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 Dover (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 Dover. 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 southeast 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 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 east 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.
Dover is located in Iowa 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 Iowa County: Benton, Johnson, Keokuk, Linn, Poweshiek, Tama & Washington.
Below are the counties that are near Dover. For each of these counties, we show a sample of those communities that are closest to Dover:
- Iowa County (The home county of Dover)
- The following are listed by their distance from Dover, with the one closest to Dover listed first.
- Dayton
(5 miles [8 km] to the east)
- Dayton is located in Iowa County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Dayton
- Ladora
(8 miles [12.9 km] to the southeast)
- Marengo
(12 miles [19.3 km] to the east)
- South Amana
(17 miles [27.4 km] to the east)
- West Amana
(17 miles [27.4 km] to the east)
- West Amana is located in Iowa County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for West Amana
- Conroy
(17 miles [27.4 km] to the southeast)
- Conroy is located in Iowa County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Conroy
- Williamsburg
(19 miles [30.6 km] to the southeast)
- Middle Amana
(20 miles [32.2 km] to the east)
- Millersburg
(20 miles [32.2 km] to the south)
- Millersburg is located in Iowa County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Millersburg
- Population from the 2020 Census: 139 people
- Amana
(21 miles [33.8 km] to the east)
- Ambrose
(22 miles [35.4 km] to the south)
- Ambrose is located in Iowa County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Ambrose
- Parnell
(23 miles [37 km] to the southeast)
- North English
(25 miles [40.2 km] to the southeast)
- Benton County
- The following are listed by their distance from Dover, with the one closest to Dover listed first.
- Belle Plaine
(3 miles [4.8 km] to the north)
- Irving
(6 miles [9.7 km] to the north)
- Irving is located in Benton County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Irving
- Luzerne
(7 miles [11.3 km] to the northeast)
- Luzerne is located in Benton County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Luzerne
- Population from the 2020 Census: 92 people
- Blairstown
(11 miles [17.7 km] to the east)
- Keystone
(11 miles [17.7 km] to the northeast)
- Van Horne
(15 miles [24.1 km] to the northeast)
- Van Horne is located in Benton County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Van Horne
- Population from the 2020 Census: 646 people
- Watkins
(16 miles [25.7 km] to the east)
- Watkins is located in Benton County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Watkins
- Norway
(19 miles [30.6 km] to the east)
- Newhall
(19 miles [30.6 km] to the northeast)
- Garrison
(21 miles [33.8 km] to the north)
- Garrison is located in Benton County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Garrison
- Population from the 2020 Census: 355 people
- Atkins
(24 miles [38.6 km] to the northeast)
- Vinton
(25 miles [40.2 km] to the northeast)
- Shellsburg
(27 miles [43.5 km] to the northeast)
- Jasper County
- The following are listed by their distance from Dover, with the one closest to Dover listed first.
- Newburg
(24 miles [38.6 km] to the west)
- Newburg is located in Jasper County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Newburg
- Oakland Acres
(28 miles [45.1 km] to the west)
- Oakland Acres is located in Jasper County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Oakland Acres
- Population from the 2020 Census: 161 people
- Johnson County
- The following are listed by their distance from Dover, with the one closest to Dover listed first.
- Oxford
(27 miles [43.5 km] to the east)
- Swisher
(30 miles [48.3 km] to the east)
- Keokuk County
- The following are listed by their distance from Dover, with the one closest to Dover listed first.
- Aurora
(24 miles [38.6 km] to the south)
- Aurora is located in Keokuk County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Aurora
- Gibson
(25 miles [40.2 km] to the south)
- Gibson is located in Keokuk County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Gibson
- Population from the 2020 Census: 59 people
- Keswick
(27 miles [43.5 km] to the south)
- Thornburg
(27 miles [43.5 km] to the south)
- Thornburg is located in Keokuk County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Thornburg
- Population from the 2020 Census: 67 people
- Coal Creek
(28 miles [45.1 km] to the south)
- Coal Creek is located in Keokuk County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Coal Creek
- South English
(29 miles [46.7 km] to the south)
- South English is located in Keokuk County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for South English
- Population from the 2020 Census: 211 people
- Webster
(29 miles [46.7 km] to the south)
- Webster is located in Keokuk County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Webster
- Population from the 2020 Census: 71 people
- What Cheer
(30 miles [48.3 km] to the south)
- Linn County
- The following are listed by their distance from Dover, with the one closest to Dover listed first.
