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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 Lake Benton (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 Lake Benton. 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 Lake Benton ...

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 have occurred.

For example, a typical abbreviation for Lake Benton: Lk. Benton

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 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.

Lake Benton is located in Lincoln County.

To see how the shape of Minnesota's counties have changed over time, we recommend the Atlas of Historical County Boundaries.

The following counties adjoin and form the boundaries of Lincoln County: Lyon, Pipestone, Yellow Medicine, Brookings (SD) & Deuel (SD).

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

  • Lincoln County     (The home county of Lake Benton)
    • The following are listed by their distance from Lake Benton, with the one closest to Lake Benton listed first.
    • Tyler
      (7 miles [11.3 km] to the east)
    • Arco
      (9 miles [14.5 km] to the northeast)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Arco have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Arco
      • Arco is located in Lincoln County
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 64 people
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Arco <1>
    • Ivanhoe
      (14 miles [22.5 km] to the north)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Ivanhoe have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Ivanhoe
      • Ivanhoe is located in Lincoln County
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 524 people
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Ivanhoe <1>
    • Hendricks
      (18 miles [29 km] to the north)
  • Lyon County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Lake Benton, with the one closest to Lake Benton listed first.
    • Florence
      (11 miles [17.7 km] to the east)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Florence have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Florence
      • Florence is located in Lyon County
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 35 people
    • Russell
      (17 miles [27.4 km] to the east)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Russell have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Russell
      • Russell is located in Lyon County
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 343 people
    • Balaton
      (20 miles [32.2 km] to the east)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Balaton have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Balaton
      • Balaton is located in Lyon County
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 616 people
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Balaton <1>
    • Lynd
      (22 miles [35.4 km] to the northeast)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Lynd have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Lynd
      • Lynd is located in Lyon County
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 455 people
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Lynd <1>
    • Minneota
      (25 miles [40.2 km] to the northeast)
    • Taunton
      (25 miles [40.2 km] to the northeast)
    • Garvin
      (26 miles [41.8 km] to the east)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Garvin have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Garvin
      • Garvin is located in Lyon County
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 129 people
    • Ghent
      (26 miles [41.8 km] to the northeast)
    • Marshall
      (27 miles [43.5 km] to the northeast)
    • Amiret
      (29 miles [46.7 km] to the east)
  • Murray County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Lake Benton, with the one closest to Lake Benton listed first.
    • Lake Wilson
      (24 miles [38.6 km] to the southeast)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Lake Wilson have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Lake Wilson
      • Lake Wilson is located in Murray County
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 224 people
    • Chandler
      (28 miles [45.1 km] to the southeast)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Chandler have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Chandler
      • Chandler is located in Murray County
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 246 people
    • Hadley
      (28 miles [45.1 km] to the southeast)
  • Pipestone County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Lake Benton, with the one closest to Lake Benton listed first.
    • Ruthton
      (10 miles [16.1 km] to the southeast)
    • Holland
      (12 miles [19.3 km] to the south)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Holland have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Holland
      • Holland is located in Pipestone County
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 172 people
    • Pipestone
      (18 miles [29 km] to the south)
    • Airlie
      (18 miles [29 km] to the southwest)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Airlie have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Airlie
      • Airlie is located in Pipestone County
    • Woodstock
      (19 miles [30.6 km] to the southeast)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Woodstock have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Woodstock
      • Woodstock is located in Pipestone County
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 118 people
