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 Union (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 Union. 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 Union ...
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.
For example, a typical abbreviation for West Union: W. Union
You might be interested in other communities that are also named West Union. More information can be found on our Tidbits & Trivia Page for West Union.
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 Union is located in Todd 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 Todd County: Douglas, Morrison, Otter Tail, Stearns & Wadena.
Below are the counties that are near West Union. For each of these counties, we show a sample of those communities that are closest to West Union:
- Todd County (The home county of West Union)
- The following are listed by their distance from West Union, with the one closest to West Union listed first.
- Clotho
(15 miles [24.1 km] to the north)
- Clotho is located in Todd County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Clotho
- Grey Eagle
(16 miles [25.7 km] to the east)
- Long Prairie
(16 miles [25.7 km] to the northeast)
- Burtrum
(19 miles [30.6 km] to the east)
- Browerville
(21 miles [33.8 km] to the northeast)
- Browerville is located in Todd County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Browerville
- Population from the 2020 Census: 744 people
- Pillsbury
(21 miles [33.8 km] to the northeast)
- Pillsbury is located in Todd County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Pillsbury
- Clarissa
(23 miles [37 km] to the north)
- Eagle Bend
(25 miles [40.2 km] to the north)
- Douglas County
- The following are listed by their distance from West Union, with the one closest to West Union listed first.
- Osakis
(5 miles [8 km] to the northwest)
- Nelson
(10 miles [16.1 km] to the northwest)
- Nelson is located in Douglas County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Nelson
- Population from the 2020 Census: 192 people
- Forada
(13 miles [20.9 km] to the west)
- Belle River
(14 miles [22.5 km] to the northwest)
- Belle River is located in Douglas County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Belle River
- Carlos
(15 miles [24.1 km] to the northwest)
- Alexandria
(15 miles [24.1 km] to the west)
- Rose City
(19 miles [30.6 km] to the north)
- Rose City is located in Douglas County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Rose City
- Miltona
(19 miles [30.6 km] to the northwest)
- Garfield
(21 miles [33.8 km] to the northwest)
- Holmes City
(22 miles [35.4 km] to the west)
- Holmes City is located in Douglas County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Holmes City
- Brandon
(27 miles [43.5 km] to the northwest)
- Kensington
(29 miles [46.7 km] to the west)
- Kandiyohi County
- Regal
(29 miles [46.7 km] to the southeast)
- Regal is located in Kandiyohi County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Regal
- Population from the 2020 Census: 35 people
- Morrison County
- The following are listed by their distance from West Union, with the one closest to West Union listed first.
- Swanville
(22 miles [35.4 km] to the east)
- Upsala
(24 miles [38.6 km] to the east)
- Elmdale
(28 miles [45.1 km] to the east)
- Elmdale is located in Morrison County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Elmdale
- Population from the 2020 Census: 116 people
- Flensburg
(28 miles [45.1 km] to the east)
- Flensburg is located in Morrison County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Flensburg
- Population from the 2020 Census: 223 people
- Sobieski
(30 miles [48.3 km] to the east)
- Sobieski is located in Morrison County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Sobieski
- Population from the 2020 Census: 194 people
- Otter Tail County
- The following are listed by their distance from West Union, with the one closest to West Union listed first.
- Parkers Prairie
(26 miles [41.8 km] to the northwest)
- Urbank
(30 miles [48.3 km] to the northwest)
- Urbank is located in Otter Tail County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Urbank
- Population from the 2020 Census: 52 people
- Pope County
- The following are listed by their distance from West Union, with the one closest to West Union listed first.
- Westport
(7 miles [11.3 km] to the southwest)
- Westport is located in Pope County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Westport
- Population from the 2020 Census: 61 people
- Villard
(10 miles [16.1 km] to the southwest)
- Grove Lake
(13 miles [20.9 km] to the south)
- Grove Lake is located in Pope County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Grove Lake
- Sedan
(17 miles [27.4 km] to the southwest)
- Sedan is located in Pope County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Sedan
- Population from the 2020 Census: 50 people
- Glenwood
(18 miles [29 km] to the southwest)
- Long Beach
(19 miles [30.6 km] to the southwest)
- Long Beach is located in Pope County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Long Beach
- Population from the 2020 Census: 417 people
- Lowry
(21 miles [33.8 km] to the west)
- Starbuck
(25 miles [40.2 km] to the southwest)
- Farwell
(25 miles [40.2 km] to the west)
- Farwell is located in Pope County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Farwell
- Population from the 2020 Census: 52 people
- New Prairie ‑ Historic
(29 miles [46.7 km] to the southwest)
- New Prairie is located in Pope County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for New Prairie
- Stearns County
- The following are listed by their distance from West Union, with the one closest to West Union listed first.
