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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 Creston (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 Creston. 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 hospitals and doctors 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.

Creston is located in Union County and is the County Seat.

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 Union County: Adair, Adams, Clarke, Decatur, Madison, Ringgold & Taylor.

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

  • Union County     (The home county of Creston)
    • The following are listed by their distance from Creston, with the one closest to Creston listed first.
    • East Creston
      (Less than 2 miles to the east)
    • Cromwell
      (5 miles [8 km] to the west)
    • Afton
      (8 miles [12.9 km] to the east)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Afton have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Afton
      • Afton is located in Union County
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 825 people
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Afton <3>
    • Kent
      (8 miles [12.9 km] to the southwest)
    • Arispe
      (10 miles [16.1 km] to the southeast)
    • Shannon City
      (12 miles [19.3 km] to the southeast)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Shannon City have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Shannon City
      • Shannon City is located in Union County
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 69 people
    • Lorimor
      (16 miles [25.7 km] to the east)
    • Thayer
      (16 miles [25.7 km] to the east)
  • Adair County
  • Adams County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Creston, with the one closest to Creston listed first.
    • Stringtown
      (11 miles [17.7 km] to the southwest)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Stringtown have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Stringtown
      • Stringtown is located in Adams County
    • Williamson
      (12 miles [19.3 km] to the northwest)
      • Note: We haven't been able to verify our GPS coordinates for Williamson. Although the coordinates have been estimated, they should be in the vicinity.<1>
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Williamson
      • Williamson is located in Adams County
      • Google driving directions:
      • From your current location to Williamson
      • From Creston to Williamson
    • Prescott
      (13 miles [20.9 km] to the west)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Prescott have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Prescott
      • Prescott is located in Adams County
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 235 people
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Prescott <3>
    • Mercer
      (16 miles [25.7 km] to the southwest)
    • Carl
      (16 miles [25.7 km] to the west)
      • Note: We haven't been able to verify our GPS coordinates for Carl. Although the coordinates have been estimated, they should be in the vicinity.<1>
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Carl
      • Carl is located in Adams County
      • Google driving directions:
      • From your current location to Carl
      • From Creston to Carl
    • Queen City ‑ Historic
      (18 miles [29 km] to the west)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Queen City have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Queen City
      • Queen City is located in Adams County
    • Mount Etna
      (19 miles [30.6 km] to the west)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Mount Etna have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Mount Etna
      • Mount Etna is located in Adams County
    • Corning
      (20 miles [32.2 km] to the west)
    • Quincy
      (22 miles [35.4 km] to the west)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Quincy have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Quincy
      • Quincy is located in Adams County
    • Brooks
      (23 miles [37 km] to the west)
    • Carbon
      (24 miles [38.6 km] to the west)
    • Iveyville
      (25 miles [40.2 km] to the southwest)
      • Note: We haven't been able to verify our GPS coordinates for Iveyville. Although the coordinates have been estimated, they should be in the vicinity.<1>
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Iveyville
      • Iveyville is located in Adams County
      • Google driving directions:
      • From your current location to Iveyville
      • From Creston to Iveyville
  • Cass County
  • Clarke County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Creston, with the one closest to Creston listed first.
    • Hopeville
      (20 miles [32.2 km] to the east)
      • Note: We haven't been able to verify our GPS coordinates for Hopeville. Although the coordinates have been estimated, they should be in the vicinity.<1>
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Hopeville
      • Hopeville is located in Clarke County
      • Google driving directions:
      • From your current location to Hopeville
      • From Creston to Hopeville
    • Murray
      (21 miles [33.8 km] to the east)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Murray have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Murray
      • Murray is located in Clarke County
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 681 people
    • Lacelle
      (26 miles [41.8 km] to the east)
      • Note: We haven't been able to verify our GPS coordinates for Lacelle. Although the coordinates have been estimated, they should be in the vicinity.<1>
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Lacelle
      • Lacelle is located in Clarke County
      • Google driving directions:
