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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 Roscoe (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 Roscoe. 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 southwest corner of their home county. During their lives, most hospitals and doctors were in the next county to the west. 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 west 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.

Roscoe is located in Stearns 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 Stearns County: Benton, Douglas, Kandiyohi, Meeker, Morrison, Pope, Sherburne, Todd & Wright.

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

  • Stearns County     (The home county of Roscoe)
    • The following are listed by their distance from Roscoe, with the one closest to Roscoe listed first.
    • Richmond
      (5 miles [8 km] to the east)
    • Saint Martin
      (5 miles [8 km] to the north)
    • Paynesville
      (5 miles [8 km] to the southwest)
    • Lake Henry
      (8 miles [12.9 km] to the west)
      • Lake Henry is located in Stearns County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Lake Henry
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 113 people
    • Cold Spring
      (10 miles [16.1 km] to the east)
    • Spring Hill
      (11 miles [17.7 km] to the northwest)
      • Spring Hill is located in Stearns County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Spring Hill
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 95 people
    • Albany
      (14 miles [22.5 km] to the north)
    • New Munich
      (14 miles [22.5 km] to the northwest)
    • Rockville
      (15 miles [24.1 km] to the east)
    • Avon
      (15 miles [24.1 km] to the northeast)
      • 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>
    • Greenwald
      (15 miles [24.1 km] to the northwest)
    • Freeport
      (16 miles [25.7 km] to the north)
    • Belgrade
      (17 miles [27.4 km] to the west)
      • Belgrade is located in Stearns County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Belgrade
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 787 people
  • Benton County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Roscoe, with the one closest to Roscoe listed first.
    • Evergreen Village
      (25 miles [40.2 km] to the northeast)
      • Evergreen Village is located in Benton County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Evergreen Village
    • Sauk Rapids
      (25 miles [40.2 km] to the northeast)
    • Watab
      (27 miles [43.5 km] to the northeast)
      • Watab is located in Benton County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Watab
    • Rice
      (29 miles [46.7 km] to the northeast)
      • Rice is located in Benton County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Rice
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 1,401 people
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Rice <1>
  • Kandiyohi County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Roscoe, with the one closest to Roscoe listed first.
    • Hawick
      (10 miles [16.1 km] to the southwest)
      • Hawick is located in Kandiyohi County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Hawick
    • Regal
      (10 miles [16.1 km] to the west)
      • Regal is located in Kandiyohi County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Regal
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 35 people
    • New London
      (17 miles [27.4 km] to the southwest)
    • Spicer
      (20 miles [32.2 km] to the southwest)
      • Spicer is located in Kandiyohi County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Spicer
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 1,224 people
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Spicer <1>
    • Atwater
      (21 miles [33.8 km] to the south)
    • Kandiyohi
      (25 miles [40.2 km] to the southwest)
      • Kandiyohi is located in Kandiyohi County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Kandiyohi
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 477 people
    • Willmar
      (29 miles [46.7 km] to the southwest)
    • Wilmar
      (29 miles [46.7 km] to the southwest)
      • Wilmar is located in Kandiyohi County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Wilmar
    • Sunburg
      (29 miles [46.7 km] to the west)
      • Sunburg is located in Kandiyohi County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Sunburg
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 99 people
  • Meeker County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Roscoe, with the one closest to Roscoe listed first.
    • Eden Valley
      (8 miles [12.9 km] to the southeast)
    • Manannah
      (12 miles [19.3 km] to the south)
      • Manannah is located in Meeker County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Manannah
    • Watkins
      (13 miles [20.9 km] to the southeast)
    • Forest City
      (17 miles [27.4 km] to the southeast)
      • Forest City is located in Meeker County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Forest City
    • Grove City
      (19 miles [30.6 km] to the south)
    • Litchfield
      (21 miles [33.8 km] to the south)
    • Kingston
      (22 miles [35.4 km] to the southeast)
      • Kingston is located in Meeker County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Kingston
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 162 people
    • Darwin
      (25 miles [40.2 km] to the southeast)
    • Rosendale
      (27 miles [43.5 km] to the south)
      • Rosendale is located in Meeker County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Rosendale
    • Dassel
      (28 miles [45.1 km] to the southeast)
  • Morrison County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Roscoe, with the one closest to Roscoe listed first.
    • Upsala
      (26 miles [41.8 km] to the north)
    • Elmdale
      (28 miles [45.1 km] to the north)
      • Elmdale is located in Morrison County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Elmdale
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 116 people
    • North Prairie
      (28 miles [45.1 km] to the northeast)
      • North Prairie is located in Morrison County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for North Prairie
    • Bowlus
      (29 miles [46.7 km] to the north)
  • Pope County
    • Grove Lake
      (28 miles [45.1 km] to the northwest)
      • Grove Lake is located in Pope County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Grove Lake
  • Sherburne County
    • Cable
      (27 miles [43.5 km] to the east)
      • Cable is located in Sherburne County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Cable
  • Todd County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Roscoe, with the one closest to Roscoe listed first.
    • Grey Eagle
      (27 miles [43.5 km] to the north)
    • Burtrum
      (30 miles [48.3 km] to the north)
  • Wright County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Roscoe, with the one closest to Roscoe listed first.
    • South Haven
      (22 miles [35.4 km] to the southeast)
    • Annandale
      (27 miles [43.5 km] to the southeast)
    • Clearwater
      (28 miles [45.1 km] to the east)

