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 Carmel (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 Carmel. 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 northwest 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 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 west 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.
Carmel 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 Carmel. For each of these counties, we show a sample of those communities that are closest to Carmel:
- Sioux County (The home county of Carmel)
- The following are listed by their distance from Carmel, with the one closest to Carmel listed first.
- Westbrook Village
(3 miles [4.8 km] to the southeast)
- Westbrook Village is located in Sioux County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Westbrook Village
- Perkins
(4 miles [6.4 km] to the northeast)
- Perkins is located in Sioux County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Perkins
- Sioux Center
(4 miles [6.4 km] to the southeast)
- Hull
(6 miles [9.7 km] to the northeast)
- Rock Valley
(6 miles [9.7 km] to the northwest)
- Lebanon
(6 miles [9.7 km] to the west)
- Lebanon is located in Sioux County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Lebanon
- Middleburg
(8 miles [12.9 km] to the east)
- Middleburg is located in Sioux County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Middleburg
- Ireton
(11 miles [17.7 km] to the south)
- Maurice
(11 miles [17.7 km] to the south)
- Maurice is located in Sioux County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Maurice
- Population from the 2020 Census: 270 people
- Boyden
(12 miles [19.3 km] to the east)
- Boyden is located in Sioux County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Boyden
- Population from the 2020 Census: 682 people
- Orange City
(12 miles [19.3 km] to the southeast)
- Alton
(14 miles [22.5 km] to the southeast)
- Hawarden
(15 miles [24.1 km] to the southwest)
- Cherokee County
- Marcus
(30 miles [48.3 km] to the southeast)
- Lyon County
- The following are listed by their distance from Carmel, with the one closest to Carmel listed first.
- Doon
(10 miles [16.1 km] to the north)
- Alvord
(15 miles [24.1 km] to the north)
- Inwood
(16 miles [25.7 km] to the northwest)
- George
(18 miles [29 km] to the northeast)
- Edna
(19 miles [30.6 km] to the north)
- Edna is located in Lyon County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Edna
- Rock Rapids
(20 miles [32.2 km] to the north)
- Beloit
(20 miles [32.2 km] to the northwest)
- Beloit is located in Lyon County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Beloit
- Lester
(22 miles [35.4 km] to the north)
- Lester is located in Lyon County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Lester
- Population from the 2020 Census: 303 people
- Klondike
(22 miles [35.4 km] to the northwest)
- Klondike is located in Lyon County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Klondike
- Larchwood
(24 miles [38.6 km] to the northwest)
- Little Rock
(28 miles [45.1 km] to the northeast)
- O'Brien County
- The following are listed by their distance from Carmel, with the one closest to Carmel listed first.
- Sheldon
(20 miles [32.2 km] to the east)
- Archer
(24 miles [38.6 km] to the east)
- Germantown
(25 miles [40.2 km] to the southeast)
- Germantown is located in O'Brien County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Germantown
- Paullina
(29 miles [46.7 km] to the east)
- Paullina is located in O'Brien County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Paullina
- Population from the 2020 Census: 965 people
- Sanborn
(29 miles [46.7 km] to the east)
- Osceola County
- Ashton
(25 miles [40.2 km] to the northeast)
- Plymouth County
- The following are listed by their distance from Carmel, with the one closest to Carmel listed first.
- Craig
(16 miles [25.7 km] to the south)
- Craig is located in Plymouth County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Craig
- Population from the 2020 Census: 91 people
- Struble
(16 miles [25.7 km] to the south)
- Struble is located in Plymouth County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Struble
- Population from the 2020 Census: 77 people
- Brunsville
(21 miles [33.8 km] to the south)
- Brunsville is located in Plymouth County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Brunsville
- Population from the 2020 Census: 152 people
- Oyens
(23 miles [37 km] to the southeast)
- Oyens is located in Plymouth County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Oyens
- Population from the 2020 Census: 102 people
- Le Mars
(24 miles [38.6 km] to the south)
- Remsen
(25 miles [40.2 km] to the southeast)
- Akron
(26 miles [41.8 km] to the southwest)
- Adaville
(27 miles [43.5 km] to the south)
- Adaville is located in Plymouth County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Adaville
- Merrill
(28 miles [45.1 km] to the south)
- O'Leary
(30 miles [48.3 km] to the south)
- O'Leary is located in Plymouth County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for O'Leary
- Nobles County (MN)
- Ellsworth
(29 miles [46.7 km] to the north)
- Rock County (MN)
- The following are listed by their distance from Carmel, with the one closest to Carmel listed first.
- Steen
(26 miles [41.8 km] to the north)
- Steen is located in Rock County (MN)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Steen
- Population from the 2020 Census: 164 people
- Ash Creek
(28 miles [45.1 km] to the north)
- Ash Creek is located in Rock County (MN)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Ash Creek
- Bruce
(28 miles [45.1 km] to the north)
- Bruce is located in Rock County (MN)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Bruce
- Hills
(28 miles [45.1 km] to the north)
- Clay County (SD)
- The following are listed by their distance from Carmel, with the one closest to Carmel listed first.
