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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 Washington (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 Washington. 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.

Washington 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 Washington. For each of these counties, we show a sample of those communities that are closest to Washington:

  • Fillmore County     (The home county of Washington)
    • The following are listed by their distance from Washington, with the one closest to Washington listed first.
    • Fillmore
      (3 miles [4.8 km] to the southeast)
      • Fillmore is located in Fillmore County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Fillmore
    • Wykoff
      (5 miles [8 km] to the southeast)
    • Spring Valley
      (6 miles [9.7 km] to the south)
    • Chatfield
      (8 miles [12.9 km] to the northeast)
    • Fountain
      (10 miles [16.1 km] to the east)
    • Etna
      (11 miles [17.7 km] to the south)
      • Etna is located in Fillmore County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Etna
    • Ostrander
      (12 miles [19.3 km] to the south)
    • Carimona
      (12 miles [19.3 km] to the southeast)
      • Carimona is located in Fillmore County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Carimona
    • Preston
      (14 miles [22.5 km] to the southeast)
    • York
      (17 miles [27.4 km] to the south)
      • York is located in Fillmore County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for York
    • Lanesboro
      (18 miles [29 km] to the east)
    • Whalan
      (20 miles [32.2 km] to the east)
  • Dodge County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Washington, with the one closest to Washington listed first.
    • Hayfield
      (26 miles [41.8 km] to the west)
    • Kasson
      (27 miles [43.5 km] to the northwest)
    • Mantorville
      (28 miles [45.1 km] to the northwest)
    • Dodge Center
      (30 miles [48.3 km] to the northwest)
  • Mower County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Washington, with the one closest to Washington listed first.
    • Racine
      (7 miles [11.3 km] to the west)
    • Grand Meadow
      (12 miles [19.3 km] to the southwest)
    • Dexter
      (18 miles [29 km] to the west)
    • Elkton
      (20 miles [32.2 km] to the southwest)
      • Elkton is located in Mower County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Elkton
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 148 people
    • Le Roy
      (20 miles [32.2 km] to the southwest)
    • Taopi
      (21 miles [33.8 km] to the southwest)
      • Taopi is located in Mower County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Taopi
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 65 people
    • Renova ‑ Historic
      (21 miles [33.8 km] to the west)
      • Renova is located in Mower County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Renova
    • Adams
      (23 miles [37 km] to the southwest)
    • Sargeant
      (23 miles [37 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
      (26 miles [41.8 km] to the west)
    • Waltham
      (26 miles [41.8 km] to the west)
    • Rose Creek
      (27 miles [43.5 km] to the southwest)
  • Olmsted County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Washington, with the one closest to Washington listed first.
    • Stewartville
      (9 miles [14.5 km] to the northwest)
    • Simpson
      (10 miles [16.1 km] to the north)
      • Simpson is located in Olmsted County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Simpson
    • Predmore
      (11 miles [17.7 km] to the north)
      • Predmore is located in Olmsted County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Predmore
    • High Forest
      (11 miles [17.7 km] to the northwest)
      • High Forest is located in Olmsted County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for High Forest
    • Eyota
      (15 miles [24.1 km] to the north)
      • 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>
    • Dover
      (16 miles [25.7 km] to the northeast)
    • Rochester
      (17 miles [27.4 km] to the northwest)
    • Rock Dell
      (17 miles [27.4 km] to the northwest)
      • Rock Dell is located in Olmsted County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Rock Dell
    • Viola
      (20 miles [32.2 km] to the north)
      • Viola is located in Olmsted County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Viola
    • Shanty Town
      (20 miles [32.2 km] to the northwest)
      • Shanty Town is located in Olmsted County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Shanty Town
    • Byron
      (23 miles [37 km] to the northwest)
      • 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>
    • Genoa
      (26 miles [41.8 km] to the northwest)
      • Genoa is located in Olmsted County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Genoa
  • Wabasha County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Washington, with the one closest to Washington listed first.
    • Elgin
      (24 miles [38.6 km] to the north)
      • 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>
    • Plainview
      (28 miles [45.1 km] to the north)
    • Hammond
      (30 miles [48.3 km] to the north)
      • Hammond is located in Wabasha County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Hammond
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 167 people
  • Winona County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Washington, with the one closest to Washington listed first.
    • Saratoga
      (15 miles [24.1 km] to the northeast)
      • Saratoga is located in Winona County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Saratoga
    • Troy
      (15 miles [24.1 km] to the northeast)
      • Troy is located in Winona County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Troy
    • Clyde
      (19 miles [30.6 km] to the northeast)
      • Clyde is located in Winona County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Clyde
    • Saint Charles
      (19 miles [30.6 km] to the northeast)
    • Utica
      (23 miles [37 km] to the northeast)
    • Elba
      (26 miles [41.8 km] to the northeast)
      • Elba is located in Winona County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Elba
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 156 people
    • Altura
      (27 miles [43.5 km] to the northeast)
    • Lewiston
      (27 miles [43.5 km] to the northeast)
    • Wyattville
      (29 miles [46.7 km] to the northeast)
      • Wyattville is located in Winona County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Wyattville
    • Beaver ‑ Historic
      (30 miles [48.3 km] to the northeast)
      • Beaver is located in Winona County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Beaver
  • Howard County (IA)
    • The following are listed by their distance from Washington, with the one closest to Washington listed first.
    • Chester
      (19 miles [30.6 km] to the south)
    • Forest City ‑ Historic
      (20 miles [32.2 km] to the south)
      • Forest City is located in Howard County (IA)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Forest City
    • Florenceville
      (21 miles [33.8 km] to the southeast)
      • Florenceville is located in Howard County (IA)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Florenceville
    • Lime Springs
      (22 miles [35.4 km] to the south)
    • Davis Corners
      (28 miles [45.1 km] to the south)
      • Davis Corners is located in Howard County (IA)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Davis Corners
    • Cresco
      (29 miles [46.7 km] to the south)
      • Cresco is located in Howard County (IA)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Cresco
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 3,744 people
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Cresco <1>
    • Riceville
      (30 miles [48.3 km] to the south)
  • Mitchell County (IA)
    • The following are listed by their distance from Washington, with the one closest to Washington listed first.
    • McIntire
      (26 miles [41.8 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
      (28 miles [45.1 km] to the southwest)
      • Meyer is located in Mitchell County (IA)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Meyer
  • Winneshiek County (IA)
    • Kendallville
      (27 miles [43.5 km] to the southeast)
      • Kendallville is located in Winneshiek County (IA)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Kendallville

