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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 Diagonal (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 Diagonal. 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 southwest corner of their home county. During their lives, most hospitals were in the next county to the west. 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 west 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.

Diagonal is located in Ringgold 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 Ringgold County: Decatur, Taylor, Union, Harrison (MO) & Worth (MO).

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

  • Ringgold County     (The home county of Diagonal)
    • The following are listed by their distance from Diagonal, with the one closest to Diagonal listed first.
    • Knowlton ‑ Historic
      (Less than 2 miles to the north)
    • Benton
      (7 miles [11.3 km] to the south)
      • Benton is located in Ringgold County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Benton
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 40 people
    • Tingley
      (8 miles [12.9 km] to the east)
    • Mount Ayr
      (8 miles [12.9 km] to the southeast)
    • Delphos
      (10 miles [16.1 km] to the south)
      • Delphos is located in Ringgold County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Delphos
      • Estimated population in 2019: 24 people
    • Maloy
      (10 miles [16.1 km] to the south)
    • Ellston
      (12 miles [19.3 km] to the east)
      • Ellston is located in Ringgold County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Ellston
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 38 people
    • Redding
      (14 miles [22.5 km] to the south)
      • Redding is located in Ringgold County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Redding
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 77 people
    • Beaconsfield
      (15 miles [24.1 km] to the east)
      • Beaconsfield is located in Ringgold County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Beaconsfield
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 15 people
    • Kellerton
      (16 miles [25.7 km] to the southeast)
  • Adair County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Diagonal, with the one closest to Diagonal listed first.
    • Orient
      (27 miles [43.5 km] to the north)
    • Zion
      (27 miles [43.5 km] to the north)
    • Gilead
      (28 miles [45.1 km] to the northwest)
    • Hebron
      (30 miles [48.3 km] to the north)
      • Hebron is located in Adair County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Hebron
  • Adams County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Diagonal, with the one closest to Diagonal listed first.
    • Stringtown
      (16 miles [25.7 km] to the northwest)
      • Stringtown is located in Adams County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Stringtown
    • Mercer
      (18 miles [29 km] to the northwest)
    • Prescott
      (20 miles [32.2 km] to the northwest)
    • Queen City ‑ Historic
      (23 miles [37 km] to the northwest)
      • Queen City is located in Adams County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Queen City
    • Corning
      (24 miles [38.6 km] to the northwest)
    • Iveyville
      (24 miles [38.6 km] to the west)
    • Williamson
      (25 miles [40.2 km] to the northwest)
    • Brooks
      (26 miles [41.8 km] to the northwest)
    • Carl
      (27 miles [43.5 km] to the northwest)
    • Quincy
      (28 miles [45.1 km] to the northwest)
      • Quincy is located in Adams County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Quincy
    • Mount Etna
      (29 miles [46.7 km] to the northwest)
      • Mount Etna is located in Adams County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Mount Etna
    • Carbon
      (30 miles [48.3 km] to the northwest)
    • Nodaway
      (30 miles [48.3 km] to the west)
      • Nodaway is located in Adams County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Nodaway
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 102 people
  • Clarke County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Diagonal, with the one closest to Diagonal listed first.
    • Hopeville
      (20 miles [32.2 km] to the northeast)
    • Murray
      (25 miles [40.2 km] to the northeast)
      • Murray is located in Clarke County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Murray
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 681 people
    • Lacelle
      (26 miles [41.8 km] to the east)
    • Green Bay ‑ Historic
      (30 miles [48.3 km] to the east)
  • Decatur County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Diagonal, with the one closest to Diagonal listed first.
    • Grand River
      (19 miles [30.6 km] to the east)
      • Grand River is located in Decatur County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Grand River
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 215 people
    • Lamoni
      (24 miles [38.6 km] to the southeast)
    • Decatur City
      (26 miles [41.8 km] to the east)
      • Decatur City is located in Decatur County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Decatur City
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 181 people
    • Van Wert
      (28 miles [45.1 km] to the east)
    • Davis City
      (30 miles [48.3 km] to the east)
  • Madison County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Diagonal, with the one closest to Diagonal listed first.
    • Macksburg
      (29 miles [46.7 km] to the north)
    • Barney
      (30 miles [48.3 km] to the northeast)
  • Taylor County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Diagonal, with the one closest to Diagonal listed first.
    • Clearfield
      (7 miles [11.3 km] to the west)
    • Lenox
      (12 miles [19.3 km] to the northwest)
    • Blockton
      (15 miles [24.1 km] to the southwest)
      • Blockton is located in Taylor County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Blockton
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 184 people
    • Conway
      (15 miles [24.1 km] to the west)
      • Conway is located in Taylor County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Conway
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 40 people
    • Sharpsburg
      (15 miles [24.1 km] to the west)
    • Athelstan
      (19 miles [30.6 km] to the southwest)
      • Athelstan is located in Taylor County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Athelstan
    • Gravity
      (21 miles [33.8 km] to the west)
    • Bedford
      (22 miles [35.4 km] to the southwest)
    • Ladoga
      (24 miles [38.6 km] to the west)
    • Guss
      (26 miles [41.8 km] to the west)
    • New Market
      (29 miles [46.7 km] to the west)
  • Union County
  • Gentry County (MO)
  • Harrison County (MO)
    • The following are listed by their distance from Diagonal, with the one closest to Diagonal listed first.
    • Hatfield
      (21 miles [33.8 km] to the southeast)
      • Hatfield is located in Harrison County (MO)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Hatfield
    • Eagleville
      (29 miles [46.7 km] to the southeast)
  • Nodaway County (MO)
    • The following are listed by their distance from Diagonal, with the one closest to Diagonal listed first.
    • Gaynor
      (29 miles [46.7 km] to the southwest)
    • Parnell
      (29 miles [46.7 km] to the southwest)
      • Parnell is located in Nodaway County (MO)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Parnell
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 168 people
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Parnell <1>
    • Hopkins
      (30 miles [48.3 km] to the southwest)
      • Hopkins is located in Nodaway County (MO)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Hopkins
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 470 people
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Hopkins <1>
  • Worth County (MO)

