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 Park (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 Park. 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 southeast 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 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 east 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 Park is located in Lee 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 Lee County: Des Moines, Henry, Van Buren, Hancock (IL), Henderson (IL) & Clark (MO).
Below are the counties that are near Bluff Park. For each of these counties, we show a sample of those communities that are closest to Bluff Park:
- Lee County (The home county of Bluff Park)
- The following are listed by their distance from Bluff Park, with the one closest to Bluff Park listed first.
- Montrose
(Less than 2 miles to the west)
- Galland
(2 miles [3.2 km] to the southeast)
- Galland is located in Lee County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Galland
- Sandusky
(4 miles [6.4 km] to the south)
- Sandusky is located in Lee County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Sandusky
- New Boston
(5 miles [8 km] to the northwest)
- New Boston is located in Lee County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for New Boston
- Jeffersonville ‑ Historic
(6 miles [9.7 km] to the north)
- Jeffersonville is located in Lee County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Jeffersonville
- Charleston
(7 miles [11.3 km] to the northwest)
- Charleston is located in Lee County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Charleston
- Fort Madison
(8 miles [12.9 km] to the northeast)
- Keokuk
(8 miles [12.9 km] to the south)
- Argyle
(8 miles [12.9 km] to the west)
- Vincennes
(8 miles [12.9 km] to the west)
- Vincennes is located in Lee County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Vincennes
- Buena Vista ‑ Historic
(9 miles [14.5 km] to the south)
- Buena Vista is located in Lee County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Buena Vista
- Donnellson
(11 miles [17.7 km] to the northwest)
- Des Moines County
- The following are listed by their distance from Bluff Park, with the one closest to Bluff Park listed first.
- Patterson
(20 miles [32.2 km] to the northeast)
- Patterson is located in Des Moines County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Patterson
- Middletown
(21 miles [33.8 km] to the north)
- Middletown is located in Des Moines County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Middletown
- Population from the 2020 Census: 335 people
- Danville
(23 miles [37 km] to the north)
- Danville is located in Des Moines County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Danville
- Population from the 2020 Census: 896 people
- West Burlington
(23 miles [37 km] to the northeast)
- Burlington
(24 miles [38.6 km] to the northeast)
- Kline
(29 miles [46.7 km] to the north)
- Kline is located in Des Moines County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Kline
- Dodgeville
(30 miles [48.3 km] to the north)
- Dodgeville is located in Des Moines County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Dodgeville
- Henry County
- The following are listed by their distance from Bluff Park, with the one closest to Bluff Park listed first.
- Lowell
(21 miles [33.8 km] to the north)
- Lowell is located in Henry County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Lowell
- Salem
(25 miles [40.2 km] to the northwest)
- Hillsboro
(26 miles [41.8 km] to the northwest)
- Hillsboro is located in Henry County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Hillsboro
- Population from the 2020 Census: 173 people
- New London
(27 miles [43.5 km] to the north)
- Oakland Mills
(30 miles [48.3 km] to the north)
- Oakland Mills is located in Henry County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Oakland Mills
- Van Buren County
- The following are listed by their distance from Bluff Park, with the one closest to Bluff Park listed first.
- Farmington
(19 miles [30.6 km] to the northwest)
- Bonaparte
(24 miles [38.6 km] to the northwest)
- Mount Sterling
(28 miles [45.1 km] to the west)
- Adams County (IL)
- The following are listed by their distance from Bluff Park, with the one closest to Bluff Park listed first.
- Lima
(24 miles [38.6 km] to the south)
- Meyer
(26 miles [41.8 km] to the south)
- Meyer is located in Adams County (IL)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Meyer
- Loraine
(27 miles [43.5 km] to the south)
- Marcelline
(28 miles [45.1 km] to the south)
- Marcelline is located in Adams County (IL)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Marcelline
- Mendon
(30 miles [48.3 km] to the south)
- Hancock County (IL)
- The following are listed by their distance from Bluff Park, with the one closest to Bluff Park listed first.
