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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 Grafton (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 Grafton. 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 southwest corner of their home county. During their lives, most hospitals and doctors were in the next county to the west. 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 west 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.

Grafton is located in Walsh 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 Walsh County: Marshall (MN), Cavalier, Grand Forks, Nelson, Pembina & Ramsey.

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

  • Walsh County     (The home county of Grafton)
    • The following are listed by their distance from Grafton, with the one closest to Grafton listed first.
    • Herriott
      (4 miles [6.4 km] to the south)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Herriott
      • Herriott is located in Walsh County
    • Auburn
      (6 miles [9.7 km] to the north)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Auburn
      • Auburn is located in Walsh County
    • Cashel ‑ Historic
      (7 miles [11.3 km] to the northeast)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Cashel have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Cashel
      • Cashel is located in Walsh County
    • Minto
      (8 miles [12.9 km] to the south)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Minto have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Minto
      • Minto is located in Walsh County
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 582 people
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Minto <2>
    • Mandt
      (8 miles [12.9 km] to the west)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Mandt
      • Mandt is located in Walsh County
    • Herrick
      (10 miles [16.1 km] to the northeast)
    • Warsaw
      (10 miles [16.1 km] to the southeast)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Warsaw
      • Warsaw is located in Walsh County
    • Hoople
      (13 miles [20.9 km] to the northwest)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Hoople have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Hoople
      • Hoople is located in Walsh County
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 221 people
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Hoople <2>
    • Forest River
      (13 miles [20.9 km] to the south)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Forest River have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Forest River
      • Forest River is located in Walsh County
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 118 people
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Forest River <2>
    • Ardoch
      (14 miles [22.5 km] to the south)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Ardoch have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Ardoch
      • Ardoch is located in Walsh County
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 80 people
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Ardoch <2>
    • Pisek
      (15 miles [24.1 km] to the southwest)
    • Park River
      (15 miles [24.1 km] to the west)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Park River have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Park River
      • Park River is located in Walsh County
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 1,305 people
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Park River <2>
    • Conway
      (17 miles [27.4 km] to the southwest)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Conway have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Conway
      • Conway is located in Walsh County
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 21 people
  • Grand Forks County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Grafton, with the one closest to Grafton listed first.
    • Johnstown
      (18 miles [29 km] to the south)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Johnstown
      • Johnstown is located in Grand Forks County
    • Inkster
      (21 miles [33.8 km] to the southwest)
    • Gilby
      (22 miles [35.4 km] to the south)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Gilby have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Gilby
      • Gilby is located in Grand Forks County
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 230 people
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Gilby <2>
    • Manvel
      (25 miles [40.2 km] to the southeast)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Manvel have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Manvel
      • Manvel is located in Grand Forks County
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 372 people
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Manvel <2>
    • Orr
      (25 miles [40.2 km] to the southwest)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Orr
      • Orr is located in Grand Forks County
    • Mekinock
      (27 miles [43.5 km] to the south)
  • Pembina County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Grafton, with the one closest to Grafton listed first.
    • Saint Thomas
      (14 miles [22.5 km] to the north)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Saint Thomas have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Saint Thomas
      • Saint Thomas is located in Pembina County
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 301 people
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Saint Thomas <2>
    • Drayton
      (14 miles [22.5 km] to the northeast)
    • Crystal
      (17 miles [27.4 km] to the northwest)
    • Pittsburgh
      (18 miles [29 km] to the northeast)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Pittsburgh
      • Pittsburgh is located in Pembina County
    • Glasston
      (20 miles [32.2 km] to the north)
    • Bowesmont
      (21 miles [33.8 km] to the northeast)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Bowesmont
      • Bowesmont is located in Pembina County
    • Canton City
      (22 miles [35.4 km] to the northwest)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Canton City
      • Canton City is located in Pembina County
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 33 people
      • Canton City has also been known as:
      • Hensel
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Canton City <2>
    • Gardar
      (24 miles [38.6 km] to the northwest)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Gardar
      • Gardar is located in Pembina County
    • Hamilton
      (27 miles [43.5 km] to the north)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Hamilton have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Hamilton
      • Hamilton is located in Pembina County
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 55 people
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Hamilton <2>
    • Cavalier
      (28 miles [45.1 km] to the north)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Cavalier have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Cavalier
      • Cavalier is located in Pembina County
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 1,204 people
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Cavalier <2>
    • Mountain
      (28 miles [45.1 km] to the northwest)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Mountain have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Mountain
      • Mountain is located in Pembina County
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 81 people
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Mountain <2>
    • Joliette
      (29 miles [46.7 km] to the north)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Joliette
      • Joliette is located in Pembina County
    • Akra
      (29 miles [46.7 km] to the northwest)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Akra
      • Akra is located in Pembina County
  • Kittson County (MN)
    • The following are listed by their distance from Grafton, with the one closest to Grafton listed first.
    • Donaldson
      (25 miles [40.2 km] to the northeast)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Donaldson have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Donaldson
      • Donaldson is located in Kittson County (MN)
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 39 people
    • Kennedy
      (27 miles [43.5 km] to the northeast)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Kennedy have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Kennedy
      • Kennedy is located in Kittson County (MN)
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 182 people
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Kennedy <2>
  • Marshall County (MN)
    • The following are listed by their distance from Grafton, with the one closest to Grafton listed first.
    • Big Woods
      (15 miles [24.1 km] to the southeast)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Big Woods
      • Big Woods is located in Marshall County (MN)
    • Oslo
      (19 miles [30.6 km] to the southeast)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Oslo have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Oslo
      • Oslo is located in Marshall County (MN)
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 323 people
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Oslo <2>
    • Stephen
      (24 miles [38.6 km] to the east)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Stephen have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Stephen
      • Stephen is located in Marshall County (MN)
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 645 people
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Stephen <2>
    • Alvarado
      (24 miles [38.6 km] to the southeast)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Alvarado have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Alvarado
      • Alvarado is located in Marshall County (MN)
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 362 people
    • Argyle
      (27 miles [43.5 km] to the east)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Argyle
      • Argyle is located in Marshall County (MN)
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 641 people
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Argyle <2>

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

Newspapers Published in the Vicinity of Grafton ...

