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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 Oronoco Estates (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 Oronoco Estates. 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.

Name Variations for Oronoco Estates ...

When searching records, keep in mind that names and their spelling can change over time. Our sources include documents like maps, railroad schedules, Travel, Express and Shipping Guides. Many of these documents date from the 1800's and it's common to find spelling differences.

Although we can't give a definitive list, hopefully the following will give you a feel for the variations that might occur.

For example, a typical abbreviation for Oronoco Estates: Oronoco Ests.

If you have information about these names (such as the reason for the change, date of change, the origin of the name), please Contact Us.

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.

Oronoco Estates is located in Olmsted 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 Olmsted County: Dodge, Fillmore, Goodhue, Mower, Wabasha & Winona.

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

  • Olmsted County     (The home county of Oronoco Estates)
    • The following are listed by their distance from Oronoco Estates, with the one closest to Oronoco Estates listed first.
    • Oronoco
      (2 miles [3.2 km] to the northwest)
    • Genoa
      (4 miles [6.4 km] to the west)
      • Genoa is located in Olmsted County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Genoa
    • Post Town
      (6 miles [9.7 km] to the west)
      • Post Town is located in Olmsted County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Post Town
    • Rochester
      (7 miles [11.3 km] to the south)
    • Byron
      (8 miles [12.9 km] to the southwest)
      • Byron is located in Olmsted County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Byron
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 5,691 people
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Byron <1>
    • Potsdam
      (9 miles [14.5 km] to the east)
      • Potsdam is located in Olmsted County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Potsdam
    • Shanty Town
      (11 miles [17.7 km] to the southwest)
      • Shanty Town is located in Olmsted County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Shanty Town
    • Viola
      (13 miles [20.9 km] to the east)
      • Viola is located in Olmsted County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Viola
    • Simpson
      (14 miles [22.5 km] to the south)
      • Simpson is located in Olmsted County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Simpson
    • Predmore
      (15 miles [24.1 km] to the southeast)
      • Predmore is located in Olmsted County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Predmore
    • Rock Dell
      (15 miles [24.1 km] to the southwest)
      • Rock Dell is located in Olmsted County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Rock Dell
    • Eyota
      (16 miles [25.7 km] to the southeast)
      • Eyota is located in Olmsted County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Eyota
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 1,992 people
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Eyota <1>
  • Dodge County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Oronoco Estates, with the one closest to Oronoco Estates listed first.
    • Mantorville
      (12 miles [19.3 km] to the west)
    • Kasson
      (13 miles [20.9 km] to the southwest)
    • Concord
      (15 miles [24.1 km] to the west)
      • Concord is located in Dodge County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Concord
    • Dodge Center
      (17 miles [27.4 km] to the west)
    • West Concord
      (19 miles [30.6 km] to the west)
    • Hayfield
      (23 miles [37 km] to the southwest)
    • Claremont
      (24 miles [38.6 km] to the west)
    • Westfield Center ‑ Historic
      (25 miles [40.2 km] to the southwest)
      • Westfield Center is located in Dodge County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Westfield Center
  • Fillmore County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Oronoco Estates, with the one closest to Oronoco Estates listed first.
    • Chatfield
      (25 miles [40.2 km] to the southeast)
    • Fillmore
      (28 miles [45.1 km] to the southeast)
      • Fillmore is located in Fillmore County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Fillmore
    • Spring Valley
      (30 miles [48.3 km] to the south)
  • Goodhue County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Oronoco Estates, with the one closest to Oronoco Estates listed first.
    • Pine Island
      (8 miles [12.9 km] to the northwest)
    • Roscoe
      (14 miles [22.5 km] to the northwest)
      • Roscoe is located in Goodhue County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Roscoe
    • Zumbrota
      (14 miles [22.5 km] to the northwest)
    • Bellechester
      (17 miles [27.4 km] to the north)
      • Bellechester is located in Goodhue County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Bellechester
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 177 people
