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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 Fern (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 Fern. 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.

Fern is located in Grundy 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 Grundy County: Black Hawk, Bremer, Butler, Hardin, Marshall & Tama.

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

  • Grundy County     (The home county of Fern)
    • The following are listed by their distance from Fern, with the one closest to Fern listed first.
    • Stout
      (4 miles [6.4 km] to the northeast)
    • Buck Grove
      (4 miles [6.4 km] to the northwest)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Buck Grove have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Buck Grove
      • Buck Grove is located in Grundy County
    • Holland
      (6 miles [9.7 km] to the south)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Holland have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Holland
      • Holland is located in Grundy County
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 276 people
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Holland <2>
    • Dike
      (7 miles [11.3 km] to the east)
    • Grundy Center
      (8 miles [12.9 km] to the south)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Grundy Center have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Grundy Center
      • Grundy Center is located in Grundy County
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 2,670 people
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Grundy Center <2>
    • Wellsburg
      (8 miles [12.9 km] to the southwest)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Wellsburg have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Wellsburg
      • Wellsburg is located in Grundy County
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 685 people
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Wellsburg <2>
    • Fredsville
      (9 miles [14.5 km] to the east)
      • Note: We haven't been able to verify our GPS coordinates for Fredsville. Although the coordinates have been estimated, they should be in the vicinity.<3>
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Fredsville
      • Fredsville is located in Grundy County
      • Google driving directions:
      • From your current location to Fredsville
      • From Fern to Fredsville
    • Morrison
      (10 miles [16.1 km] to the southeast)
    • Reinbeck
      (14 miles [22.5 km] to the southeast)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Reinbeck have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Reinbeck
      • Reinbeck is located in Grundy County
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 1,613 people
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Reinbeck <2>
    • Beaman
      (18 miles [29 km] to the south)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Beaman have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Beaman
      • Beaman is located in Grundy County
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 183 people
    • Conrad
      (18 miles [29 km] to the south)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Conrad have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Conrad
      • Conrad is located in Grundy County
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 1,067 people
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Conrad <2>
  • Black Hawk County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Fern, with the one closest to Fern listed first.
    • Finchford
      (15 miles [24.1 km] to the northeast)
    • Cedar Falls
      (16 miles [25.7 km] to the east)
    • Hudson
      (16 miles [25.7 km] to the east)
    • North Cedar
      (16 miles [25.7 km] to the east)
    • Cedar City
      (17 miles [27.4 km] to the east)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Cedar City have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Cedar City
      • Cedar City is located in Black Hawk County
    • Voorhies
      (17 miles [27.4 km] to the southeast)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Voorhies have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Voorhies
      • Voorhies is located in Black Hawk County
    • Janesville
      (19 miles [30.6 km] to the northeast)
    • Blessing
      (19 miles [30.6 km] to the southeast)
    • Waterloo
      (21 miles [33.8 km] to the east)
    • Eagle Center
      (23 miles [37 km] to the southeast)
      • Note: We haven't been able to verify our GPS coordinates for Eagle Center. Although the coordinates have been estimated, they should be in the vicinity.<3>
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Eagle Center
      • Eagle Center is located in Black Hawk County
      • Google driving directions:
      • From your current location to Eagle Center
      • From Fern to Eagle Center
    • Evansdale
      (24 miles [38.6 km] to the east)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Evansdale have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Evansdale
      • Evansdale is located in Black Hawk County
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 4,734 people
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Evansdale <2>
    • Edwards ‑ Historic
      (26 miles [41.8 km] to the east)
    • Elk Run Heights
      (26 miles [41.8 km] to the east)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Elk Run Heights have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Elk Run Heights
      • Elk Run Heights is located in Black Hawk County
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 1,135 people
  • Bremer County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Fern, with the one closest to Fern listed first.
    • Waverly
      (22 miles [35.4 km] to the northeast)
    • Denver
      (25 miles [40.2 km] to the northeast)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Denver have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Denver
      • Denver is located in Bremer County
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 1,879 people
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Denver <2>
    • Bremer
      (27 miles [43.5 km] to the northeast)
    • Plainfield
      (27 miles [43.5 km] to the northeast)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Plainfield have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Plainfield
      • Plainfield is located in Bremer County
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 413 people
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Plainfield <2>
    • Horton
      (29 miles [46.7 km] to the northeast)
    • Klinger
      (30 miles [48.3 km] to the northeast)
    • Knittel
      (30 miles [48.3 km] to the northeast)
  • Butler County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Fern, with the one closest to Fern listed first.
    • Sinclair
      (2 miles [3.2 km] to the northeast)
      • Note: We haven't been able to verify our GPS coordinates for Sinclair. Although the coordinates have been estimated, they should be in the vicinity.<3>
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Sinclair
      • Sinclair is located in Butler County
      • Google driving directions:
      • From your current location to Sinclair
      • From Fern to Sinclair
    • Parkersburg
      (6 miles [9.7 km] to the north)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Parkersburg have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Parkersburg
      • Parkersburg is located in Butler County
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 1,913 people
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Parkersburg <2>
    • Aplington
      (8 miles [12.9 km] to the northwest)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Aplington have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Aplington
      • Aplington is located in Butler County
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 1,039 people
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Aplington <2>
    • New Hartford
      (9 miles [14.5 km] to the northeast)
    • Austinville
      (11 miles [17.7 km] to the northwest)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Austinville have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Austinville
      • Austinville is located in Butler County
    • Coster
      (13 miles [20.9 km] to the north)
      • Note: We haven't been able to verify our GPS coordinates for Coster. Although the coordinates have been estimated, they should be in the vicinity.<3>
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Coster
      • Coster is located in Butler County
      • Google driving directions:
