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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 West Albion (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 West Albion. 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.

Name Variations for West Albion ...

When searching records, keep in mind that names and their spelling can change over time. Our sources include documents like maps, railroad schedules, Travel, Express and Shipping Guides. Many of these documents date from the 1800's and it's common to find spelling differences.

Although we can't give a definitive list, hopefully the following will give you a feel for the variations that might occur.

For example, a typical abbreviation for West Albion: W. Albion

If you have information about these names (such as the reason for the change, date of change, the origin of the name), please Contact Us.

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 southeast corner of their home county. During their lives, most doctors and hospitals were in the next county to the east. Almost all of the nearby churches and cemeteries were in the county to the south.

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 south 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.

West Albion is located in Wright 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 Wright County: Carver, Hennepin, McLeod, Meeker, Sherburne & Stearns.

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

  • Wright County     (The home county of West Albion)
    • The following are listed by their distance from West Albion, with the one closest to West Albion listed first.
    • Albion Center
      (3 miles [4.8 km] to the southeast)
      • Albion Center is located in Wright County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Albion Center
    • Annandale
      (4 miles [6.4 km] to the north)
    • Albright
      (4 miles [6.4 km] to the south)
      • Albright is located in Wright County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Albright
    • Maple Lake
      (6 miles [9.7 km] to the northeast)
    • South Haven
      (7 miles [11.3 km] to the northwest)
    • Rassat
      (7 miles [11.3 km] to the southeast)
      • Rassat is located in Wright County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Rassat
    • Cokato
      (8 miles [12.9 km] to the south)
    • Smith Lake
      (8 miles [12.9 km] to the south)
      • Smith Lake is located in Wright County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Smith Lake
    • Howard Lake
      (9 miles [14.5 km] to the south)
    • Silver Creek
      (11 miles [17.7 km] to the northeast)
      • Silver Creek is located in Wright County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Silver Creek
    • Buffalo
      (12 miles [19.3 km] to the east)
    • Waverly
      (12 miles [19.3 km] to the southeast)
    • Montrose
      (13 miles [20.9 km] to the southeast)
  • Benton County
    • The following are listed by their distance from West Albion, with the one closest to West Albion listed first.
    • Duelm
      (27 miles [43.5 km] to the north)
      • Duelm is located in Benton County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Duelm
    • Sauk Rapids
      (27 miles [43.5 km] to the north)
    • Evergreen Village
      (29 miles [46.7 km] to the north)
      • Evergreen Village is located in Benton County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Evergreen Village
  • Carver County
    • The following are listed by their distance from West Albion, with the one closest to West Albion listed first.
    • Hazelton
      (18 miles [29 km] to the southeast)
      • Hazelton is located in Carver County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Hazelton
    • Hollywood
      (21 miles [33.8 km] to the south)
      • Hollywood is located in Carver County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Hollywood
    • Watertown
      (21 miles [33.8 km] to the southeast)
    • New Germany
      (23 miles [37 km] to the south)
    • Mayer
      (24 miles [38.6 km] to the southeast)
    • Hydes Lake
      (29 miles [46.7 km] to the southeast)
      • Hydes Lake is located in Carver County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Hydes Lake
    • Waconia
      (29 miles [46.7 km] to the southeast)
    • Young America
      (30 miles [48.3 km] to the south)
  • Hennepin County
    • The following are listed by their distance from West Albion, with the one closest to West Albion listed first.
    • Greenfield
      (22 miles [35.4 km] to the east)
      • Greenfield is located in Hennepin County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Greenfield
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 3,058 people
    • Independence
      (24 miles [38.6 km] to the southeast)
      • Independence is located in Hennepin County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Independence
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 3,786 people
    • Loretto
      (26 miles [41.8 km] to the east)
    • Maple Plain
      (26 miles [41.8 km] to the southeast)
    • Minnetrista
      (27 miles [43.5 km] to the southeast)
    • Saint Bonifacius
      (27 miles [43.5 km] to the southeast)
    • Rogers
      (28 miles [45.1 km] to the east)
      • Rogers is located in Hennepin County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Rogers
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 13,623 people
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Rogers <1>
    • Mound
      (28 miles [45.1 km] to the southeast)
