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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 New Sweden (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 New Sweden. 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 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.

New Sweden is located in Nicollet 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 Nicollet County: Blue Earth, Brown, Le Sueur, Renville & Sibley.

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

  • Nicollet County     (The home county of New Sweden)
    • The following are listed by their distance from New Sweden, with the one closest to New Sweden listed first.
    • Oshawa
      (8 miles [12.9 km] to the southeast)
    • Nicollet
      (9 miles [14.5 km] to the south)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Nicollet have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Nicollet
      • Nicollet is located in Nicollet County
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 1,175 people
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Nicollet <2>
    • Lafayette
      (10 miles [16.1 km] to the west)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Lafayette have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Lafayette
      • Lafayette is located in Nicollet County
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 492 people
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Lafayette <2>
    • Courtland
      (12 miles [19.3 km] to the southwest)
    • Saint Peter
      (13 miles [20.9 km] to the southeast)
    • North Mankato
      (17 miles [27.4 km] to the southeast)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for North Mankato have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for North Mankato
      • North Mankato is located in Nicollet County
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 14,052 people
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for North Mankato <2>
  • Blue Earth County
    • The following are listed by their distance from New Sweden, with the one closest to New Sweden listed first.
    • Judson
      (14 miles [22.5 km] to the south)
    • Mankato
      (19 miles [30.6 km] to the southeast)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Mankato have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Mankato
      • Mankato is located in Blue Earth County
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 43,435 people
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Mankato <2>
    • Skyline
      (20 miles [32.2 km] to the southeast)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Skyline have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Skyline
      • Skyline is located in Blue Earth County
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 299 people
    • Lake Crystal
      (21 miles [33.8 km] to the south)
    • Rapidan
      (22 miles [35.4 km] to the south)
    • Eagle Lake
      (22 miles [35.4 km] to the southeast)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Eagle Lake have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Eagle Lake
      • Eagle Lake is located in Blue Earth County
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 3,123 people
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Eagle Lake <2>
    • Madison Lake
      (23 miles [37 km] to the southeast)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Madison Lake have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Madison Lake
      • Madison Lake is located in Blue Earth County
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 1,202 people
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Madison Lake <2>
    • Garden City
      (25 miles [40.2 km] to the south)
    • Good Thunder
      (28 miles [45.1 km] to the south)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Good Thunder have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Good Thunder
      • Good Thunder is located in Blue Earth County
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 566 people
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Good Thunder <2>
    • Saint Clair
      (28 miles [45.1 km] to the southeast)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Saint Clair have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Saint Clair
      • Saint Clair is located in Blue Earth County
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 821 people
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Saint Clair <2>
    • Smiths Mill
      (28 miles [45.1 km] to the southeast)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Smiths Mill have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Smiths Mill
      • Smiths Mill is located in Blue Earth County
    • Beauford
      (30 miles [48.3 km] to the southeast)
      • Note: We haven't been able to verify our GPS coordinates for Beauford. Although the coordinates have been estimated, they should be in the vicinity.<3>
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Beauford
      • Beauford is located in Blue Earth County
      • Google driving directions:
      • From your current location to Beauford
      • From New Sweden to Beauford
  • Brown County
    • The following are listed by their distance from New Sweden, with the one closest to New Sweden listed first.
    • New Ulm
      (15 miles [24.1 km] to the southwest)
    • Searles
      (17 miles [27.4 km] to the southwest)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Searles have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Searles
      • Searles is located in Brown County
    • Essig
      (21 miles [33.8 km] to the west)
    • Hanska
      (23 miles [37 km] to the southwest)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Hanska have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Hanska
      • Hanska is located in Brown County
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 372 people
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Hanska <2>
    • Iberia
      (27 miles [43.5 km] to the southwest)
