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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 Vawter (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 Vawter. 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 northwest corner of their home county. During their lives, most 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.

Vawter is located in Morrison 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 Morrison County: Benton, Cass, Crow Wing, Mille Lacs, Stearns & Todd.

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

  • Morrison County     (The home county of Vawter)
    • The following are listed by their distance from Vawter, with the one closest to Vawter listed first.
    • Royalton
      (6 miles [9.7 km] to the south)
    • Buckman
      (7 miles [11.3 km] to the east)
      • Buckman is located in Morrison County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Buckman
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 273 people
    • Genola
      (7 miles [11.3 km] to the northeast)
      • Genola is located in Morrison County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Genola
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 66 people
    • Little Falls
      (7 miles [11.3 km] to the northwest)
    • Pierz
      (8 miles [12.9 km] to the northeast)
      • Pierz is located in Morrison County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Pierz
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 1,364 people
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Pierz <1>
    • Belle Prairie
      (9 miles [14.5 km] to the northwest)
      • Belle Prairie is located in Morrison County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Belle Prairie
    • Bowlus
      (9 miles [14.5 km] to the southwest)
    • North Prairie
      (9 miles [14.5 km] to the southwest)
      • North Prairie is located in Morrison County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for North Prairie
    • Sobieski
      (11 miles [17.7 km] to the west)
      • Sobieski is located in Morrison County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Sobieski
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 194 people
    • Lastrup
      (12 miles [19.3 km] to the northeast)
    • Elmdale
      (13 miles [20.9 km] to the southwest)
      • Elmdale is located in Morrison County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Elmdale
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 116 people
    • Morrill
      (14 miles [22.5 km] to the east)
      • Morrill is located in Morrison County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Morrill
    • Flensburg
      (14 miles [22.5 km] to the west)
      • Flensburg is located in Morrison County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Flensburg
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 223 people
  • Benton County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Vawter, with the one closest to Vawter listed first.
    • Rice
      (11 miles [17.7 km] to the south)
      • 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>
    • Watab
      (16 miles [25.7 km] to the south)
      • Watab is located in Benton County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Watab
    • Gilman
      (18 miles [29 km] to the southeast)
    • Evergreen Village
      (20 miles [32.2 km] to the south)
      • Evergreen Village is located in Benton County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Evergreen Village
    • Sauk Rapids
      (22 miles [35.4 km] to the south)
    • Foley
      (23 miles [37 km] to the southeast)
    • Ronneby
      (24 miles [38.6 km] to the southeast)
      • Ronneby is located in Benton County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Ronneby
    • Oak Park
      (25 miles [40.2 km] to the southeast)
      • Oak Park is located in Benton County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Oak Park
    • Duelm
      (27 miles [43.5 km] to the southeast)
      • Duelm is located in Benton County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Duelm
  • Cass County
    • Pillager
      (30 miles [48.3 km] to the north)
  • Crow Wing County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Vawter, with the one closest to Vawter listed first.
    • Fort Ripley
      (18 miles [29 km] to the north)
    • Baxter
      (29 miles [46.7 km] to the north)
      • Baxter is located in Crow Wing County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Baxter
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 8,483 people
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Baxter <1>
    • Brainerd
      (30 miles [48.3 km] to the north)
  • Mille Lacs County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Vawter, with the one closest to Vawter listed first.
    • Foreston
      (28 miles [45.1 km] to the southeast)
      • Foreston is located in Mille Lacs County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Foreston
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 527 people
    • Onamia
      (29 miles [46.7 km] to the east)
    • Vineland
      (29 miles [46.7 km] to the northeast)
      • Vineland is located in Mille Lacs County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Vineland
    • Milaca
      (30 miles [48.3 km] to the east)
      • Milaca is located in Mille Lacs County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Milaca
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 2,899 people
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Milaca <1>
    • Estes Brook
      (30 miles [48.3 km] to the southeast)
      • Estes Brook is located in Mille Lacs County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Estes Brook
  • Sherburne County
    • Cable
      (28 miles [45.1 km] to the south)
      • Cable is located in Sherburne County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Cable
  • Stearns County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Vawter, with the one closest to Vawter listed first.
    • Opole
      (12 miles [19.3 km] to the southwest)
      • Opole is located in Stearns County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Opole
    • Saint Stephen
      (14 miles [22.5 km] to the south)
      • Saint Stephen is located in Stearns County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Saint Stephen
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 867 people
    • Holdingford
      (16 miles [25.7 km] to the southwest)
    • Saint Wendel
      (18 miles [29 km] to the south)
      • Saint Wendel is located in Stearns County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Saint Wendel
    • Evergreen Village
      (20 miles [32.2 km] to the south)
      • Evergreen Village is located in Stearns County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Evergreen Village
    • Sartell
      (20 miles [32.2 km] to the south)
    • Collegeville
      (22 miles [35.4 km] to the south)
    • Avon
      (23 miles [37 km] to the southwest)
      • 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>
    • Saint Anthony
      (23 miles [37 km] to the southwest)
      • Saint Anthony is located in Stearns County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Saint Anthony
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 91 people
    • Saint Cloud
      (24 miles [38.6 km] to the south)
    • Saint Joseph
      (24 miles [38.6 km] to the south)
    • Waite Park
      (24 miles [38.6 km] to the south)
    • Albany
      (25 miles [40.2 km] to the southwest)
  • Todd County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Vawter, with the one closest to Vawter listed first.
    • Burtrum
      (21 miles [33.8 km] to the west)
    • Pillsbury
      (21 miles [33.8 km] to the west)
      • Pillsbury is located in Todd County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Pillsbury
    • Grey Eagle
      (24 miles [38.6 km] to the west)
    • Long Prairie
      (30 miles [48.3 km] to the west)

