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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 Verndale (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 Verndale. 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 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.

Verndale is located in Wadena 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 Wadena County: Becker, Cass, Hubbard, Otter Tail & Todd.

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

  • Wadena County     (The home county of Verndale)
    • The following are listed by their distance from Verndale, with the one closest to Verndale listed first.
    • Aldrich
      (3 miles [4.8 km] to the southeast)
      • Note: We haven't been able to verify our GPS coordinates for Aldrich. Although the coordinates have been estimated, they should be in the vicinity.<1>
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Aldrich
      • Aldrich is located in Wadena County
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 46 people
      • Google driving directions:
      • From your current location to Aldrich
      • From Verndale to Aldrich
    • Sebeka
      (16 miles [25.7 km] to the north)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Sebeka have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Sebeka
      • Sebeka is located in Wadena County
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 668 people
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Sebeka <3>
    • Nimrod
      (17 miles [27.4 km] to the north)
    • Menahga
      (24 miles [38.6 km] to the north)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Menahga have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Menahga
      • Menahga is located in Wadena County
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 1,307 people
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Menahga <3>
  • Cass County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Verndale, with the one closest to Verndale listed first.
    • Ellis
      (17 miles [27.4 km] to the northeast)
      • Note: We haven't been able to verify our GPS coordinates for Ellis. Although the coordinates have been estimated, they should be in the vicinity.<1>
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Ellis
      • Ellis is located in Cass County
      • Google driving directions:
      • From your current location to Ellis
      • From Verndale to Ellis
    • Pillager
      (26 miles [41.8 km] to the east)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Pillager have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Pillager
      • Pillager is located in Cass County
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 486 people
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Pillager <3>
  • Douglas County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Verndale, with the one closest to Verndale listed first.
    • Rose City
      (23 miles [37 km] to the south)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Rose City have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Rose City
      • Rose City is located in Douglas County
    • Miltona
      (27 miles [43.5 km] to the southwest)
    • Belle River
      (29 miles [46.7 km] to the south)
  • Morrison County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Verndale, with the one closest to Verndale listed first.
    • Motley
      (18 miles [29 km] to the east)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Motley have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Motley
      • Motley is located in Morrison County
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 653 people
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Motley <3>
    • Lincoln
      (21 miles [33.8 km] to the southeast)
    • Cushing
      (27 miles [43.5 km] to the southeast)
  • Otter Tail County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Verndale, with the one closest to Verndale listed first.
    • Wadena
      (6 miles [9.7 km] to the northwest)
    • Bluffton
      (11 miles [17.7 km] to the northwest)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Bluffton have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Bluffton
      • Bluffton is located in Otter Tail County
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 216 people
    • Deer Creek
      (14 miles [22.5 km] to the west)
    • Davies
      (19 miles [30.6 km] to the northwest)
      • Note: We haven't been able to verify our GPS coordinates for Davies. Although the coordinates have been estimated, they should be in the vicinity.<1>
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Davies
      • Davies is located in Otter Tail County
      • Google driving directions:
      • From your current location to Davies
      • From Verndale to Davies
    • New York Mills
      (19 miles [30.6 km] to the northwest)
    • Henning
      (21 miles [33.8 km] to the west)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Henning have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Henning
      • Henning is located in Otter Tail County
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 806 people
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Henning <3>
    • Leaf City
      (21 miles [33.8 km] to the west)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Leaf City have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Leaf City
      • Leaf City is located in Otter Tail County
    • Parkers Prairie
      (22 miles [35.4 km] to the southwest)
    • Ottertail
      (25 miles [40.2 km] to the west)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Ottertail have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Ottertail
      • Ottertail is located in Otter Tail County
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 660 people
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Ottertail <3>
    • Vining
      (26 miles [41.8 km] to the west)
    • Nirvana
      (28 miles [45.1 km] to the west)
    • Clitherall
      (30 miles [48.3 km] to the west)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Clitherall have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Clitherall
      • Clitherall is located in Otter Tail County
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 106 people
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Clitherall <3>
  • Todd County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Verndale, with the one closest to Verndale listed first.
    • Hewitt
      (6 miles [9.7 km] to the southwest)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Hewitt have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Hewitt
      • Hewitt is located in Todd County
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 260 people
    • Bertha
      (9 miles [14.5 km] to the south)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Bertha have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Bertha
      • Bertha is located in Todd County
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 481 people
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Bertha <3>
    • Staples
      (10 miles [16.1 km] to the east)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Staples have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Staples
      • Staples is located in Todd County
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 3,068 people
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Staples <3>
    • Eagle Bend
      (16 miles [25.7 km] to the south)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Eagle Bend have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Eagle Bend
      • Eagle Bend is located in Todd County
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 518 people
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Eagle Bend <3>
    • Philbrook
      (16 miles [25.7 km] to the southeast)
      • Note: We haven't been able to verify our GPS coordinates for Philbrook. Although the coordinates have been estimated, they should be in the vicinity.<1>
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Philbrook
      • Philbrook is located in Todd County
      • Google driving directions:
      • From your current location to Philbrook
      • From Verndale to Philbrook
    • Clarissa
      (18 miles [29 km] to the south)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Clarissa have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Clarissa
      • Clarissa is located in Todd County
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 651 people
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Clarissa <3>
    • Browerville
      (23 miles [37 km] to the south)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Browerville have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Browerville
      • Browerville is located in Todd County
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 744 people
    • Clotho
      (26 miles [41.8 km] to the south)
    • Long Prairie
      (29 miles [46.7 km] to the south)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Long Prairie have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Long Prairie
      • Long Prairie is located in Todd County
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 3,297 people
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Long Prairie <3>

