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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 Fargo (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 Fargo. 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 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.

Fargo is located in Cass County and is the County Seat.

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 Cass County: Clay (MN), Norman (MN), Barnes, Ransom, Richland, Steele & Traill.

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

  • Cass County     (The home county of Fargo)
    • The following are listed by their distance from Fargo, with the one closest to Fargo listed first.
    • West Fargo
      (2 miles [3.2 km] to the west)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for West Fargo have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for West Fargo
      • West Fargo is located in Cass County
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 38,194 people
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for West Fargo <2>
    • Reile's Acres
      (3 miles [4.8 km] to the north)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Reile's Acres have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Reile's Acres
      • Reile's Acres is located in Cass County
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 748 people
    • Prairie Rose
      (4 miles [6.4 km] to the south)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Prairie Rose have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Prairie Rose
      • Prairie Rose is located in Cass County
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 51 people
    • North River
      (5 miles [8 km] to the north)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for North River
      • North River is located in Cass County
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 54 people
    • Frontier
      (5 miles [8 km] to the south)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Frontier have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Frontier
      • Frontier is located in Cass County
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 212 people
    • Briarwood
      (6 miles [9.7 km] to the south)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Briarwood have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Briarwood
      • Briarwood is located in Cass County
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 70 people
    • Harwood
      (7 miles [11.3 km] to the north)
    • Horace
      (8 miles [12.9 km] to the south)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Horace have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Horace
      • Horace is located in Cass County
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 3,128 people
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Horace <2>
    • Wild Rice
      (9 miles [14.5 km] to the south)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Wild Rice
      • Wild Rice is located in Cass County
    • Mapleton
      (10 miles [16.1 km] to the west)
    • Argusville
      (12 miles [19.3 km] to the north)
      • 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
    • Warren
      (13 miles [20.9 km] to the southwest)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Warren have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Warren
      • Warren is located in Cass County
    • Oxbow
      (14 miles [22.5 km] to the south)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Oxbow have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Oxbow
      • Oxbow is located in Cass County
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 303 people
  • Richland County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Fargo, with the one closest to Fargo listed first.
    • Christine
      (20 miles [32.2 km] to the south)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Christine have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Christine
      • Christine is located in Richland County
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 169 people
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Christine <2>
    • Walcott
      (22 miles [35.4 km] to the south)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Walcott have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Walcott
      • Walcott is located in Richland County
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 251 people
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Walcott <2>
    • Barrie
      (25 miles [40.2 km] to the southwest)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Barrie have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Barrie
      • Barrie is located in Richland County
    • Colfax
      (28 miles [45.1 km] to the south)
    • Abercrombie
      (30 miles [48.3 km] to the south)
  • Traill County
    • Grandin
      (25 miles [40.2 km] to the north)
      • 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>
  • Clay County (MN)
    • The following are listed by their distance from Fargo, with the one closest to Fargo listed first.
    • Moorhead
      (4 miles [6.4 km] to the east)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Moorhead have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Moorhead
      • Moorhead is located in Clay County (MN)
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 44,016 people
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Moorhead <2>
    • Oakport
      (4 miles [6.4 km] to the northeast)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Oakport have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Oakport
      • Oakport is located in Clay County (MN)
    • Finkle
      (5 miles [8 km] to the southeast)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Finkle have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Finkle
      • Finkle is located in Clay County (MN)
    • Dilworth
      (6 miles [9.7 km] to the east)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Dilworth have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Dilworth
      • Dilworth is located in Clay County (MN)
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 4,452 people
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Dilworth <2>
    • Kragnes
      (8 miles [12.9 km] to the northeast)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Kragnes
      • Kragnes is located in Clay County (MN)
    • Sabin
      (11 miles [17.7 km] to the southeast)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Sabin have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Sabin
      • Sabin is located in Clay County (MN)
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 558 people
    • Glyndon
      (12 miles [19.3 km] to the east)
    • Georgetown
      (14 miles [22.5 km] to the north)
      • 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
    • Comstock
      (15 miles [24.1 km] to the south)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Comstock have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Comstock
      • Comstock is located in Clay County (MN)
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 108 people
    • Baker
      (17 miles [27.4 km] to the southeast)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Baker have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Baker
      • Baker is located in Clay County (MN)
    • Muskoda
      (20 miles [32.2 km] to the east)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Muskoda have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Muskoda
      • Muskoda is located in Clay County (MN)
    • Felton
      (21 miles [33.8 km] to the northeast)
    • Hawley
      (24 miles [38.6 km] to the east)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Hawley have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Hawley
      • Hawley is located in Clay County (MN)
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 2,210 people
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Hawley <2>
  • Norman County (MN)
    • The following are listed by their distance from Fargo, with the one closest to Fargo listed first.
    • Perley
      (20 miles [32.2 km] to the north)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Perley
      • Perley is located in Norman County (MN)
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 83 people
    • Hendrum
      (26 miles [41.8 km] to the north)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Hendrum
      • Hendrum is located in Norman County (MN)
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 282 people
    • Borup
      (26 miles [41.8 km] to the northeast)
      • 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
  • Wilkin County (MN)
    • Wolverton
      (22 miles [35.4 km] to the south)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Wolverton
      • Wolverton is located in Wilkin County (MN)
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 129 people

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

Newspapers Published in the Vicinity of Fargo ...

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 131 newspapers that have been published in the area around Fargo.

