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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 McNair (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 McNair. 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 northwest corner of their home county. During their lives, most hospitals and doctors were in the next county to the west. 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 west 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.

McNair is located in Lake County.

To see how the shape of Minnesota's counties have changed over time, we recommend the Atlas of Historical County Boundaries.

The following counties adjoin and form the boundaries of Lake County: Cook, Saint Louis, Ashland (WI), Bayfield (WI) & Douglas (WI).

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

  • Lake County     (The home county of McNair)
    • The following are listed by their distance from McNair, with the one closest to McNair listed first.
    • Jordan
      (4 miles [6.4 km] to the northeast)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Jordan have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Jordan
      • Jordan is located in Lake County
    • Beaver Crossing
      (8 miles [12.9 km] to the southeast)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Beaver Crossing
      • Beaver Crossing is located in Lake County
    • Stewart
      (15 miles [24.1 km] to the south)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Stewart have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Stewart
      • Stewart is located in Lake County
    • Beaver Bay
      (17 miles [27.4 km] to the east)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Beaver Bay have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Beaver Bay
      • Beaver Bay is located in Lake County
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 173 people
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Beaver Bay <2>
    • Silver Bay
      (18 miles [29 km] to the east)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Silver Bay have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Silver Bay
      • Silver Bay is located in Lake County
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 1,751 people
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Silver Bay <2>
    • Murphy City
      (20 miles [32.2 km] to the northeast)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Murphy City have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Murphy City
      • Murphy City is located in Lake County
    • Two Harbors
      (20 miles [32.2 km] to the south)
    • Finland
      (21 miles [33.8 km] to the east)
    • Illgen City
      (22 miles [35.4 km] to the east)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Illgen City have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Illgen City
      • Illgen City is located in Lake County
    • Isabella
      (25 miles [40.2 km] to the northeast)
    • Knife River
      (26 miles [41.8 km] to the south)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Knife River have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Knife River
      • Knife River is located in Lake County
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Knife River <2>
  • Saint Louis County
    • The following are listed by their distance from McNair, with the one closest to McNair listed first.
    • Breda
      (9 miles [14.5 km] to the west)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Breda
      • Breda is located in Saint Louis County
    • Brimson
      (9 miles [14.5 km] to the west)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Brimson have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Brimson
      • Brimson is located in Saint Louis County
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Brimson <2>
    • Allen
      (24 miles [38.6 km] to the northwest)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Allen
      • Allen is located in Saint Louis County
      • Allen has also been known as:
      • Allen Junction
    • Babbitt
      (25 miles [40.2 km] to the northwest)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Babbitt have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Babbitt
      • Babbitt is located in Saint Louis County
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 1,471 people
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Babbitt <2>
    • Hoyt Lakes
      (26 miles [41.8 km] to the northwest)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Hoyt Lakes have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Hoyt Lakes
      • Hoyt Lakes is located in Saint Louis County
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 1,927 people
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Hoyt Lakes <2>
    • Aurora
      (30 miles [48.3 km] to the northwest)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Aurora have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Aurora
      • Aurora is located in Saint Louis County
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 1,610 people
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Aurora <2>

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

Cemeteries Near McNair ...

Below are cemeteries that are in the vicinity of McNair.

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.

If you need information about a burial or interment, photos, transcripts, how to contact the cemetery or local authorities, please visit our selection of Genealogy Websites (see below).

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

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

  • Toimi Cemetery
    (5 miles [8 km] to the northwest)
  • Brimson Cemetery
    (8 miles [12.9 km] to the west)
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Brimson Cemetery
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Brimson Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
  • Bassett Cemetery
    (8 miles [12.9 km] to the northwest)
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Bassett Cemetery
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Bassett Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
  • Silver Creek Cemetery
    (14 miles [22.5 km] to the south)
  • Sawtooth Mountain Cemetery
    (16 miles [25.7 km] to the east)
  • Beaver Bay Cemetery
    (17 miles [27.4 km] to the east)
  • Lakeview Cemetery
    (20 miles [32.2 km] to the south)
  • Holy Spirit Catholic Cemetery
    (20 miles [32.2 km] to the south)
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Holy Spirit Catholic Cemetery
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Holy Spirit Catholic Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
  • Silver Bay Cemetery
    (20 miles [32.2 km] to the east)
  • Crystal Bay Cemetery
    (24 miles [38.6 km] to the east)
  • Finland Cemetery
    (24 miles [38.6 km] to the east)
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Finland Cemetery
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Finland Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
  • Isabella Memorial Cemetery
    (25 miles [40.2 km] to the northeast)
  • Continue List   (6 more) ...
    • Normanna Cemetery
      (27 miles [43.5 km] to the southwest)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Normanna Cemetery
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Normanna Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Lake View Cemetery
      (27 miles [43.5 km] to the south)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Lake View Cemetery
      • The Lake View Cemetery has also been known as:
      • Lakeview Cemetery
    • Forest Hill Cemetery
      (29 miles [46.7 km] to the northwest)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Forest Hill Cemetery
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Forest Hill Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.

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.<5>

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

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

  • Beaver Bay
    (17 miles [27.4 km] to the east)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Beaver Bay have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Beaver Bay
    • Beaver Bay is located in Lake County
    • Population from the 2020 Census: 173 people
    • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Beaver Bay <2>
  • Two Harbors
    (20 miles [32.2 km] to the south)
  • Hinsdale
    (29 miles [46.7 km] to the northwest)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Hinsdale have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Hinsdale
    • Hinsdale is located in Saint Louis County

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

Newspapers Published in McNair ...

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 22 newspapers that have been published in the area around McNair.

Although we're unaware of any newspapers that were published in the immediate area of McNair, there are papers which were published within 26 miles [41.8 km]<3>. A list of those papers, sorted by paper name, can be found on the Extended Newspaper List for McNair.

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 professional and volunteer 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 McNair:

Unfortunately, we don't know of a website for McNair. If you can help, please contact us through our Feedback Page.

The official website for Lake County: www.lakecnty.com/

The official website for State of Minnesota: https://mn.gov/

Footnotes ...

<1>The location has been supplied by the Geographic Names Information System - which is maintained by the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS). While these values should be definitive, we found that accuracy can vary and you should double-check the location if accuracy is required.
<2>While we're fans and frequent users of TripAdvisor, you should know that we're also members of the TripAdvisor affiliate program.
<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- McNair) to Point B.Our distance measurements begin at a specific point in McNair. The point we use is located at these GPS coordinates - Latitude: 47.3199, Longitude: -91.6727       In this case, the coordinates for McNair have been provided by the Geographic Names Information System (GNIS).
<4>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.
<5>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 McNair, please let us know so that we can improve our accuracy.




 

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This page was last modified/updated: 28 Apr 2025