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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 Wadena (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 Wadena. 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 northeast corner of their home county. During their lives, most hospitals and doctors 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.

Wadena is primarily located in Otter Tail County and is the County Seat. A portion of Wadena extends into 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 Otter Tail County: Becker, Clay, Douglas, Grant, Todd, Wadena & Wilkin.

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

  • Otter Tail County     (The home county of Wadena)
    • The following are listed by their distance from Wadena, with the one closest to Wadena listed first.
    • Bluffton
      (5 miles [8 km] to the west)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Bluffton have been provided by the GNIS.<1> 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
      (9 miles [14.5 km] to the west)
    • New York Mills
      (12 miles [19.3 km] to the northwest)
    • Davies
      (13 miles [20.9 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.<3>
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Davies
      • Davies is located in Otter Tail County
      • Google driving directions:
      • From your current location to Davies
      • From Wadena to Davies
    • Leaf City
      (15 miles [24.1 km] to the west)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Leaf City have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Leaf City
      • Leaf City is located in Otter Tail County
    • Henning
      (16 miles [25.7 km] to the southwest)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Henning have been provided by the GNIS.<1> 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 <2>
    • Ottertail
      (20 miles [32.2 km] to the west)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Ottertail have been provided by the GNIS.<1> 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 <2>
    • Parkers Prairie
      (21 miles [33.8 km] to the southwest)
    • Vining
      (22 miles [35.4 km] to the southwest)
    • Perham
      (23 miles [37 km] to the northwest)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Perham have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Perham
      • Perham is located in Otter Tail County
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 3,638 people
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Perham <2>
    • Nirvana
      (23 miles [37 km] to the southwest)
    • Richville
      (23 miles [37 km] to the west)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Richville have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Richville
      • Richville is located in Otter Tail County
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 98 people
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Richville <2>
    • Clitherall
      (26 miles [41.8 km] to the southwest)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Clitherall have been provided by the GNIS.<1> 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 <2>
  • Becker County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Wadena, with the one closest to Wadena listed first.
    • Evergreen
      (26 miles [41.8 km] to the northwest)
    • Wolf Lake
      (27 miles [43.5 km] to the north)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Wolf Lake have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Wolf Lake
      • Wolf Lake is located in Becker County
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 55 people
  • Cass County
    • Ellis
      (21 miles [33.8 km] to the east)
      • 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.<3>
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Ellis
      • Ellis is located in Cass County
      • Google driving directions:
      • From your current location to Ellis
      • From Wadena to Ellis
  • Douglas County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Wadena, with the one closest to Wadena listed first.
    • Rose City
      (25 miles [40.2 km] to the south)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Rose City have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Rose City
      • Rose City is located in Douglas County
    • Miltona
      (28 miles [45.1 km] to the south)
  • Morrison County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Wadena, with the one closest to Wadena listed first.
    • Motley
      (24 miles [38.6 km] to the east)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Motley have been provided by the GNIS.<1> 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 <2>
    • Lincoln
      (28 miles [45.1 km] to the southeast)
  • Todd County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Wadena, with the one closest to Wadena listed first.
    • Hewitt
      (8 miles [12.9 km] to the south)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Hewitt have been provided by the GNIS.<1> 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
      (12 miles [19.3 km] to the south)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Bertha have been provided by the GNIS.<1> 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 <2>
    • Staples
      (17 miles [27.4 km] to the east)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Staples have been provided by the GNIS.<1> 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 <2>
    • Eagle Bend
      (19 miles [30.6 km] to the south)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Eagle Bend have been provided by the GNIS.<1> 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 <2>
    • Philbrook
      (22 miles [35.4 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.<3>
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Philbrook
      • Philbrook is located in Todd County
      • Google driving directions:
      • From your current location to Philbrook
      • From Wadena to Philbrook
    • Clarissa
      (23 miles [37 km] to the southeast)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Clarissa have been provided by the GNIS.<1> 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 <2>
    • Browerville
      (28 miles [45.1 km] to the southeast)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Browerville have been provided by the GNIS.<1> 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
      (29 miles [46.7 km] to the south)
  • Wadena County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Wadena, with the one closest to Wadena listed first.
    • Verndale
      (6 miles [9.7 km] to the southeast)
    • Aldrich
      (10 miles [16.1 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.<3>
      • 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 Wadena to Aldrich
    • Sebeka
      (13 miles [20.9 km] to the north)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Sebeka have been provided by the GNIS.<1> 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 <2>
    • Nimrod
      (18 miles [29 km] to the northeast)
    • Menahga
      (21 miles [33.8 km] to the north)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Menahga have been provided by the GNIS.<1> 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 <2>

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

Cemeteries Near Wadena ...

