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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 Pleasant Beach (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 Pleasant Beach. 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 Pleasant Beach ...

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 Pleasant Beach: Pleasant Bch.

You might be interested in other communities that are also named Pleasant Beach. More information can be found on our Tidbits & Trivia Page for Pleasant Beach.

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 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.

Pleasant Beach is located in Todd 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 Todd County: Douglas, Morrison, Otter Tail, Stearns & Wadena.

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

  • Todd County     (The home county of Pleasant Beach)
    • The following are listed by their distance from Pleasant Beach, with the one closest to Pleasant Beach listed first.
    • Grey Eagle
      (3 miles [4.8 km] to the north)
    • Burtrum
      (6 miles [9.7 km] to the north)
    • Pillsbury
      (10 miles [16.1 km] to the north)
      • Pillsbury is located in Todd County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Pillsbury
    • Long Prairie
      (15 miles [24.1 km] to the northwest)
    • West Union
      (16 miles [25.7 km] to the west)
      • West Union is located in Todd County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for West Union
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 123 people
    • Browerville
      (21 miles [33.8 km] to the north)
      • Browerville is located in Todd County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Browerville
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 744 people
    • Clotho
      (22 miles [35.4 km] to the northwest)
      • Clotho is located in Todd County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Clotho
    • Clarissa
      (26 miles [41.8 km] to the northwest)
    • Eagle Bend
      (30 miles [48.3 km] to the northwest)
  • Benton County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Pleasant Beach, with the one closest to Pleasant Beach listed first.
    • Rice
      (24 miles [38.6 km] to the east)
      • Rice is located in Benton County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Rice
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 1,401 people
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Rice <1>
    • Watab
      (27 miles [43.5 km] to the east)
      • Watab is located in Benton County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Watab
    • Evergreen Village
      (28 miles [45.1 km] to the east)
      • Evergreen Village is located in Benton County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Evergreen Village
    • Sauk Rapids
      (30 miles [48.3 km] to the southeast)
  • Douglas County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Pleasant Beach, with the one closest to Pleasant Beach listed first.
    • Osakis
      (20 miles [32.2 km] to the west)
    • Nelson
      (26 miles [41.8 km] to the west)
      • Nelson is located in Douglas County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Nelson
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 192 people
    • Belle River
      (27 miles [43.5 km] to the northwest)
      • Belle River is located in Douglas County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Belle River
    • Carlos
      (29 miles [46.7 km] to the northwest)
    • Rose City
      (29 miles [46.7 km] to the northwest)
      • Rose City is located in Douglas County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Rose City
    • Forada
      (29 miles [46.7 km] to the west)
  • Kandiyohi County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Pleasant Beach, with the one closest to Pleasant Beach listed first.
    • Regal
      (26 miles [41.8 km] to the south)
      • Regal is located in Kandiyohi County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Regal
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 35 people
    • Hawick
      (30 miles [48.3 km] to the south)
      • Hawick is located in Kandiyohi County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Hawick
  • Morrison County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Pleasant Beach, with the one closest to Pleasant Beach listed first.
    • Upsala
      (8 miles [12.9 km] to the east)
    • Swanville
      (10 miles [16.1 km] to the northeast)
    • Elmdale
      (12 miles [19.3 km] to the east)
      • Elmdale is located in Morrison County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Elmdale
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 116 people
    • Flensburg
      (15 miles [24.1 km] to the northeast)
      • Flensburg is located in Morrison County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Flensburg
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 223 people
    • Sobieski
      (15 miles [24.1 km] to the northeast)
      • Sobieski is located in Morrison County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Sobieski
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 194 people
    • Bowlus
      (16 miles [25.7 km] to the east)
    • North Prairie
      (18 miles [29 km] to the east)
      • North Prairie is located in Morrison County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for North Prairie
    • Royalton
      (21 miles [33.8 km] to the east)
    • Little Falls
      (22 miles [35.4 km] to the northeast)
    • Randall
      (24 miles [38.6 km] to the northeast)
    • Cushing
      (26 miles [41.8 km] to the north)
    • Belle Prairie
      (26 miles [41.8 km] to the northeast)
      • Belle Prairie is located in Morrison County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Belle Prairie
    • Lincoln
      (30 miles [48.3 km] to the north)
      • Lincoln is located in Morrison County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Lincoln
  • Pope County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Pleasant Beach, with the one closest to Pleasant Beach listed first.
    • Westport
      (21 miles [33.8 km] to the west)
      • Westport is located in Pope County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Westport
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 61 people
    • Grove Lake
      (23 miles [37 km] to the southwest)
      • Grove Lake is located in Pope County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Grove Lake
    • Villard
      (26 miles [41.8 km] to the west)
    • Sedan
      (28 miles [45.1 km] to the southwest)
      • Sedan is located in Pope County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Sedan
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 50 people
  • Stearns County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Pleasant Beach, with the one closest to Pleasant Beach listed first.
    • Saint Rosa
      (3 miles [4.8 km] to the south)
      • Saint Rosa is located in Stearns County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Saint Rosa
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 71 people
    • Freeport
      (8 miles [12.9 km] to the south)
    • Saint Anthony
      (8 miles [12.9 km] to the southeast)
      • Saint Anthony is located in Stearns County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Saint Anthony
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 91 people
    • Melrose
      (8 miles [12.9 km] to the southwest)
    • New Munich
      (10 miles [16.1 km] to the south)
    • Sauk Centre
      (10 miles [16.1 km] to the west)
    • Albany
      (12 miles [19.3 km] to the southeast)
    • Meire Grove
      (12 miles [19.3 km] to the southwest)
      • Meire Grove is located in Stearns County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Meire Grove
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 200 people
    • Holdingford
      (13 miles [20.9 km] to the east)
    • Greenwald
      (13 miles [20.9 km] to the southwest)
    • Opole
      (17 miles [27.4 km] to the east)
      • Opole is located in Stearns County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Opole
    • Avon
      (18 miles [29 km] to the southeast)
      • Avon is located in Stearns County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Avon
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 1,652 people
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Avon <1>
    • Elrosa
      (18 miles [29 km] to the southwest)