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

Cemeteries Near Roscoe ...

Below are cemeteries that are in the vicinity of Roscoe.

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

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

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

  • St. Agnes Cemetery
    (Less than 2 miles to the northeast)
  • Zion Cemetery
    (2 miles [3.2 km] to the southwest)
  • Salem Cemetery
    (3 miles [4.8 km] to the west)
  • St. Martin Catholic Cemetery
    (4 miles [6.4 km] to the north)
  • St. Louis Catholic Church Cemetery
    (5 miles [8 km] to the southwest)
  • St.s Peter & Paul Cemetery
    (5 miles [8 km] to the east)
  • St. Catherine's Cemetery
    (5 miles [8 km] to the north)
  • Grove Cemetery
    (6 miles [9.7 km] to the west)
  • Paynesville Cemetery
    (6 miles [9.7 km] to the southwest)
  • Ebenezer Church Cemetery
    (6 miles [9.7 km] to the south)
  • Assumption Cemetery
    (7 miles [11.3 km] to the southeast)
  • Old Eden Lake Cemetery
    (7 miles [11.3 km] to the southeast)
  • Continue List   (202 more) ...
    • Eden Lake Cemetery
      (8 miles [12.9 km] to the southeast)
    • St. Margarets Cemetery
      (8 miles [12.9 km] to the west)
    • St. Peters Cemetery
      (9 miles [14.5 km] to the southeast)

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 in 1895, Roscoe had railroad service and no post office. In 2020, Roscoe had a population of 114 people.

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

  • Paynesville
    (5 miles [8 km] to the southwest)
  • Saint Martin
    (5 miles [8 km] to the north)
  • Richmond
    (5 miles [8 km] to the east)
  • Farming
    (6 miles [9.7 km] to the north)
    • Farming is located in Stearns County
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Farming
  • Eden Valley
    (8 miles [12.9 km] to the southeast)
  • Lake Henry
    (8 miles [12.9 km] to the west)
    • Lake Henry is located in Stearns County
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Lake Henry
    • Population from the 2020 Census: 113 people
  • Saint Nicholas
    (10 miles [16.1 km] to the east)
    • Saint Nicholas is located in Stearns County
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Saint Nicholas
  • Cold Spring
    (10 miles [16.1 km] to the east)
  • Spring Hill
    (11 miles [17.7 km] to the northwest)
    • Spring Hill is located in Stearns County
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Spring Hill
    • Population from the 2020 Census: 95 people
  • Manannah
    (12 miles [19.3 km] to the south)
    • Manannah is located in Meeker County
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Manannah
  • Crow River
    (13 miles [20.9 km] to the south)
    • Crow River is located in Meeker County
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Crow River
  • Watkins
    (13 miles [20.9 km] to the southeast)
  • Continue List   (14 more) ...
    • New Munich
      (14 miles [22.5 km] to the northwest)
    • Albany
      (14 miles [22.5 km] to the north)
    • Georgeville
      (14 miles [22.5 km] to the west)
      • Georgeville is located in Stearns County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Georgeville

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

Newspapers Published in Roscoe ...

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 84 newspapers that have been published in the area around Roscoe.

Although we're unaware of any newspapers that were published in the immediate area of Roscoe, there are papers which were published within 29 miles [46.7 km]<3>. A list of those papers, sorted by paper name, can be found on the Extended Newspaper List for Roscoe.

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 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 Roscoe:

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