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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 Roy Lake (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 Roy Lake. 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 Roy Lake ...

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.

For example, a typical abbreviation for Roy Lake: Roy Lk.

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 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 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.

Roy Lake is primarily located in Mahnomen County. A portion of Roy Lake extends into Clearwater 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 Mahnomen County: Becker, Clearwater, Norman & Polk.

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

  • Mahnomen County     (The home county of Roy Lake)
    • The following are listed by their distance from Roy Lake, with the one closest to Roy Lake listed first.
    • Naytahwaush
      (5 miles [8 km] to the southwest)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Naytahwaush have been provided by the GNIS.<1> 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 <2>
    • Mahnomen
      (19 miles [30.6 km] to the west)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Mahnomen have been provided by the GNIS.<1> 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 <2>
    • Waubun
      (20 miles [32.2 km] to the southwest)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Waubun have been provided by the GNIS.<1> 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>
    • Bejou
      (21 miles [33.8 km] to the west)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Bejou have been provided by the GNIS.<1> 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 <2>
  • Becker County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Roy Lake, with the one closest to Roy Lake listed first.
    • Elbow Lake
      (12 miles [19.3 km] to the south)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Elbow Lake have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Elbow Lake
      • Elbow Lake is located in Becker County
    • White Earth
      (20 miles [32.2 km] to the southwest)
    • Ogema
      (23 miles [37 km] to the southwest)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Ogema have been provided by the GNIS.<1> 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
    • Two Inlets
      (24 miles [38.6 km] to the southeast)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Two Inlets
      • Two Inlets is located in Becker County
    • Pine Point
      (25 miles [40.2 km] to the south)
      • 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
    • Ponsford
      (25 miles [40.2 km] to the south)
      • 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>
    • Richwood
      (27 miles [43.5 km] to the southwest)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Richwood have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Richwood
      • Richwood is located in Becker County
    • Callaway
      (29 miles [46.7 km] to the southwest)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Callaway have been provided by the GNIS.<1> 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>
  • Beltrami County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Roy Lake, with the one closest to Roy Lake listed first.
    • Solway
      (23 miles [37 km] to the northeast)
    • Pinewood
      (27 miles [43.5 km] to the northeast)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Pinewood
      • Pinewood is located in Beltrami County
    • Wilton
      (28 miles [45.1 km] to the northeast)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Wilton
      • Wilton is located in Beltrami County
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 295 people
  • Clearwater County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Roy Lake, with the one closest to Roy Lake listed first.
    • Rice Lake
      (4 miles [6.4 km] to the northeast)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Rice Lake have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Rice Lake
      • Rice Lake is located in Clearwater County
    • Minerva
      (8 miles [12.9 km] to the east)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Minerva
      • Minerva is located in Clearwater County
    • Long Lost Lake
      (12 miles [19.3 km] to the southeast)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Long Lost Lake have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Long Lost Lake
      • Long Lost Lake is located in Clearwater County
      • Estimated population in 2015: 44 people
    • Bagley
      (15 miles [24.1 km] to the northeast)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Bagley have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Bagley
      • Bagley is located in Clearwater County
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 1,439 people
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Bagley <2>
    • Shevlin
      (19 miles [30.6 km] to the northeast)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Shevlin have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Shevlin
      • Shevlin is located in Clearwater County
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 179 people
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Shevlin <2>
    • Clearbrook
      (26 miles [41.8 km] to the north)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Clearbrook have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Clearbrook
      • Clearbrook is located in Clearwater County
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 535 people
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Clearbrook <2>
    • Leonard
      (26 miles [41.8 km] to the northeast)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Leonard have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Leonard
      • Leonard is located in Clearwater County
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 44 people
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Leonard <2>
    • Gonvick
      (28 miles [45.1 km] to the north)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Gonvick have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Gonvick
      • Gonvick is located in Clearwater County
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 285 people
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Gonvick <2>
  • Hubbard County
    • Lake George
      (27 miles [43.5 km] to the east)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Lake George have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Lake George
      • Lake George is located in Hubbard County
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Lake George <2>
  • Norman County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Roy Lake, with the one closest to Roy Lake listed first.
    • Faith
      (25 miles [40.2 km] to the west)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Faith
      • Faith is located in Norman County
    • Rindal
      (29 miles [46.7 km] to the northwest)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Rindal have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Rindal
      • Rindal is located in Norman County
    • Flom
      (29 miles [46.7 km] to the west)
  • Polk County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Roy Lake, with the one closest to Roy Lake listed first.
    • Lengby
      (13 miles [20.9 km] to the north)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Lengby have been provided by the GNIS.<1> 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
    • Fosston
      (20 miles [32.2 km] to the northwest)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Fosston have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Fosston
      • Fosston is located in Polk County
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 1,442 people
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Fosston <2>
    • Winger
      (24 miles [38.6 km] to the northwest)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Winger have been provided by the GNIS.<1> 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 <2>
    • McIntosh
      (26 miles [41.8 km] to the northwest)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for McIntosh have been provided by the GNIS.<1> 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 <2>
    • Gully
      (30 miles [48.3 km] to the north)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Gully have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Gully
      • Gully is located in Polk County
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 66 people

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

Newspapers Published in Roy Lake ...

