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 Monticello (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 Monticello. 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 southeast corner of their home county. During their lives, most hospitals were in the next county to the east. 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 east 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.
Monticello 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 Monticello. For each of these counties, we show a sample of those communities that are closest to Monticello:
- Wright County (The home county of Monticello)
- The following are listed by their distance from Monticello, with the one closest to Monticello listed first.
- Albertville
(7 miles [11.3 km] to the southeast)
- Otsego
(8 miles [12.9 km] to the east)
- Saint Michael
(8 miles [12.9 km] to the southeast)
- Silver Creek
(8 miles [12.9 km] to the west)
- Silver Creek is located in Wright County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Silver Creek
- Hasty
(9 miles [14.5 km] to the northwest)
- Hasty is located in Wright County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Hasty
- Buffalo
(9 miles [14.5 km] to the southwest)
- Hanover
(11 miles [17.7 km] to the southeast)
- Maple Lake
(11 miles [17.7 km] to the southwest)
- Rassat
(13 miles [20.9 km] to the southwest)
- Rassat is located in Wright County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Rassat
- Clearwater
(14 miles [22.5 km] to the northwest)
- Rockford
(14 miles [22.5 km] to the south)
- Albion Center
(15 miles [24.1 km] to the southwest)
- Albion Center is located in Wright County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Albion Center
- Anoka County
- The following are listed by their distance from Monticello, with the one closest to Monticello listed first.
- Nowthen
(16 miles [25.7 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
(17 miles [27.4 km] to the east)
- Anoka
(21 miles [33.8 km] to the east)
- Saint Francis
(21 miles [33.8 km] to the east)
- Oak Grove
(22 miles [35.4 km] to the east)
- Andover
(23 miles [37 km] to the east)
- Cedar
(24 miles [38.6 km] to the east)
- Coon Rapids
(25 miles [40.2 km] to the east)
- Bethel
(26 miles [41.8 km] to the east)
- Coon Creek
(26 miles [41.8 km] to the east)
- Coon Creek is located in Anoka County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Coon Creek
- Coopers Corner
(28 miles [45.1 km] to the east)
- Coopers Corner is located in Anoka County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Coopers Corner
- East Bethel
(29 miles [46.7 km] to the east)
- Benton County
- The following are listed by their distance from Monticello, with the one closest to Monticello listed first.
- Duelm
(20 miles [32.2 km] to the north)
- Duelm is located in Benton County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Duelm
- Foley
(25 miles [40.2 km] to the north)
- Ronneby
(26 miles [41.8 km] to the north)
- Ronneby is located in Benton County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Ronneby
- Oak Park
(27 miles [43.5 km] to the north)
- Oak Park is located in Benton County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Oak Park
- Sauk Rapids
(27 miles [43.5 km] to the northwest)
- Evergreen Village
(29 miles [46.7 km] to the northwest)
- Evergreen Village is located in Benton County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Evergreen Village
- Carver County
- The following are listed by their distance from Monticello, with the one closest to Monticello listed first.
- Watertown
(23 miles [37 km] to the south)
- Hazelton
(24 miles [38.6 km] to the south)
- Hazelton is located in Carver County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Hazelton
- Hollywood
(28 miles [45.1 km] to the south)
- Hollywood is located in Carver County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Hollywood
- Mayer
(28 miles [45.1 km] to the south)
- New Germany
(29 miles [46.7 km] to the south)
- Victoria
(30 miles [48.3 km] to the south)
- Hennepin County
- The following are listed by their distance from Monticello, with the one closest to Monticello listed first.