      • From your current location to Lacelle
      • From Creston to Lacelle
  • Decatur County
    • Grand River
      (26 miles [41.8 km] to the southeast)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Grand River have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Grand River
      • Grand River is located in Decatur County
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 215 people
  • Guthrie County
    • Stuart
      (30 miles [48.3 km] to the north)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Stuart have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Stuart
      • Stuart is located in Guthrie County
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 1,756 people
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Stuart <3>
  • Madison County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Creston, with the one closest to Creston listed first.
    • Macksburg
      (14 miles [22.5 km] to the northeast)
    • Webster
      (19 miles [30.6 km] to the north)
    • Barney
      (20 miles [32.2 km] to the east)
    • Ord
      (20 miles [32.2 km] to the northeast)
      • Note: We haven't been able to verify our GPS coordinates for Ord. Although the coordinates have been estimated, they should be in the vicinity.<1>
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Ord
      • Ord is located in Madison County
      • Google driving directions:
      • From your current location to Ord
      • From Creston to Ord
    • Pitzer
      (23 miles [37 km] to the north)
      • Note: We haven't been able to verify our GPS coordinates for Pitzer. Although the coordinates have been estimated, they should be in the vicinity.<1>
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Pitzer
      • Pitzer is located in Madison County
      • Google driving directions:
      • From your current location to Pitzer
      • From Creston to Pitzer
    • East Peru
      (25 miles [40.2 km] to the northeast)
      • 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 Creston to East Peru
    • Winterset
      (26 miles [41.8 km] to the northeast)
    • Truro
      (28 miles [45.1 km] to the east)
      • 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>
  • Ringgold County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Creston, with the one closest to Creston listed first.
    • Knowlton ‑ Historic
      (16 miles [25.7 km] to the south)
    • Tingley
      (16 miles [25.7 km] to the southeast)
    • Diagonal
      (17 miles [27.4 km] to the south)
    • Ellston
      (20 miles [32.2 km] to the southeast)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Ellston have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Ellston
      • Ellston is located in Ringgold County
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 38 people
    • Beaconsfield
      (23 miles [37 km] to the southeast)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Beaconsfield have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Beaconsfield
      • Beaconsfield is located in Ringgold County
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 15 people
    • Benton
      (24 miles [38.6 km] to the south)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Benton have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Benton
      • Benton is located in Ringgold County
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 40 people
    • Mount Ayr
      (24 miles [38.6 km] to the south)
    • Maloy
      (26 miles [41.8 km] to the south)
    • Delphos
      (27 miles [43.5 km] to the south)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Delphos have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Delphos
      • Delphos is located in Ringgold County
      • Estimated population in 2019: 24 people
    • Kellerton
      (29 miles [46.7 km] to the southeast)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Kellerton have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Kellerton
      • Kellerton is located in Ringgold County
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 292 people
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Kellerton <3>
  • Taylor County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Creston, with the one closest to Creston listed first.
    • Lenox
      (15 miles [24.1 km] to the southwest)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Lenox have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Lenox
      • Lenox is located in Taylor County
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 1,386 people
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Lenox <3>
    • Clearfield
      (18 miles [29 km] to the south)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Clearfield have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Clearfield
      • Clearfield is located in Taylor County
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 343 people
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Clearfield <3>
    • Sharpsburg
      (22 miles [35.4 km] to the southwest)
    • Conway
      (25 miles [40.2 km] to the southwest)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Conway have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Conway
      • Conway is located in Taylor County
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 40 people
    • Gravity
      (28 miles [45.1 km] to the southwest)
    • Guss
      (29 miles [46.7 km] to the southwest)
      • Note: We haven't been able to verify our GPS coordinates for Guss. Although the coordinates have been estimated, they should be in the vicinity.<1>
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Guss
      • Guss is located in Taylor County
      • Google driving directions:
      • From your current location to Guss
      • From Creston to Guss