      • Mound is located in Hennepin County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Mound
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 9,404 people
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Mound <1>
    • Corcoran
      (29 miles [46.7 km] to the east)
    • Medina
      (29 miles [46.7 km] to the east)
    • Orono
      (30 miles [48.3 km] to the southeast)
      • Orono is located in Hennepin County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Orono
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 8,348 people
    • Spring Park
      (30 miles [48.3 km] to the southeast)
  • McLeod County
    • The following are listed by their distance from West Albion, with the one closest to West Albion listed first.
    • Winsted
      (16 miles [25.7 km] to the south)
    • Silver Lake
      (20 miles [32.2 km] to the south)
    • Lester Prairie
      (21 miles [33.8 km] to the south)
    • Hutchinson
      (24 miles [38.6 km] to the southwest)
    • Biscay
      (26 miles [41.8 km] to the south)
      • Biscay is located in McLeod County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Biscay
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 109 people
    • Glencoe
      (29 miles [46.7 km] to the south)
    • Plato
      (29 miles [46.7 km] to the south)
  • Meeker County
    • The following are listed by their distance from West Albion, with the one closest to West Albion listed first.
    • Kingston
      (8 miles [12.9 km] to the west)
      • Kingston is located in Meeker County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Kingston
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 162 people
    • Dassel
      (11 miles [17.7 km] to the southwest)
    • Darwin
      (14 miles [22.5 km] to the southwest)
    • Watkins
      (15 miles [24.1 km] to the northwest)
    • Forest City
      (16 miles [25.7 km] to the west)
      • Forest City is located in Meeker County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Forest City
    • Litchfield
      (19 miles [30.6 km] to the west)
    • Eden Valley
      (21 miles [33.8 km] to the northwest)
    • Manannah
      (23 miles [37 km] to the west)
      • Manannah is located in Meeker County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Manannah
    • Cedar Mills
      (25 miles [40.2 km] to the southwest)
      • Cedar Mills is located in Meeker County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Cedar Mills
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 51 people
    • Grove City
      (26 miles [41.8 km] to the west)
    • Rosendale
      (29 miles [46.7 km] to the west)
      • Rosendale is located in Meeker County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Rosendale
  • Sherburne County
    • The following are listed by their distance from West Albion, with the one closest to West Albion listed first.
    • Clear Lake
      (18 miles [29 km] to the north)
    • Becker
      (18 miles [29 km] to the northeast)
      • Becker is located in Sherburne County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Becker
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 5,033 people
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Becker <1>
    • Salida
      (18 miles [29 km] to the northeast)
      • Salida is located in Sherburne County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Salida
    • Cable
      (21 miles [33.8 km] to the north)
      • Cable is located in Sherburne County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Cable
    • Big Lake
      (21 miles [33.8 km] to the northeast)
    • Orrock
      (25 miles [40.2 km] to the northeast)
      • Orrock is located in Sherburne County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Orrock
    • Santiago
      (28 miles [45.1 km] to the northeast)
      • Santiago is located in Sherburne County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Santiago
    • Elk River
      (29 miles [46.7 km] to the east)
  • Stearns County
    • The following are listed by their distance from West Albion, with the one closest to West Albion listed first.
    • Fairhaven
      (9 miles [14.5 km] to the northwest)
      • Fairhaven is located in Stearns County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Fairhaven
    • Kimball Prairie
      (11 miles [17.7 km] to the northwest)
      • Kimball Prairie is located in Stearns County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Kimball Prairie
    • Kimball
      (11 miles [17.7 km] to the northwest)
    • Saint Augusta
      (17 miles [27.4 km] to the north)
      • Saint Augusta is located in Stearns County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Saint Augusta
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 3,900 people
    • Rockville
      (20 miles [32.2 km] to the northwest)
    • Pleasant Lake
      (22 miles [35.4 km] to the north)
      • Pleasant Lake is located in Stearns County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Pleasant Lake
    • Cold Spring
      (23 miles [37 km] to the northwest)
    • Saint Cloud
      (25 miles [40.2 km] to the north)
    • Waite Park
      (25 miles [40.2 km] to the north)
    • Richmond
      (25 miles [40.2 km] to the northwest)
    • Saint Joseph
      (26 miles [41.8 km] to the north)
    • Collegeville
      (29 miles [46.7 km] to the north)
    • Evergreen Village
      (29 miles [46.7 km] to the north)
      • Evergreen Village is located in Stearns County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Evergreen Village