Below are cemeteries that are in the vicinity of Wadena.

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

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

  • Wadena Cemetery
    (Less than 2 miles to the west)
  • St. Anns Cemetery
    (Less than 2 miles to the southwest)
  • Leaf River Cemetery
    (2 miles [3.2 km] to the north)
    • 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.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
  • Compton Cemetery
    (3 miles [4.8 km] to the southwest)
    • 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.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
  • Gustafva Cemetery
    (3 miles [4.8 km] to the west)
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Gustafva Cemetery
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Gustafva Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
  • St. John's Catholic Church Cemetery
    (4 miles [6.4 km] to the west)
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the St. John's Catholic Church Cemetery
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the St. John's Catholic Church Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
  • Mt. Nebo Cemetery
    (5 miles [8 km] to the south)
    • 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.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
  • Greenlawn Cemetery
    (6 miles [9.7 km] to the southeast)
    • 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.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
  • St. Fredericks Cemetery
    (6 miles [9.7 km] to the southeast)
    • 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.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
  • Pioneer Cemetery
    (7 miles [11.3 km] to the northwest)
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Pioneer Cemetery
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Pioneer Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
  • Trinity Cemetery
    (8 miles [12.9 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.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
  • Hewitt Cemetery
    (8 miles [12.9 km] to the south)
    • 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.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
  • Continue List   (148 more) ...
    • Topelius Cemetery
      (8 miles [12.9 km] to the northwest)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Topelius Cemetery
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Topelius Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Salem Evangelical Church Cemetery
      (9 miles [14.5 km] to the west)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Salem Evangelical Church Cemetery
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Salem Evangelical Church Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Fairview Cemetery
      (9 miles [14.5 km] to the west)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Fairview Cemetery
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Fairview Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<1> 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 in 1895, Wadena had a post office and railroad service. In 2020, Wadena had a population of 4,121 people.

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

  • Bluffton
    (5 miles [8 km] to the west)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Bluffton have been provided by the GNIS.<1> 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
  • Verndale
    (6 miles [9.7 km] to the southeast)
  • Hewitt
    (8 miles [12.9 km] to the south)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Hewitt have been provided by the GNIS.<1> 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
  • Deer Creek
    (9 miles [14.5 km] to the west)
  • Aldrich
    (10 miles [16.1 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.<3>
    • 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 Wadena to Aldrich
  • Wrightstown
    (11 miles [17.7 km] to the south)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Wrightstown have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Wrightstown
    • Wrightstown is located in Otter Tail County
  • Bertha
    (12 miles [19.3 km] to the south)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Bertha have been provided by the GNIS.<1> 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 <2>
  • New York Mills
    (12 miles [19.3 km] to the northwest)
  • Sebeka
    (13 miles [20.9 km] to the north)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Sebeka have been provided by the GNIS.<1> 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 <2>
  • Davies
    (13 miles [20.9 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.<3>
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Davies
    • Davies is located in Otter Tail County
    • Google driving directions:
    • From your current location to Davies
    • From Wadena to Davies
  • Henning
    (16 miles [25.7 km] to the southwest)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Henning have been provided by the GNIS.<1> 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 <2>
  • Staples
    (17 miles [27.4 km] to the east)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Staples have been provided by the GNIS.<1> 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 <2>
  • Continue List   (14 more) ...
    • Nimrod
      (18 miles [29 km] to the northeast)
    • Eagle Bend
      (19 miles [30.6 km] to the south)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Eagle Bend have been provided by the GNIS.<1> 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 <2>
    • Ottertail
      (20 miles [32.2 km] to the west)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Ottertail have been provided by the GNIS.<1> 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 <2>

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

Newspapers Published in Wadena ...

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 41 newspapers that have been published in the area around Wadena.

Although we're unaware of any newspapers that were published in the immediate area of Wadena, there are papers which were published within 29 miles [46.7 km]<6>. A list of those papers, sorted by paper name, can be found on the Extended Newspaper List for Wadena.

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 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 Wadena:

The official website for Wadena: www.wadena.org/

The official website for Otter Tail County: www.co.otter-tail.mn.us/

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

Footnotes ...

<1>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.
<2>While we're fans and frequent users of TripAdvisor, you should know that we're also members of the TripAdvisor affiliate program.
<3>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.
<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 Wadena, please let us know so that we can improve our accuracy.
<6>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 from Point A (ie- Wadena) to Point B.Our distance measurements begin at a specific point in Wadena. The point we use is located at these GPS coordinates - Latitude: 46.4422, Longitude: -95.1361    









 

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This page was last modified/updated: 28 Apr 2025