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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 Lawrence (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 Lawrence. 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 northeast corner of their home county. During their lives, most doctors and hospitals 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.

Lawrence is located in Scott 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 Scott County: Carver, Dakota, Hennepin, Le Sueur, Rice & Sibley.

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

  • Scott County     (The home county of Lawrence)
    • The following are listed by their distance from Lawrence, with the one closest to Lawrence listed first.
    • Jordan
      (2 miles [3.2 km] to the east)
    • Belle Plaine
      (4 miles [6.4 km] to the southwest)
    • Union Hill
      (7 miles [11.3 km] to the south)
      • Union Hill is located in Scott County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Union Hill
    • Marystown
      (8 miles [12.9 km] to the northeast)
      • Marystown is located in Scott County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Marystown
    • New Prague
      (9 miles [14.5 km] to the southeast)
    • Saint Patrick
      (9 miles [14.5 km] to the southeast)
      • Saint Patrick is located in Scott County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Saint Patrick
    • Cedar Lake
      (12 miles [19.3 km] to the east)
      • Cedar Lake is located in Scott County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Cedar Lake
    • Prior Lake
      (13 miles [20.9 km] to the east)
    • Shakopee
      (13 miles [20.9 km] to the northeast)
    • Credit River
      (15 miles [24.1 km] to the east)
      • Credit River is located in Scott County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Credit River
    • New Market
      (17 miles [27.4 km] to the east)
    • Savage
      (17 miles [27.4 km] to the northeast)
  • Carver County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Lawrence, with the one closest to Lawrence listed first.
    • Gotha
      (6 miles [9.7 km] to the northwest)
      • Gotha is located in Carver County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Gotha
    • Carver
      (7 miles [11.3 km] to the north)
    • Dahlgren
      (8 miles [12.9 km] to the north)
      • Dahlgren is located in Carver County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Dahlgren
    • Chaska
      (9 miles [14.5 km] to the northeast)
    • Cologne
      (9 miles [14.5 km] to the northwest)
    • Assumption
      (10 miles [16.1 km] to the west)
      • Assumption is located in Carver County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Assumption
    • Hazeltine
      (12 miles [19.3 km] to the north)
      • Hazeltine is located in Carver County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Hazeltine
    • Hydes Lake
      (13 miles [20.9 km] to the northwest)
      • Hydes Lake is located in Carver County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Hydes Lake
    • Norwood Young America
      (13 miles [20.9 km] to the northwest)
      • Norwood Young America is located in Carver County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Norwood Young America
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 3,794 people
    • Waconia
      (13 miles [20.9 km] to the northwest)
    • Norwood
      (14 miles [22.5 km] to the northwest)
    • Hamburg
      (14 miles [22.5 km] to the west)
      • Hamburg is located in Carver County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Hamburg
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 526 people
  • Dakota County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Lawrence, with the one closest to Lawrence listed first.
    • Burnsville
      (21 miles [33.8 km] to the east)
    • Lakeville
      (21 miles [33.8 km] to the east)
    • Eureka Center
      (23 miles [37 km] to the east)
      • Eureka Center is located in Dakota County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Eureka Center
    • Apple Valley
      (24 miles [38.6 km] to the east)
    • Nicols
      (25 miles [40.2 km] to the northeast)
      • Nicols is located in Dakota County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Nicols
    • Farmington
      (26 miles [41.8 km] to the east)
    • Castle Rock
      (27 miles [43.5 km] to the east)
      • Castle Rock is located in Dakota County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Castle Rock
    • Eagan
      (28 miles [45.1 km] to the northeast)
      • Eagan is located in Dakota County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Eagan
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 65,975 people
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Eagan <1>
    • Waterford
      (29 miles [46.7 km] to the southeast)
      • Waterford is located in Dakota County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Waterford
    • Rosemount
      (30 miles [48.3 km] to the east)
    • Mendota Heights
      (30 miles [48.3 km] to the northeast)
    • Mendota
      (30 miles [48.3 km] to the northeast)
  • Hennepin County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Lawrence, with the one closest to Lawrence listed first.
    • Excelsior
      (17 miles [27.4 km] to the north)
    • Saint Bonifacius
      (17 miles [27.4 km] to the north)
    • Eden Prairie
      (17 miles [27.4 km] to the northeast)
    • Greenwood
      (18 miles [29 km] to the north)
      • Greenwood is located in Hennepin County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Greenwood
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 937 people
    • Minnetrista
      (18 miles [29 km] to the north)
    • Shorewood
      (18 miles [29 km] to the north)
    • Tonka Bay
      (18 miles [29 km] to the north)
      • Tonka Bay is located in Hennepin County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Tonka Bay
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 1,551 people
    • Mound
      (19 miles [30.6 km] to the north)
      • Mound is located in Hennepin County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Mound
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 9,404 people
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Mound <1>
    • Spring Park
      (19 miles [30.6 km] to the north)
    • Deephaven
      (20 miles [32.2 km] to the north)
    • Minnetonka Beach
      (20 miles [32.2 km] to the north)
      • Minnetonka Beach is located in Hennepin County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Minnetonka Beach
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 584 people
    • Crystal Bay
      (21 miles [33.8 km] to the north)
      • Crystal Bay is located in Hennepin County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Crystal Bay
  • Le Sueur County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Lawrence, with the one closest to Lawrence listed first.
    • Heidelberg
      (11 miles [17.7 km] to the south)
      • Heidelberg is located in Le Sueur County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Heidelberg
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 122 people
    • Saint Thomas
      (11 miles [17.7 km] to the south)
      • Saint Thomas is located in Le Sueur County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Saint Thomas
    • Lexington
      (14 miles [22.5 km] to the south)
      • Lexington is located in Le Sueur County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Lexington
    • Montgomery
      (15 miles [24.1 km] to the south)
    • Le Sueur
      (17 miles [27.4 km] to the southwest)
    • Le Center
      (18 miles [29 km] to the south)
    • Cordova
      (22 miles [35.4 km] to the south)
      • Cordova is located in Le Sueur County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Cordova
    • Ottawa
      (22 miles [35.4 km] to the southwest)
      • Ottawa is located in Le Sueur County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Ottawa
    • Cleveland
      (24 miles [38.6 km] to the south)
    • Kilkenny
      (24 miles [38.6 km] to the south)
    • Kasota
      (28 miles [45.1 km] to the southwest)
    • Marysburg
      (29 miles [46.7 km] to the south)
      • Marysburg is located in Le Sueur County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Marysburg
  • McLeod County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Lawrence, with the one closest to Lawrence listed first.
    • Plato
      (19 miles [30.6 km] to the northwest)
    • Lester Prairie
      (23 miles [37 km] to the northwest)
    • Glencoe
      (23 miles [37 km] to the west)
    • Winsted
      (27 miles [43.5 km] to the northwest)
    • Sumter
      (28 miles [45.1 km] to the west)
      • Sumter is located in McLeod County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Sumter
    • Silver Lake
      (30 miles [48.3 km] to the northwest)
  • Nicollet County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Lawrence, with the one closest to Lawrence listed first.
    • Saint Peter
      (26 miles [41.8 km] to the southwest)
    • New Sweden
      (30 miles [48.3 km] to the southwest)
      • New Sweden is located in Nicollet County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for New Sweden
  • Rice County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Lawrence, with the one closest to Lawrence listed first.
    • Wheatland
      (16 miles [25.7 km] to the southeast)
      • Wheatland is located in Rice County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Wheatland
    • Lonsdale
      (17 miles [27.4 km] to the southeast)
    • Trondjem
      (18 miles [29 km] to the southeast)
      • Trondjem is located in Rice County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Trondjem
    • Webster
      (18 miles [29 km] to the southeast)
    • Millersburg
      (23 miles [37 km] to the southeast)
      • Millersburg is located in Rice County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Millersburg
    • Dundas
      (28 miles [45.1 km] to the southeast)
    • Northfield
      (29 miles [46.7 km] to the southeast)
  • Sibley County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Lawrence, with the one closest to Lawrence listed first.
    • Henderson
      (14 miles [22.5 km] to the southwest)
    • Green Isle
      (15 miles [24.1 km] to the west)
    • Arlington
      (19 miles [30.6 km] to the west)
    • New Auburn
      (26 miles [41.8 km] to the west)
    • Gaylord
      (27 miles [43.5 km] to the west)
  • Wright County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Lawrence, with the one closest to Lawrence listed first.
    • Delano
      (26 miles [41.8 km] to the north)
    • Rockford
      (29 miles [46.7 km] to the north)
    • Montrose
      (30 miles [48.3 km] to the north)

