles [4.8 km] to the southwest)
- Minnestrista Cemetery
(3 miles [4.8 km] to the south)
- Christ Lutheran Cemetery
(3 miles [4.8 km] to the southeast)
- Anna Mason Cemetery
(3 miles [4.8 km] to the east)
- St.s Peter & Paul Cemetery
(3 miles [4.8 km] to the northeast)
- Mt. Olive East Cemetery
(3 miles [4.8 km] to the northwest)
- St. Josephs Cemetery
(3 miles [4.8 km] to the northwest)
- Calvary Cemetery
(3 miles [4.8 km] to the west)
- St. Peters Cemetery
(3 miles [4.8 km] to the west)
- Delano Cemetery
(3 miles [4.8 km] to the west)
- Elmwood Cemetery
(5 miles [8 km] to the north)
- Continue List (300 more) ...
- Union Cemetery
(5 miles [8 km] to the southeast)
- St. Joseph's Cemetery
(5 miles [8 km] to the west)
- St. Peter Lutheran Church Cemetery
(6 miles [9.7 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>
While we didn't find Independence in the Atlas, the following 1895 communities would have been found near the current location of Independence.
These communities are listed based on their distance from Independence, with the one closest to Independence listed first.
- Maple Plain
(2 miles [3.2 km] to the east)
- Rockford
(4 miles [6.4 km] to the north)
- Delano
(4 miles [6.4 km] to the west)
- Minnetrista
(6 miles [9.7 km] to the south)
- Watertown
(7 miles [11.3 km] to the southwest)
- Spring Park
(7 miles [11.3 km] to the southeast)
- Long Lake
(7 miles [11.3 km] to the east)
- Burschville
(7 miles [11.3 km] to the northeast)
- Burschville is located in Hennepin County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Burschville
- Saint Bonifacius
(8 miles [12.9 km] to the south)
- Minnetonka Beach
(8 miles [12.9 km] to the southeast)
- Minnetonka Beach is located in Hennepin County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Minnetonka Beach
- Population from the 2020 Census: 584 people
- Hamel
(8 miles [12.9 km] to the east)
- Ditter
(9 miles [14.5 km] to the east)
- Ditter is located in Hennepin County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Ditter
- Continue List (17 more) ...
- Corcoran
(9 miles [14.5 km] to the northeast)
- Hanover
(9 miles [14.5 km] to the north)
- Excelsior
(10 miles [16.1 km] to the southeast)
We've also created an expanded list of communities that existed in the 1890's and were located in the area around Independence. See our List of 1890's Communities around Independence.
Newspapers Published in Independence ...
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 375 newspapers that have been published in the area around Independence.
Although we're unaware of any newspapers that were published in the immediate area of Independence, there are papers which were published within 24 miles [38.6 km]<4>. A list of those papers, sorted by paper name, can be found on the Extended Newspaper List for Independence.
Websites to Help With Your Genealogy Research ...
When we do our genealogical research, we first turn to 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 Independence:
- Websites specific to Minnesota
- Pages specific to Hennepin County
- Genealogy information for nearby counties
- Anoka County
- Carver County
- Dakota County
- McLeod County
- Meeker County
- Ramsey County
- Scott County
- Sherburne County
- Sibley County
- Wright County
- Cemetery Information and Directories for Minnesota
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 Independence, 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 from Point A (ie- Independence) to Point B. In other words: 'As the crow flies'. |