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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 Charter Oak (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 Charter Oak. 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.

Charter Oak is located in Crawford 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 Crawford County: Audubon, Carroll, Harrison, Ida, Monona, Sac, Shelby & Woodbury.

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

  • Crawford County     (The home county of Charter Oak)
    • The following are listed by their distance from Charter Oak, with the one closest to Charter Oak listed first.
    • Ricketts
      (4 miles [6.4 km] to the north)
      • Ricketts is located in Crawford County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Ricketts
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 135 people
    • Kenwood
      (5 miles [8 km] to the southeast)
      • Kenwood is located in Crawford County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Kenwood
    • Bell
      (9 miles [14.5 km] to the southeast)
      • Bell is located in Crawford County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Bell
    • Schleswig
      (10 miles [16.1 km] to the northeast)
    • Arion
      (10 miles [16.1 km] to the southeast)
      • Arion is located in Crawford County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Arion
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 107 people
    • Dow City
      (10 miles [16.1 km] to the southeast)
    • Sunset Village
      (11 miles [17.7 km] to the east)
      • Sunset Village is located in Crawford County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Sunset Village
    • Denison
      (12 miles [19.3 km] to the east)
    • Deloit
      (14 miles [22.5 km] to the east)
      • Deloit is located in Crawford County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Deloit
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 254 people
    • Buck Grove
      (14 miles [22.5 km] to the southeast)
      • Buck Grove is located in Crawford County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Buck Grove
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 43 people
    • Kiron
      (16 miles [25.7 km] to the northeast)
    • Boyer
      (19 miles [30.6 km] to the northeast)
      • Boyer is located in Crawford County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Boyer
  • Carroll County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Charter Oak, with the one closest to Charter Oak listed first.
    • Arcadia
      (28 miles [45.1 km] to the east)
      • Arcadia is located in Carroll County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Arcadia
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 531 people
    • Manning
      (29 miles [46.7 km] to the east)
  • Harrison County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Charter Oak, with the one closest to Charter Oak listed first.
    • Dunlap
      (14 miles [22.5 km] to the south)
    • Woodbine
      (23 miles [37 km] to the south)
    • Pisgah
      (23 miles [37 km] to the southwest)
    • Little Sioux
      (28 miles [45.1 km] to the southwest)
    • Orson
      (28 miles [45.1 km] to the southwest)
      • Orson is located in Harrison County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Orson
    • Magnolia
      (29 miles [46.7 km] to the southwest)
      • Magnolia is located in Harrison County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Magnolia
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 170 people
  • Ida County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Charter Oak, with the one closest to Charter Oak listed first.
    • Battle Creek
      (17 miles [27.4 km] to the north)
    • Ida Grove
      (19 miles [30.6 km] to the north)
    • Arthur
      (22 miles [35.4 km] to the northeast)
      • Arthur is located in Ida County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Arthur
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 194 people
    • Holstein
      (29 miles [46.7 km] to the north)
  • Monona County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Charter Oak, with the one closest to Charter Oak listed first.
    • Ute
      (6 miles [9.7 km] to the west)
      • Ute is located in Monona County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Ute
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 337 people
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Ute <1>
    • Soldier
      (11 miles [17.7 km] to the southwest)
    • Mapleton
      (12 miles [19.3 km] to the northwest)
    • Moorhead
      (16 miles [25.7 km] to the southwest)
    • Castana
      (16 miles [25.7 km] to the west)
    • Turin
      (19 miles [30.6 km] to the west)
    • Rodney
      (20 miles [32.2 km] to the northwest)
      • Rodney is located in Monona County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Rodney
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 57 people
    • Onawa
      (26 miles [41.8 km] to the west)
    • Blencoe
      (27 miles [43.5 km] to the west)
      • Blencoe is located in Monona County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Blencoe
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 196 people
    • Whiting
      (29 miles [46.7 km] to the west)
  • Sac County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Charter Oak, with the one closest to Charter Oak listed first.
    • Herring ‑ Historic
      (24 miles [38.6 km] to the northeast)
      • Herring is located in Sac County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Herring
    • Odebolt
      (24 miles [38.6 km] to the northeast)
      • Odebolt is located in Sac County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Odebolt
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 933 people
    • Wall Lake
      (28 miles [45.1 km] to the northeast)
      • Wall Lake is located in Sac County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Wall Lake
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 753 people
    • Sac City Junction ‑ Historic
      (29 miles [46.7 km] to the northeast)
      • Sac City Junction is located in Sac County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Sac City Junction
  • Shelby County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Charter Oak, with the one closest to Charter Oak listed first.
    • Defiance
      (21 miles [33.8 km] to the southeast)
      • Defiance is located in Shelby County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Defiance
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 260 people
    • Earling
      (21 miles [33.8 km] to the southeast)
      • Earling is located in Shelby County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Earling
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 403 people
    • Panama
      (24 miles [38.6 km] to the south)
    • Westphalia
      (26 miles [41.8 km] to the southeast)
      • Westphalia is located in Shelby County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Westphalia
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 117 people
    • Botna
      (27 miles [43.5 km] to the southeast)
      • Botna is located in Shelby County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Botna
    • Irwin
      (27 miles [43.5 km] to the southeast)
    • Kirkman
      (28 miles [45.1 km] to the southeast)
      • Kirkman is located in Shelby County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Kirkman
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 61 people
    • Portsmouth
      (29 miles [46.7 km] to the south)
  • Woodbury County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Charter Oak, with the one closest to Charter Oak listed first.
    • Danbury
      (13 miles [20.9 km] to the northwest)
    • Smithland
      (20 miles [32.2 km] to the northwest)
    • Oto
      (21 miles [33.8 km] to the northwest)
      • Oto is located in Woodbury County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Oto
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 101 people
    • Anthon
      (26 miles [41.8 km] to the northwest)
    • Cushing
      (27 miles [43.5 km] to the north)
      • Cushing is located in Woodbury County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Cushing
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 215 people
    • Hornick
      (28 miles [45.1 km] to the northwest)
      • Hornick is located in Woodbury County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Hornick
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 210 people
    • Correctionville
      (29 miles [46.7 km] to the north)

