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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 Jeffers (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 Jeffers. 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 southeast 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 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.

Jeffers is located in Cottonwood 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 Cottonwood County: Brown, Jackson, Martin, Murray, Nobles, Redwood & Watonwan.

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

  • Cottonwood County     (The home county of Jeffers)
    • The following are listed by their distance from Jeffers, with the one closest to Jeffers listed first.
    • Storden
      (6 miles [9.7 km] to the west)
      • Storden is located in Cottonwood County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Storden
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 204 people
    • Bingham Lake
      (12 miles [19.3 km] to the southeast)
    • Westbrook
      (12 miles [19.3 km] to the west)
    • Windom
      (13 miles [20.9 km] to the south)
      • Windom is located in Cottonwood County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Windom
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 4,403 people
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Windom <1>
    • Mountain Lake
      (15 miles [24.1 km] to the southeast)
  • Brown County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Jeffers, with the one closest to Jeffers listed first.
    • Comfrey
      (14 miles [22.5 km] to the east)
    • Springfield
      (16 miles [25.7 km] to the northeast)
    • Leavenworth
      (22 miles [35.4 km] to the northeast)
      • Leavenworth is located in Brown County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Leavenworth
    • Cobden
      (23 miles [37 km] to the northeast)
      • Cobden is located in Brown County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Cobden
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 35 people
    • Evan
      (27 miles [43.5 km] to the northeast)
      • Evan is located in Brown County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Evan
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 84 people
    • Iberia
      (27 miles [43.5 km] to the northeast)
      • Iberia is located in Brown County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Iberia
    • Sleepy Eye
      (28 miles [45.1 km] to the northeast)
  • Jackson County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Jeffers, with the one closest to Jeffers listed first.
    • Wilder
      (15 miles [24.1 km] to the south)
      • Wilder is located in Jackson County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Wilder
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 56 people
    • Heron Lake
      (18 miles [29 km] to the south)
      • Heron Lake is located in Jackson County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Heron Lake
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 643 people
    • Okabena
      (22 miles [35.4 km] to the south)
      • Okabena is located in Jackson County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Okabena
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 195 people
    • Lakefield
      (26 miles [41.8 km] to the south)
  • Lyon County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Jeffers, with the one closest to Jeffers listed first.
    • Tracy
      (24 miles [38.6 km] to the northwest)
    • Amiret
      (30 miles [48.3 km] to the northwest)
      • Amiret is located in Lyon County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Amiret
    • Garvin
      (30 miles [48.3 km] to the west)
      • Garvin is located in Lyon County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Garvin
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 129 people
  • Martin County
    • Ormsby
      (28 miles [45.1 km] to the southeast)
      • Ormsby is located in Martin County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Ormsby
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 121 people
  • Murray County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Jeffers, with the one closest to Jeffers listed first.
    • Dovray
      (17 miles [27.4 km] to the west)
      • Dovray is located in Murray County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Dovray
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 51 people
    • Fulda
      (23 miles [37 km] to the southwest)
    • Avoca
      (23 miles [37 km] to the west)
      • Avoca is located in Murray County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Avoca
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 134 people
    • Currie
      (23 miles [37 km] to the west)
    • The Lakes
      (23 miles [37 km] to the west)
      • The Lakes is located in Murray County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for The Lakes
    • Slayton
      (28 miles [45.1 km] to the west)
    • Iona
      (30 miles [48.3 km] to the west)
  • Nobles County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Jeffers, with the one closest to Jeffers listed first.
    • Dundee
      (19 miles [30.6 km] to the southwest)
      • Dundee is located in Nobles County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Dundee
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 67 people
    • Kinbrae
      (21 miles [33.8 km] to the southwest)
      • Kinbrae is located in Nobles County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Kinbrae
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 10 people
    • Brewster
      (28 miles [45.1 km] to the southwest)
      • Brewster is located in Nobles County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Brewster
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 466 people
  • Redwood County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Jeffers, with the one closest to Jeffers listed first.
    • Sanborn
      (11 miles [17.7 km] to the north)
    • Lamberton
      (12 miles [19.3 km] to the north)
    • Revere
      (14 miles [22.5 km] to the northwest)
    • Wanda
      (17 miles [27.4 km] to the north)
    • Walnut Grove
      (17 miles [27.4 km] to the northwest)
    • Clements
      (23 miles [37 km] to the north)
      • Clements is located in Redwood County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Clements
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 140 people
    • Wabasso
      (24 miles [38.6 km] to the north)
    • Lucan
      (26 miles [41.8 km] to the northwest)
    • Morgan
      (28 miles [45.1 km] to the northeast)
      • Morgan is located in Redwood County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Morgan
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 832 people
    • Seaforth
      (29 miles [46.7 km] to the north)
    • Milroy
      (30 miles [48.3 km] to the northwest)
  • Watonwan County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Jeffers, with the one closest to Jeffers listed first.
    • Darfur
      (17 miles [27.4 km] to the east)
      • Darfur is located in Watonwan County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Darfur
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 102 people
    • Butterfield
      (21 miles [33.8 km] to the east)
      • Butterfield is located in Watonwan County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Butterfield
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 582 people
    • Odin
      (26 miles [41.8 km] to the southeast)
      • Odin is located in Watonwan County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Odin
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 104 people
    • Godahl
      (27 miles [43.5 km] to the east)
      • Godahl is located in Watonwan County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Godahl
    • Saint James
      (28 miles [45.1 km] to the east)
    • La Salle
      (30 miles [48.3 km] to the east)
      • La Salle is located in Watonwan County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for La Salle
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 86 people

