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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 Richards (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 Richards. 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 Richards ...

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 have occurred.

While the name of this community is Richards, be aware that it's the common practice of mapmakers to remove the apostrophe from possessive names<1>. So Richards may originally have been Richard's.

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 northwest 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 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 west 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.

Richards is located in Becker 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 Becker County: Clay, Clearwater, Hubbard, Mahnomen, Norman, Otter Tail & Wadena.

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

  • Becker County     (The home county of Richards)
    • The following are listed by their distance from Richards, with the one closest to Richards listed first.
    • Audubon
      (3 miles [4.8 km] to the northwest)
    • Detroit Lakes
      (4 miles [6.4 km] to the southeast)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Detroit Lakes have been provided by the GNIS.<3> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Detroit Lakes
      • Detroit Lakes is located in Becker County
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 9,255 people
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Detroit Lakes <2>
    • Bucks Mill
      (7 miles [11.3 km] to the south)
      • Note: We haven't been able to verify our GPS coordinates for Bucks Mill. Although the coordinates have been estimated, they should be in the vicinity.<4>
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Bucks Mill
      • Bucks Mill is located in Becker County
    • Lake Park
      (9 miles [14.5 km] to the west)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Lake Park have been provided by the GNIS.<3> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Lake Park
      • Lake Park is located in Becker County
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 787 people
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Lake Park <2>
    • Rochert
      (10 miles [16.1 km] to the east)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Rochert have been provided by the GNIS.<3> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Rochert
      • Rochert is located in Becker County
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Rochert <2>
    • Callaway
      (10 miles [16.1 km] to the north)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Callaway have been provided by the GNIS.<3> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Callaway
      • Callaway is located in Becker County
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 227 people
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Callaway <2>
    • Richwood
      (10 miles [16.1 km] to the northeast)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Richwood have been provided by the GNIS.<3> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Richwood
      • Richwood is located in Becker County
    • Cormorant
      (10 miles [16.1 km] to the southwest)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Cormorant
      • Cormorant is located in Becker County
    • Frazee
      (12 miles [19.3 km] to the southeast)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Frazee have been provided by the GNIS.<3> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Frazee
      • Frazee is located in Becker County
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 1,381 people
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Frazee <2>
    • Ogema
      (18 miles [29 km] to the north)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Ogema have been provided by the GNIS.<3> 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
      (18 miles [29 km] to the north)
    • Evergreen
      (22 miles [35.4 km] to the east)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Evergreen
      • Evergreen is located in Becker County
    • Pine Point
      (26 miles [41.8 km] to the east)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Pine Point have been provided by the GNIS.<3> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Pine Point
      • Pine Point is located in Becker County
  • Clay County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Richards, with the one closest to Richards listed first.
    • Rollag
      (16 miles [25.7 km] to the southwest)
      • Note: We haven't been able to verify our GPS coordinates for Rollag. Although the coordinates have been estimated, they should be in the vicinity.<4>
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Rollag
      • Rollag is located in Clay County
    • Hitterdal
      (19 miles [30.6 km] to the northwest)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Hitterdal have been provided by the GNIS.<3> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Hitterdal
      • Hitterdal is located in Clay County
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 213 people
    • Hawley
      (19 miles [30.6 km] to the west)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Hawley have been provided by the GNIS.<3> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Hawley
      • Hawley is located in Clay County
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 2,210 people
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Hawley <2>
    • Ulen
      (23 miles [37 km] to the northwest)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Ulen have been provided by the GNIS.<3> 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 <2>
    • Muskoda
      (23 miles [37 km] to the west)
      • Note: We haven't been able to verify our GPS coordinates for Muskoda. Although the coordinates have been estimated, they should be in the vicinity.<4>
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Muskoda
      • Muskoda is located in Clay County
    • Barnesville
      (26 miles [41.8 km] to the southwest)
  • Mahnomen County
    • Waubun
      (24 miles [38.6 km] to the north)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Waubun have been provided by the GNIS.<3> 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 <2>
  • Norman County
  • Otter Tail County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Richards, with the one closest to Richards listed first.
    • Vergas
      (13 miles [20.9 km] to the southeast)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Vergas have been provided by the GNIS.<3> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Vergas
      • Vergas is located in Otter Tail County
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 354 people
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Vergas <2>
    • Pelican Rapids
      (19 miles [30.6 km] to the southwest)
    • Dent
      (21 miles [33.8 km] to the southeast)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Dent have been provided by the GNIS.<3> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Dent
      • Dent is located in Otter Tail County
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 185 people
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Dent <2>
    • Perham
      (22 miles [35.4 km] to the southeast)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Perham have been provided by the GNIS.<3> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Perham
      • Perham is located in Otter Tail County
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 3,638 people
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Perham <2>
    • Erhard
      (25 miles [40.2 km] to the south)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Erhard have been provided by the GNIS.<3> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Erhard
      • Erhard is located in Otter Tail County
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 145 people
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Erhard <2>
    • Edwards
      (26 miles [41.8 km] to the south)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Edwards
      • Edwards is located in Otter Tail County
    • Richville
      (26 miles [41.8 km] to the southeast)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Richville have been provided by the GNIS.<3> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Richville
      • Richville is located in Otter Tail County
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 98 people
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Richville <2>
    • Maine
      (29 miles [46.7 km] to the south)
      • Note: We haven't been able to verify our GPS coordinates for Maine. Although the coordinates have been estimated, they should be in the vicinity.<4>
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Maine
      • Maine is located in Otter Tail County
    • Amor
      (30 miles [48.3 km] to the south)
      • Note: We haven't been able to verify our GPS coordinates for Amor. Although the coordinates have been estimated, they should be in the vicinity.<4>
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Amor
      • Amor is located in Otter Tail County
    • Rothsay
      (30 miles [48.3 km] to the southwest)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Rothsay have been provided by the GNIS.<3> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Rothsay
      • Rothsay is located in Otter Tail County
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 476 people
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Rothsay <2>
  • Wilkin County
    • Lawndale
      (28 miles [45.1 km] to the southwest)
      • Note: We haven't been able to verify our GPS coordinates for Lawndale. Although the coordinates have been estimated, they should be in the vicinity.<4>
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Lawndale
      • Lawndale is located in Wilkin County