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

Cemeteries Near Lawrence ...

Below are cemeteries that are in the vicinity of Lawrence.

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

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

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

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 Lawrence in the Atlas, the following 1895 communities would have been found near the current location of Lawrence.

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

  • Jordan
    (2 miles [3.2 km] to the east)
  • East Union
    (4 miles [6.4 km] to the north)
    • East Union is located in Carver County
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for East Union
  • Gotha
    (6 miles [9.7 km] to the northwest)
    • Gotha is located in Carver County
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Gotha
  • Union Hill
    (7 miles [11.3 km] to the south)
    • Union Hill is located in Scott County
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Union Hill
  • Merriam
    (7 miles [11.3 km] to the northeast)
    • Merriam is located in Scott County
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Merriam
  • Carver
    (7 miles [11.3 km] to the north)
  • Marystown
    (8 miles [12.9 km] to the northeast)
    • Marystown is located in Scott County
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Marystown
  • Dahlgren
    (8 miles [12.9 km] to the north)
    • Dahlgren is located in Carver County
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Dahlgren
  • New Prague
    (9 miles [14.5 km] to the southeast)
  • Saint Patrick
    (9 miles [14.5 km] to the southeast)
    • Saint Patrick is located in Scott County
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Saint Patrick
  • Lydia
    (9 miles [14.5 km] to the east)
    • Lydia is located in Scott County
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Lydia
  • Chaska
    (9 miles [14.5 km] to the northeast)
  • Continue List   (17 more) ...
    • Cologne
      (9 miles [14.5 km] to the northwest)
    • Augusta
      (10 miles [16.1 km] to the north)
      • Augusta is located in Carver County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Augusta
    • Assumption
      (10 miles [16.1 km] to the west)
      • Assumption is located in Carver County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Assumption

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

Newspapers Published in Lawrence ...

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 187 newspapers that have been published in the area around Lawrence.

Although we're unaware of any newspapers that were published in the immediate area of Lawrence, there are papers which were published within 26 miles [41.8 km]<4>. A list of those papers, sorted by paper name, can be found on the Extended Newspaper List for Lawrence.

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 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 Lawrence:

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