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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 Ruso (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 Ruso. 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.

Ruso is located in McLean 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 McLean County: Burleigh, Dunn, McHenry, Mercer, Mountrail, Oliver, Sheridan & Ward.

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

  • McLean County     (The home county of Ruso)
    • The following are listed by their distance from Ruso, with the one closest to Ruso listed first.
    • Benedict
      (6 miles [9.7 km] to the west)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Benedict have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Benedict
      • Benedict is located in McLean County
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 75 people
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Benedict <2>
    • Butte
      (12 miles [19.3 km] to the east)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Butte have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Butte
      • Butte is located in McLean County
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 76 people
    • Max
      (16 miles [25.7 km] to the west)
    • Turtle Lake
      (22 miles [35.4 km] to the south)
    • Coleharbor
      (24 miles [38.6 km] to the southwest)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Coleharbor have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Coleharbor
      • Coleharbor is located in McLean County
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 87 people
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Coleharbor <2>
    • Riverdale Junction
      (25 miles [40.2 km] to the southwest)
    • Mercer
      (26 miles [41.8 km] to the southeast)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Mercer have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Mercer
      • Mercer is located in McLean County
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 107 people
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Mercer <2>
    • Garrison
      (26 miles [41.8 km] to the southwest)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Garrison have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Garrison
      • Garrison is located in McLean County
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 1,458 people
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Garrison <2>
    • Underwood
      (28 miles [45.1 km] to the south)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Underwood have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Underwood
      • Underwood is located in McLean County
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 729 people
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Underwood <2>
  • McHenry County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Ruso, with the one closest to Ruso listed first.
    • Kongsberg
      (6 miles [9.7 km] to the east)
      • Note: We haven't been able to verify our GPS coordinates for Kongsberg. Although the coordinates have been estimated, they should be in the vicinity.<3>
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Kongsberg
      • Kongsberg is located in McHenry County
      • Google driving directions:
      • From your current location to Kongsberg
      • From Ruso to Kongsberg
    • Voltaire
      (13 miles [20.9 km] to the north)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Voltaire have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Voltaire
      • Voltaire is located in McHenry County
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 44 people
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Voltaire <2>
    • Velva
      (15 miles [24.1 km] to the north)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Velva have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Velva
      • Velva is located in McHenry County
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 1,185 people
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Velva <2>
    • Bergen
      (15 miles [24.1 km] to the northeast)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Bergen have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Bergen
      • Bergen is located in McHenry County
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 7 people
    • Kief
      (19 miles [30.6 km] to the east)
    • Balfour
      (20 miles [32.2 km] to the northeast)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Balfour have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Balfour
      • Balfour is located in McHenry County
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 27 people
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Balfour <2>
    • Karlsruhe
      (22 miles [35.4 km] to the northeast)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Karlsruhe have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Karlsruhe
      • Karlsruhe is located in McHenry County
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 85 people
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Karlsruhe <2>
    • Genoa
      (24 miles [38.6 km] to the north)
    • Drake
      (26 miles [41.8 km] to the east)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Drake have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Drake
      • Drake is located in McHenry County
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 267 people
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Drake <2>
    • Guthrie
      (28 miles [45.1 km] to the northeast)
    • Granville
      (29 miles [46.7 km] to the north)
  • Ward County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Ruso, with the one closest to Ruso listed first.
    • Sawyer
      (18 miles [29 km] to the north)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Sawyer have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Sawyer
      • Sawyer is located in Ward County
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 324 people
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Sawyer <2>
    • Douglas
      (26 miles [41.8 km] to the west)
    • Surrey
      (28 miles [45.1 km] to the north)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Surrey have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Surrey
      • Surrey is located in Ward County
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 1,405 people
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Surrey <2>

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

Cemeteries Near Ruso ...

Below are cemeteries that are in the vicinity of Ruso.

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

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

  • Ruso Cemetery
    (Less than 2 miles to the southeast)
  • South Prairie Cemetery
    (6 miles [9.7 km] to the northeast)
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the South Prairie Cemetery
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the South Prairie Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
  • Hope Lutheran Cemetery
    (11 miles [17.7 km] to the northwest)
  • Max Cemetery
    (14 miles [22.5 km] to the west)
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Max Cemetery
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Max Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
  • Bergen Cemetery
    (15 miles [24.1 km] to the northeast)
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Bergen Cemetery
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Bergen Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
  • Holy Cross Catholic Cemetery
    (15 miles [24.1 km] to the north)
  • Immaculate Conception Cemetery
    (15 miles [24.1 km] to the west)
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Immaculate Conception Cemetery
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Immaculate Conception Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
  • First Baptist Cemetery
    (16 miles [25.7 km] to the west)
  • Bethel Cemetery
    (18 miles [29 km] to the southwest)
  • Medicine Hill Cemetery
    (18 miles [29 km] to the southeast)
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Medicine Hill Cemetery
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Medicine Hill Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
  • Kief Cemetery
    (18 miles [29 km] to the east)
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Kief Cemetery
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Kief Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
  • Norwegian Cemetery
    (18 miles [29 km] to the northeast)
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Norwegian Cemetery
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Norwegian Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
  • Continue List   (31 more) ...
    • Walley Cemetery
      (18 miles [29 km] to the north)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Walley Cemetery
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Walley Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Township Cemetery
      (18 miles [29 km] to the northwest)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Township Cemetery
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Township Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Sawyer Cemetery
      (19 miles [30.6 km] to the north)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Sawyer Cemetery
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Sawyer Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.

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 Ruso in the Atlas, the following 1895 communities would have been found near the current location of Ruso.

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

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

Newspapers Published in the Vicinity of Ruso ...

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 30 newspapers that have been published in the area around Ruso.

We have organized these newspapers into two lists:

  • A Local Newspaper List - focusing on the papers published in the immediate area of Ruso. There are actually two parts to this list - papers printed in the immediate area of Ruso and those printed in the larger area surrounding Ruso.
  • An Extended Newspaper List - a longer list, sorted by paper name and containing those papers published within 29 miles [46.7 km]<6> of Ruso.

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 either offer the information directly or else point to where you can find it. Their information is open to everyone.

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

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

The official website for McLean County: www.visitmcleancounty.com/

The official website for State of North Dakota: https://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>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.
<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 Ruso, 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 things like rivers, canyons, lakes, et cetera - it's truly a line drawn from Point A (ie- Ruso) to Point B.Our distance measurements begin at a specific point in Ruso. The point we use is located at these GPS coordinates - Latitude: 47.8384, Longitude: -100.9336    









 

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This page was last modified/updated: 28 Apr 2025