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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 Ranum (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 Ranum. 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 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.

Ranum is located in Norman 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 Norman County: Becker, Clay, Mahnomen, Polk, Cass (ND) & Traill (ND).

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

  • Norman County     (The home county of Ranum)
    • The following are listed by their distance from Ranum, with the one closest to Ranum listed first.
    • Rindal
      (3 miles [4.8 km] to the north)
      • Note: We haven't been able to verify our GPS coordinates for Rindal. Although the coordinates have been estimated, they should be in the vicinity.<1>
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Rindal
      • Rindal is located in Norman County
    • Flaming
      (6 miles [9.7 km] to the west)
      • Note: We haven't been able to verify our GPS coordinates for Flaming. Although the coordinates have been estimated, they should be in the vicinity.<1>
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Flaming
      • Flaming is located in Norman County
    • Gary
      (8 miles [12.9 km] to the southwest)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Gary have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Gary
      • Gary is located in Norman County
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 201 people
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Gary <3>
    • Faith
      (11 miles [17.7 km] to the south)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Faith
      • Faith is located in Norman County
    • Twin Valley
      (14 miles [22.5 km] to the southwest)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Twin Valley have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Twin Valley
      • Twin Valley is located in Norman County
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 750 people
    • Flom
      (19 miles [30.6 km] to the south)
    • Ada
      (20 miles [32.2 km] to the southwest)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Ada have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Ada
      • Ada is located in Norman County
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 1,556 people
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Ada <3>
    • Borup
      (25 miles [40.2 km] to the southwest)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Borup have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Borup
      • Borup is located in Norman County
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 103 people
  • Becker County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Ranum, with the one closest to Ranum listed first.
    • Ogema
      (26 miles [41.8 km] to the south)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Ogema have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Ogema
      • Ogema is located in Becker County
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 183 people
    • White Earth
      (28 miles [45.1 km] to the southeast)
  • Clay County
    • Ulen
      (26 miles [41.8 km] to the south)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Ulen have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Ulen
      • Ulen is located in Clay County
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 544 people
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Ulen <3>
  • Clearwater County
    • Rice Lake
      (29 miles [46.7 km] to the east)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Rice Lake have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Rice Lake
      • Rice Lake is located in Clearwater County
  • Mahnomen County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Ranum, with the one closest to Ranum listed first.
    • Bejou
      (7 miles [11.3 km] to the east)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Bejou have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Bejou
      • Bejou is located in Mahnomen County
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 90 people
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Bejou <3>
    • Mahnomen
      (12 miles [19.3 km] to the southeast)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Mahnomen have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Mahnomen
      • Mahnomen is located in Mahnomen County
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 1,220 people
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Mahnomen <3>
    • Waubun
      (20 miles [32.2 km] to the southeast)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Waubun have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Waubun
      • Waubun is located in Mahnomen County
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 401 people
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Waubun <3>
    • Naytahwaush
      (27 miles [43.5 km] to the southeast)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Naytahwaush have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Naytahwaush
      • Naytahwaush is located in Mahnomen County
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Naytahwaush <3>
    • Roy Lake
      (28 miles [45.1 km] to the east)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Roy Lake
      • Roy Lake is located in Mahnomen County
  • Polk County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Ranum, with the one closest to Ranum listed first.
    • Winger
      (8 miles [12.9 km] to the northeast)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Winger have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Winger
      • Winger is located in Polk County
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 208 people
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Winger <3>
    • Fertile
      (8 miles [12.9 km] to the northwest)
    • Erskine
      (15 miles [24.1 km] to the north)
    • Mentor
      (16 miles [25.7 km] to the north)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Mentor have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Mentor
      • Mentor is located in Polk County
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 147 people
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Mentor <3>
    • McIntosh
      (16 miles [25.7 km] to the northeast)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for McIntosh have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for McIntosh
      • McIntosh is located in Polk County
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 596 people
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for McIntosh <3>
    • Melvin
      (16 miles [25.7 km] to the northwest)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Melvin
      • Melvin is located in Polk County
    • Dugdale
      (18 miles [29 km] to the north)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Dugdale
      • Dugdale is located in Polk County
    • Fosston
      (19 miles [30.6 km] to the northeast)
    • Beltrami
      (19 miles [30.6 km] to the west)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Beltrami have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Beltrami
      • Beltrami is located in Polk County
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 99 people
    • Lengby
      (23 miles [37 km] to the east)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Lengby have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Lengby
      • Lengby is located in Polk County
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 86 people
    • Gentilly
      (27 miles [43.5 km] to the northwest)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Gentilly
      • Gentilly is located in Polk County
    • Trail
      (30 miles [48.3 km] to the northeast)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Trail have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Trail
      • Trail is located in Polk County
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 46 people
  • Red Lake County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Ranum, with the one closest to Ranum listed first.
    • Brooks
      (25 miles [40.2 km] to the north)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Brooks have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Brooks
      • Brooks is located in Red Lake County
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 136 people
    • Oklee
      (29 miles [46.7 km] to the northeast)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Oklee have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Oklee
      • Oklee is located in Red Lake County
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 428 people
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Oklee <3>
    • Red Lake Falls
      (30 miles [48.3 km] to the north)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Red Lake Falls have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Red Lake Falls
      • Red Lake Falls is located in Red Lake County
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 1,409 people
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Red Lake Falls <3>

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

Cemeteries Near Ranum ...

Below are cemeteries that are in the vicinity of Ranum.

