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 Atwood (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 Atwood. 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 northeast corner of their home county. During their lives, most doctors and hospitals were in the next county to the east. 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 east 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.
Atwood is located in Keokuk 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 Keokuk County: Iowa, Jefferson, Mahaska, Poweshiek, Wapello & Washington.
Below are the counties that are near Atwood. For each of these counties, we show a sample of those communities that are closest to Atwood:
- Keokuk County (The home county of Atwood)
- The following are listed by their distance from Atwood, with the one closest to Atwood listed first.
- Delta
(3 miles [4.8 km] to the east)
- Delta is located in Keokuk County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Delta
- Population from the 2020 Census: 313 people
- What Cheer
(5 miles [8 km] to the northeast)
- Coal Creek
(7 miles [11.3 km] to the north)
- Coal Creek is located in Keokuk County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Coal Creek
- Thornburg
(9 miles [14.5 km] to the north)
- Thornburg is located in Keokuk County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Thornburg
- Population from the 2020 Census: 67 people
- Hayesville
(9 miles [14.5 km] to the southeast)
- Hayesville is located in Keokuk County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Hayesville
- Population from the 2020 Census: 48 people
- Sigourney
(10 miles [16.1 km] to the east)
- Gibson
(10 miles [16.1 km] to the north)
- Gibson is located in Keokuk County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Gibson
- Population from the 2020 Census: 59 people
- Hedrick
(11 miles [17.7 km] to the southeast)
- Hedrick is located in Keokuk County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Hedrick
- Population from the 2020 Census: 743 people
- Keswick
(12 miles [19.3 km] to the northeast)
- Martinsburg
(12 miles [19.3 km] to the southeast)
- Martinsburg is located in Keokuk County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Martinsburg
- Population from the 2020 Census: 107 people
- Nugent
(13 miles [20.9 km] to the southeast)
- Nugent is located in Keokuk County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Nugent
- Aurora
(14 miles [22.5 km] to the northeast)
- Aurora is located in Keokuk County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Aurora
- Webster
(14 miles [22.5 km] to the northeast)
- Webster is located in Keokuk County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Webster
- Population from the 2020 Census: 71 people
- Davis County
- Carbon
(29 miles [46.7 km] to the south)
- Carbon is located in Davis County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Carbon
- Iowa County
- The following are listed by their distance from Atwood, with the one closest to Atwood listed first.
- Ambrose
(16 miles [25.7 km] to the northeast)
- Ambrose is located in Iowa County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Ambrose
- Millersburg
(21 miles [33.8 km] to the northeast)
- Millersburg is located in Iowa County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Millersburg
- Population from the 2020 Census: 139 people
- North English
(21 miles [33.8 km] to the northeast)
- Parnell
(27 miles [43.5 km] to the northeast)
- Jasper County
- The following are listed by their distance from Atwood, with the one closest to Atwood listed first.
- Lynnville
(26 miles [41.8 km] to the northwest)
- Sully
(28 miles [45.1 km] to the northwest)
- Jefferson County
- The following are listed by their distance from Atwood, with the one closest to Atwood listed first.
- Pekin
(17 miles [27.4 km] to the southeast)
- Pekin is located in Jefferson County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Pekin
- Linby
(18 miles [29 km] to the southeast)
- Linby is located in Jefferson County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Linby
- Abingdon
(21 miles [33.8 km] to the southeast)
- Abingdon is located in Jefferson County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Abingdon
- Packwood
(21 miles [33.8 km] to the southeast)
- Packwood is located in Jefferson County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Packwood
- Population from the 2020 Census: 225 people
- Batavia
(25 miles [40.2 km] to the southeast)
- Maharishi Vedic City
(27 miles [43.5 km] to the southeast)
- Maharishi Vedic City is located in Jefferson County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Maharishi Vedic City
- Population from the 2020 Census: 1,288 people
- Perlee
(30 miles [48.3 km] to the southeast)
- Perlee is located in Jefferson County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Perlee
- Pleasant Plain
(30 miles [48.3 km] to the southeast)
- Pleasant Plain is located in Jefferson County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Pleasant Plain
- Population from the 2020 Census: 98 people
- Mahaska County
- The following are listed by their distance from Atwood, with the one closest to Atwood listed first.
