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 Spring Valley (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 Spring Valley. 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 Spring Valley ...
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.
For example, a typical abbreviation for Spring Valley: Spring Vly. (or less commonly used: Spring Vally. or Spring Vlly.)
You might be interested in other communities that are also named Spring Valley. More information can be found on our Tidbits & Trivia Page for Spring Valley.
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.
Spring Valley is located in Fillmore 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 Fillmore County: Howard (IA), Winneshiek (IA), Houston, Mower, Olmsted & Winona.
Below are the counties that are near Spring Valley. For each of these counties, we show a sample of those communities that are closest to Spring Valley:
- Fillmore County (The home county of Spring Valley)
- The following are listed by their distance from Spring Valley, with the one closest to Spring Valley listed first.
- Ostrander
(5 miles [8 km] to the south)
- Wykoff
(6 miles [9.7 km] to the east)
- Etna
(6 miles [9.7 km] to the south)
- Etna is located in Fillmore County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Etna
- Fillmore
(7 miles [11.3 km] to the northeast)
- Fillmore is located in Fillmore County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Fillmore
- Carimona
(11 miles [17.7 km] to the east)
- Carimona is located in Fillmore County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Carimona
- York
(12 miles [19.3 km] to the southeast)
- York is located in Fillmore County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for York
- Fountain
(13 miles [20.9 km] to the east)
- Chatfield
(14 miles [22.5 km] to the northeast)
- Preston
(15 miles [24.1 km] to the east)
- Granger
(17 miles [27.4 km] to the southeast)
- Granger is located in Fillmore County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Granger
- Lanesboro
(20 miles [32.2 km] to the east)
- Harmony
(21 miles [33.8 km] to the southeast)
- Whalan
(23 miles [37 km] to the east)
- Dodge County
- The following are listed by their distance from Spring Valley, with the one closest to Spring Valley listed first.
- Hayfield
(26 miles [41.8 km] to the northwest)
- Kasson
(29 miles [46.7 km] to the northwest)
- Mower County
- The following are listed by their distance from Spring Valley, with the one closest to Spring Valley listed first.
- Racine
(7 miles [11.3 km] to the northwest)
- Grand Meadow
(9 miles [14.5 km] to the west)
- Le Roy
(13 miles [20.9 km] to the southwest)
- Taopi
(15 miles [24.1 km] to the southwest)
- Taopi is located in Mower County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Taopi
- Population from the 2020 Census: 65 people
- Dexter
(15 miles [24.1 km] to the west)
- Elkton
(16 miles [25.7 km] to the west)
- Elkton is located in Mower County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Elkton
- Population from the 2020 Census: 148 people
- Adams
(18 miles [29 km] to the southwest)
- Renova ‑ Historic
(19 miles [30.6 km] to the west)
- Renova is located in Mower County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Renova
- Johnsburg
(22 miles [35.4 km] to the southwest)
- Johnsburg is located in Mower County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Johnsburg
- Rose Creek
(22 miles [35.4 km] to the west)
- Sargeant
(22 miles [35.4 km] to the west)
- Sargeant is located in Mower County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Sargeant
- Population from the 2020 Census: 60 people
- Brownsdale
(24 miles [38.6 km] to the west)
- Waltham
(25 miles [40.2 km] to the west)
- Olmsted County
- The following are listed by their distance from Spring Valley, with the one closest to Spring Valley listed first.
- Stewartville
(12 miles [19.3 km] to the northwest)
- High Forest
(13 miles [20.9 km] to the northwest)
- High Forest is located in Olmsted County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for High Forest
- Simpson
(16 miles [25.7 km] to the north)
- Simpson is located in Olmsted County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Simpson
- Predmore
(17 miles [27.4 km] to the north)
- Predmore is located in Olmsted County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Predmore
- Rock Dell
(20 miles [32.2 km] to the northwest)
- Rock Dell is located in Olmsted County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Rock Dell
- Eyota
(22 miles [35.4 km] to the north)
- Rochester
(22 miles [35.4 km] to the north)
- Dover
(23 miles [37 km] to the northeast)
- Shanty Town
(23 miles [37 km] to the northwest)
- Shanty Town is located in Olmsted County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Shanty Town
- Viola
(26 miles [41.8 km] to the north)
- Viola is located in Olmsted County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Viola
- Byron
(27 miles [43.5 km] to the northwest)
- Post Town
(30 miles [48.3 km] to the northwest)
- Post Town is located in Olmsted County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Post Town
- Wabasha County
- Elgin
(30 miles [48.3 km] to the north)
- Winona County
- The following are listed by their distance from Spring Valley, with the one closest to Spring Valley listed first.
