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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 McGrath (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 McGrath. 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 doctors 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.

McGrath is located in Aitkin 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 Aitkin County: Carlton, Cass, Crow Wing, Itasca, Kanabec, Mille Lacs, Pine & Saint Louis.

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

  • Aitkin County     (The home county of McGrath)
    • The following are listed by their distance from McGrath, with the one closest to McGrath listed first.
    • Malmo
      (13 miles [20.9 km] to the northwest)
      • Malmo is located in Aitkin County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Malmo
    • Wealthwood
      (19 miles [30.6 km] to the northwest)
      • Wealthwood is located in Aitkin County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Wealthwood
    • Kimberly
      (23 miles [37 km] to the northwest)
      • Kimberly is located in Aitkin County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Kimberly
    • McGregor
      (25 miles [40.2 km] to the north)
    • Nichols
      (25 miles [40.2 km] to the west)
      • Nichols is located in Aitkin County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Nichols
    • Aitkin
      (28 miles [45.1 km] to the northwest)
    • Tamarack
      (29 miles [46.7 km] to the north)
      • Tamarack is located in Aitkin County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Tamarack
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 94 people
    • Hassman
      (29 miles [46.7 km] to the northwest)
      • Hassman is located in Aitkin County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Hassman
  • Carlton County
    • The following are listed by their distance from McGrath, with the one closest to McGrath listed first.
    • Automba
      (22 miles [35.4 km] to the northeast)
      • Automba is located in Carlton County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Automba
    • Kettle River
      (25 miles [40.2 km] to the northeast)
    • Moose Lake
      (28 miles [45.1 km] to the northeast)
  • Crow Wing County
    • The following are listed by their distance from McGrath, with the one closest to McGrath listed first.
    • Garrison
      (26 miles [41.8 km] to the west)
    • Bay Lake
      (30 miles [48.3 km] to the west)
      • Bay Lake is located in Crow Wing County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Bay Lake
  • Kanabec County
    • The following are listed by their distance from McGrath, with the one closest to McGrath listed first.
    • Quamba
      (23 miles [37 km] to the south)
      • Quamba is located in Kanabec County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Quamba
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 127 people
    • Mora
      (25 miles [40.2 km] to the south)
      • Mora is located in Kanabec County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Mora
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 3,583 people
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Mora <1>
    • Ogilvie
      (29 miles [46.7 km] to the south)
  • Mille Lacs County
    • The following are listed by their distance from McGrath, with the one closest to McGrath listed first.
    • Isle
      (11 miles [17.7 km] to the southwest)
      • Isle is located in Mille Lacs County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Isle
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 790 people
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Isle <1>
    • Wahkon
      (14 miles [22.5 km] to the southwest)
    • Onamia
      (22 miles [35.4 km] to the southwest)
    • Vineland
      (23 miles [37 km] to the west)
      • Vineland is located in Mille Lacs County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Vineland
  • Pine County
    • The following are listed by their distance from McGrath, with the one closest to McGrath listed first.
    • Finlayson
      (17 miles [27.4 km] to the east)
    • Denham
      (17 miles [27.4 km] to the northeast)
      • Denham is located in Pine County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Denham
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 34 people
    • Rutledge
      (19 miles [30.6 km] to the east)
      • Rutledge is located in Pine County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Rutledge
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 221 people
    • Sandstone
      (21 miles [33.8 km] to the east)
    • Willow River
      (21 miles [33.8 km] to the east)
    • Brook Park
      (22 miles [35.4 km] to the southeast)
      • Brook Park is located in Pine County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Brook Park
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 132 people
    • Hinckley
      (22 miles [35.4 km] to the southeast)
    • Askov
      (23 miles [37 km] to the east)
    • Sturgeon Lake
      (23 miles [37 km] to the northeast)
    • Henriette
      (26 miles [41.8 km] to the south)
      • Henriette is located in Pine County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Henriette
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 69 people
    • Beroun
      (27 miles [43.5 km] to the southeast)
      • Beroun is located in Pine County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Beroun
    • Bruno
      (29 miles [46.7 km] to the east)
      • Bruno is located in Pine County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Bruno
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 97 people

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

Cemeteries Near McGrath ...

