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 Maple Lake (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 Maple Lake. 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 Maple Lake ...
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 occur.
Another variation: Maplelake.
- A typical abbreviation for Maple Lake: Maple Lk.
You might be interested in other communities that are also named Maple Lake. More information can be found on our Tidbits & Trivia Page for Maple Lake.
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 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.
Maple Lake is located in Wright 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 Wright County: Carver, Hennepin, McLeod, Meeker, Sherburne & Stearns.
Below are the counties that are near Maple Lake. For each of these counties, we show a sample of those communities that are closest to Maple Lake:
- Wright County (The home county of Maple Lake)
- The following are listed by their distance from Maple Lake, with the one closest to Maple Lake listed first.
- Silver Creek
(5 miles [8 km] to the north)
- Silver Creek is located in Wright County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Silver Creek
- Rassat
(5 miles [8 km] to the south)
- Rassat is located in Wright County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Rassat
- Albion Center
(5 miles [8 km] to the southwest)
- Albion Center is located in Wright County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Albion Center
- Annandale
(5 miles [8 km] to the west)
- Buffalo
(7 miles [11.3 km] to the southeast)
- Albright
(8 miles [12.9 km] to the southwest)
- Albright is located in Wright County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Albright
- Hasty
(9 miles [14.5 km] to the north)
- Hasty is located in Wright County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Hasty
- Monticello
(11 miles [17.7 km] to the northeast)
- Waverly
(11 miles [17.7 km] to the south)
- Smith Lake
(11 miles [17.7 km] to the southwest)
- Smith Lake is located in Wright County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Smith Lake
- South Haven
(11 miles [17.7 km] to the west)
- Clearwater
(12 miles [19.3 km] to the north)
- Anoka County
- The following are listed by their distance from Maple Lake, with the one closest to Maple Lake listed first.
- Nowthen
(27 miles [43.5 km] to the east)
- Nowthen is located in Anoka County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Nowthen
- Population from the 2020 Census: 4,732 people
- Ramsey
(27 miles [43.5 km] to the east)
- Anoka
(30 miles [48.3 km] to the east)
- Benton County
- The following are listed by their distance from Maple Lake, with the one closest to Maple Lake listed first.
- Duelm
(23 miles [37 km] to the north)
- Duelm is located in Benton County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Duelm
- Sauk Rapids
(26 miles [41.8 km] to the north)
- Evergreen Village
(28 miles [45.1 km] to the north)
- Evergreen Village is located in Benton County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Evergreen Village
- Foley
(30 miles [48.3 km] to the north)
- Carver County
- The following are listed by their distance from Maple Lake, with the one closest to Maple Lake listed first.
- Hazelton
(19 miles [30.6 km] to the south)
- Hazelton is located in Carver County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Hazelton
- Watertown
(20 miles [32.2 km] to the southeast)
- Hollywood
(22 miles [35.4 km] to the south)
- Hollywood is located in Carver County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Hollywood
- Mayer
(24 miles [38.6 km] to the south)
- New Germany
(24 miles [38.6 km] to the south)
- Waconia
(28 miles [45.1 km] to the south)
- Hydes Lake
(29 miles [46.7 km] to the south)
- Hydes Lake is located in Carver County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Hydes Lake
- Victoria
(30 miles [48.3 km] to the southeast)
- Hennepin County
- The following are listed by their distance from Maple Lake, with the one closest to Maple Lake listed first.
- Greenfield
(17 miles [27.4 km] to the southeast)
- Greenfield is located in Hennepin County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Greenfield
- Population from the 2020 Census: 3,058 people
- Independence
(20 miles [32.2 km] to the southeast)
- Independence is located in Hennepin County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Independence
- Population from the 2020 Census: 3,786 people
- Rogers
(21 miles [33.8 km] to the east)
- Loretto
(21 miles [33.8 km] to the southeast)
- Maple Plain
(22 miles [35.4 km] to the southeast)
- Corcoran
(24 miles [38.6 km] to the east)
- Medina
(24 miles [38.6 km] to the southeast)
- Dayton
(25 miles [40.2 km] to the east)
- Minnetrista
(25 miles [40.2 km] to the southeast)
- Saint Bonifacius
(25 miles [40.2 km] to the southeast)
- Hamel
(26 miles [41.8 km] to the southeast)
- Mound
(26 miles [41.8 km] to the southeast)
- Isanti County
- Crown
(30 miles [48.3 km] to the northeast)
- Crown is located in Isanti County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Crown
- McLeod County
- The following are listed by their distance from Maple Lake, with the one closest to Maple Lake listed first.
