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 Battle Creek (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 Battle Creek. 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.
Name Variations for Battle Creek ...
When searching records, keep in mind that names and their spelling can change over time. Our sources include documents like maps, railroad schedules, Travel, Express and Shipping Guides. Many of these documents date from the 1800's and it's common to find spelling differences.
For example, a typical abbreviation for Battle Creek: Battle Crk. (or less commonly used: Battle Ck. or Battle Cr.)
You might be interested in other communities that are also named Battle Creek. More information can be found on our Tidbits & Trivia Page for Battle Creek.
If you have information about these names (such as the reason for the change, date of change, the origin of the name), please Contact Us.
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 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.
Battle Creek is located in Ida 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 Ida County: Buena Vista, Cherokee, Crawford, Monona, Sac & Woodbury.
Below are the counties that are near Battle Creek. For each of these counties, we show a sample of those communities that are closest to Battle Creek:
- Ida County (The home county of Battle Creek)
- The following are listed by their distance from Battle Creek, with the one closest to Battle Creek listed first.
- Ida Grove
(6 miles [9.7 km] to the east)
- Holstein
(12 miles [19.3 km] to the north)
- Arthur
(13 miles [20.9 km] to the east)
- Arthur is located in Ida County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Arthur
- Population from the 2020 Census: 194 people
- Galva
(16 miles [25.7 km] to the northeast)
- Buena Vista County
- The following are listed by their distance from Battle Creek, with the one closest to Battle Creek listed first.
- Alta
(28 miles [45.1 km] to the northeast)
- Alta is located in Buena Vista County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Alta
- Population from the 2020 Census: 1,916 people
- Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Alta <1>
- Casino Beach
(28 miles [45.1 km] to the northeast)
- Casino Beach is located in Buena Vista County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Casino Beach
- Juniata
(29 miles [46.7 km] to the northeast)
- Juniata is located in Buena Vista County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Juniata
- Lakeside
(30 miles [48.3 km] to the northeast)
- Lakeside is located in Buena Vista County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Lakeside
- Population from the 2020 Census: 690 people
- Storm Lake
(30 miles [48.3 km] to the northeast)
- Cherokee County
- The following are listed by their distance from Battle Creek, with the one closest to Battle Creek listed first.
- Washta
(18 miles [29 km] to the north)
- Washta is located in Cherokee County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Washta
- Population from the 2020 Census: 222 people
- Quimby
(21 miles [33.8 km] to the north)
- Quimby is located in Cherokee County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Quimby
- Population from the 2020 Census: 291 people
- Fielding
(25 miles [40.2 km] to the northwest)
- Fielding is located in Cherokee County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Fielding
- Aurelia
(28 miles [45.1 km] to the north)
- Mary Hill
(29 miles [46.7 km] to the north)
- Mary Hill is located in Cherokee County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Mary Hill
- Cherokee
(30 miles [48.3 km] to the north)
- Crawford County
- The following are listed by their distance from Battle Creek, with the one closest to Battle Creek listed first.
- Ricketts
(13 miles [20.9 km] to the south)
- Ricketts is located in Crawford County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Ricketts
- Population from the 2020 Census: 135 people
- Schleswig
(13 miles [20.9 km] to the southeast)
- Kiron
(16 miles [25.7 km] to the southeast)
- Charter Oak
(17 miles [27.4 km] to the south)
- Boyer
(20 miles [32.2 km] to the southeast)
- Boyer is located in Crawford County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Boyer
- Deloit
(20 miles [32.2 km] to the southeast)
- Deloit is located in Crawford County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Deloit
- Population from the 2020 Census: 254 people
- Kenwood
(21 miles [33.8 km] to the south)
- Kenwood is located in Crawford County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Kenwood
- Denison
(24 miles [38.6 km] to the southeast)
- Sunset Village
(24 miles [38.6 km] to the southeast)
- Sunset Village is located in Crawford County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Sunset Village
- Bell
(25 miles [40.2 km] to the south)
- Bell is located in Crawford County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Bell
- Arion
(26 miles [41.8 km] to the south)
- Arion is located in Crawford County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Arion
- Population from the 2020 Census: 107 people
- Dow City
(27 miles [43.5 km] to the south)
- Vail
(27 miles [43.5 km] to the southeast)
- Monona County
- The following are listed by their distance from Battle Creek, with the one closest to Battle Creek listed first.
