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 Saint Michael (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 Saint Michael. 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 Saint Michael ...
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 occur.
For example, a typical abbreviation for Saint Michael: St. Michael
You might be interested in other communities that are also named Saint Michael. More information can be found on our Tidbits & Trivia Page for Saint Michael.
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 southeast corner of their home county. During their lives, most 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.
Saint Michael is located in Wright 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 Wright County: Carver, Hennepin, McLeod, Meeker, Sherburne & Stearns.
Below are the counties that are near Saint Michael. For each of these counties, we show a sample of those communities that are closest to Saint Michael:
- Wright County (The home county of Saint Michael)
- The following are listed by their distance from Saint Michael, with the one closest to Saint Michael listed first.
- Albertville
(2 miles [3.2 km] to the northeast)
- Hanover
(3 miles [4.8 km] to the south)
- Otsego
(5 miles [8 km] to the northeast)
- Monticello
(8 miles [12.9 km] to the northwest)
- Rockford
(8 miles [12.9 km] to the south)
- Buffalo
(9 miles [14.5 km] to the west)
- Delano
(12 miles [19.3 km] to the southwest)
- Montrose
(14 miles [22.5 km] to the southwest)
- Maple Lake
(15 miles [24.1 km] to the west)
- Rassat
(15 miles [24.1 km] to the west)
- Rassat is located in Wright County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Rassat
- Silver Creek
(16 miles [25.7 km] to the northwest)
- Silver Creek is located in Wright County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Silver Creek
- Waverly
(16 miles [25.7 km] to the southwest)
- Anoka County
- The following are listed by their distance from Saint Michael, with the one closest to Saint Michael listed first.
- Ramsey
(12 miles [19.3 km] to the east)
- Nowthen
(14 miles [22.5 km] to the northeast)
- Nowthen is located in Anoka County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Nowthen
- Population from the 2020 Census: 4,732 people
- Anoka
(15 miles [24.1 km] to the east)
- Andover
(18 miles [29 km] to the east)
- Coon Rapids
(18 miles [29 km] to the east)
- Coon Creek
(19 miles [30.6 km] to the east)
- Coon Creek is located in Anoka County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Coon Creek
- Oak Grove
(20 miles [32.2 km] to the northeast)
- Saint Francis
(20 miles [32.2 km] to the northeast)
- Cedar
(21 miles [33.8 km] to the northeast)
- Fridley
(22 miles [35.4 km] to the east)
- Spring Lake Park
(22 miles [35.4 km] to the east)
- Blaine
(23 miles [37 km] to the east)
- Benton County
- Duelm
(28 miles [45.1 km] to the northwest)
- Duelm is located in Benton County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Duelm
- Carver County
- The following are listed by their distance from Saint Michael, with the one closest to Saint Michael listed first.
- Watertown
(18 miles [29 km] to the southwest)
- Hazelton
(21 miles [33.8 km] to the southwest)
- Hazelton is located in Carver County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Hazelton
- Victoria
(23 miles [37 km] to the south)
- Mayer
(23 miles [37 km] to the southwest)
- Chanhassen
(24 miles [38.6 km] to the south)
- Hollywood
(24 miles [38.6 km] to the southwest)
- Hollywood is located in Carver County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Hollywood
- Hazeltine
(25 miles [40.2 km] to the south)
- Hazeltine is located in Carver County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Hazeltine
- Waconia
(25 miles [40.2 km] to the south)
- New Germany
(25 miles [40.2 km] to the southwest)
- Hydes Lake
(27 miles [43.5 km] to the south)
- Hydes Lake is located in Carver County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Hydes Lake
- Chaska
(28 miles [45.1 km] to the south)
- Dahlgren
(29 miles [46.7 km] to the south)
- Dahlgren is located in Carver County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Dahlgren
- Hennepin County
- The following are listed by their distance from Saint Michael, with the one closest to Saint Michael listed first.
