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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 Eldorado (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 Eldorado. 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 and doctors 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.

Eldorado is located in Fayette 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 Fayette County: Allamakee, Black Hawk, Bremer, Buchanan, Chickasaw, Clayton, Delaware & Winneshiek.

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

  • Fayette County     (The home county of Eldorado)
    • The following are listed by their distance from Eldorado, with the one closest to Eldorado listed first.
    • Douglass
      (3 miles [4.8 km] to the southwest)
      • Douglass is located in Fayette County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Douglass
    • Saint Lucas
      (5 miles [8 km] to the west)
      • Saint Lucas is located in Fayette County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Saint Lucas
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 134 people
    • West Union
      (6 miles [9.7 km] to the south)
    • Clermont
      (9 miles [14.5 km] to the east)
    • Hawkeye
      (9 miles [14.5 km] to the southwest)
      • Hawkeye is located in Fayette County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Hawkeye
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 399 people
    • Donnan
      (10 miles [16.1 km] to the south)
      • Donnan is located in Fayette County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Donnan
    • Brainard
      (10 miles [16.1 km] to the southeast)
      • Brainard is located in Fayette County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Brainard
    • Waucoma
      (10 miles [16.1 km] to the west)
    • Alpha
      (11 miles [17.7 km] to the west)
      • Alpha is located in Fayette County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Alpha
    • Elgin
      (12 miles [19.3 km] to the southeast)
    • Randalia
      (13 miles [20.9 km] to the south)
      • Randalia is located in Fayette County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Randalia
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 60 people
    • Fayette
      (14 miles [22.5 km] to the south)
    • Illyria
      (14 miles [22.5 km] to the southeast)
      • Illyria is located in Fayette County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Illyria
  • Allamakee County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Eldorado, with the one closest to Eldorado listed first.
    • Postville
      (13 miles [20.9 km] to the east)
    • Volney
      (23 miles [37 km] to the east)
      • Volney is located in Allamakee County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Volney
    • Waukon
      (23 miles [37 km] to the northeast)
      • Waukon is located in Allamakee County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Waukon
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 3,600 people
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Waukon <1>
    • Rossville
      (25 miles [40.2 km] to the northeast)
      • Rossville is located in Allamakee County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Rossville
    • Lycurgus
      (28 miles [45.1 km] to the northeast)
      • Lycurgus is located in Allamakee County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Lycurgus
    • Ion
      (29 miles [46.7 km] to the east)
      • Ion is located in Allamakee County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Ion
    • Quandahl
      (29 miles [46.7 km] to the north)
      • Quandahl is located in Allamakee County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Quandahl
    • Elon
      (29 miles [46.7 km] to the northeast)
      • Elon is located in Allamakee County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Elon
    • Waterville
      (29 miles [46.7 km] to the northeast)
      • Waterville is located in Allamakee County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Waterville
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 142 people
  • Bremer County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Eldorado, with the one closest to Eldorado listed first.
    • Sumner
      (19 miles [30.6 km] to the southwest)
    • Frederika
      (26 miles [41.8 km] to the southwest)
      • Frederika is located in Bremer County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Frederika
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 205 people
    • Tripoli
      (27 miles [43.5 km] to the southwest)
    • Seigel
      (30 miles [48.3 km] to the southwest)
      • Seigel is located in Bremer County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Seigel
  • Buchanan County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Eldorado, with the one closest to Eldorado listed first.
    • Stanley
      (28 miles [45.1 km] to the south)
      • Stanley is located in Buchanan County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Stanley
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 120 people
    • Aurora
      (30 miles [48.3 km] to the south)
      • Aurora is located in Buchanan County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Aurora
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 162 people
    • Fairbank
      (30 miles [48.3 km] to the south)
    • Hazleton
      (30 miles [48.3 km] to the south)
  • Chickasaw County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Eldorado, with the one closest to Eldorado listed first.
    • Lawler
      (16 miles [25.7 km] to the west)
    • Fredericksburg
      (19 miles [30.6 km] to the west)
    • Jerico
      (23 miles [37 km] to the northwest)
      • Jerico is located in Chickasaw County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Jerico
    • New Hampton
      (24 miles [38.6 km] to the west)
    • North Washington
      (29 miles [46.7 km] to the west)
      • North Washington is located in Chickasaw County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for North Washington
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 137 people
    • Republic
      (29 miles [46.7 km] to the west)
      • Republic is located in Chickasaw County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Republic
  • Clayton County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Eldorado, with the one closest to Eldorado listed first.
    • Gunder
      (17 miles [27.4 km] to the east)
      • Gunder is located in Clayton County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Gunder
    • Hardin
      (17 miles [27.4 km] to the east)
      • Hardin is located in Clayton County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Hardin
    • Luana
      (19 miles [30.6 km] to the east)
    • Monona
      (22 miles [35.4 km] to the east)
    • Volga
      (22 miles [35.4 km] to the southeast)
      • Volga is located in Clayton County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Volga
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 193 people
    • Farmersburg
      (24 miles [38.6 km] to the east)
      • Farmersburg is located in Clayton County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Farmersburg
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 264 people
    • Saint Olaf
      (24 miles [38.6 km] to the east)
    • Watson
      (25 miles [40.2 km] to the east)
      • Watson is located in Clayton County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Watson
    • Elkader
      (25 miles [40.2 km] to the southeast)
    • Beulah
      (26 miles [41.8 km] to the east)
      • Beulah is located in Clayton County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Beulah
    • Osborne
      (26 miles [41.8 km] to the southeast)
      • Osborne is located in Clayton County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Osborne
    • Clayton Center
      (28 miles [45.1 km] to the southeast)
      • Clayton Center is located in Clayton County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Clayton Center
    • Mederville
      (28 miles [45.1 km] to the southeast)
      • Mederville is located in Clayton County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Mederville
  • Howard County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Eldorado, with the one closest to Eldorado listed first.
    • Protivin
      (17 miles [27.4 km] to the northwest)
    • Vernon Springs
      (25 miles [40.2 km] to the northwest)
      • Vernon Springs is located in Howard County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Vernon Springs
    • Cresco
      (26 miles [41.8 km] to the northwest)
  • Winneshiek County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Eldorado, with the one closest to Eldorado listed first.
    • Festina
      (5 miles [8 km] to the north)
    • Ossian
      (7 miles [11.3 km] to the northeast)
    • Fort Atkinson
      (8 miles [12.9 km] to the northwest)
    • Calmar
      (9 miles [14.5 km] to the north)
    • Castalia
      (9 miles [14.5 km] to the northeast)
      • Castalia is located in Winneshiek County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Castalia
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 156 people
    • Jackson Junction
      (11 miles [17.7 km] to the west)
      • Jackson Junction is located in Winneshiek County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Jackson Junction
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 54 people
    • Navan
      (11 miles [17.7 km] to the west)
      • Navan is located in Winneshiek County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Navan
    • Spillville
      (12 miles [19.3 km] to the northwest)
    • Frankville
      (14 miles [22.5 km] to the northeast)
      • Frankville is located in Winneshiek County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Frankville
    • Decorah
      (17 miles [27.4 km] to the north)
    • Ridgeway
      (18 miles [29 km] to the northwest)
    • Bluffton
      (24 miles [38.6 km] to the north)
      • Bluffton is located in Winneshiek County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Bluffton
    • Burr Oak
      (28 miles [45.1 km] to the north)

