RoadsideThoughts
A Gazetteer for the United States and Canada
Home >> State of Minnesota >> Chippewa County >> Milan >> Genealogy HelperIndex...










Learn About
The Commemorative
Quarter for
Minnesota

The Commemorative Quarter for Minnesota





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 Milan (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 Milan. 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.

Milan is located in Chippewa 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 Chippewa County: Kandiyohi, Lac qui Parle, Renville, Swift & Yellow Medicine.

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

  • Chippewa County     (The home county of Milan)
    • The following are listed by their distance from Milan, with the one closest to Milan listed first.
    • Big Bend City
      (7 miles [11.3 km] to the east)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Big Bend City have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Big Bend City
      • Big Bend City is located in Chippewa County
    • Watson
      (8 miles [12.9 km] to the southeast)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Watson have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Watson
      • Watson is located in Chippewa County
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 192 people
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Watson <2>
    • Montevideo
      (14 miles [22.5 km] to the southeast)
    • Maynard
      (25 miles [40.2 km] to the southeast)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Maynard have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Maynard
      • Maynard is located in Chippewa County
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 344 people
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Maynard <2>
    • Clara City
      (28 miles [45.1 km] to the east)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Clara City have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Clara City
      • Clara City is located in Chippewa County
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 1,273 people
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Clara City <2>
  • Big Stone County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Milan, with the one closest to Milan listed first.
    • Correll
      (14 miles [22.5 km] to the northwest)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Correll have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Correll
      • Correll is located in Big Stone County
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 31 people
    • Odessa
      (22 miles [35.4 km] to the northwest)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Odessa have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Odessa
      • Odessa is located in Big Stone County
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 131 people
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Odessa <2>
    • Ortonville
      (28 miles [45.1 km] to the northwest)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Ortonville have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Ortonville
      • Ortonville is located in Big Stone County
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 1,748 people
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Ortonville <2>
  • Lac qui Parle County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Milan, with the one closest to Milan listed first.
    • Louisburg
      (13 miles [20.9 km] to the west)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Louisburg have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Louisburg
      • Louisburg is located in Lac qui Parle County
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 43 people
    • Dawson
      (14 miles [22.5 km] to the southwest)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Dawson have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Dawson
      • Dawson is located in Lac qui Parle County
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 1,378 people
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Dawson <2>
    • Madison
      (15 miles [24.1 km] to the southwest)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Madison have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Madison
      • Madison is located in Lac qui Parle County
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 1,376 people
    • Boyd
      (17 miles [27.4 km] to the south)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Boyd have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Boyd
      • Boyd is located in Lac qui Parle County
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 154 people
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Boyd <2>
    • Bellingham
      (18 miles [29 km] to the west)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Bellingham have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Bellingham
      • Bellingham is located in Lac qui Parle County
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 147 people
    • Providence
      (21 miles [33.8 km] to the southwest)
      • Note: We haven't been able to verify our GPS coordinates for Providence. Although the coordinates have been estimated, they should be in the vicinity.<3>
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Providence
      • Providence is located in Lac qui Parle County
      • Google driving directions:
      • From your current location to Providence
      • From Milan to Providence
    • Marietta
      (25 miles [40.2 km] to the west)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Marietta have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Marietta
      • Marietta is located in Lac qui Parle County
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 138 people
    • Nassau
      (25 miles [40.2 km] to the west)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Nassau have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Nassau
      • Nassau is located in Lac qui Parle County
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 66 people
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Nassau <2>
  • Stevens County
  • Swift County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Milan, with the one closest to Milan listed first.
    • Appleton
      (7 miles [11.3 km] to the northwest)
    • Holloway
      (9 miles [14.5 km] to the north)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Holloway have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Holloway
      • Holloway is located in Swift County
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 85 people
    • Danvers
      (13 miles [20.9 km] to the northeast)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Danvers have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Danvers
      • Danvers is located in Swift County
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 89 people
    • Benson
      (20 miles [32.2 km] to the northeast)
    • Clontarf
      (21 miles [33.8 km] to the northeast)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Clontarf have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Clontarf
      • Clontarf is located in Swift County
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 158 people
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Clontarf <2>
    • De Graff
      (23 miles [37 km] to the northeast)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for De Graff have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for De Graff
      • De Graff is located in Swift County
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 120 people
    • Murdock
      (26 miles [41.8 km] to the east)
    • Kerkhoven
      (29 miles [46.7 km] to the east)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Kerkhoven have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Kerkhoven
      • Kerkhoven is located in Swift County
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 696 people
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Kerkhoven <2>
    • Swift Falls
      (30 miles [48.3 km] to the northeast)
      • Note: We haven't been able to verify our GPS coordinates for Swift Falls. Although the coordinates have been estimated, they should be in the vicinity.<3>
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Swift Falls
      • Swift Falls is located in Swift County
      • Google driving directions:
      • From your current location to Swift Falls
      • From Milan to Swift Falls
  • Yellow Medicine County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Milan, with the one closest to Milan listed first.
    • Clarkfield
      (22 miles [35.4 km] to the south)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Clarkfield have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Clarkfield
      • Clarkfield is located in Yellow Medicine County
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 775 people
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Clarkfield <2>
    • Hazel Run
      (26 miles [41.8 km] to the south)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Hazel Run have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Hazel Run
      • Hazel Run is located in Yellow Medicine County
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 56 people
    • Granite Falls
      (27 miles [43.5 km] to the southeast)
    • Saint Leo
      (28 miles [45.1 km] to the south)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Saint Leo have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Saint Leo
      • Saint Leo is located in Yellow Medicine County
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 90 people
  • Grant County (SD)