- Nauvoo
(Less than 2 miles to the northeast)
- Powellton
(7 miles [11.3 km] to the east)
- Powellton is located in Hancock County (IL)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Powellton
- Niota
(8 miles [12.9 km] to the northeast)
- Hamilton
(9 miles [14.5 km] to the south)
- Adrian
(12 miles [19.3 km] to the east)
- Colusa
(12 miles [19.3 km] to the east)
- Ferris
(12 miles [19.3 km] to the east)
- Pontoosuc
(12 miles [19.3 km] to the northeast)
- Pontoosuc is located in Hancock County (IL)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Pontoosuc
- Population from the 2020 Census: 132 people
- Warsaw
(12 miles [19.3 km] to the south)
- Elvaston
(12 miles [19.3 km] to the southeast)
- Dallas City
(14 miles [22.5 km] to the northeast)
- Burnside
(16 miles [25.7 km] to the east)
- Burnside is located in Hancock County (IL)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Burnside
- Henderson County (IL)
- The following are listed by their distance from Bluff Park, with the one closest to Bluff Park listed first.
- Lomax
(20 miles [32.2 km] to the northeast)
- Lomax is located in Henderson County (IL)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Lomax
- Population from the 2020 Census: 393 people
- Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Lomax <1>
- Iowa Junction
(21 miles [33.8 km] to the northeast)
- Iowa Junction is located in Henderson County (IL)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Iowa Junction
- Carman
(23 miles [37 km] to the northeast)
- Terre Haute
(24 miles [38.6 km] to the northeast)
- Terre Haute is located in Henderson County (IL)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Terre Haute
- Gulf Port
(25 miles [40.2 km] to the northeast)
- Gulf Port is located in Henderson County (IL)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Gulf Port
- Population from the 2020 Census: 46 people
- Stronghurst
(29 miles [46.7 km] to the northeast)
- Olena
(30 miles [48.3 km] to the northeast)
- Olena is located in Henderson County (IL)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Olena
- McDonough County (IL)
- The following are listed by their distance from Bluff Park, with the one closest to Bluff Park listed first.
- VIshnu Springs ‑ Historic
(27 miles [43.5 km] to the east)
- VIshnu Springs is located in McDonough County (IL)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for VIshnu Springs
- Blandinsville
(28 miles [45.1 km] to the east)
- Colmar
(29 miles [46.7 km] to the southeast)
- Colmar is located in McDonough County (IL)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Colmar
- Tennessee
(30 miles [48.3 km] to the east)
- Clark County (MO)
- The following are listed by their distance from Bluff Park, with the one closest to Bluff Park listed first.
- Saint Francisville
(10 miles [16.1 km] to the southwest)
- Saint Francisville is located in Clark County (MO)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Saint Francisville
- Alexandria
(11 miles [17.7 km] to the south)
- Dumas
(12 miles [19.3 km] to the west)
- Dumas is located in Clark County (MO)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Dumas
- Wayland
(13 miles [20.9 km] to the southwest)
- Wayland is located in Clark County (MO)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Wayland
- Population from the 2020 Census: 506 people
- Revere
(14 miles [22.5 km] to the west)
- Athens
(15 miles [24.1 km] to the west)
- Athens is located in Clark County (MO)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Athens
- Peaksville
(15 miles [24.1 km] to the west)
- Peaksville is located in Clark County (MO)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Peaksville
- Clark City
(16 miles [25.7 km] to the southwest)
- Clark City is located in Clark County (MO)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Clark City
- Kahoka
(18 miles [29 km] to the southwest)
- Anson
(19 miles [30.6 km] to the west)
- Anson is located in Clark County (MO)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Anson
- Chambersburg
(20 miles [32.2 km] to the west)
- Chambersburg is located in Clark County (MO)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Chambersburg
- Medill
(20 miles [32.2 km] to the west)
- Medill is located in Clark County (MO)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Medill
- Lewis County (MO)
- The following are listed by their distance from Bluff Park, with the one closest to Bluff Park listed first.
- Canton
(27 miles [43.5 km] to the south)
- Williamstown
(28 miles [45.1 km] to the southwest)
- Williamstown is located in Lewis County (MO)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Williamstown
- Scotland County (MO)
- Granger
(30 miles [48.3 km] to the west)
- Granger is located in Scotland County (MO)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Granger
- Population from the 2020 Census: 34 people
For an expanded list of the communities that are closest to Bluff Park, see our County-by-County Page for Bluff Park.
Cemeteries Near Bluff Park ...
Below are cemeteries that are in the vicinity of Bluff Park.
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 Bluff Park - one of the links might be able to help.
If not found below, our Cemetery List for Bluff Park covers a larger area, with the cemeteries listed in alphabetical order.
The following cemeteries are listed based on their distance from Bluff Park, with the one closest to Bluff Park listed first.
