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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 Murdock (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 Murdock. 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.

Murdock is located in Swift 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 Swift County: Big Stone, Chippewa, Kandiyohi, Lac qui Parle, Pope & Stevens.

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

  • Swift County     (The home county of Murdock)
    • The following are listed by their distance from Murdock, with the one closest to Murdock listed first.
    • De Graff
      (4 miles [6.4 km] to the northwest)
      • 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
    • Kerkhoven
      (4 miles [6.4 km] to the southeast)
      • 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>
    • Benson
      (11 miles [17.7 km] to the northwest)
    • Swift Falls
      (12 miles [19.3 km] to the north)
      • 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 Murdock to Swift Falls
    • Clontarf
      (17 miles [27.4 km] to the northwest)
      • 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>
    • Danvers
      (18 miles [29 km] to the west)
      • 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
    • Holloway
      (25 miles [40.2 km] to the west)
      • 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
    • Appleton
      (30 miles [48.3 km] to the west)
  • Chippewa County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Murdock, with the one closest to Murdock listed first.
    • Clara City
      (18 miles [29 km] to the south)
      • 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 Bend City
      (19 miles [30.6 km] to the west)
      • 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
    • Maynard
      (22 miles [35.4 km] to the south)
      • 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>
    • Montevideo
      (24 miles [38.6 km] to the southwest)
    • Watson
      (24 miles [38.6 km] to the southwest)
      • 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>
    • Milan
      (26 miles [41.8 km] to the west)
  • Kandiyohi County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Murdock, with the one closest to Murdock listed first.
    • Sunburg
      (11 miles [17.7 km] to the northeast)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Sunburg have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Sunburg
      • Sunburg is located in Kandiyohi County
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 99 people
    • Pennock
      (11 miles [17.7 km] to the southeast)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Pennock have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Pennock
      • Pennock is located in Kandiyohi County
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 509 people
    • Raymond
      (16 miles [25.7 km] to the southeast)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Raymond have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Raymond
      • Raymond is located in Kandiyohi County
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 759 people
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Raymond <2>
    • Willmar
      (18 miles [29 km] to the southeast)
    • Wilmar
      (18 miles [29 km] to the southeast)
    • Spicer
      (21 miles [33.8 km] to the east)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Spicer have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Spicer
      • Spicer is located in Kandiyohi County
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 1,224 people
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Spicer <2>
    • New London
      (22 miles [35.4 km] to the east)
    • Prinsburg
      (22 miles [35.4 km] to the southeast)
    • Kandiyohi
      (23 miles [37 km] to the east)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Kandiyohi have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Kandiyohi
      • Kandiyohi is located in Kandiyohi County
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 477 people
    • Svea
      (23 miles [37 km] to the southeast)
    • Roseland
      (24 miles [38.6 km] to the southeast)
    • Blomkest
      (26 miles [41.8 km] to the southeast)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Blomkest have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Blomkest
      • Blomkest is located in Kandiyohi County
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 157 people
    • Hawick
      (28 miles [45.1 km] to the east)
  • Pope County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Murdock, with the one closest to Murdock listed first.
    • Sedan
      (25 miles [40.2 km] to the north)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Sedan have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Sedan
      • Sedan is located in Pope County
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 50 people
    • Starbuck
      (27 miles [43.5 km] to the north)
    • Glenwood
      (29 miles [46.7 km] to the north)
    • Grove Lake
      (29 miles [46.7 km] to the north)
      • Note: We haven't been able to verify our GPS coordinates for Grove Lake. Although the coordinates have been estimated, they should be in the vicinity.<3>
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Grove Lake
      • Grove Lake is located in Pope County
      • Google driving directions:
      • From your current location to Grove Lake
      • From Murdock to Grove Lake
    • Long Beach
      (29 miles [46.7 km] to the north)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Long Beach have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Long Beach
      • Long Beach is located in Pope County
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 417 people
    • New Prairie ‑ Historic
      (29 miles [46.7 km] to the northwest)
  • Renville County
  • Stearns County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Murdock, with the one closest to Murdock listed first.
    • Brooten
      (23 miles [37 km] to the northeast)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Brooten have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Brooten
      • Brooten is located in Stearns County
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 750 people
    • Belgrade
      (24 miles [38.6 km] to the northeast)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Belgrade have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Belgrade
      • Belgrade is located in Stearns County
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 787 people
  • Stevens County
  • Yellow Medicine County

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

Cemeteries Near Murdock ...

Below are cemeteries that are in the vicinity of Murdock.