- Mapleton
(14 miles [22.5 km] to the southwest)
- Ute
(19 miles [30.6 km] to the south)
- Rodney
(19 miles [30.6 km] to the southwest)
- Rodney is located in Monona County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Rodney
- Population from the 2020 Census: 57 people
- Castana
(23 miles [37 km] to the southwest)
- Soldier
(24 miles [38.6 km] to the south)
- Turin
(27 miles [43.5 km] to the southwest)
- Moorhead
(29 miles [46.7 km] to the southwest)
- Plymouth County
- Kingsley
(26 miles [41.8 km] to the northwest)
- Sac County
- The following are listed by their distance from Battle Creek, with the one closest to Battle Creek listed first.
- Odebolt
(17 miles [27.4 km] to the east)
- Odebolt is located in Sac County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Odebolt
- Population from the 2020 Census: 933 people
- Schaller
(20 miles [32.2 km] to the northeast)
- Herring ‑ Historic
(23 miles [37 km] to the east)
- Herring is located in Sac County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Herring
- Early
(25 miles [40.2 km] to the northeast)
- Wall Lake
(26 miles [41.8 km] to the east)
- Wall Lake is located in Sac County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Wall Lake
- Population from the 2020 Census: 753 people
- Lake View
(27 miles [43.5 km] to the east)
- Sac City Junction ‑ Historic
(27 miles [43.5 km] to the east)
- Sac City Junction is located in Sac County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Sac City Junction
- Nemaha
(29 miles [46.7 km] to the northeast)
- Nemaha is located in Sac County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Nemaha
- Population from the 2020 Census: 80 people
- Woodbury County
- The following are listed by their distance from Battle Creek, with the one closest to Battle Creek listed first.
- Danbury
(8 miles [12.9 km] to the southwest)
- Cushing
(10 miles [16.1 km] to the north)
- Cushing is located in Woodbury County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Cushing
- Population from the 2020 Census: 215 people
- Correctionville
(14 miles [22.5 km] to the northwest)
- Anthon
(14 miles [22.5 km] to the west)
- Oto
(15 miles [24.1 km] to the west)
- Oto is located in Woodbury County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Oto
- Population from the 2020 Census: 101 people
- Smithland
(17 miles [27.4 km] to the west)
- Pierson
(20 miles [32.2 km] to the northwest)
- Pierson is located in Woodbury County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Pierson
- Population from the 2020 Census: 349 people
- Climbing Hill
(24 miles [38.6 km] to the west)
- Climbing Hill is located in Woodbury County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Climbing Hill
- Moville
(26 miles [41.8 km] to the northwest)
- Hornick
(26 miles [41.8 km] to the west)
- Hornick is located in Woodbury County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Hornick
- Population from the 2020 Census: 210 people
For an expanded list of the communities that are closest to Battle Creek, see our County-by-County Page for Battle Creek.
Cemeteries Near Battle Creek ...
Below are cemeteries that are in the vicinity of Battle Creek.
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 Battle Creek - one of the links might be able to help.
If not found below, our Cemetery List for Battle Creek covers a larger area, with the cemeteries listed in alphabetical order.
The following cemeteries are listed based on their distance from Battle Creek, with the one closest to Battle Creek listed first.