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

Cemeteries Near Diagonal ...

Below are cemeteries that are in the vicinity of Diagonal.

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

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

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

  • Bethel Cemetery
    (Less than 2 miles to the southwest)
  • Diagonal Cemetery
    (Less than 2 miles to the south)
  • Centenary Cemetery
    (Less than 2 miles to the northeast)
  • Keller Cemetery
    (Less than 2 miles to the northwest)
  • Cabaret Cemetery
    (2 miles [3.2 km] to the west)
  • Bohemian Cemetery
    (2 miles [3.2 km] to the southeast)
  • Dead Man's Curve Cemetery
    (3 miles [4.8 km] to the south)
  • Quinn Cemetery
    (4 miles [6.4 km] to the northeast)
  • Mortimor Cemetery
    (4 miles [6.4 km] to the north)
  • Tindle Cemetery
    (4 miles [6.4 km] to the northwest)
  • Rising Sun Cemetery
    (5 miles [8 km] to the northwest)
  • Benton Cemetery
    (6 miles [9.7 km] to the south)
  • Continue List   (239 more) ...
    • Marshalltown Cemetery
      (6 miles [9.7 km] to the south)
    • Eugene Cemetery
      (6 miles [9.7 km] to the northeast)
    • Bever Cemetery
      (6 miles [9.7 km] to the northeast)

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.<4>

The Rand McNally Atlas shows that in 1895, Diagonal had a post office and railroad service. In 2020, Diagonal had a population of 312 people.

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

  • Knowlton ‑ Historic
    (Less than 2 miles to the north)
  • Mortimer ‑ Historic
    (5 miles [8 km] to the north)
    • Mortimer is located in Ringgold County
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Mortimer
  • Benton
    (7 miles [11.3 km] to the south)
    • Benton is located in Ringgold County
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Benton
    • Population from the 2020 Census: 40 people
  • Shannon City
    (7 miles [11.3 km] to the northeast)
  • Clearfield
    (7 miles [11.3 km] to the west)
  • Mount Ayr
    (8 miles [12.9 km] to the southeast)
  • Tingley
    (8 miles [12.9 km] to the east)
  • Maloy
    (10 miles [16.1 km] to the south)
  • Delphos
    (10 miles [16.1 km] to the south)
    • Delphos is located in Ringgold County
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Delphos
    • Estimated population in 2019: 24 people
  • Kent
    (11 miles [17.7 km] to the northwest)
  • Arispe
    (11 miles [17.7 km] to the northeast)
  • Lenox
    (12 miles [19.3 km] to the northwest)
  • Continue List   (14 more) ...
    • Redding
      (14 miles [22.5 km] to the south)
      • Redding is located in Ringgold County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Redding
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 77 people
    • Conway
      (15 miles [24.1 km] to the west)
      • Conway is located in Taylor County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Conway
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 40 people
    • Blockton
      (15 miles [24.1 km] to the southwest)
      • Blockton is located in Taylor County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Blockton
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 184 people

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

Newspapers Published in the Vicinity of Diagonal ...

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 116 newspapers that have been published in the area around Diagonal.

We have organized these newspapers into two lists:

  • A Local Newspaper List - focusing on the papers published in the immediate area of Diagonal. There are actually two parts to this list - papers printed in the immediate area of Diagonal and those printed in the larger area surrounding Diagonal.
  • An Extended Newspaper List - a longer list, sorted by paper name and containing those papers published within 30 miles [48.3 km]<2> of Diagonal.

Websites to Help With Your Genealogy Research ...

When we do our genealogical research, we first visit 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 Diagonal:

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>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- Diagonal) to Point B. In other words: 'As the crow flies'.
<3>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.
<4>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 Diagonal, please let us know so that we can improve our accuracy.