      • From your current location to Coster
      • From Fern to Coster
    • Butler Center
      (14 miles [22.5 km] to the north)
    • Kesley
      (14 miles [22.5 km] to the northwest)
    • Allison
      (18 miles [29 km] to the north)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Allison have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Allison
      • Allison is located in Butler County
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 965 people
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Allison <2>
    • Shell Rock
      (18 miles [29 km] to the northeast)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Shell Rock have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Shell Rock
      • Shell Rock is located in Butler County
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 1,268 people
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Shell Rock <2>
    • Bristow
      (21 miles [33.8 km] to the north)
    • Clarksville
      (21 miles [33.8 km] to the north)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Clarksville have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Clarksville
      • Clarksville is located in Butler County
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 1,333 people
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Clarksville <2>
    • Dumont
      (21 miles [33.8 km] to the northwest)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Dumont have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Dumont
      • Dumont is located in Butler County
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 595 people
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Dumont <2>
  • Franklin County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Fern, with the one closest to Fern listed first.
    • Faulkner
      (18 miles [29 km] to the northwest)
      • Note: We haven't been able to verify our GPS coordinates for Faulkner. Although the coordinates have been estimated, they should be in the vicinity.<3>
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Faulkner
      • Faulkner is located in Franklin County
      • Google driving directions:
      • From your current location to Faulkner
      • From Fern to Faulkner
    • Geneva
      (22 miles [35.4 km] to the northwest)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Geneva have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Geneva
      • Geneva is located in Franklin County
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 154 people
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Geneva <2>
    • Hansell
      (25 miles [40.2 km] to the northwest)
    • Bradford
      (26 miles [41.8 km] to the northwest)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Bradford have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Bradford
      • Bradford is located in Franklin County
    • Hampton
      (28 miles [45.1 km] to the northwest)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Hampton have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Hampton
      • Hampton is located in Franklin County
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 4,162 people
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Hampton <2>
    • Reeve
      (28 miles [45.1 km] to the northwest)
      • Note: We haven't been able to verify our GPS coordinates for Reeve. Although the coordinates have been estimated, they should be in the vicinity.<3>
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Reeve
      • Reeve is located in Franklin County
      • Google driving directions:
      • From your current location to Reeve
      • From Fern to Reeve
  • Hardin County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Fern, with the one closest to Fern listed first.
    • Cleves
      (14 miles [22.5 km] to the west)
    • Abbott
      (15 miles [24.1 km] to the west)
      • Note: We haven't been able to verify our GPS coordinates for Abbott. Although the coordinates have been estimated, they should be in the vicinity.<3>
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Abbott
      • Abbott is located in Hardin County
      • Google driving directions:
      • From your current location to Abbott
      • From Fern to Abbott
    • Ackley
      (15 miles [24.1 km] to the west)
    • Steamboat Rock
      (15 miles [24.1 km] to the west)
    • Eldora
      (18 miles [29 km] to the southwest)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Eldora have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Eldora
      • Eldora is located in Hardin County
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 2,571 people
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Eldora <2>
    • Robertson
      (18 miles [29 km] to the west)
    • Whitten
      (19 miles [30.6 km] to the southwest)
    • Eagle City
      (19 miles [30.6 km] to the west)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Eagle City have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Eagle City
      • Eagle City is located in Hardin County
    • Gifford
      (21 miles [33.8 km] to the southwest)
    • Union
      (22 miles [35.4 km] to the southwest)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Union have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Union
      • Union is located in Hardin County
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 373 people
    • Owasa
      (22 miles [35.4 km] to the west)
    • New Providence
      (24 miles [38.6 km] to the southwest)
      • Note: We haven't been able to verify our GPS coordinates for New Providence. Although the coordinates have been estimated, they should be in the vicinity.<3>
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for New Providence
      • New Providence is located in Hardin County
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 220 people
      • Google driving directions:
      • From your current location to New Providence
      • From Fern to New Providence
    • Iowa Falls
      (25 miles [40.2 km] to the west)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Iowa Falls have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Iowa Falls
      • Iowa Falls is located in Hardin County
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 4,940 people
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Iowa Falls <2>
  • Marshall County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Fern, with the one closest to Fern listed first.
    • Liscomb
      (23 miles [37 km] to the southwest)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Liscomb have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Liscomb
      • Liscomb is located in Marshall County
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 296 people
    • Green Mountain
      (26 miles [41.8 km] to the south)
    • Bangor
      (27 miles [43.5 km] to the southwest)
      • Note: We haven't been able to verify our GPS coordinates for Bangor. Although the coordinates have been estimated, they should be in the vicinity.<3>
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Bangor
      • Bangor is located in Marshall County
      • Google driving directions:
      • From your current location to Bangor
      • From Fern to Bangor
    • Albion
      (28 miles [45.1 km] to the southwest)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Albion have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Albion
      • Albion is located in Marshall County
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 493 people
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Albion <2>
    • Marietta
      (30 miles [48.3 km] to the southwest)
  • Tama County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Fern, with the one closest to Fern listed first.
    • Lincoln
      (15 miles [24.1 km] to the south)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Lincoln have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Lincoln
      • Lincoln is located in Tama County
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 148 people
    • Dinsdale
      (19 miles [30.6 km] to the southeast)
    • Gladbrook
      (20 miles [32.2 km] to the south)
    • Buckingham
      (24 miles [38.6 km] to the southeast)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Buckingham have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Buckingham
      • Buckingham is located in Tama County
    • Traer
      (25 miles [40.2 km] to the southeast)
    • Garwin
      (27 miles [43.5 km] to the south)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Garwin have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Garwin
      • Garwin is located in Tama County
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 490 people