    • Wanamingo
      (18 miles [29 km] to the northwest)
    • Goodhue
      (19 miles [30.6 km] to the north)
    • Hader
      (21 miles [33.8 km] to the northwest)
      • Hader is located in Goodhue County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Hader
    • Belle Creek
      (25 miles [40.2 km] to the northwest)
      • Belle Creek is located in Goodhue County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Belle Creek
    • Kenyon
      (25 miles [40.2 km] to the northwest)
    • White Rock
      (26 miles [41.8 km] to the northwest)
      • White Rock is located in Goodhue County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for White Rock
    • Frontenac
      (27 miles [43.5 km] to the north)
    • Red Wing
      (30 miles [48.3 km] to the north)
  • Mower County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Oronoco Estates, with the one closest to Oronoco Estates listed first.
    • Racine
      (23 miles [37 km] to the south)
    • Sargeant
      (26 miles [41.8 km] to the southwest)
      • Sargeant is located in Mower County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Sargeant
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 60 people
    • Waltham
      (27 miles [43.5 km] to the southwest)
    • Grand Meadow
      (28 miles [45.1 km] to the south)
    • Dexter
      (29 miles [46.7 km] to the south)
    • Renova ‑ Historic
      (29 miles [46.7 km] to the southwest)
      • Renova is located in Mower County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Renova
  • Rice County
    • Moland
      (27 miles [43.5 km] to the west)
      • Moland is located in Rice County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Moland
  • Steele County
    • Rice Lake
      (26 miles [41.8 km] to the west)
      • Rice Lake is located in Steele County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Rice Lake
  • Wabasha County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Oronoco Estates, with the one closest to Oronoco Estates listed first.
    • Hammond
      (9 miles [14.5 km] to the northeast)
      • Hammond is located in Wabasha County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Hammond
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 167 people
    • Mazeppa
      (10 miles [16.1 km] to the north)
    • Zumbro Falls
      (11 miles [17.7 km] to the north)
    • Jarrett
      (11 miles [17.7 km] to the northeast)
      • Jarrett is located in Wabasha County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Jarrett
    • Elgin
      (13 miles [20.9 km] to the east)
      • Elgin is located in Wabasha County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Elgin
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 1,080 people
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Elgin <1>
    • Millville
      (13 miles [20.9 km] to the northeast)
    • Plainview
      (17 miles [27.4 km] to the east)
    • Lake City
      (24 miles [38.6 km] to the northeast)
    • Kellogg
      (28 miles [45.1 km] to the northeast)
    • Reads Landing
      (28 miles [45.1 km] to the northeast)
    • Weaver
      (29 miles [46.7 km] to the east)
      • Weaver is located in Wabasha County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Weaver
    • Wabasha
      (29 miles [46.7 km] to the northeast)
  • Winona County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Oronoco Estates, with the one closest to Oronoco Estates listed first.
    • Elba
      (24 miles [38.6 km] to the east)
      • Elba is located in Winona County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Elba
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 156 people
    • Saint Charles
      (24 miles [38.6 km] to the southeast)
    • Beaver ‑ Historic
      (25 miles [40.2 km] to the east)
      • Beaver is located in Winona County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Beaver
    • Saratoga
      (27 miles [43.5 km] to the southeast)
      • Saratoga is located in Winona County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Saratoga
    • Altura
      (28 miles [45.1 km] to the east)
    • Troy
      (28 miles [45.1 km] to the southeast)
      • Troy is located in Winona County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Troy
    • Utica
      (29 miles [46.7 km] to the east)
  • Pepin County (WI)
    • The following are listed by their distance from Oronoco Estates, with the one closest to Oronoco Estates listed first.
    • Lakeport
      (27 miles [43.5 km] to the northeast)
      • Lakeport is located in Pepin County (WI)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Lakeport
    • Stockholm
      (27 miles [43.5 km] to the northeast)
      • Stockholm is located in Pepin County (WI)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Stockholm
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 64 people
    • Pepin
      (28 miles [45.1 km] to the northeast)
      • Pepin is located in Pepin County (WI)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Pepin
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 747 people

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

Cemeteries Near Oronoco Estates ...