- Winsted
(19 miles [30.6 km] to the south)
- Lester Prairie
(24 miles [38.6 km] to the south)
- Silver Lake
(24 miles [38.6 km] to the south)
- Hutchinson
(29 miles [46.7 km] to the southwest)
- Biscay
(30 miles [48.3 km] to the southwest)
- 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 Maple Lake, with the one closest to Maple Lake listed first.
- Kingston
(15 miles [24.1 km] to the west)
- Kingston is located in Meeker County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Kingston
- Population from the 2020 Census: 162 people
- Dassel
(18 miles [29 km] to the southwest)
- Watkins
(20 miles [32.2 km] to the west)
- Darwin
(21 miles [33.8 km] to the southwest)
- Forest City
(22 miles [35.4 km] to the west)
- Forest City is located in Meeker County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Forest City
- Eden Valley
(26 miles [41.8 km] to the west)
- Litchfield
(26 miles [41.8 km] to the west)
- Manannah
(29 miles [46.7 km] to the west)
- Manannah is located in Meeker County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Manannah
- Mille Lacs County
- Princeton
(30 miles [48.3 km] to the northeast)
- Sherburne County
- The following are listed by their distance from Maple Lake, with the one closest to Maple Lake listed first.
- Becker
(12 miles [19.3 km] to the northeast)
- Salida
(12 miles [19.3 km] to the northeast)
- Salida is located in Sherburne County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Salida
- Clear Lake
(14 miles [22.5 km] to the north)
- Big Lake
(14 miles [22.5 km] to the northeast)
- Cable
(19 miles [30.6 km] to the north)
- Cable is located in Sherburne County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Cable
- Orrock
(19 miles [30.6 km] to the northeast)
- Orrock is located in Sherburne County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Orrock
- Elk River
(22 miles [35.4 km] to the east)
- Santiago
(22 miles [35.4 km] to the northeast)
- Santiago is located in Sherburne County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Santiago
- Zimmerman
(24 miles [38.6 km] to the northeast)
- 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>
- Stearns County
- The following are listed by their distance from Maple Lake, with the one closest to Maple Lake listed first.
- Fairhaven
(11 miles [17.7 km] to the northwest)
- Fairhaven is located in Stearns County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Fairhaven
- Kimball Prairie
(15 miles [24.1 km] to the west)
- Kimball Prairie is located in Stearns County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Kimball Prairie
- Kimball
(15 miles [24.1 km] to the west)
- Saint Augusta
(17 miles [27.4 km] to the northwest)
- Saint Augusta is located in Stearns County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Saint Augusta
- Population from the 2020 Census: 3,900 people
- Rockville
(21 miles [33.8 km] to the northwest)
- Pleasant Lake
(22 miles [35.4 km] to the northwest)
- Pleasant Lake is located in Stearns County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Pleasant Lake
- Saint Cloud
(23 miles [37 km] to the north)
- Waite Park
(24 miles [38.6 km] to the northwest)
- Cold Spring
(25 miles [40.2 km] to the northwest)
- Saint Joseph
(27 miles [43.5 km] to the northwest)
- Evergreen Village
(28 miles [45.1 km] to the north)
- Evergreen Village is located in Stearns County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Evergreen Village
- Sartell
(28 miles [45.1 km] to the north)
For an expanded list of the communities that are closest to Maple Lake, see our County-by-County Page for Maple Lake.
Cemeteries Near Maple Lake ...
Below are cemeteries that are in the vicinity of Maple Lake.
