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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 Dorchester (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 Dorchester. 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.

Dorchester is located in Allamakee County.

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 Allamakee County: Clayton, Fayette, Winneshiek, Houston (MN), Crawford (WI) & Vernon (WI).

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

  • Allamakee County     (The home county of Dorchester)
    • The following are listed by their distance from Dorchester, with the one closest to Dorchester listed first.
    • Quandahl
      (5 miles [8 km] to the west)
      • Note: We haven't been able to verify our GPS coordinates for Quandahl. Although the coordinates have been estimated, they should be in the vicinity.<1>
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Quandahl
      • Quandahl is located in Allamakee County
      • Google driving directions:
      • From your current location to Quandahl
      • From Dorchester to Quandahl
    • Lycurgus
      (10 miles [16.1 km] to the southeast)
      • Note: We haven't been able to verify our GPS coordinates for Lycurgus. Although the coordinates have been estimated, they should be in the vicinity.<1>
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Lycurgus
      • Lycurgus is located in Allamakee County
      • Google driving directions:
      • From your current location to Lycurgus
      • From Dorchester to Lycurgus
    • New Albin
      (11 miles [17.7 km] to the east)
    • Waukon
      (14 miles [22.5 km] to the south)
    • Elon
      (16 miles [25.7 km] to the southeast)
      • Note: We haven't been able to verify our GPS coordinates for Elon. Although the coordinates have been estimated, they should be in the vicinity.<1>
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Elon
      • Elon is located in Allamakee County
      • Google driving directions:
      • From your current location to Elon
      • From Dorchester to Elon
    • Lansing
      (16 miles [25.7 km] to the southeast)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Lansing have been provided by the GNIS.<3> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Lansing
      • Lansing is located in Allamakee County
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 933 people
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Lansing <2>
    • Dalby
      (18 miles [29 km] to the southeast)
    • Rossville
      (20 miles [32.2 km] to the south)
    • Waterville
      (21 miles [33.8 km] to the southeast)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Waterville have been provided by the GNIS.<3> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Waterville
      • Waterville is located in Allamakee County
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 142 people
    • Volney
      (24 miles [38.6 km] to the south)
    • Harpers Ferry
      (25 miles [40.2 km] to the southeast)
    • Postville
      (26 miles [41.8 km] to the south)
    • Ion
      (27 miles [43.5 km] to the southeast)
      • Note: We haven't been able to verify our GPS coordinates for Ion. Although the coordinates have been estimated, they should be in the vicinity.<1>
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Ion
      • Ion is located in Allamakee County
      • Google driving directions:
      • From your current location to Ion
      • From Dorchester to Ion
  • Clayton County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Dorchester, with the one closest to Dorchester listed first.
    • Hardin
      (26 miles [41.8 km] to the south)
      • Note: We haven't been able to verify our GPS coordinates for Hardin. Although the coordinates have been estimated, they should be in the vicinity.<1>
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Hardin
      • Hardin is located in Clayton County
      • Google driving directions:
      • From your current location to Hardin
      • From Dorchester to Hardin
    • Luana
      (28 miles [45.1 km] to the south)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Luana have been provided by the GNIS.<3> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Luana
      • Luana is located in Clayton County
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 276 people
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Luana <2>
    • Watson
      (28 miles [45.1 km] to the south)
      • Note: We haven't been able to verify our GPS coordinates for Watson. Although the coordinates have been estimated, they should be in the vicinity.<1>
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Watson
      • Watson is located in Clayton County
      • Google driving directions:
      • From your current location to Watson
      • From Dorchester to Watson
    • Monona
      (29 miles [46.7 km] to the south)
  • Winneshiek County
  • Fillmore County (MN)
    • The following are listed by their distance from Dorchester, with the one closest to Dorchester listed first.
    • Mabel
      (13 miles [20.9 km] to the west)
    • Newburg
      (16 miles [25.7 km] to the northwest)
    • Canton
      (21 miles [33.8 km] to the west)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Canton have been provided by the GNIS.<3> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Canton
      • Canton is located in Fillmore County (MN)
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 342 people
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Canton <2>
    • Bratsberg
      (22 miles [35.4 km] to the northwest)
    • South Rushford
      (25 miles [40.2 km] to the northwest)
    • Harmony
      (25 miles [40.2 km] to the west)
    • Rushford Village
      (26 miles [41.8 km] to the northwest)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Rushford Village have been provided by the GNIS.<3> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Rushford Village
      • Rushford Village is located in Fillmore County (MN)
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 838 people
    • Rushford
      (26 miles [41.8 km] to the northwest)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Rushford have been provided by the GNIS.<3> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Rushford
      • Rushford is located in Fillmore County (MN)
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 1,695 people
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Rushford <2>
    • Peterson
      (27 miles [43.5 km] to the northwest)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Peterson have been provided by the GNIS.<3> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Peterson
      • Peterson is located in Fillmore County (MN)
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 198 people
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Peterson <2>
    • Whalan
      (27 miles [43.5 km] to the northwest)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Whalan have been provided by the GNIS.<3> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Whalan
      • Whalan is located in Fillmore County (MN)
