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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 Opole (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 Opole. 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 and 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.

Opole is located in Stearns 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 Stearns County: Benton, Douglas, Kandiyohi, Meeker, Morrison, Pope, Sherburne, Todd & Wright.

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

  • Stearns County     (The home county of Opole)
    • The following are listed by their distance from Opole, with the one closest to Opole listed first.
    • Saint Wendel
      (5 miles [8 km] to the south)
      • Note: We haven't been able to verify our GPS coordinates for Saint Wendel. Although the coordinates have been estimated, they should be in the vicinity.<1>
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Saint Wendel
      • Saint Wendel is located in Stearns County
      • Google driving directions:
      • From your current location to Saint Wendel
      • From Opole to Saint Wendel
    • Saint Stephen
      (5 miles [8 km] to the southeast)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Saint Stephen have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Saint Stephen
      • Saint Stephen is located in Stearns County
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 867 people
    • Holdingford
      (5 miles [8 km] to the west)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Holdingford have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Holdingford
      • Holdingford is located in Stearns County
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 725 people
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Holdingford <3>
    • Avon
      (10 miles [16.1 km] to the south)
    • Collegeville
      (10 miles [16.1 km] to the south)
    • Evergreen Village
      (11 miles [17.7 km] to the southeast)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Evergreen Village have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Evergreen Village
      • Evergreen Village is located in Stearns County
    • Sartell
      (11 miles [17.7 km] to the southeast)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Sartell have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Sartell
      • Sartell is located in Stearns County
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 19,079 people
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Sartell <3>
    • Saint Joseph
      (12 miles [19.3 km] to the south)
    • Albany
      (12 miles [19.3 km] to the southwest)
    • Saint Anthony
      (12 miles [19.3 km] to the west)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Saint Anthony have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Saint Anthony
      • Saint Anthony is located in Stearns County
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 91 people
    • Waite Park
      (14 miles [22.5 km] to the southeast)
    • Saint Cloud
      (16 miles [25.7 km] to the southeast)
    • Freeport
      (16 miles [25.7 km] to the west)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Freeport have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Freeport
      • Freeport is located in Stearns County
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 671 people
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Freeport <3>
  • Benton County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Opole, with the one closest to Opole listed first.
    • Rice
      (6 miles [9.7 km] to the east)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Rice have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Rice
      • Rice is located in Benton County
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 1,401 people
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Rice <3>
    • Watab
      (10 miles [16.1 km] to the southeast)
    • Evergreen Village
      (12 miles [19.3 km] to the southeast)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Evergreen Village have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Evergreen Village
      • Evergreen Village is located in Benton County
    • Sauk Rapids
      (14 miles [22.5 km] to the southeast)
    • Gilman
      (20 miles [32.2 km] to the east)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Gilman have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Gilman
      • Gilman is located in Benton County
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 216 people
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Gilman <3>
    • Foley
      (22 miles [35.4 km] to the east)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Foley have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Foley
      • Foley is located in Benton County
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 2,653 people
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Foley <3>
    • Ronneby
      (24 miles [38.6 km] to the east)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Ronneby have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Ronneby
      • Ronneby is located in Benton County
    • Duelm
      (24 miles [38.6 km] to the southeast)
    • Oak Park
      (26 miles [41.8 km] to the east)
  • Crow Wing County
  • Meeker County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Opole, with the one closest to Opole listed first.
    • Watkins
