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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 Boyden (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 Boyden. 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 hospitals and doctors 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.

Boyden is located in Sioux 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 Sioux County: Lyon, O'Brien, Plymouth, Lincoln (SD) & Union (SD).

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

  • Sioux County     (The home county of Boyden)
    • The following are listed by their distance from Boyden, with the one closest to Boyden listed first.
    • Matlock
      (4 miles [6.4 km] to the northeast)
    • Middleburg
      (6 miles [9.7 km] to the southwest)
    • Hull
      (6 miles [9.7 km] to the west)
      • Hull is located in Sioux County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Hull
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 2,296 people
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Hull <1>
    • Hospers
      (9 miles [14.5 km] to the southeast)
    • Perkins
      (9 miles [14.5 km] to the west)
    • Sioux Center
      (11 miles [17.7 km] to the southwest)
    • Westbrook Village
      (11 miles [17.7 km] to the southwest)
      • Westbrook Village is located in Sioux County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Westbrook Village
    • Orange City
      (13 miles [20.9 km] to the south)
    • Alton
      (14 miles [22.5 km] to the south)
    • Granville
      (15 miles [24.1 km] to the southeast)
      • Granville is located in Sioux County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Granville
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 303 people
    • Rock Valley
      (15 miles [24.1 km] to the west)
    • Maurice
      (18 miles [29 km] to the southwest)
      • Maurice is located in Sioux County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Maurice
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 270 people
    • Lebanon
      (19 miles [30.6 km] to the west)
  • Cherokee County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Boyden, with the one closest to Boyden listed first.
    • Marcus
      (27 miles [43.5 km] to the south)
    • Cleghorn
      (29 miles [46.7 km] to the southeast)
      • Cleghorn is located in Cherokee County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Cleghorn
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 214 people
  • Lyon County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Boyden, with the one closest to Boyden listed first.
    • George
      (10 miles [16.1 km] to the north)
    • Doon
      (13 miles [20.9 km] to the northwest)
    • Edna
      (14 miles [22.5 km] to the north)
    • Little Rock
      (18 miles [29 km] to the north)
    • Alvord
      (18 miles [29 km] to the northwest)
    • Rock Rapids
      (18 miles [29 km] to the northwest)
    • Lester
      (23 miles [37 km] to the northwest)
      • Lester is located in Lyon County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Lester
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 303 people
    • Inwood
      (23 miles [37 km] to the west)
    • Larchwood
      (28 miles [45.1 km] to the northwest)
    • Klondike
      (29 miles [46.7 km] to the northwest)
    • Beloit
      (29 miles [46.7 km] to the west)
  • O'Brien County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Boyden, with the one closest to Boyden listed first.
    • Sheldon
      (7 miles [11.3 km] to the east)
    • Archer
      (13 miles [20.9 km] to the east)
    • Sanborn
      (17 miles [27.4 km] to the east)
    • Germantown
      (19 miles [30.6 km] to the southeast)
    • Primghar
      (20 miles [32.2 km] to the east)
    • Paullina
      (21 miles [33.8 km] to the southeast)
      • Paullina is located in O'Brien County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Paullina
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 965 people
    • Hartley
      (26 miles [41.8 km] to the east)
    • Calumet
      (28 miles [45.1 km] to the southeast)
      • Calumet is located in O'Brien County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Calumet
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 155 people
    • Sutherland
      (29 miles [46.7 km] to the southeast)
  • Osceola County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Boyden, with the one closest to Boyden listed first.
    • Ashton
      (13 miles [20.9 km] to the northeast)
    • Cloverdale
      (19 miles [30.6 km] to the northeast)
    • Sibley
      (19 miles [30.6 km] to the northeast)
    • Melvin
      (20 miles [32.2 km] to the east)
      • Melvin is located in Osceola County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Melvin
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 197 people
    • Allendorf
      (23 miles [37 km] to the northeast)
    • May City
      (27 miles [43.5 km] to the east)
    • Ocheyedan
      (28 miles [45.1 km] to the northeast)
  • Plymouth County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Boyden, with the one closest to Boyden listed first.
    • Struble
      (22 miles [35.4 km] to the southwest)
      • Struble is located in Plymouth County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Struble
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 77 people
    • Oyens
      (25 miles [40.2 km] to the south)
      • Oyens is located in Plymouth County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Oyens
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 102 people
    • Craig
      (25 miles [40.2 km] to the southwest)
      • Craig is located in Plymouth County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Craig
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 91 people
    • Remsen
      (26 miles [41.8 km] to the south)
    • Le Mars
      (29 miles [46.7 km] to the south)
    • Brunsville
      (29 miles [46.7 km] to the southwest)
      • Brunsville is located in Plymouth County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Brunsville
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 152 people
  • Nobles County (MN)
    • The following are listed by their distance from Boyden, with the one closest to Boyden listed first.
    • Ellsworth
      (22 miles [35.4 km] to the north)
    • Ransom
      (26 miles [41.8 km] to the north)
    • Bigelow
      (26 miles [41.8 km] to the northeast)
      • Bigelow is located in Nobles County (MN)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Bigelow
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 226 people
    • Adrian
      (30 miles [48.3 km] to the north)
  • Rock County (MN)
    • The following are listed by their distance from Boyden, with the one closest to Boyden listed first.
    • Steen
      (25 miles [40.2 km] to the northwest)
    • Ash Creek
      (26 miles [41.8 km] to the north)
    • Kanaranzi
      (26 miles [41.8 km] to the north)
    • Hills
      (29 miles [46.7 km] to the northwest)
      • Hills is located in Rock County (MN)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Hills
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 647 people
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Hills <1>
    • Bruce
      (30 miles [48.3 km] to the northwest)
      • Bruce is located in Rock County (MN)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Bruce
  • Lincoln County (SD)