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

Cemeteries Near Richards ...

Below are cemeteries that are in the vicinity of Richards.

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

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

  • Oak Grove Cemetery
    (2 miles [3.2 km] to the east)
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Oak Grove Cemetery
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Oak Grove Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<3> The coordinates still need to be verified.
  • Elmwood Cemetery
    (3 miles [4.8 km] to the southwest)
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Elmwood Cemetery
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Elmwood Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<3> The coordinates still need to be verified.
  • Holy Rosary Catholic Church Cemetery
    (3 miles [4.8 km] to the southeast)
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Holy Rosary Catholic Church Cemetery
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Holy Rosary Catholic Church Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<3> The coordinates still need to be verified.
  • Immanuel Cemetery
    (3 miles [4.8 km] to the northwest)
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Immanuel Cemetery
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Immanuel Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<3> The coordinates still need to be verified.
  • Cook Family Cemetery
    (3 miles [4.8 km] to the west)
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Cook Family Cemetery
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Cook Family Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<3> The coordinates still need to be verified.
  • Cook Family Cemetery
    (3 miles [4.8 km] to the west)
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Cook Family Cemetery
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Cook Family Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<3> The coordinates still need to be verified.
  • St. Peter's Cemetery
    (4 miles [6.4 km] to the southwest)
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the St. Peter's Cemetery
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the St. Peter's Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<3> The coordinates still need to be verified.
  • Audubon Cemetery
    (4 miles [6.4 km] to the west)
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Audubon Cemetery
    • To give a relative sense of its location, the Audubon Cemetery is located outside and to the west of Audubon.
  • Felker Cemetery
    (4 miles [6.4 km] to the west)
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Felker Cemetery
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Felker Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<3> The coordinates still need to be verified.
  • Felker Family Cemetery
    (4 miles [6.4 km] to the west)
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Felker Family Cemetery
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Felker Family Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<3> The coordinates still need to be verified.
  • Lake Eunice Evangelical Free Cemetery
    (5 miles [8 km] to the southwest)
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Lake Eunice Evangelical Free Cemetery
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Lake Eunice Evangelical Free Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<3> The coordinates still need to be verified.
  • Lakeview Cemetery
    (5 miles [8 km] to the southeast)
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Lakeview Cemetery
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Lakeview Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<3> The coordinates still need to be verified.
  • Continue List   (151 more) ...
    • Augustana Lutheran Cemetery
      (6 miles [9.7 km] to the south)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Augustana Lutheran Cemetery
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Augustana Lutheran Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<3> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Bakke Lutheran Cemetery
      (6 miles [9.7 km] to the northeast)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Bakke Lutheran Cemetery
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Bakke Lutheran Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<3> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Upsala Cemetery
      (6 miles [9.7 km] to the north)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Upsala Cemetery
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Upsala Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<3> 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.<5>

