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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 Vernon (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 Vernon. 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.

Vernon is located in Dodge 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 Dodge County: Freeborn, Goodhue, Mower, Olmsted, Rice & Steele.

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

  • Dodge County     (The home county of Vernon)
    • The following are listed by their distance from Vernon, with the one closest to Vernon listed first.
    • Hayfield
      (5 miles [8 km] to the west)
    • Kasson
      (8 miles [12.9 km] to the north)
    • Dodge Center
      (10 miles [16.1 km] to the northwest)
    • Mantorville
      (11 miles [17.7 km] to the north)
    • Westfield Center ‑ Historic
      (11 miles [17.7 km] to the west)
      • Westfield Center is located in Dodge County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Westfield Center
    • Claremont
      (16 miles [25.7 km] to the northwest)
    • Concord
      (17 miles [27.4 km] to the north)
      • Concord is located in Dodge County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Concord
    • West Concord
      (18 miles [29 km] to the northwest)
  • Fillmore County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Vernon, with the one closest to Vernon listed first.
    • Spring Valley
      (22 miles [35.4 km] to the southeast)
    • Fillmore
      (25 miles [40.2 km] to the southeast)
      • Fillmore is located in Fillmore County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Fillmore
    • Ostrander
      (25 miles [40.2 km] to the southeast)
    • Chatfield
      (27 miles [43.5 km] to the east)
    • Wykoff
      (27 miles [43.5 km] to the southeast)
    • Etna
      (28 miles [45.1 km] to the southeast)
      • Etna is located in Fillmore County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Etna
  • Freeborn County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Vernon, with the one closest to Vernon listed first.
    • Oakland
      (23 miles [37 km] to the southwest)
      • Oakland is located in Freeborn County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Oakland
    • Hollandale
      (25 miles [40.2 km] to the southwest)
    • Geneva
      (26 miles [41.8 km] to the west)
    • Hayward
      (30 miles [48.3 km] to the southwest)
    • London
      (30 miles [48.3 km] to the southwest)
      • London is located in Freeborn County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for London
    • Clarks Grove
      (30 miles [48.3 km] to the west)
  • Goodhue County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Vernon, with the one closest to Vernon listed first.
    • Pine Island
      (21 miles [33.8 km] to the north)
    • Roscoe
      (22 miles [35.4 km] to the north)
      • Roscoe is located in Goodhue County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Roscoe
    • Wanamingo
      (27 miles [43.5 km] to the north)
    • Zumbrota
      (27 miles [43.5 km] to the north)
    • Kenyon
      (28 miles [45.1 km] to the northwest)
  • Mower County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Vernon, with the one closest to Vernon listed first.
    • Sargeant
      (7 miles [11.3 km] to the southwest)
      • Sargeant is located in Mower County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Sargeant
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 60 people
    • Waltham
      (8 miles [12.9 km] to the southwest)
    • Renova ‑ Historic
      (11 miles [17.7 km] to the south)
      • Renova is located in Mower County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Renova
    • Dexter
      (12 miles [19.3 km] to the south)
    • Brownsdale
      (12 miles [19.3 km] to the southwest)
    • Grand Meadow
      (15 miles [24.1 km] to the southeast)
    • Racine
      (15 miles [24.1 km] to the southeast)
    • Lansing
      (15 miles [24.1 km] to the southwest)
      • Lansing is located in Mower County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Lansing
    • Elkton
      (16 miles [25.7 km] to the south)
      • Elkton is located in Mower County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Elkton
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 148 people
    • Mapleview
      (18 miles [29 km] to the southwest)
      • Mapleview is located in Mower County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Mapleview
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 177 people
    • Austin
      (20 miles [32.2 km] to the southwest)
    • Rose Creek
      (21 miles [33.8 km] to the south)
  • Olmsted County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Vernon, with the one closest to Vernon listed first.
    • Rock Dell
      (5 miles [8 km] to the east)
      • Rock Dell is located in Olmsted County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Rock Dell
    • Shanty Town
      (6 miles [9.7 km] to the northeast)
      • Shanty Town is located in Olmsted County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Shanty Town
    • High Forest
      (10 miles [16.1 km] to the east)
      • High Forest is located in Olmsted County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for High Forest
    • Byron
      (10 miles [16.1 km] to the northeast)
      • Byron is located in Olmsted County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Byron
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 5,691 people
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Byron <1>
    • Stewartville
      (12 miles [19.3 km] to the east)
    • Post Town
      (13 miles [20.9 km] to the north)
      • Post Town is located in Olmsted County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Post Town
    • Rochester
      (14 miles [22.5 km] to the northeast)
    • Genoa
      (15 miles [24.1 km] to the northeast)
      • Genoa is located in Olmsted County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Genoa
    • Simpson
      (16 miles [25.7 km] to the east)
      • Simpson is located in Olmsted County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Simpson
    • Predmore
      (20 miles [32.2 km] to the east)
      • Predmore is located in Olmsted County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Predmore
    • Oronoco
      (20 miles [32.2 km] to the northeast)
    • Eyota
      (25 miles [40.2 km] to the east)
      • Eyota is located in Olmsted County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Eyota
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 1,992 people
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Eyota <1>
  • Rice County
    • Moland
      (25 miles [40.2 km] to the northwest)
      • Moland is located in Rice County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Moland
  • Steele County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Vernon, with the one closest to Vernon listed first.
    • Blooming Prairie
      (15 miles [24.1 km] to the west)
    • Union
      (19 miles [30.6 km] to the west)
      • Union is located in Steele County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Union
    • Rice Lake
      (20 miles [32.2 km] to the northwest)
      • Rice Lake is located in Steele County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Rice Lake
    • Pratt
      (22 miles [35.4 km] to the west)
      • Pratt is located in Steele County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Pratt
    • Havana
      (23 miles [37 km] to the northwest)
      • Havana is located in Steele County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Havana
    • Steele Center
      (24 miles [38.6 km] to the west)
      • Steele Center is located in Steele County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Steele Center
    • River Point
      (25 miles [40.2 km] to the west)
      • River Point is located in Steele County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for River Point
    • Owatonna
      (27 miles [43.5 km] to the northwest)
    • Ellendale
      (27 miles [43.5 km] to the west)
    • Hope
      (27 miles [43.5 km] to the west)
      • Hope is located in Steele County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Hope
  • Wabasha County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Vernon, with the one closest to Vernon listed first.
    • Mazeppa
      (27 miles [43.5 km] to the north)
    • Elgin
      (28 miles [45.1 km] to the northeast)
      • Elgin is located in Wabasha County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Elgin
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 1,080 people
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Elgin <1>
    • Hammond
      (28 miles [45.1 km] to the northeast)
      • Hammond is located in Wabasha County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Hammond
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 167 people
    • Jarrett
      (30 miles [48.3 km] to the northeast)
      • Jarrett is located in Wabasha County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Jarrett
    • Zumbro Falls
      (30 miles [48.3 km] to the northeast)
  • Mitchell County (IA)
    • Meyer
      (30 miles [48.3 km] to the south)
      • Meyer is located in Mitchell County (IA)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Meyer

