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 Richdale (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 Richdale. 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 southeast 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 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 east 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.

Richdale is located in Otter Tail 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 Otter Tail County: Becker, Clay, Douglas, Grant, Todd, Wadena & Wilkin.

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

• Otter Tail County     (The home county of Richdale)
  • The following are listed by their distance from Richdale, with the one closest to Richdale listed first.
  • Perham
    (5 miles [8 km] to the northwest)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Perham have been provided by the GNIS.<1> 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>
  • New York Mills
    (5 miles [8 km] to the southeast)
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for New York Mills
    • New York Mills is located in Otter Tail County
    • Population from the 2020 Census: 1,220 people
    • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for New York Mills <2>
  • Richville
    (7 miles [11.3 km] to the southwest)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Richville have been provided by the GNIS.<1> 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>
  • Davies
    (8 miles [12.9 km] to the northeast)
    • Note: We haven't been able to verify our GPS coordinates for Davies. Although the coordinates have been estimated, they should be in the vicinity.<3>
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Davies
    • Davies is located in Otter Tail County
  • Ottertail
    (9 miles [14.5 km] to the southwest)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Ottertail have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Ottertail
    • Ottertail is located in Otter Tail County
    • Population from the 2020 Census: 660 people
    • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Ottertail <2>
  • Leaf City
    (10 miles [16.1 km] to the south)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Leaf City have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Leaf City
    • Leaf City is located in Otter Tail County
  • Dent
    (11 miles [17.7 km] to the west)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Dent have been provided by the GNIS.<1> 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>
  • Bluffton
    (12 miles [19.3 km] to the southeast)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Bluffton have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Bluffton
    • Bluffton is located in Otter Tail County
    • Population from the 2020 Census: 216 people
  • Deer Creek
    (13 miles [20.9 km] to the southeast)
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Deer Creek
    • Deer Creek is located in Otter Tail County
    • Population from the 2020 Census: 321 people
  • Henning
    (16 miles [25.7 km] to the south)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Henning have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Henning
    • Henning is located in Otter Tail County
    • Population from the 2020 Census: 806 people
    • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Henning <2>
  • Amor
    (16 miles [25.7 km] to the southwest)
    • 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.<3>
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Amor
    • Amor is located in Otter Tail County
  • Vergas
    (17 miles [27.4 km] to the northwest)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Vergas have been provided by the GNIS.<1> 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>
  • Wadena
    (17 miles [27.4 km] to the southeast)
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Wadena
    • Wadena is located in Otter Tail County
    • Population from the 2020 Census: 4,121 people
    • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Wadena <2>
• Becker County
  • The following are listed by their distance from Richdale, with the one closest to Richdale listed first.
  • Evergreen
    (14 miles [22.5 km] to the north)
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Evergreen
    • Evergreen is located in Becker County
  • Frazee
    (16 miles [25.7 km] to the northwest)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Frazee have been provided by the GNIS.<1> 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>
  • Wolf Lake
    (18 miles [29 km] to the north)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Wolf Lake have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Wolf Lake
    • Wolf Lake is located in Becker County
    • Population from the 2020 Census: 55 people
  • Bucks Mill
    (23 miles [37 km] to the northwest)
    • 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.<3>
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Bucks Mill
    • Bucks Mill is located in Becker County
  • Rochert
    (23 miles [37 km] to the northwest)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Rochert have been provided by the GNIS.<1> 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>
  • Detroit Lakes
    (24 miles [38.6 km] to the northwest)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Detroit Lakes have been provided by the GNIS.<1> 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>
  • Osage
    (27 miles [43.5 km] to the north)
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Osage
    • Osage is located in Becker County
    • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Osage <2>
  • Ponsford
    (28 miles [45.1 km] to the north)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Ponsford have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Ponsford
    • Ponsford is located in Becker County
    • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Ponsford <2>
  • Pine Point
    (29 miles [46.7 km] to the north)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Pine Point have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Pine Point
    • Pine Point is located in Becker County
  • Cormorant
    (30 miles [48.3 km] to the northwest)
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Cormorant
    • Cormorant is located in Becker County
• Todd County
  • The following are listed by their distance from Richdale, with the one closest to Richdale listed first.
  • Hewitt
    (24 miles [38.6 km] to the southeast)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Hewitt have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Hewitt
    • Hewitt is located in Todd County
    • Population from the 2020 Census: 260 people
  • Bertha
    (27 miles [43.5 km] to the southeast)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Bertha have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Bertha
    • Bertha is located in Todd County
    • Population from the 2020 Census: 481 people
    • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Bertha <2>
• Wadena County
  • The following are listed by their distance from Richdale, with the one closest to Richdale listed first.
  • Sebeka
    (19 miles [30.6 km] to the east)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Sebeka have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Sebeka
    • Sebeka is located in Wadena County
    • Population from the 2020 Census: 668 people
    • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Sebeka <2>
  • Menahga
    (22 miles [35.4 km] to the northeast)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Menahga have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Menahga
    • Menahga is located in Wadena County
    • Population from the 2020 Census: 1,307 people
    • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Menahga <2>
  • Verndale
    (24 miles [38.6 km] to the southeast)
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Verndale
    • Verndale is located in Wadena County
    • Population from the 2020 Census: 576 people
    • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Verndale <2>
  • Nimrod
    (28 miles [45.1 km] to the east)
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Nimrod
    • Nimrod is located in Wadena County
    • Population from the 2020 Census: 64 people
    • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Nimrod <2>
  • Aldrich
    (28 miles [45.1 km] to the southeast)
    • Note: We haven't been able to verify our GPS coordinates for Aldrich. Although the coordinates have been estimated, they should be in the vicinity.<3>
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Aldrich
    • Aldrich is located in Wadena County
    • Population from the 2020 Census: 46 people