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 66 people
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Whalan <2>
    • Lanesboro
      (28 miles [45.1 km] to the northwest)
  • Houston County (MN)
    • The following are listed by their distance from Dorchester, with the one closest to Dorchester listed first.
    • Eitzen
      (3 miles [4.8 km] to the northeast)
    • Bee
      (3 miles [4.8 km] to the northwest)
      • Note: We haven't been able to verify our GPS coordinates for Bee. Although the coordinates have been estimated, they should be in the vicinity.<1>
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Bee
      • Bee is located in Houston County (MN)
      • Google driving directions:
      • From your current location to Bee
      • From Dorchester to Bee
    • Wilmington
      (5 miles [8 km] to the north)
      • Note: We haven't been able to verify our GPS coordinates for Wilmington. Although the coordinates have been estimated, they should be in the vicinity.<1>
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Wilmington
      • Wilmington is located in Houston County (MN)
      • Google driving directions:
      • From your current location to Wilmington
      • From Dorchester to Wilmington
    • Spring Grove
      (8 miles [12.9 km] to the northwest)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Spring Grove have been provided by the GNIS.<3> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Spring Grove
      • Spring Grove is located in Houston County (MN)
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 1,262 people
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Spring Grove <2>
    • Willington Grove
      (8 miles [12.9 km] to the northwest)
    • Caledonia
      (11 miles [17.7 km] to the north)
    • Riceford
      (13 miles [20.9 km] to the northwest)
    • Reno
      (14 miles [22.5 km] to the northeast)
    • Yucatan
      (17 miles [27.4 km] to the northwest)
      • Note: We haven't been able to verify our GPS coordinates for Yucatan. Although the coordinates have been estimated, they should be in the vicinity.<1>
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Yucatan
      • Yucatan is located in Houston County (MN)
      • Google driving directions:
      • From your current location to Yucatan
      • From Dorchester to Yucatan
    • Brownsville
      (19 miles [30.6 km] to the northeast)
    • Houston
      (20 miles [32.2 km] to the north)
    • Hokah
      (21 miles [33.8 km] to the north)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Hokah have been provided by the GNIS.<3> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Hokah
      • Hokah is located in Houston County (MN)
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 548 people
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Hokah <2>
    • Money Creek
      (24 miles [38.6 km] to the north)
  • Winona County (MN)
  • Crawford County (WI)
    • The following are listed by their distance from Dorchester, with the one closest to Dorchester listed first.
    • De Soto
      (16 miles [25.7 km] to the east)
    • Freeman
      (22 miles [35.4 km] to the east)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Freeman have been provided by the GNIS.<3> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Freeman
      • Freeman is located in Crawford County (WI)
    • Ferryville
      (23 miles [37 km] to the east)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Ferryville have been provided by the GNIS.<3> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Ferryville
      • Ferryville is located in Crawford County (WI)
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 173 people
    • Rising Sun
      (27 miles [43.5 km] to the east)
      • Note: We haven't been able to verify our GPS coordinates for Rising Sun. Although the coordinates have been estimated, they should be in the vicinity.<1>
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Rising Sun
      • Rising Sun is located in Crawford County (WI)
      • Google driving directions:
      • From your current location to Rising Sun
      • From Dorchester to Rising Sun
    • Mount Sterling
      (30 miles [48.3 km] to the east)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Mount Sterling have been provided by the GNIS.<3> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Mount Sterling
      • Mount Sterling is located in Crawford County (WI)
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 196 people
  • La Crosse County (WI)
    • The following are listed by their distance from Dorchester, with the one closest to Dorchester listed first.
    • Shelby
      (26 miles [41.8 km] to the northeast)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Shelby have been provided by the GNIS.<3> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Shelby
      • Shelby is located in La Crosse County (WI)
    • La Crosse
      (27 miles [43.5 km] to the northeast)
    • French Island
      (29 miles [46.7 km] to the northeast)
    • Grand Crossing
      (29 miles [46.7 km] to the northeast)
    • North La Crosse
      (29 miles [46.7 km] to the northeast)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for North La Crosse have been provided by the GNIS.<3> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for North La Crosse
      • North La Crosse is located in La Crosse County (WI)
  • Vernon County (WI)
    • The following are listed by their distance from Dorchester, with the one closest to Dorchester listed first.
    • Genoa
      (15 miles [24.1 km] to the northeast)
    • Stoddard
      (19 miles [30.6 km] to the northeast)
    • Retreat
      (21 miles [33.8 km] to the east)
    • Newton
      (23 miles [37 km] to the east)
      • Note: We haven't been able to verify our GPS coordinates for Newton. Although the coordinates have been estimated, they should be in the vicinity.<1>
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Newton
      • Newton is located in Vernon County (WI)
      • Google driving directions:
      • From your current location to Newton
      • From Dorchester to Newton
    • Purdy
      (23 miles [37 km] to the east)
      • Note: We haven't been able to verify our GPS coordinates for Purdy. Although the coordinates have been estimated, they should be in the vicinity.<1>
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Purdy
      • Purdy is located in Vernon County (WI)
      • Google driving directions:
      • From your current location to Purdy
      • From Dorchester to Purdy
    • Chaseburg
      (24 miles [38.6 km] to the northeast)
    • Fargo
      (27 miles [43.5 km] to the east)
      • Note: We haven't been able to verify our GPS coordinates for Fargo. Although the coordinates have been estimated, they should be in the vicinity.<1>
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Fargo
      • Fargo is located in Vernon County (WI)
      • Google driving directions:
      • From your current location to Fargo
      • From Dorchester to Fargo
    • Coon Valley
      (29 miles [46.7 km] to the northeast)
    • Liberty Pole
      (30 miles [48.3 km] to the east)

