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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 Merton (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 Merton. 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.

Merton is located in Steele 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 Steele County: Dodge, Freeborn, Goodhue, Mower, Rice & Waseca.

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

  • Steele County     (The home county of Merton)
    • The following are listed by their distance from Merton, with the one closest to Merton listed first.
    • Havana
      (5 miles [8 km] to the south)
      • Havana is located in Steele County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Havana
    • Rice Lake
      (5 miles [8 km] to the southeast)
      • Rice Lake is located in Steele County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Rice Lake
    • Owatonna
      (5 miles [8 km] to the southwest)
    • Medford
      (5 miles [8 km] to the west)
      • Medford is located in Steele County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Medford
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 1,255 people
    • Pratt
      (8 miles [12.9 km] to the south)
      • Pratt is located in Steele County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Pratt
    • Steele Center
      (11 miles [17.7 km] to the south)
      • Steele Center is located in Steele County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Steele Center
    • Hope
      (14 miles [22.5 km] to the southwest)
      • Hope is located in Steele County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Hope
    • River Point
      (15 miles [24.1 km] to the south)
      • River Point is located in Steele County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for River Point
    • Union
      (17 miles [27.4 km] to the south)
      • Union is located in Steele County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Union
    • Blooming Prairie
      (19 miles [30.6 km] to the south)
    • Ellendale
      (20 miles [32.2 km] to the south)
  • Blue Earth County
    • Smiths Mill
      (30 miles [48.3 km] to the west)
      • Smiths Mill is located in Blue Earth County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Smiths Mill
  • Dakota County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Merton, with the one closest to Merton listed first.
    • Waterford
      (23 miles [37 km] to the north)
      • Waterford is located in Dakota County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Waterford
    • Castle Rock
      (27 miles [43.5 km] to the north)
      • Castle Rock is located in Dakota County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Castle Rock
    • Randolph
      (27 miles [43.5 km] to the north)
      • Randolph is located in Dakota County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Randolph
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 444 people
    • Eureka Center
      (30 miles [48.3 km] to the north)
      • Eureka Center is located in Dakota County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Eureka Center
  • Dodge County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Merton, with the one closest to Merton listed first.
    • Claremont
      (10 miles [16.1 km] to the southeast)
    • West Concord
      (12 miles [19.3 km] to the east)
    • Concord
      (15 miles [24.1 km] to the east)
      • Concord is located in Dodge County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Concord
    • Dodge Center
      (16 miles [25.7 km] to the southeast)
    • Westfield Center ‑ Historic
      (16 miles [25.7 km] to the southeast)
      • Westfield Center is located in Dodge County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Westfield Center
    • Mantorville
      (20 miles [32.2 km] to the east)
    • Kasson
      (21 miles [33.8 km] to the east)
    • Hayfield
      (23 miles [37 km] to the southeast)
  • Freeborn County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Merton, with the one closest to Merton listed first.
    • Geneva
      (23 miles [37 km] to the south)
    • Bath
      (25 miles [40.2 km] to the southwest)
      • Bath is located in Freeborn County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Bath
    • Hollandale
      (26 miles [41.8 km] to the south)
    • Clarks Grove
      (27 miles [43.5 km] to the south)
    • Hartland
      (28 miles [45.1 km] to the southwest)
      • Hartland is located in Freeborn County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Hartland
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 307 people
  • Goodhue County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Merton, with the one closest to Merton listed first.
    • Kenyon
      (11 miles [17.7 km] to the northeast)
    • Dennison
      (18 miles [29 km] to the north)
    • Roscoe
      (19 miles [30.6 km] to the east)
      • Roscoe is located in Goodhue County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Roscoe
    • Wangs
      (19 miles [30.6 km] to the northeast)
      • Wangs is located in Goodhue County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Wangs
    • Wanamingo
      (20 miles [32.2 km] to the northeast)
    • Hader
      (22 miles [35.4 km] to the northeast)
      • Hader is located in Goodhue County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Hader
    • Stanton
      (23 miles [37 km] to the north)
      • Stanton is located in Goodhue County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Stanton
    • Pine Island
      (25 miles [40.2 km] to the east)