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

Cemeteries Near Fern ...

Below are cemeteries that are in the vicinity of Fern.

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

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

  • Beaver Twp. Cemetery
    (2 miles [3.2 km] to the east)
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Beaver Twp. Cemetery
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Beaver Twp. Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
  • Salem Cemetery
    (2 miles [3.2 km] to the north)
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Salem Cemetery
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Salem Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
  • Pleasant Valley Reformed Cemetery
    (2 miles [3.2 km] to the west)
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Pleasant Valley Reformed Cemetery
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Pleasant Valley Reformed Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
  • Reformed Church of Stout Cemetery
    (3 miles [4.8 km] to the northeast)
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Reformed Church of Stout Cemetery
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Reformed Church of Stout Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
  • Colfax Center Cemetery
    (4 miles [6.4 km] to the southwest)
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Colfax Center Cemetery
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Colfax Center Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
  • Lincoln Center Cemetery
    (4 miles [6.4 km] to the southeast)
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Lincoln Center Cemetery
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Lincoln Center Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
  • Lincoln Twp. Cemetery
    (4 miles [6.4 km] to the southeast)
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Lincoln Twp. Cemetery
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Lincoln Twp. Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
  • Buck Grove Cemetery
    (4 miles [6.4 km] to the northwest)
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Buck Grove Cemetery
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Buck Grove Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
  • Parker Burial Grounds
    (5 miles [8 km] to the north)
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Parker Burial Grounds
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Parker Burial Grounds have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
  • St. Patricks Catholic Cemetery
    (6 miles [9.7 km] to the north)
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the St. Patricks Catholic Cemetery
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the St. Patricks Catholic Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
  • Oak Hill Cemetery
    (6 miles [9.7 km] to the north)
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Oak Hill Cemetery
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Oak Hill Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
  • Holland Cemetery
    (6 miles [9.7 km] to the south)
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Holland Cemetery
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Holland Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
  • Continue List   (250 more) ...
    • Beaver Grove Cemetery
      (6 miles [9.7 km] to the east)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Beaver Grove Cemetery
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Beaver Grove Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Codner Cemetery
      (6 miles [9.7 km] to the north)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Codner Cemetery
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Codner Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Pleasant Valley Cemetery
      (6 miles [9.7 km] to the west)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Pleasant Valley Cemetery
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Pleasant Valley Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.

