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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 Leighton (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 Leighton. 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 southwest corner of their home county. During their lives, most hospitals were in the next county to the west. 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 west 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.

Leighton 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 Leighton. For each of these counties, we show a sample of those communities that are closest to Leighton:

  • Hennepin County     (The home county of Leighton)
    • The following are listed by their distance from Leighton, with the one closest to Leighton listed first.
    • Loretto
      (Less than 2 miles to the southwest)
    • Medina
      (2 miles [3.2 km] to the southeast)
    • Hamel
      (4 miles [6.4 km] to the east)
    • Corcoran
      (4 miles [6.4 km] to the northeast)
    • Greenfield
      (4 miles [6.4 km] to the northwest)
      • Greenfield is located in Hennepin County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Greenfield
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 3,058 people
    • Maple Plain
      (4 miles [6.4 km] to the southwest)
    • Independence
      (5 miles [8 km] to the southwest)
      • Independence is located in Hennepin County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Independence
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 3,786 people
    • Long Lake
      (6 miles [9.7 km] to the southeast)
    • Orono
      (7 miles [11.3 km] to the south)
      • Orono is located in Hennepin County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Orono
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 8,348 people
    • Maple Grove
      (8 miles [12.9 km] to the east)
    • Crystal Bay
      (8 miles [12.9 km] to the south)
      • Crystal Bay is located in Hennepin County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Crystal Bay
    • Minnetonka Beach
      (8 miles [12.9 km] to the south)
      • 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 Leighton, with the one closest to Leighton listed first.
    • Anoka
      (14 miles [22.5 km] to the northeast)
    • Ramsey
      (15 miles [24.1 km] to the northeast)
    • Coon Creek
      (16 miles [25.7 km] to the east)
      • Coon Creek is located in Anoka County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Coon Creek
    • Fridley
      (17 miles [27.4 km] to the east)
    • Coon Rapids
      (17 miles [27.4 km] to the northeast)
    • Columbia Heights
      (18 miles [29 km] to the east)
    • Hilltop
      (18 miles [29 km] to the east)
      • Hilltop is located in Anoka County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Hilltop
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 764 people
    • Spring Lake Park
      (18 miles [29 km] to the east)
    • Andover
      (19 miles [30.6 km] to the northeast)
    • Blaine
      (21 miles [33.8 km] to the east)
    • Nowthen
      (21 miles [33.8 km] to the north)
      • Nowthen is located in Anoka County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Nowthen
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 4,732 people
    • Lexington
      (22 miles [35.4 km] to the east)
  • Carver County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Leighton, with the one closest to Leighton listed first.
    • Victoria
      (13 miles [20.9 km] to the south)
    • Watertown
      (13 miles [20.9 km] to the southwest)
    • Chanhassen
      (14 miles [22.5 km] to the south)
    • Hazeltine
      (15 miles [24.1 km] to the south)
      • Hazeltine is located in Carver County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Hazeltine
    • Hazelton
      (17 miles [27.4 km] to the southwest)
      • Hazelton is located in Carver County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Hazelton
    • Waconia
      (17 miles [27.4 km] to the southwest)
    • Mayer
      (18 miles [29 km] to the southwest)
    • Chaska
      (19 miles [30.6 km] to the south)
    • Carver
      (20 miles [32.2 km] to the south)
    • Dahlgren
      (20 miles [32.2 km] to the south)
      • Dahlgren is located in Carver County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Dahlgren
    • Hollywood
      (20 miles [32.2 km] to the southwest)
      • Hollywood is located in Carver County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Hollywood
    • Hydes Lake
      (20 miles [32.2 km] to the southwest)
      • Hydes Lake is located in Carver County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Hydes Lake
  • Dakota County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Leighton, with the one closest to Leighton listed first.
    • Mendota
      (25 miles [40.2 km] to the southeast)
    • Nicols
      (25 miles [40.2 km] to the southeast)
      • Nicols is located in Dakota County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Nicols
    • Burnsville
      (26 miles [41.8 km] to the southeast)
    • Lilydale
      (26 miles [41.8 km] to the southeast)
      • Lilydale is located in Dakota County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Lilydale
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 838 people
    • Mendota Heights
      (26 miles [41.8 km] to the southeast)
    • West Saint Paul
      (27 miles [43.5 km] to the east)
    • Eagan
      (27 miles [43.5 km] to the southeast)
      • 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>
    • Sunfish Lake
      (28 miles [45.1 km] to the southeast)
    • Apple Valley
      (30 miles [48.3 km] to the southeast)
  • Isanti County
    • Crown
      (27 miles [43.5 km] to the north)
      • Crown is located in Isanti County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Crown
  • McLeod County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Leighton, with the one closest to Leighton listed first.
    • Winsted
      (22 miles [35.4 km] to the west)
    • Lester Prairie
      (24 miles [38.6 km] to the southwest)
    • Plato
      (28 miles [45.1 km] to the southwest)
    • Silver Lake
      (30 miles [48.3 km] to the west)
  • Ramsey County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Leighton, with the one closest to Leighton listed first.
    • Lauderdale
      (20 miles [32.2 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
    • Mounds View
      (20 miles [32.2 km] to the east)
    • New Brighton
      (20 miles [32.2 km] to the east)
    • Arden Hills
      (22 miles [35.4 km] to the east)
    • Falcon Heights
      (22 miles [35.4 km] to the east)
    • Roseville
      (22 miles [35.4 km] to the east)
    • Shoreview
      (23 miles [37 km] to the east)
    • Cardigan Junction
      (24 miles [38.6 km] to the east)
      • Cardigan Junction is located in Ramsey County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Cardigan Junction
    • North Oaks
      (25 miles [40.2 km] to the east)
    • Little Canada
      (26 miles [41.8 km] to the east)
    • Saint Paul
      (26 miles [41.8 km] to the east)
    • Vadnais Heights
      (26 miles [41.8 km] to the east)
  • Scott County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Leighton, with the one closest to Leighton listed first.
    • Shakopee
      (21 miles [33.8 km] to the south)
    • Marystown
      (24 miles [38.6 km] to the south)
      • Marystown is located in Scott County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Marystown
    • Savage
      (24 miles [38.6 km] to the southeast)
    • Prior Lake
      (26 miles [41.8 km] to the south)
    • Jordan
      (27 miles [43.5 km] to the south)
    • Credit River
      (29 miles [46.7 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 Leighton, with the one closest to Leighton listed first.
    • Elk River
      (18 miles [29 km] to the north)
    • Big Lake
      (19 miles [30.6 km] to the north)
    • Salida
      (22 miles [35.4 km] to the northwest)
      • Salida is located in Sherburne County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Salida
    • Becker
      (25 miles [40.2 km] to the northwest)
      • Becker is located in Sherburne County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Becker
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 5,033 people
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Becker <1>
    • Orrock
      (26 miles [41.8 km] to the north)
      • Orrock is located in Sherburne County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Orrock
    • Zimmerman
      (26 miles [41.8 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>
  • Wright County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Leighton, with the one closest to Leighton listed first.
    • Rockford
      (6 miles [9.7 km] to the west)
    • Hanover
      (7 miles [11.3 km] to the north)
    • Delano
      (8 miles [12.9 km] to the west)
    • Saint Michael
      (10 miles [16.1 km] to the north)
    • Albertville
      (11 miles [17.7 km] to the north)
    • Otsego
      (13 miles [20.9 km] to the north)
    • Buffalo
      (14 miles [22.5 km] to the northwest)
    • Montrose
      (14 miles [22.5 km] to the west)
    • Waverly
      (16 miles [25.7 km] to the west)
    • Monticello
      (18 miles [29 km] to the northwest)
    • Rassat
      (19 miles [30.6 km] to the west)
      • Rassat is located in Wright County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Rassat
    • Howard Lake
      (22 miles [35.4 km] to the west)

