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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 Cylinder (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 Cylinder. 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.

Cylinder is located in Palo Alto 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 Palo Alto County: Buena Vista, Clay, Dickinson, Emmet, Humboldt, Kossuth & Pocahontas.

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

  • Palo Alto County     (The home county of Cylinder)
    • The following are listed by their distance from Cylinder, with the one closest to Cylinder listed first.
    • Rodman
      (4 miles [6.4 km] to the south)
      • Rodman is located in Palo Alto County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Rodman
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 41 people
    • Emmetsburg
      (6 miles [9.7 km] to the west)
    • West Bend
      (10 miles [16.1 km] to the southeast)
    • Curlew
      (12 miles [19.3 km] to the southwest)
      • Curlew is located in Palo Alto County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Curlew
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 55 people
    • Mallard
      (12 miles [19.3 km] to the southwest)
    • Graettinger
      (14 miles [22.5 km] to the northwest)
    • Ayrshire
      (14 miles [22.5 km] to the west)
    • Ruthven
      (17 miles [27.4 km] to the west)
  • Buena Vista County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Cylinder, with the one closest to Cylinder listed first.
    • Marathon
      (26 miles [41.8 km] to the southwest)
      • Marathon is located in Buena Vista County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Marathon
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 228 people
    • Albert City
      (29 miles [46.7 km] to the southwest)
  • Clay County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Cylinder, with the one closest to Cylinder listed first.
    • Dickens
      (23 miles [37 km] to the west)
      • Dickens is located in Clay County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Dickens
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 168 people
    • Gillett Grove
      (24 miles [38.6 km] to the west)
      • Gillett Grove is located in Clay County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Gillett Grove
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 47 people
    • Webb
      (25 miles [40.2 km] to the southwest)
      • Webb is located in Clay County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Webb
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 126 people
    • Langdon
      (28 miles [45.1 km] to the west)
      • Langdon is located in Clay County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Langdon
    • Greenville
      (30 miles [48.3 km] to the west)
    • Spencer
      (30 miles [48.3 km] to the west)
  • Dickinson County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Cylinder, with the one closest to Cylinder listed first.
    • Terril
      (25 miles [40.2 km] to the northwest)
      • Terril is located in Dickinson County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Terril
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 338 people
    • Superior
      (30 miles [48.3 km] to the northwest)
  • Emmet County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Cylinder, with the one closest to Cylinder listed first.
    • Hoprig
      (12 miles [19.3 km] to the north)
      • Hoprig is located in Emmet County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Hoprig
    • Ringsted
      (14 miles [22.5 km] to the north)
    • Wallingford
      (20 miles [32.2 km] to the northwest)
      • Wallingford is located in Emmet County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Wallingford
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 168 people
    • Armstrong
      (21 miles [33.8 km] to the north)
      • Armstrong is located in Emmet County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Armstrong
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 841 people
    • Gruver
      (22 miles [35.4 km] to the north)
      • Gruver is located in Emmet County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Gruver
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 82 people
    • Estherville
      (25 miles [40.2 km] to the northwest)
    • Dolliver
      (26 miles [41.8 km] to the north)
  • Hancock County
    • Corwith
      (30 miles [48.3 km] to the east)
      • Corwith is located in Hancock County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Corwith
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 245 people
  • Humboldt County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Cylinder, with the one closest to Cylinder listed first.
    • Ottosen
      (15 miles [24.1 km] to the southeast)
      • Ottosen is located in Humboldt County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Ottosen
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 36 people
    • Bradgate
      (20 miles [32.2 km] to the south)
      • Bradgate is located in Humboldt County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Bradgate
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 84 people
    • Bode
      (20 miles [32.2 km] to the southeast)
      • Bode is located in Humboldt County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Bode
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 286 people
    • Livermore
      (24 miles [38.6 km] to the southeast)
      • Livermore is located in Humboldt County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Livermore
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 361 people
    • Gilmore City
      (25 miles [40.2 km] to the south)
    • Arnold
      (26 miles [41.8 km] to the southeast)
      • Arnold is located in Humboldt County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Arnold
    • Rutland
      (26 miles [41.8 km] to the southeast)
      • Rutland is located in Humboldt County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Rutland
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 121 people
    • Dakota City
      (30 miles [48.3 km] to the southeast)
    • Humboldt
      (30 miles [48.3 km] to the southeast)
  • Kossuth County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Cylinder, with the one closest to Cylinder listed first.
    • Whittemore
      (6 miles [9.7 km] to the east)
      • Whittemore is located in Kossuth County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Whittemore
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 469 people
    • Fenton
      (10 miles [16.1 km] to the northeast)
      • Fenton is located in Kossuth County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Fenton
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 225 people
    • Lone Rock
      (14 miles [22.5 km] to the northeast)
    • Algona
      (16 miles [25.7 km] to the east)
    • Seneca
      (16 miles [25.7 km] to the northeast)
      • Seneca is located in Kossuth County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Seneca
    • Irvington
      (18 miles [29 km] to the east)
      • Irvington is located in Kossuth County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Irvington
    • Burt
      (18 miles [29 km] to the northeast)
      • Burt is located in Kossuth County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Burt
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 493 people
    • Bancroft
      (21 miles [33.8 km] to the northeast)
      • Bancroft is located in Kossuth County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Bancroft
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 684 people
    • Sexton
      (23 miles [37 km] to the east)
      • Sexton is located in Kossuth County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Sexton
    • Swea City
      (23 miles [37 km] to the northeast)
    • Lu Verne
      (26 miles [41.8 km] to the southeast)
    • Gerled
      (27 miles [43.5 km] to the northeast)
      • Gerled is located in Kossuth County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Gerled
  • Pocahontas County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Cylinder, with the one closest to Cylinder listed first.
    • Plover
      (15 miles [24.1 km] to the south)
      • Plover is located in Pocahontas County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Plover
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 69 people
    • Rolfe
      (19 miles [30.6 km] to the south)
      • Rolfe is located in Pocahontas County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Rolfe
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 530 people
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Rolfe <1>
    • Havelock
      (19 miles [30.6 km] to the southwest)
    • Laurens
      (22 miles [35.4 km] to the southwest)
    • Pocahontas
      (25 miles [40.2 km] to the south)
  • Martin County (MN)
    • Ceylon
      (30 miles [48.3 km] to the north)
      • Ceylon is located in Martin County (MN)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Ceylon
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 337 people
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Ceylon <1>

