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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 Berne (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 Berne. 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 southwest 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 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 west 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.

Berne is located in Crawford 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 Crawford County: Audubon, Carroll, Harrison, Ida, Monona, Sac, Shelby & Woodbury.

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

  • Crawford County     (The home county of Berne)
    • The following are listed by their distance from Berne, with the one closest to Berne listed first.
    • Charter Oak
      (3 miles [4.8 km] to the east)
    • Ricketts
      (5 miles [8 km] to the northeast)
      • Ricketts is located in Crawford County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Ricketts
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 135 people
    • Kenwood
      (8 miles [12.9 km] to the southeast)
      • Kenwood is located in Crawford County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Kenwood
    • Bell
      (11 miles [17.7 km] to the southeast)
      • Bell is located in Crawford County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Bell
    • Schleswig
      (12 miles [19.3 km] to the northeast)
    • Arion
      (13 miles [20.9 km] to the southeast)
      • Arion is located in Crawford County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Arion
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 107 people
    • Dow City
      (13 miles [20.9 km] to the southeast)
    • Denison
      (15 miles [24.1 km] to the east)
    • Sunset Village
      (15 miles [24.1 km] to the east)
      • Sunset Village is located in Crawford County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Sunset Village
    • Deloit
      (17 miles [27.4 km] to the east)
      • Deloit is located in Crawford County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Deloit
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 254 people
    • Buck Grove
      (17 miles [27.4 km] to the southeast)
      • Buck Grove is located in Crawford County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Buck Grove
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 43 people
    • Kiron
      (18 miles [29 km] to the northeast)
  • Harrison County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Berne, with the one closest to Berne listed first.
    • Dunlap
      (16 miles [25.7 km] to the south)
    • Pisgah
      (22 miles [35.4 km] to the southwest)
    • Woodbine
      (24 miles [38.6 km] to the south)
    • Little Sioux
      (26 miles [41.8 km] to the southwest)
    • Orson
      (27 miles [43.5 km] to the southwest)
      • Orson is located in Harrison County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Orson
    • Magnolia
      (29 miles [46.7 km] to the southwest)
      • Magnolia is located in Harrison County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Magnolia
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 170 people
  • Ida County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Berne, with the one closest to Berne listed first.
    • Battle Creek
      (16 miles [25.7 km] to the north)
    • Ida Grove
      (20 miles [32.2 km] to the northeast)
    • Arthur
      (23 miles [37 km] to the northeast)
      • Arthur is located in Ida County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Arthur
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 194 people
    • Holstein
      (28 miles [45.1 km] to the north)
  • Monona County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Berne, with the one closest to Berne listed first.
    • Ute
      (3 miles [4.8 km] to the southwest)
      • Ute is located in Monona County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Ute
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 337 people
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Ute <1>
    • Mapleton
      (9 miles [14.5 km] to the northwest)
    • Soldier
      (9 miles [14.5 km] to the southwest)
    • Castana
      (13 miles [20.9 km] to the west)
    • Moorhead
      (14 miles [22.5 km] to the southwest)
    • Turin
      (16 miles [25.7 km] to the west)
    • Rodney
      (17 miles [27.4 km] to the northwest)
      • Rodney is located in Monona County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Rodney
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 57 people
    • Onawa
      (23 miles [37 km] to the west)
    • Blencoe
      (24 miles [38.6 km] to the southwest)
      • Blencoe is located in Monona County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Blencoe
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 196 people
    • Whiting
      (25 miles [40.2 km] to the west)
  • Sac County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Berne, with the one closest to Berne listed first.
    • Odebolt
      (25 miles [40.2 km] to the northeast)
      • Odebolt is located in Sac County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Odebolt
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 933 people
    • Herring ‑ Historic
      (27 miles [43.5 km] to the northeast)
      • Herring is located in Sac County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Herring
  • Shelby County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Berne, with the one closest to Berne listed first.
    • Defiance
      (23 miles [37 km] to the southeast)
      • Defiance is located in Shelby County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Defiance
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 260 people
    • Earling
      (24 miles [38.6 km] to the southeast)
      • Earling is located in Shelby County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Earling
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 403 people
    • Panama
      (26 miles [41.8 km] to the south)
    • Westphalia
      (28 miles [45.1 km] to the southeast)
      • Westphalia is located in Shelby County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Westphalia
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 117 people
    • Portsmouth
      (30 miles [48.3 km] to the south)
    • Botna
      (30 miles [48.3 km] to the southeast)
      • Botna is located in Shelby County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Botna
    • Irwin
      (30 miles [48.3 km] to the southeast)
  • Woodbury County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Berne, with the one closest to Berne listed first.
    • Danbury
      (11 miles [17.7 km] to the north)
    • Smithland
      (17 miles [27.4 km] to the northwest)
    • Oto
      (18 miles [29 km] to the northwest)
      • Oto is located in Woodbury County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Oto
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 101 people
    • Anthon
      (23 miles [37 km] to the northwest)
    • Hornick
      (24 miles [38.6 km] to the northwest)
      • Hornick is located in Woodbury County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Hornick
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 210 people
    • Cushing
      (26 miles [41.8 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
      (28 miles [45.1 km] to the north)
    • Climbing Hill
      (28 miles [45.1 km] to the northwest)
      • Climbing Hill is located in Woodbury County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Climbing Hill