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

Cemeteries Near Creston ...

Below are cemeteries that are in the vicinity of Creston.

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

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

  • Graceland Cemetery
    (Less than 2 miles to the south)
  • Calvary Cemetery
    (Less than 2 miles to the west)
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Calvary Cemetery
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Calvary Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
  • Lytles Grove Cemetery
    (4 miles [6.4 km] to the southwest)
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Lytles Grove Cemetery
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Lytles Grove Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
  • Jerusalem Cemetery
    (4 miles [6.4 km] to the northeast)
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Jerusalem Cemetery
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Jerusalem Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
  • Spaulding Center Cemetery
    (4 miles [6.4 km] to the northwest)
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Spaulding Center Cemetery
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Spaulding Center Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
  • Ide Family Cemetery
    (5 miles [8 km] to the south)
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Ide Family Cemetery
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Ide Family Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
  • County Home Cemetery
    (5 miles [8 km] to the east)
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the County Home Cemetery
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the County Home Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
  • Evergreen Cemetery
    (5 miles [8 km] to the northeast)
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Evergreen Cemetery
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Evergreen Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
  • Prairie Lawn Cemetery
    (5 miles [8 km] to the north)
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Prairie Lawn Cemetery
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Prairie Lawn Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
  • Maple Hill Cemetery
    (5 miles [8 km] to the west)
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Maple Hill Cemetery
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Maple Hill Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
  • McDuthies Cemetery
    (7 miles [11.3 km] to the south)
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the McDuthies Cemetery
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the McDuthies Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
  • Calvary Cemetery
    (7 miles [11.3 km] to the east)
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Calvary Cemetery
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Calvary Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
  • Continue List   (201 more) ...

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 Creston had a population of 7,200 people in 1895 with a post office and railroad service. In 2020, Creston had a population of 7,660 people.

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

  • East Creston
    (Less than 2 miles to the east)
  • Cromwell
    (5 miles [8 km] to the west)
  • Spaulding
    (7 miles [11.3 km] to the north)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Spaulding have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Spaulding
    • Spaulding is located in Union County
  • Kent
    (8 miles [12.9 km] to the southwest)
  • Afton
    (8 miles [12.9 km] to the east)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Afton have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Afton
    • Afton is located in Union County
    • Population from the 2020 Census: 825 people
    • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Afton <3>
  • Nevinville
    (9 miles [14.5 km] to the northwest)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Nevinville have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Nevinville
    • Nevinville is located in Adams County
  • Orient
    (10 miles [16.1 km] to the north)
  • Arispe
    (10 miles [16.1 km] to the southeast)
  • Mortimer ‑ Historic
    (12 miles [19.3 km] to the south)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Mortimer have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Mortimer
    • Mortimer is located in Ringgold County
  • Shannon City
    (12 miles [19.3 km] to the southeast)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Shannon City have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Shannon City
    • Shannon City is located in Union County
    • Population from the 2020 Census: 69 people
  • Afton Junction ‑ Historic
    (12 miles [19.3 km] to the east)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Afton Junction have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Afton Junction
    • Afton Junction is located in Union County
  • Prescott
    (13 miles [20.9 km] to the west)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Prescott have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Prescott
    • Prescott is located in Adams County
    • Population from the 2020 Census: 235 people
    • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Prescott <3>
  • Continue List   (15 more) ...
    • Talmage
      (13 miles [20.9 km] to the east)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Talmage have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Talmage
      • Talmage is located in Union County
    • Fisk
      (13 miles [20.9 km] to the northwest)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Fisk have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Fisk
      • Fisk is located in Adair County
    • Macksburg
      (14 miles [22.5 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 Creston. See our List of 1890's Communities around Creston.

Newspapers Published in the Vicinity of Creston ...

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 73 newspapers that have been published in the area around Creston.

We have organized these newspapers into two lists:

  • A Local Newspaper List - focusing on the papers published in the immediate area of Creston. There are actually two parts to this list - papers printed in the immediate area of Creston and those printed in the larger area surrounding Creston.
  • An Extended Newspaper List - a longer list, sorted by paper name and containing those papers published within 30 miles [48.3 km]<6> of Creston.

Websites to Help With Your Genealogy Research ...

When we do our genealogical research, we first turn to 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 Creston:

Unfortunately, we don't know of a website for Creston. If you can help, please contact us through our Feedback Page.

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 Creston, 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' (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- Creston) to Point B.Our distance measurements begin at a specific point in Creston. The point we use is located at these GPS coordinates - Latitude: 41.0585, Longitude: -94.3615    









 

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This page was last modified/updated: 28 Apr 2025