- St. Barnabas Cemetery
(Less than 2 miles to the west)
- Smith Family Cemetery
(Less than 2 miles to the northeast)
- Dundey Cemetery
(Less than 2 miles to the north)
- Indian Princess Grave
(Less than 2 miles to the northwest)
- Montrose Cemetery
(Less than 2 miles to the northwest)
- Boyd & Peevler Cemetery
(2 miles [3.2 km] to the southwest)
- Galland Cemetery
(2 miles [3.2 km] to the southeast)
- Old Nauvoo Cemetery
(2 miles [3.2 km] to the east)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Old Nauvoo Cemetery
- The Old Nauvoo Cemetery has also been known as:
- Marks Cemetery
- Miller Hill Cemetery
- Old Mormon Cemetery
- Old Pioneer Cemetery
- Parley Street Cemetery
- Pioneer Burial Grounds
- Pioneer Cemetery
- Pioneer Saint Cemetery
- Jump to Find-A-Grave: FG ID #107486 <2>
- Nauvoo Old Cemetery
(2 miles [3.2 km] to the northeast)
- St.s Peter & Paul Cemetery
(2 miles [3.2 km] to the northeast)
- F Simonin Grounds Cemetery
(2 miles [3.2 km] to the northwest)
- Colvin Cemetery
(3 miles [4.8 km] to the south)
- Continue List (433 more) ...
- Nauvoo Cemetery
(3 miles [4.8 km] to the northeast)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Nauvoo Cemetery
- The Nauvoo Cemetery has also been known as:
- Nauvoo City Cemetery
- Nauvoo Two Cemetery
- Jump to Find-A-Grave: FG ID #2177534 <2>
- Moon Cemetery
(3 miles [4.8 km] to the northwest)
- Dudley Cemetery
(4 miles [6.4 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 Bluff Park in the Atlas, the following 1895 communities would have been found near the current location of Bluff Park.
These communities are listed based on their distance from Bluff Park, with the one closest to Bluff Park listed first.
- Montrose
(Less than 2 miles to the west)
- Nauvoo
(Less than 2 miles to the northeast)
- Galland
(2 miles [3.2 km] to the southeast)
- Galland is located in Lee County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Galland
- Mount Clare
(2 miles [3.2 km] to the west)
- Mount Clare is located in Lee County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Mount Clare
- Sonora ‑ Historic
(3 miles [4.8 km] to the southeast)
- Sonora is located in Hancock County (IL)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Sonora
- Summitville
(4 miles [6.4 km] to the southwest)
- Summitville is located in Lee County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Summitville
- Sandusky
(4 miles [6.4 km] to the south)
- Sandusky is located in Lee County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Sandusky
- New Boston
(5 miles [8 km] to the northwest)
- New Boston is located in Lee County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for New Boston
- Viele
(6 miles [9.7 km] to the north)
- Viele is located in Lee County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Viele
- Mooar
(6 miles [9.7 km] to the southwest)
- Mooar is located in Lee County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Mooar
- Bullard
(6 miles [9.7 km] to the north)
- Bullard is located in Lee County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Bullard
- Powellton
(7 miles [11.3 km] to the east)
- Powellton is located in Hancock County (IL)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Powellton
- Continue List (14 more) ...
- Charleston
(7 miles [11.3 km] to the northwest)
- Charleston is located in Lee County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Charleston
- Vincennes
(8 miles [12.9 km] to the west)
- Vincennes is located in Lee County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Vincennes
- Keokuk
(8 miles [12.9 km] to the south)
We've also created an expanded list of communities that existed in the 1890's and were located in the area around Bluff Park. See our List of 1890's Communities around Bluff Park.
Newspapers Published in Bluff Park ...
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 107 newspapers that have been published in the area around Bluff Park.
Although we're unaware of any newspapers that were published in the immediate area of Bluff Park, there are papers which were published within 29 miles [46.7 km]<4>. A list of those papers, sorted by paper name, can be found on the Extended Newspaper List for Bluff Park.
Websites to Help With Your Genealogy Research ...
When we do our genealogical research, we first visit 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 Bluff Park:
- Websites specific to Iowa
- Pages specific to Lee County
- Genealogy information for nearby counties
- Des Moines County
- Henry County
- Van Buren County
- Adams County
- Hancock County
- Henderson County
- McDonough County
- Clark County
- Lewis County
- Scotland 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 Bluff Park, 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' (or 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 Park) to Point B. In other words: 'As the crow flies'. |