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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 Bluff 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 Bluff 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 Bluff 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.

Although we can't give a definitive list, hopefully the following will give you a feel for the variations that might have occurred.

For example, a typical abbreviation for Bluff Creek: Bluff Crk. (or less commonly used: Bluff Ck. or Bluff Cr.)

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 southwest corner of their home county. During their lives, most doctors and hospitals 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.

Bluff Creek is located in Monroe County.

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

The following counties adjoin and form the boundaries of Monroe County: Appanoose, Davis, Lucas, Mahaska, Marion, Wapello & Wayne.

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

  • Monroe County     (The home county of Bluff Creek)
    • The following are listed by their distance from Bluff Creek, with the one closest to Bluff Creek listed first.
    • Lovilia
      (3 miles [4.8 km] to the west)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Lovilia have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Lovilia
      • Lovilia is located in Monroe County
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 516 people
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Lovilia <2>
    • Albia
      (8 miles [12.9 km] to the south)
    • Avery
      (9 miles [14.5 km] to the southeast)
      • Note: We haven't been able to verify our GPS coordinates for Avery. Although the coordinates have been estimated, they should be in the vicinity.<3>
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Avery
      • Avery is located in Monroe County
      • Google driving directions:
      • From your current location to Avery
      • From Bluff Creek to Avery
    • Georgetown
      (10 miles [16.1 km] to the southwest)
    • Melrose
      (15 miles [24.1 km] to the southwest)
  • Appanoose County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Bluff Creek, with the one closest to Bluff Creek listed first.
    • Moravia
      (17 miles [27.4 km] to the south)
    • Iconium
      (18 miles [29 km] to the south)
    • Darbyville
      (22 miles [35.4 km] to the south)
    • Rathbun
      (23 miles [37 km] to the south)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Rathbun have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Rathbun
      • Rathbun is located in Appanoose County
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 72 people
    • Walnut City
      (23 miles [37 km] to the south)
    • Unionville
      (24 miles [38.6 km] to the south)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Unionville have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Unionville
      • Unionville is located in Appanoose County
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 95 people
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Unionville <2>
    • Clarkdale
      (25 miles [40.2 km] to the south)
    • Mystic
      (25 miles [40.2 km] to the south)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Mystic have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Mystic
      • Mystic is located in Appanoose County
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 410 people
    • Udell
      (25 miles [40.2 km] to the south)
    • Brazil
      (27 miles [43.5 km] to the south)
    • Centerville
      (28 miles [45.1 km] to the south)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Centerville have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Centerville
      • Centerville is located in Appanoose County
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 5,414 people
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Centerville <2>
    • Plano
      (28 miles [45.1 km] to the south)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Plano have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Plano
      • Plano is located in Appanoose County
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 67 people
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Plano <2>
    • Sunshine
      (28 miles [45.1 km] to the south)
  • Davis County
  • Jasper County
  • Keokuk County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Bluff Creek, with the one closest to Bluff Creek listed first.
    • Hedrick
      (28 miles [45.1 km] to the east)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Hedrick have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Hedrick
      • Hedrick is located in Keokuk County
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 743 people
    • Delta
      (29 miles [46.7 km] to the northeast)
  • Lucas County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Bluff Creek, with the one closest to Bluff Creek listed first.
    • Zero
      (18 miles [29 km] to the southwest)
      • Note: We haven't been able to verify our GPS coordinates for Zero. Although the coordinates have been estimated, they should be in the vicinity.<3>
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Zero
      • Zero is located in Lucas County
      • Google driving directions:
      • From your current location to Zero
      • From Bluff Creek to Zero
    • Russell
      (21 miles [33.8 km] to the southwest)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Russell have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Russell
      • Russell is located in Lucas County
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 531 people
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Russell <2>
    • Williamson
      (21 miles [33.8 km] to the west)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Williamson have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Williamson
      • Williamson is located in Lucas County
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 157 people
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Williamson <2>
    • Chariton
      (25 miles [40.2 km] to the west)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Chariton have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Chariton
      • Chariton is located in Lucas County
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 4,103 people
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Chariton <2>
  • Mahaska County
  • Marion County
  • Poweshiek County
  • Wapello County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Bluff Creek, with the one closest to Bluff Creek listed first.
    • Eddyville
      (11 miles [17.7 km] to the east)
    • Dudley
      (14 miles [22.5 km] to the east)
    • Blakesburg
      (16 miles [25.7 km] to the southeast)
    • Chillicothe
      (17 miles [27.4 km] to the east)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Chillicothe have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Chillicothe
      • Chillicothe is located in Wapello County
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 97 people
    • Kirkville
      (18 miles [29 km] to the east)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Kirkville have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Kirkville
      • Kirkville is located in Wapello County
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 177 people
    • Ottumwa
      (24 miles [38.6 km] to the east)
    • Dahlonega
      (25 miles [40.2 km] to the east)
    • Highland Center
      (25 miles [40.2 km] to the east)
    • East Ottumwa
      (26 miles [41.8 km] to the east)
    • Agency
      (30 miles [48.3 km] to the east)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Agency have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Agency
      • Agency is located in Wapello County
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 641 people
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Agency <2>
    • Cliffland
      (30 miles [48.3 km] to the southeast)
  • Warren County
  • Wayne County

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

Cemeteries Near Bluff Creek ...

