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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 Wilmington (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 Wilmington. 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 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.

Wilmington is located in Houston 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 Houston County: Allamakee (IA), Winneshiek (IA), Fillmore, Winona, La Crosse (WI) & Vernon (WI).

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

  • Houston County     (The home county of Wilmington)
    • The following are listed by their distance from Wilmington, with the one closest to Wilmington listed first.
    • Willington Grove
      (3 miles [4.8 km] to the northwest)
    • Bee
      (3 miles [4.8 km] to the southwest)
      • Note: We haven't been able to verify our GPS coordinates for Bee. Although the coordinates have been estimated, they should be in the vicinity.<1>
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Bee
      • Bee is located in Houston County
      • Google driving directions:
      • From your current location to Bee
      • From Wilmington to Bee
    • Eitzen
      (4 miles [6.4 km] to the southeast)
    • Spring Grove
      (4 miles [6.4 km] to the west)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Spring Grove have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Spring Grove
      • Spring Grove is located in Houston County
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 1,262 people
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Spring Grove <3>
    • Caledonia
      (6 miles [9.7 km] to the north)
    • Riceford
      (9 miles [14.5 km] to the west)
    • Yucatan
      (11 miles [17.7 km] to the northwest)
      • Note: We haven't been able to verify our GPS coordinates for Yucatan. Although the coordinates have been estimated, they should be in the vicinity.<1>
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Yucatan
      • Yucatan is located in Houston County
      • Google driving directions:
      • From your current location to Yucatan
      • From Wilmington to Yucatan
    • Reno
      (13 miles [20.9 km] to the east)
    • Houston
      (15 miles [24.1 km] to the north)
    • Brownsville
      (16 miles [25.7 km] to the northeast)
    • Hokah
      (17 miles [27.4 km] to the northeast)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Hokah have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Hokah
      • Hokah is located in Houston County
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 548 people
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Hokah <3>
    • Money Creek
      (19 miles [30.6 km] to the north)
  • Fillmore County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Wilmington, with the one closest to Wilmington listed first.
    • Mabel
      (11 miles [17.7 km] to the west)
    • Newburg
      (13 miles [20.9 km] to the west)
    • Bratsberg
      (17 miles [27.4 km] to the northwest)
    • Canton
      (19 miles [30.6 km] to the west)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Canton have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Canton
      • Canton is located in Fillmore County
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 342 people
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Canton <3>
    • South Rushford
      (20 miles [32.2 km] to the northwest)
    • Rushford Village
      (21 miles [33.8 km] to the northwest)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Rushford Village have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Rushford Village
      • Rushford Village is located in Fillmore County
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 838 people
    • Rushford
      (21 miles [33.8 km] to the northwest)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Rushford have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Rushford
      • Rushford is located in Fillmore County
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 1,695 people
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Rushford <3>
    • Peterson
      (22 miles [35.4 km] to the northwest)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Peterson have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Peterson
      • Peterson is located in Fillmore County
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 198 people
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Peterson <3>
    • Whalan
      (23 miles [37 km] to the northwest)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Whalan have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Whalan
      • Whalan is located in Fillmore County
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 66 people
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Whalan <3>
    • Harmony
      (23 miles [37 km] to the west)
    • Lanesboro
      (24 miles [38.6 km] to the northwest)
    • Preston
      (28 miles [45.1 km] to the west)
  • Winona County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Wilmington, with the one closest to Wilmington listed first.
    • Nodine
      (25 miles [40.2 km] to the north)
    • Dakota
      (27 miles [43.5 km] to the north)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Dakota have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Dakota
      • Dakota is located in Winona County
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 307 people
    • Wilson
      (29 miles [46.7 km] to the north)
      • Note: We haven't been able to verify our GPS coordinates for Wilson. Although the coordinates have been estimated, they should be in the vicinity.<1>
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Wilson
      • Wilson is located in Winona County
      • Google driving directions:
      • From your current location to Wilson
      • From Wilmington to Wilson
    • Wyattville
      (30 miles [48.3 km] to the northwest)
  • Allamakee County (IA)
    • The following are listed by their distance from Wilmington, with the one closest to Wilmington listed first.
    • Dorchester
      (5 miles [8 km] to the south)
    • Quandahl
      (7 miles [11.3 km] to the southwest)
      • Note: We haven't been able to verify our GPS coordinates for Quandahl. Although the coordinates have been estimated, they should be in the vicinity.<1>
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Quandahl
      • Quandahl is located in Allamakee County (IA)
      • Google driving directions:
      • From your current location to Quandahl