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

Cemeteries Near Charter Oak ...

Below are cemeteries that are in the vicinity of Charter Oak.

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 Charter Oak - one of the links might be able to help.

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

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

  • Charter Oak Cemetery
    (Less than 2 miles to the north)
  • St. John Cemetery
    (Less than 2 miles to the north)
  • St. Boniface Cemetery
    (Less than 2 miles to the north)
  • St. Paul Cemetery
    (Less than 2 miles to the northeast)
  • Bockelmann Family Cemetery
    (3 miles [4.8 km] to the northeast)
  • Willow Twp. Cemetery
    (5 miles [8 km] to the south)
  • St. Clairce Cemetery
    (6 miles [9.7 km] to the west)
  • St. Marys Cemetery
    (6 miles [9.7 km] to the west)
  • Putman Cemetery
    (8 miles [12.9 km] to the west)
  • Hartliben Cemetery
    (9 miles [14.5 km] to the northwest)
  • Morgan Cemetery
    (9 miles [14.5 km] to the northeast)
  • Dow City Cemetery
    (10 miles [16.1 km] to the south)
  • Continue List   (125 more) ...
    • Otter Creek Cemetery
      (10 miles [16.1 km] to the northeast)
    • Butler Cemetery
      (11 miles [17.7 km] to the southeast)
    • Crawford County Home Cemetery
      (11 miles [17.7 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.<3>

The Rand McNally Atlas shows that Charter Oak had a population of 567 people in 1895 with a post office and railroad service. In 2020, Charter Oak had a population of 478 people.

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

  • Kenwood
    (5 miles [8 km] to the southeast)
    • Kenwood is located in Crawford County
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Kenwood
  • Ute
    (6 miles [9.7 km] to the west)
    • Ute is located in Monona County
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Ute
    • Population from the 2020 Census: 337 people
    • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Ute <1>
  • Bell
    (9 miles [14.5 km] to the southeast)
    • Bell is located in Crawford County
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Bell
  • Dow City
    (10 miles [16.1 km] to the southeast)
  • Arion
    (10 miles [16.1 km] to the southeast)
    • Arion is located in Crawford County
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Arion
    • Population from the 2020 Census: 107 people
  • Soldier
    (11 miles [17.7 km] to the southwest)
  • Denison
    (12 miles [19.3 km] to the east)
  • Mapleton
    (12 miles [19.3 km] to the northwest)
  • Danbury
    (13 miles [20.9 km] to the northwest)
  • Dunlap
    (14 miles [22.5 km] to the south)
  • Buck Grove
    (14 miles [22.5 km] to the southeast)
    • Buck Grove is located in Crawford County
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Buck Grove
    • Population from the 2020 Census: 43 people
  • Deloit
    (14 miles [22.5 km] to the east)
    • Deloit is located in Crawford County
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Deloit
    • Population from the 2020 Census: 254 people
  • Continue List   (15 more) ...
    • Moorhead
      (16 miles [25.7 km] to the southwest)
    • Manteno
      (16 miles [25.7 km] to the south)
      • Manteno is located in Shelby County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Manteno
    • Kiron
      (16 miles [25.7 km] to the northeast)

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

Newspapers Published in the Vicinity of Charter Oak ...

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 71 newspapers that have been published in the area around Charter Oak.

We have organized these newspapers into two lists:

  • A Local Newspaper List - focusing on the papers published in the immediate area of Charter Oak. There are actually two parts to this list - papers printed in the immediate area of Charter Oak and those printed in the larger area surrounding Charter Oak.
  • An Extended Newspaper List - a longer list, sorted by paper name and containing those papers published within 29 miles [46.7 km]<4> of Charter Oak.

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 either 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 Charter Oak:

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 Charter Oak, please let us know so that we can improve our accuracy.
<4>Our distances are not driving distances, but are calculated as a 'point-to-point' distance. A straight line distance ignores obstructions like rivers, canyons, lakes, et cetera - it's truly a line from Point A (ie- Charter Oak) to Point B. In other words: 'As the crow flies'.