      (29 miles [46.7 km] to the south)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Watkins have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Watkins
      • Watkins is located in Meeker County
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 958 people
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Watkins <3>
    • Eden Valley
      (30 miles [48.3 km] to the south)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Eden Valley have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Eden Valley
      • Eden Valley is located in Meeker County
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 1,038 people
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Eden Valley <3>
  • Morrison County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Opole, with the one closest to Opole listed first.
    • North Prairie
      (3 miles [4.8 km] to the north)
    • Bowlus
      (5 miles [8 km] to the north)
    • Royalton
      (6 miles [9.7 km] to the northeast)
    • Elmdale
      (8 miles [12.9 km] to the northwest)
      • Note: We haven't been able to verify our GPS coordinates for Elmdale. Although the coordinates have been estimated, they should be in the vicinity.<1>
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Elmdale
      • Elmdale is located in Morrison County
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 116 people
      • Google driving directions:
      • From your current location to Elmdale
      • From Opole to Elmdale
    • Upsala
      (10 miles [16.1 km] to the northwest)
    • Sobieski
      (13 miles [20.9 km] to the northwest)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Sobieski have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Sobieski
      • Sobieski is located in Morrison County
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 194 people
    • Little Falls
      (15 miles [24.1 km] to the north)
    • Buckman
      (16 miles [25.7 km] to the northeast)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Buckman have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Buckman
      • Buckman is located in Morrison County
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 273 people
    • Flensburg
      (16 miles [25.7 km] to the northwest)
    • Swanville
      (17 miles [27.4 km] to the northwest)
    • Belle Prairie
      (19 miles [30.6 km] to the north)
    • Genola
      (19 miles [30.6 km] to the northeast)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Genola have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Genola
      • Genola is located in Morrison County
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 66 people
    • Morrill
      (20 miles [32.2 km] to the east)
      • Note: We haven't been able to verify our GPS coordinates for Morrill. Although the coordinates have been estimated, they should be in the vicinity.<1>
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Morrill
      • Morrill is located in Morrison County
      • Google driving directions:
      • From your current location to Morrill
      • From Opole to Morrill
  • Sherburne County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Opole, with the one closest to Opole listed first.
    • Cable
      (21 miles [33.8 km] to the southeast)
      • Note: We haven't been able to verify our GPS coordinates for Cable. Although the coordinates have been estimated, they should be in the vicinity.<1>
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Cable
      • Cable is located in Sherburne County
      • Google driving directions:
      • From your current location to Cable
      • From Opole to Cable
    • Clear Lake
      (27 miles [43.5 km] to the southeast)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Clear Lake have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Clear Lake
      • Clear Lake is located in Sherburne County
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 729 people
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Clear Lake <3>
    • Santiago
      (30 miles [48.3 km] to the southeast)
  • Todd County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Opole, with the one closest to Opole listed first.
    • Burtrum
      (17 miles [27.4 km] to the northwest)
    • Pillsbury
      (19 miles [30.6 km] to the northwest)
      • Note: We haven't been able to verify our GPS coordinates for Pillsbury. Although the coordinates have been estimated, they should be in the vicinity.<1>
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Pillsbury
      • Pillsbury is located in Todd County
      • Google driving directions:
      • From your current location to Pillsbury
      • From Opole to Pillsbury
    • Grey Eagle
      (19 miles [30.6 km] to the west)
    • Long Prairie
      (28 miles [45.1 km] to the northwest)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Long Prairie have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Long Prairie
      • Long Prairie is located in Todd County
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 3,297 people
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Long Prairie <3>
  • Wright County
    • Clearwater
      (28 miles [45.1 km] to the southeast)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Clearwater have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Clearwater
      • Clearwater is located in Wright County
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 1,841 people
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Clearwater <3>