- Rogers
(13 miles [20.9 km] to the southeast)
- Greenfield
(14 miles [22.5 km] to the south)
- Greenfield is located in Hennepin County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Greenfield
- Population from the 2020 Census: 3,058 people
- Dayton
(17 miles [27.4 km] to the southeast)
- Corcoran
(18 miles [29 km] to the southeast)
- Loretto
(18 miles [29 km] to the southeast)
- Independence
(19 miles [30.6 km] to the south)
- Independence is located in Hennepin County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Independence
- Population from the 2020 Census: 3,786 people
- Champlin
(20 miles [32.2 km] to the east)
- Maple Plain
(21 miles [33.8 km] to the south)
- Maple Grove
(21 miles [33.8 km] to the southeast)
- Medina
(21 miles [33.8 km] to the southeast)
- Hamel
(22 miles [35.4 km] to the southeast)
- Osseo
(23 miles [37 km] to the southeast)
- Isanti County
- The following are listed by their distance from Monticello, with the one closest to Monticello listed first.
- Crown
(19 miles [30.6 km] to the northeast)
- Crown is located in Isanti County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Crown
- Bradford
(25 miles [40.2 km] to the northeast)
- Bradford is located in Isanti County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Bradford
- Isanti
(29 miles [46.7 km] to the northeast)
- McLeod County
- The following are listed by their distance from Monticello, with the one closest to Monticello listed first.
- Winsted
(26 miles [41.8 km] to the southwest)
- Lester Prairie
(30 miles [48.3 km] to the south)
- Meeker County
- The following are listed by their distance from Monticello, with the one closest to Monticello listed first.
- Kingston
(25 miles [40.2 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
(29 miles [46.7 km] to the southwest)
- Watkins
(29 miles [46.7 km] to the west)
- Mille Lacs County
- The following are listed by their distance from Monticello, with the one closest to Monticello listed first.
- Princeton
(21 miles [33.8 km] to the northeast)
- Estes Brook
(24 miles [38.6 km] to the north)
- Estes Brook is located in Mille Lacs County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Estes Brook
- Pease
(28 miles [45.1 km] to the north)
- Pease is located in Mille Lacs County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Pease
- Population from the 2020 Census: 224 people
- Foreston
(30 miles [48.3 km] to the north)
- Foreston is located in Mille Lacs County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Foreston
- Population from the 2020 Census: 527 people
- Sherburne County
- The following are listed by their distance from Monticello, with the one closest to Monticello listed first.
- Big Lake
(3 miles [4.8 km] to the northeast)
- Salida
(4 miles [6.4 km] to the north)
- Salida is located in Sherburne County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Salida
- Becker
(6 miles [9.7 km] to the northwest)
- Orrock
(10 miles [16.1 km] to the north)
- Orrock is located in Sherburne County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Orrock
- Elk River
(11 miles [17.7 km] to the east)
- Zimmerman
(13 miles [20.9 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>
- Clear Lake
(14 miles [22.5 km] to the northwest)
- Santiago
(16 miles [25.7 km] to the north)
- Santiago is located in Sherburne County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Santiago
- Cable
(19 miles [30.6 km] to the northwest)
- Cable is located in Sherburne County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Cable
- Stearns County
- The following are listed by their distance from Monticello, with the one closest to Monticello listed first.
- Fairhaven
(20 miles [32.2 km] to the west)
- Fairhaven is located in Stearns County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Fairhaven
- Saint Augusta
(22 miles [35.4 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
- Kimball Prairie
(24 miles [38.6 km] to the west)
- Kimball Prairie is located in Stearns County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Kimball Prairie
- Kimball
(24 miles [38.6 km] to the west)
- Saint Cloud
(25 miles [40.2 km] to the northwest)
- Pleasant Lake
(27 miles [43.5 km] to the northwest)
- Pleasant Lake is located in Stearns County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Pleasant Lake
- Rockville
(27 miles [43.5 km] to the northwest)
- Waite Park
(27 miles [43.5 km] to the northwest)
- Evergreen Village
(29 miles [46.7 km] to the northwest)
- Evergreen Village is located in Stearns County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Evergreen Village
- Sartell
(30 miles [48.3 km] to the northwest)
For an expanded list of the communities that are closest to Monticello, see our County-by-County Page for Monticello.
