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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 Motley (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 Motley. 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 and hospitals 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.

Motley is primarily located in Morrison County. A portion of Motley extends into Cass 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 Morrison County: Benton, Cass, Crow Wing, Mille Lacs, Stearns & Todd.

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

  • Morrison County     (The home county of Motley)
    • The following are listed by their distance from Motley, with the one closest to Motley listed first.
    • Lincoln
      (8 miles [12.9 km] to the south)
      • Lincoln is located in Morrison County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Lincoln
    • Cushing
      (13 miles [20.9 km] to the south)
    • Randall
      (18 miles [29 km] to the southeast)
    • Belle Prairie
      (25 miles [40.2 km] to the southeast)
      • Belle Prairie is located in Morrison County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Belle Prairie
    • Flensburg
      (26 miles [41.8 km] to the south)
      • Flensburg is located in Morrison County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Flensburg
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 223 people
    • Swanville
      (28 miles [45.1 km] to the south)
    • Little Falls
      (28 miles [45.1 km] to the southeast)
    • Sobieski
      (29 miles [46.7 km] to the south)
      • Sobieski is located in Morrison County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Sobieski
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 194 people
  • Cass County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Motley, with the one closest to Motley listed first.
    • Pillager
      (8 miles [12.9 km] to the east)
    • Ellis
      (12 miles [19.3 km] to the north)
      • Ellis is located in Cass County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Ellis
    • East Gull Lake
      (14 miles [22.5 km] to the east)
    • Lake Shore
      (17 miles [27.4 km] to the northeast)
    • Pine River
      (29 miles [46.7 km] to the north)
    • Chickamaw Beach
      (30 miles [48.3 km] to the northeast)
      • Chickamaw Beach is located in Cass County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Chickamaw Beach
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 110 people
  • Crow Wing County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Motley, with the one closest to Motley listed first.
    • Baxter
      (17 miles [27.4 km] to the east)
      • Baxter is located in Crow Wing County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Baxter
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 8,483 people
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Baxter <1>
    • Fort Ripley
      (17 miles [27.4 km] to the southeast)
    • Nisswa
      (20 miles [32.2 km] to the northeast)
      • Nisswa is located in Crow Wing County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Nisswa
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 2,115 people
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Nisswa <1>
    • Brainerd
      (21 miles [33.8 km] to the east)
    • Lake Hubert
      (21 miles [33.8 km] to the northeast)
      • Lake Hubert is located in Crow Wing County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Lake Hubert
    • Merrifield
      (24 miles [38.6 km] to the northeast)
    • Pequot Lakes
      (24 miles [38.6 km] to the northeast)
    • Jenkins
      (26 miles [41.8 km] to the northeast)
    • Breezy Point
      (27 miles [43.5 km] to the northeast)
    • Riverton
      (29 miles [46.7 km] to the east)
      • Riverton is located in Crow Wing County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Riverton
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 115 people
  • Douglas County
    • Rose City
      (30 miles [48.3 km] to the southwest)
      • Rose City is located in Douglas County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Rose City
  • Otter Tail County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Motley, with the one closest to Motley listed first.
    • Wadena
      (24 miles [38.6 km] to the west)
      • Wadena is located in Otter Tail County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Wadena
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 4,121 people
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Wadena <1>
    • Bluffton
      (29 miles [46.7 km] to the west)
      • Bluffton is located in Otter Tail County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Bluffton
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 216 people
  • Todd County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Motley, with the one closest to Motley listed first.
    • Philbrook
      (4 miles [6.4 km] to the southwest)
      • Philbrook is located in Todd County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Philbrook
    • Staples
      (7 miles [11.3 km] to the west)
    • Browerville
      (20 miles [32.2 km] to the southwest)
      • Browerville is located in Todd County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Browerville
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 744 people
    • Clarissa
      (20 miles [32.2 km] to the southwest)
    • Bertha
      (20 miles [32.2 km] to the west)
    • Hewitt
      (21 miles [33.8 km] to the west)
      • Hewitt is located in Todd County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Hewitt
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 260 people
    • Eagle Bend
      (22 miles [35.4 km] to the southwest)
    • Long Prairie
      (26 miles [41.8 km] to the southwest)
    • Pillsbury
      (27 miles [43.5 km] to the south)
      • Pillsbury is located in Todd County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Pillsbury
    • Clotho
      (28 miles [45.1 km] to the southwest)
      • Clotho is located in Todd County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Clotho
  • Wadena County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Motley, with the one closest to Motley listed first.
    • Aldrich
      (14 miles [22.5 km] to the west)
      • Aldrich is located in Wadena County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Aldrich
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 46 people
    • Verndale
      (18 miles [29 km] to the west)
    • Nimrod
      (23 miles [37 km] to the northwest)
    • Sebeka
      (29 miles [46.7 km] to the northwest)

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

Cemeteries Near Motley ...