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

Cemeteries Near Eldorado ...

Below are cemeteries that are in the vicinity of Eldorado.

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

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

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

  • St. Peter Cemetery
    (Less than 2 miles to the north)
  • Auburn Twp. Cemetery
    (Less than 2 miles to the north)
  • Dover Twp. Cemetery
    (Less than 2 miles to the north)
  • Oak Ridge Cemetery
    (2 miles [3.2 km] to the southwest)
  • George Cemetery
    (2 miles [3.2 km] to the east)
  • Boale Cemetery
    (3 miles [4.8 km] to the south)
  • Bethany Cemetery
    (3 miles [4.8 km] to the east)
  • Bethany Cemetery
    (3 miles [4.8 km] to the northeast)
  • Stavanger Cemetery
    (4 miles [6.4 km] to the northeast)
  • St. Anthonys Cemetery
    (4 miles [6.4 km] to the northwest)
  • St. Lukes Catholic Cemetery
    (4 miles [6.4 km] to the west)
  • St. Marys Cemetery
    (5 miles [8 km] to the north)
  • Continue List   (313 more) ...
    • Smallest Church Cemetery
      (5 miles [8 km] to the north)
    • Nutting Cemetery
      (5 miles [8 km] to the east)
    • Young Cemetery
      (5 miles [8 km] to the northwest)

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 Eldorado had a population of 296 people in 1895 with a post office and no railroad service.

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

  • Douglass
    (3 miles [4.8 km] to the southwest)
    • Douglass is located in Fayette County
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Douglass
  • Festina
    (5 miles [8 km] to the north)
  • Dover Mills
    (5 miles [8 km] to the east)
    • Dover Mills is located in Fayette County
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Dover Mills
  • Saint Lucas
    (5 miles [8 km] to the west)
    • Saint Lucas is located in Fayette County
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Saint Lucas
    • Population from the 2020 Census: 134 people
  • West Union
    (6 miles [9.7 km] to the south)
  • Ossian
    (7 miles [11.3 km] to the northeast)
  • Fort Atkinson
    (8 miles [12.9 km] to the northwest)
  • Calmar
    (9 miles [14.5 km] to the north)
  • Hawkeye
    (9 miles [14.5 km] to the southwest)
    • Hawkeye is located in Fayette County
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Hawkeye
    • Population from the 2020 Census: 399 people
  • Clermont
    (9 miles [14.5 km] to the east)
  • Castalia
    (9 miles [14.5 km] to the northeast)
    • Castalia is located in Winneshiek County
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Castalia
    • Population from the 2020 Census: 156 people
  • Donnan
    (10 miles [16.1 km] to the south)
    • Donnan is located in Fayette County
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Donnan
  • Continue List   (15 more) ...
    • Brainard
      (10 miles [16.1 km] to the southeast)
      • Brainard is located in Fayette County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Brainard
    • Waucoma
      (10 miles [16.1 km] to the west)
    • Alpha
      (11 miles [17.7 km] to the west)
      • Alpha is located in Fayette County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Alpha

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

Newspapers Published in Eldorado ...

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 135 newspapers that have been published in the area around Eldorado.

Although we're unaware of any newspapers that were published in the immediate area of Eldorado, there are papers which were published within 30 miles [48.3 km]<3>. A list of those papers, sorted by paper name, can be found on the Extended Newspaper List for Eldorado.

Websites to Help With Your Genealogy Research ...

When we do our genealogical research, we first turn to 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 Eldorado:

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