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

Cemeteries Near Richdale ...

Below are cemeteries that are in the vicinity of Richdale.

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

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

• Historic Pine Lake Cemetery
  (Less than 2 miles to the northeast)
  • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Historic Pine Lake Cemetery
  • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Historic Pine Lake Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
• St. Lawrence Church Cemetery
  (3 miles [4.8 km] to the southwest)
  • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the St. Lawrence Church Cemetery
  • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the St. Lawrence Church Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
• Greenwood Cemetery
  (4 miles [6.4 km] to the southeast)
  • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Greenwood Cemetery
  • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Greenwood Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
• Perham Cemetery
  (4 miles [6.4 km] to the northwest)
  • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Perham Cemetery
  • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Perham Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
• Old Greenwood Cemetery
  (5 miles [8 km] to the southeast)
  • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Old Greenwood Cemetery
  • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Old Greenwood Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
• St. Stanislaus Cemetery
  (5 miles [8 km] to the northwest)
  • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the St. Stanislaus Cemetery
  • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the St. Stanislaus Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
• St. Paul Cemetery
  (5 miles [8 km] to the northwest)
  • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the St. Paul Cemetery
  • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the St. Paul Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
• Salem EUB Cemetery
  (6 miles [9.7 km] to the south)
  • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Salem EUB Cemetery
  • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Salem EUB Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
• Prairie Cemetery
  (6 miles [9.7 km] to the south)
  • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Prairie Cemetery
  • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Prairie Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
• Woodland Cemetery
  (6 miles [9.7 km] to the southeast)
  • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Woodland Cemetery
  • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Woodland Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
• Bethlehem Cemetery
  (6 miles [9.7 km] to the north)
  • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Bethlehem Cemetery
  • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Bethlehem Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
• St. Henry Cemetery
  (6 miles [9.7 km] to the northwest)
  • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the St. Henry Cemetery
  • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the St. Henry Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
• Continue List   (195 more) ...
  • St. Joseph Cemetery
    (6 miles [9.7 km] to the west)
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the St. Joseph Cemetery
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the St. Joseph Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
  • Richville Cemetery
    (8 miles [12.9 km] to the southwest)
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Richville Cemetery
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Richville Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
  • Nazareth Cemetery
    (8 miles [12.9 km] to the east)
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Nazareth Cemetery
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Nazareth Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<1> 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 Richdale in the Atlas, the following 1895 communities would have been found near the current location of Richdale.

