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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 Alton (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 Alton. 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 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.

Alton is located in Traill County.

To see how the shape of North Dakota's counties have changed over time, we recommend the Atlas of Historical County Boundaries.

The following counties adjoin and form the boundaries of Traill County: Norman (MN), Polk (MN), Cass, Grand Forks & Steele.

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

  • Traill County     (The home county of Alton)
    • The following are listed by their distance from Alton, with the one closest to Alton listed first.
    • Kelso
      (2 miles [3.2 km] to the south)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Kelso
      • Kelso is located in Traill County
    • Hillsboro
      (3 miles [4.8 km] to the north)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Hillsboro have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Hillsboro
      • Hillsboro is located in Traill County
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 1,624 people
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Hillsboro <2>
    • Grandin
      (8 miles [12.9 km] to the south)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Grandin have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Grandin
      • Grandin is located in Traill County
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 171 people
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Grandin <2>
    • Blanchard
      (8 miles [12.9 km] to the west)
    • Caledonia
      (10 miles [16.1 km] to the northeast)
    • Cummings
      (11 miles [17.7 km] to the north)
    • Mayville
      (16 miles [25.7 km] to the northwest)
    • Buxton
      (17 miles [27.4 km] to the north)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Buxton have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Buxton
      • Buxton is located in Traill County
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 316 people
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Buxton <2>
    • Clifford
      (17 miles [27.4 km] to the west)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Clifford have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Clifford
      • Clifford is located in Traill County
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 43 people
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Clifford <2>
    • Galesburg
      (17 miles [27.4 km] to the west)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Galesburg have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Galesburg
      • Galesburg is located in Traill County
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 101 people
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Galesburg <2>
    • Roseville
      (17 miles [27.4 km] to the west)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Roseville
      • Roseville is located in Traill County
    • Portland
      (18 miles [29 km] to the northwest)
  • Cass County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Alton, with the one closest to Alton listed first.
    • Hunter
      (13 miles [20.9 km] to the southwest)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Hunter have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Hunter
      • Hunter is located in Cass County
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 251 people
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Hunter <2>
    • Gardner
      (14 miles [22.5 km] to the south)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Gardner have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Gardner
      • Gardner is located in Cass County
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 73 people
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Gardner <2>
    • Arthur
      (18 miles [29 km] to the southwest)
    • Argusville
      (21 miles [33.8 km] to the south)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Argusville have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Argusville
      • Argusville is located in Cass County
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 467 people
    • Erie
      (22 miles [35.4 km] to the southwest)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Erie have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Erie
      • Erie is located in Cass County
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Erie <2>
    • Amenia
      (25 miles [40.2 km] to the south)
    • Harwood
      (26 miles [41.8 km] to the south)
    • Nolan ‑ Historic
      (28 miles [45.1 km] to the southwest)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Nolan have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Nolan
      • Nolan is located in Cass County
    • Page
      (28 miles [45.1 km] to the southwest)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Page have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Page
      • Page is located in Cass County
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 229 people
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Page <2>
    • North River
      (30 miles [48.3 km] to the southeast)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for North River
      • North River is located in Cass County
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 54 people
    • Absaraka
      (30 miles [48.3 km] to the southwest)
    • Ayr
      (30 miles [48.3 km] to the southwest)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Ayr have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Ayr
      • Ayr is located in Cass County
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 16 people
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Ayr <2>
  • Grand Forks County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Alton, with the one closest to Alton listed first.
    • Reynolds
      (21 miles [33.8 km] to the north)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Reynolds have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Reynolds
      • Reynolds is located in Grand Forks County
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 299 people
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Reynolds <2>
    • Holmes
      (27 miles [43.5 km] to the northwest)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Holmes have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Holmes
      • Holmes is located in Grand Forks County
    • Thompson
      (29 miles [46.7 km] to the north)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Thompson have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Thompson
      • Thompson is located in Grand Forks County
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 1,027 people
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Thompson <2>
  • Clay County (MN)
    • The following are listed by their distance from Alton, with the one closest to Alton listed first.
    • Georgetown
      (22 miles [35.4 km] to the southeast)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Georgetown have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Georgetown
      • Georgetown is located in Clay County (MN)
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 126 people
    • Kragnes
      (28 miles [45.1 km] to the southeast)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Kragnes
      • Kragnes is located in Clay County (MN)
  • Norman County (MN)
    • The following are listed by their distance from Alton, with the one closest to Alton listed first.
    • Halstad
      (10 miles [16.1 km] to the east)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Halstad have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Halstad
      • Halstad is located in Norman County (MN)
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 548 people
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Halstad <2>
    • Shelly
      (12 miles [19.3 km] to the northeast)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Shelly have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Shelly
      • Shelly is located in Norman County (MN)
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 178 people
    • Hendrum
      (12 miles [19.3 km] to the southeast)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Hendrum
      • Hendrum is located in Norman County (MN)
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 282 people
    • Perley
      (16 miles [25.7 km] to the southeast)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Perley
      • Perley is located in Norman County (MN)
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 83 people
    • Ada
      (25 miles [40.2 km] to the east)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Ada have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Ada
      • Ada is located in Norman County (MN)
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 1,556 people
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Ada <2>
    • Borup
      (27 miles [43.5 km] to the southeast)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Borup have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Borup
      • Borup is located in Norman County (MN)
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 103 people
  • Polk County (MN)
    • The following are listed by their distance from Alton, with the one closest to Alton listed first.
    • Nielsville
      (16 miles [25.7 km] to the northeast)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Nielsville have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Nielsville
      • Nielsville is located in Polk County (MN)
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 82 people
    • Climax
      (20 miles [32.2 km] to the northeast)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Climax have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Climax
      • Climax is located in Polk County (MN)
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 261 people
    • Beltrami
      (27 miles [43.5 km] to the northeast)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Beltrami have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Beltrami
      • Beltrami is located in Polk County (MN)
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 99 people

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

Newspapers Published in Alton ...

