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Please add profiles of those who were born, lived or died in Wilkin County, Minnesota.
In 1849, the newly organized Minnesota Territory legislature authorized the creation of nine large counties across the territory. One of those, Pembina (later renamed as Kittson), contained areas that were partitioned off on 8 March 1858 to create Toombs County, named after Robert Toombs (1810–85) of Georgia. Toombs had been a member of the US House of Representatives (1845-1853), and US Senate (1853-1861). He became the Confederate secretary of state in 1861; this disloyalty to the Union displeased county residents, who petitioned for a name change. Accordingly, in 1863, the county was renamed Andy Johnson County for Andrew Johnson, who was serving as the military governor of Tennessee at the time. However, Johnson's actions and positions as US President (1865-1869) also displeased county residents, so on 6 March 1868 the county name was again changed, to Wilkin County. It was named for Colonel Alexander Wilkin, a Minnesota attorney and secretary to the Minnesota Territory governor.
Adjacent Counties
Cities, Townships & Communities
Akron | Andrea | Atherton | Bradford | Brandrup | Breckenridge (County Seat) | Brushvale | Campbell | Champion | Childs | Connelly | Deerhorn | Doran | Everdell | Foxhome | Kent | Lawndale | Manston | McCauleyville | Meadows | Mitchell | Nashua | Nilsen | Nordick | Prairie View | Roberts | Rothsay (part) | Sunnyside | Tanberg | Tenney | Wolverton
Cemeteries
Links
Wilkin County Historical Society