Below are cemeteries that are in the vicinity of Oronoco Estates.

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 Oronoco Estates - one of the links might be able to help.

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

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

  • Pleasant Prairie Cemetery
    (Less than 2 miles to the south)
  • Center Grove Cemetery
    (3 miles [4.8 km] to the west)
  • Oronoco Cemetery
    (3 miles [4.8 km] to the north)
  • Mt. Hope Cemetery
    (4 miles [6.4 km] to the southwest)
  • Boynton Cemetery
    (4 miles [6.4 km] to the southeast)
  • Fitch Cemetery
    (6 miles [9.7 km] to the east)
  • Farm Hill Cemetery
    (6 miles [9.7 km] to the northeast)
  • Oakwood Cemetery
    (7 miles [11.3 km] to the southeast)
  • Calvary Cemetery
    (7 miles [11.3 km] to the southeast)
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Calvary Cemetery
    • To give a relative sense of its location, the Calvary Cemetery is a large cemetery that is located in Rochester.
    • The Calvary Cemetery has also been known as:
    • St. Johns Cemetery
    • Jump to Find-A-Grave: FG ID #82040 <2>
  • Rochester State Hospital Cemetery
    (7 miles [11.3 km] to the southeast)
  • Rosamount Cemetery
    (7 miles [11.3 km] to the southeast)
  • Greenland Cemetery
    (7 miles [11.3 km] to the northeast)
  • Continue List   (221 more) ...
    • St. Michael Cemetery
      (7 miles [11.3 km] to the west)
    • Othello Cemetery
      (7 miles [11.3 km] to the west)
    • Byron Cemetery
      (8 miles [12.9 km] to the southwest)

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>

While we didn't find Oronoco Estates in the Atlas, the following 1895 communities would have been found near the current location of Oronoco Estates.

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

  • Oronoco
    (2 miles [3.2 km] to the northwest)
  • Douglas
    (3 miles [4.8 km] to the west)
    • Douglas is located in Olmsted County
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Douglas
  • Genoa
    (4 miles [6.4 km] to the west)
    • Genoa is located in Olmsted County
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Genoa
  • Rochester
    (7 miles [11.3 km] to the south)
  • South Troy
    (7 miles [11.3 km] to the northeast)
    • South Troy is located in Wabasha County
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for South Troy
  • Pine Island
    (8 miles [12.9 km] to the northwest)
  • Potsdam
    (9 miles [14.5 km] to the east)
    • Potsdam is located in Olmsted County
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Potsdam
  • Hammond
    (9 miles [14.5 km] to the northeast)
    • Hammond is located in Wabasha County
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Hammond
    • Population from the 2020 Census: 167 people
  • Mazeppa
    (10 miles [16.1 km] to the north)
  • Chester
    (11 miles [17.7 km] to the southeast)
    • Chester is located in Olmsted County
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Chester
  • Jarrett
    (11 miles [17.7 km] to the northeast)
    • Jarrett is located in Wabasha County
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Jarrett
  • Zumbro Falls
    (11 miles [17.7 km] to the north)
  • Continue List   (15 more) ...
    • Mantorville
      (12 miles [19.3 km] to the west)
    • Bear Valley
      (12 miles [19.3 km] to the north)
      • Bear Valley is located in Wabasha County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Bear Valley
    • Kasson
      (13 miles [20.9 km] to the southwest)

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

Newspapers Published in Oronoco Estates ...

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 48 newspapers that have been published in the area around Oronoco Estates.

Although we're unaware of any newspapers that were published in the immediate area of Oronoco Estates, 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 Oronoco Estates.

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 helpful 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 Oronoco Estates:

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 Oronoco Estates, 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 from Point A (ie- Oronoco Estates) to Point B. In other words: 'As the crow flies'.