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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 Leeds (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 Leeds. 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 northwest corner of their home county. During their lives, most doctors were in the next county to the west. 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 west 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.

Leeds is located in Benson 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 Benson County: Eddy, Nelson, Pierce, Ramsey, Towner & Wells.

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

  • Benson County     (The home county of Leeds)
    • The following are listed by their distance from Leeds, with the one closest to Leeds listed first.
    • Niles
      (4 miles [6.4 km] to the east)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Niles have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Niles
      • Niles is located in Benson County
    • York
      (6 miles [9.7 km] to the west)
    • Brinsmade
      (8 miles [12.9 km] to the southeast)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Brinsmade have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Brinsmade
      • Brinsmade is located in Benson County
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 34 people
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Brinsmade <2>
    • Knox
      (12 miles [19.3 km] to the west)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Knox have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Knox
      • Knox is located in Benson County
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 24 people
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Knox <2>
    • Minnewaukan
      (17 miles [27.4 km] to the southeast)
    • Pleasant Lake
      (17 miles [27.4 km] to the west)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Pleasant Lake have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Pleasant Lake
      • Pleasant Lake is located in Benson County
    • Isabel
      (18 miles [29 km] to the southwest)
    • Maddock
      (22 miles [35.4 km] to the south)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Maddock have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Maddock
      • Maddock is located in Benson County
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 375 people
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Maddock <2>
    • Esmond
      (23 miles [37 km] to the southwest)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Esmond have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Esmond
      • Esmond is located in Benson County
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 94 people
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Esmond <2>
    • Oberon
      (27 miles [43.5 km] to the southeast)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Oberon have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Oberon
      • Oberon is located in Benson County
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 101 people
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Oberon <2>
    • Fort Totten
      (29 miles [46.7 km] to the southeast)
  • Pierce County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Leeds, with the one closest to Leeds listed first.
    • Wolford
      (18 miles [29 km] to the northwest)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Wolford have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Wolford
      • Wolford is located in Pierce County
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 32 people
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Wolford <2>
    • Rugby
      (26 miles [41.8 km] to the west)
    • Balta
      (28 miles [45.1 km] to the west)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Balta have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Balta
      • Balta is located in Pierce County
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 58 people
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Balta <2>
  • Ramsey County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Leeds, with the one closest to Leeds listed first.
    • Churchs Ferry
      (11 miles [17.7 km] to the east)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Churchs Ferry have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Churchs Ferry
      • Churchs Ferry is located in Ramsey County
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 12 people
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Churchs Ferry <2>
    • Penn
      (16 miles [25.7 km] to the east)
    • Webster
      (25 miles [40.2 km] to the east)
    • Garske
      (26 miles [41.8 km] to the east)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Garske
      • Garske is located in Ramsey County
    • Saint Joe
      (28 miles [45.1 km] to the northeast)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Saint Joe have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Saint Joe
      • Saint Joe is located in Ramsey County
    • Starkweather
      (28 miles [45.1 km] to the northeast)
    • Devils Lake
      (28 miles [45.1 km] to the southeast)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Devils Lake have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Devils Lake
      • Devils Lake is located in Ramsey County
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 7,229 people
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Devils Lake <2>
  • Rolette County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Leeds, with the one closest to Leeds listed first.
    • Agate
      (23 miles [37 km] to the north)
    • Mylo
      (25 miles [40.2 km] to the north)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Mylo have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Mylo
      • Mylo is located in Rolette County
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 23 people
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Mylo <2>
  • Towner County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Leeds, with the one closest to Leeds listed first.
    • Maza
      (13 miles [20.9 km] to the northeast)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Maza have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Maza
      • Maza is located in Towner County
    • Cando
      (17 miles [27.4 km] to the northeast)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Cando have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Cando
      • Cando is located in Towner County
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 1,008 people
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Cando <2>
    • Bisbee
      (23 miles [37 km] to the north)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Bisbee have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Bisbee
      • Bisbee is located in Towner County
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 120 people
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Bisbee <2>
    • Egeland
      (28 miles [45.1 km] to the northeast)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Egeland have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Egeland
      • Egeland is located in Towner County
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 25 people
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Egeland <2>
    • Perth
      (29 miles [46.7 km] to the north)

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

Newspapers Published in the Vicinity of Leeds ...

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 68 newspapers that have been published in the area around Leeds.

We have organized these newspapers into two lists:

  • A Local Newspaper List - focusing on the papers published in the immediate area of Leeds. There are actually two parts to this list - papers printed in the immediate area of Leeds and those printed in the larger area surrounding Leeds.
  • An Extended Newspaper List - a longer list, sorted by paper name and containing those papers published within 29 miles [46.7 km]<3> of Leeds.