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

Cemeteries Near Cylinder ...

Below are cemeteries that are in the vicinity of Cylinder.

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

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

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

  • St. Johns Cemetery
    (3 miles [4.8 km] to the northeast)
  • Riverside Cemetery
    (5 miles [8 km] to the south)
  • Lutheran Cemetery
    (5 miles [8 km] to the north)
  • St. Michaels Cemetery
    (6 miles [9.7 km] to the east)
  • St. Lukes Cemetery
    (6 miles [9.7 km] to the northeast)
  • Evergreen Cemetery
    (6 miles [9.7 km] to the west)
  • St. Johns Cemetery
    (6 miles [9.7 km] to the west)
  • St. Pauls Cemetery
    (7 miles [11.3 km] to the east)
  • Whittemore Cemetery
    (7 miles [11.3 km] to the east)
  • Vernon Twp. Cemetery
    (7 miles [11.3 km] to the northwest)
  • Lincoln Cemetery
    (8 miles [12.9 km] to the south)
  • Riverside Cemetery
    (9 miles [14.5 km] to the south)
  • Continue List   (114 more) ...
    • Garfield Twp. Cemetery
      (9 miles [14.5 km] to the southeast)
    • West Bend Cemetery
      (10 miles [16.1 km] to the southeast)
    • Apostolic Christian Cemetery
      (10 miles [16.1 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 in 1895, Cylinder had a post office and railroad service. In 2020, Cylinder had a population of 84 people.

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

  • Rodman
    (4 miles [6.4 km] to the south)
    • Rodman is located in Palo Alto County
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Rodman
    • Population from the 2020 Census: 41 people
  • Whittemore
    (6 miles [9.7 km] to the east)
    • Whittemore is located in Kossuth County
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Whittemore
    • Population from the 2020 Census: 469 people
  • Emmetsburg
    (6 miles [9.7 km] to the west)
  • West Bend
    (10 miles [16.1 km] to the southeast)
  • Fenton
    (10 miles [16.1 km] to the northeast)
    • Fenton is located in Kossuth County
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Fenton
    • Population from the 2020 Census: 225 people
  • Osgood
    (10 miles [16.1 km] to the northwest)
    • Osgood is located in Palo Alto County
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Osgood
  • Curlew
    (12 miles [19.3 km] to the southwest)
    • Curlew is located in Palo Alto County
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Curlew
    • Population from the 2020 Census: 55 people
  • Mallard
    (12 miles [19.3 km] to the southwest)
  • Hoprig
    (12 miles [19.3 km] to the north)
    • Hoprig is located in Emmet County
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Hoprig
  • Ayrshire
    (14 miles [22.5 km] to the west)
  • Ringsted
    (14 miles [22.5 km] to the north)
  • Graettinger
    (14 miles [22.5 km] to the northwest)
  • Continue List   (15 more) ...
    • Plover
      (15 miles [24.1 km] to the south)
      • Plover is located in Pocahontas County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Plover
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 69 people
    • Algona
      (16 miles [25.7 km] to the east)
    • Seneca
      (16 miles [25.7 km] to the northeast)
      • Seneca is located in Kossuth County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Seneca

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

Newspapers Published in Cylinder ...

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 108 newspapers that have been published in the area around Cylinder.

Although we're unaware of any newspapers that were published in the immediate area of Cylinder, there are papers which were published within 30 miles [48.3 km]<3>. A list of those papers, sorted by paper name, can be found on the Extended Newspaper List for Cylinder.

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 Cylinder:

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 Cylinder, 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 drawn from Point A (ie- Cylinder) to Point B. In other words: 'As the crow flies'.