- Rose Hill
(3 miles [4.8 km] to the west)
- Rose Hill is located in Mahaska County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Rose Hill
- Population from the 2020 Census: 161 people
- Indianapolis
(5 miles [8 km] to the north)
- Indianapolis is located in Mahaska County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Indianapolis
- Fremont
(7 miles [11.3 km] to the south)
- Exeelsior
(7 miles [11.3 km] to the southwest)
- Exeelsior is located in Mahaska County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Exeelsior
- Keomah Village
(7 miles [11.3 km] to the west)
- Keomah Village is located in Mahaska County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Keomah Village
- Population from the 2020 Census: 99 people
- Wright
(8 miles [12.9 km] to the southwest)
- Wright is located in Mahaska County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Wright
- Cedar
(9 miles [14.5 km] to the southwest)
- Cedar is located in Mahaska County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Cedar
- University Park
(11 miles [17.7 km] to the west)
- University Park is located in Mahaska County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for University Park
- Population from the 2020 Census: 468 people
- Union Mills
(12 miles [19.3 km] to the northwest)
- Union Mills is located in Mahaska County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Union Mills
- Oskaloosa
(12 miles [19.3 km] to the west)
- Barnes City
(13 miles [20.9 km] to the north)
- Lacey
(13 miles [20.9 km] to the northwest)
- Lacey is located in Mahaska County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Lacey
- Beacon
(14 miles [22.5 km] to the west)
- Beacon is located in Mahaska County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Beacon
- Population from the 2020 Census: 488 people
- Marion County
- The following are listed by their distance from Atwood, with the one closest to Atwood listed first.
- Tracy
(24 miles [38.6 km] to the west)
- Tracy is located in Marion County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Tracy
- Bussey
(26 miles [41.8 km] to the west)
- Bussey is located in Marion County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Bussey
- Population from the 2020 Census: 406 people
- Harvey
(26 miles [41.8 km] to the west)
- Harvey is located in Marion County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Harvey
- Population from the 2020 Census: 243 people
- Pella
(27 miles [43.5 km] to the west)
- Hamilton
(28 miles [45.1 km] to the southwest)
- Hamilton is located in Marion County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Hamilton
- Population from the 2020 Census: 135 people
- Howell ‑ Historic
(29 miles [46.7 km] to the west)
- Howell is located in Marion County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Howell
- Marysville
(30 miles [48.3 km] to the west)
- Marysville is located in Marion County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Marysville
- Population from the 2020 Census: 68 people
- Monroe County
- The following are listed by their distance from Atwood, with the one closest to Atwood listed first.
- Avery
(24 miles [38.6 km] to the southwest)
- Avery is located in Monroe County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Avery
- Bluff Creek
(26 miles [41.8 km] to the southwest)
- Bluff Creek is located in Monroe County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Bluff Creek
- Albia
(29 miles [46.7 km] to the southwest)
- Lovilia
(29 miles [46.7 km] to the southwest)
- Poweshiek County
- The following are listed by their distance from Atwood, with the one closest to Atwood listed first.
- Tilton
(13 miles [20.9 km] to the north)
- Tilton is located in Poweshiek County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Tilton
- Deep River
(17 miles [27.4 km] to the north)
- Deep River is located in Poweshiek County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Deep River
- Population from the 2020 Census: 268 people
- Montezuma
(18 miles [29 km] to the north)
- Guernsey
(22 miles [35.4 km] to the north)
- Searsboro
(23 miles [37 km] to the northwest)
- Searsboro is located in Poweshiek County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Searsboro
- Population from the 2020 Census: 145 people
- Malcom
(27 miles [43.5 km] to the north)
- Brooklyn
(28 miles [45.1 km] to the north)
- Victor
(28 miles [45.1 km] to the north)
- Wapello County
- The following are listed by their distance from Atwood, with the one closest to Atwood listed first.
- Highland Center
(13 miles [20.9 km] to the south)
- Highland Center is located in Wapello County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Highland Center
- Kirkville
(13 miles [20.9 km] to the south)
- Kirkville is located in Wapello County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Kirkville
- Population from the 2020 Census: 177 people
- Keb ‑ Historic
(16 miles [25.7 km] to the south)
- Keb is located in Wapello County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Keb
- Competine
(16 miles [25.7 km] to the southeast)
- Competine is located in Wapello County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Competine
- Eddyville
(16 miles [25.7 km] to the southwest)
- Chillicothe
(17 miles [27.4 km] to the south)
- Chillicothe is located in Wapello County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Chillicothe
- Population from the 2020 Census: 97 people
- Dahlonega
(18 miles [29 km] to the south)
- Dahlonega is located in Wapello County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Dahlonega
- Dudley
(19 miles [30.6 km] to the southwest)
- Dudley is located in Wapello County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Dudley
- East Ottumwa
(21 miles [33.8 km] to the south)
- East Ottumwa is located in Wapello County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for East Ottumwa
- Ottumwa
(21 miles [33.8 km] to the south)
- Bidwell
(22 miles [35.4 km] to the south)
- Bidwell is located in Wapello County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Bidwell
- Agency
(23 miles [37 km] to the south)
- Cliffland
(25 miles [40.2 km] to the south)
- Cliffland is located in Wapello County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Cliffland
- Washington County
- The following are listed by their distance from Atwood, with the one closest to Atwood listed first.