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.<4>

While we didn't find Fern in the Atlas, the following 1895 communities would have been found near the current location of Fern.

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

  • Swanton
    (4 miles [6.4 km] to the east)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Swanton have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Swanton
    • Swanton is located in Butler County
  • Dairyville
    (5 miles [8 km] to the east)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Dairyville have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Dairyville
    • Dairyville is located in Grundy County
  • Holland
    (6 miles [9.7 km] to the south)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Holland have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Holland
    • Holland is located in Grundy County
    • Population from the 2020 Census: 276 people
    • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Holland <2>
  • Lincoln
    (6 miles [9.7 km] to the southeast)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Lincoln have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Lincoln
    • Lincoln is located in Grundy County
  • Parkersburg
    (6 miles [9.7 km] to the north)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Parkersburg have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Parkersburg
    • Parkersburg is located in Butler County
    • Population from the 2020 Census: 1,913 people
    • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Parkersburg <2>
  • Wellsburg
    (8 miles [12.9 km] to the southwest)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Wellsburg have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Wellsburg
    • Wellsburg is located in Grundy County
    • Population from the 2020 Census: 685 people
    • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Wellsburg <2>
  • Grundy Center
    (8 miles [12.9 km] to the south)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Grundy Center have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Grundy Center
    • Grundy Center is located in Grundy County
    • Population from the 2020 Census: 2,670 people
    • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Grundy Center <2>
  • Aplington
    (8 miles [12.9 km] to the northwest)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Aplington have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Aplington
    • Aplington is located in Butler County
    • Population from the 2020 Census: 1,039 people
    • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Aplington <2>
  • Fredsville
    (9 miles [14.5 km] to the east)
    • Note: We haven't been able to verify our GPS coordinates for Fredsville. Although the coordinates have been estimated, they should be in the vicinity.<3>
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Fredsville
    • Fredsville is located in Grundy County
    • Google driving directions:
    • From your current location to Fredsville
    • From Fern to Fredsville
  • New Hartford
    (9 miles [14.5 km] to the northeast)
  • Morrison
    (10 miles [16.1 km] to the southeast)
  • Coster
    (13 miles [20.9 km] to the north)
    • Note: We haven't been able to verify our GPS coordinates for Coster. Although the coordinates have been estimated, they should be in the vicinity.<3>
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Coster
    • Coster is located in Butler County
    • Google driving directions:
    • From your current location to Coster
    • From Fern to Coster
  • Continue List   (17 more) ...
    • Reinbeck
      (14 miles [22.5 km] to the southeast)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Reinbeck have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Reinbeck
      • Reinbeck is located in Grundy County
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 1,613 people
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Reinbeck <2>
    • Butler Center
      (14 miles [22.5 km] to the north)
    • Cleves
      (14 miles [22.5 km] to the west)

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

Newspapers Published in Fern ...

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 65 newspapers that have been published in the area around Fern.

Although we're unaware of any newspapers that were published in the immediate area of Fern, there are papers which were published within 30 miles [48.3 km]<5>. A list of those papers, sorted by paper name, can be found on the Extended Newspaper List for Fern.

Websites to Help With Your Genealogy Research ...

When we do our genealogical research, we first visit the websites from Cyndi's List, FamilySearch and Genealogy Trails. These websites either 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 Fern:

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

The official website for State of Iowa: https://www.iowa.gov/

Footnotes ...

<1>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.
<2>While we're fans and frequent users of TripAdvisor, you should know that we're also members of the TripAdvisor affiliate program.
<3>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.
<4>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 Fern, please let us know so that we can improve our accuracy.
<5>Our distances are not driving distances, but are calculated as a 'straight-line' (or point-to-point) distance. A straight line distance ignores things like rivers, canyons, lakes, et cetera - it's truly a line drawn from Point A (ie- Fern) to Point B.Our distance measurements begin at a specific point in Fern. The point we use is located at these GPS coordinates - Latitude: 42.4845, Longitude: -92.7702    









 

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This page was last modified/updated: 28 Apr 2025