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 42 newspapers that have been published in the area around Alton.

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

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 websites either 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 Alton:

Cemeteries Near Alton ...

Below are cemeteries that are in the vicinity of Alton.

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

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

  • Lynn Elton Cemetery
    (4 miles [6.4 km] to the north)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Lynn Elton Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Lynn Elton Cemetery
  • Bohnsack Cemetery
    (4 miles [6.4 km] to the southwest)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Bohnsack Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Bohnsack Cemetery
  • Riverside Cemetery
    (4 miles [6.4 km] to the north)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Riverside Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Riverside Cemetery
  • Immanuel Cemetery
    (4 miles [6.4 km] to the north)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Immanuel Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Immanuel Cemetery
  • Elmwood Cemetery
    (4 miles [6.4 km] to the north)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Elmwood Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Elmwood Cemetery
  • St. Rose Cemetery
    (4 miles [6.4 km] to the north)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the St. Rose Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the St. Rose Cemetery
  • Arnegard Cemetery
    (5 miles [8 km] to the northwest)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Arnegard Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Arnegard Cemetery
  • Grandin Cemetery
    (7 miles [11.3 km] to the south)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Grandin Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Grandin Cemetery
  • Aal Lutheran Church Cemetery
    (8 miles [12.9 km] to the northwest)
  • Quincy Cemetery
    (10 miles [16.1 km] to the southeast)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Quincy Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Quincy Cemetery
  • South Cemetery
    (10 miles [16.1 km] to the east)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the South Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the South Cemetery
  • North Cemetery
    (10 miles [16.1 km] to the east)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the North Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the North Cemetery
  • Continue List   (84 more) ...
    • Cummings Cemetery
      (10 miles [16.1 km] to the north)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Cummings Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Cummings Cemetery
    • Immanuel Cemetery
      (11 miles [17.7 km] to the east)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Immanuel Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Immanuel Cemetery
    • Carlson Cemetery
      (11 miles [17.7 km] to the northwest)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Carlson Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Carlson Cemetery

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, Alton had railroad service and no post office.

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

  • Kelso
    (2 miles [3.2 km] to the south)
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Kelso
    • Kelso is located in Traill County
  • Hillsboro
    (3 miles [4.8 km] to the north)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Hillsboro have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Hillsboro
    • Hillsboro is located in Traill County
    • Population from the 2020 Census: 1,624 people
    • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Hillsboro <2>
  • Grandin
    (8 miles [12.9 km] to the south)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Grandin have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Grandin
    • Grandin is located in Traill County
    • Population from the 2020 Census: 171 people
    • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Grandin <2>
  • Blanchard
    (8 miles [12.9 km] to the west)
  • Greenfield
    (9 miles [14.5 km] to the southwest)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Greenfield have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Greenfield
    • Greenfield is located in Traill County
  • Halstad
    (10 miles [16.1 km] to the east)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Halstad have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Halstad
    • Halstad is located in Norman County (MN)
    • Population from the 2020 Census: 548 people
    • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Halstad <2>
  • Caledonia
    (10 miles [16.1 km] to the northeast)
  • Murray
    (11 miles [17.7 km] to the northwest)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Murray have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Murray
    • Murray is located in Traill County
  • Cummings
    (11 miles [17.7 km] to the north)
  • Hendrum
    (12 miles [19.3 km] to the southeast)
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Hendrum
    • Hendrum is located in Norman County (MN)
    • Population from the 2020 Census: 282 people
  • Hunter
    (13 miles [20.9 km] to the southwest)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Hunter have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Hunter
    • Hunter is located in Cass County
    • Population from the 2020 Census: 251 people
    • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Hunter <2>
  • Perley
    (16 miles [25.7 km] to the southeast)
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Perley
    • Perley is located in Norman County (MN)
    • Population from the 2020 Census: 83 people
  • Continue List   (15 more) ...
    • Nielsville
      (16 miles [25.7 km] to the northeast)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Nielsville have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Nielsville
      • Nielsville is located in Polk County (MN)
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 82 people
    • Mayville
      (16 miles [25.7 km] to the northwest)
    • Galesburg
      (17 miles [27.4 km] to the west)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Galesburg have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Galesburg
      • Galesburg is located in Traill County
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 101 people
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Galesburg <2>

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

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

The official website for State of North Dakota: www.nd.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>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 drawn from Point A (ie- Alton) to Point B.Our distance measurements begin at a specific point in Alton. The point we use is located at these GPS coordinates - Latitude: 47.3530, Longitude: -97.0452       In this case, the coordinates for Alton have been provided by the Geographic Names Information System (GNIS).
<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 Alton, please let us know so that we can improve our accuracy.




 

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This page was last modified/updated: 07 Apr 2024