- Alsen
(30 miles [48.3 km] to the west)
- Alsen is located in Clay County (SD)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Alsen
- Glenwood ‑ Historic
(30 miles [48.3 km] to the west)
- Glenwood is located in Clay County (SD)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Glenwood
- Estimated population in 2014: 103 people
- Lincoln County (SD)
- The following are listed by their distance from Carmel, with the one closest to Carmel listed first.
- Hudson
(11 miles [17.7 km] to the west)
- Fairview
(14 miles [22.5 km] to the northwest)
- Moe
(18 miles [29 km] to the west)
- Moe is located in Lincoln County (SD)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Moe
- Canton
(21 miles [33.8 km] to the northwest)
- Worthing
(30 miles [48.3 km] to the northwest)
- Union County (SD)
- The following are listed by their distance from Carmel, with the one closest to Carmel listed first.
- Alcester
(21 miles [33.8 km] to the west)
- Big Springs
(22 miles [35.4 km] to the southwest)
- Big Springs is located in Union County (SD)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Big Springs
- Nora
(27 miles [43.5 km] to the southwest)
- Nora is located in Union County (SD)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Nora
- Estimated population in 2014: 240 people
- Beresford
(27 miles [43.5 km] to the west)
- Beresford is located in Union County (SD)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Beresford
- Population from the 2020 Census: 2,043 people
- Former name for Beresford:
- Paris
- Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Beresford <1>
- Emmet
(27 miles [43.5 km] to the west)
- Emmet is located in Union County (SD)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Emmet
- Estimated population in 2014: 231 people
For an expanded list of the communities that are closest to Carmel, see our County-by-County Page for Carmel.
Cemeteries Near Carmel ...
Below are cemeteries that are in the vicinity of Carmel.
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 Carmel - one of the links might be able to help.
If not found below, our Cemetery List for Carmel covers a larger area, with the cemeteries listed in alphabetical order.
The following cemeteries are listed based on their distance from Carmel, with the one closest to Carmel listed first.
- Carmel Reformed Church Cemetery
(Less than 2 miles to the east)
- Peace Lutheran Cemetery
(3 miles [4.8 km] to the southwest)
- St. Marys Cemetery
(4 miles [6.4 km] to the northwest)
- Memory Gardens Sioux Center Cemetery
(5 miles [8 km] to the southeast)
- Valley View Cemetery
(5 miles [8 km] to the northwest)
- Lebanon Christian Reform Church Cemetery
(6 miles [9.7 km] to the west)
- Hope Cemetery
(6 miles [9.7 km] to the northeast)
- Pioneer Cemetery
(6 miles [9.7 km] to the northeast)
- Highland Cemetery
(7 miles [11.3 km] to the southwest)
- St. Josephs Cemetery
(7 miles [11.3 km] to the northeast)
- Middleburg Cemetery
(8 miles [12.9 km] to the east)
- St. Pauls Evangelical Lutheran Cemetery
(9 miles [14.5 km] to the northeast)
- Continue List (123 more) ...
- Garfield Twp. Cemetery
(10 miles [16.1 km] to the north)
- Hillside Cemetery
(10 miles [16.1 km] to the north)
- Pleasant Hill Cemetery
(11 miles [17.7 km] to the south)
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 Carmel in the Atlas, the following 1895 communities would have been found near the current location of Carmel.
These communities are listed based on their distance from Carmel, with the one closest to Carmel listed first.
- Sioux Center
(4 miles [6.4 km] to the southeast)
- Perkins
(4 miles [6.4 km] to the northeast)
- Perkins is located in Sioux County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Perkins
- Hull
(6 miles [9.7 km] to the northeast)
- Rock Valley
(6 miles [9.7 km] to the northwest)
- Middleburg
(8 miles [12.9 km] to the east)
- Middleburg is located in Sioux County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Middleburg
- Doon
(10 miles [16.1 km] to the north)
- Ireton
(11 miles [17.7 km] to the south)
- Maurice
(11 miles [17.7 km] to the south)
- Maurice is located in Sioux County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Maurice
- Population from the 2020 Census: 270 people
- Orange City
(12 miles [19.3 km] to the southeast)
- Boyden
(12 miles [19.3 km] to the east)
- Boyden is located in Sioux County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Boyden
- Population from the 2020 Census: 682 people
- Newkirk
(13 miles [20.9 km] to the east)
- Newkirk is located in Sioux County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Newkirk
- Alton
(14 miles [22.5 km] to the southeast)
- Continue List (17 more) ...
- Fairview
(14 miles [22.5 km] to the northwest)
- Hawarden
(15 miles [24.1 km] to the southwest)
- Alvord
(15 miles [24.1 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 Carmel. See our List of 1890's Communities around Carmel.
Newspapers Published in Carmel ...
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 131 newspapers that have been published in the area around Carmel.
Although we're unaware of any newspapers that were published in the immediate area of Carmel, 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 Carmel.
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 professional and volunteer 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 Carmel:
- Websites specific to Iowa
- Pages specific to Sioux County
- Genealogy information for nearby counties
- Cherokee County
- Lyon County
- O'Brien County
- Osceola County
- Plymouth County
- Nobles County
- Rock County
- Clay County
- Lincoln County
- Union 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 Carmel, 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' distance. A straight line distance ignores things like rivers, canyons, lakes, et cetera - it's truly a line from Point A (ie- Carmel) to Point B. In other words: 'As the crow flies'. |