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 Doon (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 Doon. 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 northeast 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 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 east 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.
Doon is located in Lyon 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 Lyon County: Osceola, Sioux, Nobles (MN), Rock (MN), Lincoln (SD) & Minnehaha (SD).
Below are the counties that are near Doon. For each of these counties, we show a sample of those communities that are closest to Doon:
- Lyon County (The home county of Doon)
- The following are listed by their distance from Doon, with the one closest to Doon listed first.
- Alvord
(5 miles [8 km] to the northwest)
- Rock Rapids
(10 miles [16.1 km] to the north)
- Edna
(10 miles [16.1 km] to the northeast)
- Edna is located in Lyon County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Edna
- Inwood
(10 miles [16.1 km] to the west)
- George
(12 miles [19.3 km] to the east)
- Lester
(12 miles [19.3 km] to the northwest)
- Lester is located in Lyon County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Lester
- Population from the 2020 Census: 303 people
- Larchwood
(15 miles [24.1 km] to the northwest)
- Klondike
(16 miles [25.7 km] to the northwest)
- Klondike is located in Lyon County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Klondike
- Beloit
(17 miles [27.4 km] to the west)
- Beloit is located in Lyon County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Beloit
- Little Rock
(20 miles [32.2 km] to the northeast)
- O'Brien County
- The following are listed by their distance from Doon, with the one closest to Doon listed first.
- Sheldon
(20 miles [32.2 km] to the east)
- Archer
(27 miles [43.5 km] to the southeast)
- Sanborn
(29 miles [46.7 km] to the east)
- Osceola County
- The following are listed by their distance from Doon, with the one closest to Doon listed first.
- Ashton
(22 miles [35.4 km] to the east)
- Sibley
(25 miles [40.2 km] to the east)
- Cloverdale
(27 miles [43.5 km] to the east)
- Cloverdale is located in Osceola County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Cloverdale
- Plymouth County
- The following are listed by their distance from Doon, with the one closest to Doon listed first.
- Craig
(26 miles [41.8 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
(26 miles [41.8 km] to the south)
- Struble is located in Plymouth County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Struble
- Population from the 2020 Census: 77 people
- Sioux County
- The following are listed by their distance from Doon, with the one closest to Doon listed first.
- Perkins
(6 miles [9.7 km] to the south)
- Perkins is located in Sioux County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Perkins
- Rock Valley
(6 miles [9.7 km] to the southwest)
- Hull
(7 miles [11.3 km] to the southeast)
- Westbrook Village
(13 miles [20.9 km] to the south)
- Westbrook Village is located in Sioux County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Westbrook Village
- Boyden
(13 miles [20.9 km] to the southeast)
- Boyden is located in Sioux County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Boyden
- Population from the 2020 Census: 682 people
- Sioux Center
(14 miles [22.5 km] to the south)
- Middleburg
(14 miles [22.5 km] to the southeast)
- Middleburg is located in Sioux County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Middleburg
- Lebanon
(14 miles [22.5 km] to the southwest)
- Lebanon is located in Sioux County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Lebanon
- Matlock
(15 miles [24.1 km] to the east)
- Orange City
(20 miles [32.2 km] to the southeast)
- Ireton
(21 miles [33.8 km] to the south)
- Maurice
(21 miles [33.8 km] to the south)
- Maurice is located in Sioux County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Maurice
- Population from the 2020 Census: 270 people
- Hospers
(21 miles [33.8 km] to the southeast)
- Nobles County (MN)
- The following are listed by their distance from Doon, with the one closest to Doon listed first.
- Ellsworth
(19 miles [30.6 km] to the northeast)
- Adrian
(28 miles [45.1 km] to the northeast)
- Ransom
(28 miles [45.1 km] to the northeast)
- Ransom is located in Nobles County (MN)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Ransom
- Rock County (MN)
- The following are listed by their distance from Doon, with the one closest to Doon listed first.
- Steen
(16 miles [25.7 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
(18 miles [29 km] to the north)
- Ash Creek is located in Rock County (MN)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Ash Creek
- Hills
(18 miles [29 km] to the north)
- Bruce
(18 miles [29 km] to the northwest)
- Bruce is located in Rock County (MN)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Bruce
- Kanaranzi
(21 miles [33.8 km] to the north)
- Manley
(23 miles [37 km] to the northwest)
- Manley is located in Rock County (MN)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Manley
- Beaver Creek
(24 miles [38.6 km] to the north)
- Beaver Creek is located in Rock County (MN)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Beaver Creek
- Population from the 2020 Census: 283 people
- Luverne
(25 miles [40.2 km] to the north)
- Magnolia
(26 miles [41.8 km] to the north)
- Magnolia is located in Rock County (MN)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Magnolia
- Population from the 2020 Census: 208 people
- Lincoln County (SD)
- The following are listed by their distance from Doon, with the one closest to Doon listed first.
- Fairview
(13 miles [20.9 km] to the west)
- Hudson
(15 miles [24.1 km] to the southwest)
- Canton
(18 miles [29 km] to the west)
- Moe
(20 miles [32.2 km] to the southwest)
- Moe is located in Lincoln County (SD)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Moe
- Shindler
(24 miles [38.6 km] to the northwest)
- Shindler is located in Lincoln County (SD)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Shindler
- Population from the 2010 Census: 584 people
- Harrisburg
(25 miles [40.2 km] to the northwest)
- Worthing
(27 miles [43.5 km] to the west)
- Minnehaha County (SD)
- The following are listed by their distance from Doon, with the one closest to Doon listed first.
