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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 South Haven (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 South Haven. 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 South Haven ...

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 South Haven: S. Haven

You might be interested in other communities that are also named South Haven. More information can be found on our Tidbits & Trivia Page for South Haven.

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 northeast 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 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 east 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.

South Haven 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 South Haven. For each of these counties, we show a sample of those communities that are closest to South Haven:

  • Wright County     (The home county of South Haven)
    • The following are listed by their distance from South Haven, with the one closest to South Haven listed first.
    • Annandale
      (5 miles [8 km] to the southeast)
    • Albion Center
      (10 miles [16.1 km] to the southeast)
      • Albion Center is located in Wright County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Albion Center
    • Maple Lake
      (11 miles [17.7 km] to the east)
    • Silver Creek
      (11 miles [17.7 km] to the east)
      • Silver Creek is located in Wright County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Silver Creek
    • Clearwater
      (11 miles [17.7 km] to the northeast)
    • Hasty
      (12 miles [19.3 km] to the northeast)
      • Hasty is located in Wright County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Hasty
    • Albright
      (12 miles [19.3 km] to the southeast)
      • Albright is located in Wright County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Albright
    • Rassat
      (14 miles [22.5 km] to the southeast)
      • Rassat is located in Wright County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Rassat
    • Cokato
      (15 miles [24.1 km] to the south)
    • Smith Lake
      (15 miles [24.1 km] to the south)
      • Smith Lake is located in Wright County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Smith Lake
    • Howard Lake
      (17 miles [27.4 km] to the southeast)
    • Buffalo
      (18 miles [29 km] to the southeast)
  • Benton County
    • The following are listed by their distance from South Haven, with the one closest to South Haven listed first.
    • Sauk Rapids
      (20 miles [32.2 km] to the north)
    • Evergreen Village
      (22 miles [35.4 km] to the north)
      • Evergreen Village is located in Benton County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Evergreen Village
    • Duelm
      (23 miles [37 km] to the northeast)
      • Duelm is located in Benton County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Duelm
    • Watab
      (26 miles [41.8 km] to the north)
      • Watab is located in Benton County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Watab
    • Foley
      (29 miles [46.7 km] to the northeast)
  • Carver County
    • The following are listed by their distance from South Haven, with the one closest to South Haven listed first.
    • Hazelton
      (26 miles [41.8 km] to the southeast)
      • Hazelton is located in Carver County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Hazelton
    • Hollywood
      (29 miles [46.7 km] to the southeast)
      • Hollywood is located in Carver County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Hollywood
    • Watertown
      (29 miles [46.7 km] to the southeast)
    • New Germany
      (30 miles [48.3 km] to the southeast)
  • Hennepin County
    • Greenfield
      (28 miles [45.1 km] to the southeast)
      • Greenfield is located in Hennepin County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Greenfield
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 3,058 people
  • Kandiyohi County
    • The following are listed by their distance from South Haven, with the one closest to South Haven listed first.
    • Atwater
      (29 miles [46.7 km] to the west)
    • Hawick
      (29 miles [46.7 km] to the west)
      • Hawick is located in Kandiyohi County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Hawick
  • McLeod County
    • The following are listed by their distance from South Haven, with the one closest to South Haven listed first.
    • Winsted
      (24 miles [38.6 km] to the south)
    • Silver Lake
      (26 miles [41.8 km] to the south)
    • Hutchinson
      (28 miles [45.1 km] to the south)
    • Lester Prairie
      (29 miles [46.7 km] to the south)
  • Meeker County
    • The following are listed by their distance from South Haven, with the one closest to South Haven listed first.
    • Kingston
      (8 miles [12.9 km] to the southwest)
      • Kingston is located in Meeker County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Kingston
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 162 people
    • Watkins
      (9 miles [14.5 km] to the west)
    • Forest City
      (13 miles [20.9 km] to the southwest)
      • Forest City is located in Meeker County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Forest City
    • Dassel
      (15 miles [24.1 km] to the south)
    • Darwin
      (16 miles [25.7 km] to the southwest)
    • Eden Valley
      (16 miles [25.7 km] to the west)
    • Litchfield
      (18 miles [29 km] to the southwest)
    • Manannah
      (19 miles [30.6 km] to the west)
      • Manannah is located in Meeker County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Manannah
    • Grove City
      (24 miles [38.6 km] to the southwest)
    • Cedar Mills
      (28 miles [45.1 km] to the southwest)
      • Cedar Mills is located in Meeker County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Cedar Mills
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 51 people
    • Rosendale
      (29 miles [46.7 km] to the southwest)
      • Rosendale is located in Meeker County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Rosendale
  • Sherburne County
    • The following are listed by their distance from South Haven, with the one closest to South Haven listed first.
    • Clear Lake
      (15 miles [24.1 km] to the northeast)
    • Cable
      (16 miles [25.7 km] to the northeast)
      • Cable is located in Sherburne County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Cable
    • Becker
      (17 miles [27.4 km] to the east)
      • Becker is located in Sherburne County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Becker
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 5,033 people
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Becker <1>
    • Salida
      (19 miles [30.6 km] to the east)
      • Salida is located in Sherburne County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Salida
    • Big Lake
      (23 miles [37 km] to the east)
    • Orrock
      (25 miles [40.2 km] to the northeast)
      • Orrock is located in Sherburne County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Orrock
    • Santiago
      (25 miles [40.2 km] to the northeast)
      • Santiago is located in Sherburne County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Santiago
  • Stearns County
    • The following are listed by their distance from South Haven, with the one closest to South Haven listed first.
    • Fairhaven
      (2 miles [3.2 km] to the north)
      • Fairhaven is located in Stearns County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Fairhaven
    • Kimball Prairie
      (4 miles [6.4 km] to the west)
      • Kimball Prairie is located in Stearns County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Kimball Prairie
    • Kimball
      (4 miles [6.4 km] to the west)
    • Saint Augusta
      (10 miles [16.1 km] to the north)
      • Saint Augusta is located in Stearns County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Saint Augusta
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 3,900 people
    • Rockville
      (12 miles [19.3 km] to the northwest)
    • Pleasant Lake
      (14 miles [22.5 km] to the north)
      • Pleasant Lake is located in Stearns County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Pleasant Lake
    • Cold Spring
      (15 miles [24.1 km] to the northwest)
    • Saint Cloud
      (18 miles [29 km] to the north)
    • Waite Park
      (18 miles [29 km] to the north)
    • Richmond
      (18 miles [29 km] to the northwest)
    • Saint Joseph
      (19 miles [30.6 km] to the north)
    • Collegeville
      (21 miles [33.8 km] to the north)