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

Cemeteries Near Vawter ...

Below are cemeteries that are in the vicinity of Vawter.

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

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

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

  • Pioneer Cemetery
    (5 miles [8 km] to the southwest)
  • Holy Trinity Cemetery
    (5 miles [8 km] to the southwest)
  • Sacred Heart of Jesus Polish National Catholic Cemetery
    (5 miles [8 km] to the northwest)
  • St. Adalberts Cemetery
    (5 miles [8 km] to the northwest)
  • Royalton Cemetery
    (6 miles [9.7 km] to the south)
  • St. Johns Cemetery
    (6 miles [9.7 km] to the southeast)
  • Oakland Cemetery
    (6 miles [9.7 km] to the northwest)
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Oakland Cemetery
    • To give a relative sense of its location, the Oakland Cemetery is a large cemetery that is located outside and to the southeast of Little Falls.
    • Jump to Find-A-Grave: FG ID #82967 <2>
  • St. Marys Cemetery
    (6 miles [9.7 km] to the northwest)
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for St. Marys Cemetery
    • To give a relative sense of its location, the St. Marys Cemetery is a large cemetery that is located outside and to the southeast of Little Falls.
    • The St. Marys Cemetery has also been known as:
    • Sacred Heart Cemetery
    • Jump to Find-A-Grave: FG ID #83417 <2>
  • Franciscan Sisters Convent Cemetery
    (6 miles [9.7 km] to the northwest)
  • St. Michael's Cemetery
    (7 miles [11.3 km] to the east)
  • Calvary Cemetery
    (7 miles [11.3 km] to the northwest)
  • Union Cemetery
    (8 miles [12.9 km] to the southeast)
  • Continue List   (157 more) ...

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>

While we didn't find Vawter in the Atlas, the following 1895 communities would have been found near the current location of Vawter.

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

  • Gregory
    (5 miles [8 km] to the west)
    • Gregory is located in Morrison County
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Gregory
  • Royalton
    (6 miles [9.7 km] to the south)
  • Buckman
    (7 miles [11.3 km] to the east)
    • Buckman is located in Morrison County
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Buckman
    • Population from the 2020 Census: 273 people
  • Little Falls
    (7 miles [11.3 km] to the northwest)
  • North Prairie
    (9 miles [14.5 km] to the southwest)
    • North Prairie is located in Morrison County
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for North Prairie
  • Belle Prairie
    (9 miles [14.5 km] to the northwest)
    • Belle Prairie is located in Morrison County
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Belle Prairie
  • Rice
    (11 miles [17.7 km] to the south)
    • 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>
  • Opole
    (12 miles [19.3 km] to the southwest)
    • Opole is located in Stearns County
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Opole
  • Elmdale
    (13 miles [20.9 km] to the southwest)
    • Elmdale is located in Morrison County
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Elmdale
    • Population from the 2020 Census: 116 people
  • Morrill
    (14 miles [22.5 km] to the east)
    • Morrill is located in Morrison County
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Morrill
  • Holdingford
    (16 miles [25.7 km] to the southwest)
  • Watab
    (16 miles [25.7 km] to the south)
    • Watab is located in Benton County
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Watab
  • Continue List   (14 more) ...
    • Upsala
      (17 miles [27.4 km] to the southwest)
    • Randall
      (17 miles [27.4 km] to the northwest)
    • Saint Wendel
      (18 miles [29 km] to the south)
      • Saint Wendel is located in Stearns County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Saint Wendel

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

Newspapers Published in Vawter ...

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 70 newspapers that have been published in the area around Vawter.

Although we're unaware of any newspapers that were published in the immediate area of Vawter, there are papers which were published within 30 miles [48.3 km]<4>. A list of those papers, sorted by paper name, can be found on the Extended Newspaper List for Vawter.

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 websites either 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 Vawter:

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 Vawter, please let us know so that we can improve our accuracy.
<4>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 from Point A (ie- Vawter) to Point B. In other words: 'As the crow flies'.