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

Cemeteries Near Milan ...

Below are cemeteries that are in the vicinity of Milan.

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 Milan covers a larger area, with the cemeteries listed in alphabetical order.

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

  • Kviteseid Cemetery
    (Less than 2 miles to the south)
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Kviteseid Cemetery
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Kviteseid Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
  • Zion Cemetery
    (5 miles [8 km] to the southeast)
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Zion Cemetery
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Zion Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
  • St. Josephs Cemetery
    (5 miles [8 km] to the north)
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the St. Josephs Cemetery
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the St. Josephs Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
  • Appleton Cemetery
    (7 miles [11.3 km] to the northwest)
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Appleton Cemetery
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Appleton Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
  • Lac qui Parle Cemetery
    (8 miles [12.9 km] to the southwest)
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Lac qui Parle Cemetery
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Lac qui Parle Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
  • Norwegian Lutheran Cemetery
    (8 miles [12.9 km] to the southeast)
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Norwegian Lutheran Cemetery
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Norwegian Lutheran Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
  • Original Big Bend Cemetery
    (9 miles [14.5 km] to the east)
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Original Big Bend Cemetery
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Original Big Bend Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
  • Big Bend Lutheran Cemetery
    (9 miles [14.5 km] to the east)
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Big Bend Lutheran Cemetery
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Big Bend Lutheran Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
  • West Bank Cemetery
    (9 miles [14.5 km] to the northeast)
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the West Bank Cemetery
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the West Bank Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
  • Borgund Lutheran Church Cemetery
    (10 miles [16.1 km] to the southwest)
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Borgund Lutheran Church Cemetery
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Borgund Lutheran Church Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
  • Mandt Cemetery
    (10 miles [16.1 km] to the east)
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Mandt Cemetery
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Mandt Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
  • Immanuel Cemetery
    (10 miles [16.1 km] to the north)
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Immanuel Cemetery
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Immanuel Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
  • Continue List   (136 more) ...
    • Minnesota Valley Cemetery
      (10 miles [16.1 km] to the west)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Minnesota Valley Cemetery
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Minnesota Valley Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Sommerfeld Family Cemetery
      (11 miles [17.7 km] to the south)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Sommerfeld Family Cemetery
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Sommerfeld Family Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • German American Cemetery
      (11 miles [17.7 km] to the south)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the German American Cemetery
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the German American 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.<4>

The Rand McNally Atlas shows that Milan had a population of 300 people in 1895 with a post office and railroad service. In 2020, Milan had a population of 353 people.