      • From Wilmington to Quandahl
    • New Albin
      (13 miles [20.9 km] to the east)
    • Lycurgus
      (15 miles [24.1 km] to the south)
      • Note: We haven't been able to verify our GPS coordinates for Lycurgus. Although the coordinates have been estimated, they should be in the vicinity.<1>
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Lycurgus
      • Lycurgus is located in Allamakee County (IA)
      • Google driving directions:
      • From your current location to Lycurgus
      • From Wilmington to Lycurgus
    • Waukon
      (19 miles [30.6 km] to the south)
    • Lansing
      (20 miles [32.2 km] to the southeast)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Lansing have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Lansing
      • Lansing is located in Allamakee County (IA)
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 933 people
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Lansing <3>
    • Elon
      (22 miles [35.4 km] to the southeast)
      • Note: We haven't been able to verify our GPS coordinates for Elon. Although the coordinates have been estimated, they should be in the vicinity.<1>
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Elon
      • Elon is located in Allamakee County (IA)
      • Google driving directions:
      • From your current location to Elon
      • From Wilmington to Elon
    • Dalby
      (23 miles [37 km] to the southeast)
    • Rossville
      (25 miles [40.2 km] to the south)
    • Waterville
      (26 miles [41.8 km] to the southeast)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Waterville have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Waterville
      • Waterville is located in Allamakee County (IA)
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 142 people
    • Volney
      (29 miles [46.7 km] to the south)
    • Harpers Ferry
      (30 miles [48.3 km] to the southeast)
  • Howard County (IA)
  • Winneshiek County (IA)
  • Crawford County (WI)
    • The following are listed by their distance from Wilmington, with the one closest to Wilmington listed first.
    • De Soto
      (19 miles [30.6 km] to the southeast)
    • Freeman
      (25 miles [40.2 km] to the southeast)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Freeman have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Freeman
      • Freeman is located in Crawford County (WI)
    • Ferryville
      (26 miles [41.8 km] to the southeast)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Ferryville have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Ferryville
      • Ferryville is located in Crawford County (WI)
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 173 people
    • Rising Sun
      (30 miles [48.3 km] to the east)
      • Note: We haven't been able to verify our GPS coordinates for Rising Sun. Although the coordinates have been estimated, they should be in the vicinity.<1>
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Rising Sun
      • Rising Sun is located in Crawford County (WI)
      • Google driving directions:
      • From your current location to Rising Sun
      • From Wilmington to Rising Sun
  • La Crosse County (WI)
    • The following are listed by their distance from Wilmington, with the one closest to Wilmington listed first.
    • La Crosse
      (23 miles [37 km] to the northeast)
    • Shelby
      (24 miles [38.6 km] to the northeast)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Shelby have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Shelby
      • Shelby is located in La Crosse County (WI)
    • French Island
      (25 miles [40.2 km] to the northeast)
    • Grand Crossing
      (25 miles [40.2 km] to the northeast)
    • North La Crosse
      (25 miles [40.2 km] to the northeast)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for North La Crosse have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for North La Crosse
      • North La Crosse is located in La Crosse County (WI)
    • Onalaska
      (28 miles [45.1 km] to the northeast)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Onalaska have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Onalaska
      • Onalaska is located in La Crosse County (WI)
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 19,108 people
    • Barre Mills
      (29 miles [46.7 km] to the northeast)
    • Brice Prairie
      (29 miles [46.7 km] to the northeast)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Brice Prairie have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Brice Prairie
      • Brice Prairie is located in La Crosse County (WI)
    • Midway
      (30 miles [48.3 km] to the northeast)
    • Saint Joseph
      (30 miles [48.3 km] to the northeast)
  • Vernon County (WI)
    • The following are listed by their distance from Wilmington, with the one closest to Wilmington listed first.
    • Genoa
      (16 miles [25.7 km] to the east)
    • Stoddard
      (18 miles [29 km] to the northeast)
    • Chaseburg
      (23 miles [37 km] to the east)
    • Retreat
      (23 miles [37 km] to the east)
    • Newton
      (24 miles [38.6 km] to the east)
      • Note: We haven't been able to verify our GPS coordinates for Newton. Although the coordinates have been estimated, they should be in the vicinity.<1>
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Newton
      • Newton is located in Vernon County (WI)
      • Google driving directions:
      • From your current location to Newton
      • From Wilmington to Newton
    • Purdy
      (24 miles [38.6 km] to the east)
      • Note: We haven't been able to verify our GPS coordinates for Purdy. Although the coordinates have been estimated, they should be in the vicinity.<1>
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Purdy
      • Purdy is located in Vernon County (WI)
      • Google driving directions:
      • From your current location to Purdy
      • From Wilmington to Purdy
    • Coon Valley
      (28 miles [45.1 km] to the northeast)
    • Fargo
      (29 miles [46.7 km] to the east)
      • Note: We haven't been able to verify our GPS coordinates for Fargo. Although the coordinates have been estimated, they should be in the vicinity.<1>
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Fargo
      • Fargo is located in Vernon County (WI)
      • Google driving directions:
      • From your current location to Fargo
      • From Wilmington to Fargo

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

Cemeteries Near Wilmington ...