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Woodstock <1>
    • Hatfield
      (21 miles [33.8 km] to the south)
    • Ihlen
      (24 miles [38.6 km] to the south)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Ihlen have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Ihlen
      • Ihlen is located in Pipestone County
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 66 people
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Ihlen <1>
    • Trosky
      (25 miles [40.2 km] to the south)
    • Edgerton
      (27 miles [43.5 km] to the south)
    • Jasper Sunrise Village
      (28 miles [45.1 km] to the south)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Jasper Sunrise Village have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Jasper Sunrise Village
      • Jasper Sunrise Village is located in Pipestone County
    • Jasper
      (28 miles [45.1 km] to the south)
  • Yellow Medicine County
    • Porter
      (26 miles [41.8 km] to the north)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Porter have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Porter
      • Porter is located in Yellow Medicine County
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 164 people
  • Brookings County (SD)
    • The following are listed by their distance from Lake Benton, with the one closest to Lake Benton listed first.
    • Elkton
      (9 miles [14.5 km] to the west)
    • Bushnell
      (18 miles [29 km] to the west)
    • Aurora
      (19 miles [30.6 km] to the west)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Aurora have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Aurora
      • Aurora is located in Brookings County (SD)
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 866 people
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Aurora <1>
    • White
      (21 miles [33.8 km] to the northwest)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for White have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for White
      • White is located in Brookings County (SD)
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 487 people
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for White <1>
    • Brookings
      (24 miles [38.6 km] to the west)
    • Medary
      (24 miles [38.6 km] to the west)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Medary have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Medary
      • Medary is located in Brookings County (SD)
      • Estimated population in 2014: 1,442 people
    • Sunnyview
      (25 miles [40.2 km] to the west)
    • North Grove Addition
      (27 miles [43.5 km] to the northwest)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for North Grove Addition have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for North Grove Addition
      • North Grove Addition is located in Brookings County (SD)
      • Estimated population in 2014: 471 people
  • Deuel County (SD)
    • The following are listed by their distance from Lake Benton, with the one closest to Lake Benton listed first.
    • Astoria
      (24 miles [38.6 km] to the northwest)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Astoria have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Astoria
      • Astoria is located in Deuel County (SD)
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 134 people
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Astoria <1>
    • Toronto
      (27 miles [43.5 km] to the northwest)
  • Moody County (SD)
    • The following are listed by their distance from Lake Benton, with the one closest to Lake Benton listed first.
    • Ward
      (11 miles [17.7 km] to the southwest)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Ward have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Ward
      • Ward is located in Moody County (SD)
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 51 people
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Ward <1>
    • Flandreau
      (21 miles [33.8 km] to the southwest)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Flandreau have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Flandreau
      • Flandreau is located in Moody County (SD)
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 2,293 people
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Flandreau <1>
    • Egan
      (25 miles [40.2 km] to the southwest)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Egan have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Egan
      • Egan is located in Moody County (SD)
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 270 people
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Egan <1>
    • Sioux Falls Junction
      (27 miles [43.5 km] to the southwest)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Sioux Falls Junction have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Sioux Falls Junction
      • Sioux Falls Junction is located in Moody County (SD)
      • Estimated population in 2014: 119 people
    • Lone Tree
      (29 miles [46.7 km] to the southwest)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Lone Tree have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Lone Tree
      • Lone Tree is located in Moody County (SD)
      • Estimated population in 2014: 14 people
    • Trent
      (30 miles [48.3 km] to the southwest)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Trent have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Trent
      • Trent is located in Moody County (SD)
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 226 people
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Trent <1>