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

Cemeteries Near Dorchester ...

Below are cemeteries that are in the vicinity of Dorchester.

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

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

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 Dorchester had a population of 109 people in 1895 with a post office and no railroad service.

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

  • Eitzen
    (3 miles [4.8 km] to the northeast)
  • Bee
    (3 miles [4.8 km] to the northwest)
    • Note: We haven't been able to verify our GPS coordinates for Bee. Although the coordinates have been estimated, they should be in the vicinity.<1>
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Bee
    • Bee is located in Houston County (MN)
    • Google driving directions:
    • From your current location to Bee
    • From Dorchester to Bee
  • Quandahl
    (5 miles [8 km] to the west)
    • Note: We haven't been able to verify our GPS coordinates for Quandahl. Although the coordinates have been estimated, they should be in the vicinity.<1>
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Quandahl
    • Quandahl is located in Allamakee County
    • Google driving directions:
    • From your current location to Quandahl
    • From Dorchester to Quandahl
  • Wilmington
    (5 miles [8 km] to the north)
    • Note: We haven't been able to verify our GPS coordinates for Wilmington. Although the coordinates have been estimated, they should be in the vicinity.<1>
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Wilmington
    • Wilmington is located in Houston County (MN)
    • Google driving directions:
    • From your current location to Wilmington
    • From Dorchester to Wilmington
  • Highlandville
    (8 miles [12.9 km] to the west)
  • Willington Grove
    (8 miles [12.9 km] to the northwest)
  • Spring Grove
    (8 miles [12.9 km] to the northwest)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Spring Grove have been provided by the GNIS.<3> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Spring Grove
    • Spring Grove is located in Houston County (MN)
    • Population from the 2020 Census: 1,262 people
    • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Spring Grove <2>
  • Lycurgus
    (10 miles [16.1 km] to the southeast)
    • Note: We haven't been able to verify our GPS coordinates for Lycurgus. Although the coordinates have been estimated, they should be in the vicinity.<1>
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Lycurgus
    • Lycurgus is located in Allamakee County
    • Google driving directions:
    • From your current location to Lycurgus
    • From Dorchester to Lycurgus
  • Newhouse
    (10 miles [16.1 km] to the west)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Newhouse have been provided by the GNIS.<3> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Newhouse
    • Newhouse is located in Houston County (MN)
  • Locust
    (11 miles [17.7 km] to the west)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Locust have been provided by the GNIS.<3> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Locust
    • Locust is located in Winneshiek County
  • New Albin
    (11 miles [17.7 km] to the east)
  • Caledonia
    (11 miles [17.7 km] to the north)
  • Continue List   (14 more) ...
    • Thoten
      (12 miles [19.3 km] to the southwest)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Thoten have been provided by the GNIS.<3> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Thoten
      • Thoten is located in Winneshiek County
    • Freeburg
      (12 miles [19.3 km] to the northeast)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Freeburg have been provided by the GNIS.<3> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Freeburg
      • Freeburg is located in Houston County (MN)
    • Black Hammer
      (12 miles [19.3 km] to the northwest)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Black Hammer have been provided by the GNIS.<3> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Black Hammer
      • Black Hammer is located in Houston County (MN)

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

Newspapers Published in Dorchester ...

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 100 newspapers that have been published in the area around Dorchester.

Although we're unaware of any newspapers that were published in the immediate area of Dorchester, there are papers which were published within 29 miles [46.7 km]<6>. A list of those papers, sorted by paper name, can be found on the Extended Newspaper List for Dorchester.

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 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 Dorchester:

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

The official website for Allamakee County: www.co.allamakee.ia.us/

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>While we're fans and frequent users of TripAdvisor, you should know that we're also members of the TripAdvisor affiliate program.
<3>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.
<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 Dorchester, 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 obstructions like rivers, canyons, lakes, et cetera - it's truly a line from Point A (ie- Dorchester) to Point B.Our distance measurements begin at a specific point in Dorchester. The point we use is located at these GPS coordinates - Latitude: 43.4707, Longitude: -91.5085    









 

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This page was last modified/updated: 28 Apr 2025