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

Cemeteries Near Berne ...

Below are cemeteries that are in the vicinity of Berne.

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 Berne - one of the links might be able to help.

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

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

  • Charter Oak Cemetery
    (2 miles [3.2 km] to the east)
  • St. Boniface Cemetery
    (2 miles [3.2 km] to the east)
  • St. John Cemetery
    (2 miles [3.2 km] to the east)
  • St. Clairce Cemetery
    (3 miles [4.8 km] to the southwest)
  • St. Marys Cemetery
    (3 miles [4.8 km] to the southwest)
  • St. Paul Cemetery
    (3 miles [4.8 km] to the east)
  • Putman Cemetery
    (6 miles [9.7 km] to the southwest)
  • Willow Twp. Cemetery
    (6 miles [9.7 km] to the south)
  • Bockelmann Family Cemetery
    (6 miles [9.7 km] to the east)
  • Mt. Hope Cemetery
    (8 miles [12.9 km] to the northwest)
  • St. Marys Cemetery
    (8 miles [12.9 km] to the northwest)
  • Hartliben Cemetery
    (8 miles [12.9 km] to the north)
  • Continue List   (119 more) ...
    • Heisler Cemetery
      (9 miles [14.5 km] to the northwest)
    • Jordan Cemetery
      (11 miles [17.7 km] to the southwest)
    • Soldier Cemetery
      (11 miles [17.7 km] to the southwest)

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>

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

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

  • Ute
    (3 miles [4.8 km] to the southwest)
    • Ute is located in Monona County
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Ute
    • Population from the 2020 Census: 337 people
    • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Ute <1>
  • Charter Oak
    (3 miles [4.8 km] to the east)
  • Kenwood
    (8 miles [12.9 km] to the southeast)
    • Kenwood is located in Crawford County
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Kenwood
  • Soldier
    (9 miles [14.5 km] to the southwest)
  • Mapleton
    (9 miles [14.5 km] to the northwest)
  • Danbury
    (11 miles [17.7 km] to the north)
  • Bell
    (11 miles [17.7 km] to the southeast)
    • Bell is located in Crawford County
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Bell
  • Dow City
    (13 miles [20.9 km] to the southeast)
  • Arion
    (13 miles [20.9 km] to the southeast)
    • Arion is located in Crawford County
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Arion
    • Population from the 2020 Census: 107 people
  • Castana
    (13 miles [20.9 km] to the west)
  • Moorhead
    (14 miles [22.5 km] to the southwest)
  • Denison
    (15 miles [24.1 km] to the east)
  • Continue List   (13 more) ...
    • Turin
      (16 miles [25.7 km] to the west)
    • Dunlap
      (16 miles [25.7 km] to the south)
    • Battle Creek
      (16 miles [25.7 km] to the north)

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

Newspapers Published in Berne ...

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 66 newspapers that have been published in the area around Berne.

Although we're unaware of any newspapers that were published in the immediate area of Berne, 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 Berne.

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 either 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 Berne:

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 Berne, 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 obstructions like rivers, canyons, lakes, et cetera - it's truly a line from Point A (ie- Berne) to Point B. In other words: 'As the crow flies'.