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

Cemeteries Near West Albion ...

Below are cemeteries that are in the vicinity of West Albion.

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 West Albion - one of the links might be able to help.

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

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

  • Alamaa Cemetery
    (Less than 2 miles to the east)
  • St. Ignatius Cemetery
    (Less than 2 miles to the northwest)
  • National Cemetery
    (2 miles [3.2 km] to the west)
  • Apostolic Cemetery
    (2 miles [3.2 km] to the west)
  • Riverside Cemetery
    (2 miles [3.2 km] to the southwest)
  • Albion Cemetery
    (2 miles [3.2 km] to the south)
  • Mt. Herman Cemetery
    (2 miles [3.2 km] to the southeast)
  • Our Savior Cemetery
    (2 miles [3.2 km] to the west)
  • Crow River Cemetery
    (3 miles [4.8 km] to the southwest)
  • Immanuel Cemetery
    (3 miles [4.8 km] to the west)
  • Sylvan Cemetery
    (4 miles [6.4 km] to the southeast)
  • Evangelical Cemetery
    (4 miles [6.4 km] to the southeast)
  • Continue List   (241 more) ...
    • Woodlawn Cemetery
      (4 miles [6.4 km] to the north)
    • St. Johns Cemetery
      (4 miles [6.4 km] to the north)
    • Union Cemetery
      (5 miles [8 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 West Albion in the Atlas, the following 1895 communities would have been found near the current location of West Albion.

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

  • Annandale
    (4 miles [6.4 km] to the north)
  • Maple Lake
    (6 miles [9.7 km] to the northeast)
  • South Haven
    (7 miles [11.3 km] to the northwest)
  • Cokato
    (8 miles [12.9 km] to the south)
  • Smith Lake
    (8 miles [12.9 km] to the south)
    • Smith Lake is located in Wright County
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Smith Lake
  • Kingston
    (8 miles [12.9 km] to the west)
    • Kingston is located in Meeker County
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Kingston
    • Population from the 2020 Census: 162 people
  • Howard Lake
    (9 miles [14.5 km] to the south)
  • Fairhaven
    (9 miles [14.5 km] to the northwest)
    • Fairhaven is located in Stearns County
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Fairhaven
  • Dassel
    (11 miles [17.7 km] to the southwest)
  • Silver Creek
    (11 miles [17.7 km] to the northeast)
    • Silver Creek is located in Wright County
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Silver Creek
  • Kimball Prairie
    (11 miles [17.7 km] to the northwest)
    • Kimball Prairie is located in Stearns County
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Kimball Prairie
  • Waverly
    (12 miles [19.3 km] to the southeast)
  • Continue List   (14 more) ...
    • Buffalo
      (12 miles [19.3 km] to the east)
    • Montrose
      (13 miles [20.9 km] to the southeast)
    • Darwin
      (14 miles [22.5 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 West Albion. See our List of 1890's Communities around West Albion.

Newspapers Published in West Albion ...

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 72 newspapers that have been published in the area around West Albion.

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

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 West Albion:

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 West Albion, please let us know so that we can improve our accuracy.
<3>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 drawn from Point A (ie- West Albion) to Point B. In other words: 'As the crow flies'.