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

Cemeteries Near Lake Benton ...

Below are cemeteries that are in the vicinity of Lake Benton.

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.

If you need information about a burial or interment, photos, transcripts, how to contact the cemetery or local authorities, please visit our selection of Genealogy Websites (see below).

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

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

  • Memorial Cemetery
    (Less than 2 miles to the east)
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Memorial Cemetery
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Memorial Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
  • Memorial Hill Cemetery
    (Less than 2 miles to the east)
  • Briffett Family Cemetery
    (Less than 2 miles to the east)
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Briffett Family Cemetery
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Briffett Family Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
  • Danish Evangelical Cemetery
    (4 miles [6.4 km] to the north)
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Danish Evangelical Cemetery
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Danish Evangelical Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
  • Immanuel Cemetery
    (4 miles [6.4 km] to the west)
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Immanuel Cemetery
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Immanuel Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
  • Stolz Cemetery
    (5 miles [8 km] to the west)
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Stolz Cemetery
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Stolz Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
  • Danebod Cemetery
    (7 miles [11.3 km] to the east)
  • Hope Cemetery
    (8 miles [12.9 km] to the east)
  • St. Dionysius Cemetery
    (8 miles [12.9 km] to the east)
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the St. Dionysius Cemetery
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the St. Dionysius Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
  • St. Marys Cemetery
    (9 miles [14.5 km] to the west)
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the St. Marys Cemetery
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the St. Marys Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
  • Shaokatan Cemetery
    (9 miles [14.5 km] to the north)
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Shaokatan Cemetery
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Shaokatan Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
  • Luctor Cemetery
    (9 miles [14.5 km] to the south)
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Luctor Cemetery
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Luctor Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
  • Continue List   (107 more) ...
    • Trinity Cemetery
      (10 miles [16.1 km] to the west)
    • German Evangelical Lutheran Cemetery
      (10 miles [16.1 km] to the southwest)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the German Evangelical Lutheran Cemetery
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the German Evangelical Lutheran Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Ruthton Cemetery
      (10 miles [16.1 km] to the southeast)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Ruthton Cemetery
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Ruthton Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.

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.<4>

The Rand McNally Atlas shows that Lake Benton had a population of 513 people in 1895 with a post office and railroad service. In 2020, Lake Benton had a population of 625 people.

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

  • Verdi
    (4 miles [6.4 km] to the southwest)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Verdi have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Verdi
    • Verdi is located in Lincoln County
  • Tyler
    (7 miles [11.3 km] to the east)
  • Elkton
    (9 miles [14.5 km] to the west)
  • Ruthton
    (10 miles [16.1 km] to the southeast)
  • Ward
    (11 miles [17.7 km] to the southwest)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Ward have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Ward
    • Ward is located in Moody County (SD)
    • Population from the 2020 Census: 51 people
    • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Ward <1>
  • Florence
    (11 miles [17.7 km] to the east)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Florence have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Florence
    • Florence is located in Lyon County
    • Population from the 2020 Census: 35 people
  • Holland
    (12 miles [19.3 km] to the south)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Holland have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Holland
    • Holland is located in Pipestone County
    • Population from the 2020 Census: 172 people
  • Cazenovia
    (13 miles [20.9 km] to the south)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Cazenovia have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Cazenovia
    • Cazenovia is located in Pipestone County
  • Burchard
    (14 miles [22.5 km] to the east)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Burchard have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Burchard
    • Burchard is located in Lyon County
  • Wilno
    (16 miles [25.7 km] to the north)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Wilno have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Wilno
    • Wilno is located in Lincoln County
  • Russell
    (17 miles [27.4 km] to the east)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Russell have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Russell
    • Russell is located in Lyon County
    • Population from the 2020 Census: 343 people
  • Airlie
    (18 miles [29 km] to the southwest)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Airlie have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Airlie
    • Airlie is located in Pipestone County
  • Continue List   (16 more) ...

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

Newspapers Published in the Vicinity of Lake Benton ...

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 84 newspapers that have been published in the area around Lake Benton.

We have organized these newspapers into two lists:

  • A Local Newspaper List - focusing on the papers published in the immediate area of Lake Benton. There are actually two parts to this list - papers printed in the immediate area of Lake Benton and those printed in the larger area surrounding Lake Benton.
  • An Extended Newspaper List - a longer list, sorted by paper name and containing those papers published within 28 miles [45.1 km]<5> of Lake Benton.

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 Lake Benton:

Unfortunately, we don't know of a website for Lake Benton. If you can help, please contact us through our Feedback Page.

The official website for Lincoln County: www.co.lincoln.mn.us/

The official website for State of Minnesota: https://mn.gov/

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 location has been supplied by the Geographic Names Information System - which is maintained by the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS). While these values should be definitive, we found that accuracy can vary and you should double-check the location if accuracy is required.
<3>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.
<4>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 Lake Benton, please let us know so that we can improve our accuracy.
<5>Our distances are not driving distances, but are calculated as a 'straight-line' (or 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- Lake Benton) to Point B.Our distance measurements begin at a specific point in Lake Benton. The point we use is located at these GPS coordinates - Latitude: 44.2611, Longitude: -96.2874    









 

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This page was last modified/updated: 28 Apr 2025