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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 Carlisle (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 Carlisle. 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.

Carlisle is primarily located in Polk County. A portion of Carlisle extends into Warren 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 Polk County: Boone, Dallas, Jasper, Madison, Marion, Story & Warren.

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

  • Polk County     (The home county of Carlisle)
    • The following are listed by their distance from Carlisle, with the one closest to Carlisle listed first.
    • Adelphi
      (3 miles [4.8 km] to the northeast)
      • Note: We haven't been able to verify our GPS coordinates for Adelphi. Although the coordinates have been estimated, they should be in the vicinity.<1>
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Adelphi
      • Adelphi is located in Polk County
      • Google driving directions:
      • From your current location to Adelphi
      • From Carlisle to Adelphi
    • Pleasant Hill
      (5 miles [8 km] to the north)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Pleasant Hill have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Pleasant Hill
      • Pleasant Hill is located in Polk County
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 10,025 people
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Pleasant Hill <3>
    • Runnells
      (6 miles [9.7 km] to the east)
    • Rising Sun
      (6 miles [9.7 km] to the north)
      • Note: We haven't been able to verify our GPS coordinates for Rising Sun. Although the coordinates have been estimated, they should be in the vicinity.<1>
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Rising Sun
      • Rising Sun is located in Polk County
      • Google driving directions:
      • From your current location to Rising Sun
      • From Carlisle to Rising Sun
    • Country Estate Village
      (9 miles [14.5 km] to the north)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Country Estate Village have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Country Estate Village
      • Country Estate Village is located in Polk County
    • Des Moines
      (9 miles [14.5 km] to the northwest)
    • Norwalk
      (9 miles [14.5 km] to the west)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Norwalk have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Norwalk
      • Norwalk is located in Polk County
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 12,449 people
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Norwalk <3>
    • Altoona
      (10 miles [16.1 km] to the north)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Altoona have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Altoona
      • Altoona is located in Polk County
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 19,503 people
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Altoona <3>
    • Berwick
      (11 miles [17.7 km] to the north)
      • Note: We haven't been able to verify our GPS coordinates for Berwick. Although the coordinates have been estimated, they should be in the vicinity.<1>
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Berwick
      • Berwick is located in Polk County
      • Google driving directions:
      • From your current location to Berwick
      • From Carlisle to Berwick
    • Marquisville
      (12 miles [19.3 km] to the northwest)
    • Bondurant
      (13 miles [20.9 km] to the north)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Bondurant have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Bondurant
      • Bondurant is located in Polk County
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 7,293 people
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Bondurant <3>
    • Mitchellville
      (13 miles [20.9 km] to the northeast)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Mitchellville have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Mitchellville
      • Mitchellville is located in Polk County
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 2,273 people
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Mitchellville <3>
    • Windsor Heights
      (13 miles [20.9 km] to the northwest)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Windsor Heights have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Windsor Heights
      • Windsor Heights is located in Polk County
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 4,735 people
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Windsor Heights <3>
  • Boone County
  • Clarke County
  • Dallas County
  • Jasper County
  • Lucas County
    • Williamson
      (30 miles [48.3 km] to the southeast)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Williamson have been provided by the GNIS.<2> 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 <3>
  • Madison County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Carlisle, with the one closest to Carlisle listed first.
    • Patterson
      (22 miles [35.4 km] to the southwest)
    • Saint Charles
      (22 miles [35.4 km] to the southwest)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Saint Charles have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Saint Charles
      • Saint Charles is located in Madison County
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 656 people
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Saint Charles <3>
    • Truro
      (27 miles [43.5 km] to the southwest)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Truro have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Truro
      • Truro is located in Madison County
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 501 people
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Truro <3>
    • East Peru
      (29 miles [46.7 km] to the southwest)
      • Note: We haven't been able to verify our GPS coordinates for East Peru. Although the coordinates have been estimated, they should be in the vicinity.<1>
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for East Peru
      • East Peru is located in Madison County
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 133 people
      • Google driving directions:
      • From your current location to East Peru
      • From Carlisle to East Peru
    • Winterset
      (29 miles [46.7 km] to the southwest)
  • Marion County
  • Story County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Carlisle, with the one closest to Carlisle listed first.
    • Cambridge
      (27 miles [43.5 km] to the north)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Cambridge have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Cambridge
      • Cambridge is located in Story County
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 796 people
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Cambridge <3>
    • Huxley
      (27 miles [43.5 km] to the north)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Huxley have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Huxley
      • Huxley is located in Story County
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 4,270 people
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Huxley <3>
    • Maxwell
      (27 miles [43.5 km] to the north)
    • Slater
      (27 miles [43.5 km] to the north)
    • Collins
      (29 miles [46.7 km] to the north)
    • Iowa Center
      (29 miles [46.7 km] to the north)
    • Midvale
      (30 miles [48.3 km] to the north)
  • Warren County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Carlisle, with the one closest to Carlisle listed first.
    • Hartford
      (5 miles [8 km] to the southeast)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Hartford have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Hartford
      • Hartford is located in Warren County
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 780 people
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Hartford <3>
    • Palmyra
      (5 miles [8 km] to the southeast)
    • Ackworth
      (9 miles [14.5 km] to the south)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Ackworth have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Ackworth
      • Ackworth is located in Warren County
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 105 people
    • Lakewood
      (9 miles [14.5 km] to the west)
    • Indianola
      (10 miles [16.1 km] to the south)
    • Sandyville
      (10 miles [16.1 km] to the southeast)
    • Spring Hill
      (10 miles [16.1 km] to the southwest)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Spring Hill have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Spring Hill
      • Spring Hill is located in Warren County
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 65 people
    • Orillia
      (12 miles [19.3 km] to the west)
      • Note: We haven't been able to verify our GPS coordinates for Orillia. Although the coordinates have been estimated, they should be in the vicinity.<1>
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Orillia
      • Orillia is located in Warren County
      • Google driving directions:
      • From your current location to Orillia
      • From Carlisle to Orillia
    • Prole
      (13 miles [20.9 km] to the southwest)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Prole have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Prole
      • Prole is located in Warren County
    • Cumming
      (13 miles [20.9 km] to the west)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Cumming have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Cumming
      • Cumming is located in Warren County
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 413 people
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Cumming <3>
    • Milo
      (14 miles [22.5 km] to the south)
    • Churchville
      (15 miles [24.1 km] to the southwest)
    • Martensdale
      (15 miles [24.1 km] to the southwest)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Martensdale have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Martensdale
      • Martensdale is located in Warren County
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 470 people
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Martensdale <3>