    • Zumbrota
      (25 miles [40.2 km] to the northeast)
    • Belle Creek
      (27 miles [43.5 km] to the northeast)
      • Belle Creek is located in Goodhue County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Belle Creek
    • Cannon Falls
      (28 miles [45.1 km] to the northeast)
    • White Rock
      (28 miles [45.1 km] to the northeast)
      • White Rock is located in Goodhue County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for White Rock
  • Le Sueur County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Merton, with the one closest to Merton listed first.
    • Waterville
      (21 miles [33.8 km] to the west)
    • Kilkenny
      (24 miles [38.6 km] to the northwest)
    • Cordova
      (29 miles [46.7 km] to the northwest)
      • Cordova is located in Le Sueur County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Cordova
    • Montgomery
      (29 miles [46.7 km] to the northwest)
    • Greenland
      (29 miles [46.7 km] to the west)
      • Greenland is located in Le Sueur County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Greenland
  • Mower County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Merton, with the one closest to Merton listed first.
    • Waltham
      (26 miles [41.8 km] to the southeast)
    • Lansing
      (29 miles [46.7 km] to the south)
      • Lansing is located in Mower County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Lansing
    • Sargeant
      (29 miles [46.7 km] to the southeast)
      • Sargeant is located in Mower County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Sargeant
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 60 people
  • Olmsted County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Merton, with the one closest to Merton listed first.
    • Post Town
      (25 miles [40.2 km] to the east)
      • Post Town is located in Olmsted County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Post Town
    • Byron
      (26 miles [41.8 km] to the east)
      • Byron is located in Olmsted County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Byron
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 5,691 people
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Byron <1>
    • Genoa
      (26 miles [41.8 km] to the east)
      • Genoa is located in Olmsted County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Genoa
    • Shanty Town
      (27 miles [43.5 km] to the southeast)
      • Shanty Town is located in Olmsted County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Shanty Town
    • Rock Dell
      (29 miles [46.7 km] to the southeast)
      • Rock Dell is located in Olmsted County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Rock Dell
    • Oronoco
      (30 miles [48.3 km] to the east)
  • Rice County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Merton, with the one closest to Merton listed first.
    • Moland
      (5 miles [8 km] to the northeast)
      • Moland is located in Rice County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Moland
    • Walcott
      (6 miles [9.7 km] to the north)
      • Walcott is located in Rice County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Walcott
    • Faribault
      (11 miles [17.7 km] to the northwest)
    • Cannon City
      (13 miles [20.9 km] to the north)
      • Cannon City is located in Rice County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Cannon City
    • Nerstrand
      (14 miles [22.5 km] to the north)
    • Warsaw
      (14 miles [22.5 km] to the northwest)
      • Warsaw is located in Rice County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Warsaw
    • Morristown
      (15 miles [24.1 km] to the west)
    • Dundas
      (19 miles [30.6 km] to the north)
    • Northfield
      (21 miles [33.8 km] to the north)
    • Millersburg
      (21 miles [33.8 km] to the northwest)
      • Millersburg is located in Rice County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Millersburg
    • Lonsdale
      (26 miles [41.8 km] to the northwest)
    • Trondjem
      (26 miles [41.8 km] to the northwest)
      • Trondjem is located in Rice County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Trondjem
  • Scott County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Merton, with the one closest to Merton listed first.
    • Elko New Market
      (30 miles [48.3 km] to the north)
      • Elko New Market is located in Scott County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Elko New Market
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 4,733 people
    • Elko
      (30 miles [48.3 km] to the north)
  • Waseca County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Merton, with the one closest to Merton listed first.
    • Waseca
      (18 miles [29 km] to the west)
    • Palmer
      (19 miles [30.6 km] to the west)
      • Palmer is located in Waseca County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Palmer
    • Vista
      (20 miles [32.2 km] to the southwest)
      • Vista is located in Waseca County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Vista
    • Wilton
      (21 miles [33.8 km] to the southwest)
      • Wilton is located in Waseca County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Wilton
    • New Richland
      (24 miles [38.6 km] to the southwest)
    • Elysian
      (26 miles [41.8 km] to the west)
    • Janesville
      (27 miles [43.5 km] to the west)
    • Alma City
      (30 miles [48.3 km] to the west)
      • Alma City is located in Waseca County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Alma City