Below are cemeteries that are in the vicinity of Bluff 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.

If you need information about a burial or interment, photos, transcripts, how to contact the cemetery or local authorities, please visit our selection of Genealogy Websites (see below).

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

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

  • Osborn Cemetery
    (Less than 2 miles to the west)
  • Smith Cemetery
    (Less than 2 miles to the north)
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Smith Cemetery
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Smith Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
  • Buxton Cemetery
    (Less than 2 miles to the northeast)
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Buxton Cemetery
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Buxton Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
  • Cohen Cemetery
    (2 miles [3.2 km] to the northeast)
  • Woodlawn Cemetery
    (3 miles [4.8 km] to the west)
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Woodlawn Cemetery
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Woodlawn Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
  • St. Peters Cemetery
    (3 miles [4.8 km] to the west)
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the St. Peters Cemetery
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the St. Peters Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
  • Bethel Cemetery
    (3 miles [4.8 km] to the east)
  • Pringle Cemetery
    (3 miles [4.8 km] to the north)
  • Hamilton Cemetery
    (3 miles [4.8 km] to the northwest)
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Hamilton Cemetery
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Hamilton Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
  • Abegglen Cemetery
    (4 miles [6.4 km] to the southwest)
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Abegglen Cemetery
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Abegglen Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
  • Service Chapel Cemetery
    (4 miles [6.4 km] to the southeast)
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Service Chapel Cemetery
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Service Chapel Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
  • Greenlawn Cemetery
    (4 miles [6.4 km] to the northwest)
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Greenlawn Cemetery
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Greenlawn Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
  • Continue List   (425 more) ...
    • Berry Cemetery
      (4 miles [6.4 km] to the east)
    • Rowley Cemetery
      (5 miles [8 km] to the south)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Rowley Cemetery
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Rowley Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Union Chapel Cemetery
      (5 miles [8 km] to the south)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Union Chapel Cemetery
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Union Chapel Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.

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, Bluff Creek had a post office and no railroad service.

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

  • Lovilia
    (3 miles [4.8 km] to the west)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Lovilia have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Lovilia
    • Lovilia is located in Monroe County
    • Population from the 2020 Census: 516 people
    • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Lovilia <2>
  • Eveland
    (3 miles [4.8 km] to the northeast)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Eveland have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Eveland
    • Eveland is located in Mahaska County
  • Hamilton
    (3 miles [4.8 km] to the northwest)
  • Hagerty
    (4 miles [6.4 km] to the south)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Hagerty have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Hagerty
    • Hagerty is located in Monroe County
  • Bussey
    (4 miles [6.4 km] to the northwest)
  • Marysville
    (5 miles [8 km] to the northwest)
  • Hiteman
    (6 miles [9.7 km] to the south)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Hiteman have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Hiteman
    • Hiteman is located in Monroe County
  • Albia
    (8 miles [12.9 km] to the south)
  • Maxon
    (8 miles [12.9 km] to the southeast)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Maxon have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Maxon
    • Maxon is located in Monroe County
  • Tracy
    (8 miles [12.9 km] to the north)
  • Avery
    (9 miles [14.5 km] to the southeast)
    • Note: We haven't been able to verify our GPS coordinates for Avery. Although the coordinates have been estimated, they should be in the vicinity.<3>
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Avery
    • Avery is located in Monroe County
    • Google driving directions:
    • From your current location to Avery
    • From Bluff Creek to Avery
  • Frederic
    (9 miles [14.5 km] to the southeast)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Frederic have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Frederic
    • Frederic is located in Monroe County
  • Continue List   (15 more) ...
    • Weller
      (10 miles [16.1 km] to the west)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Weller have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Weller
      • Weller is located in Monroe County
    • Georgetown
      (10 miles [16.1 km] to the southwest)
    • Attica
      (10 miles [16.1 km] to the northwest)

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

Newspapers Published in Bluff 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 84 newspapers that have been published in the area around Bluff Creek.

Although we're unaware of any newspapers that were published in the immediate area of Bluff Creek, there are papers which were published within 30 miles [48.3 km]<5>. A list of those papers, sorted by paper name, can be found on the Extended Newspaper List for Bluff Creek.

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 Bluff Creek:

Unfortunately, we don't know of a website for Bluff Creek. If you can help, please contact us through our Feedback Page.

The official website for State of Iowa: https://www.iowa.gov/

Footnotes ...

<1>The location has been supplied by the Geographic Names Information System - which is maintained by the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS). While these values should be definitive, we found that accuracy can vary and you should double-check the location if accuracy is required.
<2>While we're fans and frequent users of TripAdvisor, you should know that we're also members of the TripAdvisor affiliate program.
<3>An 'estimated' location is one where we have been given GPS coordinates, but are unable to verify the accuracy of those coordinates. That said, we have some confidence that we have placed the marker near the actual location. A typical reason for being unable to verify a location is that it might be on private property or maybe historic and gone without an obvious trace.
<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 Bluff Creek, please let us know so that we can improve our accuracy.
<5>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- Bluff Creek) to Point B.Our distance measurements begin at a specific point in Bluff Creek. The point we use is located at these GPS coordinates - Latitude: 41.1469, Longitude: -92.8505       In this case, the coordinates for Bluff Creek have been provided by the Geographic Names Information System (GNIS).




 

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This page was last modified/updated: 28 Apr 2025