- Troy
(20 miles [32.2 km] to the northeast)
- Troy is located in Winona County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Troy
- Saratoga
(21 miles [33.8 km] to the northeast)
- Saratoga is located in Winona County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Saratoga
- Clyde
(25 miles [40.2 km] to the northeast)
- Clyde is located in Winona County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Clyde
- Saint Charles
(25 miles [40.2 km] to the northeast)
- Utica
(29 miles [46.7 km] to the northeast)
- Howard County (IA)
- The following are listed by their distance from Spring Valley, with the one closest to Spring Valley listed first.
- Chester
(13 miles [20.9 km] to the south)
- Forest City ‑ Historic
(15 miles [24.1 km] to the southeast)
- Forest City is located in Howard County (IA)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Forest City
- Lime Springs
(17 miles [27.4 km] to the south)
- Florenceville
(18 miles [29 km] to the southeast)
- Florenceville is located in Howard County (IA)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Florenceville
- Davis Corners
(22 miles [35.4 km] to the south)
- Davis Corners is located in Howard County (IA)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Davis Corners
- Riceville
(23 miles [37 km] to the south)
- Cresco
(25 miles [40.2 km] to the southeast)
- Vernon Springs
(26 miles [41.8 km] to the southeast)
- Vernon Springs is located in Howard County (IA)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Vernon Springs
- Elma
(30 miles [48.3 km] to the south)
- Mitchell County (IA)
- The following are listed by their distance from Spring Valley, with the one closest to Spring Valley listed first.
- McIntire
(20 miles [32.2 km] to the southwest)
- McIntire is located in Mitchell County (IA)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for McIntire
- Population from the 2020 Census: 127 people
- Meyer
(21 miles [33.8 km] to the southwest)
- Meyer is located in Mitchell County (IA)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Meyer
- Stacyville
(26 miles [41.8 km] to the southwest)
- Stacyville is located in Mitchell County (IA)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Stacyville
- Population from the 2020 Census: 466 people
- Little Cedar
(27 miles [43.5 km] to the southwest)
- Little Cedar is located in Mitchell County (IA)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Little Cedar
- New Haven
(30 miles [48.3 km] to the southwest)
- New Haven is located in Mitchell County (IA)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for New Haven
- Toeterville
(30 miles [48.3 km] to the southwest)
- Winneshiek County (IA)
- The following are listed by their distance from Spring Valley, with the one closest to Spring Valley listed first.
- Kendallville
(24 miles [38.6 km] to the southeast)
- Kendallville is located in Winneshiek County (IA)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Kendallville
- Bluffton
(30 miles [48.3 km] to the southeast)
- Bluffton is located in Winneshiek County (IA)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Bluffton
- Burr Oak
(30 miles [48.3 km] to the southeast)
For an expanded list of the communities that are closest to Spring Valley, see our County-by-County Page for Spring Valley.
Cemeteries Near Spring Valley ...
Below are cemeteries that are in the vicinity of Spring Valley.
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 Spring Valley - one of the links might be able to help.
If not found below, our Cemetery List for Spring Valley covers a larger area, with the cemeteries listed in alphabetical order.
The following cemeteries are listed based on their distance from Spring Valley, with the one closest to Spring Valley listed first.