Below are cemeteries that are in the vicinity of Wilmington.

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

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

  • Wilmington Norwegian Lutheran Cemetery
    (Less than 2 miles to the south)
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Wilmington Norwegian Lutheran Cemetery
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Wilmington Norwegian Lutheran Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
  • Old Wilmington Cemetery
    (Less than 2 miles to the southwest)
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Old Wilmington Cemetery
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Old Wilmington Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
  • Stone Cemetery
    (Less than 2 miles to the southeast)
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Stone Cemetery
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Stone Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
  • Portland Prairie Cemetery
    (2 miles [3.2 km] to the southeast)
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Portland Prairie Cemetery
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Portland Prairie Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
  • West Waterloo Ridge Cemetery
    (4 miles [6.4 km] to the southwest)
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the West Waterloo Ridge Cemetery
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the West Waterloo Ridge Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
  • St. Lukes Cemetery
    (4 miles [6.4 km] to the southeast)
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the St. Lukes Cemetery
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the St. Lukes Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
  • Carsten Cemetery
    (4 miles [6.4 km] to the southeast)
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Carsten Cemetery
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Carsten Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
  • Grove Prairie Cemetery
    (4 miles [6.4 km] to the northeast)
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Grove Prairie Cemetery
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Grove Prairie Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
  • Spring Grove Lutheran Cemetery
    (4 miles [6.4 km] to the west)
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Spring Grove Lutheran Cemetery
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Spring Grove Lutheran Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
  • Swenson Farm Cemetery
    (5 miles [8 km] to the southwest)
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Swenson Farm Cemetery
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Swenson Farm Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
  • Waterloo Ridge Cemetery
    (5 miles [8 km] to the southwest)
  • St. Johns Cemetery
    (5 miles [8 km] to the south)
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the St. Johns Cemetery
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the St. Johns Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
  • Continue List   (295 more) ...

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, Wilmington had a post office and no railroad service.

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

  • Bee
    (3 miles [4.8 km] to the southwest)
    • Note: We haven't been able to verify our GPS coordinates for Bee. Although the coordinates have been estimated, they should be in the vicinity.<1>
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Bee
    • Bee is located in Houston County
    • Google driving directions:
    • From your current location to Bee
    • From Wilmington to Bee
  • Willington Grove
    (3 miles [4.8 km] to the northwest)
  • Eitzen
    (4 miles [6.4 km] to the southeast)
  • Spring Grove
    (4 miles [6.4 km] to the west)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Spring Grove have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Spring Grove
    • Spring Grove is located in Houston County
    • Population from the 2020 Census: 1,262 people
    • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Spring Grove <3>
  • Dorchester
    (5 miles [8 km] to the south)
  • Caledonia
    (6 miles [9.7 km] to the north)
  • Quandahl
    (7 miles [11.3 km] to the southwest)
    • Note: We haven't been able to verify our GPS coordinates for Quandahl. Although the coordinates have been estimated, they should be in the vicinity.<1>
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Quandahl
    • Quandahl is located in Allamakee County (IA)
    • Google driving directions:
    • From your current location to Quandahl
    • From Wilmington to Quandahl
  • Black Hammer
    (7 miles [11.3 km] to the northwest)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Black Hammer have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Black Hammer
    • Black Hammer is located in Houston County
  • Newhouse
    (8 miles [12.9 km] to the west)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Newhouse have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Newhouse
    • Newhouse is located in Houston County
  • Highlandville
    (9 miles [14.5 km] to the southwest)
  • Sheldon
    (9 miles [14.5 km] to the north)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Sheldon have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Sheldon
    • Sheldon is located in Houston County
  • Freeburg
    (9 miles [14.5 km] to the northeast)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Freeburg have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Freeburg
    • Freeburg is located in Houston County
  • Continue List   (18 more) ...

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

Newspapers Published in Wilmington ...

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 113 newspapers that have been published in the area around Wilmington.

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

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 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 Wilmington:

Unfortunately, we don't know of a website for Wilmington. If you can help, please contact us through our Feedback Page.

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

Footnotes ...

<1>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.
<2>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.
<3>While we're fans and frequent users of TripAdvisor, you should know that we're also members of the TripAdvisor affiliate program.
<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 Wilmington, 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' (or point-to-point) distance. A straight line distance ignores things like rivers, canyons, lakes, et cetera - it's truly a line drawn from Point A (ie- Wilmington) to Point B.Our distance measurements begin at a specific point in Wilmington. The point we use is located at these GPS coordinates - Latitude: 43.5441, Longitude: -91.5412       In this case, the coordinates for Wilmington have been provided by the Geographic Names Information System (GNIS).




 

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This page was last modified/updated: 28 Apr 2025