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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 Rice (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 Rice. 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 and doctors 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.

Rice is located in Benton 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 Benton County: Isanti, Mille Lacs, Morrison, Sherburne & Stearns.

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

  • Benton County     (The home county of Rice)
    • The following are listed by their distance from Rice, with the one closest to Rice listed first.
    • Watab
      (5 miles [8 km] to the southeast)
      • Watab is located in Benton County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Watab
    • Evergreen Village
      (9 miles [14.5 km] to the south)
      • Evergreen Village is located in Benton County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Evergreen Village
    • Sauk Rapids
      (11 miles [17.7 km] to the south)
    • Gilman
      (13 miles [20.9 km] to the east)
    • Foley
      (16 miles [25.7 km] to the east)
    • Ronneby
      (18 miles [29 km] to the east)
      • Ronneby is located in Benton County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Ronneby
    • Duelm
      (19 miles [30.6 km] to the southeast)
      • Duelm is located in Benton County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Duelm
    • Oak Park
      (20 miles [32.2 km] to the east)
      • Oak Park is located in Benton County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Oak Park
  • Crow Wing County
    • Fort Ripley
      (29 miles [46.7 km] to the north)
  • Mille Lacs County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Rice, with the one closest to Rice listed first.
    • Estes Brook
      (24 miles [38.6 km] to the east)
      • Estes Brook is located in Mille Lacs County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Estes Brook
    • Foreston
      (25 miles [40.2 km] to the east)
      • Foreston is located in Mille Lacs County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Foreston
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 527 people
    • Milaca
      (28 miles [45.1 km] to the east)
      • Milaca is located in Mille Lacs County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Milaca
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 2,899 people
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Milaca <1>
    • Pease
      (28 miles [45.1 km] to the east)
      • Pease is located in Mille Lacs County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Pease
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 224 people
  • Morrison County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Rice, with the one closest to Rice listed first.
    • North Prairie
      (6 miles [9.7 km] to the northwest)
      • North Prairie is located in Morrison County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for North Prairie
    • Royalton
      (6 miles [9.7 km] to the northwest)
    • Bowlus
      (9 miles [14.5 km] to the northwest)
    • Buckman
      (12 miles [19.3 km] to the northeast)
      • Buckman is located in Morrison County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Buckman
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 273 people
    • Elmdale
      (13 miles [20.9 km] to the northwest)
      • Elmdale is located in Morrison County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Elmdale
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 116 people
    • Morrill
      (14 miles [22.5 km] to the northeast)
      • Morrill is located in Morrison County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Morrill
    • Ramey
      (15 miles [24.1 km] to the east)
      • Ramey is located in Morrison County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Ramey
    • Genola
      (15 miles [24.1 km] to the north)
      • Genola is located in Morrison County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Genola
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 66 people
    • Little Falls
      (16 miles [25.7 km] to the north)
    • Pierz
      (16 miles [25.7 km] to the north)
      • Pierz is located in Morrison County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Pierz
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 1,364 people
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Pierz <1>
    • Sobieski
      (16 miles [25.7 km] to the northwest)
      • Sobieski is located in Morrison County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Sobieski
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 194 people
    • Upsala
      (16 miles [25.7 km] to the west)
    • Flensburg
      (19 miles [30.6 km] to the northwest)
      • Flensburg is located in Morrison County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Flensburg
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 223 people
  • Sherburne County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Rice, with the one closest to Rice listed first.
    • Cable
      (18 miles [29 km] to the southeast)
      • Cable is located in Sherburne County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Cable
    • Clear Lake
      (23 miles [37 km] to the southeast)
    • Santiago
      (24 miles [38.6 km] to the southeast)
      • Santiago is located in Sherburne County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Santiago
  • Stearns County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Rice, with the one closest to Rice listed first.
    • Saint Stephen
      (4 miles [6.4 km] to the southwest)
      • Saint Stephen is located in Stearns County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Saint Stephen
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 867 people
    • Opole
      (6 miles [9.7 km] to the west)
      • Opole is located in Stearns County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Opole
    • Evergreen Village
      (9 miles [14.5 km] to the south)
      • Evergreen Village is located in Stearns County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Evergreen Village
    • Sartell
      (9 miles [14.5 km] to the south)
    • Saint Wendel
      (9 miles [14.5 km] to the southwest)
      • Saint Wendel is located in Stearns County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Saint Wendel
    • Holdingford
      (11 miles [17.7 km] to the west)
    • Collegeville
      (12 miles [19.3 km] to the southwest)
    • Saint Cloud
      (13 miles [20.9 km] to the south)
    • Saint Joseph
      (13 miles [20.9 km] to the south)
    • Waite Park
      (13 miles [20.9 km] to the south)
    • Avon
      (14 miles [22.5 km] to the southwest)
      • 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>
    • Pleasant Lake
      (17 miles [27.4 km] to the south)
      • Pleasant Lake is located in Stearns County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Pleasant Lake
    • Albany
      (18 miles [29 km] to the southwest)
  • Todd County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Rice, with the one closest to Rice listed first.
    • Burtrum
      (23 miles [37 km] to the west)
    • Pillsbury
      (24 miles [38.6 km] to the northwest)
      • Pillsbury is located in Todd County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Pillsbury
    • Grey Eagle
      (25 miles [40.2 km] to the west)
  • Wright County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Rice, with the one closest to Rice listed first.
    • Clearwater
      (25 miles [40.2 km] to the south)
    • Hasty
      (29 miles [46.7 km] to the southeast)
      • Hasty is located in Wright County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Hasty