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

Cemeteries Near Carlisle ...

Below are cemeteries that are in the vicinity of Carlisle.

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 Carlisle covers a larger area, with the cemeteries listed in alphabetical order.

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

  • Carlisle Cemetery
    (Less than 2 miles to the south)
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Carlisle Cemetery
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Carlisle Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
  • Middle River Cemetery
    (2 miles [3.2 km] to the southeast)
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Middle River Cemetery
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Middle River Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
  • Scotch Ridge Cemetery
    (3 miles [4.8 km] to the southwest)
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Scotch Ridge Cemetery
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Scotch Ridge Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
  • Avon Cemetery
    (3 miles [4.8 km] to the northwest)
  • Wicker Cemetery
    (4 miles [6.4 km] to the east)
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Wicker Cemetery
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Wicker Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
  • Powers - Warren Cemetery
    (4 miles [6.4 km] to the northeast)
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Powers - Warren Cemetery
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Powers - Warren Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
  • Elm Grove Cemetery
    (4 miles [6.4 km] to the west)
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Elm Grove Cemetery
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Elm Grove Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
  • Laverty Cemetery
    (5 miles [8 km] to the south)
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Laverty Cemetery
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Laverty Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
  • Palmyra Cemetery
    (5 miles [8 km] to the southeast)
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Palmyra Cemetery
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Palmyra Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
  • Hartford Cemetery
    (5 miles [8 km] to the southeast)
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Hartford Cemetery
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Hartford Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
  • Stuart Cemetery
    (5 miles [8 km] to the northeast)
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Stuart Cemetery
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Stuart Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
  • Oakwood Cemetery
    (6 miles [9.7 km] to the north)
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Oakwood Cemetery
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Oakwood Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
  • Continue List   (328 more) ...
    • Black Cemetery
      (6 miles [9.7 km] to the southeast)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Black Cemetery
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Black Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Laurel Hill Cemetery
      (6 miles [9.7 km] to the northwest)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Laurel Hill Cemetery
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Laurel Hill Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Moore Cemetery
      (6 miles [9.7 km] to the east)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Moore Cemetery
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Moore Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<2> 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.<5>