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

Cemeteries Near Merton ...

Below are cemeteries that are in the vicinity of Merton.

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

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

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

  • Merton Cemetery
    (Less than 2 miles to the northeast)
  • Dania Cemetery
    (3 miles [4.8 km] to the southeast)
  • Moland Cemetery
    (4 miles [6.4 km] to the northeast)
  • Richland Cemetery
    (4 miles [6.4 km] to the north)
  • Grand View Memorial Gardens
    (5 miles [8 km] to the west)
  • St. John Cemetery
    (5 miles [8 km] to the southwest)
  • Forest Hill Cemetery
    (5 miles [8 km] to the southwest)
  • Eklund Cemetery
    (5 miles [8 km] to the north)
  • Havana Cemetery
    (5 miles [8 km] to the south)
  • Union Cemetery
    (5 miles [8 km] to the northwest)
  • Riverside Cemetery
    (5 miles [8 km] to the west)
  • Resurrection Cemetery
    (5 miles [8 km] to the west)
  • Continue List   (218 more) ...
    • Oak Hill Cemetery
      (5 miles [8 km] to the west)
    • Bohemian Cemetery
      (6 miles [9.7 km] to the southwest)
    • Rice Lake Cemetery
      (6 miles [9.7 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>

The Rand McNally Atlas shows that in 1895, Merton had a post office and no railroad service.

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

  • Clinton Falls
    (4 miles [6.4 km] to the west)
    • Clinton Falls is located in Steele County
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Clinton Falls
  • Owatonna
    (5 miles [8 km] to the southwest)
  • Havana
    (5 miles [8 km] to the south)
    • Havana is located in Steele County
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Havana
  • Moland
    (5 miles [8 km] to the northeast)
    • Moland is located in Rice County
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Moland
  • Medford
    (5 miles [8 km] to the west)
    • Medford is located in Steele County
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Medford
    • Population from the 2020 Census: 1,255 people
  • Walcott
    (6 miles [9.7 km] to the north)
    • Walcott is located in Rice County
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Walcott
  • Pratt
    (8 miles [12.9 km] to the south)
    • Pratt is located in Steele County
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Pratt
  • Claremont
    (10 miles [16.1 km] to the southeast)
  • Deerfield
    (10 miles [16.1 km] to the west)
    • Deerfield is located in Steele County
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Deerfield
  • Steele Center
    (11 miles [17.7 km] to the south)
    • Steele Center is located in Steele County
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Steele Center
  • Skyberg
    (11 miles [17.7 km] to the northeast)
    • Skyberg is located in Goodhue County
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Skyberg
  • Faribault
    (11 miles [17.7 km] to the northwest)
  • Continue List   (14 more) ...
    • Kenyon
      (11 miles [17.7 km] to the northeast)
    • Meriden
      (12 miles [19.3 km] to the southwest)
      • Meriden is located in Steele County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Meriden
    • West Concord
      (12 miles [19.3 km] to the east)

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

Newspapers Published in Merton ...

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 145 newspapers that have been published in the area around Merton.

Although we're unaware of any newspapers that were published in the immediate area of Merton, there are papers which were published within 30 miles [48.3 km]<3>. A list of those papers, sorted by paper name, can be found on the Extended Newspaper List for Merton.

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 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 Merton:

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