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Our Genealogy Helper

Introduction ...

So far, we found very little information about Wisner. The little that we've found leads us believe that the community is historic.<1>

We've added Wisner to our Gazetteer with the hope that we can develop more information. If you can help us with Wisner, please Contact Us.

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 Wisner (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 Wisner. 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.

Although our information shows that the community of Wisner is historic, it would have been located within present day Ransom 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 Ransom County: Barnes, Cass, Dickey, LaMoure, Richland & Sargent.

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

  • Ransom County     (The home county of Wisner)
    • The following are listed by their distance from Wisner, with the one closest to Wisner listed first.
    • Fort Ransom
      (5 miles [8 km] to the west)
    • Elliott
      (8 miles [12.9 km] to the south)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Elliott have been provided by the GNIS.<3> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Elliott
      • Elliott is located in Ransom County
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 25 people
    • Lisbon
      (8 miles [12.9 km] to the southeast)
    • Enderlin
      (12 miles [19.3 km] to the northeast)
    • Anselm
      (15 miles [24.1 km] to the east)
      • Note: We haven't been able to verify our GPS coordinates for Anselm. Although the coordinates have been estimated, they should be in the vicinity.<4>
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Anselm
      • Anselm is located in Ransom County
    • Sheldon
      (15 miles [24.1 km] to the east)
    • McLeod
      (26 miles [41.8 km] to the east)
  • Barnes County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Wisner, with the one closest to Wisner listed first.
    • Nome
      (10 miles [16.1 km] to the north)
    • Kathryn
      (13 miles [20.9 km] to the northwest)
    • Fingal
      (16 miles [25.7 km] to the north)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Fingal have been provided by the GNIS.<3> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Fingal
      • Fingal is located in Barnes County
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 86 people
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Fingal <2>
    • Litchville
      (20 miles [32.2 km] to the northwest)
    • Oriska
      (28 miles [45.1 km] to the north)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Oriska have been provided by the GNIS.<3> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Oriska
      • Oriska is located in Barnes County
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 109 people
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Oriska <2>
    • Valley City
      (29 miles [46.7 km] to the north)
    • North Valley City
      (30 miles [48.3 km] to the north)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for North Valley City have been provided by the GNIS.<3> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for North Valley City
      • North Valley City is located in Barnes County
  • Cass County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Wisner, with the one closest to Wisner listed first.
    • Alice
      (20 miles [32.2 km] to the northeast)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Alice
      • Alice is located in Cass County
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 40 people
    • Chaffee
      (27 miles [43.5 km] to the northeast)
    • Leonard
      (28 miles [45.1 km] to the east)
    • Tower City
      (28 miles [45.1 km] to the north)
    • Buffalo
      (30 miles [48.3 km] to the northeast)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Buffalo have been provided by the GNIS.<3> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Buffalo
      • Buffalo is located in Cass County
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 182 people
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Buffalo <2>
  • Dickey County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Wisner, with the one closest to Wisner listed first.
    • Glover
      (24 miles [38.6 km] to the southwest)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Glover
      • Glover is located in Dickey County
    • Oakes
      (29 miles [46.7 km] to the southwest)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Oakes have been provided by the GNIS.<3> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Oakes
      • Oakes is located in Dickey County
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 1,657 people
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Oakes <2>
    • Norway
      (30 miles [48.3 km] to the southwest)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Norway have been provided by the GNIS.<3> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Norway
      • Norway is located in Dickey County
  • LaMoure County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Wisner, with the one closest to Wisner listed first.
    • Verona
      (16 miles [25.7 km] to the southwest)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Verona have been provided by the GNIS.<3> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Verona
      • Verona is located in LaMoure County
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 86 people
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Verona <2>
    • LaMoure
      (25 miles [40.2 km] to the southwest)
    • Marion
      (25 miles [40.2 km] to the west)
    • Grand Rapids
      (27 miles [43.5 km] to the west)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Grand Rapids
      • Grand Rapids is located in LaMoure County
  • Sargent County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Wisner, with the one closest to Wisner listed first.
    • Gwinner
      (21 miles [33.8 km] to the south)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Gwinner have been provided by the GNIS.<3> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Gwinner
      • Gwinner is located in Sargent County
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 956 people
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Gwinner <2>
    • Stirum
      (21 miles [33.8 km] to the south)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Stirum
      • Stirum is located in Sargent County
    • Milnor
      (24 miles [38.6 km] to the southeast)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Milnor have been provided by the GNIS.<3> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Milnor
      • Milnor is located in Sargent County
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 632 people
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Milnor <2>
    • Harlem ‑ Historic
      (25 miles [40.2 km] to the south)
      • Note: We haven't been able to verify our GPS coordinates for Harlem. Although the coordinates have been estimated, they should be in the vicinity.<4>
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Harlem
      • Harlem is located in Sargent County
    • Cogswell
      (28 miles [45.1 km] to the south)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Cogswell have been provided by the GNIS.<3> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Cogswell
      • Cogswell is located in Sargent County
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 93 people
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Cogswell <2>
    • Forman
      (29 miles [46.7 km] to the south)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Forman have been provided by the GNIS.<3> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Forman
      • Forman is located in Sargent County
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 501 people
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Forman <2>

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

Cemeteries Near Wisner ...

Below are cemeteries that are in the vicinity of Wisner.

