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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 Lillian (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 Lillian. 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 Lillian ...

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.

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

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 northeast corner of their home county. During their lives, most doctors were in the next county to the east. 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 east 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 Lillian is located in Kandiyohi 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 Kandiyohi County: Chippewa, Meeker, Pope, Renville, Stearns & Swift.

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

  • Kandiyohi County     (The home county of Lake Lillian)
    • The following are listed by their distance from Lake Lillian, with the one closest to Lake Lillian listed first.
    • Blomkest
      (7 miles [11.3 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
      (8 miles [12.9 km] to the northwest)
      • Svea is located in Kandiyohi County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Svea
    • Roseland
      (11 miles [17.7 km] to the west)
      • Roseland is located in Kandiyohi County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Roseland
    • Kandiyohi
      (13 miles [20.9 km] to the north)
      • Kandiyohi is located in Kandiyohi County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Kandiyohi
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 477 people
    • Willmar
      (13 miles [20.9 km] to the northwest)
    • Atwater
      (14 miles [22.5 km] to the north)
    • Wilmar
      (14 miles [22.5 km] to the northwest)
      • Wilmar is located in Kandiyohi County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Wilmar
    • Prinsburg
      (15 miles [24.1 km] to the west)
      • Prinsburg is located in Kandiyohi County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Prinsburg
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 497 people
    • Raymond
      (18 miles [29 km] to the west)
    • Pennock
      (19 miles [30.6 km] to the northwest)
      • Pennock is located in Kandiyohi County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Pennock
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 509 people
    • Spicer
      (20 miles [32.2 km] to the north)
      • 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>
    • New London
      (24 miles [38.6 km] to the north)
  • Chippewa County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Lake Lillian, with the one closest to Lake Lillian listed first.
    • Clara City
      (23 miles [37 km] to the west)
    • Maynard
      (28 miles [45.1 km] to the west)
  • McLeod County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Lake Lillian, with the one closest to Lake Lillian listed first.
    • Stewart
      (24 miles [38.6 km] to the southeast)
      • Stewart is located in McLeod County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Stewart
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 533 people
    • Hutchinson
      (25 miles [40.2 km] to the east)
    • Fernando
      (28 miles [45.1 km] to the southeast)
      • Fernando is located in McLeod County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Fernando
    • Brownton
      (29 miles [46.7 km] to the southeast)
    • Biscay
      (30 miles [48.3 km] to the east)
      • Biscay is located in McLeod County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Biscay
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 109 people
  • Meeker County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Lake Lillian, with the one closest to Lake Lillian listed first.
    • Cosmos
      (9 miles [14.5 km] to the east)
    • Rosendale
      (10 miles [16.1 km] to the northeast)
      • Rosendale is located in Meeker County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Rosendale
    • Cedar Mills
      (17 miles [27.4 km] to the east)
      • Cedar Mills is located in Meeker County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Cedar Mills
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 51 people
    • Grove City
      (17 miles [27.4 km] to the northeast)
    • Litchfield
      (21 miles [33.8 km] to the northeast)
    • Manannah
      (24 miles [38.6 km] to the northeast)
      • Manannah is located in Meeker County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Manannah
    • Darwin
      (25 miles [40.2 km] to the northeast)
    • Forest City
      (27 miles [43.5 km] to the northeast)
      • Forest City is located in Meeker County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Forest City
    • Dassel
      (29 miles [46.7 km] to the east)
    • Eden Valley
      (30 miles [48.3 km] to the northeast)
  • Redwood County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Lake Lillian, with the one closest to Lake Lillian listed first.
    • North Redwood
      (28 miles [45.1 km] to the south)
      • North Redwood is located in Redwood County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for North Redwood
    • Delhi
      (28 miles [45.1 km] to the southwest)
      • Delhi is located in Redwood County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Delhi
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 63 people
    • Redwood Falls
      (29 miles [46.7 km] to the south)
  • Renville County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Lake Lillian, with the one closest to Lake Lillian listed first.
    • Bird Island
      (12 miles [19.3 km] to the south)
    • Olivia
      (12 miles [19.3 km] to the southwest)
    • Danube
      (15 miles [24.1 km] to the southwest)
    • Hector
      (16 miles [25.7 km] to the southeast)
    • Buffalo Lake
      (19 miles [30.6 km] to the southeast)
    • Renville
      (19 miles [30.6 km] to the southwest)
    • Sacred Heart
      (25 miles [40.2 km] to the southwest)
    • Morton
      (27 miles [43.5 km] to the south)
    • Franklin
      (28 miles [45.1 km] to the south)
    • Fairfax
      (29 miles [46.7 km] to the south)
  • Stearns County
    • Paynesville
      (30 miles [48.3 km] to the north)
  • Swift County
    • Kerkhoven
      (27 miles [43.5 km] to the northwest)