- Rogers
(6 miles [9.7 km] to the east)
- Greenfield
(7 miles [11.3 km] to the south)
- Greenfield is located in Hennepin County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Greenfield
- Population from the 2020 Census: 3,058 people
- Dayton
(10 miles [16.1 km] to the east)
- Loretto
(10 miles [16.1 km] to the south)
- Corcoran
(10 miles [16.1 km] to the southeast)
- Independence
(12 miles [19.3 km] to the south)
- Independence is located in Hennepin County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Independence
- Population from the 2020 Census: 3,786 people
- Medina
(12 miles [19.3 km] to the southeast)
- Maple Plain
(13 miles [20.9 km] to the south)
- Hamel
(13 miles [20.9 km] to the southeast)
- Maple Grove
(13 miles [20.9 km] to the southeast)
- Champlin
(14 miles [22.5 km] to the east)
- Osseo
(15 miles [24.1 km] to the east)
- Isanti County
- The following are listed by their distance from Saint Michael, with the one closest to Saint Michael listed first.
- Crown
(20 miles [32.2 km] to the northeast)
- Crown is located in Isanti County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Crown
- Bradford
(27 miles [43.5 km] to the northeast)
- Bradford is located in Isanti County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Bradford
- Isanti
(29 miles [46.7 km] to the northeast)
- McLeod County
- The following are listed by their distance from Saint Michael, with the one closest to Saint Michael listed first.
- Winsted
(24 miles [38.6 km] to the southwest)
- Lester Prairie
(27 miles [43.5 km] to the southwest)
- Meeker County
- Kingston
(30 miles [48.3 km] to the west)
- Kingston is located in Meeker County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Kingston
- Population from the 2020 Census: 162 people
- Mille Lacs County
- The following are listed by their distance from Saint Michael, with the one closest to Saint Michael listed first.
- Princeton
(25 miles [40.2 km] to the north)
- Estes Brook
(30 miles [48.3 km] to the north)
- Estes Brook is located in Mille Lacs County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Estes Brook
- Ramsey County
- The following are listed by their distance from Saint Michael, with the one closest to Saint Michael listed first.
- Mounds View
(24 miles [38.6 km] to the east)
- New Brighton
(25 miles [40.2 km] to the east)
- Arden Hills
(27 miles [43.5 km] to the east)
- Lauderdale
(27 miles [43.5 km] to the southeast)
- Lauderdale is located in Ramsey County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Lauderdale
- Population from the 2020 Census: 2,484 people
- Shoreview
(28 miles [45.1 km] to the east)
- Falcon Heights
(29 miles [46.7 km] to the southeast)
- Roseville
(29 miles [46.7 km] to the southeast)
- Cardigan Junction
(30 miles [48.3 km] to the east)
- Cardigan Junction is located in Ramsey County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Cardigan Junction
- North Oaks
(30 miles [48.3 km] to the east)
- Sherburne County
- The following are listed by their distance from Saint Michael, with the one closest to Saint Michael listed first.
- Big Lake
(9 miles [14.5 km] to the north)
- Elk River
(10 miles [16.1 km] to the northeast)
- Salida
(12 miles [19.3 km] to the northwest)
- Salida is located in Sherburne County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Salida
- Becker
(15 miles [24.1 km] to the northwest)
- Orrock
(16 miles [25.7 km] to the north)
- Orrock is located in Sherburne County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Orrock
- Zimmerman
(17 miles [27.4 km] to the north)
- Zimmerman is located in Sherburne County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Zimmerman
- Population from the 2020 Census: 6,135 people
- Zimmerman has also been known as:
- Lake Fremont
- Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Zimmerman <1>
- Clear Lake
(22 miles [35.4 km] to the northwest)
- Santiago
(24 miles [38.6 km] to the north)
- Santiago is located in Sherburne County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Santiago
- Cable
(28 miles [45.1 km] to the northwest)
- Cable is located in Sherburne County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Cable
- Stearns County
- The following are listed by their distance from Saint Michael, with the one closest to Saint Michael listed first.
- Fairhaven
(26 miles [41.8 km] to the west)
- Fairhaven is located in Stearns County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Fairhaven
- Saint Augusta
(30 miles [48.3 km] to the northwest)
- Saint Augusta is located in Stearns County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Saint Augusta
- Population from the 2020 Census: 3,900 people
- Kimball Prairie
(30 miles [48.3 km] to the west)
- Kimball Prairie is located in Stearns County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Kimball Prairie
- Kimball
(30 miles [48.3 km] to the west)
For an expanded list of the communities that are closest to Saint Michael, see our County-by-County Page for Saint Michael.