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

Cemeteries Near South Haven ...

Below are cemeteries that are in the vicinity of South Haven.

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 South Haven - one of the links might be able to help.

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

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

  • Concordia Cemetery
    (Less than 2 miles to the north)
  • Union Cemetery
    (2 miles [3.2 km] to the southeast)
  • Fairhaven Cemetery
    (2 miles [3.2 km] to the north)
  • Lake Union Cemetery
    (3 miles [4.8 km] to the southwest)
  • Grace Cemetery
    (3 miles [4.8 km] to the east)
  • St. Johns Cemetery
    (4 miles [6.4 km] to the southeast)
  • Kimball Cemetery
    (4 miles [6.4 km] to the northwest)
  • St. Annes Cemetery
    (4 miles [6.4 km] to the west)
  • Talbot Cemetery
    (5 miles [8 km] to the southwest)
  • Immanuel Cemetery
    (5 miles [8 km] to the south)
  • Woodlawn Cemetery
    (5 miles [8 km] to the east)
  • St. Mark's Cemetery
    (5 miles [8 km] to the east)
  • Continue List   (212 more) ...
    • Grace Cemetery
      (6 miles [9.7 km] to the south)
    • Maine Prairie Cemetery
      (6 miles [9.7 km] to the north)
    • North Kingston Cemetery
      (7 miles [11.3 km] to the southwest)

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, South Haven had a post office and railroad service. In 2020, South Haven had a population of 189 people.

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

  • Fairhaven
    (2 miles [3.2 km] to the north)
    • Fairhaven is located in Stearns County
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Fairhaven
  • Kimball Prairie
    (4 miles [6.4 km] to the west)
    • Kimball Prairie is located in Stearns County
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Kimball Prairie
  • Annandale
    (5 miles [8 km] to the southeast)
  • Kingston
    (8 miles [12.9 km] to the southwest)
    • Kingston is located in Meeker County
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Kingston
    • Population from the 2020 Census: 162 people
  • Watkins
    (9 miles [14.5 km] to the west)
  • Saint Augusta
    (10 miles [16.1 km] to the north)
    • Saint Augusta is located in Stearns County
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Saint Augusta
    • Population from the 2020 Census: 3,900 people
  • Maple Lake
    (11 miles [17.7 km] to the east)
  • Silver Creek
    (11 miles [17.7 km] to the east)
    • Silver Creek is located in Wright County
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Silver Creek
  • Clearwater
    (11 miles [17.7 km] to the northeast)
  • Luxemburg
    (11 miles [17.7 km] to the north)
    • Luxemburg is located in Stearns County
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Luxemburg
  • Rockville
    (12 miles [19.3 km] to the northwest)
  • Hasty
    (12 miles [19.3 km] to the northeast)
    • Hasty is located in Wright County
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Hasty
  • Continue List   (17 more) ...
    • Saint Nicholas
      (12 miles [19.3 km] to the northwest)
      • Saint Nicholas is located in Stearns County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Saint Nicholas
    • Forest City
      (13 miles [20.9 km] to the southwest)
      • Forest City is located in Meeker County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Forest City
    • Dassel
      (15 miles [24.1 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 South Haven. See our List of 1890's Communities around South Haven.

Newspapers Published in South Haven ...

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 99 newspapers that have been published in the area around South Haven.

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

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 South Haven:

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 South Haven, 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 things like rivers, canyons, lakes, et cetera - it's truly a line drawn from Point A (ie- South Haven) to Point B. In other words: 'As the crow flies'.