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 54 newspapers that have been published in the area around Grafton.

We have organized these newspapers into two lists:

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

Websites to Help With Your Genealogy Research ...

When we do our genealogical research, we first turn to the websites from Cyndi's List, FamilySearch and Genealogy Trails. These professional and volunteer websites offer the information directly or else point to where you can find it. Their information is open to everyone.

To help you get started, the following links will take you to the pages that are relevant to Grafton:

Cemeteries Near Grafton ...

Below are cemeteries that are in the vicinity of Grafton.

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

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

  • St. Johns Cemetery
    (Less than 2 miles to the east)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the St. Johns Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the St. Johns Cemetery
  • Landstad Cemetery
    (7 miles [11.3 km] to the north)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Landstad Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Landstad Cemetery
  • Concordia Cemetery
    (7 miles [11.3 km] to the west)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Concordia Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Concordia Cemetery
  • St. Patrick Cemetery
    (8 miles [12.9 km] to the south)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the St. Patrick Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the St. Patrick Cemetery
  • St. Lukes Cemetery
    (9 miles [14.5 km] to the southwest)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the St. Lukes Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the St. Lukes Cemetery
  • Minto Cemetery
    (9 miles [14.5 km] to the south)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Minto Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Minto Cemetery
  • Sacred Heart Cemetery
    (9 miles [14.5 km] to the south)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Sacred Heart Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Sacred Heart Cemetery
  • Zion Cemetery
    (9 miles [14.5 km] to the west)
  • St. Johns Cemetery
    (11 miles [17.7 km] to the north)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the St. Johns Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the St. Johns Cemetery
  • Kensington Cemetery
    (11 miles [17.7 km] to the west)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Kensington Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Kensington Cemetery
  • St. Joseph's Cemetery
    (12 miles [19.3 km] to the east)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the St. Joseph's Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the St. Joseph's Cemetery
  • Hyde Park Cemetery
    (12 miles [19.3 km] to the west)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Hyde Park Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Hyde Park Cemetery
  • Continue List   (62 more) ...
    • Fork Cemetery
      (13 miles [20.9 km] to the east)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Fork Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Fork Cemetery
    • Hoople Cemetery
      (13 miles [20.9 km] to the northwest)
    • Memorial Park
      (14 miles [22.5 km] to the south)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Memorial Park have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Memorial Park

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 Grafton had a population of 1,594 people in 1895 with a post office and railroad service. In 2020, Grafton had a population of 4,075 people.

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

  • Auburn
    (6 miles [9.7 km] to the north)
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Auburn
    • Auburn is located in Walsh County
  • Nash
    (6 miles [9.7 km] to the northwest)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Nash have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Nash
    • Nash is located in Walsh County
  • Cashel ‑ Historic
    (7 miles [11.3 km] to the northeast)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Cashel have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Cashel
    • Cashel is located in Walsh County
  • Voss
    (8 miles [12.9 km] to the south)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Voss have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Voss
    • Voss is located in Walsh County
  • Minto
    (8 miles [12.9 km] to the south)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Minto have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Minto
    • Minto is located in Walsh County
    • Population from the 2020 Census: 582 people
    • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Minto <2>
  • Veseleyville
    (9 miles [14.5 km] to the southwest)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Veseleyville have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Veseleyville
    • Veseleyville is located in Walsh County
  • Forest River
    (13 miles [20.9 km] to the south)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Forest River have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Forest River
    • Forest River is located in Walsh County
    • Population from the 2020 Census: 118 people
    • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Forest River <2>
  • Hoople
    (13 miles [20.9 km] to the northwest)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Hoople have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Hoople
    • Hoople is located in Walsh County
    • Population from the 2020 Census: 221 people
    • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Hoople <2>
  • Ardoch
    (14 miles [22.5 km] to the south)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Ardoch have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Ardoch
    • Ardoch is located in Walsh County
    • Population from the 2020 Census: 80 people
    • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Ardoch <2>
  • Drayton
    (14 miles [22.5 km] to the northeast)
  • Saint Thomas
    (14 miles [22.5 km] to the north)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Saint Thomas have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Saint Thomas
    • Saint Thomas is located in Pembina County
    • Population from the 2020 Census: 301 people
    • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Saint Thomas <2>
  • Pisek
    (15 miles [24.1 km] to the southwest)
  • Continue List   (14 more) ...
    • Big Woods
      (15 miles [24.1 km] to the southeast)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Big Woods
      • Big Woods is located in Marshall County (MN)
    • Park River
      (15 miles [24.1 km] to the west)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Park River have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Park River
      • Park River is located in Walsh County
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 1,305 people
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Park River <2>
    • Conway
      (17 miles [27.4 km] to the southwest)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Conway have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Conway
      • Conway is located in Walsh County
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 21 people

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

Unfortunately, we don't know of a website for Grafton. 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- Grafton) to Point B.Our distance measurements begin at a specific point in Grafton. The point we use is located at these GPS coordinates - Latitude: 48.4124, Longitude: -97.4078    
<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 Grafton, please let us know so that we can improve our accuracy.




 

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This page was last modified/updated: 07 Apr 2024