- Spring Valley Cemetery
(Less than 2 miles to the southeast)
- St. Ignatius Cemetery
(Less than 2 miles to the southeast)
- Bloomfield Cemetery
(3 miles [4.8 km] to the south)
- Bateman Cemetery
(3 miles [4.8 km] to the southeast)
- Midway Lutheran Cemetery
(3 miles [4.8 km] to the east)
- Frankford Cemetery
(3 miles [4.8 km] to the northwest)
- Lone Oak Cemetery
(5 miles [8 km] to the southeast)
- Bloomfield Cemetery
(6 miles [9.7 km] to the south)
- Etna Cemetery
(6 miles [9.7 km] to the south)
- Fillmore Methodist Episcopal Cemetery
(6 miles [9.7 km] to the east)
- Greenlawn Cemetery
(6 miles [9.7 km] to the east)
- Hamilton Congregational Cemetery
(6 miles [9.7 km] to the northwest)
- Continue List (220 more) ...
- Immanuel Cemetery
(6 miles [9.7 km] to the east)
- St. Johns Cemetery
(6 miles [9.7 km] to the east)
- St. Kilians Catholic Cemetery
(6 miles [9.7 km] to the east)
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.<3>
The Rand McNally Atlas shows that Spring Valley had a population of 1,381 people in 1895 with a post office and railroad service. In 2020, Spring Valley had a population of 2,424 people.
These communities are listed based on their distance from Spring Valley, with the one closest to Spring Valley listed first.
- Ostrander
(5 miles [8 km] to the south)
- Hamilton
(5 miles [8 km] to the northwest)
- Hamilton is located in Fillmore County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Hamilton
- Etna
(6 miles [9.7 km] to the south)
- Etna is located in Fillmore County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Etna
- Wykoff
(6 miles [9.7 km] to the east)
- Washington
(6 miles [9.7 km] to the north)
- Washington is located in Fillmore County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Washington
- Fillmore
(7 miles [11.3 km] to the northeast)
- Fillmore is located in Fillmore County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Fillmore
- Racine
(7 miles [11.3 km] to the northwest)
- Cherry Grove
(8 miles [12.9 km] to the southeast)
- Cherry Grove is located in Fillmore County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Cherry Grove
- Forestville
(9 miles [14.5 km] to the east)
- Forestville is located in Fillmore County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Forestville
- Grand Meadow
(9 miles [14.5 km] to the west)
- Greenleafton
(11 miles [17.7 km] to the southeast)
- Greenleafton is located in Fillmore County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Greenleafton
- Carimona
(11 miles [17.7 km] to the east)
- Carimona is located in Fillmore County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Carimona
- Continue List (16 more) ...
- York
(12 miles [19.3 km] to the southeast)
- York is located in Fillmore County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for York
- Stewartville
(12 miles [19.3 km] to the northwest)
- Pleasant Grove
(12 miles [19.3 km] to the north)
- Pleasant Grove is located in Olmsted County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Pleasant Grove
We've also created an expanded list of communities that existed in the 1890's and were located in the area around Spring Valley. See our List of 1890's Communities around Spring Valley.
Newspapers Published in the Vicinity of Spring Valley ...
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 95 newspapers that have been published in the area around Spring Valley.
We have organized these newspapers into two lists:
- A Local Newspaper List - focusing on the papers published in the immediate area of Spring Valley. There are actually two parts to this list - papers printed in the immediate area of Spring Valley and those printed in the larger area surrounding Spring Valley.
- An Extended Newspaper List - a longer list, sorted by paper name and containing those papers published within 30 miles [48.3 km]<4> of Spring Valley.
Websites to Help With Your Genealogy Research ...
When we do our genealogical research, we like to start with 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 Spring Valley:
- Websites specific to Minnesota
- Pages specific to Fillmore County
- Genealogy information for nearby counties
- Dodge County
- Mower County
- Olmsted County
- Wabasha County
- Winona County
- Howard County
- Mitchell County
- Winneshiek 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> | 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. |
| <3> | 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 Spring Valley, please let us know so that we can improve our accuracy. |
| <4> | 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- Spring Valley) to Point B. In other words: 'As the crow flies'. |