Below are cemeteries that are in the vicinity of Motley.

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

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

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

  • Motley Cemetery
    (Less than 2 miles to the southwest)
  • Bridgeman Cemetery
    (4 miles [6.4 km] to the northeast)
  • St. James Cemetery
    (5 miles [8 km] to the southwest)
  • Pillager Frontier Cemetery
    (7 miles [11.3 km] to the east)
  • Evergreen Cemetery
    (7 miles [11.3 km] to the west)
  • Wildwood Cemetery
    (8 miles [12.9 km] to the east)
  • Hallet Family Cemetery
    (8 miles [12.9 km] to the northwest)
  • St. Isadore Cemetery
    (9 miles [14.5 km] to the southwest)
  • Moran Riverside Cemetery
    (9 miles [14.5 km] to the southwest)
  • Scandia Valley Cemetery
    (9 miles [14.5 km] to the southeast)
  • Rail Prairie Union Cemetery
    (9 miles [14.5 km] to the southeast)
  • Franzen Family Cemetery
    (9 miles [14.5 km] to the east)
  • Continue List   (136 more) ...

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 Motley had a population of 525 people in 1895 with a post office and railroad service. In 2020, Motley had a population of 653 people.

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

  • Philbrook
    (4 miles [6.4 km] to the southwest)
    • Philbrook is located in Todd County
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Philbrook
  • Staples
    (7 miles [11.3 km] to the west)
  • Lincoln
    (8 miles [12.9 km] to the south)
    • Lincoln is located in Morrison County
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Lincoln
  • Pillager
    (8 miles [12.9 km] to the east)
  • Ellis
    (12 miles [19.3 km] to the north)
    • Ellis is located in Cass County
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Ellis
  • Cushing
    (13 miles [20.9 km] to the south)
  • Aldrich
    (14 miles [22.5 km] to the west)
    • Aldrich is located in Wadena County
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Aldrich
    • Population from the 2020 Census: 46 people
  • Fort Ripley
    (17 miles [27.4 km] to the southeast)
  • Crow Wing
    (17 miles [27.4 km] to the east)
    • Crow Wing is located in Crow Wing County
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Crow Wing
  • Baxter
    (17 miles [27.4 km] to the east)
    • Baxter is located in Crow Wing County
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Baxter
    • Population from the 2020 Census: 8,483 people
    • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Baxter <1>
  • Randall
    (18 miles [29 km] to the southeast)
  • Verndale
    (18 miles [29 km] to the west)
  • Continue List   (14 more) ...
    • Bertha
      (20 miles [32.2 km] to the west)
    • Clarissa
      (20 miles [32.2 km] to the southwest)
    • Browerville
      (20 miles [32.2 km] to the southwest)
      • Browerville is located in Todd County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Browerville
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 744 people

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

Newspapers Published in the Vicinity of Motley ...

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 57 newspapers that have been published in the area around Motley.

We have organized these newspapers into two lists:

  • A Local Newspaper List - focusing on the papers published in the immediate area of Motley. There are actually two parts to this list - papers printed in the immediate area of Motley and those printed in the larger area surrounding Motley.
  • An Extended Newspaper List - a longer list, sorted by paper name and containing those papers published within 29 miles [46.7 km]<4> of Motley.

Websites to Help With Your Genealogy Research ...

When we do our genealogical research, we start 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 Motley:

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 Motley, please let us know so that we can improve our accuracy.
<4>Our distances are not driving distances, but are calculated as a 'point-to-point' distance. A straight line distance ignores obstructions like rivers, canyons, lakes, et cetera - it's truly a line drawn from Point A (ie- Motley) to Point B. In other words: 'As the crow flies'.