- Walford
(23 miles [37 km] to the east)
- Walford is located in Linn County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Walford
- Population from the 2020 Census: 1,436 people
- Fairfax
(27 miles [43.5 km] to the east)
- Cedar Hills
(29 miles [46.7 km] to the east)
- Cedar Hills is located in Linn County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Cedar Hills
- Grand View Village
(29 miles [46.7 km] to the east)
- Grand View Village is located in Linn County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Grand View Village
- Covington
(29 miles [46.7 km] to the northeast)
- Covington is located in Linn County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Covington
- Palo
(29 miles [46.7 km] to the northeast)
- Mahaska County
- The following are listed by their distance from Dover, with the one closest to Dover listed first.
- Barnes City
(25 miles [40.2 km] to the south)
- Union Mills
(30 miles [48.3 km] to the southwest)
- Union Mills is located in Mahaska County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Union Mills
- Marshall County
- The following are listed by their distance from Dover, with the one closest to Dover listed first.
- Dunbar
(25 miles [40.2 km] to the west)
- Dunbar is located in Marshall County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Dunbar
- Gilman
(25 miles [40.2 km] to the west)
- Gilman is located in Marshall County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Gilman
- Population from the 2020 Census: 484 people
- Le Grand
(27 miles [43.5 km] to the northwest)
- Dillon
(28 miles [45.1 km] to the west)
- Dillon is located in Marshall County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Dillon
- Ferguson
(30 miles [48.3 km] to the west)
- Ferguson is located in Marshall County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Ferguson
- Population from the 2020 Census: 122 people
- Poweshiek County
- The following are listed by their distance from Dover, with the one closest to Dover listed first.
- Hartwick
(5 miles [8 km] to the southwest)
- Hartwick is located in Poweshiek County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Hartwick
- Population from the 2020 Census: 81 people
- Victor
(8 miles [12.9 km] to the south)
- Brooklyn
(11 miles [17.7 km] to the southwest)
- Guernsey
(13 miles [20.9 km] to the south)
- Sheridan
(15 miles [24.1 km] to the west)
- Sheridan is located in Poweshiek County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Sheridan
- Malcom
(16 miles [25.7 km] to the southwest)
- Deep River
(18 miles [29 km] to the south)
- Deep River is located in Poweshiek County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Deep River
- Population from the 2020 Census: 268 people
- Montezuma
(21 miles [33.8 km] to the southwest)
- Tilton
(23 miles [37 km] to the south)
- Tilton is located in Poweshiek County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Tilton
- Grinnell
(23 miles [37 km] to the west)
- Searsboro
(28 miles [45.1 km] to the southwest)
- Searsboro is located in Poweshiek County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Searsboro
- Population from the 2020 Census: 145 people
- Tama County
- The following are listed by their distance from Dover, with the one closest to Dover listed first.
- Chelsea
(7 miles [11.3 km] to the northwest)
- Elberon
(10 miles [16.1 km] to the north)
- Vining
(10 miles [16.1 km] to the northwest)
- Vining is located in Tama County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Vining
- Population from the 2020 Census: 49 people
- Long Point
(11 miles [17.7 km] to the northwest)
- Long Point is located in Tama County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Long Point
- Gladstone
(13 miles [20.9 km] to the northwest)
- Gladstone is located in Tama County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Gladstone
- Clutier
(16 miles [25.7 km] to the north)
- Tama
(16 miles [25.7 km] to the northwest)
- Toledo
(17 miles [27.4 km] to the northwest)
- Dysart
(22 miles [35.4 km] to the north)
- Montour
(23 miles [37 km] to the west)
- Traer
(25 miles [40.2 km] to the north)
- Buckingham
(26 miles [41.8 km] to the north)
- Buckingham is located in Tama County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Buckingham
- Garwin
(26 miles [41.8 km] to the northwest)
- Garwin is located in Tama County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Garwin
- Population from the 2020 Census: 490 people
For an expanded list of the communities that are closest to Dover, see our County-by-County Page for Dover.
Cemeteries Near Dover ...
Below are cemeteries that are in the vicinity of Dover.
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 Dover - one of the links might be able to help.