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

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

  • Audubon
    (3 miles [4.8 km] to the northwest)
  • Bucks Mill
    (7 miles [11.3 km] to the south)
    • Note: We haven't been able to verify our GPS coordinates for Bucks Mill. Although the coordinates have been estimated, they should be in the vicinity.<4>
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Bucks Mill
    • Bucks Mill is located in Becker County
  • Lake Park
    (9 miles [14.5 km] to the west)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Lake Park have been provided by the GNIS.<3> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Lake Park
    • Lake Park is located in Becker County
    • Population from the 2020 Census: 787 people
    • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Lake Park <2>
  • Cormorant
    (10 miles [16.1 km] to the southwest)
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Cormorant
    • Cormorant is located in Becker County
  • Richwood
    (10 miles [16.1 km] to the northeast)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Richwood have been provided by the GNIS.<3> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Richwood
    • Richwood is located in Becker County
  • Frazee
    (12 miles [19.3 km] to the southeast)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Frazee have been provided by the GNIS.<3> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Frazee
    • Frazee is located in Becker County
    • Population from the 2020 Census: 1,381 people
    • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Frazee <2>
  • Rollag
    (16 miles [25.7 km] to the southwest)
    • Note: We haven't been able to verify our GPS coordinates for Rollag. Although the coordinates have been estimated, they should be in the vicinity.<4>
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Rollag
    • Rollag is located in Clay County
  • Winnipeg Junction
    (16 miles [25.7 km] to the west)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Winnipeg Junction have been provided by the GNIS.<3> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Winnipeg Junction
    • Winnipeg Junction is located in Clay County
  • Luce
    (17 miles [27.4 km] to the southeast)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Luce have been provided by the GNIS.<3> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Luce
    • Luce is located in Otter Tail County
  • Tansem
    (18 miles [29 km] to the southwest)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Tansem have been provided by the GNIS.<3> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Tansem
    • Tansem is located in Clay County
  • White Earth
    (18 miles [29 km] to the north)
  • Pelican Rapids
    (19 miles [30.6 km] to the southwest)
  • Continue List   (13 more) ...
    • Hitterdal
      (19 miles [30.6 km] to the northwest)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Hitterdal have been provided by the GNIS.<3> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Hitterdal
      • Hitterdal is located in Clay County
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 213 people
    • Hawley
      (19 miles [30.6 km] to the west)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Hawley have been provided by the GNIS.<3> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Hawley
      • Hawley is located in Clay County
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 2,210 people
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Hawley <2>
    • Norwegian Grove
      (21 miles [33.8 km] to the southwest)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Norwegian Grove have been provided by the GNIS.<3> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Norwegian Grove
      • Norwegian Grove is located in Otter Tail County

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

Newspapers Published in Richards ...

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 49 newspapers that have been published in the area around Richards.

Although we're unaware of any newspapers that were published in the immediate area of Richards, there are papers which were published within 26 miles [41.8 km]<6>. A list of those papers, sorted by paper name, can be found on the Extended Newspaper List for Richards.

Websites to Help With Your Genealogy Research ...

When we do our genealogical research, we first visit 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 Richards:

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

The official website for Becker County: www.co.becker.mn.us/

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

Footnotes ...

<1>It's generally believed that possessive apostrophes are removed to prevent confusion on maps where the apostrophe may be confused with a cartographic symbol. While this is generally true, it's not uncommon to find possessive apostrophes in administrative names (such as towns or counties).
<2>While we're fans and frequent users of TripAdvisor, you should know that we're also members of the TripAdvisor affiliate program.
<3>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.
<4>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.
<5>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 Richards, please let us know so that we can improve our accuracy.
<6>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- Richards) to Point B.Our distance measurements begin at a specific point in Richards. The point we use is located at these GPS coordinates - Latitude: 46.8361, Longitude: -95.9123       In this case, the coordinates for Richards have been provided by the Geographic Names Information System (GNIS).




 

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This page was last modified/updated: 28 Apr 2025