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 Dow City (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 Dow City. 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 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.
Dow City is located in Crawford 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 Crawford County: Audubon, Carroll, Harrison, Ida, Monona, Sac, Shelby & Woodbury.
Below are the counties that are near Dow City. For each of these counties, we show a sample of those communities that are closest to Dow City:
- Crawford County (The home county of Dow City)
- The following are listed by their distance from Dow City, with the one closest to Dow City listed first.
- Bell
(2 miles [3.2 km] to the north)
- Bell is located in Crawford County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Bell
- Arion
(2 miles [3.2 km] to the northeast)
- Arion is located in Crawford County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Arion
- Population from the 2020 Census: 107 people
- Buck Grove
(5 miles [8 km] to the east)
- Buck Grove is located in Crawford County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Buck Grove
- Population from the 2020 Census: 43 people
- Kenwood
(5 miles [8 km] to the north)
- Kenwood is located in Crawford County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Kenwood
- Sunset Village
(7 miles [11.3 km] to the northeast)
- Sunset Village is located in Crawford County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Sunset Village
- Denison
(9 miles [14.5 km] to the northeast)
- Charter Oak
(10 miles [16.1 km] to the northwest)
- Astor
(12 miles [19.3 km] to the east)
- Astor is located in Crawford County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Astor
- Manilla
(13 miles [20.9 km] to the east)
- Ricketts
(14 miles [22.5 km] to the north)
- Ricketts is located in Crawford County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Ricketts
- Population from the 2020 Census: 135 people
- Deloit
(14 miles [22.5 km] to the northeast)
- Deloit is located in Crawford County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Deloit
- Population from the 2020 Census: 254 people
- Schleswig
(16 miles [25.7 km] to the north)
- Audubon County
- The following are listed by their distance from Dow City, with the one closest to Dow City listed first.
- Fiscus
(24 miles [38.6 km] to the southeast)
- Fiscus is located in Audubon County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Fiscus
- Gray
(26 miles [41.8 km] to the east)
- Kimballton
(29 miles [46.7 km] to the southeast)
- Carroll County
- The following are listed by their distance from Dow City, with the one closest to Dow City listed first.
- Manning
(22 miles [35.4 km] to the east)
- Arcadia
(25 miles [40.2 km] to the northeast)
- Arcadia is located in Carroll County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Arcadia
- Population from the 2020 Census: 531 people
- Halbur
(27 miles [43.5 km] to the east)
- Halbur is located in Carroll County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Halbur
- Population from the 2020 Census: 252 people
- Templeton
(28 miles [45.1 km] to the east)
- Roselle
(30 miles [48.3 km] to the east)
- Roselle is located in Carroll County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Roselle
- Harrison County
- The following are listed by their distance from Dow City, with the one closest to Dow City listed first.
- Dunlap
(7 miles [11.3 km] to the southwest)
- Woodbine
(17 miles [27.4 km] to the southwest)
- Pisgah
(23 miles [37 km] to the west)
- Persia
(24 miles [38.6 km] to the south)
- Persia is located in Harrison County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Persia
- Population from the 2020 Census: 281 people
- Logan
(24 miles [38.6 km] to the southwest)
- Magnolia
(25 miles [40.2 km] to the southwest)
- Magnolia is located in Harrison County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Magnolia
- Population from the 2020 Census: 170 people
- Orson
(27 miles [43.5 km] to the southwest)
- Orson is located in Harrison County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Orson
- Yorkshire
(28 miles [45.1 km] to the south)
- Yorkshire is located in Harrison County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Yorkshire
- Little Sioux
(28 miles [45.1 km] to the west)
- Mondamin
(30 miles [48.3 km] to the southwest)
- Ida County
- The following are listed by their distance from Dow City, with the one closest to Dow City listed first.
- Battle Creek
(27 miles [43.5 km] to the north)
- Ida Grove
(28 miles [45.1 km] to the north)
- Arthur
(29 miles [46.7 km] to the north)
- Arthur is located in Ida County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Arthur
- Population from the 2020 Census: 194 people
- Monona County
- The following are listed by their distance from Dow City, with the one closest to Dow City listed first.
- Ute
(13 miles [20.9 km] to the northwest)
- Soldier
(15 miles [24.1 km] to the west)
- Moorhead
(18 miles [29 km] to the west)
- Mapleton
(22 miles [35.4 km] to the northwest)
- Castana
(23 miles [37 km] to the northwest)
- Turin
(25 miles [40.2 km] to the west)
- Rodney
(30 miles [48.3 km] to the northwest)
- Rodney is located in Monona County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Rodney
- Population from the 2020 Census: 57 people
- Blencoe
(30 miles [48.3 km] to the west)
- Blencoe is located in Monona County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Blencoe
- Population from the 2020 Census: 196 people
- Pottawattamie County
- Harlan Junction ‑ Historic
(30 miles [48.3 km] to the south)
- Harlan Junction is located in Pottawattamie County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Harlan Junction
- Sac County
- The following are listed by their distance from Dow City, with the one closest to Dow City listed first.
- Herring ‑ Historic
(26 miles [41.8 km] to the northeast)
- Herring is located in Sac County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Herring
- Odebolt
(29 miles [46.7 km] to the northeast)
- Odebolt is located in Sac County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Odebolt
- Population from the 2020 Census: 933 people
- Shelby County
- The following are listed by their distance from Dow City, with the one closest to Dow City listed first.