We have organized these newspapers into two lists:

  • A Local Newspaper List - focusing on the papers published in the immediate area of Fargo. There are actually two parts to this list - papers printed in the immediate area of Fargo and those printed in the larger area surrounding Fargo.
  • An Extended Newspaper List - a longer list, sorted by paper name and containing those papers published within 30 miles [48.3 km]<3> of Fargo.

Websites to Help With Your Genealogy Research ...

When we do our genealogical research, we 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 Fargo:

Cemeteries Near Fargo ...

Below are cemeteries that are in the vicinity of Fargo.

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

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

  • Riverside Cemetery
    (3 miles [4.8 km] to the southeast)
  • Prairie Home Cemetery
    (3 miles [4.8 km] to the east)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Prairie Home Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Prairie Home Cemetery
  • Evergreen Cemetery
    (4 miles [6.4 km] to the southeast)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Evergreen Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Evergreen Cemetery
  • St. Joseph Cemetery
    (4 miles [6.4 km] to the northeast)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the St. Joseph Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the St. Joseph Cemetery
  • Riverside Cemetery
    (4 miles [6.4 km] to the northeast)
    • To give a relative sense of its location, the Riverside Cemetery is a large cemetery that is located outside and to the northeast of Fargo.
    • The Riverside Cemetery has also been known as:
    • Moorhead Riverside Cemetery
    • Be careful not to confuse this cemetery with another one that is also named Riverside Cemetery (located 68 miles to the north).
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Riverside Cemetery
    • Jump to Find-A-Grave: FG ID #790540 <4>
  • Sunset Memorial Gardens Cemetery
    (5 miles [8 km] to the south)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Sunset Memorial Gardens Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Sunset Memorial Gardens Cemetery
  • Salem Cemetery
    (6 miles [9.7 km] to the south)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Salem Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Salem Cemetery
  • Horace Cemetery
    (7 miles [11.3 km] to the south)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Horace Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Horace Cemetery
  • Holy Cross Cemetery
    (7 miles [11.3 km] to the south)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Holy Cross Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Holy Cross Cemetery
  • Moorhead Memorial Gardens Cemetery
    (7 miles [11.3 km] to the southeast)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Moorhead Memorial Gardens Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Moorhead Memorial Gardens Cemetery
  • Lower Maple River Cemetery
    (7 miles [11.3 km] to the northwest)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Lower Maple River Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Lower Maple River Cemetery
  • Fridhem Cemetery
    (7 miles [11.3 km] to the north)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Fridhem Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Fridhem Cemetery
  • Continue List   (83 more) ...
    • Brink Cemetery
      (8 miles [12.9 km] to the south)
      • The Brink Cemetery has also been known as:
      • Horace Lutheran Cemetery
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Brink Cemetery
    • Oak Wood Cemetery
      (8 miles [12.9 km] to the north)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Oak Wood Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Oak Wood Cemetery
    • Oak Mound Cemetery
      (8 miles [12.9 km] to the north)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Oak Mound Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Oak Mound 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 Fargo had a population of 5,664 people in 1895 with a post office and railroad service. In 2020, Fargo had a population of 125,209 people.

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

  • Moorhead
    (4 miles [6.4 km] to the east)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Moorhead have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Moorhead
    • Moorhead is located in Clay County (MN)
    • Population from the 2020 Census: 44,016 people
    • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Moorhead <2>
  • Finkle
    (5 miles [8 km] to the southeast)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Finkle have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Finkle
    • Finkle is located in Clay County (MN)
  • Dilworth
    (6 miles [9.7 km] to the east)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Dilworth have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Dilworth
    • Dilworth is located in Clay County (MN)
    • Population from the 2020 Census: 4,452 people
    • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Dilworth <2>
  • Harwood
    (7 miles [11.3 km] to the north)
  • Horace
    (8 miles [12.9 km] to the south)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Horace have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Horace
    • Horace is located in Cass County
    • Population from the 2020 Census: 3,128 people
    • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Horace <2>
  • Kragnes
    (8 miles [12.9 km] to the northeast)
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Kragnes
    • Kragnes is located in Clay County (MN)
  • Wild Rice
    (9 miles [14.5 km] to the south)
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Wild Rice
    • Wild Rice is located in Cass County
  • Mapleton
    (10 miles [16.1 km] to the west)
  • Sabin
    (11 miles [17.7 km] to the southeast)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Sabin have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Sabin
    • Sabin is located in Clay County (MN)
    • Population from the 2020 Census: 558 people
  • Argusville
    (12 miles [19.3 km] to the north)
    • 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
  • Glyndon
    (12 miles [19.3 km] to the east)
  • Warren
    (13 miles [20.9 km] to the southwest)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Warren have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Warren
    • Warren is located in Cass County
  • Continue List   (15 more) ...
    • Hickson
      (14 miles [22.5 km] to the south)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Hickson have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Hickson
      • Hickson is located in Cass County
    • Georgetown
      (14 miles [22.5 km] to the north)
      • 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
    • Durbin
      (15 miles [24.1 km] to the west)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Durbin have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Durbin
      • Durbin is located in Cass County

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

The official website for Fargo: www.ci.fargo.nd.us/

The official website for Cass County: www.co.cass.nd.us/

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 'point-to-point' distance. A straight line distance ignores obstructions like rivers, canyons, lakes, et cetera - it's truly a line from Point A (ie- Fargo) to Point B.Our distance measurements begin at a specific point in Fargo. The point we use is located at these GPS coordinates - Latitude: 46.8762, Longitude: -96.8408    
<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 Fargo, please let us know so that we can improve our accuracy.




 

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This page was last modified/updated: 07 Apr 2024