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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 Charlson (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 Charlson. 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 northeast 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 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 east 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.

Charlson is located in McKenzie 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 McKenzie County: Richland (MT), Wibaux (MT), Billings, Dunn, Golden Valley, Mountrail & Williams.

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

  • McKenzie County     (The home county of Charlson)
    • The following are listed by their distance from Charlson, with the one closest to Charlson listed first.
    • Keene
      (9 miles [14.5 km] to the south)
    • Four Bears Village
      (14 miles [22.5 km] to the east)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Four Bears Village
      • Four Bears Village is located in McKenzie County
    • Banks ‑ Historic
      (14 miles [22.5 km] to the west)
      • Note: We haven't been able to verify our GPS coordinates for Banks. Although the coordinates have been estimated, they should be in the vicinity.<2>
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Banks
      • Banks is located in McKenzie County
    • Schafer
      (23 miles [37 km] to the southwest)
      • Note: We haven't been able to verify our GPS coordinates for Schafer. Although the coordinates have been estimated, they should be in the vicinity.<2>
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Schafer
      • Schafer is located in McKenzie County
    • Mandaree
      (24 miles [38.6 km] to the south)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Mandaree have been provided by the GNIS.<3> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Mandaree
      • Mandaree is located in McKenzie County
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Mandaree <1>
    • Watford City
      (25 miles [40.2 km] to the southwest)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Watford City have been provided by the GNIS.<3> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Watford City
      • Watford City is located in McKenzie County
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 7,944 people
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Watford City <1>
  • McLean County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Charlson, with the one closest to Charlson listed first.
    • Charging Eagle ‑ Historic
      (29 miles [46.7 km] to the southeast)
      • Note: We haven't been able to verify our GPS coordinates for Charging Eagle. Although the coordinates have been estimated, they should be in the vicinity.<2>
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Charging Eagle
      • Charging Eagle is located in McLean County
    • Shell Creek ‑ Historic
      (29 miles [46.7 km] to the southeast)
      • Note: We haven't been able to verify our GPS coordinates for Shell Creek. Although the coordinates have been estimated, they should be in the vicinity.<2>
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Shell Creek
      • Shell Creek is located in McLean County
  • Mountrail County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Charlson, with the one closest to Charlson listed first.
    • Sanish
      (16 miles [25.7 km] to the east)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Sanish
      • Sanish is located in Mountrail County
    • New Town
      (18 miles [29 km] to the east)
    • White Earth
      (22 miles [35.4 km] to the north)
    • Ross
      (23 miles [37 km] to the northeast)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Ross
      • Ross is located in Mountrail County
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 116 people
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Ross <1>
    • Belden
      (24 miles [38.6 km] to the east)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Belden
      • Belden is located in Mountrail County
    • Van Hook
      (25 miles [40.2 km] to the east)
      • Note: We haven't been able to verify our GPS coordinates for Van Hook. Although the coordinates have been estimated, they should be in the vicinity.<2>
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Van Hook
      • Van Hook is located in Mountrail County
    • Stanley
      (28 miles [45.1 km] to the northeast)
  • Williams County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Charlson, with the one closest to Charlson listed first.
    • Tioga
      (23 miles [37 km] to the north)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Tioga
      • Tioga is located in Williams County
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 1,391 people
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Tioga <1>
    • Ray
      (23 miles [37 km] to the northwest)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Ray
      • Ray is located in Williams County
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 943 people
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Ray <1>
    • Wheelock
      (23 miles [37 km] to the northwest)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Wheelock have been provided by the GNIS.<3> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Wheelock
      • Wheelock is located in Williams County
    • Lake Jessie
      (23 miles [37 km] to the west)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Lake Jessie
      • Lake Jessie is located in Williams County
    • Epping
      (27 miles [43.5 km] to the northwest)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Epping have been provided by the GNIS.<3> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Epping
      • Epping is located in Williams County
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 147 people
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Epping <1>
    • Springbrook
      (30 miles [48.3 km] to the northwest)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Springbrook
      • Springbrook is located in Williams County
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 41 people

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

Cemeteries Near Charlson ...

Below are cemeteries that are in the vicinity of Charlson.