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

Cemeteries Near Rice ...

Below are cemeteries that are in the vicinity of Rice.

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 Rice - one of the links might be able to help.

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

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

  • Rice Cemetery
    (Less than 2 miles to the southeast)
  • Immaculate Conception Cemetery
    (Less than 2 miles to the east)
  • St. Stephni Cemetery
    (4 miles [6.4 km] to the southwest)
  • Brockway Cemetery
    (4 miles [6.4 km] to the south)
  • Graham Cemetery
    (5 miles [8 km] to the east)
  • Royalton Cemetery
    (5 miles [8 km] to the northwest)
  • St. Marys Cemetery
    (6 miles [9.7 km] to the southeast)
  • Holy Trinity Cemetery
    (6 miles [9.7 km] to the northwest)
  • Holy Cross Church Cemetery
    (6 miles [9.7 km] to the northwest)
  • Mt. Carmel Cemetery
    (6 miles [9.7 km] to the west)
  • St. Wendel Cemetery
    (8 miles [12.9 km] to the southwest)
  • Oak Hill Cemetery
    (9 miles [14.5 km] to the south)
  • Continue List   (157 more) ...
    • St. Francis Xavier Cemetery
      (9 miles [14.5 km] to the south)
    • Union Cemetery
      (9 miles [14.5 km] to the northeast)
    • St. Johns Cemetery
      (9 miles [14.5 km] to the northeast)

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.<2>

The Rand McNally Atlas shows that Rice had a population of 156 people in 1895 with railroad service and no post office. In 2020, Rice had a population of 1,401 people.

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

  • Watab
    (5 miles [8 km] to the southeast)
    • Watab is located in Benton County
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Watab
  • Royalton
    (6 miles [9.7 km] to the northwest)
  • North Prairie
    (6 miles [9.7 km] to the northwest)
    • North Prairie is located in Morrison County
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for North Prairie
  • Opole
    (6 miles [9.7 km] to the west)
    • Opole is located in Stearns County
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Opole
  • Saint Wendel
    (9 miles [14.5 km] to the southwest)
    • Saint Wendel is located in Stearns County
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Saint Wendel
  • Sauk Rapids
    (11 miles [17.7 km] to the south)
  • Holdingford
    (11 miles [17.7 km] to the west)
  • Collegeville
    (12 miles [19.3 km] to the southwest)
  • Buckman
    (12 miles [19.3 km] to the northeast)
    • Buckman is located in Morrison County
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Buckman
    • Population from the 2020 Census: 273 people
  • Saint Anna
    (13 miles [20.9 km] to the southwest)
    • Saint Anna is located in Stearns County
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Saint Anna
  • Saint Joseph
    (13 miles [20.9 km] to the south)
  • Saint Cloud
    (13 miles [20.9 km] to the south)
  • Continue List   (18 more) ...
    • Gilman
      (13 miles [20.9 km] to the east)
    • Elmdale
      (13 miles [20.9 km] to the northwest)
      • Elmdale is located in Morrison County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Elmdale
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 116 people
    • Avon
      (14 miles [22.5 km] to the southwest)
      • 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>

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

Newspapers Published in the Vicinity of Rice ...

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 83 newspapers that have been published in the area around Rice.

We have organized these newspapers into two lists:

  • A Local Newspaper List - focusing on the papers published in the immediate area of Rice. There are actually two parts to this list - papers printed in the immediate area of Rice and those printed in the larger area surrounding Rice.
  • An Extended Newspaper List - a longer list, sorted by paper name and containing those papers published within 30 miles [48.3 km]<3> of Rice.

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 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 Rice:

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>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 Rice, please let us know so that we can improve our accuracy.
<3>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- Rice) to Point B. In other words: 'As the crow flies'.