The Rand McNally Atlas shows that Carlisle had a population of 329 people in 1895 with a post office and railroad service. In 2020, Carlisle had a population of 4,323 people.

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

  • Avon
    (2 miles [3.2 km] to the northwest)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Avon have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Avon
    • Avon is located in Polk County
  • Levey
    (3 miles [4.8 km] to the northwest)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Levey have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Levey
    • Levey is located in Polk County
  • Adelphi
    (3 miles [4.8 km] to the northeast)
    • Note: We haven't been able to verify our GPS coordinates for Adelphi. Although the coordinates have been estimated, they should be in the vicinity.<1>
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Adelphi
    • Adelphi is located in Polk County
    • Google driving directions:
    • From your current location to Adelphi
    • From Carlisle to Adelphi
  • Hastie
    (4 miles [6.4 km] to the north)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Hastie have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Hastie
    • Hastie is located in Polk County
  • Summerset
    (5 miles [8 km] to the southwest)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Summerset have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Summerset
    • Summerset is located in Warren County
  • Palmyra
    (5 miles [8 km] to the southeast)
  • Hartford
    (5 miles [8 km] to the southeast)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Hartford have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Hartford
    • Hartford is located in Warren County
    • Population from the 2020 Census: 780 people
    • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Hartford <3>
  • Ford
    (5 miles [8 km] to the east)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Ford have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Ford
    • Ford is located in Warren County
  • East Des Moines
    (5 miles [8 km] to the northwest)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for East Des Moines have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for East Des Moines
    • East Des Moines is located in Polk County
  • Runnells
    (6 miles [9.7 km] to the east)
  • Rising Sun
    (6 miles [9.7 km] to the north)
    • Note: We haven't been able to verify our GPS coordinates for Rising Sun. Although the coordinates have been estimated, they should be in the vicinity.<1>
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Rising Sun
    • Rising Sun is located in Polk County
    • Google driving directions:
    • From your current location to Rising Sun
    • From Carlisle to Rising Sun
  • Ivy
    (7 miles [11.3 km] to the northeast)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Ivy have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Ivy
    • Ivy is located in Polk County
  • Continue List   (17 more) ...
    • Ackworth
      (9 miles [14.5 km] to the south)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Ackworth have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Ackworth
      • Ackworth is located in Warren County
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 105 people
    • Swan
      (9 miles [14.5 km] to the east)
    • Vandalia
      (9 miles [14.5 km] to the east)

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

Newspapers Published in Carlisle ...

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 274 newspapers that have been published in the area around Carlisle.

Although we're unaware of any newspapers that were published in the immediate area of Carlisle, there are papers which were published within 27 miles [43.5 km]<6>. A list of those papers, sorted by paper name, can be found on the Extended Newspaper List for Carlisle.

Websites to Help With Your Genealogy Research ...

When we do our genealogical research, we begin with 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 Carlisle:

The official website for Carlisle: www.ci.carlisle.ia.us/

The official website for Polk County: www.co.polk.ia.us/

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

Footnotes ...

<1>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.
<2>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.
<3>While we're fans and frequent users of TripAdvisor, you should know that we're also members of the TripAdvisor affiliate program.
<4>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.
<5>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 Carlisle, please let us know so that we can improve our accuracy.
<6>Our distances are not driving distances, but are calculated as a 'straight-line' distance. A straight line distance ignores things like rivers, canyons, lakes, et cetera - it's truly a line from Point A (ie- Carlisle) to Point B.Our distance measurements begin at a specific point in Carlisle. The point we use is located at these GPS coordinates - Latitude: 41.5007, Longitude: -93.4910    









 

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This page was last modified/updated: 28 Apr 2025