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

Cemeteries Near Washington ...

Below are cemeteries that are in the vicinity of Washington.

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

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

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

  • Washington Cemetery
    (Less than 2 miles to the north)
  • Sumner Cemetery
    (2 miles [3.2 km] to the north)
  • Millet Cemetery
    (2 miles [3.2 km] to the west)
  • Baker Cemetery
    (3 miles [4.8 km] to the east)
  • O'Dell Cemetery
    (3 miles [4.8 km] to the east)
  • Loughrey Cemetery
    (4 miles [6.4 km] to the east)
  • Sodom Cemetery
    (4 miles [6.4 km] to the northeast)
  • Hamilton Congregational Cemetery
    (5 miles [8 km] to the west)
  • Spring Valley Cemetery
    (6 miles [9.7 km] to the south)
  • Evergreen Cemetery
    (6 miles [9.7 km] to the north)
  • Midway Lutheran Cemetery
    (6 miles [9.7 km] to the south)
  • St. Johns Cemetery
    (6 miles [9.7 km] to the southeast)
  • Continue List   (218 more) ...
    • Immanuel Cemetery
      (6 miles [9.7 km] to the southeast)
    • St. Kilians Catholic Cemetery
      (6 miles [9.7 km] to the southeast)
    • Frankford Cemetery
      (7 miles [11.3 km] to the southwest)

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 Washington had a population of 60 people in 1895 with a post office and no railroad service.

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

  • Fillmore
    (3 miles [4.8 km] to the southeast)
    • Fillmore is located in Fillmore County
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Fillmore
  • Hamilton
    (5 miles [8 km] to the west)
    • Hamilton is located in Fillmore County
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Hamilton
  • Wykoff
    (5 miles [8 km] to the southeast)
  • Spring Valley
    (6 miles [9.7 km] to the south)
  • Pleasant Grove
    (6 miles [9.7 km] to the north)
    • Pleasant Grove is located in Olmsted County
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Pleasant Grove
  • Racine
    (7 miles [11.3 km] to the west)
  • Chatfield
    (8 miles [12.9 km] to the northeast)
  • Stewartville
    (9 miles [14.5 km] to the northwest)
  • Simpson
    (10 miles [16.1 km] to the north)
    • Simpson is located in Olmsted County
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Simpson
  • Fountain
    (10 miles [16.1 km] to the east)
  • Etna
    (11 miles [17.7 km] to the south)
    • Etna is located in Fillmore County
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Etna
  • Forestville
    (11 miles [17.7 km] to the southeast)
    • Forestville is located in Fillmore County
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Forestville
  • Continue List   (14 more) ...
    • Marion
      (11 miles [17.7 km] to the north)
      • Marion is located in Olmsted County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Marion
    • High Forest
      (11 miles [17.7 km] to the northwest)
      • High Forest is located in Olmsted County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for High Forest
    • Grand Meadow
      (12 miles [19.3 km] to the southwest)

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

Newspapers Published in Washington ...

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 106 newspapers that have been published in the area around Washington.

Although we're unaware of any newspapers that were published in the immediate area of Washington, 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 Washington.

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 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 Washington:

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