If not found below, our Cemetery List for Dover covers a larger area, with the cemeteries listed in alphabetical order.
The following cemeteries are listed based on their distance from Dover, with the one closest to Dover listed first.
- Dover Pioneer Cemetery
(Less than 2 miles to the south)
- Winslow Cemetery
(Less than 2 miles to the west)
- Blake Pioneer Cemetery
(Less than 2 miles to the northwest)
- The Blake Pioneer Cemetery is located on private property - be sure to secure permission before visiting.
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Blake Pioneer Cemetery
- The Blake Pioneer Cemetery has also been known as:
- Blake Cemetery
- Jump to Find-A-Grave: FG ID #2427740 <2>
- Beal Cemetery
(3 miles [4.8 km] to the northeast)
- Chambers Cemetery
(3 miles [4.8 km] to the northwest)
- Holan Cemetery
(3 miles [4.8 km] to the west)
- Wright Cemetery
(4 miles [6.4 km] to the north)
- Union Cemetery
(5 miles [8 km] to the southwest)
- Koszta Cemetery
(5 miles [8 km] to the southeast)
- Wilkinson Cemetery
(5 miles [8 km] to the northwest)
- Seventh Day Adventist (SDA) Church Cemetery
(6 miles [9.7 km] to the southeast)
- Athey Cemetery
(6 miles [9.7 km] to the east)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Athey Cemetery
- The Athey Cemetery has also been known as:
- Cono Cemetery
- Sayers Cemetery
- Jump to Find-A-Grave: FG ID #96306 <2>
- Continue List (272 more) ...
- Craig Cemetery
(6 miles [9.7 km] to the northwest)
- Dayton Cemetery
(6 miles [9.7 km] to the east)
- International 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.<3>
While we didn't find Dover in the Atlas, the following 1895 communities would have been found near the current location of Dover.
These communities are listed based on their distance from Dover, with the one closest to Dover listed first.
- Belle Plaine
(3 miles [4.8 km] to the north)
- Koszta
(4 miles [6.4 km] to the east)
- Koszta is located in Iowa County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Koszta
- Hartwick
(5 miles [8 km] to the southwest)
- Hartwick is located in Poweshiek County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Hartwick
- Population from the 2020 Census: 81 people
- Irving
(6 miles [9.7 km] to the north)
- Irving is located in Benton County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Irving
- Luzerne
(7 miles [11.3 km] to the northeast)
- Luzerne is located in Benton County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Luzerne
- Population from the 2020 Census: 92 people
- Chelsea
(7 miles [11.3 km] to the northwest)
- Victor
(8 miles [12.9 km] to the south)
- Ladora
(8 miles [12.9 km] to the southeast)
- Carnforth
(9 miles [14.5 km] to the south)
- Carnforth is located in Poweshiek County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Carnforth
- Vining
(10 miles [16.1 km] to the northwest)
- Vining is located in Tama County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Vining
- Population from the 2020 Census: 49 people
- Helena
(10 miles [16.1 km] to the northwest)
- Helena is located in Tama County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Helena
- Haven
(10 miles [16.1 km] to the west)
- Haven is located in Tama County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Haven
- Continue List (15 more) ...
- Brooklyn
(11 miles [17.7 km] to the southwest)
- Blairstown
(11 miles [17.7 km] to the east)
- Keystone
(11 miles [17.7 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 Dover. See our List of 1890's Communities around Dover.
Newspapers Published in Dover ...
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 140 newspapers that have been published in the area around Dover.
Although we're unaware of any newspapers that were published in the immediate area of Dover, there are papers which were published within 30 miles [48.3 km]<4>. A list of those papers, sorted by paper name, can be found on the Extended Newspaper List for Dover.
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 Dover:
- Websites specific to Iowa
- Pages specific to Iowa County
- Genealogy information for nearby counties
- Benton County
- Jasper County
- Johnson County
- Keokuk County
- Linn County
- Mahaska County
- Marshall County
- Poweshiek County
- Tama 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> | 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. |
| <3> | 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 Dover, please let us know so that we can improve our accuracy. |
| <4> | Our distances are not driving distances, but are calculated as a 'straight-line' distance. A straight line distance ignores things like rivers, canyons, lakes, et cetera - it's truly a line drawn from Point A (ie- Dover) to Point B. In other words: 'As the crow flies'. |