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

Cemeteries Near Pleasant Beach ...

Below are cemeteries that are in the vicinity of Pleasant Beach.

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 Pleasant Beach - one of the links might be able to help.

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

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

  • Lakeview Cemetery
    (Less than 2 miles to the north)
  • St. Rosa of Lima Cemetery
    (3 miles [4.8 km] to the south)
  • St. Joseph Cemetery
    (3 miles [4.8 km] to the north)
  • Old St. Marys Cemetery
    (3 miles [4.8 km] to the northeast)
  • St. Peters Cemetery
    (5 miles [8 km] to the northeast)
  • G A R Cemetery
    (6 miles [9.7 km] to the north)
  • Oak Hill Cemetery
    (7 miles [11.3 km] to the south)
  • Millwood Cemetery
    (7 miles [11.3 km] to the south)
  • St. Francis Cemetery
    (7 miles [11.3 km] to the east)
  • Upsala Cemetery
    (7 miles [11.3 km] to the east)
  • St. Patrick Cemetery
    (8 miles [12.9 km] to the southwest)
  • St. Marys Cemetery
    (8 miles [12.9 km] to the southwest)
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for St. Marys Cemetery
    • To give a relative sense of its location, the St. Marys Cemetery is a large cemetery that is located outside and to the southeast of Melrose.
    • The St. Marys Cemetery has also been known as:
    • St. Boniface Cemetery
    • Jump to Find-A-Grave: FG ID #83432 <2>
  • Continue List   (171 more) ...
    • Sacred Heart Cemetery
      (8 miles [12.9 km] to the south)
    • St. Marys Cemetery
      (8 miles [12.9 km] to the east)
    • Gethsemane Cemetery
      (8 miles [12.9 km] to the east)

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 Pleasant Beach in the Atlas, the following 1895 communities would have been found near the current location of Pleasant Beach.

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

  • Grey Eagle
    (3 miles [4.8 km] to the north)
  • Spaulding
    (5 miles [8 km] to the west)
    • Spaulding is located in Todd County
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Spaulding
  • Burtrum
    (6 miles [9.7 km] to the north)
  • Melrose
    (8 miles [12.9 km] to the southwest)
  • Freeport
    (8 miles [12.9 km] to the south)
  • Upsala
    (8 miles [12.9 km] to the east)
  • Sauk Centre
    (10 miles [16.1 km] to the west)
  • New Munich
    (10 miles [16.1 km] to the south)
  • Swanville
    (10 miles [16.1 km] to the northeast)
  • Pillsbury
    (10 miles [16.1 km] to the north)
    • Pillsbury is located in Todd County
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Pillsbury
  • Little Sauk
    (10 miles [16.1 km] to the northwest)
    • Little Sauk is located in Todd County
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Little Sauk
  • Round Prairie
    (11 miles [17.7 km] to the northwest)
    • Round Prairie is located in Todd County
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Round Prairie
  • Continue List   (14 more) ...
    • Meire Grove
      (12 miles [19.3 km] to the southwest)
      • Meire Grove is located in Stearns County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Meire Grove
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 200 people
    • Albany
      (12 miles [19.3 km] to the southeast)
    • Elmdale
      (12 miles [19.3 km] to the east)
      • Elmdale is located in Morrison County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Elmdale
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 116 people

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

Newspapers Published in Pleasant Beach ...

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 80 newspapers that have been published in the area around Pleasant Beach.

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

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 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 Pleasant Beach:

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 Pleasant Beach, please let us know so that we can improve our accuracy.
<4>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- Pleasant Beach) to Point B. In other words: 'As the crow flies'.