    • Sleepy Eye
      (27 miles [43.5 km] to the west)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Sleepy Eye have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Sleepy Eye
      • Sleepy Eye is located in Brown County
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 3,329 people
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Sleepy Eye <2>
  • Carver County
    • The following are listed by their distance from New Sweden, with the one closest to New Sweden listed first.
    • Assumption
      (24 miles [38.6 km] to the northeast)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Assumption have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Assumption
      • Assumption is located in Carver County
    • Hamburg
      (24 miles [38.6 km] to the northeast)
    • Norwood
      (27 miles [43.5 km] to the northeast)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Norwood have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Norwood
      • Norwood is located in Carver County
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Norwood <2>
    • Gotha
      (28 miles [45.1 km] to the northeast)
      • Note: We haven't been able to verify our GPS coordinates for Gotha. Although the coordinates have been estimated, they should be in the vicinity.<3>
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Gotha
      • Gotha is located in Carver County
      • Google driving directions:
      • From your current location to Gotha
      • From New Sweden to Gotha
    • Norwood Young America
      (28 miles [45.1 km] to the northeast)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Norwood Young America have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Norwood Young America
      • Norwood Young America is located in Carver County
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 3,794 people
    • Young America
      (28 miles [45.1 km] to the northeast)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Young America have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Young America
      • Young America is located in Carver County
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Young America <2>
  • Le Sueur County
  • McLeod County
    • The following are listed by their distance from New Sweden, with the one closest to New Sweden listed first.
    • Fernando
      (21 miles [33.8 km] to the northwest)
    • Sumter
      (22 miles [35.4 km] to the north)
      • Note: We haven't been able to verify our GPS coordinates for Sumter. Although the coordinates have been estimated, they should be in the vicinity.<3>
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Sumter
      • Sumter is located in McLeod County
      • Google driving directions:
      • From your current location to Sumter
      • From New Sweden to Sumter
    • Brownton
      (23 miles [37 km] to the north)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Brownton have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Brownton
      • Brownton is located in McLeod County
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 711 people
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Brownton <2>
    • Glencoe
      (24 miles [38.6 km] to the north)
    • Plato
      (25 miles [40.2 km] to the north)
      • Note: We haven't been able to verify our GPS coordinates for Plato. Although the coordinates have been estimated, they should be in the vicinity.<3>
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Plato
      • Plato is located in McLeod County
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 303 people
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Plato <2>
      • Google driving directions:
      • From your current location to Plato
      • From New Sweden to Plato
    • Stewart
      (25 miles [40.2 km] to the northwest)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Stewart have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Stewart
      • Stewart is located in McLeod County
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 533 people
    • Biscay
      (28 miles [45.1 km] to the north)
  • Renville County
    • The following are listed by their distance from New Sweden, with the one closest to New Sweden listed first.
    • Fairfax
      (27 miles [43.5 km] to the west)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Fairfax have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Fairfax
      • Fairfax is located in Renville County
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 1,119 people
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Fairfax <2>
    • Buffalo Lake
      (30 miles [48.3 km] to the northwest)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Buffalo Lake have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Buffalo Lake
      • Buffalo Lake is located in Renville County
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 678 people
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Buffalo Lake <2>
  • Scott County
  • Sibley County
  • Waseca County
  • Watonwan County
    • The following are listed by their distance from New Sweden, with the one closest to New Sweden listed first.
    • Madelia
      (27 miles [43.5 km] to the southwest)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Madelia have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Madelia
      • Madelia is located in Watonwan County
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 2,226 people
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Madelia <2>
    • Godahl
      (30 miles [48.3 km] to the southwest)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Godahl have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Godahl
      • Godahl is located in Watonwan County
    • La Salle
      (30 miles [48.3 km] to the southwest)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for La Salle have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for La Salle
      • La Salle is located in Watonwan County
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 86 people