Cemeteries Near Monticello ...
Below are cemeteries that are in the vicinity of Monticello.
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 Monticello - one of the links might be able to help.
If not found below, our Cemetery List for Monticello covers a larger area, with the cemeteries listed in alphabetical order.
The following cemeteries are listed based on their distance from Monticello, with the one closest to Monticello listed first.
- Hillside Cemetery
(Less than 2 miles to the northeast)
- St. Henrys Cemetery
(Less than 2 miles to the west)
- Helm Cemetery
(Less than 2 miles to the southeast)
- Riverside Cemetery
(Less than 2 miles to the northwest)
- Big Lake Cemetery
(3 miles [4.8 km] to the northeast)
- Pelican Lake Cemetery
(6 miles [9.7 km] to the south)
- St. Marks Cemetery
(6 miles [9.7 km] to the south)
- Bailey Station Cemetery
(6 miles [9.7 km] to the east)
- Greenwood Cemetery
(6 miles [9.7 km] to the northeast)
- Lakeside Cemetery
(6 miles [9.7 km] to the west)
- Old St. Timothy Cemetery
(7 miles [11.3 km] to the southwest)
- Becker Cemetery
(7 miles [11.3 km] to the northwest)
- Continue List (261 more) ...
- Immanuel Cemetery
(8 miles [12.9 km] to the south)
- St. Michael Cemetery
(8 miles [12.9 km] to the southeast)
- St. Albert Cemetery
(8 miles [12.9 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.<3>
The Rand McNally Atlas shows that Monticello had a population of 503 people in 1895 with a post office and railroad service. In 2020, Monticello had a population of 13,893 people.
These communities are listed based on their distance from Monticello, with the one closest to Monticello listed first.
- Big Lake
(3 miles [4.8 km] to the northeast)
- Salida
(4 miles [6.4 km] to the north)
- Salida is located in Sherburne County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Salida
- Bailey
(6 miles [9.7 km] to the east)
- Bailey is located in Sherburne County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Bailey
- Becker
(6 miles [9.7 km] to the northwest)
- Otsego
(8 miles [12.9 km] to the east)
- Silver Creek
(8 miles [12.9 km] to the west)
- Silver Creek is located in Wright County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Silver Creek
- Buffalo
(9 miles [14.5 km] to the southwest)
- Hasty
(9 miles [14.5 km] to the northwest)
- Hasty is located in Wright County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Hasty
- Orrock
(10 miles [16.1 km] to the north)
- Orrock is located in Sherburne County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Orrock
- Maple Lake
(11 miles [17.7 km] to the southwest)
- Hanover
(11 miles [17.7 km] to the southeast)
- Elk River
(11 miles [17.7 km] to the east)
- Continue List (14 more) ...
- Rogers
(13 miles [20.9 km] to the southeast)
- Zimmerman
(13 miles [20.9 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>
- Rockford
(14 miles [22.5 km] to the south)
We've also created an expanded list of communities that existed in the 1890's and were located in the area around Monticello. See our List of 1890's Communities around Monticello.
Newspapers Published in the Vicinity of Monticello ...
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 73 newspapers that have been published in the area around Monticello.
We have organized these newspapers into two lists:
- A Local Newspaper List - focusing on the papers published in the immediate area of Monticello. There are actually two parts to this list - papers printed in the immediate area of Monticello and those printed in the larger area surrounding Monticello.
- An Extended Newspaper List - a longer list, sorted by paper name and containing those papers published within 28 miles [45.1 km]<4> of Monticello.
Websites to Help With Your Genealogy Research ...
When we do our genealogical research, we first visit 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 Monticello:
- 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> | 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. |
| <3> | 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 Monticello, please let us know so that we can improve our accuracy. |
| <4> | 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- Monticello) to Point B. In other words: 'As the crow flies'. |