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

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

  • Good Hope Cemetery
    (3 miles [4.8 km] to the southwest)
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Good Hope Cemetery
    • The Good Hope Cemetery has also been known as:
    • First Lutheran Cemetery
    • Good Hope Church Cemetery
    • Jump to Find-A-Grave: FG ID #2249537 <4>
  • Antelope Cemetery
    (3 miles [4.8 km] to the east)
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Antelope Cemetery
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Antelope Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<3> The coordinates still need to be verified.
  • Riverside Cemetery
    (4 miles [6.4 km] to the east)
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Riverside Cemetery
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Riverside Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<3> The coordinates still need to be verified.
  • West Prairie Cemetery
    (6 miles [9.7 km] to the south)
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the West Prairie Cemetery
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the West Prairie Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<3> The coordinates still need to be verified.
  • Redeemer Cemetery
    (7 miles [11.3 km] to the southeast)
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Redeemer Cemetery
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Redeemer Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<3> The coordinates still need to be verified.
  • Clear Creek Lutheran Church Cemetery
    (10 miles [16.1 km] to the southwest)
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Clear Creek Lutheran Church Cemetery
    • To give a relative sense of its location, the Clear Creek Lutheran Church Cemetery is located outside and to the southwest of Keene.
    • The Clear Creek Lutheran Church Cemetery has also been known as:
    • Clear Creek Cemetery
    • Jump to Find-A-Grave: FG ID #2201205 <4>
  • Goodbird Cemetery
    (11 miles [17.7 km] to the southeast)
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Goodbird Cemetery
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Goodbird Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<3> The coordinates still need to be verified.
  • Snowbird Cemetery
    (11 miles [17.7 km] to the southeast)
  • Garden Valley Cemetery
    (12 miles [19.3 km] to the west)
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Garden Valley Cemetery
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Garden Valley Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<3> The coordinates still need to be verified.
  • Bethany Cemetery
    (14 miles [22.5 km] to the north)
  • Silent City Cemetery
    (14 miles [22.5 km] to the south)
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Silent City Cemetery
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Silent City Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<3> The coordinates still need to be verified.
  • Union Cemetery
    (15 miles [24.1 km] to the south)
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Union Cemetery
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Union Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<3> The coordinates still need to be verified.
  • Continue List   (30 more) ...
    • Kristiansand Cemetery
      (15 miles [24.1 km] to the north)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Kristiansand Cemetery
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Kristiansand Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<3> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Riverview Cemetery
      (16 miles [25.7 km] to the east)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Riverview Cemetery
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Riverview Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<3> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Grand Valley Lutheran Cemetery
      (17 miles [27.4 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.<5>

While we didn't find Charlson in the Atlas, the following 1895 communities would have been found near the current location of Charlson.

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

  • Manitou
    (21 miles [33.8 km] to the northeast)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Manitou have been provided by the GNIS.<3> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Manitou
    • Manitou is located in Mountrail County
  • White Earth
    (22 miles [35.4 km] to the north)
  • Ross
    (23 miles [37 km] to the northeast)
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Ross
    • Ross is located in Mountrail County
    • Population from the 2020 Census: 116 people
    • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Ross <1>
  • Ray
    (23 miles [37 km] to the northwest)
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Ray
    • Ray is located in Williams County
    • Population from the 2020 Census: 943 people
    • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Ray <1>
  • Wheelock
    (23 miles [37 km] to the northwest)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Wheelock have been provided by the GNIS.<3> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Wheelock
    • Wheelock is located in Williams County
  • Stanley
    (28 miles [45.1 km] to the northeast)

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

Newspapers Published in the Vicinity of Charlson ...

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 29 newspapers that have been published in the area around Charlson.

We have organized these newspapers into two lists:

  • A Local Newspaper List - focusing on the papers published in the immediate area of Charlson. There are actually two parts to this list - papers printed in the immediate area of Charlson and those printed in the larger area surrounding Charlson.
  • An Extended Newspaper List - a longer list, sorted by paper name and containing those papers published within 30 miles [48.3 km]<6> of Charlson.

Websites to Help With Your Genealogy Research ...

When we do our genealogical research, we first visit 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 Charlson:

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

The official website for State of North Dakota: https://www.nd.gov/

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>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.
<3>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.
<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 Charlson, 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' distance. A straight line distance ignores obstructions like rivers, canyons, lakes, et cetera - it's truly a line from Point A (ie- Charlson) to Point B.Our distance measurements begin at a specific point in Charlson. The point we use is located at these GPS coordinates - Latitude: 48.0603, Longitude: -102.8713       In this case, the coordinates for Charlson have been provided by the Geographic Names Information System (GNIS).




 

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This page was last modified/updated: 28 Apr 2025