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

Cemeteries Near Boyden ...

Below are cemeteries that are in the vicinity of Boyden.

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

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

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

  • Boyden Cemetery
    (Less than 2 miles to the northwest)
  • St. John Cemetery
    (2 miles [3.2 km] to the north)
  • Greenwood Cemetery
    (4 miles [6.4 km] to the northeast)
  • St. Pauls Evangelical Lutheran Cemetery
    (5 miles [8 km] to the northwest)
  • Middleburg Cemetery
    (6 miles [9.7 km] to the southwest)
  • St. Josephs Cemetery
    (6 miles [9.7 km] to the west)
  • Hope Cemetery
    (7 miles [11.3 km] to the west)
  • Newkirk Cemetery
    (8 miles [12.9 km] to the south)
  • St. Paul Cemetery
    (8 miles [12.9 km] to the east)
  • St. Patricks Cemetery
    (8 miles [12.9 km] to the east)
  • East Lawn Cemetery
    (8 miles [12.9 km] to the east)
  • Lyon County First Presbyterian Church Cemetery
    (8 miles [12.9 km] to the north)
  • Continue List   (120 more) ...
    • Pioneer Cemetery
      (8 miles [12.9 km] to the west)
    • Hope Reformed Church Cemetery
      (9 miles [14.5 km] to the north)
    • Hospers Cemetery
      (9 miles [14.5 km] to the southeast)

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.<2>

The Rand McNally Atlas shows that Boyden had a population of 277 people in 1895 with a post office and railroad service. In 2020, Boyden had a population of 682 people.

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

  • Matlock
    (4 miles [6.4 km] to the northeast)
  • Middleburg
    (6 miles [9.7 km] to the southwest)
  • Hull
    (6 miles [9.7 km] to the west)
    • Hull is located in Sioux County
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Hull
    • Population from the 2020 Census: 2,296 people
    • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Hull <1>
  • Sheldon
    (7 miles [11.3 km] to the east)
  • Newkirk
    (8 miles [12.9 km] to the south)
    • Newkirk is located in Sioux County
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Newkirk
  • Hospers
    (9 miles [14.5 km] to the southeast)
  • Ritter
    (9 miles [14.5 km] to the northeast)
    • Ritter is located in O'Brien County
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Ritter
  • Perkins
    (9 miles [14.5 km] to the west)
  • George
    (10 miles [16.1 km] to the north)
  • Sioux Center
    (11 miles [17.7 km] to the southwest)
  • Orange City
    (13 miles [20.9 km] to the south)
  • Archer
    (13 miles [20.9 km] to the east)
  • Continue List   (14 more) ...
    • Ashton
      (13 miles [20.9 km] to the northeast)
    • Doon
      (13 miles [20.9 km] to the northwest)
    • Alton
      (14 miles [22.5 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 Boyden. See our List of 1890's Communities around Boyden.

Newspapers Published in the Vicinity of Boyden ...

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 149 newspapers that have been published in the area around Boyden.

We have organized these newspapers into two lists:

  • A Local Newspaper List - focusing on the papers published in the immediate area of Boyden. There are actually two parts to this list - papers printed in the immediate area of Boyden and those printed in the larger area surrounding Boyden.
  • An Extended Newspaper List - a longer list, sorted by paper name and containing those papers published within 30 miles [48.3 km]<3> of Boyden.

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 Boyden:

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>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 Boyden, please let us know so that we can improve our accuracy.
<3>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 from Point A (ie- Boyden) to Point B. In other words: 'As the crow flies'.