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

Cemeteries Near Verndale ...

Below are cemeteries that are in the vicinity of Verndale.

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

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

  • St. Fredericks Cemetery
    (Less than 2 miles to the west)
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the St. Fredericks Cemetery
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the St. Fredericks Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
  • Greenlawn Cemetery
    (Less than 2 miles to the west)
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Greenlawn Cemetery
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Greenlawn Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
  • Balsamlund Cemetery
    (4 miles [6.4 km] to the southeast)
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Balsamlund Cemetery
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Balsamlund Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
  • Mother of Sorrows Cemetery
    (4 miles [6.4 km] to the east)
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Mother of Sorrows Cemetery
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Mother of Sorrows Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
  • Mt. Nebo Cemetery
    (5 miles [8 km] to the southwest)
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Mt. Nebo Cemetery
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Mt. Nebo Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
  • Hewitt Cemetery
    (5 miles [8 km] to the southwest)
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Hewitt Cemetery
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Hewitt Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
  • Trinity Cemetery
    (7 miles [11.3 km] to the southwest)
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Trinity Cemetery
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Trinity Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
  • Immanuel Cemetery
    (7 miles [11.3 km] to the south)
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Immanuel Cemetery
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Immanuel Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
  • Montrose Cemetery
    (7 miles [11.3 km] to the northeast)
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Montrose Cemetery
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Montrose Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
  • Leaf River Cemetery
    (7 miles [11.3 km] to the northwest)
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Leaf River Cemetery
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Leaf River Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
  • Wadena Cemetery
    (7 miles [11.3 km] to the northwest)
  • St. Anns Cemetery
    (7 miles [11.3 km] to the west)
  • Continue List   (142 more) ...
    • Peace Cemetery
      (9 miles [14.5 km] to the south)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Peace Cemetery
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Peace Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • St. Huberts Cemetery
      (9 miles [14.5 km] to the north)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the St. Huberts Cemetery
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the St. Huberts Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Compton Cemetery
      (9 miles [14.5 km] to the west)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Compton Cemetery
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Compton Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.

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>

The Rand McNally Atlas shows that Verndale had a population of 635 people in 1895 with a post office and railroad service. In 2020, Verndale had a population of 576 people.