- Sauk Centre
(8 miles [12.9 km] to the southeast)
- Melrose
(15 miles [24.1 km] to the southeast)
- Meire Grove
(16 miles [25.7 km] to the southeast)
- Meire Grove is located in Stearns County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Meire Grove
- Population from the 2020 Census: 200 people
- Elrosa
(17 miles [27.4 km] to the south)
- Greenwald
(17 miles [27.4 km] to the southeast)
- Saint Rosa
(18 miles [29 km] to the east)
- Saint Rosa is located in Stearns County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Saint Rosa
- Population from the 2020 Census: 71 people
- New Munich
(19 miles [30.6 km] to the southeast)
- Brooten
(20 miles [32.2 km] to the south)
- Brooten is located in Stearns County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Brooten
- Population from the 2020 Census: 750 people
- Freeport
(21 miles [33.8 km] to the southeast)
- Spring Hill
(22 miles [35.4 km] to the southeast)
- Spring Hill is located in Stearns County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Spring Hill
- Population from the 2020 Census: 95 people
- Saint Anthony
(24 miles [38.6 km] to the east)
- Saint Anthony is located in Stearns County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Saint Anthony
- Population from the 2020 Census: 91 people
- Belgrade
(24 miles [38.6 km] to the south)
- Belgrade is located in Stearns County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Belgrade
- Population from the 2020 Census: 787 people
For an expanded list of the communities that are closest to West Union, see our County-by-County Page for West Union.
Cemeteries Near West Union ...
Below are cemeteries that are in the vicinity of West Union.
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 Union - one of the links might be able to help.
If not found below, our Cemetery List for West Union covers a larger area, with the cemeteries listed in alphabetical order.
The following cemeteries are listed based on their distance from West Union, with the one closest to West Union listed first.
- Silver Creek Cemetery
(2 miles [3.2 km] to the southeast)
- Sauk Valley Cemetery
(2 miles [3.2 km] to the north)
- Elim Cemetery
(4 miles [6.4 km] to the north)
- English Grove Cemetery
(5 miles [8 km] to the southwest)
- Kandota Cemetery
(5 miles [8 km] to the east)
- Lakeside Cemetery
(5 miles [8 km] to the northwest)
- Salem Cemetery
(5 miles [8 km] to the northeast)
- Evergreen Cemetery
(5 miles [8 km] to the northwest)
- Little Sauk Cemetery
(6 miles [9.7 km] to the northeast)
- Bethel Cemetery
(6 miles [9.7 km] to the northeast)
- Stallcop Cemetery
(6 miles [9.7 km] to the north)
- Calvary Cemetery
(6 miles [9.7 km] to the northwest)
- Continue List (195 more) ...
- St. Johns Cemetery
(7 miles [11.3 km] to the south)
- Gordon Cemetery
(7 miles [11.3 km] to the north)
- Greenwood Cemetery
(8 miles [12.9 km] to the southeast)
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 in 1895, West Union had a post office and railroad service. In 2020, West Union had a population of 123 people.
These communities are listed based on their distance from West Union, with the one closest to West Union listed first.
- Osakis
(5 miles [8 km] to the northwest)
- Westport
(7 miles [11.3 km] to the southwest)
- Westport is located in Pope County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Westport
- Population from the 2020 Census: 61 people
- Sauk Centre
(8 miles [12.9 km] to the southeast)
- Little Sauk
(9 miles [14.5 km] to the northeast)
- Little Sauk is located in Todd County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Little Sauk
- Villard
(10 miles [16.1 km] to the southwest)
- Nelson
(10 miles [16.1 km] to the northwest)
- Nelson is located in Douglas County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Nelson
- Population from the 2020 Census: 192 people
- Spaulding
(11 miles [17.7 km] to the east)
- Spaulding is located in Todd County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Spaulding
- Round Prairie
(11 miles [17.7 km] to the northeast)
- Round Prairie is located in Todd County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Round Prairie
- Grove Lake
(13 miles [20.9 km] to the south)
- Grove Lake is located in Pope County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Grove Lake
- Belle River
(14 miles [22.5 km] to the northwest)
- Belle River is located in Douglas County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Belle River
- Melrose
(15 miles [24.1 km] to the southeast)
- Clotho
(15 miles [24.1 km] to the north)
- Clotho is located in Todd County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Clotho
- Continue List (15 more) ...
- Alexandria
(15 miles [24.1 km] to the west)
- Meire Grove
(16 miles [25.7 km] to the southeast)
- Meire Grove is located in Stearns County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Meire Grove
- Population from the 2020 Census: 200 people
- Grey Eagle
(16 miles [25.7 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 West Union. See our List of 1890's Communities around West Union.
Newspapers Published in West Union ...
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 73 newspapers that have been published in the area around West Union.
Although we're unaware of any newspapers that were published in the immediate area of West Union, there are papers which were published within 29 miles [46.7 km]<4>. A list of those papers, sorted by paper name, can be found on the Extended Newspaper List for West Union.
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 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 West Union:
- Websites specific to Minnesota
- Pages specific to Todd County
- Genealogy information for nearby counties
- Douglas County
- Kandiyohi County
- Morrison County
- Otter Tail County
- Pope County
- Stearns County
- Cemetery Information and Directories for Minnesota
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 West Union, please let us know so that we can improve our accuracy. |
| <4> | 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 Union) to Point B. In other words: 'As the crow flies'. |