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

Cemeteries Near Leighton ...

Below are cemeteries that are in the vicinity of Leighton.

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

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

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

  • St.s Peter & Paul Cemetery
    (Less than 2 miles to the south)
  • St. Janes Cemetery
    (2 miles [3.2 km] to the northeast)
  • Anna Mason Cemetery
    (4 miles [6.4 km] to the south)
  • Greenwood Cemetery
    (4 miles [6.4 km] to the north)
  • St. Anne's Cemetery
    (4 miles [6.4 km] to the east)
  • Salem Lutheran Church Cemetery
    (4 miles [6.4 km] to the northwest)
  • Old St. Thomas Cemetery
    (4 miles [6.4 km] to the northeast)
  • St. Thomas Cemetery
    (4 miles [6.4 km] to the northeast)
  • Lewis Cemetery
    (5 miles [8 km] to the southwest)
  • Christ Lutheran Cemetery
    (5 miles [8 km] to the south)
  • St. Georges Cemetery
    (5 miles [8 km] to the south)
  • Holy Name Cemetery
    (5 miles [8 km] to the southeast)
  • Continue List   (298 more) ...
    • Reich Cemetery
      (5 miles [8 km] to the northwest)
    • Elmwood Cemetery
      (5 miles [8 km] to the west)
    • Maxwell Family Cemetery
      (6 miles [9.7 km] to the south)

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

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

  • Burschville
    (4 miles [6.4 km] to the north)
    • Burschville is located in Hennepin County
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Burschville
  • Maple Plain
    (4 miles [6.4 km] to the southwest)
  • Hamel
    (4 miles [6.4 km] to the east)
  • Corcoran
    (4 miles [6.4 km] to the northeast)
  • Ditter
    (5 miles [8 km] to the southeast)
    • Ditter is located in Hennepin County
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Ditter
  • Long Lake
    (6 miles [9.7 km] to the southeast)
  • Rockford
    (6 miles [9.7 km] to the west)
  • Hanover
    (7 miles [11.3 km] to the north)
  • Delano
    (8 miles [12.9 km] to the west)
  • Spring Park
    (8 miles [12.9 km] to the south)
  • Minnetonka Beach
    (8 miles [12.9 km] to the south)
    • Minnetonka Beach is located in Hennepin County
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Minnetonka Beach
    • Population from the 2020 Census: 584 people
  • Wayzata
    (8 miles [12.9 km] to the southeast)
  • Continue List   (17 more) ...
    • Plymouth
      (8 miles [12.9 km] to the east)
    • Maple Grove
      (8 miles [12.9 km] to the east)
    • Woodland
      (9 miles [14.5 km] to the southeast)
      • Woodland is located in Hennepin County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Woodland
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 487 people

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

Newspapers Published in Leighton ...

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 402 newspapers that have been published in the area around Leighton.

Although we're unaware of any newspapers that were published in the immediate area of Leighton, there are papers which were published within 23 miles [37 km]<4>. A list of those papers, sorted by paper name, can be found on the Extended Newspaper List for Leighton.

Websites to Help With Your Genealogy Research ...

When we do our genealogical research, we like to 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 Leighton:

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 Leighton, 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- Leighton) to Point B. In other words: 'As the crow flies'.