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

  • Aldrich
    (3 miles [4.8 km] to the southeast)
    • Note: We haven't been able to verify our GPS coordinates for Aldrich. Although the coordinates have been estimated, they should be in the vicinity.<1>
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Aldrich
    • Aldrich is located in Wadena County
    • Population from the 2020 Census: 46 people
    • Google driving directions:
    • From your current location to Aldrich
    • From Verndale to Aldrich
  • Hewitt
    (6 miles [9.7 km] to the southwest)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Hewitt have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Hewitt
    • Hewitt is located in Todd County
    • Population from the 2020 Census: 260 people
  • Wadena
    (6 miles [9.7 km] to the northwest)
  • Bertha
    (9 miles [14.5 km] to the south)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Bertha have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Bertha
    • Bertha is located in Todd County
    • Population from the 2020 Census: 481 people
    • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Bertha <3>
  • Staples
    (10 miles [16.1 km] to the east)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Staples have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Staples
    • Staples is located in Todd County
    • Population from the 2020 Census: 3,068 people
    • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Staples <3>
  • Wrightstown
    (11 miles [17.7 km] to the southwest)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Wrightstown have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Wrightstown
    • Wrightstown is located in Otter Tail County
  • Bluffton
    (11 miles [17.7 km] to the northwest)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Bluffton have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Bluffton
    • Bluffton is located in Otter Tail County
    • Population from the 2020 Census: 216 people
  • Deer Creek
    (14 miles [22.5 km] to the west)
  • Sebeka
    (16 miles [25.7 km] to the north)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Sebeka have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Sebeka
    • Sebeka is located in Wadena County
    • Population from the 2020 Census: 668 people
    • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Sebeka <3>
  • Eagle Bend
    (16 miles [25.7 km] to the south)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Eagle Bend have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Eagle Bend
    • Eagle Bend is located in Todd County
    • Population from the 2020 Census: 518 people
    • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Eagle Bend <3>
  • Philbrook
    (16 miles [25.7 km] to the southeast)
    • Note: We haven't been able to verify our GPS coordinates for Philbrook. Although the coordinates have been estimated, they should be in the vicinity.<1>
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Philbrook
    • Philbrook is located in Todd County
    • Google driving directions:
    • From your current location to Philbrook
    • From Verndale to Philbrook
  • Ellis
    (17 miles [27.4 km] to the northeast)
    • Note: We haven't been able to verify our GPS coordinates for Ellis. Although the coordinates have been estimated, they should be in the vicinity.<1>
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Ellis
    • Ellis is located in Cass County
    • Google driving directions:
    • From your current location to Ellis
    • From Verndale to Ellis
  • Continue List   (15 more) ...
    • Nimrod
      (17 miles [27.4 km] to the north)
    • Clarissa
      (18 miles [29 km] to the south)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Clarissa have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Clarissa
      • Clarissa is located in Todd County
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 651 people
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Clarissa <3>
    • Motley
      (18 miles [29 km] to the east)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Motley have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Motley
      • Motley is located in Morrison County
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 653 people
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Motley <3>

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

Newspapers Published in the Vicinity of Verndale ...

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 47 newspapers that have been published in the area around Verndale.

We have organized these newspapers into two lists:

  • A Local Newspaper List - focusing on the papers published in the immediate area of Verndale. There are actually two parts to this list - papers printed in the immediate area of Verndale and those printed in the larger area surrounding Verndale.
  • An Extended Newspaper List - a longer list, sorted by paper name and containing those papers published within 30 miles [48.3 km]<6> of Verndale.

Websites to Help With Your Genealogy Research ...

When we do our genealogical research, we first turn to the websites from Cyndi's List, FamilySearch and Genealogy Trails. These 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 Verndale:

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

The official website for Wadena County: www.co.wadena.mn.us/

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

Footnotes ...

<1>An 'estimated' location is one where we have been given GPS coordinates, but are unable to verify the accuracy of those coordinates. That said, we have some confidence that we have placed the marker near the actual location. A typical reason for being unable to verify a location is that it might be on private property or maybe historic and gone without an obvious trace.
<2>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.
<3>While we're fans and frequent users of TripAdvisor, you should know that we're also members of the TripAdvisor affiliate program.
<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 Verndale, please let us know so that we can improve our accuracy.
<6>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 from Point A (ie- Verndale) to Point B.Our distance measurements begin at a specific point in Verndale. The point we use is located at these GPS coordinates - Latitude: 46.3979, Longitude: -95.0131    









 

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This page was last modified/updated: 25 Jul 2025