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

Cemeteries Near Jeffers ...

Below are cemeteries that are in the vicinity of Jeffers.

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

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

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

  • Jeffers Cemetery
    (Less than 2 miles to the southeast)
  • St. Johns Cemetery
    (4 miles [6.4 km] to the north)
  • Red Rock Cemetery
    (4 miles [6.4 km] to the northeast)
  • Bethany Cemetery
    (5 miles [8 km] to the west)
  • United Amo Cemetery
    (6 miles [9.7 km] to the southwest)
  • Highwater Cemetery
    (6 miles [9.7 km] to the northwest)
  • Delft Cemetery
    (7 miles [11.3 km] to the southeast)
  • Storden Cemetery
    (7 miles [11.3 km] to the west)
  • Amo Cemetery
    (8 miles [12.9 km] to the southwest)
  • Voth Cemetery
    (8 miles [12.9 km] to the southeast)
  • Delton Cemetery
    (8 miles [12.9 km] to the east)
  • Old Westbrook Cemetery
    (8 miles [12.9 km] to the northwest)
  • Continue List   (139 more) ...

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>

While we didn't find Jeffers in the Atlas, the following 1895 communities would have been found near the current location of Jeffers.

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

  • Storden
    (6 miles [9.7 km] to the west)
    • Storden is located in Cottonwood County
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Storden
    • Population from the 2020 Census: 204 people
  • Sanborn
    (11 miles [17.7 km] to the north)
  • Lamberton
    (12 miles [19.3 km] to the north)
  • Bingham Lake
    (12 miles [19.3 km] to the southeast)
  • Westbrook
    (12 miles [19.3 km] to the west)
  • Windom
    (13 miles [20.9 km] to the south)
    • Windom is located in Cottonwood County
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Windom
    • Population from the 2020 Census: 4,403 people
    • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Windom <1>
  • Comfrey
    (14 miles [22.5 km] to the east)
  • Revere
    (14 miles [22.5 km] to the northwest)
  • Wilder
    (15 miles [24.1 km] to the south)
    • Wilder is located in Jackson County
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Wilder
    • Population from the 2020 Census: 56 people
  • Mountain Lake
    (15 miles [24.1 km] to the southeast)
  • Springfield
    (16 miles [25.7 km] to the northeast)
  • Walnut Grove
    (17 miles [27.4 km] to the northwest)
  • Continue List   (14 more) ...
    • Heron Lake
      (18 miles [29 km] to the south)
      • Heron Lake is located in Jackson County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Heron Lake
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 643 people
    • Dundee
      (19 miles [30.6 km] to the southwest)
      • Dundee is located in Nobles County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Dundee
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 67 people
    • Lime Creek
      (21 miles [33.8 km] to the southwest)
      • Lime Creek is located in Murray County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Lime Creek

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

Newspapers Published in the Vicinity of Jeffers ...

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 88 newspapers that have been published in the area around Jeffers.

We have organized these newspapers into two lists:

  • A Local Newspaper List - focusing on the papers published in the immediate area of Jeffers. There are actually two parts to this list - papers printed in the immediate area of Jeffers and those printed in the larger area surrounding Jeffers.
  • An Extended Newspaper List - a longer list, sorted by paper name and containing those papers published within 30 miles [48.3 km]<3> of Jeffers.

Websites to Help With Your Genealogy Research ...

When we do our genealogical research, we 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 Jeffers:

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