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

Cemeteries Near Lake Lillian ...

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

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 Lake Lillian - one of the links might be able to help.

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

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

  • Community Cemetery
    (Less than 2 miles to the south)
  • Tromso Cemetery
    (2 miles [3.2 km] to the north)
  • Lake Lillian United Methodist Cemetery
    (2 miles [3.2 km] to the northeast)
  • Pioneers Union Cemetery
    (3 miles [4.8 km] to the north)
  • Christine Cemetery
    (3 miles [4.8 km] to the southwest)
  • Lake Lillian Baptist Cemetery
    (3 miles [4.8 km] to the east)
  • Early Lake Lillian Community Burial Ground
    (3 miles [4.8 km] to the northeast)
  • Lake Elizabeth Cemetery
    (5 miles [8 km] to the north)
  • Evergreen Cemetery
    (5 miles [8 km] to the west)
  • Blomkest Cemetery
    (6 miles [9.7 km] to the west)
  • United Church of Hope Cemetery
    (7 miles [11.3 km] to the southeast)
  • Bethesda Cemetery
    (7 miles [11.3 km] to the northwest)
  • Continue List   (199 more) ...
    • Svea Cemetery
      (7 miles [11.3 km] to the northwest)
    • Oak Hill Cemetery
      (8 miles [12.9 km] to the northwest)
    • Immanuel Cemetery
      (8 miles [12.9 km] to the northeast)

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>

The Rand McNally Atlas shows that Lake Lillian had a population of 30 people in 1895 with a post office and no railroad service. In 2020, Lake Lillian had a population of 233 people.

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

  • Svea
    (8 miles [12.9 km] to the northwest)
    • Svea is located in Kandiyohi County
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Svea
  • Cosmos
    (9 miles [14.5 km] to the east)
  • Rosendale
    (10 miles [16.1 km] to the northeast)
    • Rosendale is located in Meeker County
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Rosendale
  • Roseland
    (11 miles [17.7 km] to the west)
    • Roseland is located in Kandiyohi County
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Roseland
  • Olivia
    (12 miles [19.3 km] to the southwest)
  • Bird Island
    (12 miles [19.3 km] to the south)
  • Willmar
    (13 miles [20.9 km] to the northwest)
  • Atwater
    (14 miles [22.5 km] to the north)
  • Prinsburg
    (15 miles [24.1 km] to the west)
    • Prinsburg is located in Kandiyohi County
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Prinsburg
    • Population from the 2020 Census: 497 people
  • Hector
    (16 miles [25.7 km] to the southeast)
  • Lakeside
    (17 miles [27.4 km] to the southeast)
    • Lakeside is located in Renville County
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Lakeside
  • Cedar Mills
    (17 miles [27.4 km] to the east)
    • Cedar Mills is located in Meeker County
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Cedar Mills
    • Population from the 2020 Census: 51 people
  • Continue List   (14 more) ...
    • Grove City
      (17 miles [27.4 km] to the northeast)
    • Greenleaf
      (18 miles [29 km] to the east)
      • Greenleaf is located in Meeker County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Greenleaf
    • Raymond
      (18 miles [29 km] to the west)

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

Newspapers Published in the Vicinity of Lake Lillian ...

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 112 newspapers that have been published in the area around Lake Lillian.

We have organized these newspapers into two lists:

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

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 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 Lillian:

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 Lake Lillian, 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' (or point-to-point) distance. A straight line distance ignores things like rivers, canyons, lakes, et cetera - it's truly a line from Point A (ie- Lake Lillian) to Point B. In other words: 'As the crow flies'.