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

Cemeteries Near Opole ...

Below are cemeteries that are in the vicinity of Opole.

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

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

  • Mt. Carmel Cemetery
    (Less than 2 miles to the south)
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Mt. Carmel Cemetery
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Mt. Carmel Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
  • Holy Cross Church Cemetery
    (3 miles [4.8 km] to the north)
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Holy Cross Church Cemetery
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Holy Cross Church Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
  • St. Hegwigs Cemetery
    (4 miles [6.4 km] to the west)
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the St. Hegwigs Cemetery
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the St. Hegwigs Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
  • St. Marys Cemetery
    (5 miles [8 km] to the west)
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the St. Marys Cemetery
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the St. Marys Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
  • Sacred Heart Cemetery
    (5 miles [8 km] to the southwest)
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Sacred Heart Cemetery
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Sacred Heart Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
  • St. Wendel Cemetery
    (5 miles [8 km] to the south)
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the St. Wendel Cemetery
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the St. Wendel Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
  • St. Stanislaus Cemetery
    (5 miles [8 km] to the northwest)
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the St. Stanislaus Cemetery
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the St. Stanislaus Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
  • St. Stephni Cemetery
    (5 miles [8 km] to the southeast)
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the St. Stephni Cemetery
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the St. Stephni Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
  • St. Mary Cemetery
    (5 miles [8 km] to the northwest)
  • Highland Cemetery
    (5 miles [8 km] to the west)
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Highland Cemetery
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Highland Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
  • Rice Cemetery
    (6 miles [9.7 km] to the east)
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Rice Cemetery
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Rice Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
  • Royalton Cemetery
    (6 miles [9.7 km] to the northeast)
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Royalton Cemetery
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Royalton Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
  • Continue List   (170 more) ...
    • Immaculate Conception Cemetery
      (7 miles [11.3 km] to the southwest)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Immaculate Conception Cemetery
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Immaculate Conception Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Immaculate Conception Cemetery
      (7 miles [11.3 km] to the east)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Immaculate Conception Cemetery
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Immaculate Conception Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Holy Trinity Cemetery
      (7 miles [11.3 km] to the northeast)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Holy Trinity Cemetery
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Holy Trinity Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<2> 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.<6>

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

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

  • North Prairie
    (3 miles [4.8 km] to the north)
  • Holdingford
    (5 miles [8 km] to the west)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Holdingford have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Holdingford
    • Holdingford is located in Stearns County
    • Population from the 2020 Census: 725 people
    • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Holdingford <3>
  • Saint Wendel
    (5 miles [8 km] to the south)
    • Note: We haven't been able to verify our GPS coordinates for Saint Wendel. Although the coordinates have been estimated, they should be in the vicinity.<1>
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Saint Wendel
    • Saint Wendel is located in Stearns County
    • Google driving directions:
    • From your current location to Saint Wendel
    • From Opole to Saint Wendel
  • Rice
    (6 miles [9.7 km] to the east)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Rice have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Rice
    • Rice is located in Benton County
    • Population from the 2020 Census: 1,401 people
    • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Rice <3>
  • Royalton
    (6 miles [9.7 km] to the northeast)
  • Saint Anna
    (7 miles [11.3 km] to the southwest)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Saint Anna have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Saint Anna
    • Saint Anna is located in Stearns County
  • Elmdale
    (8 miles [12.9 km] to the northwest)
    • Note: We haven't been able to verify our GPS coordinates for Elmdale. Although the coordinates have been estimated, they should be in the vicinity.<1>
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Elmdale
    • Elmdale is located in Morrison County
    • Population from the 2020 Census: 116 people
    • Google driving directions:
    • From your current location to Elmdale
    • From Opole to Elmdale
  • Avon
    (10 miles [16.1 km] to the south)
  • Collegeville
    (10 miles [16.1 km] to the south)
  • Watab
    (10 miles [16.1 km] to the southeast)
  • Upsala
    (10 miles [16.1 km] to the northwest)
  • Albany
    (12 miles [19.3 km] to the southwest)
  • Continue List   (14 more) ...

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

Newspapers Published in Opole ...

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 79 newspapers that have been published in the area around Opole.

Although we're unaware of any newspapers that were published in the immediate area of Opole, there are papers which were published within 30 miles [48.3 km]<4>. A list of those papers, sorted by paper name, can be found on the Extended Newspaper List for Opole.

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 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 Opole:

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

The official website for Stearns County: www.co.stearns.mn.us/

The official website for State of Minnesota: https://mn.gov/

Footnotes ...

<1>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.
<2>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.
<3>While we're fans and frequent users of TripAdvisor, you should know that we're also members of the TripAdvisor affiliate program.
<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- Opole) to Point B.Our distance measurements begin at a specific point in Opole. The point we use is located at these GPS coordinates - Latitude: 45.7464, Longitude: -94.3689       In this case, the coordinates for Opole have been provided by the Geographic Names Information System (GNIS).
<5>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.
<6>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 Opole, please let us know so that we can improve our accuracy.




 

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This page was last modified/updated: 28 Apr 2025