Cemeteries Near Saint Michael ...
Below are cemeteries that are in the vicinity of Saint Michael.
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 Saint Michael - one of the links might be able to help.
If not found below, our Cemetery List for Saint Michael covers a larger area, with the cemeteries listed in alphabetical order.
The following cemeteries are listed based on their distance from Saint Michael, with the one closest to Saint Michael listed first.
- St. Michael Cemetery
(Less than 2 miles to the east)
- St. Michael Cemetery
(Less than 2 miles to the northeast)
- St. Albert Cemetery
(3 miles [4.8 km] to the northeast)
- Immanuel Cemetery
(4 miles [6.4 km] to the west)
- St. John the Evangelist Episcopal Cemetery
(4 miles [6.4 km] to the east)
- St. Marks Cemetery
(4 miles [6.4 km] to the west)
- Salem Lutheran Church Cemetery
(5 miles [8 km] to the south)
- Reich Cemetery
(5 miles [8 km] to the south)
- Greenwood Cemetery
(5 miles [8 km] to the southeast)
- Pelican Lake Cemetery
(5 miles [8 km] to the west)
- St. Martin Cemetery
(6 miles [9.7 km] to the east)
- Helm Cemetery
(6 miles [9.7 km] to the northwest)
- Continue List (286 more) ...
- Elmwood Cemetery
(7 miles [11.3 km] to the south)
- Old St. Thomas Cemetery
(7 miles [11.3 km] to the southeast)
- St. Thomas Cemetery
(7 miles [11.3 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>
While we didn't find Saint Michael in the Atlas, the following 1895 communities would have been found near the current location of Saint Michael.
These communities are listed based on their distance from Saint Michael, with the one closest to Saint Michael listed first.
- Hanover
(3 miles [4.8 km] to the south)
- Burschville
(5 miles [8 km] to the southeast)
- Burschville is located in Hennepin County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Burschville
- Otsego
(5 miles [8 km] to the northeast)
- Rogers
(6 miles [9.7 km] to the east)
- Rockford
(8 miles [12.9 km] to the south)
- Bailey
(8 miles [12.9 km] to the north)
- Bailey is located in Sherburne County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Bailey
- Monticello
(8 miles [12.9 km] to the northwest)
- Buffalo
(9 miles [14.5 km] to the west)
- Big Lake
(9 miles [14.5 km] to the north)
- Corcoran
(10 miles [16.1 km] to the southeast)
- Dayton
(10 miles [16.1 km] to the east)
- Elk River
(10 miles [16.1 km] to the northeast)
- Continue List (17 more) ...
- Delano
(12 miles [19.3 km] to the southwest)
- Salida
(12 miles [19.3 km] to the northwest)
- Salida is located in Sherburne County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Salida
- Maple Plain
(13 miles [20.9 km] to the south)
We've also created an expanded list of communities that existed in the 1890's and were located in the area around Saint Michael. See our List of 1890's Communities around Saint Michael.
Newspapers Published in Saint Michael ...
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 348 newspapers that have been published in the area around Saint Michael.
Although we're unaware of any newspapers that were published in the immediate area of Saint Michael, there are papers which were published within 25 miles [40.2 km]<3>. A list of those papers, sorted by paper name, can be found on the Extended Newspaper List for Saint Michael.
Websites to Help With Your Genealogy Research ...
When we do our genealogical research, we start 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 Saint Michael:
- Websites specific to Minnesota
- Pages specific to Wright County
- Genealogy information for nearby counties
- Anoka County
- Benton County
- Carver County
- Hennepin County
- Isanti County
- McLeod County
- Meeker County
- Mille Lacs County
- Ramsey County
- Sherburne County
- Stearns County
- Cemetery Information and Directories for Minnesota
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 Saint Michael, please let us know so that we can improve our accuracy. |
| <3> | Our distances are not driving distances, but are calculated as a 'straight-line' distance. A straight line distance ignores things like rivers, canyons, lakes, et cetera - it's truly a line drawn from Point A (ie- Saint Michael) to Point B. In other words: 'As the crow flies'. |