- Rowena
(23 miles [37 km] to the northwest)
- Valley Springs
(24 miles [38.6 km] to the northwest)
- Brandon
(27 miles [43.5 km] to the northwest)
- Pine Lakes Addition
(27 miles [43.5 km] to the northwest)
- Pine Lakes Addition is located in Minnehaha County (SD)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Pine Lakes Addition
- Population from the 2010 Census: 314 people
- Split Rock Heights
(27 miles [43.5 km] to the northwest)
- Split Rock Heights is located in Minnehaha County (SD)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Split Rock Heights
- Estimated population in 2014: 216 people
- Union County (SD)
- The following are listed by their distance from Doon, with the one closest to Doon listed first.
- Alcester
(26 miles [41.8 km] to the southwest)
- Beresford
(30 miles [48.3 km] to the southwest)
- 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>
- Big Springs
(30 miles [48.3 km] to the southwest)
- Big Springs is located in Union County (SD)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Big Springs
For an expanded list of the communities that are closest to Doon, see our County-by-County Page for Doon.
Cemeteries Near Doon ...
Below are cemeteries that are in the vicinity of Doon.
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 Doon - one of the links might be able to help.
If not found below, our Cemetery List for Doon covers a larger area, with the cemeteries listed in alphabetical order.
The following cemeteries are listed based on their distance from Doon, with the one closest to Doon listed first.
- Hillside Cemetery
(Less than 2 miles to the west)
- Garfield Twp. Cemetery
(3 miles [4.8 km] to the east)
- St. Marys Cemetery
(5 miles [8 km] to the northwest)
- St. Marys Cemetery
(6 miles [9.7 km] to the southwest)
- Pioneer Cemetery
(6 miles [9.7 km] to the southeast)
- Valley View Cemetery
(7 miles [11.3 km] to the southwest)
- Hope Cemetery
(7 miles [11.3 km] to the southeast)
- St. Josephs Cemetery
(7 miles [11.3 km] to the southeast)
- St. Pauls Evangelical Lutheran Cemetery
(7 miles [11.3 km] to the southeast)
- Apostolic Christian Cemetery
(9 miles [14.5 km] to the northwest)
- Riverside Cemetery
(9 miles [14.5 km] to the north)
- Holy Name Cemetery
(9 miles [14.5 km] to the north)
- Continue List (124 more) ...
- Richland Cemetery
(9 miles [14.5 km] to the west)
- Sioux Cemetery
(10 miles [16.1 km] to the west)
- Carmel Reformed Church Cemetery
(10 miles [16.1 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.<2>
The Rand McNally Atlas shows that Doon had a population of 46 people in 1895 with a post office and railroad service. In 2020, Doon had a population of 599 people.
These communities are listed based on their distance from Doon, with the one closest to Doon listed first.
- Alvord
(5 miles [8 km] to the northwest)
- Rock Valley
(6 miles [9.7 km] to the southwest)
- Perkins
(6 miles [9.7 km] to the south)
- Perkins is located in Sioux County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Perkins
- Hull
(7 miles [11.3 km] to the southeast)
- Edna
(10 miles [16.1 km] to the northeast)
- Edna is located in Lyon County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Edna
- Rock Rapids
(10 miles [16.1 km] to the north)
- Inwood
(10 miles [16.1 km] to the west)
- Lester
(12 miles [19.3 km] to the northwest)
- Lester is located in Lyon County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Lester
- Population from the 2020 Census: 303 people
- George
(12 miles [19.3 km] to the east)
- Fairview
(13 miles [20.9 km] to the west)
- Boyden
(13 miles [20.9 km] to the southeast)
- Boyden is located in Sioux County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Boyden
- Population from the 2020 Census: 682 people
- Sioux Center
(14 miles [22.5 km] to the south)
- Continue List (19 more) ...
- Middleburg
(14 miles [22.5 km] to the southeast)
- Middleburg is located in Sioux County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Middleburg
- Matlock
(15 miles [24.1 km] to the east)
- Larchwood
(15 miles [24.1 km] to the northwest)
We've also created an expanded list of communities that existed in the 1890's and were located in the area around Doon. See our List of 1890's Communities around Doon.
Newspapers Published in the Vicinity of Doon ...
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 124 newspapers that have been published in the area around Doon.
We have organized these newspapers into two lists:
- A Local Newspaper List - focusing on the papers published in the immediate area of Doon. There are actually two parts to this list - papers printed in the immediate area of Doon and those printed in the larger area surrounding Doon.
- An Extended Newspaper List - a longer list, sorted by paper name and containing those papers published within 30 miles [48.3 km]<3> of Doon.
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 helpful 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 Doon:
- Websites specific to Iowa
- Pages specific to Lyon County
- Genealogy information for nearby counties
- O'Brien County
- Osceola County
- Plymouth County
- Sioux County
- Nobles County
- Rock County
- Lincoln County
- Minnehaha 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> | 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 Doon, please let us know so that we can improve our accuracy. |
| <3> | Our distances are not driving distances, but are calculated as a 'point-to-point' distance. A straight line distance ignores things like rivers, canyons, lakes, et cetera - it's truly a line from Point A (ie- Doon) to Point B. In other words: 'As the crow flies'. |