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

  • Cerro Gordo
    (7 miles [11.3 km] to the southwest)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Cerro Gordo have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Cerro Gordo
    • Cerro Gordo is located in Lac qui Parle County
  • Lac qui Parle
    (7 miles [11.3 km] to the south)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Lac qui Parle have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Lac qui Parle
    • Lac qui Parle is located in Lac qui Parle County
  • Hagan
    (7 miles [11.3 km] to the east)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Hagan have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Hagan
    • Hagan is located in Chippewa County
  • Appleton
    (7 miles [11.3 km] to the northwest)
  • Watson
    (8 miles [12.9 km] to the southeast)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Watson have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Watson
    • Watson is located in Chippewa County
    • Population from the 2020 Census: 192 people
    • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Watson <2>
  • Holloway
    (9 miles [14.5 km] to the north)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Holloway have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Holloway
    • Holloway is located in Swift County
    • Population from the 2020 Census: 85 people
  • Danvers
    (13 miles [20.9 km] to the northeast)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Danvers have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Danvers
    • Danvers is located in Swift County
    • Population from the 2020 Census: 89 people
  • Louisburg
    (13 miles [20.9 km] to the west)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Louisburg have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Louisburg
    • Louisburg is located in Lac qui Parle County
    • Population from the 2020 Census: 43 people
  • Dawson
    (14 miles [22.5 km] to the southwest)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Dawson have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Dawson
    • Dawson is located in Lac qui Parle County
    • Population from the 2020 Census: 1,378 people
    • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Dawson <2>
  • Montevideo
    (14 miles [22.5 km] to the southeast)
  • Correll
    (14 miles [22.5 km] to the northwest)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Correll have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Correll
    • Correll is located in Big Stone County
    • Population from the 2020 Census: 31 people
  • Madison
    (15 miles [24.1 km] to the southwest)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Madison have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Madison
    • Madison is located in Lac qui Parle County
    • Population from the 2020 Census: 1,376 people
  • Continue List   (15 more) ...
    • Boyd
      (17 miles [27.4 km] to the south)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Boyd have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Boyd
      • Boyd is located in Lac qui Parle County
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 154 people
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Boyd <2>
    • Bellingham
      (18 miles [29 km] to the west)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Bellingham have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Bellingham
      • Bellingham is located in Lac qui Parle County
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 147 people
    • Fairfield
      (19 miles [30.6 km] to the north)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Fairfield have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Fairfield
      • Fairfield is located in Swift County

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

Newspapers Published in the Vicinity of Milan ...

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 97 newspapers that have been published in the area around Milan.

We have organized these newspapers into two lists:

  • A Local Newspaper List - focusing on the papers published in the immediate area of Milan. There are actually two parts to this list - papers printed in the immediate area of Milan and those printed in the larger area surrounding Milan.
  • An Extended Newspaper List - a longer list, sorted by paper name and containing those papers published within 29 miles [46.7 km]<5> of Milan.

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 helpful 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 Milan:

The official website for Milan: www.milan.govoffice.com/

The official website for Chippewa County: www.co.chippewa.mn.us/

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>An 'estimated' location is one where we have been given GPS coordinates, but are unable to verify the accuracy of those coordinates. That said, we have some confidence that we have placed the marker near the actual location. A typical reason for being unable to verify a location is that it might be on private property or maybe historic and gone without an obvious trace.
<4>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 Milan, please let us know so that we can improve our accuracy.
<5>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 drawn from Point A (ie- Milan) to Point B.Our distance measurements begin at a specific point in Milan. The point we use is located at these GPS coordinates - Latitude: 45.1111, Longitude: -95.9122    









 

Copyright 2025
All Rights Reserved

Thank you for visiting our website.

In closing, please keep in mind that we can not guarantee the accuracy or timeliness of the information on this website, so use with care. We encourage you to double-check the information that is critical to you.

If you've found an error or have additional information that you would like to share, please don't hesitate to write: Click here to contact us.

This page was last modified/updated: 28 Apr 2025