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 29 newspapers that have been published in the area around Roy Lake.

Although we're unaware of any newspapers that were published in the immediate area of Roy Lake, there are papers which were published within 30 miles [48.3 km]<3>. A list of those papers, sorted by paper name, can be found on the Extended Newspaper List for Roy Lake.

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 professional and volunteer 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 Roy Lake:

Cemeteries Near Roy Lake ...

Below are cemeteries that are in the vicinity of Roy Lake.

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

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

  • Samuel Memorial Cemetery
    (5 miles [8 km] to the southwest)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Samuel Memorial Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Samuel Memorial Cemetery
  • Indian Cemetery
    (6 miles [9.7 km] to the southwest)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Indian Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Indian Cemetery
  • Pine Bend Cemetery
    (7 miles [11.3 km] to the north)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Pine Bend Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Pine Bend Cemetery
  • Rice Free Lutheran Cemetery
    (8 miles [12.9 km] to the east)
  • St. Agnes Catholic Cemetery
    (9 miles [14.5 km] to the northwest)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the St. Agnes Catholic Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the St. Agnes Catholic Cemetery
  • Holiness Cemetery
    (11 miles [17.7 km] to the north)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Holiness Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Holiness Cemetery
  • Duane Cemetery
    (11 miles [17.7 km] to the northwest)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Duane Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Duane Cemetery
  • St. Joseph's Catholic Cemetery
    (11 miles [17.7 km] to the west)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the St. Joseph's Catholic Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the St. Joseph's Catholic Cemetery
  • St. Joseph's Cemetery
    (11 miles [17.7 km] to the west)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the St. Joseph's Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the St. Joseph's Cemetery
  • Nora Twp. Cemetery
    (12 miles [19.3 km] to the northeast)
  • North Duane Cemetery
    (12 miles [19.3 km] to the northwest)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the North Duane Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the North Duane Cemetery
  • St. Paul's Cemetery
    (13 miles [20.9 km] to the north)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the St. Paul's Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the St. Paul's Cemetery
  • Continue List   (124 more) ...
    • Immanuel Cemetery
      (13 miles [20.9 km] to the north)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Immanuel Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Immanuel Cemetery
    • Freedom Cemetery
      (13 miles [20.9 km] to the north)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Freedom Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Freedom Cemetery
    • Stevens Cemetery
      (14 miles [22.5 km] to the east)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Stevens Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Stevens Cemetery

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 Roy Lake in the Atlas, the following 1895 communities would have been found near the current location of Roy Lake.

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

  • White Earth
    (20 miles [32.2 km] to the southwest)
  • Fosston
    (20 miles [32.2 km] to the northwest)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Fosston have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Fosston
    • Fosston is located in Polk County
    • Population from the 2020 Census: 1,442 people
    • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Fosston <2>
  • Winger
    (24 miles [38.6 km] to the northwest)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Winger have been provided by the GNIS.<1> 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 <2>
  • Olga
    (25 miles [40.2 km] to the north)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Olga have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Olga
    • Olga is located in Polk County
  • Faith
    (25 miles [40.2 km] to the west)
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Faith
    • Faith is located in Norman County
  • McIntosh
    (26 miles [41.8 km] to the northwest)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for McIntosh have been provided by the GNIS.<1> 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 <2>
  • Richwood
    (27 miles [43.5 km] to the southwest)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Richwood have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Richwood
    • Richwood is located in Becker County
  • Fossum
    (29 miles [46.7 km] to the west)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Fossum have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Fossum
    • Fossum is located in Norman County
  • Rindal
    (29 miles [46.7 km] to the northwest)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Rindal have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Rindal
    • Rindal 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 Roy Lake. See our List of 1890's Communities around Roy Lake.

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

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

Footnotes ...

<1>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.
<2>While we're fans and frequent users of TripAdvisor, you should know that we're also members of the TripAdvisor affiliate program.
<3>Our distances are not driving distances, but are calculated as a 'straight-line' (or 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- Roy Lake) to Point B.Our distance measurements begin at a specific point in Roy Lake. The point we use is located at these GPS coordinates - Latitude: 47.3253, Longitude: -95.5513    
<4>The Find-a-Grave website is an excellent research tool with information about a cemetery's location and interments. They also offer a forum for their members which can provide additional help. More information about Find-a-Grave can be found on their website: findagrave.com.
<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 Roy Lake, please let us know so that we can improve our accuracy.




 

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This page was last modified/updated: 07 Apr 2024