- Mt. Hope Cemetery
(Less than 2 miles to the northwest)
- Sacred Heart Cemetery
(5 miles [8 km] to the northeast)
- Moorehead Cemetery
(6 miles [9.7 km] to the northeast)
- St. Marys Cemetery
(7 miles [11.3 km] to the southwest)
- St. Patricks Cemetery
(7 miles [11.3 km] to the southwest)
- Danbury Cemetery
(7 miles [11.3 km] to the southwest)
- Battle Twp. Cemetery
(7 miles [11.3 km] to the north)
- St. Paul Lutheran Cemetery
(7 miles [11.3 km] to the northwest)
- Ida Grove Cemetery
(8 miles [12.9 km] to the east)
- Hartliben Cemetery
(9 miles [14.5 km] to the southwest)
- Grant Cemetery
(9 miles [14.5 km] to the southeast)
- Hayes Chapel Cemetery
(9 miles [14.5 km] to the east)
- Continue List (121 more) ...
- Rock Cemetery
(9 miles [14.5 km] to the northwest)
- Cushing Cemetery
(11 miles [17.7 km] to the northwest)
- OLGC Cemetery
(11 miles [17.7 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 Battle Creek had a population of 387 people in 1895 with a post office and railroad service. In 2020, Battle Creek had a population of 691 people.
These communities are listed based on their distance from Battle Creek, with the one closest to Battle Creek listed first.
- Ida Grove
(6 miles [9.7 km] to the east)
- Midway
(7 miles [11.3 km] to the northwest)
- Midway is located in Woodbury County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Midway
- Danbury
(8 miles [12.9 km] to the southwest)
- Cushing
(10 miles [16.1 km] to the north)
- Cushing is located in Woodbury County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Cushing
- Population from the 2020 Census: 215 people
- Holstein
(12 miles [19.3 km] to the north)
- Arthur
(13 miles [20.9 km] to the east)
- Arthur is located in Ida County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Arthur
- Population from the 2020 Census: 194 people
- Mapleton
(14 miles [22.5 km] to the southwest)
- Correctionville
(14 miles [22.5 km] to the northwest)
- Anthon
(14 miles [22.5 km] to the west)
- Oto
(15 miles [24.1 km] to the west)
- Oto is located in Woodbury County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Oto
- Population from the 2020 Census: 101 people
- Kiron
(16 miles [25.7 km] to the southeast)
- Galva
(16 miles [25.7 km] to the northeast)
- Continue List (14 more) ...
- Smithland
(17 miles [27.4 km] to the west)
- Charter Oak
(17 miles [27.4 km] to the south)
- Odebolt
(17 miles [27.4 km] to the east)
- Odebolt is located in Sac County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Odebolt
- Population from the 2020 Census: 933 people
We've also created an expanded list of communities that existed in the 1890's and were located in the area around Battle Creek. See our List of 1890's Communities around Battle Creek.
Newspapers Published in the Vicinity of Battle Creek ...
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 104 newspapers that have been published in the area around Battle Creek.
We have organized these newspapers into two lists:
- A Local Newspaper List - focusing on the papers published in the immediate area of Battle Creek. There are actually two parts to this list - papers printed in the immediate area of Battle Creek and those printed in the larger area surrounding Battle Creek.
- An Extended Newspaper List - a longer list, sorted by paper name and containing those papers published within 30 miles [48.3 km]<4> of Battle Creek.
Websites to Help With Your Genealogy Research ...
When we do our genealogical research, we first turn to the websites from Cyndi's List, FamilySearch and Genealogy Trails. These helpful 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 Battle Creek:
- Websites specific to Iowa
- Pages specific to Ida County
- Genealogy information for nearby counties
- Buena Vista County
- Cherokee County
- Crawford County
- Monona County
- Plymouth County
- Sac County
- Woodbury 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> | 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 Battle Creek, please let us know so that we can improve our accuracy. |
| <4> | Our distances are not driving distances, but are calculated as a 'point-to-point' distance. A straight line distance ignores things like rivers, canyons, lakes, et cetera - it's truly a line drawn from Point A (ie- Battle Creek) to Point B. In other words: 'As the crow flies'. |