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

Cemeteries Near Vernon ...

Below are cemeteries that are in the vicinity of Vernon.

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

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

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

  • West St. Olaf Cemetery
    (Less than 2 miles to the northeast)
  • Evanger Cemetery
    (4 miles [6.4 km] to the south)
  • South Zumbro Cemetery
    (4 miles [6.4 km] to the northeast)
  • Zion Cemetery
    (5 miles [8 km] to the east)
  • East St. Olaf Cemetery
    (5 miles [8 km] to the northeast)
  • Fairview Cemetery
    (6 miles [9.7 km] to the west)
  • Zion Cemetery
    (7 miles [11.3 km] to the south)
  • Riverside Cemetery
    (8 miles [12.9 km] to the northeast)
  • Maple Grove Cemetery
    (8 miles [12.9 km] to the north)
  • St. John's Lutheran Cemetery
    (9 miles [14.5 km] to the south)
  • Immanuel Cemetery
    (9 miles [14.5 km] to the southeast)
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Immanuel Cemetery
    • The Immanuel Cemetery has also been known as:
    • Immanuel Lutheran Cemetery
  • Pleasant Valley Cemetery
    (9 miles [14.5 km] to the southeast)
  • Continue List   (216 more) ...
    • Waltham Cemetery
      (10 miles [16.1 km] to the southwest)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Waltham Cemetery
      • The Waltham Cemetery has also been known as:
      • Waltham Trinity Luthern Cemetery
    • Evergreen Cemetery
      (10 miles [16.1 km] to the north)
    • St. Margaret Cemetery
      (10 miles [16.1 km] to the north)

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 Vernon in the Atlas, the following 1895 communities would have been found near the current location of Vernon.

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

  • Oslo
    (Less than 2 miles to the south)
    • Oslo is located in Dodge County
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Oslo
  • Rock Dell
    (5 miles [8 km] to the east)
    • Rock Dell is located in Olmsted County
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Rock Dell
  • Hayfield
    (5 miles [8 km] to the west)
  • Sargeant
    (7 miles [11.3 km] to the southwest)
    • Sargeant is located in Mower County
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Sargeant
    • Population from the 2020 Census: 60 people
  • Waltham
    (8 miles [12.9 km] to the southwest)
  • Kasson
    (8 miles [12.9 km] to the north)
  • High Forest
    (10 miles [16.1 km] to the east)
    • High Forest is located in Olmsted County
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for High Forest
  • Dodge Center
    (10 miles [16.1 km] to the northwest)
  • Renova ‑ Historic
    (11 miles [17.7 km] to the south)
    • Renova is located in Mower County
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Renova
  • Mantorville
    (11 miles [17.7 km] to the north)
  • Westfield Center ‑ Historic
    (11 miles [17.7 km] to the west)
    • Westfield Center is located in Dodge County
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Westfield Center
  • Brownsdale
    (12 miles [19.3 km] to the southwest)
  • Continue List   (13 more) ...
    • Dexter
      (12 miles [19.3 km] to the south)
    • Wasioja
      (12 miles [19.3 km] to the north)
      • Wasioja is located in Dodge County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Wasioja
    • Stewartville
      (12 miles [19.3 km] to the east)

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

Newspapers Published in Vernon ...

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 120 newspapers that have been published in the area around Vernon.

Although we're unaware of any newspapers that were published in the immediate area of Vernon, there are papers which were published within 30 miles [48.3 km]<3>. A list of those papers, sorted by paper name, can be found on the Extended Newspaper List for Vernon.

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 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 Vernon:

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