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

• New York Mills
  (5 miles [8 km] to the southeast)
  • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for New York Mills
  • New York Mills is located in Otter Tail County
  • Population from the 2020 Census: 1,220 people
  • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for New York Mills <2>
• Perham
  (5 miles [8 km] to the northwest)
  • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Perham have been provided by the GNIS.<1> 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>
• Davies
  (8 miles [12.9 km] to the northeast)
  • Note: We haven't been able to verify our GPS coordinates for Davies. Although the coordinates have been estimated, they should be in the vicinity.<3>
  • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Davies
  • Davies is located in Otter Tail County
• Ottertail
  (9 miles [14.5 km] to the southwest)
  • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Ottertail have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
  • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Ottertail
  • Ottertail is located in Otter Tail County
  • Population from the 2020 Census: 660 people
  • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Ottertail <2>
• Luce
  (11 miles [17.7 km] to the northwest)
  • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Luce have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
  • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Luce
  • Luce is located in Otter Tail County
• Bluffton
  (12 miles [19.3 km] to the southeast)
  • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Bluffton have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
  • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Bluffton
  • Bluffton is located in Otter Tail County
  • Population from the 2020 Census: 216 people
• Deer Creek
  (13 miles [20.9 km] to the southeast)
  • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Deer Creek
  • Deer Creek is located in Otter Tail County
  • Population from the 2020 Census: 321 people
• Amor
  (16 miles [25.7 km] to the southwest)
  • 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.<3>
  • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Amor
  • Amor is located in Otter Tail County
• Henning
  (16 miles [25.7 km] to the south)
  • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Henning have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
  • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Henning
  • Henning is located in Otter Tail County
  • Population from the 2020 Census: 806 people
  • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Henning <2>
• Frazee
  (16 miles [25.7 km] to the northwest)
  • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Frazee have been provided by the GNIS.<1> 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>
• Wadena
  (17 miles [27.4 km] to the southeast)
  • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Wadena
  • Wadena is located in Otter Tail County
  • Population from the 2020 Census: 4,121 people
  • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Wadena <2>
• Maine
  (18 miles [29 km] to the southwest)
  • 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.<3>
  • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Maine
  • Maine is located in Otter Tail County
• Continue List   (14 more) ...
  • Sebeka
    (19 miles [30.6 km] to the east)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Sebeka have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Sebeka
    • Sebeka is located in Wadena County
    • Population from the 2020 Census: 668 people
    • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Sebeka <2>
  • Phelps
    (20 miles [32.2 km] to the southwest)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Phelps have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Phelps
    • Phelps is located in Otter Tail County
  • Clitherall
    (20 miles [32.2 km] to the south)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Clitherall have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Clitherall
    • Clitherall is located in Otter Tail County
    • Population from the 2020 Census: 106 people
    • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Clitherall <2>

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

Newspapers Published in Richdale ...

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 54 newspapers that have been published in the area around Richdale.

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

Websites to Help With Your Genealogy Research ...

When we do our genealogical research, we first turn to 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 Richdale:

• Websites specific to Minnesota
  • Jump to Cyndi's List
  • Jump to Family Search
  • Jump to Genealogy Trails
  • Website for the Minnesota State Archives

• Pages specific to Otter Tail County
  • Jump to Cyndi's List
  • Jump to Family Search
  • Jump to Genealogy Trails

• Genealogy information for nearby counties
  • Becker County
    • Jump to Cyndi's List
    • Jump to Family Search
    • Jump to Genealogy Trails
  • Todd County
    • Jump to Cyndi's List
    • Jump to Family Search
    • Jump to Genealogy Trails
  • Wadena County
    • Jump to Cyndi's List
    • Jump to Family Search
    • Jump to Genealogy Trails

• Cemetery Information and Directories for Minnesota
  • Cemetery Junction: Cemeteries of Minnesota
  • Cyndi's List
  • Cemeteries of Minnesota
  • Cemeteries of Otter Tail County
  • FamilySearch.org: Cemeteries of Minnesota
  • Find-A-Grave: Home Page
  • Interment.net
  • Cemeteries of Minnesota

Off-the-Road Links ...

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

The official website for Otter Tail County: www.co.otter-tail.mn.us/

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