Websites to Help With Your Genealogy Research ...

When we do our genealogical research, we begin 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 Leeds:

Cemeteries Near Leeds ...

Below are cemeteries that are in the vicinity of Leeds.

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

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

  • Leeds Cemetery
    (Less than 2 miles to the north)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Leeds Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Leeds Cemetery
  • Wilmerth Cemetery
    (5 miles [8 km] to the south)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Wilmerth Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Wilmerth Cemetery
  • Ostreim Cemetery
    (6 miles [9.7 km] to the north)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Ostreim Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Ostreim Cemetery
  • Wahi Cemetery
    (7 miles [11.3 km] to the north)
  • Our Saviors Cemetery
    (8 miles [12.9 km] to the south)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Our Saviors Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Our Saviors Cemetery
  • Brinsmade Cemetery
    (8 miles [12.9 km] to the southeast)
  • Zion Cemetery
    (11 miles [17.7 km] to the east)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Zion Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Zion Cemetery
  • Knox Cemetery
    (12 miles [19.3 km] to the west)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Knox Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Knox Cemetery
  • Knox Cemetery
    (12 miles [19.3 km] to the west)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Knox Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Knox Cemetery
  • St. Marys Cemetery
    (12 miles [19.3 km] to the west)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the St. Marys Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the St. Marys Cemetery
  • Presbyterian Cemetery
    (14 miles [22.5 km] to the east)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Presbyterian Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Presbyterian Cemetery
  • Olson Cemetery
    (14 miles [22.5 km] to the northeast)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Olson Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Olson Cemetery
  • Continue List   (36 more) ...
    • Zion Cemetery
      (14 miles [22.5 km] to the north)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Zion Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Zion Cemetery
    • St. Paul Cemetery
      (15 miles [24.1 km] to the east)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the St. Paul Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the St. Paul Cemetery
    • Almlie Cemetery
      (16 miles [25.7 km] to the east)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Almlie Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Almlie 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.<4>

The Rand McNally Atlas shows that Leeds had a population of 58 people in 1895 with a post office and railroad service. In 2020, Leeds had a population of 451 people.

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

  • York
    (6 miles [9.7 km] to the west)
  • Brinsmade
    (8 miles [12.9 km] to the southeast)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Brinsmade have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Brinsmade
    • Brinsmade is located in Benson County
    • Population from the 2020 Census: 34 people
    • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Brinsmade <2>
  • Churchs Ferry
    (11 miles [17.7 km] to the east)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Churchs Ferry have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Churchs Ferry
    • Churchs Ferry is located in Ramsey County
    • Population from the 2020 Census: 12 people
    • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Churchs Ferry <2>
  • Knox
    (12 miles [19.3 km] to the west)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Knox have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Knox
    • Knox is located in Benson County
    • Population from the 2020 Census: 24 people
    • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Knox <2>
  • Penn
    (16 miles [25.7 km] to the east)
  • Minnewaukan
    (17 miles [27.4 km] to the southeast)
  • Cando
    (17 miles [27.4 km] to the northeast)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Cando have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Cando
    • Cando is located in Towner County
    • Population from the 2020 Census: 1,008 people
    • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Cando <2>
  • Pleasant Lake
    (17 miles [27.4 km] to the west)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Pleasant Lake have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Pleasant Lake
    • Pleasant Lake is located in Benson County
  • Grand Harbor
    (22 miles [35.4 km] to the east)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Grand Harbor have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Grand Harbor
    • Grand Harbor is located in Ramsey County
  • Lallie
    (23 miles [37 km] to the southeast)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Lallie have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Lallie
    • Lallie is located in Benson County
  • Bisbee
    (23 miles [37 km] to the north)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Bisbee have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Bisbee
    • Bisbee is located in Towner County
    • Population from the 2020 Census: 120 people
    • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Bisbee <2>
  • Rugby
    (26 miles [41.8 km] to the west)
  • Continue List   (6 more) ...
    • Oberon
      (27 miles [43.5 km] to the southeast)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Oberon have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Oberon
      • Oberon is located in Benson County
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 101 people
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Oberon <2>
    • Devils Lake
      (28 miles [45.1 km] to the southeast)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Devils Lake have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Devils Lake
      • Devils Lake is located in Ramsey County
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 7,229 people
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Devils Lake <2>
    • Starkweather
      (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 Leeds. See our List of 1890's Communities around Leeds.

Unfortunately, we don't know of a website for Leeds. 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' (or 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- Leeds) to Point B.Our distance measurements begin at a specific point in Leeds. The point we use is located at these GPS coordinates - Latitude: 48.2889, Longitude: -99.4381    
<4>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 Leeds, please let us know so that we can improve our accuracy.









 

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This page was last modified/updated: 07 Apr 2024