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

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

  • Norman Lutheran Cemetery
    (Less than 2 miles to the west)
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Norman Lutheran Cemetery
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Norman Lutheran Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
  • Zion Norwegian Lutheran Cemetery
    (2 miles [3.2 km] to the north)
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Zion Norwegian Lutheran Cemetery
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Zion Norwegian Lutheran Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
  • Faaberg Norwegian Lutheran Cemetery
    (3 miles [4.8 km] to the north)
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Faaberg Norwegian Lutheran Cemetery
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Faaberg Norwegian Lutheran Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
  • International Order of Good Templars Cemetery
    (4 miles [6.4 km] to the northwest)
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the International Order of Good Templars Cemetery
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the International Order of Good Templars Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
  • St. John's Cemetery
    (4 miles [6.4 km] to the northwest)
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the St. John's Cemetery
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the St. John's Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
  • Sundal Lutheran Cemetery
    (4 miles [6.4 km] to the west)
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Sundal Lutheran Cemetery
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Sundal Lutheran Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
  • Ness Lutheran Cemetery
    (5 miles [8 km] to the south)
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Ness Lutheran Cemetery
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Ness Lutheran Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
  • Old Sundal Cemetery
    (5 miles [8 km] to the west)
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Old Sundal Cemetery
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Old Sundal Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
  • St. Petri Cemetery
    (6 miles [9.7 km] to the southwest)
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the St. Petri Cemetery
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the St. Petri Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
  • Bejou Cemetery
    (7 miles [11.3 km] to the east)
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Bejou Cemetery
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Bejou Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
  • Storelvedalen Cemetery
    (7 miles [11.3 km] to the northeast)
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Storelvedalen Cemetery
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Storelvedalen Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
  • Union Lake Cemetery
    (7 miles [11.3 km] to the north)
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Union Lake Cemetery
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Union Lake Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
  • Continue List   (150 more) ...
    • Elm Cemetery
      (8 miles [12.9 km] to the northeast)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Elm Cemetery
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Elm Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Calvary Cemetery
      (8 miles [12.9 km] to the northeast)
      • 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.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Winger Cemetery
      (8 miles [12.9 km] to the northeast)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Winger Cemetery
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Winger 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.<4>

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

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

  • Rindal
    (3 miles [4.8 km] to the north)
    • Note: We haven't been able to verify our GPS coordinates for Rindal. Although the coordinates have been estimated, they should be in the vicinity.<1>
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Rindal
    • Rindal is located in Norman County
  • Gary
    (8 miles [12.9 km] to the southwest)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Gary have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Gary
    • Gary is located in Norman County
    • Population from the 2020 Census: 201 people
    • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Gary <3>
  • Winger
    (8 miles [12.9 km] to the northeast)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Winger have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Winger
    • Winger is located in Polk County
    • Population from the 2020 Census: 208 people
    • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Winger <3>
  • Fertile
    (8 miles [12.9 km] to the northwest)
  • Faith
    (11 miles [17.7 km] to the south)
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Faith
    • Faith is located in Norman County
  • Heiberg
    (13 miles [20.9 km] to the southwest)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Heiberg have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Heiberg
    • Heiberg is located in Norman County
  • Maple Bay
    (13 miles [20.9 km] to the north)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Maple Bay have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Maple Bay
    • Maple Bay is located in Polk County
  • Twin Valley
    (14 miles [22.5 km] to the southwest)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Twin Valley have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Twin Valley
    • Twin Valley is located in Norman County
    • Population from the 2020 Census: 750 people
  • Fossum
    (15 miles [24.1 km] to the south)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Fossum have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Fossum
    • Fossum is located in Norman County
  • Erskine
    (15 miles [24.1 km] to the north)
  • Mentor
    (16 miles [25.7 km] to the north)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Mentor have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Mentor
    • Mentor is located in Polk County
    • Population from the 2020 Census: 147 people
    • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Mentor <3>
  • McIntosh
    (16 miles [25.7 km] to the northeast)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for McIntosh have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for McIntosh
    • McIntosh is located in Polk County
    • Population from the 2020 Census: 596 people
    • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for McIntosh <3>
  • Continue List   (13 more) ...
    • Melvin
      (16 miles [25.7 km] to the northwest)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Melvin
      • Melvin is located in Polk County
    • Dugdale
      (18 miles [29 km] to the north)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Dugdale
      • Dugdale is located in Polk County
    • Syre
      (19 miles [30.6 km] to the south)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Syre have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Syre
      • Syre is located in Norman County

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

Newspapers Published in Ranum ...

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 23 newspapers that have been published in the area around Ranum.

Although we're unaware of any newspapers that were published in the immediate area of Ranum, there are papers which were published within 29 miles [46.7 km]<5>. A list of those papers, sorted by paper name, can be found on the Extended Newspaper List for Ranum.

Websites to Help With Your Genealogy Research ...

When we do our genealogical research, we begin 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 Ranum:

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

The official website for Norman County: www.co.norman.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>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 Ranum, please let us know so that we can improve our accuracy.
<5>Our distances are not driving distances, but are calculated as a 'point-to-point' distance. A straight line distance ignores things like rivers, canyons, lakes, et cetera - it's truly a line from Point A (ie- Ranum) to Point B.Our distance measurements begin at a specific point in Ranum. The point we use is located at these GPS coordinates - Latitude: 47.4555, Longitude: -96.1317       In this case, the coordinates for Ranum have been provided by the Geographic Names Information System (GNIS).




 

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This page was last modified/updated: 28 Apr 2025