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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 Albany (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 Albany. 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 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 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.

Albany is located in Fayette County.

To see how the shape of Iowa's counties may have changed over time, we recommend the Atlas of Historical County Boundaries.

The following counties adjoin and form the boundaries of Fayette County: Allamakee, Black Hawk, Bremer, Buchanan, Chickasaw, Clayton, Delaware & Winneshiek.

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

  • Fayette County     (The home county of Albany)
    • The following are listed by their distance from Albany, with the one closest to Albany listed first.
    • Fayette
      (2 miles [3.2 km] to the southwest)
    • Wadena
      (5 miles [8 km] to the east)
    • Brainard
      (5 miles [8 km] to the northeast)
      • Brainard is located in Fayette County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Brainard
    • Illyria
      (6 miles [9.7 km] to the east)
      • Illyria is located in Fayette County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Illyria
    • West Union
      (6 miles [9.7 km] to the northwest)
    • Donnan
      (6 miles [9.7 km] to the west)
      • Donnan is located in Fayette County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Donnan
    • Randalia
      (6 miles [9.7 km] to the west)
      • Randalia is located in Fayette County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Randalia
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 60 people
    • Elgin
      (8 miles [12.9 km] to the northeast)
    • Maynard
      (8 miles [12.9 km] to the southwest)
    • Arlington
      (9 miles [14.5 km] to the southeast)
      • Arlington is located in Fayette County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Arlington
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 393 people
    • Clermont
      (10 miles [16.1 km] to the northeast)
    • Hawkeye
      (10 miles [16.1 km] to the northwest)
      • Hawkeye is located in Fayette County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Hawkeye
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 399 people
  • Allamakee County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Albany, with the one closest to Albany listed first.
    • Postville
      (17 miles [27.4 km] to the northeast)
    • Volney
      (26 miles [41.8 km] to the northeast)
      • Volney is located in Allamakee County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Volney
    • Rossville
      (29 miles [46.7 km] to the northeast)
      • Rossville is located in Allamakee County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Rossville
    • Ion
      (30 miles [48.3 km] to the northeast)
      • Ion is located in Allamakee County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Ion
  • Black Hawk County
    • Dunkerton
      (28 miles [45.1 km] to the southwest)
      • Dunkerton is located in Black Hawk County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Dunkerton
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 851 people
  • Bremer County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Albany, with the one closest to Albany listed first.
    • Sumner
      (17 miles [27.4 km] to the west)
    • Tripoli
      (25 miles [40.2 km] to the west)
    • Readlyn
      (26 miles [41.8 km] to the southwest)
    • Klinger
      (27 miles [43.5 km] to the southwest)
      • Klinger is located in Bremer County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Klinger
    • Knittel
      (27 miles [43.5 km] to the southwest)
      • Knittel is located in Bremer County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Knittel
    • Frederika
      (27 miles [43.5 km] to the west)
      • Frederika is located in Bremer County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Frederika
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 205 people
    • Seigel
      (30 miles [48.3 km] to the west)
      • Seigel is located in Bremer County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Seigel
  • Buchanan County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Albany, with the one closest to Albany listed first.
    • Stanley
      (15 miles [24.1 km] to the south)
      • Stanley is located in Buchanan County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Stanley
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 120 people
    • Aurora
      (17 miles [27.4 km] to the south)
      • Aurora is located in Buchanan County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Aurora
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 162 people
    • Hazleton
      (18 miles [29 km] to the southwest)
    • Lamont
      (19 miles [30.6 km] to the south)
    • Fairbank
      (21 miles [33.8 km] to the southwest)
    • Doris
      (26 miles [41.8 km] to the south)
      • Doris is located in Buchanan County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Doris
    • Winthrop
      (27 miles [43.5 km] to the south)
      • Winthrop is located in Buchanan County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Winthrop
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 848 people
    • Independence
      (28 miles [45.1 km] to the south)
  • Chickasaw County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Albany, with the one closest to Albany listed first.
    • Fredericksburg
      (23 miles [37 km] to the west)
    • Lawler
      (24 miles [38.6 km] to the northwest)
  • Clayton County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Albany, with the one closest to Albany listed first.
    • Volga
      (11 miles [17.7 km] to the east)
      • Volga is located in Clayton County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Volga
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 193 people
    • Gunder
      (14 miles [22.5 km] to the northeast)
      • Gunder is located in Clayton County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Gunder
    • Osborne
      (16 miles [25.7 km] to the east)
      • Osborne is located in Clayton County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Osborne
    • Strawberry Point
      (16 miles [25.7 km] to the southeast)
    • Elkader
      (17 miles [27.4 km] to the east)
    • Mederville
      (18 miles [29 km] to the east)
      • Mederville is located in Clayton County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Mederville
    • Saint Olaf
      (19 miles [30.6 km] to the east)
    • Farmersburg
      (20 miles [32.2 km] to the east)
      • Farmersburg is located in Clayton County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Farmersburg
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 264 people
    • Hardin
      (20 miles [32.2 km] to the northeast)
      • Hardin is located in Clayton County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Hardin
    • Luana
      (20 miles [32.2 km] to the northeast)
    • Clayton Center
      (21 miles [33.8 km] to the east)
      • Clayton Center is located in Clayton County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Clayton Center
    • Littleport
      (21 miles [33.8 km] to the east)
      • Littleport is located in Clayton County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Littleport
  • Delaware County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Albany, with the one closest to Albany listed first.
    • Forestville
      (21 miles [33.8 km] to the southeast)
      • Forestville is located in Delaware County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Forestville
    • Dundee
      (22 miles [35.4 km] to the southeast)
    • Edgewood
      (23 miles [37 km] to the southeast)
    • Masonville
      (28 miles [45.1 km] to the south)
      • Masonville is located in Delaware County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Masonville
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 119 people
    • Greeley
      (28 miles [45.1 km] to the southeast)
    • Manchester
      (30 miles [48.3 km] to the southeast)
    • Oneida
      (30 miles [48.3 km] to the southeast)
      • Oneida is located in Delaware County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Oneida
  • Howard County
    • Protivin
      (29 miles [46.7 km] to the northwest)
  • Winneshiek County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Albany, with the one closest to Albany listed first.
    • Castalia
      (17 miles [27.4 km] to the north)
      • Castalia is located in Winneshiek County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Castalia
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 156 people
    • Festina
      (18 miles [29 km] to the north)
    • Ossian
      (19 miles [30.6 km] to the north)
    • Fort Atkinson
      (21 miles [33.8 km] to the northwest)
    • Jackson Junction
      (21 miles [33.8 km] to the northwest)
      • Jackson Junction is located in Winneshiek County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Jackson Junction
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 54 people
    • Calmar
      (22 miles [35.4 km] to the north)
    • Navan
      (22 miles [35.4 km] to the northwest)
      • Navan is located in Winneshiek County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Navan
    • Frankville
      (23 miles [37 km] to the north)
      • Frankville is located in Winneshiek County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Frankville
    • Spillville
      (25 miles [40.2 km] to the northwest)
    • Decorah
      (30 miles [48.3 km] to the north)