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

Cemeteries Near New Sweden ...

Below are cemeteries that are in the vicinity of New Sweden.

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

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

  • Greenwood Cemetery
    (2 miles [3.2 km] to the southwest)
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Greenwood Cemetery
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Greenwood Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
  • Scandian Grove Cemetery
    (3 miles [4.8 km] to the east)
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Scandian Grove Cemetery
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Scandian Grove Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
  • Methodist Cemetery
    (3 miles [4.8 km] to the east)
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Methodist Cemetery
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Methodist Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
  • Scandian Grove Cemetery
    (3 miles [4.8 km] to the east)
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Scandian Grove Cemetery
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Scandian Grove Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
  • Norseland Cemetery
    (4 miles [6.4 km] to the east)
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Norseland Cemetery
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Norseland Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
  • St. Mary's Catholic Cemetery
    (5 miles [8 km] to the southwest)
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the St. Mary's Catholic Cemetery
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the St. Mary's Catholic Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
  • Gleason Cemetery
    (5 miles [8 km] to the south)
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Gleason Cemetery
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Gleason Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
  • Goodman Cemetery
    (5 miles [8 km] to the north)
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Goodman Cemetery
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Goodman Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
  • Middle Lake Catholic Cemetery
    (5 miles [8 km] to the southeast)
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Middle Lake Catholic Cemetery
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Middle Lake Catholic Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
  • Trinity Lutheran Cemetery
    (5 miles [8 km] to the northeast)
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Trinity Lutheran Cemetery
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Trinity Lutheran Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
  • Swan Lake Lutheran Cemetery
    (6 miles [9.7 km] to the southwest)
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Swan Lake Lutheran Cemetery
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Swan Lake Lutheran Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
  • Nicollet County Poor Farm Cemetery
    (6 miles [9.7 km] to the southwest)
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Nicollet County Poor Farm Cemetery
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Nicollet County Poor Farm Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
  • Continue List   (243 more) ...
    • Cullen Trading Post Cemetery
      (6 miles [9.7 km] to the southeast)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Cullen Trading Post Cemetery
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Cullen Trading Post Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Sauer Cemetery
      (6 miles [9.7 km] to the east)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Sauer Cemetery
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Sauer Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Bernadotte Lutheran Cemetery
      (6 miles [9.7 km] to the northwest)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Bernadotte Lutheran Cemetery
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Bernadotte 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.<4>

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

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

  • Norseland
    (3 miles [4.8 km] to the east)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Norseland have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Norseland
    • Norseland is located in Nicollet County
  • Bernadotte
    (6 miles [9.7 km] to the northwest)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Bernadotte have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Bernadotte
    • Bernadotte is located in Nicollet County
  • Rush River
    (7 miles [11.3 km] to the northeast)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Rush River have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Rush River
    • Rush River is located in Sibley County
  • Oshawa
    (8 miles [12.9 km] to the southeast)
  • Nicollet
    (9 miles [14.5 km] to the south)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Nicollet have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Nicollet
    • Nicollet is located in Nicollet County
    • Population from the 2020 Census: 1,175 people
    • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Nicollet <2>
  • Gaylord
    (9 miles [14.5 km] to the north)
  • New Rome
    (10 miles [16.1 km] to the northeast)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for New Rome have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for New Rome
    • New Rome is located in Sibley County
  • Courtland
    (12 miles [19.3 km] to the southwest)
  • Ottawa
    (12 miles [19.3 km] to the east)
  • Winthrop
    (12 miles [19.3 km] to the northwest)
  • Kasota
    (13 miles [20.9 km] to the southeast)
  • Saint Peter
    (13 miles [20.9 km] to the southeast)
  • Continue List   (16 more) ...

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

Newspapers Published in New Sweden ...

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 New Sweden.

Although we're unaware of any newspapers that were published in the immediate area of New Sweden, there are papers which were published within 30 miles [48.3 km]<5>. A list of those papers, sorted by paper name, can be found on the Extended Newspaper List for New Sweden.

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 either 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 New Sweden:

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

The official website for Nicollet County: www.co.nicollet.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 New Sweden, 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 from Point A (ie- New Sweden) to Point B.Our distance measurements begin at a specific point in New Sweden. The point we use is located at these GPS coordinates - Latitude: 44.4130, Longitude: -94.1902       In this case, the coordinates for New Sweden have been provided by the Geographic Names Information System (GNIS).




 

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This page was last modified/updated: 28 Apr 2025