- Rubio
(25 miles [40.2 km] to the east)
- Rubio is located in Washington County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Rubio
- Nira
(26 miles [41.8 km] to the east)
- Nira is located in Washington County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Nira
- West Chester
(30 miles [48.3 km] to the east)
- West Chester is located in Washington County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for West Chester
- Population from the 2020 Census: 147 people
For an expanded list of the communities that are closest to Atwood, see our County-by-County Page for Atwood.
Cemeteries Near Atwood ...
Below are cemeteries that are in the vicinity of Atwood.
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 Atwood - one of the links might be able to help.
If not found below, our Cemetery List for Atwood covers a larger area, with the cemeteries listed in alphabetical order.
The following cemeteries are listed based on their distance from Atwood, with the one closest to Atwood listed first.
- Hewitt Cemetery
(Less than 2 miles to the east)
- Tioga Cemetery
(2 miles [3.2 km] to the south)
- Springfield Cemetery
(2 miles [3.2 km] to the east)
- Waddell Cemetery
(2 miles [3.2 km] to the north)
- Hopewell Cemetery
(2 miles [3.2 km] to the northwest)
- Rice Cemetery
(3 miles [4.8 km] to the north)
- Jackson Cemetery
(3 miles [4.8 km] to the west)
- Kensler Cemetery
(4 miles [6.4 km] to the east)
- Garrett Cemetery
(4 miles [6.4 km] to the east)
- Bedwell Cemetery
(4 miles [6.4 km] to the northwest)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Bedwell Cemetery
- To give a relative sense of its location, the Bedwell Cemetery is located 3 miles [4.8 km]<3> to the north of Rose Hill.
- Old Rose Hill Cemetery
(4 miles [6.4 km] to the west)
- White Oak Grove Cemetery
(5 miles [8 km] to the southwest)
- Continue List (384 more) ...
- Indianapolis Cemetery
(5 miles [8 km] to the north)
- Bethel Cemetery
(5 miles [8 km] to the southeast)
- Highland Cemetery
(5 miles [8 km] to the northeast)
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 in 1895, Atwood had a post office and railroad service.
These communities are listed based on their distance from Atwood, with the one closest to Atwood listed first.
- Tioga
(2 miles [3.2 km] to the southwest)
- Tioga is located in Mahaska County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Tioga
- Delta
(3 miles [4.8 km] to the east)
- Delta is located in Keokuk County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Delta
- Population from the 2020 Census: 313 people
- Rose Hill
(3 miles [4.8 km] to the west)
- Rose Hill is located in Mahaska County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Rose Hill
- Population from the 2020 Census: 161 people
- Indianapolis
(5 miles [8 km] to the north)
- Indianapolis is located in Mahaska County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Indianapolis
- What Cheer
(5 miles [8 km] to the northeast)
- Exeelsior
(7 miles [11.3 km] to the southwest)
- Exeelsior is located in Mahaska County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Exeelsior
- Fremont
(7 miles [11.3 km] to the south)
- Coal Creek
(7 miles [11.3 km] to the north)
- Coal Creek is located in Keokuk County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Coal Creek
- Wright
(8 miles [12.9 km] to the southwest)
- Wright is located in Mahaska County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Wright
- Cedar
(9 miles [14.5 km] to the southwest)
- Cedar is located in Mahaska County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Cedar
- Hayesville
(9 miles [14.5 km] to the southeast)
- Hayesville is located in Keokuk County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Hayesville
- Population from the 2020 Census: 48 people
- Thornburg
(9 miles [14.5 km] to the north)
- Thornburg is located in Keokuk County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Thornburg
- Population from the 2020 Census: 67 people
- Continue List (15 more) ...
- Sigourney
(10 miles [16.1 km] to the east)
- Hedrick
(11 miles [17.7 km] to the southeast)
- Hedrick is located in Keokuk County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Hedrick
- Population from the 2020 Census: 743 people
- Martinsburg
(12 miles [19.3 km] to the southeast)
- Martinsburg is located in Keokuk County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Martinsburg
- Population from the 2020 Census: 107 people
We've also created an expanded list of communities that existed in the 1890's and were located in the area around Atwood. See our List of 1890's Communities around Atwood.
Newspapers Published in Atwood ...
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 65 newspapers that have been published in the area around Atwood.
Although we're unaware of any newspapers that were published in the immediate area of Atwood, there are papers which were published within 30 miles [48.3 km]<3>. A list of those papers, sorted by paper name, can be found on the Extended Newspaper List for Atwood.
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 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 Atwood:
- Websites specific to Iowa
- Pages specific to Keokuk County
- Genealogy information for nearby counties
- Davis County
- Iowa County
- Jasper County
- Jefferson County
- Mahaska County
- Marion County
- Monroe County
- Poweshiek County
- Wapello County
- Washington County
- Cemetery Information and Directories for Iowa
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> | 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- Atwood) to Point B. In other words: 'As the crow flies'. |
| <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 Atwood, please let us know so that we can improve our accuracy. |