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

Cemeteries Near Albany ...

Below are cemeteries that are in the vicinity of Albany.

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.

Although we don't have the information ourselves, if you need information about a burial or interment, photos, transcripts, how to contact the cemetery or local authorities, please visit our list of websites on our Genealogy Helper Page for Albany - one of the links might be able to help.

If not found below, our Cemetery List for Albany covers a larger area, with the cemeteries listed in alphabetical order.

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

  • Lima Cemetery
    (Less than 2 miles to the east)
  • Pleasant Hill Cemetery
    (2 miles [3.2 km] to the west)
  • St. Francis Cemetery
    (3 miles [4.8 km] to the west)
  • Grandview Cemetery
    (3 miles [4.8 km] to the southwest)
  • Mt. Calvary Cemetery
    (4 miles [6.4 km] to the north)
  • Pleasant Grove Cemetery
    (4 miles [6.4 km] to the north)
  • Dunhams Grove Cemetery
    (4 miles [6.4 km] to the west)
  • Corn Hill Cemetery
    (5 miles [8 km] to the southeast)
  • St. Josephs Cemetery
    (5 miles [8 km] to the east)
  • Wadena Cemetery
    (5 miles [8 km] to the east)
  • Brainard Cemetery
    (5 miles [8 km] to the north)
  • Center Grove Cemetery
    (6 miles [9.7 km] to the southwest)
  • Continue List   (327 more) ...
    • Illyria - Highland Cemetery
      (6 miles [9.7 km] to the east)
    • West Union Cemetery
      (7 miles [11.3 km] to the northwest)
    • Mt. Pleasant Cemetery
      (7 miles [11.3 km] to the north)

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.<3>

The Rand McNally Atlas shows that in 1895, Albany had a post office and no railroad service.

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

  • Lima
    (Less than 2 miles to the east)
    • Lima is located in Fayette County
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Lima
  • Fayette
    (2 miles [3.2 km] to the southwest)
  • Wadena
    (5 miles [8 km] to the east)
  • Brainard
    (5 miles [8 km] to the northeast)
    • Brainard is located in Fayette County
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Brainard
  • West Union
    (6 miles [9.7 km] to the northwest)
  • Illyria
    (6 miles [9.7 km] to the east)
    • Illyria is located in Fayette County
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Illyria
  • Donnan
    (6 miles [9.7 km] to the west)
    • Donnan is located in Fayette County
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Donnan
  • Randalia
    (6 miles [9.7 km] to the west)
    • Randalia is located in Fayette County
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Randalia
    • Population from the 2020 Census: 60 people
  • Maynard
    (8 miles [12.9 km] to the southwest)
  • Highland
    (8 miles [12.9 km] to the east)
    • Highland is located in Clayton County
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Highland
  • Elgin
    (8 miles [12.9 km] to the northeast)
  • Clermont
    (10 miles [16.1 km] to the northeast)
  • Continue List   (14 more) ...
    • Dover Mills
      (10 miles [16.1 km] to the north)
      • Dover Mills is located in Fayette County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Dover Mills
    • Hawkeye
      (10 miles [16.1 km] to the northwest)
      • Hawkeye is located in Fayette County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Hawkeye
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 399 people
    • Volga
      (11 miles [17.7 km] to the east)
      • Volga is located in Clayton County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Volga
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 193 people

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

Newspapers Published in Albany ...

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 142 newspapers that have been published in the area around Albany.

Although we're unaware of any newspapers that were published in the immediate area of Albany, there are papers which were published within 30 miles [48.3 km]<4>. A list of those papers, sorted by paper name, can be found on the Extended Newspaper List for Albany.

Websites to Help With Your Genealogy Research ...

When we do our genealogical research, we start 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 Albany:

Footnotes ...

<1>While we're fans and frequent users of TripAdvisor, you should know that we're also members of the TripAdvisor affiliate program.
<2>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.
<3>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 Albany, please let us know so that we can improve our accuracy.
<4>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 from Point A (ie- Albany) to Point B. In other words: 'As the crow flies'.