Below are cemeteries that are in the vicinity of McGrath.

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

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

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

  • Grace Cemetery
    (Less than 2 miles to the south)
  • Pliny Cemetery
    (2 miles [3.2 km] to the north)
  • Ostlund Cemetery
    (5 miles [8 km] to the west)
  • Redtop Cemetery
    (6 miles [9.7 km] to the west)
  • Immanuel Lutheran Cemetery
    (7 miles [11.3 km] to the east)
  • Holden Cemetery
    (7 miles [11.3 km] to the west)
  • Wagner Twp. Cemetery
    (8 miles [12.9 km] to the east)
  • Jewitt Cemetery
    (10 miles [16.1 km] to the northwest)
  • Isle Cemetery
    (11 miles [17.7 km] to the southwest)
  • Sunset Cemetery
    (11 miles [17.7 km] to the southwest)
  • Lakeside Cemetery
    (11 miles [17.7 km] to the west)
  • Sacred Heart Cemetery
    (12 miles [19.3 km] to the southwest)
  • Continue List   (79 more) ...
    • Trinity Cemetery
      (12 miles [19.3 km] to the southeast)
    • Malmo Cemetery
      (12 miles [19.3 km] to the northwest)
    • Dell Grove Cemetery
      (16 miles [25.7 km] to the southeast)

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>

While we didn't find McGrath in the Atlas, the following 1895 communities would have been found near the current location of McGrath.

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

  • Opstead
    (9 miles [14.5 km] to the west)
    • Opstead is located in Mille Lacs County
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Opstead
  • Malmo
    (13 miles [20.9 km] to the northwest)
    • Malmo is located in Aitkin County
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Malmo
  • Finlayson
    (17 miles [27.4 km] to the east)
  • Sandstone
    (21 miles [33.8 km] to the east)
  • Willow River
    (21 miles [33.8 km] to the east)
  • Hinckley
    (22 miles [35.4 km] to the southeast)
  • Vineland
    (23 miles [37 km] to the west)
    • Vineland is located in Mille Lacs County
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Vineland
  • Kimberly
    (23 miles [37 km] to the northwest)
    • Kimberly is located in Aitkin County
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Kimberly
  • Sturgeon Lake
    (23 miles [37 km] to the northeast)
  • Mission Creek
    (24 miles [38.6 km] to the southeast)
    • Mission Creek is located in Pine County
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Mission Creek
  • Rossburg
    (24 miles [38.6 km] to the northwest)
    • Rossburg is located in Aitkin County
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Rossburg
  • Mora
    (25 miles [40.2 km] to the south)
    • Mora is located in Kanabec County
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Mora
    • Population from the 2020 Census: 3,583 people
    • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Mora <1>
  • Continue List   (6 more) ...
    • McGregor
      (25 miles [40.2 km] to the north)
    • Nichols
      (25 miles [40.2 km] to the west)
      • Nichols is located in Aitkin County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Nichols
    • Garrison
      (26 miles [41.8 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 McGrath. See our List of 1890's Communities around McGrath.

Newspapers Published in the Vicinity of McGrath ...

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 40 newspapers that have been published in the area around McGrath.

We have organized these newspapers into two lists:

  • A Local Newspaper List - focusing on the papers published in the immediate area of McGrath. There are actually two parts to this list - papers printed in the immediate area of McGrath and those printed in the larger area surrounding McGrath.
  • An Extended Newspaper List - a longer list, sorted by paper name and containing those papers published within 29 miles [46.7 km]<3> of McGrath.

Websites to Help With Your Genealogy Research ...

When we do our genealogical research, we first turn to 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 McGrath:

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