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 Maple Lake - one of the links might be able to help.
If not found below, our Cemetery List for Maple Lake covers a larger area, with the cemeteries listed in alphabetical order.
The following cemeteries are listed based on their distance from Maple Lake, with the one closest to Maple Lake listed first.
- St. Timothy Cemetery
(Less than 2 miles to the east)
- St. Charles Cemetery
(2 miles [3.2 km] to the south)
- Old St. Timothy Cemetery
(3 miles [4.8 km] to the east)
- Lakeview Cemetery
(3 miles [4.8 km] to the north)
- Corinna Cemetery
(4 miles [6.4 km] to the northwest)
- Alamaa Cemetery
(5 miles [8 km] to the southwest)
- Evangelical Cemetery
(5 miles [8 km] to the south)
- Bethlehem Cemetery
(5 miles [8 km] to the south)
- Woodlawn Cemetery
(5 miles [8 km] to the west)
- St. Ignatius Cemetery
(6 miles [9.7 km] to the west)
- Mt. Herman Cemetery
(6 miles [9.7 km] to the southwest)
- Highland Cemetery
(6 miles [9.7 km] to the south)
- Continue List (252 more) ...
- St. Francis Cemetery
(6 miles [9.7 km] to the southeast)
- St. Francis Cemetery
(6 miles [9.7 km] to the southeast)
- St. Johns Cemetery
(6 miles [9.7 km] to the west)
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 in 1895, Maple Lake had a post office and railroad service. In 2020, Maple Lake had a population of 2,149 people.
These communities are listed based on their distance from Maple Lake, with the one closest to Maple Lake listed first.
- Silver Creek
(5 miles [8 km] to the north)
- Silver Creek is located in Wright County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Silver Creek
- Annandale
(5 miles [8 km] to the west)
- Buffalo
(7 miles [11.3 km] to the southeast)
- Hasty
(9 miles [14.5 km] to the north)
- Hasty is located in Wright County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Hasty
- Smith Lake
(11 miles [17.7 km] to the southwest)
- Smith Lake is located in Wright County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Smith Lake
- Waverly
(11 miles [17.7 km] to the south)
- Monticello
(11 miles [17.7 km] to the northeast)
- Fairhaven
(11 miles [17.7 km] to the northwest)
- Fairhaven is located in Stearns County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Fairhaven
- South Haven
(11 miles [17.7 km] to the west)
- Howard Lake
(12 miles [19.3 km] to the south)
- Montrose
(12 miles [19.3 km] to the southeast)
- Salida
(12 miles [19.3 km] to the northeast)
- Salida is located in Sherburne County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Salida
- Continue List (15 more) ...
- Becker
(12 miles [19.3 km] to the northeast)
- Clearwater
(12 miles [19.3 km] to the north)
- Cokato
(14 miles [22.5 km] to the southwest)
We've also created an expanded list of communities that existed in the 1890's and were located in the area around Maple Lake. See our List of 1890's Communities around Maple Lake.
Newspapers Published in the Vicinity of Maple Lake ...
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 117 newspapers that have been published in the area around Maple Lake.
We have organized these newspapers into two lists:
- A Local Newspaper List - focusing on the papers published in the immediate area of Maple Lake. There are actually two parts to this list - papers printed in the immediate area of Maple Lake and those printed in the larger area surrounding Maple Lake.
- An Extended Newspaper List - a longer list, sorted by paper name and containing those papers published within 30 miles [48.3 km]<3> of Maple Lake.
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 Maple Lake:
- Websites specific to Minnesota
- Pages specific to Wright County
- Genealogy information for nearby counties
- Anoka County
- Benton County
- Carver County
- Hennepin County
- Isanti County
- McLeod County
- Meeker County
- Mille Lacs County
- Sherburne County
- Stearns County
- Cemetery Information and Directories for Minnesota
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 Maple Lake, 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 things like rivers, canyons, lakes, et cetera - it's truly a line from Point A (ie- Maple Lake) to Point B. In other words: 'As the crow flies'. |