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

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

  • Bethania Cemetery
    (Less than 2 miles to the north)
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Bethania Cemetery
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Bethania Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<3> The coordinates still need to be verified.
  • Fillmore Cemetery
    (5 miles [8 km] to the northeast)
  • Standing Rock Cemetery
    (6 miles [9.7 km] to the west)
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Standing Rock Cemetery
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Standing Rock Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<3> The coordinates still need to be verified.
  • Stiklestad Cemetery
    (7 miles [11.3 km] to the west)
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Stiklestad Cemetery
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Stiklestad Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<3> The coordinates still need to be verified.
  • Oakwood Cemetery
    (7 miles [11.3 km] to the southeast)
  • Northland Cemetery
    (7 miles [11.3 km] to the northwest)
  • St. Olaf Cemetery
    (9 miles [14.5 km] to the northeast)
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the St. Olaf Cemetery
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the St. Olaf Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<3> The coordinates still need to be verified.
  • St. Petri Cemetery
    (9 miles [14.5 km] to the north)
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the St. Petri Cemetery
    • To give a relative sense of its location, the St. Petri Cemetery is located less than 2 miles<6> to the northeast of Nome.
    • The St. Petri Cemetery has also been known as:
    • St. Peters Church Cemetery
    • Jump to Find-A-Grave: FG ID #2405853 <5>
  • West Fairview Cemetery
    (10 miles [16.1 km] to the southwest)
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the West Fairview Cemetery
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the West Fairview Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<3> The coordinates still need to be verified.
  • Dick Cemetery
    (10 miles [16.1 km] to the south)
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Dick Cemetery
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Dick Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<3> The coordinates still need to be verified.
  • St. Paul Cemetery
    (11 miles [17.7 km] to the east)
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the St. Paul Cemetery
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the St. Paul Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<3> The coordinates still need to be verified.
  • Waldheim Lutheran Church Cemetery
    (11 miles [17.7 km] to the northwest)
  • Continue List   (65 more) ...

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.

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

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

  • Fort Ransom
    (5 miles [8 km] to the west)
  • Lisbon
    (8 miles [12.9 km] to the southeast)
  • Buttzville
    (8 miles [12.9 km] to the east)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Buttzville have been provided by the GNIS.<3> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Buttzville
    • Buttzville is located in Ransom County
  • Lucca
    (13 miles [20.9 km] to the north)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Lucca have been provided by the GNIS.<3> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Lucca
    • Lucca is located in Barnes County
  • Anselm
    (15 miles [24.1 km] to the east)
    • Note: We haven't been able to verify our GPS coordinates for Anselm. Although the coordinates have been estimated, they should be in the vicinity.<4>
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Anselm
    • Anselm is located in Ransom County
  • Sheldon
    (15 miles [24.1 km] to the east)
  • Daily
    (15 miles [24.1 km] to the northwest)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Daily have been provided by the GNIS.<3> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Daily
    • Daily is located in Barnes County
  • Verona
    (16 miles [25.7 km] to the southwest)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Verona have been provided by the GNIS.<3> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Verona
    • Verona is located in LaMoure County
    • Population from the 2020 Census: 86 people
    • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Verona <2>
  • Fingal
    (16 miles [25.7 km] to the north)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Fingal have been provided by the GNIS.<3> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Fingal
    • Fingal is located in Barnes County
    • Population from the 2020 Census: 86 people
    • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Fingal <2>
  • Venlo
    (17 miles [27.4 km] to the east)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Venlo have been provided by the GNIS.<3> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Venlo
    • Venlo is located in Ransom County
  • Hastings
    (17 miles [27.4 km] to the northwest)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Hastings have been provided by the GNIS.<3> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Hastings
    • Hastings is located in Barnes County
  • Cuba
    (20 miles [32.2 km] to the north)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Cuba have been provided by the GNIS.<3> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Cuba
    • Cuba is located in Barnes County
  • Continue List   (13 more) ...
    • Coburn
      (22 miles [35.4 km] to the east)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Coburn have been provided by the GNIS.<3> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Coburn
      • Coburn is located in Ransom County
    • Glover
      (24 miles [38.6 km] to the southwest)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Glover
      • Glover is located in Dickey County
    • Milnor
      (24 miles [38.6 km] to the southeast)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Milnor have been provided by the GNIS.<3> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Milnor
      • Milnor is located in Sargent County
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 632 people
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Milnor <2>

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

Newspapers Published in Wisner ...

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 37 newspapers that have been published in the area around Wisner.

Although we're unaware of any newspapers that were published in the immediate area of Wisner, there are papers which were published within 30 miles [48.3 km]<6>. A list of those papers, sorted by paper name, can be found on the Extended Newspaper List for Wisner.

Websites to Help With Your Genealogy Research ...

When we do our genealogical research, we like to start with 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 Wisner:

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

Footnotes ...

<1>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 Wisner, please let us know so that we can improve our accuracy.
<2>While we're fans and frequent users of TripAdvisor, you should know that we're also members of the TripAdvisor affiliate program.
<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>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.
<5>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.
<6>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 drawn from Point A (ie- Wisner) to Point B.Our distance measurements begin at a specific point in Wisner. The point we use is located at these GPS coordinates - Latitude: 46.5216, Longitude: -97.8143       In this case, the coordinates for Wisner have been provided by the Geographic Names Information System (GNIS).




 

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This page was last modified/updated: 28 Apr 2025