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

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

  • Calvary Cemetery
    (Less than 2 miles to the southeast)
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Calvary Cemetery
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Calvary Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
  • Sacred Heart Catholic Cemetery
    (Less than 2 miles to the northwest)
  • Bethesda Lutheran Cemetery
    (3 miles [4.8 km] to the north)
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Bethesda Lutheran Cemetery
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Bethesda Lutheran Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
  • Hillside Cemetery
    (4 miles [6.4 km] to the southeast)
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Hillside Cemetery
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Hillside Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
  • St. Bridget Cemetery
    (4 miles [6.4 km] to the northwest)
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the St. Bridget Cemetery
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the St. Bridget Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
  • West Salem Cemetery
    (6 miles [9.7 km] to the east)
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the West Salem Cemetery
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the West Salem Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
  • Hillcrest Cemetery
    (6 miles [9.7 km] to the northeast)
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Hillcrest Cemetery
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Hillcrest Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
  • Frank Lake Cemetery
    (6 miles [9.7 km] to the north)
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Frank Lake Cemetery
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Frank Lake Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
  • Buffalo Lake Cemetery
    (7 miles [11.3 km] to the south)
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Buffalo Lake Cemetery
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Buffalo Lake Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
  • Monson Lake Cemetery
    (8 miles [12.9 km] to the northeast)
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Monson Lake Cemetery
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Monson Lake Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
  • St. Pauli Cemetery
    (9 miles [14.5 km] to the north)
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the St. Pauli Cemetery
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the St. Pauli Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
  • Hillside Cemetery
    (9 miles [14.5 km] to the southwest)
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Hillside Cemetery
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Hillside Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
  • Continue List   (177 more) ...
    • Buffalo Lake Cemetery
      (9 miles [14.5 km] to the southwest)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Buffalo Lake Cemetery
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Buffalo Lake Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Louriston Twp. Cemetery
      (9 miles [14.5 km] to the south)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Louriston Twp. Cemetery
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Louriston Twp. Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Swedish Lutheran Cemetery
      (9 miles [14.5 km] to the south)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Swedish Lutheran Cemetery
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Swedish Lutheran 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>

The Rand McNally Atlas shows that Murdock had a population of 130 people in 1895 with a post office and railroad service. In 2020, Murdock had a population of 260 people.

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

  • Kerkhoven
    (4 miles [6.4 km] to the southeast)
    • 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>
  • De Graff
    (4 miles [6.4 km] to the northwest)
    • 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
  • Louriston
    (9 miles [14.5 km] to the south)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Louriston have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Louriston
    • Louriston is located in Chippewa County
  • Sunburg
    (11 miles [17.7 km] to the northeast)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Sunburg have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Sunburg
    • Sunburg is located in Kandiyohi County
    • Population from the 2020 Census: 99 people
  • Benson
    (11 miles [17.7 km] to the northwest)
  • Swift Falls
    (12 miles [19.3 km] to the north)
    • 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 Murdock to Swift Falls
  • Norway Lake
    (13 miles [20.9 km] to the east)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Norway Lake have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Norway Lake
    • Norway Lake is located in Kandiyohi County
  • Raymond
    (16 miles [25.7 km] to the southeast)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Raymond have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Raymond
    • Raymond is located in Kandiyohi County
    • Population from the 2020 Census: 759 people
    • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Raymond <2>
  • Clontarf
    (17 miles [27.4 km] to the northwest)
    • 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>
  • Clara City
    (18 miles [29 km] to the south)
    • 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>
  • Willmar
    (18 miles [29 km] to the southeast)
  • Danvers
    (18 miles [29 km] to the west)
    • 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
  • Continue List   (14 more) ...
    • Hagan
      (19 miles [30.6 km] to the west)
      • 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
    • Terrace
      (20 miles [32.2 km] to the north)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Terrace have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Terrace
      • Terrace is located in Pope County
    • Spicer
      (21 miles [33.8 km] to the east)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Spicer have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Spicer
      • Spicer is located in Kandiyohi County
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 1,224 people
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Spicer <2>

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

Newspapers Published in the Vicinity of Murdock ...

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 105 newspapers that have been published in the area around Murdock.

We have organized these newspapers into two lists:

  • A Local Newspaper List - focusing on the papers published in the immediate area of Murdock. There are actually two parts to this list - papers printed in the immediate area of Murdock and those printed in the larger area surrounding Murdock.
  • An Extended Newspaper List - a longer list, sorted by paper name and containing those papers published within 30 miles [48.3 km]<6> of Murdock.

Websites to Help With Your Genealogy Research ...

When we do our genealogical research, we like to 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 Murdock:

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

The official website for Swift County: www.swiftcounty.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>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>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 Murdock, please let us know so that we can improve our accuracy.
<6>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- Murdock) to Point B.Our distance measurements begin at a specific point in Murdock. The point we use is located at these GPS coordinates - Latitude: 45.2247, Longitude: -95.3926    









 

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This page was last modified/updated: 28 Apr 2025