- Defiance
(10 miles [16.1 km] to the southeast)
- Defiance is located in Shelby County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Defiance
- Population from the 2020 Census: 260 people
- Earling
(11 miles [17.7 km] to the south)
- Earling is located in Shelby County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Earling
- Population from the 2020 Census: 403 people
- Panama
(13 miles [20.9 km] to the south)
- Westphalia
(15 miles [24.1 km] to the south)
- Westphalia is located in Shelby County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Westphalia
- Population from the 2020 Census: 117 people
- Irwin
(17 miles [27.4 km] to the southeast)
- Kirkman
(18 miles [29 km] to the southeast)
- Kirkman is located in Shelby County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Kirkman
- Population from the 2020 Census: 61 people
- Botna
(19 miles [30.6 km] to the east)
- Botna is located in Shelby County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Botna
- Portsmouth
(19 miles [30.6 km] to the south)
- Harlan
(20 miles [32.2 km] to the southeast)
- Tennant
(23 miles [37 km] to the south)
- Tennant is located in Shelby County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Tennant
- Population from the 2020 Census: 63 people
- Corley
(25 miles [40.2 km] to the south)
- Corley is located in Shelby County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Corley
- Shelby
(28 miles [45.1 km] to the south)
- Woodbury County
- The following are listed by their distance from Dow City, with the one closest to Dow City listed first.
- Danbury
(24 miles [38.6 km] to the northwest)
- Smithland
(30 miles [48.3 km] to the northwest)
For an expanded list of the communities that are closest to Dow City, see our County-by-County Page for Dow City.
Cemeteries Near Dow City ...
Below are cemeteries that are in the vicinity of Dow City.
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 Dow City - one of the links might be able to help.
If not found below, our Cemetery List for Dow City covers a larger area, with the cemeteries listed in alphabetical order.
The following cemeteries are listed based on their distance from Dow City, with the one closest to Dow City listed first.
- Dow City Cemetery
(Less than 2 miles to the southwest)
- Butler Cemetery
(Less than 2 miles to the east)
- Crawford County Home Cemetery
(3 miles [4.8 km] to the northeast)
- Buck Grove Cemetery
(5 miles [8 km] to the east)
- Washington Twp. Cemetery
(5 miles [8 km] to the east)
- Gallands Grove Cemetery
(6 miles [9.7 km] to the south)
- Grove Twp. Cemetery
(6 miles [9.7 km] to the south)
- LDS Cemetery
(6 miles [9.7 km] to the south)
- Pleasant Hill Cemetery
(7 miles [11.3 km] to the southwest)
- Willow Twp. Cemetery
(7 miles [11.3 km] to the northwest)
- Valley View Cemetery
(8 miles [12.9 km] to the southwest)
- Doyle Cemetery
(8 miles [12.9 km] to the south)
- Continue List (138 more) ...
- Washington Twp. Cemetery
(8 miles [12.9 km] to the east)
- Zion Cemetery
(8 miles [12.9 km] to the northeast)
- Oakland Cemetery
(8 miles [12.9 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.<2>
The Rand McNally Atlas shows that Dow City had a population of 451 people in 1895 with a post office and railroad service. In 2020, Dow City had a population of 486 people.
These communities are listed based on their distance from Dow City, with the one closest to Dow City listed first.
- Bell
(2 miles [3.2 km] to the north)
- Bell is located in Crawford County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Bell
- Arion
(2 miles [3.2 km] to the northeast)
- Arion is located in Crawford County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Arion
- Population from the 2020 Census: 107 people
- Buck Grove
(5 miles [8 km] to the east)
- Buck Grove is located in Crawford County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Buck Grove
- Population from the 2020 Census: 43 people
- Kenwood
(5 miles [8 km] to the north)
- Kenwood is located in Crawford County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Kenwood
- Manteno
(6 miles [9.7 km] to the south)
- Manteno is located in Shelby County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Manteno
- Dunlap
(7 miles [11.3 km] to the southwest)
- Denison
(9 miles [14.5 km] to the northeast)
- Defiance
(10 miles [16.1 km] to the southeast)
- Defiance is located in Shelby County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Defiance
- Population from the 2020 Census: 260 people
- Charter Oak
(10 miles [16.1 km] to the northwest)
- Astor
(12 miles [19.3 km] to the east)
- Astor is located in Crawford County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Astor
- Panama
(13 miles [20.9 km] to the south)
- Manilla
(13 miles [20.9 km] to the east)
- Continue List (15 more) ...
- Ute
(13 miles [20.9 km] to the northwest)
- Deloit
(14 miles [22.5 km] to the northeast)
- Deloit is located in Crawford County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Deloit
- Population from the 2020 Census: 254 people
- Westphalia
(15 miles [24.1 km] to the south)
- Westphalia is located in Shelby County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Westphalia
- Population from the 2020 Census: 117 people
We've also created an expanded list of communities that existed in the 1890's and were located in the area around Dow City. See our List of 1890's Communities around Dow City.
Newspapers Published in the Vicinity of Dow City ...
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 74 newspapers that have been published in the area around Dow City.
We have organized these newspapers into two lists:
- A Local Newspaper List - focusing on the papers published in the immediate area of Dow City. There are actually two parts to this list - papers printed in the immediate area of Dow City and those printed in the larger area surrounding Dow City.
- An Extended Newspaper List - a longer list, sorted by paper name and containing those papers published within 30 miles [48.3 km]<3> of Dow City.
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 Dow City:
- Websites specific to Iowa
- Pages specific to Crawford County
- Genealogy information for nearby counties
- Audubon County
- Carroll County
- Harrison County
- Ida County
- Monona County
- Pottawattamie County
- Sac County
- Shelby County
- Woodbury 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 Dow City, 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 obstructions like rivers, canyons, lakes, et cetera - it's truly a line from Point A (ie- Dow City) to Point B. In other words: 'As the crow flies'. |